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	<updated>2026-11-02T13:26:32Z</updated>
	<subtitle>User contributions</subtitle>
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	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Coldplay&amp;diff=1063259</id>
		<title>Coldplay</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Coldplay&amp;diff=1063259"/>
		<updated>2013-08-07T23:51:33Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Other Personnel */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Artist (Music)&lt;br /&gt;
|name           =Coldplay&lt;br /&gt;
|picture        =&lt;br /&gt;
|picture2       =&lt;br /&gt;
|country        =United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|style	        =Alternative Rock&lt;br /&gt;
|style2	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|style3	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|style4	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|style5	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|year   	=1998&lt;br /&gt;
|website        = www.coldplay.com&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''Coldplay''' is an British [[rock]] band, formed in 1998. The band is one of the most successful [[rock]] bands of the century with more than 50 million records worldwide. Their first major song was &amp;quot;Yellow&amp;quot; which featured on their debut album Parachutes and was later released as a single. Other famous songs performed by Coldplay include (In chronological order): Trouble, Clocks, The Scientist, Speed of Sound, Fix You, Viva La Vida and Paradise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Current Members==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Chris Martin - [[singer|lead singer]], [[piano]], [[guitar]], [[harmonica]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Guy Berryman - [[bass]], [[singer|backing singer]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Jon Buckland - [[guitar]], [[singer|backing singer]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Will Champion - [[drums]], [[percussion]], [[harmonica]], [[guitar]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It should be noted that during the bands formation years, Will was expelled and brought back to the group. It is also often said on the band's website that Will can &amp;quot;play anything&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://coldplay.com/oracledetail_pop.php?id=3842&amp;amp;page=&amp;amp;iframe=true]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Other Personnel==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Brian Eno]] and Phil Harvey have both been cited by the band as a big influence on their current style. With Eno coming in as producer for their 4th album Viva La Vida, and Harvey being known as a 5th member of the band, the members refer to both at different times. Jon Hopkins is also quoted as producing the &amp;quot;light an magic&amp;quot; on Mylo Xyloto&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Discography==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Safety - EP (1998)&lt;br /&gt;
*The Blue Room - EP (1999)&lt;br /&gt;
*Brothers &amp;amp; Sisters (1999)&lt;br /&gt;
*Parachutes (2000)&lt;br /&gt;
*A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)&lt;br /&gt;
*X&amp;amp;Y (2005)&lt;br /&gt;
*Prospekt's March - EP (2008)&lt;br /&gt;
*Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)&lt;br /&gt;
*Mylo Xyloto (2011)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Live Recordings==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Live 2003 (2003)&lt;br /&gt;
*LeftRightLeftRightLeft (2009)&lt;br /&gt;
*Live 2012 (2012)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Rock Bands]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Radiohead&amp;diff=1062715</id>
		<title>Radiohead</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Radiohead&amp;diff=1062715"/>
		<updated>2013-08-04T05:56:18Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* EPs and B-Sides */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Artist (Music)&lt;br /&gt;
|picture        =&lt;br /&gt;
|picture2       =&lt;br /&gt;
|country        =United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|style	        =Alternative Rock&lt;br /&gt;
|style2	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|style3	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|style4	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|style5	        =&lt;br /&gt;
|year   	=1993&lt;br /&gt;
|website	=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''Radiohead''' is a band from the [[United Kingdom]] that is very influential in [[music]], and was especially so during the 1990s. They have had eight albums, five EPs and one live album. Singer/guitarist/pianist [[Thom Yorke]] has had one solo album, and guitarist Jonny Greenwood has composed soundtracks for major motion pictures such as ''[[There Will Be Blood]]''.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Early Years ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The band was formed in high school by Thom Yorke and bassist Colin Greenwood.  Drummer Phil Selway was added shortly after forming as was guitarist Ed O' Brien.  Greenwood's younger brother Jonny would tag along to band practices at their mother's request and after begging to become a member numerous times, he was added as a harmonica player.  He soon moved to keyboards and eventually lead guitar. The band were originally called 'on a friday' - reflecting their practice schedule. They played together under this name throughout their school years and then during university vacations whilst the bands members were studying.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After completing their studies the band were signed to Parlaphone Records and changed their name to Radiohead. They released their debut album, 'Pablo Honey', then 'The Bends', before the highly acclaimed 'OK Computer' - a regular high placing entry in critics 'best albums of all time' lists even twelve years after it's initial release.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the success of 'OK Computer', the band were given absolute artistic freedom to record anything they liked for their next release. The band went against expectations, and rather than record another guitar based 'britpop' style record, released the electronica influenced 'Kid A', later albums continued this trend throughout the remainder of their recording contract with Parlaphone.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Digital Sale ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
No longer signed to a major label, the band decided not to sign with another big label for their next album. Radiohead's 2007 album ''In Rainbows'' is notable for being the first major blockbuster release by a major band to be released for free. Upon the album's release, the record label sold it through InRainbows.com, where customers had the option to enter whatever price they wanted to pay (including $0). Similar practices have since been used by other major artists such as [[Nine Inch Nails]] and [[Girl Talk]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Releases ==&lt;br /&gt;
===Albums===&lt;br /&gt;
* ''Pablo Honey'' (1993)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''The Bends'' (1995)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''OK Computer'' (1997)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''Kid A'' (2000)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''Amnesiac'' (2001)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''Hail to the Thief'' (2003)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''In Rainbows'' (2007)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''The King of Limbs'' (2011)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[EP]]s and B-Sides===&lt;br /&gt;
* ''Drill'' (1992)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''My Iron Lung'' (1994)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''No Surprises / Running From Demons'' (1997)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''Airbag / How Am I Driving?'' (1998)&lt;br /&gt;
* ''Com Lag'' (2003)&lt;br /&gt;
* &amp;quot;Daily Mail / Staircase&amp;quot; (2011)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Live Albums===&lt;br /&gt;
* ''I Might Be Wrong'' (2001)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Alternative Rock Bands]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_myths&amp;diff=1061969</id>
		<title>Liberal myths</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_myths&amp;diff=1061969"/>
		<updated>2013-07-25T06:23:03Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Liberal myths are heavily promoted falsehoods motivated by a destructive belief system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==List of liberal myths==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Liberal beliefs:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.twilightslastgleaming.com/myths.htm&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; They include:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that regulations create jobs.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that environmental regulation saves lives.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that there is no voter fraud, it's about the GOP wanting to prevent people from voting.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that “The failed economic policies of George W. Bush&amp;quot; caused the recession and high unemployment. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-national/let-s-discuss-the-failed-economicy-policies-of-president-george-w-bush Let's discuss the &amp;quot;failed economicy policies&amp;quot; of President George W. Bush, Washington Examiner, December 9, 2010]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that unemployment benefits stimulate the economy. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/30660 The unemployment ‘benefits’ compassion sham, CanadaFreePress, December 3, 2010]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that Democrats lost the [[2010 Midterm elections]] because [[Barack Obama]] was not liberal enough.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that banning plastic bags will improve the environment. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.dailycamera.com/guest-opinions/ci_23695266/gust-column-save-planet-use-plastic-bag Guest column: Save the planet, use a plastic bag, The Daily Camera, July 21, 2013]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that Early American [[Pilgrim]]s were illegal immigrants.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2011/11/26/msnbc-analyst-on-thanksgiving-pilgrims-were-illegal-immigrants-indians-99-percenters/ MSNBC Analyst On Thanksgiving: Pilgrims Were “Illegal Immigrants,” Indians 99 Percenters, Weasel Zippers, November 26, 2011]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; No government or immigration laws were in existence at the time. &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that human beings are beginning to overpopulate. (This myth is used as an attempt to justify abortion and anthropogenic global warming)&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that people today are more knowledgeable than in prior centuries.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] tax cuts substantially reduced 2006 revenues and expanded the [[budget]] deficit.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the Bush tax cuts have not helped the economy.&lt;br /&gt;
*Anthropogenic [[Global Warming]]. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nowpublic.com/some-exasperating-liberal-myths Some Exasperating Liberal Myths] NowPublic.com, August 27, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that some people are so poor they can only afford to eat Ramen Noodles.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that a [[fetus]] is not a living person.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim the [[embryonic stem cell]]s will provide many cures. Unlike adult stem cells, embryonic cells have provided no known cures.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[gun control]] reduces crime.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[abortion]] and [[breast cancer]] are unrelated. &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[abortion]] and mental depression are unrelated.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[gambling]] financially benefits state school systems &amp;lt;REF&amp;gt;[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/17/cbsnews_investigates/main3269456.shtml Is The Lottery Shortchanging Schools?] CBS News, September 17, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim to support the rights of women, never mention the oppressed women in Muslim countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.aclu.org/womensrights/index.html About the Women's Rights Project] ACLU&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[media]] is not biased toward the liberal agenda.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that enabling [[oil]] drilling will not reduce long-term [[energy]] prices.  &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://rightwingnews.com/mt331/2008/07/nancy_pelosis_energy_policy.php?comments=show Nancy Pelosi's Energy Policy] Rightwingnews.com, July 8, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that enabling oil drilling will not provide [[energy]] security.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=33767 Oil Money May Buy Drilling Vote, Liberal Says] CNSNews.com, August 7, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that same-sex couple adoptions can replace the [[love]] from a mother and a father. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/families/a/adoption_2.htm  Lesbian and Gay Adoption Rights] About.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that an individuals [[sexual]] preference needs to be a protected civil right. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.civilrights.org/research_center/civilrights101/sexualorientation.html GAYS AND LESBIANS] Civilrights.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*That there is a [[vast right-wing conspiracy]] &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359741,00.html THE VAST LEFT-WING CONSPIRACY] Fox News, May 29, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that opposing the [[homosexual agenda]] is [[bigotry]]. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.boycottmcdonalds.com/detail.aspx?id=102 Boycott McDonald's!] American Family Association&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the US acted unilaterally in Iraq (The USA and Britain led a 30-nation coalition in Iraq)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.heritage.org/Research/Europe/wm558.cfm The Myth of U.S. Isolation] The Heritage Foundation, September 7, 2004 &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[President Bush]] stole the 2000 elections. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://archive.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=239 Floridagate] Democrats.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[President Bush]] lied about WMD in [[Iraq]] to grab [[oil]]. &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[Saddam Hussein]] was not seeking to buy yellowcake Uranium. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/14/tenet-niger/ Tenet Agrees To Cooperate With Congressional Investigation Into Niger Fraud] ThinkProgress, May 14, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[9/11]] terrorists attacks were an inside job by the [[USA]].&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that Foreign Intelligence &amp;amp; Surveillance Act (FISA) is for spying on Americans. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35928prs20080709.html Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill] ACLU, July 9, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[big government]] will benefit its' citizens. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/candidates_public_service/2008/09/11/130009.html McCain, Obama Discuss Views on Public Service] Ap, September 11, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[military]] recruits are poor and uneducated. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.heritage.org/research/nationalsecurity/cda05-08.cfm Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Recruits] Heritage Foundation, November 7, 2005&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200612/ai_n17197505 Rangel Is Wrong About Recruits] Human Events, December 4,2006&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/31/kerry.mccain/  Bush on Kerry remark: U.S. troops are 'plenty smart'] CNN, November 1, 2006&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[government]] run [[healthcare]] is better than a capitalist healthcare system. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr009=j7lglh8nq9.app5b&amp;amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;amp;id=9238&amp;amp;news_iv_ctrl=1283 Free, universal health care must be a right!] VotePSL.org, may 30, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that going on the offense against [[terrorists]] creates more terrorists. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/03/madeleine-albright-we-created-more.html  Madeleine Albright: &amp;quot;We Created More Terrorists... Our Soldiers Are the Problem&amp;quot;] Gateway Pundit, March 27, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that terrorism should be handled by [[law]] enforcement. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902041.html Strategy Against Al-Qaeda Faulted] Washington Post, July 30, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406901,00.html Bush: War on Terror is Not Law Enforcement Matter] AP, August 20, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the USA should negotiate with rogue [[nations]] and terror groups.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[socialism]] is superior to [[capitalism]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that there is a [[gene]] which causes people to be gay, despite the fact that the scientific community rejects this view&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[humans]] and [[ape]]s have a common ancestor&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the [[death penalty]] does not deter [[crime]], despite the overwhelming evidence showing that the death penalty does deter crime&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[atheists]] are just as moral as [[Christians]] who regularly go to a church, or, in some cases, claim atheists are morally superior. &lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that all [[religions]] teach the same thing.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[intelligent design]] is not a science and has no evidence.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that no [[climatologist]] or [[physicist]] rejects global warming, despite the fact that the founder of The Weather Channel rejects global warming, as do thousands of other scientists.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim Hitler was a [[Catholic]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim opposition to [[Obama]] is racism.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim the general welfare clause in the Constitution gives government the right to force you to buy government-run healthcare.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim Jesus was the first [[socialist]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim [[affirmative action]] works.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim the [[Old Testament]] is immoral.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the [[Jews]] aren't the Jews of the Bible.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[feminism]] has no bias.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim [[homosexuals]] do not try to convert [[heterosexuals]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[gay marriage]] will not result in [[polygamy]] also being written into law.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the [[Bible]] is fictional.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[Liberal Christianity]] is compatible with the teachings of [[Jesus Christ]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that proper tire inflation can replace the need for additional oil drilling.&lt;br /&gt;
*That we should eat less red meat in order to combat [[climate change]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,418801,00.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim Jesus was a liberal, or that Jesus was left-wing&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1895/cromwell/09-communism.htm The 'Diggers' movement is held up as an example of good Christianity]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[Nation of Islam]] is unrelated to Islam the religion.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that portable school vouchers would destroy [[public schools]], yet send their own children to private schools.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that if you are [[pro-life]], you don't care about people after they're born. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://twitter.com/movingleft Obnoxious supporter of Obama Twitter Account @MovingLeft (Warning:Vulgar)]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that more black people died in wars of [[America]] than in [[abortion]]. 1,786 blacks are killed '''daily''' by abortion, one of two [[pregnant]] women will be suckered into pro-choice genocide. [http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/1685410938.html]&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that renaming [[War on Terror]] to Overseas Contingency Operation will reduce the threats facing America.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim to cutback our country's missile defenses will some how make us more secure than we were.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the nation will go bankrupt if we don't spend more tax dollars.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that we as a nation must switch to unproven technologies for the environments sake, such as wind or solar power. Yet, proven clean energy generated by nuclear power is not an option.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that you are not pro-life if you are [[pro-gun]].&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that guns are responsible for deaths. (by that same logic, pencils are responsible for misspelled words.)&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that 47 million Americans don't have health insurance. (Actual number is between 10 and 15 million) &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[Essay:47 million Americans without health insurance lie‎]]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that homosexuality cannot be overcome by therapy and prayer.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that homosexuality is inherent to a person's biology and not a choice of lifestyle.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that higher income earners in America aren't paying their &amp;quot;fair share&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Patriotism==&lt;br /&gt;
The liberal belief that an individual can claim to support our military, just not the mission and still be considered a 'Patriot'. In fact, the exact opposite is the truth. A liberals patriotism, party-specific position, cannot support the troops if they are an a impediment to their political left-wing strategy. The main reason for this has to due with passionate, partisan hatred for George Bush as commander in chief, the [[President of the United States of America]]. Liberals claim to support the military, claim not to support the mission and refuse to support the Commander. The extremist left discounts the counter effect of troop morale. Understanding the true liberal mindset when it comes to supporting our U.S. troops, observe the often tried protest march. Though frustration boils over, actions lead from protest to outright sabotage or anarchism. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/01/anti-war-protest-at-gop-convention-turns-violent/  Anti-War Protest at GOP Convention Turns Violent] Fox News, September 1, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Liberal credibility fails and lack of concern for the support of America shows.  The left-wing cares so much for our military they condone and actually prop up politicians that abuse troops with reckless accusations &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0907/Federal_judge_order_Murtha_to_testify_in_Haditha_defamation_case.html Federal judge orders Murtha to testify in Haditha defamation case] Politico, September 28, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, negative media coverage and ego trips &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-kerrystuckiniraq.htm Political Humor] About.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;. Liberal protesters look the other way as war memorials are vandalized. Liberals protest our severely injured soldiers at the Walter Reed Medical Center.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.crosswalk.com/1347570/ Anti-War Protests Target Wounded at Army Hospital] Crosswalk.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Liberal protesters harass, damage or block military recruitment centers from operating business as-usual. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://mfvov.com/blog/?p=505 Recruiting Center Attacks Coast to Coast] Military Families Voice of Victory, March 19, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; This leftwing position, the myth is successful in feeding media driven discontent and mediocrity shame. If the news is bad, a liberal is spoon fed. If the news is good, the spoon fed liberal is oblivious. e.g. &amp;quot;a complete suspension of disbelief&amp;quot;. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Patriotism, to your brother, who volunteers and risks the ultimate sacrifice out of love, will never be diminished. True patriots will always be in our gratitude and held in the highest light.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==America Perceived==&lt;br /&gt;
The myth liberals give says we need to restore America's image in the world. Again, this mostly has to do with liberals' negative view of [[President Bush]]. Liberals want the two linked even though the myth is false. They blame Bush and Iraq for the bad USA image but the truth is that the credibility of the American left is a worse image than America's image abroad.  The main need for liberals to propagate this myth is the fact that [[socialist]] governments of Europe oppose the policy of [[Iraq]]. This further fuels liberals' political agenda to remove [[Republicans]] from power. Liberals love Europeans and cite their false socialist utopia at every chance.  European opposition automatically reinforces their belief that America's image is damaged. As of 2008, most of the [[European]] leaders that opposed Iraq are no longer in positions of power. The result, European [[conservatives]] were elected who publicly aligned themselves with America.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those [[liberals]] that use the myth and regularly bash the USA are often called the &amp;quot;Blame America First&amp;quot; crowd. Though they never seem to mention that America gives more in donations, in total dollars, than any other country on Earth. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-25-charitable_N.htm Americans give record $295B to charity] USA Today, 6/25/2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; A sure way to change America's image in the world is to show the world we respect life. The repeal of Roe Vs. Wade would be a start.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Reasons why [[America]] was hated prior to 2003 include wealth, women's rights, support for our democratic ally [[Israel]], democratic government, capitalist economy and exporting immorality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Bad Successful Companies==&lt;br /&gt;
In the attempt to point fingers and lay blame, the liberals produce the myth that profits made by successful companies are bad for America. Only a select group of companies are targeted for public shame. This is a false myth because successful corporations actually create jobs and [[tax]] revenue. Retirement funds and municipal bonds rely heavily on the profits from these companies. Also, the reason these companies flourish is because the capitalist system rewards their hard work. The liberals will try to create sympathy, that they care for the average American, they are the ones going after wrongdoers to make it right. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Liberals]] have demonized such companies as RJ Reynolds, Walmart, Halliburton and [[Blackwater]]. Their latest target is Exxon Mobil for their enormous profits and futures market oil speculators. Most of their accusations are absurd. Liberals in [[Congress]] don't blink an eye when it comes time to spend all that tax revenue generated. Liberals in Congress have been called on their [[hypocrisy]] for owning stocks in those companies. Which in turn, they divest their portfolios like nothing was ever wrong. For years, for decades, these companies have lobbied members of Congress, they have worked together for their common goals. In return, hefty [[campaign]] donations are their reward. Then for opportune reasons, liberals will publicly ridicule and verbally attack these bad, greedy capitalists. Corporate heads are brought before congress for a sideshow grilling to explain their actions. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/01/MNU7VU217.DTL Congress asks Big Oil to justify big profits] The SF Chronicle, April 2, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Windfall Tax is just another example of the sham created by this liberal myth. Those companies make enough money, they should now be forced to give some back. They are threatened with nationalization &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;amp;pageId=65111 Congresswoman threatens to nationalize oil industry] Worldnetdaily.com, May 23, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
and further government regulation, a socialist scheme. As the price of gas fell, Congress just pretended like nothing ever happened, Big Oil off the hook.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==The Economy From The Previous 8 Years==&lt;br /&gt;
In an attempt to spread Bush hatred without mentioning his name, it is common for liberals to lie and say ''&amp;quot;we're in this economic mess because of the policies over the previous eight years.&amp;quot;'' This is a myth, perpetuated by the corrupt in order to link bad economics with [[Conservatism]] and Bush policy.  These liberals are the very same individuals that would not recognize George W. Bush's economic successes when the economy was creating jobs. Bush, [[McCain]], [[Alan Greenspan]] are all on record as trying to fix the corrupt lending policies and government mismanagement for the past eight years. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM&amp;amp;NR=1 Financial Meltdown Video]YouTube&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; All the while Democrats were lining their pockets with [[Fannie Mae]] and [[Freddie Mac]] donations. Democrats are overwhelmingly responsible if they should point fingers. Democrats [[Barney Frank]], [[Chris Dodd]], [[John Kerry]], [[Charles Schumer]] and even [[Barack Obama]] are as much, if not directly, indirectly responsible for the failed economics of this country over the past eight-years. The same people who got us into this mess are now responsible for getting us out of financial meltdown. Blame can go all around on this one, both Republicans and Democrats. This was the result of many bad decisions over a long period of time. Then out of nowhere, financial calamity that nobody saw coming, except congressmen and women who were privy to bank collapses. They made good money while the rest of America suffered. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/06/members_of_us_house_financial.html Members of U.S. House Financial Services Committee snapped up or dumped bank stocks as bottom fell out of market Cleveland.com June 25, 2009]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|The truth of the matter; Bush-era 4.5% unemployment, Obama-era will it go higher than 10%?}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Liberalism}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Deceit]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:liberals]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_myths&amp;diff=1061840</id>
		<title>Liberal myths</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_myths&amp;diff=1061840"/>
		<updated>2013-07-24T01:29:18Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Liberal myths are heavily promoted falsehoods motivated by a destructive belief system */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Liberal myths are heavily promoted falsehoods motivated by a destructive belief system ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Liberal beliefs:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.twilightslastgleaming.com/myths.htm&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; They include:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that regulations create jobs.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that environmental regulation saves lives.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that there is no voter fraud, it's about the GOP wanting to prevent people from voting.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that “The failed economic policies of George W. Bush&amp;quot; caused the recession and high unemployment. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-national/let-s-discuss-the-failed-economicy-policies-of-president-george-w-bush Let's discuss the &amp;quot;failed economicy policies&amp;quot; of President George W. Bush, Washington Examiner, December 9, 2010]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that unemployment benefits stimulate the economy. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/30660 The unemployment ‘benefits’ compassion sham, CanadaFreePress, December 3, 2010]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that Democrats lost the [[2010 Midterm elections]] because [[Barack Obama]] was not liberal enough.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that banning plastic bags will improve the environment. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.dailycamera.com/guest-opinions/ci_23695266/gust-column-save-planet-use-plastic-bag Guest column: Save the planet, use a plastic bag, The Daily Camera, July 21, 2013]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that Early American [[Pilgrim]]s were illegal immigrants.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2011/11/26/msnbc-analyst-on-thanksgiving-pilgrims-were-illegal-immigrants-indians-99-percenters/ MSNBC Analyst On Thanksgiving: Pilgrims Were “Illegal Immigrants,” Indians 99 Percenters, Weasel Zippers, November 26, 2011]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; No government or immigration laws were in existence at the time. &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that human beings are beginning to overpopulate. (This myth is used as an attempt to justify abortion and anthropogenic global warming)&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that people today are more knowledgeable than in prior centuries.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] tax cuts substantially reduced 2006 revenues and expanded the [[budget]] deficit.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the Bush tax cuts have not helped the economy.&lt;br /&gt;
*Anthropogenic [[Global Warming]]. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nowpublic.com/some-exasperating-liberal-myths Some Exasperating Liberal Myths] NowPublic.com, August 27, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that some people are so poor they can only afford to eat Ramen Noodles.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that a [[fetus]] is not a living person.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim the [[embryonic stem cell]]s will provide many cures. Unlike adult stem cells, embryonic cells have provided no known cures.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[gun control]] reduces crime.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[abortion]] and [[breast cancer]] are unrelated. &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[abortion]] and mental depression are unrelated.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[gambling]] financially benefits state school systems &amp;lt;REF&amp;gt;[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/17/cbsnews_investigates/main3269456.shtml Is The Lottery Shortchanging Schools?] CBS News, September 17, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim to support the rights of women, never mention the oppressed women in Muslim countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.aclu.org/womensrights/index.html About the Women's Rights Project] ACLU&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[media]] is not biased toward the liberal agenda.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that enabling [[oil]] drilling will not reduce long-term [[energy]] prices.  &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://rightwingnews.com/mt331/2008/07/nancy_pelosis_energy_policy.php?comments=show Nancy Pelosi's Energy Policy] Rightwingnews.com, July 8, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that enabling oil drilling will not provide [[energy]] security.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=33767 Oil Money May Buy Drilling Vote, Liberal Says] CNSNews.com, August 7, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that same-sex couple adoptions can replace the [[love]] from a mother and a father. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/families/a/adoption_2.htm  Lesbian and Gay Adoption Rights] About.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that an individuals [[sexual]] preference needs to be a protected civil right. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.civilrights.org/research_center/civilrights101/sexualorientation.html GAYS AND LESBIANS] Civilrights.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*That there is a [[vast right-wing conspiracy]] &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359741,00.html THE VAST LEFT-WING CONSPIRACY] Fox News, May 29, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that opposing the [[homosexual agenda]] is [[bigotry]]. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.boycottmcdonalds.com/detail.aspx?id=102 Boycott McDonald's!] American Family Association&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the US acted unilaterally in Iraq (The USA and Britain led a 30-nation coalition in Iraq)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.heritage.org/Research/Europe/wm558.cfm The Myth of U.S. Isolation] The Heritage Foundation, September 7, 2004 &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[President Bush]] stole the 2000 elections. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://archive.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=239 Floridagate] Democrats.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[President Bush]] lied about WMD in [[Iraq]] to grab [[oil]]. &lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[Saddam Hussein]] was not seeking to buy yellowcake Uranium. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/14/tenet-niger/ Tenet Agrees To Cooperate With Congressional Investigation Into Niger Fraud] ThinkProgress, May 14, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[9/11]] terrorists attacks were an inside job by the [[USA]].&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that Foreign Intelligence &amp;amp; Surveillance Act (FISA) is for spying on Americans. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/35928prs20080709.html Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill] ACLU, July 9, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[big government]] will benefit its' citizens. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/candidates_public_service/2008/09/11/130009.html McCain, Obama Discuss Views on Public Service] Ap, September 11, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[military]] recruits are poor and uneducated. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.heritage.org/research/nationalsecurity/cda05-08.cfm Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Recruits] Heritage Foundation, November 7, 2005&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200612/ai_n17197505 Rangel Is Wrong About Recruits] Human Events, December 4,2006&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/31/kerry.mccain/  Bush on Kerry remark: U.S. troops are 'plenty smart'] CNN, November 1, 2006&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that [[government]] run [[healthcare]] is better than a capitalist healthcare system. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr009=j7lglh8nq9.app5b&amp;amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;amp;id=9238&amp;amp;news_iv_ctrl=1283 Free, universal health care must be a right!] VotePSL.org, may 30, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that going on the offense against [[terrorists]] creates more terrorists. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/03/madeleine-albright-we-created-more.html  Madeleine Albright: &amp;quot;We Created More Terrorists... Our Soldiers Are the Problem&amp;quot;] Gateway Pundit, March 27, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that terrorism should be handled by [[law]] enforcement. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902041.html Strategy Against Al-Qaeda Faulted] Washington Post, July 30, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406901,00.html Bush: War on Terror is Not Law Enforcement Matter] AP, August 20, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the USA should negotiate with rogue [[nations]] and terror groups.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[socialism]] is superior to [[capitalism]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that there is a [[gene]] which causes people to be gay, despite the fact that the scientific community rejects this view&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[humans]] and [[ape]]s have a common ancestor&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the [[death penalty]] does not deter [[crime]], despite the overwhelming evidence showing that the death penalty does deter crime&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[atheists]] are just as moral as [[Christians]] who regularly go to a church, or, in some cases, claim atheists are morally superior. &lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that all [[religions]] teach the same thing.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[intelligent design]] is not a science and has no evidence.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that no [[climatologist]] or [[physicist]] rejects global warming, despite the fact that the founder of The Weather Channel rejects global warming, as do thousands of other scientists.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim Hitler was a [[Catholic]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim opposition to [[Obama]] is racism.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim the general welfare clause in the Constitution gives government the right to force you to buy government-run healthcare.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim Jesus was the first [[socialist]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim [[affirmative action]] works.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim the [[Old Testament]] is immoral.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the [[Jews]] aren't the Jews of the Bible.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[feminism]] has no bias.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim [[homosexuals]] do not try to convert [[heterosexuals]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[gay marriage]] will not result in [[polygamy]] also being written into law.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that the [[Bible]] is fictional.&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that [[Liberal Christianity]] is compatible with the teachings of [[Jesus Christ]].&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim that proper tire inflation can replace the need for additional oil drilling.&lt;br /&gt;
*That we should eat less red meat in order to combat [[climate change]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,418801,00.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*They claim Jesus was a liberal, or that Jesus was left-wing&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1895/cromwell/09-communism.htm The 'Diggers' movement is held up as an example of good Christianity]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the [[Nation of Islam]] is unrelated to Islam the religion.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that portable school vouchers would destroy [[public schools]], yet send their own children to private schools.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that if you are [[pro-life]], you don't care about people after they're born. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://twitter.com/movingleft Obnoxious supporter of Obama Twitter Account @MovingLeft (Warning:Vulgar)]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that more black people died in wars of [[America]] than in [[abortion]]. 1,786 blacks are killed '''daily''' by abortion, one of two [[pregnant]] women will be suckered into pro-choice genocide. [http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/1685410938.html]&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that renaming [[War on Terror]] to Overseas Contingency Operation will reduce the threats facing America.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim to cutback our country's missile defenses will some how make us more secure than we were.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that the nation will go bankrupt if we don't spend more tax dollars.&lt;br /&gt;
*We as a nation must switch to unproven technologies for the environments sake, such as wind or solar power. Yet, proven clean energy generated by nuclear power is not an option.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that you are not pro-life if you are [[pro-gun]].&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that guns are responsible for deaths. (by that same logic, pencils are responsible for misspelled words.)&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that 47 million Americans don't have health insurance. (Actual number is between 10 and 15 million) &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[Essay:47 million Americans without health insurance lie‎]]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that homosexuality cannot be overcome by therapy and prayer.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that homosexuality is inherent to a person's biology and not a choice of lifestyle.&lt;br /&gt;
*The claim that higher income earners in America aren't paying their &amp;quot;fair share&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Patriotism==&lt;br /&gt;
The liberal belief that an individual can claim to support our military, just not the mission and still be considered a 'Patriot'. In fact, the exact opposite is the truth. A liberals patriotism, party-specific position, cannot support the troops if they are an a impediment to their political left-wing strategy. The main reason for this has to due with passionate, partisan hatred for George Bush as commander in chief, the [[President of the United States of America]]. Liberals claim to support the military, claim not to support the mission and refuse to support the Commander. The extremist left discounts the counter effect of troop morale. Understanding the true liberal mindset when it comes to supporting our U.S. troops, observe the often tried protest march. Though frustration boils over, actions lead from protest to outright sabotage or anarchism. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/01/anti-war-protest-at-gop-convention-turns-violent/  Anti-War Protest at GOP Convention Turns Violent] Fox News, September 1, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Liberal credibility fails and lack of concern for the support of America shows.  The left-wing cares so much for our military they condone and actually prop up politicians that abuse troops with reckless accusations &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0907/Federal_judge_order_Murtha_to_testify_in_Haditha_defamation_case.html Federal judge orders Murtha to testify in Haditha defamation case] Politico, September 28, 2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, negative media coverage and ego trips &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-kerrystuckiniraq.htm Political Humor] About.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;. Liberal protesters look the other way as war memorials are vandalized. Liberals protest our severely injured soldiers at the Walter Reed Medical Center.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.crosswalk.com/1347570/ Anti-War Protests Target Wounded at Army Hospital] Crosswalk.com&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Liberal protesters harass, damage or block military recruitment centers from operating business as-usual. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://mfvov.com/blog/?p=505 Recruiting Center Attacks Coast to Coast] Military Families Voice of Victory, March 19, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; This leftwing position, the myth is successful in feeding media driven discontent and mediocrity shame. If the news is bad, a liberal is spoon fed. If the news is good, the spoon fed liberal is oblivious. e.g. &amp;quot;a complete suspension of disbelief&amp;quot;. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Patriotism, to your brother, who volunteers and risks the ultimate sacrifice out of love, will never be diminished. True patriots will always be in our gratitude and held in the highest light.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==America Perceived==&lt;br /&gt;
The myth liberals give says we need to restore America's image in the world. Again, this mostly has to do with liberals' negative view of [[President Bush]]. Liberals want the two linked even though the myth is false. They blame Bush and Iraq for the bad USA image but the truth is that the credibility of the American left is a worse image than America's image abroad.  The main need for liberals to propagate this myth is the fact that [[socialist]] governments of Europe oppose the policy of [[Iraq]]. This further fuels liberals' political agenda to remove [[Republicans]] from power. Liberals love Europeans and cite their false socialist utopia at every chance.  European opposition automatically reinforces their belief that America's image is damaged. As of 2008, most of the [[European]] leaders that opposed Iraq are no longer in positions of power. The result, European [[conservatives]] were elected who publicly aligned themselves with America.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those [[liberals]] that use the myth and regularly bash the USA are often called the &amp;quot;Blame America First&amp;quot; crowd. Though they never seem to mention that America gives more in donations, in total dollars, than any other country on Earth. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-25-charitable_N.htm Americans give record $295B to charity] USA Today, 6/25/2007&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; A sure way to change America's image in the world is to show the world we respect life. The repeal of Roe Vs. Wade would be a start.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Reasons why [[America]] was hated prior to 2003 include wealth, women's rights, support for our democratic ally [[Israel]], democratic government, capitalist economy and exporting immorality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Bad Successful Companies==&lt;br /&gt;
In the attempt to point fingers and lay blame, the liberals produce the myth that profits made by successful companies are bad for America. Only a select group of companies are targeted for public shame. This is a false myth because successful corporations actually create jobs and [[tax]] revenue. Retirement funds and municipal bonds rely heavily on the profits from these companies. Also, the reason these companies flourish is because the capitalist system rewards their hard work. The liberals will try to create sympathy, that they care for the average American, they are the ones going after wrongdoers to make it right. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Liberals]] have demonized such companies as RJ Reynolds, Walmart, Halliburton and [[Blackwater]]. Their latest target is Exxon Mobil for their enormous profits and futures market oil speculators. Most of their accusations are absurd. Liberals in [[Congress]] don't blink an eye when it comes time to spend all that tax revenue generated. Liberals in Congress have been called on their [[hypocrisy]] for owning stocks in those companies. Which in turn, they divest their portfolios like nothing was ever wrong. For years, for decades, these companies have lobbied members of Congress, they have worked together for their common goals. In return, hefty [[campaign]] donations are their reward. Then for opportune reasons, liberals will publicly ridicule and verbally attack these bad, greedy capitalists. Corporate heads are brought before congress for a sideshow grilling to explain their actions. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/01/MNU7VU217.DTL Congress asks Big Oil to justify big profits] The SF Chronicle, April 2, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Windfall Tax is just another example of the sham created by this liberal myth. Those companies make enough money, they should now be forced to give some back. They are threatened with nationalization &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;amp;pageId=65111 Congresswoman threatens to nationalize oil industry] Worldnetdaily.com, May 23, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
and further government regulation, a socialist scheme. As the price of gas fell, Congress just pretended like nothing ever happened, Big Oil off the hook.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==The Economy From The Previous 8 Years==&lt;br /&gt;
In an attempt to spread Bush hatred without mentioning his name, it is common for liberals to lie and say ''&amp;quot;we're in this economic mess because of the policies over the previous eight years.&amp;quot;'' This is a myth, perpetuated by the corrupt in order to link bad economics with [[Conservatism]] and Bush policy.  These liberals are the very same individuals that would not recognize George W. Bush's economic successes when the economy was creating jobs. Bush, [[McCain]], [[Alan Greenspan]] are all on record as trying to fix the corrupt lending policies and government mismanagement for the past eight years. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM&amp;amp;NR=1 Financial Meltdown Video]YouTube&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; All the while Democrats were lining their pockets with [[Fannie Mae]] and [[Freddie Mac]] donations. Democrats are overwhelmingly responsible if they should point fingers. Democrats [[Barney Frank]], [[Chris Dodd]], [[John Kerry]], [[Charles Schumer]] and even [[Barack Obama]] are as much, if not directly, indirectly responsible for the failed economics of this country over the past eight-years. The same people who got us into this mess are now responsible for getting us out of financial meltdown. Blame can go all around on this one, both Republicans and Democrats. This was the result of many bad decisions over a long period of time. Then out of nowhere, financial calamity that nobody saw coming, except congressmen and women who were privy to bank collapses. They made good money while the rest of America suffered. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/06/members_of_us_house_financial.html Members of U.S. House Financial Services Committee snapped up or dumped bank stocks as bottom fell out of market Cleveland.com June 25, 2009]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|The truth of the matter; Bush-era 4.5% unemployment, Obama-era will it go higher than 10%?}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Liberalism}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Deceit]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:liberals]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Tour_de_France&amp;diff=1061619</id>
		<title>Tour de France</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Tour_de_France&amp;diff=1061619"/>
		<updated>2013-07-21T23:30:29Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The [[Tour de France]] is a famous cycling race, held annually in [[France]] during the month of July. The Tour de France, [[Giro d'Italia]], and [[Vuelta a España]] are referred to as the [[Grand Tours]] of professional cycling. The course of the race changes from year to year, often passing through neighboring countries, but traditionally finishes on the [[Champs-Elysees]] in [[Paris]]. The tour often starts in countries other than France to create more publicity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Tour de France was first run in 1903, and has been completed every year since, except for the war years 1915 - 1918 and 1940 - 1946.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Tour de France is a stage race; that is, it consists of a series of one-day races over different routes, with the overall winner determined by the combined time from all events, with bonus and penalty times removed and added. The race is typically composed of 20 or 21 stages and a short prologue time trial, with some stages being flat and others being hugely mountainous. Most are mass start stages and a few are Time Trials, team or individual. The mountainous stages are where the larger time gaps are made.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Riders who compete in the Tour de France are members of corporate-sponsored teams of nine riders. These nine riders work together to help the team leader or other team members to increase their standing. Two teams competing in the 2013 Tour de France were based in the United States: BMC Racing and Garmin-Sharp&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Riders in the Tour de France compete in several different competitions; the leader of each competition is awarded a jersey at the end of each stage race. The [[Yellow Jersey]] is awarded to the overall race leader. The Green Jersey is awarded to the leader of the points competition, in which points are awarded to riders winning a series of sprint races. The Polka-dot Jersey is awarded to the &amp;quot;King of the Mountains&amp;quot; leader, given to the rider who has the best record climbing designated hills and mountains in the race. The White Jersey  is awarded to the &amp;quot;Best Young Rider&amp;quot;, the rider under the age of 25 with the highest placement in the overall race standings.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Greg Lemond]] was the first American to win the Tour, in 1986.  Lemond won again in 1989 and 1990.  American [[Lance Armstrong]] won the race a record seven times from 1999 to 2005. While the French media often accused Armstrong of drug use, such claims were never supported by his drug test results, however, in 2012 Armstrong was stripped of all results and victories since 1998, and the 7 Tours he won now have no victor. The 2006 winner was another American, [[Floyd Landis]], however his victory was contested due to a failed drug test following a stage victory. The controversy came after a number of riders, including race favorites [[Ivan Basso]] and [[Jan Ullrich]], were banned from competing in the race just a few days before it began due to allegations of drug use.  Landis was eventually stripped of his title, and Spanish rider [[Oscar Pereiro]] became the 2006 winner.  The most recent Tours have been won by English Speakers [[Cadel Evans]] (2011), [[Bradley Wiggins]] (2012) and [[Chris Froome]] (2013). &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/tdf/tdfindex.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Cycling]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1061357</id>
		<title>Formula One</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1061357"/>
		<updated>2013-07-19T13:12:52Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Constructors */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Formula One''', also known as '''Formula 1''' or '''F1''' and officially as the '''FIA Formula One World Championship''' is the highest class of [[single-seater]] [[auto racing]] sanctioned by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA). Formula One is often considered the pinnacle of [[automobile]] [[racing]]. The cars are extremely fast with speeds topping 320 kph, although it is their cornering and braking performance that sets Formula 1 apart as the highest class of car racing. The Formula One World Championship is held every year on racing tracks on every continent [[Antarctica]] and (currently) [[Africa]]. There are effectively two championships being contested - the World Drivers Championship is given to the winning driver, but the teams also compete in (and are arguably more interested in) the Manufacturer's Championship. The current Driver's World Champion is [[German]] [[Christian]] racer Sebastien Vettel, while the Constructor's Champions are the [[Austrian]] team Red Bull Racing, who are, like most of the F1 teams based close to the  British circuit Silverstone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=='''Constructors'''==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The teams for the 2013 season are;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Red Bull]] Racing''', which bought the [[Jaguar]] team in 2005, who in turn bought out the [[Stewart]] team.  The team's current drivers are Mark Webber ([[Australia]]) and Sebastien Vettel (Germany). The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsored by Red Bull.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Vodafone]] [[McLaren]] [[Mercedes]]''' was founded in 1966. They are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors' title 8 times. The team was formed by the [[New Zealand]]er Bruce Mclaren. The current drivers are [[Sergio Perez]] and [[Jenson Button]]. Lewis Hamilton left McLaren at the end of the 2012 Formula One season and signed on to the Mercedes team for three seasons. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Ferrari]] [[Marlboro]]''', who first competed in the second-ever Formula One race at [[Monaco]] in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One, and present constructors' champions. They have won the constructors' championship 16 times, mostly because of the dominance of [[Michael Schumacher]], who holds the most championship wins in the sport's history. The team uses [[Ferrari]] engines and are sponsored by the [[Marlboro]] [[tobacco]] company. The current drivers are Fernando Alonso and Filipe Massa&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Mercedes]] F1 Team''', which replaced the [[Honda]] team in 2009 and then became the [[Petronas Mercedes AMG Racing]] in 2010. Their current drivers are [[Nico Rosberg]] and [[Lewis Hamilton]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Lotus]] F1''' Originally named [[Toleman]] and then became Benetton. Under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, Benetton bought out [[Renault]] and became Lucky 7 Renault F1. However, a tobacco sponsorship ban forced the team to change its name under new sponsorship from ING to ING Renault F1. Fernando Alonso won two championships with the team. Flavio Briatore, along with Pat Symmonds and Nelson Piquet Jr. were convicted of race fixing, which led to them being banned from the sport for for 5 years. The team was then bought out by GenII Capital and recieved sponsorship from Lotus. It later was involved in a legal battle with Caterham (who previously held the rights to the Lotus brand) over who had right to use the name. The current drivers are [[Kimi Raikkonen]] and [[Romain Grosjean]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Force India]] F1 Team''', who replaced the [[Spyker]] team in 2008, scored their first points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. The team's present drivers are Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by Indian airline [[Kingfisher]] and Indian Finance giant Sahara.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Red Bull|Toro Rosso]]''', who replaced the [[Minardi]] team in 2006, are a &amp;quot;farm&amp;quot; team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The team's drivers are Jean-Eric Vergne ([[France]]) and Daniel Ricciardo ([[Australia]]) who was in the [[HRT]] for 10 races last year. The drivers replaced [[Sebastion Buemi]] and [[Jaime Alguesari]]. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by beverage company [[Red Bull]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Williams]]''', founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the constructors' title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team is heavily reliant on the money from PVDSA, the state oil company of socialist [[Venezuela]]. The team's present drivers are Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) . The team uses [[Renualt]] engines and are sponsored by various other Venezuelan state owned companies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Air Asia Caterham Team''' Originally Malaysia F1 team and owned by [[businessman]] Tony Fernandes, who also owns leading English football club [[QPR]]. The team's name was changed to LotusF1 before threir first season in 2010, but Renault, who were sponsored by Lotus challenged this in cours but lost. Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes bought out the [[car]] [[manufacturer]] [[Caterham]] and promptly renamed his team Caterham. The [[Malaysia]]n government, who owns [[Proton]], which in turn owns [[Lotus Cars]] were also rumoured to have let [[Fernandes]] buy Air Malaysia in return for him dropping the legal action against [[Lotus]]. Their drivers are currently Giedo Van der Garde and Charles Pic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Marussia F1]]''' A Russian team owned by car manufacturer [[Marussia]], Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton currently race for them. They were originally [[Manor F1]] and then became [[Virgin|Virgin F1]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Controversies ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Formula One racing has been involved in several controversies. [[Texas]] gave $300 million dollars to [[Bernie Eccelstone]] to host the [[US Grand Prix]] in [[Austin]], [[Texas]] at the [[Circuit of the Americas]] over the next 10 years. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The state of [[New Jersey]] also gave Ecclestone $300 million so it can host the [[New Jersey Grand Prix]] at [[West New York]] over the next 10 years, starting in 2013. There have been a number of reports that the 2013 [[American Grand Prix]] will not happen due to lack of payment of race fees to Bernie Eccelstone and lack of preparation. However New Jersey Governor [[Chris Christie]] has said that all is on track and that the required fees have been paid, however this conflicts with what is widely being reported in the [[European]] Press.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another controversy was the incident involving the former head of the FIA, Max Mosley. The now defunct liberal gossip newspaper, ''News of the World'', published a story in which they accused Mosley of organizing and participating in a number of immoral and [[Nazi]]-themed events. These accusations caused a lot of concern within certain national sporting bodies and greatly damaged the road safety campaign that was being organised to save lives in developing countries as well as driving a number of key potential sponsors away from the sport. Mosley sued the newspaper for breach of confidentiality regarding private matters, and was awarded 60,000 pounds in the case. The judge stated, &amp;quot;I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust. ... There was bondage, beating and domination which seem to be typical of S&amp;amp;M behaviour.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_07_08mosleyvnewsgroup.pdf ''Mosley vs News Group Newspapers Limited''] (PDF) ''BBC News'', retrieved December 14, 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers' route to F1 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Almost all Formula One drivers start racing Karts in club and sub-national classes between the ages of 5 and their early teens. If they show some talent and have the funding they then progress to the national and international competitions. They then progress to either Formula Renault, Formula Ford or a National Formula 3 class if they have sufficient funding and talent. Drivers then progress to Formula 3 or GP3 which costs in the region of half a million euros per season. After this the drivers go into either [[World Series by Renault]] or [[GP2]], which can cost up to 3 million euros a season. Talented drivers also act as teams third and test drivers while they compete in these series; drivers who can bring large amounts of sponsorship money to the F1 teams are also given these roles even though they may be lacking in talent. Drivers can also get into F1 through routes such as Sports cars and touring cars (such as [[V8 Supercars]]) however this route is very uncommon now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are other, less common routes to a F1 race seat.. The last driver to come to formula one via this route was Paul di Resta who won the [[DTM]] title for [[Mercedes]] and was then given a race seat in the [[Mercedes]]-powered [[Force India]]. Sebastian Bourdais came to Formula 1 through IndyCar, however he failed to compete and was sacked by Toro Rosso.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.fia.com The Sport's governing body]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.formula1.com/ Official Website]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm BBC Sport F1 - Site of the UK broadcaster] &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://joesaward.wordpress.com/ Highly Respected Formula One Journalist]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.autosport.com Worlds leading motorsport publication]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://piranha.excom.us Vast amount of Material on F1 ]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.ten-tenths.com Leader in Motorsport News ]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Motor Racing]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1061356</id>
		<title>Talk:Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1061356"/>
		<updated>2013-07-19T13:06:52Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Quality control */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Sounds frightening. Is there any known cure? [[User:Martyp|Martyp]] 21:40, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Thanks for the input. I just added a section to the essay entitled '''Treatment of Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder'''. [[User:Conservative|conservative]] 22:20, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Dog with a bone.jpg|right|thumbnail|250px|If you think taking a bone away from a dog is hard, try getting a [[liberal]] with [[Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder|Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder]] to stop thinking about [[Conservapedia]]!&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;(photo obtained from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsand/4589825889/ Flickr], see: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en license agreement])&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt;]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== lol ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I love you people. we need to get you all a tv show.. ratings would be big!! [[User:Xoxoxoxo|Xoxoxoxo]] 18:13, 22 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Should it be noted==&lt;br /&gt;
That COCD can afflict conservatives as well? If an obsessive compulsion with Conservapedia caused people to read the Bible less, would we censor that? [[User:BradB|BradB]] 13:10, 9 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Dog photos ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I love dogs as much as the next guy but having them all over this article both takes away from the point, and makes Conservapedia look a little... childish? Thoughts? [[User:JRegden|JRegden]] 23:50, 23 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::If you think there is too many dogs on this picture, then you are probably a cat person. And there is nothing childish about dogs. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 02:15, 19 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Quality control ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This should not pass it. This is the lowest quality article I have seen on any wiki. It's an affront to the brilliance of so many other articles on CP. I will ask ASchlafly whether this can be deleted. Any thoughts? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 23:51, 20 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Sure. I suggest testing the validity of your purported evolutionary worldview by debating [[VivaYehshua]]. The debate will be recorded and distributed widely. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 21:55, 15 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::VivaYeshua got banned from that chatroom. I went looking for him the other day, while I was banned by MarkMan. How about I debate you? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 08:23, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Two things: A Conservapedian told me that the report that [[VivaYehshua]], who I believe is still a moderator of [[Shockofgod]]'s chat room, is a false report. He inquired about this matter in the [http://login.meetcheap.com/conference,89538844 Shockofgod's chat room]. I never believed this false report as VivaYehshua has never been disruptive in the chat room and that is why he was picked as a moderator. Second, please read [[User:Conservative/Conservapedia &amp;quot;evolutionists&amp;quot;|THIS]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:37, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::It isn't an article (thankfully), but rather an &amp;quot;essay&amp;quot; where user:Conservative is free to post his taunts. The rules for essays are more lenient, and thus, according to the commandments, this essay is fine. [[User:Brenden|brenden]] 13:38, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Elijah taunted the prophets of Baal. I think Bible believers are free to taunt the proud and often boastful adherents of the religions of atheism, evolutionism and liberalism. Especially, since they foist their religions on the public via taxpayer dollars (public schools, etc.) and practice strong arm tactics to suppress alternative views. See: [[Evolution is a religion]] and [[Atheism is a religion]] and [[Suppression of alternatives to evolution]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Of course, there is a time and place for everything and lately I have taunted adherents of these religions less frequently. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:00, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Brenden, does that mean I could create an essay page &amp;quot;taunting&amp;quot; Conservative?  [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 20:53, 18 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::All of our content is subject to our Commandments.  I will not comment on whether [[User:Conservative]]'s various pages are in compliance with them.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 01:21, 19 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Conservapedia has had a group of people obsessed with the website for about 6 years. Deny this and lose all credibility! :) [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 01:50, 19 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::I'm not denying that. But don't you think that you'd be better off improving articles in the main space, like the articles [[Formula One]] and [[2012 Summer Olympics]] that desperately need updating and rewriting? You are thriving off of the attention that a few others give you, and so taunting them and being similarly obsessed with them makes you no greater than them. [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 09:06, 19 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=The_Little_Mermaid_Statue,_Copenhagen&amp;diff=1061333</id>
		<title>The Little Mermaid Statue, Copenhagen</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=The_Little_Mermaid_Statue,_Copenhagen&amp;diff=1061333"/>
		<updated>2013-07-19T00:56:26Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''The Little Mermaid Statue''' (The little lady of the sea statue). Based on a fairy tale by [[Hans Christian Andersen]], it is a [[Copenhagen]] icon, one of the symbols of the city, and one of [[Denmark]]'s biggest tourist attractions. The sculpture was put up in site in 1913. It is one of the most photographed [[statue]]s in the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ellen Price, the primaballerina of the ballet &amp;quot;The Little Mermaid&amp;quot;, and Eline Eriksen modeled for sculptor Edvard Eriksen (1876-1959) to created the bronze statue. It is visited by thousands of tourists each year (75% of all tourists visiting Copenhagen go to see The Little Mermaid). There are several copies around the world.      &lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
It has suffered several vandalism attacks. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Sirenita The Little Mermaid Statue Copenhagen Denmark.jpg|center]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
She is as important for Copenhagen as the Statue of Liberty for New York and pyramids for [[Egypt]]... Many tourists from all around the Globe arrive to Denmark because they want to meet the most famous danish women.  [http://www.denmarkfacts.com/the_little_mermaid_denmark.html]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Famous Sculptures]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== External links ==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.hcandersen-homepage.dk/mermaid-the-little.htm The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen.] Den lille Havfrue (The little lady of the sea).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Sculptures]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Treaty&amp;diff=1061332</id>
		<title>Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Treaty&amp;diff=1061332"/>
		<updated>2013-07-19T00:54:43Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty''' (or '''SALT I''' to be more precise), was a binding [[Cold War]] treaty between the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]] aimed at limiting the deployment and proliferation of [[ICBM]]'s. The SALT I limited the U.S. and the Soviet Union to their 1972 levels of [[ballistic missile]]s.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:diplomacy]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:Treaties]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:Cold War]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1061331</id>
		<title>Talk:Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1061331"/>
		<updated>2013-07-19T00:53:30Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Quality control */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Sounds frightening. Is there any known cure? [[User:Martyp|Martyp]] 21:40, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Thanks for the input. I just added a section to the essay entitled '''Treatment of Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder'''. [[User:Conservative|conservative]] 22:20, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Dog with a bone.jpg|right|thumbnail|250px|If you think taking a bone away from a dog is hard, try getting a [[liberal]] with [[Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder|Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder]] to stop thinking about [[Conservapedia]]!&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;(photo obtained from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsand/4589825889/ Flickr], see: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en license agreement])&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt;]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== lol ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I love you people. we need to get you all a tv show.. ratings would be big!! [[User:Xoxoxoxo|Xoxoxoxo]] 18:13, 22 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Should it be noted==&lt;br /&gt;
That COCD can afflict conservatives as well? If an obsessive compulsion with Conservapedia caused people to read the Bible less, would we censor that? [[User:BradB|BradB]] 13:10, 9 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Dog photos ==&lt;br /&gt;
I love dogs as much as the next guy but having them all over this article both takes away from the point, and makes Conservapedia look a little... childish? Thoughts? [[User:JRegden|JRegden]] 23:50, 23 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Quality control ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This should not pass it. This is the lowest quality article I have seen on any wiki. It's an affront to the brilliance of so many other articles on CP. I will ask ASchlafly whether this can be deleted. Any thoughts? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 23:51, 20 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Sure. I suggest testing the validity of your purported evolutionary worldview by debating [[VivaYehshua]]. The debate will be recorded and distributed widely. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 21:55, 15 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::VivaYeshua got banned from that chatroom. I went looking for him the other day, while I was banned by MarkMan. How about I debate you? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 08:23, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Two things: A Conservapedian told me that the report that [[VivaYehshua]], who I believe is still a moderator of [[Shockofgod]]'s chat room, is a false report. He inquired about this matter in the [http://login.meetcheap.com/conference,89538844 Shockofgod's chat room]. I never believed this false report as VivaYehshua has never been disruptive in the chat room and that is why he was picked as a moderator. Second, please read [[User:Conservative/Conservapedia &amp;quot;evolutionists&amp;quot;|THIS]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:37, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::It isn't an article (thankfully), but rather an &amp;quot;essay&amp;quot; where user:Conservative is free to post his taunts. The rules for essays are more lenient, and thus, according to the commandments, this essay is fine. [[User:Brenden|brenden]] 13:38, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Elijah taunted the prophets of Baal. I think Bible believers are free to taunt the proud and often boastful adherents of the religions of atheism, evolutionism and liberalism. Especially, since they foist their religions on the public via taxpayer dollars (public schools, etc.) and practice strong arm tactics to suppress alternative views. See: [[Evolution is a religion]] and [[Atheism is a religion]] and [[Suppression of alternatives to evolution]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Of course, there is a time and place for everything and lately I have taunted adherents of these religions less frequently. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:00, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Brenden, does that mean I could create an essay page &amp;quot;taunting&amp;quot; Conservative?  [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 20:53, 18 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1061197</id>
		<title>Talk:Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1061197"/>
		<updated>2013-07-17T12:23:53Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Quality control */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Sounds frightening. Is there any known cure? [[User:Martyp|Martyp]] 21:40, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Thanks for the input. I just added a section to the essay entitled '''Treatment of Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder'''. [[User:Conservative|conservative]] 22:20, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Dog with a bone.jpg|right|thumbnail|250px|If you think taking a bone away from a dog is hard, try getting a [[liberal]] with [[Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder|Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder]] to stop thinking about [[Conservapedia]]!&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;(photo obtained from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsand/4589825889/ Flickr], see: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en license agreement])&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt;]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== lol ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I love you people. we need to get you all a tv show.. ratings would be big!! [[User:Xoxoxoxo|Xoxoxoxo]] 18:13, 22 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Should it be noted==&lt;br /&gt;
That COCD can afflict conservatives as well? If an obsessive compulsion with Conservapedia caused people to read the Bible less, would we censor that? [[User:BradB|BradB]] 13:10, 9 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Dog photos ==&lt;br /&gt;
I love dogs as much as the next guy but having them all over this article both takes away from the point, and makes Conservapedia look a little... childish? Thoughts? [[User:JRegden|JRegden]] 23:50, 23 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Quality control ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This should not pass it. This is the lowest quality article I have seen on any wiki. It's an affront to the brilliance of so many other articles on CP. I will ask ASchlafly whether this can be deleted. Any thoughts? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 23:51, 20 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Sure. I suggest testing the validity of your purported evolutionary worldview by debating [[VivaYehshua]]. The debate will be recorded and distributed widely. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 21:55, 15 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::VivaYeshua got banned from that chatroom. I went looking for him the other day, while I was banned by MarkMan. How about I debate you? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 08:23, 17 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Louis_XVI&amp;diff=1061016</id>
		<title>Louis XVI</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Louis_XVI&amp;diff=1061016"/>
		<updated>2013-07-15T14:36:32Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: Better fit for the context&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:CALLET-Louis-XVI.jpg|thumb|300px|right|King Louis XVI of France]]&lt;br /&gt;
'''Louis XVI''' (1754-1793) was the king of [[France]] (1774-1792) who lost his throne during the [[French Revolution]] and was later beheaded by the revolutionaries, as was his wife Queen [[Marie Antoinette]].   After a century of wars and financial mismanagement, France was still large, rich and powerful, but could no longer pay its bills, or the exorbitant costs of royalty and aristocracy. Louis XVI, a weak administrator, attempted some tax relief and reforms, but was frustrated by opposition by the upper class and judges.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Louis XVI provided critical financial aid to the Americans, and joined in their war against the [[United Kingdom]], 1778-83. This helped the Americans to win, but further drained the remaining credit of the French government. To raise money, in 1788 the king was forced to call into session a long-dormant representative governmental body called the Estates-General. On July 14, 1789, Parisians seized the notorious prison, the [[Bastille]].  The king attempted to escape, but was caught and imprisoned in 1791. &lt;br /&gt;
In 1792, the new government declared France a republic and ordered the execution of Louis XVI by [[guillotine]] on January 21, 1793. &lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
==Family==&lt;br /&gt;
He was the grandson of King [[Louis XV]] and the third son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and of his second wife the Dauphiness, Marie Josèphe of Saxony. Born at Versailles on Aug. 23, 1754, he was baptized Louis Augustus, and during the lifetime of Louis XV bore the title of the Duke of Berry. He was tutored in religion, literature, science, mathematics, history, drawing, music, and foreign languages, and taught that he should defer to his older brother, who would become king. The man never outgrew the shyness and dullness of the boy; he was best at his locksmith hobby, or out hunting. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was not expected to become king, but two older brothers died. Then in 1765 his father died and he became the Dauphin of France and heir to the throne. In 1767 his mother died. In 1770 his grandfather arranged a marriage alliance between the Bourbon and Hapsburg dynasties, and Louis Augustus was married at Versailles to an Austrian archduchess, [[Marie Antoinette]]  (1755–93), daughter of Maria Theresa and the Emperor Francis I.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;  At the wedding festivities, 132 people were killed when the crowd panicked. This eerie precursor to later history was hushed up by the police at the time.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Their unhappy marriage remained unconsummated for seven years, as the queen surrounded herself with a dissolute clique and threw herself into a life of pleasure and careless extravagance.  The personalities of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette helped undermine the prestige of the French monarchy and bring about the French Revolution. Louis lacked self-confidence, leadership abilities, and social skills. Marie Antoinette, conversely, appeared both frivolous and strong-willed. As a foreigner and a woman she offended the French by appearing to rule her husband. The seven-year delay in consummating their marriage led to malicious satire that Louis was impotent and Marie Antoinette promiscuous. When they did have children, their paternity was questioned. The public press portrayed Marie Antoinette as a whore or beast, and Louis as a cuckold, a drunk, and an idiot. Given the extraordinary times in which they lived, their personalities were fatal for the future of France and themselves.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Nancy N. Barker, and commentary by James Friguglietti, &amp;quot;Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette: Revolutionary Personalities?&amp;quot; ''Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History'' 1992 19: 119-127. Issn: 0099-0329 &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==King==&lt;br /&gt;
On May 10, 1774 [[Louis XV]] died, and his 19-year-old grandson succeeded to the throne as Louis XVI.  At first the youthful king was popular with his subjects. Under Louis XV a Triumvirate had controlled the government and fought against the Parlements. Louis XVI restored the Parlements and removed the triumvirs from their posts.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; William O. Doyle, &amp;quot;The Parlements of France and the Breakdown of the Old Regime, 1771-1788.&amp;quot; ''French Historical Studies'' 1970 6(4): 415-458. Issn: 0016-1071&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Louis XVI's appointment of [[Turgot]] (1727–81) as controller-general of finances seemed to presage the beginning of a period of reform of the political, economic, and social structure of France. The reforms were too little and too late, as his reign marked the culmination of long-term financial difficulties which for decades had sapped the financial stability of the government. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A weak and vacillating leader, Louis XVI proved incapable of pursuing any consistent policy. A series of finance ministers worsened the fiscal crisis, which led to louder and more urgent demands by supporters of liberal reforms. Turgot’s program—&amp;quot;No bankruptcy, no increase in taxes, no borrowing, but economy&amp;quot;—demanded stringent reforms, so he abolished some monopolies, tried to reform the extraordinarily wasteful system of farming the taxes (i.e. having private persons collect them for a fee), and drastically cut spending; he managed to reduce part of the public debt. In 1774 his restoration of free circulation of grain inside the country antagonized the grain speculators; it was followed by a crop failure and widespread bread riots, as Turgot's popularity plunged.  Turgot was ousted in 1776, and replaced by [[Jacques Necker]] as director of the treasury, who had the king's support. &lt;br /&gt;
===American Revolution===&lt;br /&gt;
In spring 1776 Vergennes, the Foreign Secretary, saw an opportunity to humiliate arch-foe Britain by supporting the [[American Revolution|American revolt]].  Louis XVI was convinced by [[Benjamin Franklin]] to send financial aid and large quantities of munitions, sign a formal treaty of alliance in 1778, and go to war with Britain. Spain and the Netherlands joined the French.  The Americans gained their independence, and the war ministry rebuilt the French army. However, the British sank the main French fleet in 1782 and France gained little from the Treaty of Paris (1783) that ended the war,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; France gained the colonies of Tobago and Senegal.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; except the war cost 1,066 million livres, financed by new loans at high interest (with no new taxes).  Necker however concealed the crisis from the public (explaining only that ordinary revenues exceeded ordinary expenses, and not mentioning the loans.) After he was forced from office in 1781 new taxes were levied.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;On finance see William Doyle, ''Oxford History of the French Revolution'' (1989) p 67-74 &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Financial crises===&lt;br /&gt;
Necker’s attempt to gain greater control over policy by courting public opinion was rebuffed at court, and he quit in May, 1781. Necker’s successors Charles Alexandre de Calonne (1783–87) had to &lt;br /&gt;
borrow another 653 millions. Almost half the annual revenue was absorbed by debt-service, and the government borrowed against next year's anticipated revenue.  France simply lacked a taxation system that would support its mounting debts, in contrast to Britain which successfully handled its debt.  The powerful Parlement of Paris objected vehemently. To deal with the looming bankruptcy de Calonne proposed an elaborate set of new taxes. Louis XVI called an Assembly of Notables in 1787, but this body, generally hostile to reform, refused to raise taxes. Louis XVI alienated the notables by proclaiming his absolute powers to order a new loan; he tried to disable the parlements. This was no longer acceptable, and the parlements began defying the king.  Even the clergy joined in. &lt;br /&gt;
===Escalating political crisis===&lt;br /&gt;
With the financial crisis growing worse, the treasury empty, prices soaring, and his political support eroding, the king had to retreat. Absolutism had failed and the nation increasingly demanded a new structure of government.  Necker came back as a caretaker and recognized the irresistible demands for leadership by a higher authority, the [[Estates General]]; the kings had not allowed it to meet in 175 years. The representation of the Third Estate (businessmen or &amp;quot;bourgeoisie&amp;quot;) was doubled, as this powerful new element was soon to dominate the government. Its position was explained by Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès (1748–1836) whose pamphlet &amp;quot;What is the Third Estate?&amp;quot; (Jan. 1789) argued that there was no place for privileged groups of any sort. The third estate, which had counted for zero in politics, ought to be in control. A nation, Sieyès declared, was a body of associates living under a common law, and privileges by definition were exceptions to common law. The nobility were a caste of idle, burdensome usurpers, and there should be no question of allowing them to be chosen as third-estate deputies. Finances soon became secondary as profound constitutional issues took the stage and the king's power faded; the French Revolution was put in motion.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;William Doyle, ''Oxford History of the French Revolution'' (1989) ch 3-4&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==French Revolution==&lt;br /&gt;
see also [[French Revolution]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the Estates General a sharp quarrel broke out between representatives of the two privileged orders, the clergy and the nobility, and the members of the Third Estate, the bourgeoisie. Conceivably if Louis XVI had definitely taken the part of the bourgeoisie he might have recovered his strength, but he was dominated by conservative aristocrats at court and eventually decided upon the use of military force to destroy the reform movement. Necker was dismissed but before the king acted the Parisians, fearing a coup d'etat, rose in rebellion on July 14, 1789. They captured and sacked the [[Bastille]], an ancient fortress and prison in Paris which to many symbolized the despotism of the Bourbon regime. Early in October 1789, a Parisian mob went to [[Versailles]] and forced the royal family and the [[National Assembly]] (as the Estates General was then called) to return with them to Paris. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The royal family (Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and their two children) were placed under strict guard in the palace of the Tuileries. In June 1791 Louis disguised his family and fled to the eastern frontier to join an army of  émigrés assembled there with which he hoped to bring about a counterrevolution. At Varennes the royal family was intercepted and brought back to the Tuileries as a state prisoner. The episode was a turning point in the French Revolution; it led radical factions to call for the end of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic. It escalated tensions across Europe as the revolutionary government initiated more repressive measures against nobles, emigrants, and refractory clergy. The attempted escape increased fears of foreign wars and paranoia about antirevolutionary plots and conspiracies, which in turn led to more state-sponsored violence and hastened the terror.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Timothy Tackett, &amp;quot;The Flight to Varennes and the Coming of the Terror.&amp;quot; ''Historical Reflections'' 2003 29(3): 469-493. Issn: 0315-7997 &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Meanwhile, the National Assembly continued its political and economic reorganization of the French state. In September 1791 Louis XVI was forced to assent to the Constitution of 1791 which created a limited monarchy; royal powers were sharply curtailed. The secret opposition of Louis XVI to the progress of the Revolution, however, and the intrigues of his wife and the aristocrats continued. On Aug. 10, 1792, a Parisian insurrection caused Louis and his family to be interned in the Temple. In September the monarchy was abolished and the republic proclaimed. Evidence of the king's intrigues with foreign enemies was uncovered and in December 1792 Louis was formally arraigned by the Convention for conspiracy against the liberty of the country and attempts against state security. The prevailing political theory was that the king had two bodies: a natural body and a political body. The defenders of Louis XVI pleaded the inseparability of the two bodies. Thus the Girondins only wanted to condemn the natural body since this held open the possibility of a postponement because Louis XVI was as guilty as any other. The Montagnards wanted to condemn both the natural body and the political body. Found guilty by a unanimous vote, he was sentenced to death by a vote of 361 to 288, with 72 calling for a delay; he was publicly guillotined in Paris on the morning of Jan. 21, 1793.  Marie Antoinette was guillotined Oct. 16, 1793, and the young dauphin (known as Louis XVII) (1785-1795?) was given over to a poor family and apparently died in 1795.  Louis XVI's younger brother Louis XVIII (1755-1824) became King of France after the abdication of [[Napoleon]] in 1814.&lt;br /&gt;
==Image and memory==&lt;br /&gt;
The regicide has loomed as a shadow over French history. The 19th-century historian, [[Jules Michelet]], attributed the restoration of the French monarchy to sympathy engendered by the execution. Michelet's ''Histoire de la Révolution Française'' and Alphonse de Lamartine's ''Histoire des Girondins,'' in particular, showed the marks of the feelings aroused by the revolution's regicide. Though these two writers did not share the same sociopolitical vision, they agreed that though the monarchy was rightly ended in 1792 but the lives of the royal family should have been spared. Lack of compassion at that moment contributed to a radicalization of revolutionary violence and to greater divisiveness among Frenchmen. Because Louis XVI was a merciful man, the revolutionaries' passions needed to be balanced by compassion and by less fanatical sentiments. For 20th century novelist [[Albert Camus]] the execution signaled the end of the role of God in history, for which he mourned. For 20th century philosopher [[Jean-Francois Lyotard]] the regicide was the starting point of all French thought, the memory of which acts as a reminder that French modernity began under the sign of a crime.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; See Susan Dunn, ''The Deaths of Louis XVI: Regicide and the French Political Imagination.'' (1994). &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The duchess of Angoulême, daughter of Louis XVI, survived and lobbied Rome energetically for the canonization of her father as a saint of the Catholic Church. Despite his signing of the &amp;quot;Civil Constitution of the Clergy,&amp;quot; Louis had been described as a martyr by Pope Pius VI in 1793. In 1820, however, a memorandum of the Congregation of Rites in Rome, declaring the impossibility of proving that Louis had been executed for religious rather than political reasons, put an end to hopes of canonization. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Notes====&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Bibliography==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
* Baecque, Antoine De. &amp;quot;From Royal Dignity to Republican Austerity: the Ritual for the Reception of Louis XVI in the French National Assembly (1789-1792).&amp;quot; ''Journal of Modern History'' 1994 66(4): 671-696. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-2801%28199412%2966%3A4%3C671%3AFRDTRA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-B  in Jstor] &lt;br /&gt;
* Burley, Peter. &amp;quot;A Bankrupt Regime.&amp;quot; ''History Today'' (Jan 1984) 34:36-42. Issn: 0018-2753 Fulltext in [[EBSCO]]&lt;br /&gt;
* Doyle, William. ''Origins of the French Revolution'' (3rd ed. 1999) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/origins-of-the-french-revolution-by-william-doyle.jsp online edition]&lt;br /&gt;
* Doyle, William. &amp;quot;The Execution of Louis XVI and the End of the French Monarchy.&amp;quot; ''History Review.'' (2000) pp 21+ [http://www.questia.com/read/5001205429 online edition]&lt;br /&gt;
* Dunn, Susan.  ''The Deaths of Louis XVI: Regicide and the French Political Imagination.'' (1994). 178 pp.  &lt;br /&gt;
* Hardman, John. ''Louis XVI: The Silent King'' (1994) 224 pages, the standard scholarly biography&lt;br /&gt;
*  Hardman, John.  ''French Politics, 1774-1789: From the Accession of Louis XVI to the Fall of the Bastille.'' (1995). 283 pp. &lt;br /&gt;
* Jones, Colin. ''The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Great-Nation-Napoleon-Penguin-History/dp/0140130934/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1197705067&amp;amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]&lt;br /&gt;
* Padover, Saul K. ''The Life and Death of Louis XVI'' (1939) [http://www.questia.com/read/3921322 online edition]&lt;br /&gt;
* Price, Munro. ''The Road from Versailles: Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the Fall of the French Monarchy'' (2004) 425 pp.  [http://www.amazon.com/Road-Versailles-Antoinette-French-Monarchy/dp/0312326130/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1204094811&amp;amp;sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]; also published as ''The Fall of the French Monarchy: Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and the Baron de Breteuil.'' (2002)&lt;br /&gt;
* Rigney, Ann. &amp;quot;Toward Varennes.&amp;quot; ''New Literary History'' 1986 18(1): 77-98. Issn: 0028-6087; [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0028-6087%28198623%2918%3A1%3C77%3ATV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-8 in Jstor], on historiography&lt;br /&gt;
* Schama, Simon. ''Citizens. A Chronicle of the French Revolution'' (1989), highly readable narrative by scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Simon-Schama/dp/0141017279/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1197705186&amp;amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]&lt;br /&gt;
* Tackett, Timothy.  ''When the King Took Flight.'' (2003). 270 pp.  [http://www.amazon.com/When-King-Flight-Timothy-Tackett/dp/B000F4LMP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1204095353&amp;amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Primary sources===&lt;br /&gt;
* Marie Antoinette. ''Memoirs of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and Wife of Louis XVI: Queen of France'' (1910) [http://books.google.com/books?id=hl1EAAAAIAAJ&amp;amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;amp;dq=intitle:louis+intitle:xvi&amp;amp;lr=&amp;amp;num=30&amp;amp;as_brr=0&amp;amp;ei=TvzER5nAIYjysgPdx9WhCA complete edition online]&lt;br /&gt;
* Doyle, William, ed. ''Old Regime France'' (2001)&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:French Monarchs]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:French Revolution]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:French History]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_Party_of_Australia&amp;diff=1061015</id>
		<title>Liberal Party of Australia</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_Party_of_Australia&amp;diff=1061015"/>
		<updated>2013-07-15T14:34:34Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{AmericanPoliticalParty&lt;br /&gt;
 | party_name = Liberal Party of Australia&lt;br /&gt;
 | party_articletitle = Liberal Party of Australia&lt;br /&gt;
 | party_logo = [[Image:Lpa.jpg|200px|&amp;quot;The Liberal Party of Australia logo&amp;quot;]]&lt;br /&gt;
 | website = [http://www.liberal.org.au/ www.liberal.org.au/]&lt;br /&gt;
 | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp;amp; Macquarie St, Barton&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Canberra]]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;2600 &lt;br /&gt;
 | chairman = [[Alan Stockdale]]   &lt;br /&gt;
 | senateleader   = N/A Leader = [[Tony Abbott]] &lt;br /&gt;
 | houseleader  = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] &lt;br /&gt;
 | foundation = 1944&lt;br /&gt;
 | ideology = [[Conservative|Conservatism]]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;[[Fiscal Conservative|Fiscal conservatism]]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;[[Social conservatism]]&lt;br /&gt;
 | fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market]]&lt;br /&gt;
 | socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]&lt;br /&gt;
 | international = [[International Democrat Union]]  &lt;br /&gt;
 | colors = [[Blue]] &lt;br /&gt;
 | footnotes =&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The '''Liberal Party of Australia''' is the main [[conservative]] political party based in the Commonwealth of [[Australia]]. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 by [[Robert Menzies|Sir Robert Menzies]].  Robert Menzies kept the Liberal Party in power during much of the post-war boom. As with many other Western democracies the winds of change swept through Australia and the Liberal Party was ousted from power by [[Gough Whitlam]] and the [[Australian Labor Party]] in 1972. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Liberals in general believe in minimal interference by the government in the economy and are understood to be more socially conservative than their more left wing political opposition, the [[Australian Labor Party]] and the Australian Greens. Thus in this sense, the term &amp;quot;liberal&amp;quot; refers to neo-liberalism rather than the social liberalism that is implied in the American context. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Until the 1970s the Liberal Party occupied the centre of Australian politics. However, the breakway of left-wing groups meant that the Liberals have moved to the right of politics with the Labor Party occupying the centre-left.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Liberal Party is divided into state-based divisions. The Liberals contest both local, state and federal elections&lt;br /&gt;
The current leader of the Liberal Party is [[Tony Abbott]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/01/2758221.htm&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, while Julie Bishop serves as deputy leader.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Government==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Liberal Party is one of the two main parties of government at both state and federal level.  Although it was the principal government party at federal level from 1996 to 2007, by the end of that period it had lost power to the Labor Party in every state and territory.  Its low point arrived in November 2007 when it lost the federal election, leaving itself out of power nationwide.  However since Labor took office federally, the Liberals have returned to power in the state of [[Western Australia]] and [[Victoria]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Possible Merger==&lt;br /&gt;
In March 2008, the then leader of the federal Liberal Party, [[Brendan Nelson]], indicated that he was in favour of a merger between his party and the [[National Party of Australia|National Party]]. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.theage.com.au/nelson-stakes-leadership-on-merger/20080309-1y5t.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Reference ==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Australian Political Parties]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Member of the International Democrat Union]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Devil&amp;diff=1061013</id>
		<title>Devil</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Devil&amp;diff=1061013"/>
		<updated>2013-07-15T14:28:38Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Other names for the devil */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Devil''' (from the Greek word διαβολοξ (diábolos), which means &amp;quot;one who throws things around&amp;quot; in the sense of creating the chaos, or &amp;quot;slanderer&amp;quot; in the sense of name-calling or &amp;quot;throwing&amp;quot; false accusations), is the name given to the unseen personification of evil.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By causing chaos, the devil leads people away from God and sometimes even to curse God.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
During the [[Three Temptations of Christ]], the '''devil''' explains how the world is his dominion.  This amounts to [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]], as the world is fundamentally uncertain and chaotic according to [[quantum mechanics]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The term &amp;quot;devil&amp;quot; is often used synonymously with the term [[Lucifer]] or [[Satan]], although Satan has the connotation of a personal evil while the devil is a common name for demons or evil spirits. &lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
==Etymology==&lt;br /&gt;
The word has its origins with the early Hebrews during the Exodus from Egypt.  The local religions they encountered when they entered into Canaan included tales of the demon spirits (''sa ir'' שעירים, &amp;quot;hairy ones&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;saytrs&amp;quot;, Isaiah 13:21) of the desert, whose influence could be averted due to sacrifice.  Despite being told to ''&amp;quot;...put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD,&amp;quot;'' (Joshua 24:14) many had accepted this superstition and sacrificed goats on the Canaanite and other altars.  From this came the Herew word ''ha-satan'' שָׂטָן, the root word of &amp;quot;Satan&amp;quot;. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Other names for the devil==&lt;br /&gt;
There are many pseudonyms used for the Devil, sometimes to clarify his nature and other times with the effect of obscuring his evil:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Beelzebub (Hebrew: ba'al zevuv בעל זבוב; &amp;quot;Lord of the Flies&amp;quot;) &lt;br /&gt;
*Baphomet, originally a [[Templar]] image, portrayed by a goat-headed man&lt;br /&gt;
*Ba'al&lt;br /&gt;
*the Prince of Darkness&lt;br /&gt;
*Old Nick, from a character in ''The Devil and Tom Walker''&lt;br /&gt;
*Pazuzu, ancient Sumerian and Babylonian demon-god, best known for its appearance in the film ''The Exorcist'' (1973).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Inaccurate===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Lucifer]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Satan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Satan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:Abrahamic Religions]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Public&amp;diff=1061011</id>
		<title>Public</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Public&amp;diff=1061011"/>
		<updated>2013-07-15T14:24:32Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Public''' is that which occurs in front of others or is open to outside scrutiny.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Often the term '''public''' refers to taxpayer-funded, as in [[public schools]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category: Sociology]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Conservapedia_proven_right&amp;diff=1061010</id>
		<title>Talk:Conservapedia proven right</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Conservapedia_proven_right&amp;diff=1061010"/>
		<updated>2013-07-15T14:23:32Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* 15th seed */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The two rows about gold seem repetitive.  How about combining into only one row?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:23, 20 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::It is a lot of information plus Conservapedia mentioned gold and precious metals a lot. But at the same time reportedly positively about having a broad commodity strategy if possible. I think it would make a very long single entry. I will look at it though. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:18, 20 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::I will combine them. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Neutrinos and the speed of light ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The article claims that Conservapedia's prediction about the theory of General Relativity being wrong was proven by Neutrinos travelling faster that the speed of light. It has recently been found that this is in fact false, the accuracy of the measurements was affected by a loose fibre optic cable &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/02/official-word-on-superluminal-ne.html?ref=hp&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;. Shall I remove this claim?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The issue remains unresolved, rather than the claim by the scientists having been proven false.  Feel free to edit accordingly.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:54, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Thanks for the help Andy. Sorry, I'm new so I thought I would ask. Either way, the statement is invalid as there is reasonable concern that the results are inaccurate. I will delete it for now as it will save face for Conservapedia. But if the anomaly is still present (as some physicists believe it will be), then we can alwpays re-insert it.--[[User:JeremyK|JeremyK]] 11:23, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Cristie and Palin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If Conservapedia thought those two weren't likely nominees why is [[Presidential Election 2012|Palin still listed as one]] and [http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Presidential_Election_2012&amp;amp;diff=938676&amp;amp;oldid=937791 Christie was only removed as a potential nominee only two days ago]?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The way that mathematical probabilities work, nobody, including Palin, has an absolute zero probability of being nominated.  An absolute zero probability for an uncertainty is, by definition, impossible.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:05, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Newt Gingrich ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Conservapedia statement: &amp;quot;Newt Gingrich is the most likely to win the Republican nomination for President&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
*Ranking of Potential Republican Candidates by Likelihood of Winning Nomination as per the linked article right now: #1 - Mitt Romney&lt;br /&gt;
So Conservapedia is proven right for a prediction it's not making anymore? Oh, let me guess: If Mitt Romney wins the nomination after all, you will again claim that Conservapedia is proven right by linking to the first version where he happened to be at the top?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Make up your mind - either actually promote Newt as your top choice or strike this out. It's not much of a prediction when you're basically playing &amp;quot;Heads, I win! Tails, you lose!&amp;quot; with the wiki revision system. ;) --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 17:41, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:I see that the &amp;quot;most likely&amp;quot; list at least reflects this &amp;quot;prediction&amp;quot; again. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 17:12, 27 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Britain, atheism and the World Cup ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Conservapedia statement: &amp;quot;Atheistic Britain would embarrass itself in the World Cup&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
*Liberal claptrap in response: &amp;quot;Liberal denial shouts down any observation of the correlation between atheism and underachievement&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
*Result: &amp;quot;'England's performance at South Africa 2010 was officially their worst at a World Cup finals, according to Fifa.'&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
Uh... your logic isn't sound. You roughly guessed a soccer result correctly, but that doesn't prove anything about a supposed correlation between atheism and underachievement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let's look at the actual statistics and results:&lt;br /&gt;
*Both England and the religious USA dropped out in the Top 16 round.&lt;br /&gt;
*The Top 3 spots of the World Cup went to Spain, the Netherlands and Germany (in that order).&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html This] site lists somewhat recent atheism/agnostic/nonbeliever rates per country:&lt;br /&gt;
**Spain: 15 - 24%&lt;br /&gt;
**Netherlands: 39 - 44%&lt;br /&gt;
**Germany: 41 - 49%&lt;br /&gt;
**Britain (as a yardstick for &amp;quot;atheistic country&amp;quot;): 31 - 44%&lt;br /&gt;
**USA (as a yardstick for a religious country): 3 - 9%&lt;br /&gt;
What was that? Correlation between atheism and underachieving? Citing the World Cup 2010 as an example? Not quite. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 18:08, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Obviously nobody said atheism was the ''only'' factor.  Of course there are other factors in fielding a successul soccer team, such as the level of interest in the sport.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Looking at British soccer performance over time isolates the effect of atheism.  As atheism has grown in Britain, it's ability to compete in the World Cup has fallen to pathetically weak levels.  Atheism causes underachievement.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:09, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::England's past World Cup ratings:&lt;br /&gt;
::*1950: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1954: '''6th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1958: 11th&lt;br /&gt;
::*1962: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1966: 1st&lt;br /&gt;
::*1970: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1974: not qualified&lt;br /&gt;
::*1978: not qualified&lt;br /&gt;
::*1982: '''6th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1986: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1990: '''4th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1994: not qualified&lt;br /&gt;
::*1998: 9th&lt;br /&gt;
::*2002: '''6th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*2006: '''7th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*2010: 13th&lt;br /&gt;
::Whenever England qualified for a World Cup, it ended up in the Top 16. And I highlighted (in bold) the times in which England made it at least into the quarterfinals. Fallen to pathetically weak levels? During the last three World Cups, England twice had one of the best eight teams on the planet. Or are you claiming that there was a sudden atheism spike between 2006 and 2010?&lt;br /&gt;
::Also, the FIFA World Rankings currently rank England as #7, and the [http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtools/compareteams.html#g=m&amp;amp;t1=ENG&amp;amp;t2=ENG&amp;amp;t3=ENG&amp;amp;t4=ENG&amp;amp;dRange=4&amp;amp;fm=8&amp;amp;fy=1993&amp;amp;tm=11&amp;amp;ty=2011 trend there] isn't exactly indicating growing failure.&lt;br /&gt;
::So let's do this right. What are your sources for the claim that &amp;quot;atheism has grown in Britain&amp;quot;? How much during what time period? And then we can see how that compares to the the World Cup and the World Ranking.&lt;br /&gt;
::And you claim that atheism causes underachievement, but completely fail to address how the atheism in other countries somehow isn't causing underachievement there. You can't make a claim and then only consider a single country with &amp;quot;high&amp;quot; levels of atheism. How do you explain that the best three teams during the last World Cup have high atheism rates? Why aren't highly religious countries doing better?&lt;br /&gt;
::Sorry, but I don't see this going anywhere. You considered only a single data point (the performance of a single team during a single World Cup) to make a claim that doesn't seem to fit the moment you expand the scope at all. You called a single team's performance during a single event correctly, but that doesn't make your reasoning right. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 20:32, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Earthquakes ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm surprised that this is ''still'' doing its rounds: It's wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don't even have to make a longwinded speech; just look at [[Talk:Main Page/Archive index/102#Severe_earthquakes_double_every_40_years.3F|this]] discussion and also at [[Talk:Counterexamples to an Old Earth#Major_earthquakes_are_doubling_every_40_years.3F|this]] one. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 18:13, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Jon Stewart Curse ==&lt;br /&gt;
Since the &amp;quot;prediction&amp;quot; was made, Stewart hasn't actually been in any movies. Hosting the Academy Awards was not movie acting. If you want to count &amp;quot;has appeared in front of a camera&amp;quot; as movie acting, then The Daily Show also counts, and it does [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394561/The-force-Jon-Stewart-Daily-Shows-ratings-higher-FOX-News.html very] well. In addition, this prediction was originally made by somebody who was banned as a vandal. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 17:12, 27 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==What is the point of this article ?==&lt;br /&gt;
It just look like boasting. And I shall remind you that ''&amp;quot;As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.&amp;quot;'' - James 4:16 --[[User:PhilipN|PhilipN]] 23:10, 8 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:''Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.'' - Matthew 5:15. Your move!--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 11:45, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::Admittedly, the title is a bit on the nose.  I'm inclined to change it to &amp;quot;Conservapedia prescience&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Presience of conservative insight.&amp;quot;  Or simply &amp;quot;Conservative Insight.&amp;quot; [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 12:38, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::(edit conflict) Well put, CPalmer.  And if &amp;quot;accountability&amp;quot; had been a term known to the [[King James Version]] translators, then it would be in the English translations of the Bible too.  It's very important to circle back and check what was right and what was wrong.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:40, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Douglas, I'm [[Essay:Quantifying Openmindedness|open-minded about this]], but don't think the alternative titles would be an improvement.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:41, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Gay penguin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Isn't it possible (and indeed more likely) that the penguin was never gay in the first place? I can't really picture one penguin (peacefully or otherwise) convincing another penguin to change from his ways. There are no penguin therapy support groups. Either way, Conservapedia is right about the gay animal myth (either he's an ex-homosexual or he never was one in the first place). But I do think that possibility is worth mentioning. I'm not sure how to word it though. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 22:44, 9 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the idea of a homosexual animal is wrongheaded and that the homosexual animal notion is a myth. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 20:12, 29 March 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== References ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Stalking Horse ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don't we need some evidence of intent before deciding that Santorum was a stalking horse for Romney? Was Nader a stalking horse for Bush in 2000? He certainly did more to hurt Gore than Santorum did to hurt Gingrich --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 20:57, 10 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:I have an [[open mind]] about whether Santorum was a [[stalking horse]] for Romney.  But what other plausible explanation is there for the abrupt pull-out by Santorum at this time, stranding so many [[conservatives]] who had rallied behind him?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:42, 10 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Winning less than half as many delegates as Romney. A sick kid at home. Nothing near the financial resources that Romney has. Poll leads in his home state that weren't incredibly solid. [[User:DVMRoberts|DVMRoberts]] 22:03, 10 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Just speculating, but I'd say the potential loss in Pennsylvania had to play a big part in his timing. It's been clear for a while now that he didn't really have much of a chance of turning things around this time out, but the longer he could stay competitive, the more influence he'd have going forward. A loss in his home state would have cost him a lot of credibility he's gained these last few months. It's also not implausible that Romney made some pseudo-promises behind the scenes that now allow him to cancel what was going to be a huge ad buy in Pennsylvania. At any rate, if you/we/Conservapedia still have an open mind about Santorum's status as a stalking horse, is it really an appropriate time to count this as an example of [[Conservapedia proven right]]?[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 00:40, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Yeah, it seems silly to proclaim [[Conservapedia proven right]] about something that isn't even clear is true yet. And if Conservapedia did indeed think Santorum was just a stalking horse for Romney, why has it portrayed Santorum as the conservative alternative to Romney for the past few months? Why was this prediction from two years ago not brought up weeks ago? --[[User:BradleyS|BradleyS]] 01:56, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Although this will unfortunately make me sound like a jerk, this really isn't the place for those questions. Can we focus on trying to improve this particular article? I do appreciate the pro not-yet-a-stalking-horse sentiment though. --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 02:09, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: I think those questions are relevant. Conservapedia is claiming have been proven right about X when it doesn't appear to have actually believed in X and X hasn't been shown to be true. That's about as far away as 'proven right' as you can be. Hence an improvement of this article would be to remove the entry. --[[User:BradleyS|BradleyS]] 12:01, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::You're right. Sorry about that and carry on. I guess I was more tired than I thought last night. --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 12:50, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::::It was asked &amp;quot;why has it portrayed Santorum as the conservative alternative to Romney for the past few months?&amp;quot; - Answer: because, obviously, voters '''''perceived''''' &amp;quot;Santorum as the [[conservative]] alternative to Romney.&amp;quot;  The strength of the votes for that conservative alternative was significant.&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::::What Santorum's own intentions have been are, of course, another matter.  The sbrupt timing of his pull-out seemed to have been coordinated with the Romney campaign, or at least to help him.  Gingrich didn't pull out.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:32, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::Exactly. I completely agree. This strongly hints that Santorum might not be as conservative as Romney really is (perhaps the plan was something like this; Romney would appeal to moderates while Santorum distracted the easily amused Liberals as Romney gained support. Now with his &amp;quot;shield&amp;quot; down Liberals have spent all their ammo on Santorum so Romney can advance as the real, true Conservative? When you think about it it's brilliant; the Republicans appear to compromise with the more simpleminded voters when in reality the Conservative train steams ahead with more power than ever! [[User:Insel|Insel]] 00:01, 19 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Another case of selective reading.... ==&lt;br /&gt;
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That's bordering the ridiculous: Aschlafly, have you read your source beyond the headline? Surely you want to differ between man-made quakes and natural ones! And a quote from the article: &amp;quot;''America's Natural Gas Alliance, which represents major energy companies involved in natural gas fracking, said it was difficult to conclude anything based on an unpublished abstract. ''&amp;quot; So perhaps you want to wait for the scientific article until you declare triumph - or will this be another article you quote, but don't read? [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 14:05, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:You seem to be focusing on the [[hearsay]] in the article, which of course would be [[inadmissible]] in court for its lack of reliability.  The article is cite here for its admissible factual content, which is that large earthquakes are increasing.&lt;br /&gt;
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:Please see [[hearsay society]] for an enlightening discussion of the key distinction.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:13, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I think AugustO's point is that although Conservapedia is technically correct in saying the number of earthquakes is increasing, there is a very real possibility that the increase is due to recent human activity. If this is the case, the increase in earthquakes is not a logical counterexample to an old Earth. Even though the increase in earthquakes has not been conclusively linked to fracking, ignoring this possibility and claiming the counterexample to be definitively true is an example of [[deliberate ignorance]] or [[closed-mindedness]]. --[[User:Toadaron|AaronT]] 15:16, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Previously there was denial that earthquakes are increasing.  Conservapedia was correct about that, and there's no denying that now, right?  As to why, that's a separate issue, but the claim that mankind is causing this is implausible.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:21, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::To answer your question, yes, you are correct. Whether this item belongs in this article and whether it belongs in [[Counterexamples to an Old Earth]] are two seperate issues. --[[User:Toadaron|AaronT]] 15:31, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::Aschlafly would be correct if  his claim were that ''the number of  magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes increases dramatically in an area that includes Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas''. &lt;br /&gt;
:::::But his claim is ''Large earthquakes are increasing in frequency.'' That's quite a difference!&lt;br /&gt;
:::::And calling ''the claim that mankind is causing this'' [...] ''implausible'' seems to be a sign of severe closed-mindedness! [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 16:17, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Predicted Increase in Premature Graying ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Mr. Schlafly, I know from the [[Andy Schlafly|article about you]] that you have a background in law and engineering, two fields that highly value logic, evidence, and truth. So you must understand that one nonspecific example of one case of premature graying at one point in time - or even the few example given in the [[Counterexample to an Old Earth]] page - does not nearly offer rigorous proof that premature graying is increasing. (Not to mention the almost nonexistent relationship between premature graying and the age of the Earth.) --[[User:Randall7|Randall7]] 23:19, 28 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:The example is specific, and one case can prove a theory.  The solitary example of [[Christ]] rising from the dead does prove several theories in [[Christianity]].&lt;br /&gt;
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:With young people having gray hair with increasing frequency, this does suggest that the slope of man's developmental path is a much sharper incline (downward) than Old Earth believers claim.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:46, 28 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Of course you are correct that there are some theories that can be proven true with a single example. But this is certainly not one of them. To prove your claim is true, you need to present a substantial amount of data from the past as well as from the present. At the risk of being called part of the [[Hearsay society]], I am going to suggest you present some credible references. (Also, I called the example on this page nonspecific because the &amp;quot;Result&amp;quot; column does not give the person's name or a reference.) --[[User:Randall7|Randall7]] 00:25, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Good point about the need for specificity.  The link is on the front page but this entry should identify the person.  I've corrected that.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Your request for references is unpersuasive, as evidence is abundant in daily life.  Would anyone ask [[Jesus]] for a reference after telling the parable of the [[Prodigal Son]]?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:31, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::I appreciate your point - I doubt anyone asked Jesus for references during his numerous speeches/sermons. But even though it may be obvious to you that the age of onset of gray hair is rapidly decreasing, it may not be obvious to many readers of Conservapedia, so providing substantial evidence would be useful to these readers. --[[User:Randall7|Randall7]] 00:41, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::No, but you're not Jesus. You need to provide citations to factual claims when asked. You should do it before being asked really. I know you know this. [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 10:02, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
And now we see the &amp;quot;Hearsay Society&amp;quot; defense (...or, as I call it, the &amp;quot;Go Away, You Bother Me&amp;quot; defense) in action. Look Randall, look Nate:  I've been coming to this website since 2007. Here's how it works. As stated above, one of the people who never have to provide evidence for their claims is Jesus Christ Himself. The other is Andy Schlafly. People are going gray earlier. Just roll with it, 'cause you ain't gonna get any more than &amp;quot;It's self-evident&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;One case proves the theory.&amp;quot; Just kick back and enjoy the fun. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 10:05, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Nonsense. Mr. Schlafly uses citations all the time. He just needs to cite it his point. [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 10:11, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Mr. Schlafly supported a user who created a template expressly designed to do away with the need for citations. Thus the invention of the notion of the &amp;quot;Hearsay Society.&amp;quot; Mr. Schlafly just now on this very page is arguing that, like Jesus Christ, his assertions on this matter are obvious and require no corroborating data. Mr. Schlafly re-wrote the Bible when that particular &amp;quot;data-set,&amp;quot; if you would, did not correspond to his own beliefs, and has used articles about events that happened billions of years ago in  order to advance the cause of a young creation. Mr. Schlafly has what one might call an interesting approach to the idea of how evidence might support an argument. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 10:16, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::The [[Hearsay Society]] is the ultimate haven for anyone who denies [[logic]] and, in this case, the increasingly premature graying apparent all around in daily life.  [[Pharisees]] used the same escape hatch to avoid accepting the compelling parables and indisputable reasoning.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:19, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Not it's not apparent at all because none of us is 6000 years old, assuming YEC is why you're saying this it seems to me that arguing without citing authority where necessary is the ultimate escape hatch for anyone who denies logic because arguments are built on supported factual premises. We have no idea how grey people were at age 30 before the invention of photography unless you've got some citations. And you're still not Jesus. This grey hair stuff is not remotely similar to Jesus's sayings and you know it. You're also getting hearsay wrong. It has nothing to do with citing authority. [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 10:38, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
ASchlafly, most people who are asked for a bit of evidence to back up a controversial claim don't retreat to constructing societal models out of whole cloth and then charging their interlocutors with being members of that made-up society. Nor do they compare their own arguments to those of the Lord. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 10:56, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Wait a minute here Mr. Schlafly - are you suggesting I'm part of this &amp;quot;hearsay society&amp;quot; and that by asking you for a citation to show that people are prematurely graying I'm &amp;quot;continuing the don't-think-for-yourself tradition started by the Pharisees&amp;quot;? [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 12:33, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::That's exactly what he's doing. I'm curious as to why you would find this surprising. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 12:57, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Jesus was infalible.  You, Aschlafly, are not.  He did not need to provide citations but unless you are now comparing yourself to Jesus you, Aschlafly as a falible human, do. [[User:Davidspencer|Davidspencer]] 11:56, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Also - but please correct me if I'm wrong - Jesus did not tell the Parable of the Prodigal Son as a true story, but, well, as a parable. --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 12:59, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Jesus told the [[parable]] as a true story about the good side of human nature.  It was not merely fiction.  Notice how no one asked Him to provide a citation that human nature was really like this.  Instead, listeners of the [[Prodigal Son]] then and now think for themselves, and recognize its truth without resorting to a demand for [[hearsay]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:07, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::So you feel yourself to be on a level with Jesus?  You feel that because he, the infaliable Son of God, was not asked for a citation then you should not be?  Less than 300 years ago you would have been burnt at the stake for making such a claim.  You should really reconsider your hubris, and then ask for forgivness for your pride.  And then provide a citation - or withdraw your claim.  [[User:Davidspencer|Davidspencer]] 13:31, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::But ASchlafly, you yourself said that [[parable| a parable is &amp;quot;a fictional narrative.&amp;quot;]] Is it a true story or fiction? It cannot be both. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 13:34, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::Sylvain, do you think the correct answer to a word problem in math is &amp;quot;merely fiction&amp;quot;?  I don't think so.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::David, I don't think Christians burned anyone at the stake for making observations about premature graying, without citation.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:58, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
For those of you who argue that Andy Schlafly is not infalible and needs to supply sources, keep in mind that by your own argument you need to supply sources that Andy is not infalible if you wish to state it. I doubt you can. [[User:JacobJ|JacobJ]] 14:16, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Edit Conflict: No, but they very well might have burned someone who claimed that his pronouncements were as clear and obvious as those of the Lord. And I'm not sure you can equate word problems with empirical statements about the observable world. I could write a word problem about a train taking 20 minutes to go from Baltimore to Chicago, and for the sake of the word problem, that's fine. It's not the same as saying &amp;quot;a train take 20 minutes to go from Baltimore to Chicago, and only a Pharisee would question my word,&amp;quot; which is essentially what you are doing here. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]]&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::::So is the correct answer to a word problem &amp;quot;merely fiction,&amp;quot; or not?  And, by the way, Christians did not burn people at the stake as much as [[public schools]] might lead people to believe.  Opponents of Christianity have been far more violent throughout history.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:25, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Let's leave the questions of public schools and burning at the stake aside for the purposes of this discussion. The issue here is whether or not a constructed word problem is the same as an empirical claim about the world. I could construct a word problem where the correct answer is that the train took 20 minutes to get from Baltimore to Chicago. That says nothing about an actual train. You are making a claim about grey hair and when asked for evidence, your position seems to be &amp;quot;Jesus didn't need to provide evidence for his parables, and neither do I for this claim.&amp;quot; This implies, to the casual observer, that you think that your claims have the same authority as those of the Lord. Do you not see how the reader might raise his eyebrows at such a position? [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 14:31, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:OK, suppose it wasn't Jesus who told the [[Prodigal Son]], but someone else.  Would anyone ask for references to confirm how the story illustrates a truth about life?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:28, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Someone might ask not for references to confirm that the story tells a truth about life, but for references that the events mentioned in the story actually happened. However, whether or not the story happened or not doesn't change the lesson implied in the story. I get that. But you're not simply telling a story to impart a larger lesson. You are making an empirical claim about the world, having to do with the occurrence of gray hairs. The only evidence you seem to give is &amp;quot;Just like Jesus, I don't need any proof.&amp;quot; But Jesus wasn't talking about an actual son and an actual father in the parable--he was telling a story. He could have made it all up in order to illustrate the lesson; that doesn't make the lesson any less valid. Story-telling is not making an empirical claim. Surely you can see the difference. Either 1. You do not understand the difference between metaphor and observable reality, or 2. You believe that your word is as unquestionable as that of Jesus Christ Himself. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 15:52, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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===A related issue===&lt;br /&gt;
A man making a claim with an appeal to Scripture is one thing. A man making a claim with an appeal to Scripture who led a project to re-write the Bible because parts of it did not conform to his political ideology is quite another. Then the claims of the man become self-fulfilling. Step 1: &amp;quot;Here is a claim about the world.&amp;quot; Step 2: &amp;quot;For verification of this claim, please consult the version of the Bible that I wrote that reinforces the vision of the world that I am claiming in Step 1.&amp;quot; Step 3: &amp;quot;If you have a problem with that, remember that Jesus--at least the version of him that I describe in my Bible--said things without reference to anything, and I can too. Because, like the claims of Jesus (the one in the Bible I rewrote), my claims are obvious.&amp;quot; Does that not strike you as problematic? [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 16:01, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:The [[Conservative Bible Project]] has always been dedicated to translating the original meaning of the [[Bible]] more precisely, free of [[liberal bias]] that creeps into other translations.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:58, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Which explains why so many noted conservative theologians have given the rewritten Bible that you produced high praises, and why so many conservative churches and denominations are using it instead of those other, more liberal versions, I guess. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 00:07, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I think the first statement would amount to more reliance on [[hearsay]] concerning what &amp;quot;conservative&amp;quot; theologians supposedly said.  And, by the way, the [[Conservative Bible Project]] was never a &amp;quot;rewritten Bible.&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:51, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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{{nohearsay}}&lt;br /&gt;
What is this?&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;border:1px dashed Gainsboro;margin:+.1em;width:20%&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
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*[[Special:Contributions/Brenden|Contribs]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[user talk:Brenden|talk]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Special:Log&amp;amp;user=Brenden|&amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;blue&amp;quot;&amp;gt;log&amp;lt;/font&amp;gt;]]&lt;br /&gt;
|} 15:50, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:It's a template that can be used to answer or pre-empt calls for references on pages where they aren't needed. There's also &amp;lt;nowiki&amp;gt;{{nohearsaysection}}&amp;lt;/nowiki&amp;gt; for use on specific sections of pages.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:21, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Andy, let's assume, just for the sake of argument, that there is a scientist, a well-respected man and a well-known conservative (so no liberal bias involved), who has spent his career investigating premature greying in society, collecting data on the current incidence of premature greying and studying historic records on premature greying. Let us further assume - purely hypothetically - that this man has found that premature greying has not increased since, say, the time of Jesus up to now. If we don't know this man personally, should we take his results seriously or should we dismiss them and all reference to them as hearsay? What if we know him personally, maybe even as a close friend, and know him to be an honest, conservative man? Should we trust him and take his results seriously, even if they contradict what we believe to be true? At what point does information obtained from someone else stop being hearsay? You will surely say that he will not find contradicting results, but my question is not about premature greying (incidentally, I'm in my mid-40s and have been completely grey for at least ten years now). What I really want to understand is the concept of hearsay, its limits and the connection to openmindedness. --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 11:36, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::I'm sorry, I meant what's the point of this. References aren't bad, they prevent people from inventing their own facts.[[User:Brenden|brenden]] 00:21, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::When a demand for references is used to shout down logic or obvious truths available to everyone, then that is bad.  When references are used to repeat hearsay contained in the references, then that is also bad.  Silly demands for references or authority were used to interfere with the logic and obvious truths in the [[Gospels]], which of course contain no references.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:44, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
'::good point. However, when used correctly, references help people navigate the facts and content&lt;br /&gt;
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::::I agree, but too often people demand references as a way of sidestepping clear logic or obvious truths, while accepting worthless references in other situations if the references reinforce their views.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:04, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::So, I understand that it some situations, references just aren't readily available. Maybe because an insight is either so obvious that no one's bothered to discuss it or so novel that no one's thought to discuss it. But in other situations, they are available. Lots of smart people have studied lots of obscure things. In situations where references are available, is it appropriate to use them? If I, for example, found a study investigating the age at which people go grey, would that be worth considering? --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 03:07, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Yes, of course references are sometimes - often - wholly appropriate and very useful. They are used extensively on Conservapedia. But Wikipedia has gone beyond that and suffers from a kind of reference-mania - dismissing ''any'' statement that has no reference, and conversely often allowing any old garbage on the grounds that it does have a (questionable) citation. &lt;br /&gt;
:::::: See the comics [http://xkcd.com/978/ here] and [http://xkcd.com/906/ here] for two humorous commentaries on the problems caused by Wikipedia's policies (though note that other comics on that site may not be so educational - in fact the second link should come with a mild warning).--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 04:18, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::I understand, I think, your criticism of how references are used elsewhere. I'm more interested in trying to understand how you/Andy/Conservapedia want them to be used here. How do I know when it is appropriate to ask for a reference? If I ask for one and am told it is not necessary, by what criteria will we (or even better, objective others) determine who is correct? If I have a reference on some topic, how will I know whether or not it is appropriate to include in an article? --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 17:31, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Opportunities for improvement ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I recently stumbled upon this article after a link to it was featured on the main page. After reviewing the article and it's subsequent talk page discussion, I believe I have found a few areas that could stand some attention.&lt;br /&gt;
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# '''Ambiguousness of predictions''' - Many of the predictions are vague and offer little in the way of an objectively measurable outcome. To be effective, predictions should be as specific as possible, with indisputable results. &lt;br /&gt;
# '''Links to predictions''' - Very few of the list items reference the article (and exact edit) on Conservapedia where the actual prediction was made. Critics of the project could easily claim that predictions were being made after-the-fact once the final outcome was known. Citing the specific edit where the prediction was made would preemptively silence such criticism.&lt;br /&gt;
# '''&amp;quot;Liberal claptrap&amp;quot; responses''' - Like the predictions themselves, only a minuscule amount of the alleged liberal uproar is actually documented. &lt;br /&gt;
# '''The results''' - Surprisingly many of the results do not link to any external source, where the reader can review the material and reach their own conclusion about the accuracy of the prediction.&lt;br /&gt;
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--[[User:DonnyC|DonnyC]] 15:06, 10 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:You're welcome to add more references, but the predictions and outcomes are so clear and well-known that even more references are hardly necessary.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:10, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Item on Armstrong is somewhat ridiculous  ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Lance Armstrong was stripped from his titles in August 2012, so adding him in September 2012 to the list of overrated sport-starts doesn't take a visionary... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:46, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:May seem obvious now, but as you can see from the reference there was objection in September 2012 to including him in the [[Overrated Sports Stars]] entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:02, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::I remember this well, as I reinserted the entry. So there were two editors ([[User:Wonders]] and [[User:AugustO]]) who thought that he was overrated, and other Conservapedians  disagreed: you have enough convenient predictions to cover any outcome.... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 13:58, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::No, because the deniers were not &amp;quot;Conservapedians&amp;quot; in many meaningful sense.  Conservapedians said he was overrated, and non-Conservapedians disagreed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:08, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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*the article on [[Lance Armstrong]] was created in '''Sep 2007'''. The first reference to drug abuse was inserted in '''Jan 2012'''&lt;br /&gt;
*In '''Sep 2007''' wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lance_Armstrong&amp;amp;oldid=156195303#Allegations_of_drug_use article on Armstrong] already had a long section named '''Allegations of drug use'''&lt;br /&gt;
So even if you claim that Conservapedia was proven right, it came quite late to the party... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 14:34, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::&amp;quot;Predicting&amp;quot; that Armstrong is overrated in September is a bit like &amp;quot;predicting&amp;quot; that Obama would win the election ... on the 7th of November.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 15:12, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::[[Liberal denial]] about Armstrong continued well past September.  There are probably atheist websites today that still list him as being great.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:47, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::''[[Liberal denial]] about Armstrong continued well past September.'' Evidence?&lt;br /&gt;
:::::''There are probably atheist websites today that still list him as being great.'' Link?&lt;br /&gt;
:::::There are those thinks called ''facts''... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 17:57, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::Liberal companies including a beer company and Nike continued to endorse Armstrong for months after September.  Now, do you need a citation for that too???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:59, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::::Just citations which show that [[Anheuser Bush]] and [[Nike]] are liberal companies... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 19:20, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::::Oh please ... is it really necessary to provide a citation that Nike and a beer company are liberal???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:30, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::Yes. In my country, beer companies belong to the most conservative companies imaginable. And [[Anheuser Bush]] doesn't strike me as a kind of micro-brewery. &lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 19:32, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::Both Nike and Budd dropped him, presumably after looking in detail at their legal options.  Besides I cannot imagine how you would even begin to argue that Nike is a &amp;quot;liberal&amp;quot; company - they are one of the biggest exploiters of cheap labour in the world; they are famous for having extremely lax safety standards for employees, and being in favour of countries that reduce them as much as possible.  I'm not familiar with the beer company, but given their size I doubt they would meet any sensible definition of liberal.  As for &amp;quot;I'm sure there are atheist websites who endorse him still&amp;quot;; that is a meaningless statement unless you actually cite one.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 21:07, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::It's difficult for me to imagine any corporation as &amp;quot;liberal.&amp;quot;  When the primary motivator is profit, groups and individuals tend to go conservative.  --[[User:CamilleT|CamilleT]] 00:41, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::Big corporations have never been friendly to the conservative movement.  Except for the union issue, big corporations tend to support liberals.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:54, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::I think the opposite is the case (take, for example, the membership of ALEC).  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 01:14, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::(EC)And tax policy, and health and safety, and welfare, and discrimination laws, and minimum wages, and healthcare, and political finance reform and etc etc ad nauseum.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 01:18, 16 January 2013 (EST)  &lt;br /&gt;
Rupert Murdock a liberal? [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 00:58, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Rupert Murdoch is whatever will further his business interests. He has at various times supported both sides of politics when doing so helps his various business interests. [[User:Dvergne|Dvergne]] 01:13, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:: ''The Australian, &amp;quot;The Times of London&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;The Wall Street Journal&amp;quot;'', those rubbish tabloids in Britain. New York and in the various state capitals in Australia - &amp;quot;liberal&amp;quot; papers, Dvergne? [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 01:38, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is like shooting fish in a barrel guys - just follow the money.   In 2012, Anheuser Busch donated [https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00034488 55% of its PAC money to Republicans, 45% to Democrats].   Since 2003, it has donated [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/topcontributor.phtml?u=207 45% of its money to Republicans, and 38% to Democrats].   In 2012, Nike donated [http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00142786 63% to Republicans, 37% to Democrats].   Since 2004, Nike has given [http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00142786 43% to Republicans, 40% to Democrats].   Although neither are 'overwhelmingly GOP', like, for example, [http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00236489 Koch Industries] (98% Republican, 2% Democrat), if the Nike and Anheuser Busch numbers were election results, they would be called a &amp;quot;landslide&amp;quot; for Republicans.   The vast majority of corporations will be found to be like this - it's in their interest to support less regulation, lower business taxes, etc, and they almost all line up to support conservatives.   [[User:Wonders|Wonders]] 12:27, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The donations by corporations to Republicans are typically to '''''liberal''''' Republicans, some of whom are more liberal than many Democrats.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:30, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::But Anheuser-Busch is a member of ALEC, at least according to [http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7BFB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665%7D/cied_35-day_mailing_2011_annual_meeting%20New%20Orleans.pdf this source].  I don't think they would belong to ALEC if they were liberal.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:13, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Not to mention that Anheuser-Busch donated to Andy's favorite candidate [[Todd Akin]]. --[[User:DonnyC|DonnyC]] 20:32, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Relay ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I read [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/02/130208-super-bowl-blackout-cause/ the National Geographic article], and it appears that the argument is whether the relay mechanically failed or whether it was improperly set.  Nothing suggests that relay or its use was not at fault, and certainly nothing suggests that energy rationing of any sort contributed to the outage.  Please fix this.  Thanks, [[User:GregG|GregG]] 21:25, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:A low setting on a relay (or fuse) would result from guidelines based on rationing energy.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:05, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::Relays almost never fail, and stadiums almost never go dark. You can't prove that a relay didn't cause a blackout by saying that relays almost never fail, just as liberals can't prove that God didn't create the world because worlds almost never are created. --[[User:Praymond|Praymond]] 11:30, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::There are several other, more plausible reasons.  It could have been to prevent larger-scale blackouts due to interruption in the power coming into the stadium.  It could have been to reduce the risk of fire (the same kind of reason why circuit breakers in your home trip).  Or, the setting may have been too low simply due to human error.  The details should be sorted out soon through investigation. [[User:GregG|GregG]] 22:31, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Media bullying ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A simple google search shows that the term &amp;quot;media bullying&amp;quot; was already in use before Conservapedia purportedly coined it. [[User:Onestone|Onestone]] 09:48, 10 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Were prior uses elsewhere of the term &amp;quot;[[media bullying]]&amp;quot; in the same rich meaning as the usage here?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:24, 10 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::You claim (and literally wrote) that Conservapedia coined the ''term''. However, judging from your reply, what you probably intended to write was that Conservapedia merely coined the highly particular ''usage'' of the term. That is an essential difference. [[User:Onestone|Onestone]] 09:13, 11 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Explained that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The article cited as proof that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer mentions nothing about abortions, nothing about ''Roe V Wade'' being connected with the increase of cancer in young women. Quote: &amp;quot;Why more young women would be presenting with tumors that have already spread to bone, brain, lungs, or other distant sites ''isn't clear, they noted. Rising obesity rates, changes in alcohol and tobacco use, and genetics are possible causes, according to Dr. Thomas Julian, director of surgical oncology at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
''&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you want to find a connection, or have some proof, I recommend adding it, but this is not that proof. Doesn't even come close. It just so happens that the studies started a few years after ''Roe V Wade'' was decided. There is not even a casual connection between the two mentioned in this article. [[User:Vyselink|Vyselink]] 15:03, 26 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Newspaper articles often do have the problem of [[liberal denial]], but are cited here for the facts they contain.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:09, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::The article's fact's also don't support the conclusion I'm afraid, which ultimately doesn't make a good case for this thesis.  It states:&lt;br /&gt;
::&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;The steepest uptick occurred in the most recent era from 2000-2009, during which incidence rose 3.6 percent per year.&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
::Keeping in mind that the study is about women in the 25-39 age group, the group around 2000 (before the uptick) are not pre-abortion.  Even the oldest (age 39) member of the least cancerous cohort (in 2000) would have been age 12 when  Roe v. Wade was decided in January 1973.  In other words, even the early, healthy, group in the study were of child-bearing age in the abort era.  As much as I'd like for this study to support this case, I don't see how it does. [[User:MelH|MelH]] 15:32, 2 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Here is a link to a reputable source that more than confirms the hypothesis.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1288955/Abortion-triple-risk-breast-cancer.html&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Tomqua|Tomqua]] 16:02, 2 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Tamerlan Tsarnaev== &lt;br /&gt;
Does anyone else feel like this might be jumping the gun a little?? &amp;quot;Tamerlan Tsarnaev '''probably''' murdered his friend on a 9/11 anniversary, and DNA '''likely''' proves it.&amp;quot; The words &amp;quot;probably&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;likely&amp;quot; are not synonyms for &amp;quot;proven right&amp;quot;... especially not when the [[Conservapedia proven right#cite note-56|only citation provided]] is a link back to the [[Main Page|same statement]] (without any external source at the time of this posting) on the main page of this very website. I honestly haven't followed the murder case at all and have no idea what is going on with it, but the information provided here is far from convincing to me. [[User:Fnarrow|Fnarrow]] 00:24, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:I stand corrected, there is now a [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2013/0511/Tsarnaev-2011-murders-Boston-bombing-brothers-also-could-be-linked-to-earlier-deaths source] provided on the main page... however, it very clearly states that the evidence only points to them being in the area on the day of the murder and circumstantial at best. Like I said above, I haven't been following the case so I don't know all the details, I just feel it's a little premature to claim CP was proven right on this. [[User:Fnarrow|Fnarrow]] 00:33, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::I don't see any &amp;quot;liberal bias&amp;quot; or right-vs-left in any of this.  All Americans believe that the Boston Marathon bombing, carjacking, police shootouts etc. were horrible behavior.  It is an opportunity for the nation to pull together to respond to this.  We all want the police and the criminal justice system to work effectively to identify all related crimes and any possible co-conspirators.  America demands a complete and professional investigation. Thanks, [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:13, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Within days the DNA evidence from the [[9/11]] triple-murder was compared with the DNA of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and they likely matched.  (If they didn't match, then authorities would surely say so.)  '''''Yet [[liberal denial]] about the DNA match continues'''''.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:57, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Proposed Enhancements==&lt;br /&gt;
It seems my recent edit to this page was more controversial than I intended. I wanted to apologize to the project for the problems that I caused--it was never my intent to remove substantive material.  I believe the lay out of the chart can be enhanced, and the following is my proposed methodology. I will not endeavor to make these changes without approval.  Each of these phases would be enacted in separate edits with significant time in between them to facilitate review. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-First: Standardization of the dates.  Currently, there is no standard. Some dates are seasons while others are ranges, and those with specific dates are displayed with no specific style.  My proposed standardization is as follows--for dates: (Full Month) (Day) (Year). for those that are currently seasons or ranges, I will search for the first relevant edit and use that as the date. I will provide a citation. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-Second: Citation of Claims. After completing phase one, my intent is to revisit the table and provide internal citations to all predication made.    &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-Third: Citation of Results. After completing phase two, my intent is to revisit the table and provide citations to all results. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-Fourth: Sortability of Table. After completing phase three, my intent is to edit the formatting to create a sort-able table. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I believe these enhancements will improve the visual appeal of the table. Further, I believe these enhancements embody an important principle: credit where credit is due. Conservapedia has often made bold predictions and has been proven right time and time again. Although it is improper to brag, we ought to take pride in, and document, the project's success.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again, my apologies for any complications my previous edits caused. [[User:WilliamWB|WilliamWB]] 11:22, 23 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I'm fine with the addition of citations, and with standardizing the form for dates is good too.  I don't see how sortability will be a problem.  The reason I reverted prior edits to this entry was that content changed.  For example, and I don't know if this was your edit, but a correct statement about Manning throwing interceptions in the final key game was changed to incorrectly state that Tebow had done so.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:22, 23 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::As I work through adding dates and internal citations, I have noticed that the archive page of In The News ends in December 2011. Were the months January-December 2012 archived? I ask because searching the archives is simpler than my current method of searching through revision histories. Thanks, [[User:WilliamWB|WilliamWB]] 09:06, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think 2012 is archived here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page/Previous_Conservapedia_Breaking_News].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:23, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Ah, great! I was looking at the general archives page here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page/Previous_Conservapedia_Breaking_News/Archives]  Thanks, [[User:WilliamWB|WilliamWB]] 11:55, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Variability of the Speed of Light==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I suggest deleting the point about the speed of light being variable. The article sited does not in fact say this. It states that the speed of light is constant but that space is not the complete vacuum previously thought. Thus the speed of light is slightly slower traveling through space as it is in any non vacuum.  [[User:CenterK|CenterK]] 01:53, 1 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== The expert, number two seed, Andy Murray won the men's tournament; defeating a field of &amp;quot;best of publics&amp;quot;. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What does this have to do with a page documenting Conservapedia's correct predictions? Should it not be on a page, if it exists, of incorrect predictions? [[User:EddyJ|EddyJ]] 14:33, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:I don't see what the victory by the #2 seed in the men's tourney has to do with this.  No one is claiming that the experts '''''always''''' lose and underachieve, but they often fail - rougly 50% of the time judging by the [[Wimbledon]] results.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:17, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Exactly. Thanks for the insight. [[User:EddyJ|EddyJ]] 15:22, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::What insight? To suggest that ''anyone'' who gets as far as Wimbledon isn't an &amp;quot;expert&amp;quot; is vacuous at best. The &amp;quot;best of the public&amp;quot; are playing tennis in their gardens or at the local club. The only thing they do at Wimbledon is watch. Every single player there is by any reasonable definition an expert. --[[User:ECornwell|ECornwell]] 17:21, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Why stop there?  Why not say that the &amp;quot;public&amp;quot; are people who are playing tennis for the first time.  Then we can be sure the public won't win.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:07, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:ok so who isn't public? Just players who have won before?--&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&amp;quot;&amp;gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Duan]]&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 18:31, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::&amp;quot;Experts&amp;quot; are people like tenured college professors, a select few whom liberals claim know more than anyone else.  For athletes, &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot; are the ones who get the big endorsements and hype.  The public are those who try just as hard as the experts, but lack the recognition by liberals, sometimes due to political bias.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:59, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::You're insane.--[[User:ErinTH|ErinTH]] 19:17, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::I'd have to second Erin here. You do understand that &amp;quot;effort&amp;quot; without results isn't rewarded in sports, right? Particularly tennis has nothing to do with effort - it has to do with who has had the most success in tournaments.--&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&amp;quot;&amp;gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Duan]]&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 02:06, 8 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I get what Mr Schlafly is saying, but I think I would label the concept differently. The public in this sense are those who are not well known within the general population but only within their own sport. Serena Williams is well known throughout the world. I would guess their are those who know who she is but unaware she is a tennis player whilst Marion Bartoli is not well known outside the tennis community and her home country. So maybe she is public-plus or expert-minus as she has made over 8 million dollars during her career--[[User:Tomqua|Tomqua]] 23:35, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::And I guess Serena Williams used to be &amp;quot;best of the public&amp;quot; before she became well known.  After that she was an &amp;quot;expert&amp;quot;.   --[[User:HyramF|HyramF]] 23:44, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 15th seed ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
15th seed is best of the public?!?! So the 15th ranked expert in the world is now best of the public? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 10:23, 15 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 15th seed ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
15th seed is best of the public?!?! So the 15th ranked expert in the world is now best of the public? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 10:23, 15 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Conservapedia_proven_right&amp;diff=1061009</id>
		<title>Talk:Conservapedia proven right</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Conservapedia_proven_right&amp;diff=1061009"/>
		<updated>2013-07-15T14:23:04Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* 15th seed */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The two rows about gold seem repetitive.  How about combining into only one row?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:23, 20 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::It is a lot of information plus Conservapedia mentioned gold and precious metals a lot. But at the same time reportedly positively about having a broad commodity strategy if possible. I think it would make a very long single entry. I will look at it though. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:18, 20 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::I will combine them. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Neutrinos and the speed of light ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The article claims that Conservapedia's prediction about the theory of General Relativity being wrong was proven by Neutrinos travelling faster that the speed of light. It has recently been found that this is in fact false, the accuracy of the measurements was affected by a loose fibre optic cable &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/02/official-word-on-superluminal-ne.html?ref=hp&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;. Shall I remove this claim?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The issue remains unresolved, rather than the claim by the scientists having been proven false.  Feel free to edit accordingly.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:54, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Thanks for the help Andy. Sorry, I'm new so I thought I would ask. Either way, the statement is invalid as there is reasonable concern that the results are inaccurate. I will delete it for now as it will save face for Conservapedia. But if the anomaly is still present (as some physicists believe it will be), then we can alwpays re-insert it.--[[User:JeremyK|JeremyK]] 11:23, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Cristie and Palin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If Conservapedia thought those two weren't likely nominees why is [[Presidential Election 2012|Palin still listed as one]] and [http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Presidential_Election_2012&amp;amp;diff=938676&amp;amp;oldid=937791 Christie was only removed as a potential nominee only two days ago]?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The way that mathematical probabilities work, nobody, including Palin, has an absolute zero probability of being nominated.  An absolute zero probability for an uncertainty is, by definition, impossible.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:05, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Newt Gingrich ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Conservapedia statement: &amp;quot;Newt Gingrich is the most likely to win the Republican nomination for President&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
*Ranking of Potential Republican Candidates by Likelihood of Winning Nomination as per the linked article right now: #1 - Mitt Romney&lt;br /&gt;
So Conservapedia is proven right for a prediction it's not making anymore? Oh, let me guess: If Mitt Romney wins the nomination after all, you will again claim that Conservapedia is proven right by linking to the first version where he happened to be at the top?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Make up your mind - either actually promote Newt as your top choice or strike this out. It's not much of a prediction when you're basically playing &amp;quot;Heads, I win! Tails, you lose!&amp;quot; with the wiki revision system. ;) --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 17:41, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:I see that the &amp;quot;most likely&amp;quot; list at least reflects this &amp;quot;prediction&amp;quot; again. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 17:12, 27 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Britain, atheism and the World Cup ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Conservapedia statement: &amp;quot;Atheistic Britain would embarrass itself in the World Cup&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
*Liberal claptrap in response: &amp;quot;Liberal denial shouts down any observation of the correlation between atheism and underachievement&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
*Result: &amp;quot;'England's performance at South Africa 2010 was officially their worst at a World Cup finals, according to Fifa.'&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
Uh... your logic isn't sound. You roughly guessed a soccer result correctly, but that doesn't prove anything about a supposed correlation between atheism and underachievement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let's look at the actual statistics and results:&lt;br /&gt;
*Both England and the religious USA dropped out in the Top 16 round.&lt;br /&gt;
*The Top 3 spots of the World Cup went to Spain, the Netherlands and Germany (in that order).&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html This] site lists somewhat recent atheism/agnostic/nonbeliever rates per country:&lt;br /&gt;
**Spain: 15 - 24%&lt;br /&gt;
**Netherlands: 39 - 44%&lt;br /&gt;
**Germany: 41 - 49%&lt;br /&gt;
**Britain (as a yardstick for &amp;quot;atheistic country&amp;quot;): 31 - 44%&lt;br /&gt;
**USA (as a yardstick for a religious country): 3 - 9%&lt;br /&gt;
What was that? Correlation between atheism and underachieving? Citing the World Cup 2010 as an example? Not quite. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 18:08, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Obviously nobody said atheism was the ''only'' factor.  Of course there are other factors in fielding a successul soccer team, such as the level of interest in the sport.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Looking at British soccer performance over time isolates the effect of atheism.  As atheism has grown in Britain, it's ability to compete in the World Cup has fallen to pathetically weak levels.  Atheism causes underachievement.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:09, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::England's past World Cup ratings:&lt;br /&gt;
::*1950: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1954: '''6th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1958: 11th&lt;br /&gt;
::*1962: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1966: 1st&lt;br /&gt;
::*1970: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1974: not qualified&lt;br /&gt;
::*1978: not qualified&lt;br /&gt;
::*1982: '''6th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1986: '''8th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1990: '''4th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*1994: not qualified&lt;br /&gt;
::*1998: 9th&lt;br /&gt;
::*2002: '''6th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*2006: '''7th'''&lt;br /&gt;
::*2010: 13th&lt;br /&gt;
::Whenever England qualified for a World Cup, it ended up in the Top 16. And I highlighted (in bold) the times in which England made it at least into the quarterfinals. Fallen to pathetically weak levels? During the last three World Cups, England twice had one of the best eight teams on the planet. Or are you claiming that there was a sudden atheism spike between 2006 and 2010?&lt;br /&gt;
::Also, the FIFA World Rankings currently rank England as #7, and the [http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtools/compareteams.html#g=m&amp;amp;t1=ENG&amp;amp;t2=ENG&amp;amp;t3=ENG&amp;amp;t4=ENG&amp;amp;dRange=4&amp;amp;fm=8&amp;amp;fy=1993&amp;amp;tm=11&amp;amp;ty=2011 trend there] isn't exactly indicating growing failure.&lt;br /&gt;
::So let's do this right. What are your sources for the claim that &amp;quot;atheism has grown in Britain&amp;quot;? How much during what time period? And then we can see how that compares to the the World Cup and the World Ranking.&lt;br /&gt;
::And you claim that atheism causes underachievement, but completely fail to address how the atheism in other countries somehow isn't causing underachievement there. You can't make a claim and then only consider a single country with &amp;quot;high&amp;quot; levels of atheism. How do you explain that the best three teams during the last World Cup have high atheism rates? Why aren't highly religious countries doing better?&lt;br /&gt;
::Sorry, but I don't see this going anywhere. You considered only a single data point (the performance of a single team during a single World Cup) to make a claim that doesn't seem to fit the moment you expand the scope at all. You called a single team's performance during a single event correctly, but that doesn't make your reasoning right. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 20:32, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Earthquakes ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm surprised that this is ''still'' doing its rounds: It's wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
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I don't even have to make a longwinded speech; just look at [[Talk:Main Page/Archive index/102#Severe_earthquakes_double_every_40_years.3F|this]] discussion and also at [[Talk:Counterexamples to an Old Earth#Major_earthquakes_are_doubling_every_40_years.3F|this]] one. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 18:13, 22 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Jon Stewart Curse ==&lt;br /&gt;
Since the &amp;quot;prediction&amp;quot; was made, Stewart hasn't actually been in any movies. Hosting the Academy Awards was not movie acting. If you want to count &amp;quot;has appeared in front of a camera&amp;quot; as movie acting, then The Daily Show also counts, and it does [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394561/The-force-Jon-Stewart-Daily-Shows-ratings-higher-FOX-News.html very] well. In addition, this prediction was originally made by somebody who was banned as a vandal. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 17:12, 27 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==What is the point of this article ?==&lt;br /&gt;
It just look like boasting. And I shall remind you that ''&amp;quot;As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.&amp;quot;'' - James 4:16 --[[User:PhilipN|PhilipN]] 23:10, 8 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:''Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.'' - Matthew 5:15. Your move!--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 11:45, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::Admittedly, the title is a bit on the nose.  I'm inclined to change it to &amp;quot;Conservapedia prescience&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Presience of conservative insight.&amp;quot;  Or simply &amp;quot;Conservative Insight.&amp;quot; [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 12:38, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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::(edit conflict) Well put, CPalmer.  And if &amp;quot;accountability&amp;quot; had been a term known to the [[King James Version]] translators, then it would be in the English translations of the Bible too.  It's very important to circle back and check what was right and what was wrong.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:40, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Douglas, I'm [[Essay:Quantifying Openmindedness|open-minded about this]], but don't think the alternative titles would be an improvement.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:41, 29 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Gay penguin ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Isn't it possible (and indeed more likely) that the penguin was never gay in the first place? I can't really picture one penguin (peacefully or otherwise) convincing another penguin to change from his ways. There are no penguin therapy support groups. Either way, Conservapedia is right about the gay animal myth (either he's an ex-homosexual or he never was one in the first place). But I do think that possibility is worth mentioning. I'm not sure how to word it though. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 22:44, 9 February 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the idea of a homosexual animal is wrongheaded and that the homosexual animal notion is a myth. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 20:12, 29 March 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== References ==&lt;br /&gt;
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&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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== Stalking Horse ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Don't we need some evidence of intent before deciding that Santorum was a stalking horse for Romney? Was Nader a stalking horse for Bush in 2000? He certainly did more to hurt Gore than Santorum did to hurt Gingrich --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 20:57, 10 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I have an [[open mind]] about whether Santorum was a [[stalking horse]] for Romney.  But what other plausible explanation is there for the abrupt pull-out by Santorum at this time, stranding so many [[conservatives]] who had rallied behind him?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:42, 10 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Winning less than half as many delegates as Romney. A sick kid at home. Nothing near the financial resources that Romney has. Poll leads in his home state that weren't incredibly solid. [[User:DVMRoberts|DVMRoberts]] 22:03, 10 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Just speculating, but I'd say the potential loss in Pennsylvania had to play a big part in his timing. It's been clear for a while now that he didn't really have much of a chance of turning things around this time out, but the longer he could stay competitive, the more influence he'd have going forward. A loss in his home state would have cost him a lot of credibility he's gained these last few months. It's also not implausible that Romney made some pseudo-promises behind the scenes that now allow him to cancel what was going to be a huge ad buy in Pennsylvania. At any rate, if you/we/Conservapedia still have an open mind about Santorum's status as a stalking horse, is it really an appropriate time to count this as an example of [[Conservapedia proven right]]?[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 00:40, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Yeah, it seems silly to proclaim [[Conservapedia proven right]] about something that isn't even clear is true yet. And if Conservapedia did indeed think Santorum was just a stalking horse for Romney, why has it portrayed Santorum as the conservative alternative to Romney for the past few months? Why was this prediction from two years ago not brought up weeks ago? --[[User:BradleyS|BradleyS]] 01:56, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Although this will unfortunately make me sound like a jerk, this really isn't the place for those questions. Can we focus on trying to improve this particular article? I do appreciate the pro not-yet-a-stalking-horse sentiment though. --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 02:09, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: I think those questions are relevant. Conservapedia is claiming have been proven right about X when it doesn't appear to have actually believed in X and X hasn't been shown to be true. That's about as far away as 'proven right' as you can be. Hence an improvement of this article would be to remove the entry. --[[User:BradleyS|BradleyS]] 12:01, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::You're right. Sorry about that and carry on. I guess I was more tired than I thought last night. --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 12:50, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::::It was asked &amp;quot;why has it portrayed Santorum as the conservative alternative to Romney for the past few months?&amp;quot; - Answer: because, obviously, voters '''''perceived''''' &amp;quot;Santorum as the [[conservative]] alternative to Romney.&amp;quot;  The strength of the votes for that conservative alternative was significant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::What Santorum's own intentions have been are, of course, another matter.  The sbrupt timing of his pull-out seemed to have been coordinated with the Romney campaign, or at least to help him.  Gingrich didn't pull out.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:32, 11 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::Exactly. I completely agree. This strongly hints that Santorum might not be as conservative as Romney really is (perhaps the plan was something like this; Romney would appeal to moderates while Santorum distracted the easily amused Liberals as Romney gained support. Now with his &amp;quot;shield&amp;quot; down Liberals have spent all their ammo on Santorum so Romney can advance as the real, true Conservative? When you think about it it's brilliant; the Republicans appear to compromise with the more simpleminded voters when in reality the Conservative train steams ahead with more power than ever! [[User:Insel|Insel]] 00:01, 19 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Another case of selective reading.... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That's bordering the ridiculous: Aschlafly, have you read your source beyond the headline? Surely you want to differ between man-made quakes and natural ones! And a quote from the article: &amp;quot;''America's Natural Gas Alliance, which represents major energy companies involved in natural gas fracking, said it was difficult to conclude anything based on an unpublished abstract. ''&amp;quot; So perhaps you want to wait for the scientific article until you declare triumph - or will this be another article you quote, but don't read? [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 14:05, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:You seem to be focusing on the [[hearsay]] in the article, which of course would be [[inadmissible]] in court for its lack of reliability.  The article is cite here for its admissible factual content, which is that large earthquakes are increasing.&lt;br /&gt;
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:Please see [[hearsay society]] for an enlightening discussion of the key distinction.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:13, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I think AugustO's point is that although Conservapedia is technically correct in saying the number of earthquakes is increasing, there is a very real possibility that the increase is due to recent human activity. If this is the case, the increase in earthquakes is not a logical counterexample to an old Earth. Even though the increase in earthquakes has not been conclusively linked to fracking, ignoring this possibility and claiming the counterexample to be definitively true is an example of [[deliberate ignorance]] or [[closed-mindedness]]. --[[User:Toadaron|AaronT]] 15:16, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Previously there was denial that earthquakes are increasing.  Conservapedia was correct about that, and there's no denying that now, right?  As to why, that's a separate issue, but the claim that mankind is causing this is implausible.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:21, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::To answer your question, yes, you are correct. Whether this item belongs in this article and whether it belongs in [[Counterexamples to an Old Earth]] are two seperate issues. --[[User:Toadaron|AaronT]] 15:31, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::Aschlafly would be correct if  his claim were that ''the number of  magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes increases dramatically in an area that includes Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas''. &lt;br /&gt;
:::::But his claim is ''Large earthquakes are increasing in frequency.'' That's quite a difference!&lt;br /&gt;
:::::And calling ''the claim that mankind is causing this'' [...] ''implausible'' seems to be a sign of severe closed-mindedness! [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 16:17, 22 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Predicted Increase in Premature Graying ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Mr. Schlafly, I know from the [[Andy Schlafly|article about you]] that you have a background in law and engineering, two fields that highly value logic, evidence, and truth. So you must understand that one nonspecific example of one case of premature graying at one point in time - or even the few example given in the [[Counterexample to an Old Earth]] page - does not nearly offer rigorous proof that premature graying is increasing. (Not to mention the almost nonexistent relationship between premature graying and the age of the Earth.) --[[User:Randall7|Randall7]] 23:19, 28 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:The example is specific, and one case can prove a theory.  The solitary example of [[Christ]] rising from the dead does prove several theories in [[Christianity]].&lt;br /&gt;
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:With young people having gray hair with increasing frequency, this does suggest that the slope of man's developmental path is a much sharper incline (downward) than Old Earth believers claim.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:46, 28 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Of course you are correct that there are some theories that can be proven true with a single example. But this is certainly not one of them. To prove your claim is true, you need to present a substantial amount of data from the past as well as from the present. At the risk of being called part of the [[Hearsay society]], I am going to suggest you present some credible references. (Also, I called the example on this page nonspecific because the &amp;quot;Result&amp;quot; column does not give the person's name or a reference.) --[[User:Randall7|Randall7]] 00:25, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Good point about the need for specificity.  The link is on the front page but this entry should identify the person.  I've corrected that.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Your request for references is unpersuasive, as evidence is abundant in daily life.  Would anyone ask [[Jesus]] for a reference after telling the parable of the [[Prodigal Son]]?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:31, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::I appreciate your point - I doubt anyone asked Jesus for references during his numerous speeches/sermons. But even though it may be obvious to you that the age of onset of gray hair is rapidly decreasing, it may not be obvious to many readers of Conservapedia, so providing substantial evidence would be useful to these readers. --[[User:Randall7|Randall7]] 00:41, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::No, but you're not Jesus. You need to provide citations to factual claims when asked. You should do it before being asked really. I know you know this. [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 10:02, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
And now we see the &amp;quot;Hearsay Society&amp;quot; defense (...or, as I call it, the &amp;quot;Go Away, You Bother Me&amp;quot; defense) in action. Look Randall, look Nate:  I've been coming to this website since 2007. Here's how it works. As stated above, one of the people who never have to provide evidence for their claims is Jesus Christ Himself. The other is Andy Schlafly. People are going gray earlier. Just roll with it, 'cause you ain't gonna get any more than &amp;quot;It's self-evident&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;One case proves the theory.&amp;quot; Just kick back and enjoy the fun. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 10:05, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Nonsense. Mr. Schlafly uses citations all the time. He just needs to cite it his point. [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 10:11, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Mr. Schlafly supported a user who created a template expressly designed to do away with the need for citations. Thus the invention of the notion of the &amp;quot;Hearsay Society.&amp;quot; Mr. Schlafly just now on this very page is arguing that, like Jesus Christ, his assertions on this matter are obvious and require no corroborating data. Mr. Schlafly re-wrote the Bible when that particular &amp;quot;data-set,&amp;quot; if you would, did not correspond to his own beliefs, and has used articles about events that happened billions of years ago in  order to advance the cause of a young creation. Mr. Schlafly has what one might call an interesting approach to the idea of how evidence might support an argument. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 10:16, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::The [[Hearsay Society]] is the ultimate haven for anyone who denies [[logic]] and, in this case, the increasingly premature graying apparent all around in daily life.  [[Pharisees]] used the same escape hatch to avoid accepting the compelling parables and indisputable reasoning.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:19, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Not it's not apparent at all because none of us is 6000 years old, assuming YEC is why you're saying this it seems to me that arguing without citing authority where necessary is the ultimate escape hatch for anyone who denies logic because arguments are built on supported factual premises. We have no idea how grey people were at age 30 before the invention of photography unless you've got some citations. And you're still not Jesus. This grey hair stuff is not remotely similar to Jesus's sayings and you know it. You're also getting hearsay wrong. It has nothing to do with citing authority. [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 10:38, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
ASchlafly, most people who are asked for a bit of evidence to back up a controversial claim don't retreat to constructing societal models out of whole cloth and then charging their interlocutors with being members of that made-up society. Nor do they compare their own arguments to those of the Lord. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 10:56, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Wait a minute here Mr. Schlafly - are you suggesting I'm part of this &amp;quot;hearsay society&amp;quot; and that by asking you for a citation to show that people are prematurely graying I'm &amp;quot;continuing the don't-think-for-yourself tradition started by the Pharisees&amp;quot;? [[User:NKeaton|Nate]] 12:33, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::That's exactly what he's doing. I'm curious as to why you would find this surprising. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 12:57, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Jesus was infalible.  You, Aschlafly, are not.  He did not need to provide citations but unless you are now comparing yourself to Jesus you, Aschlafly as a falible human, do. [[User:Davidspencer|Davidspencer]] 11:56, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Also - but please correct me if I'm wrong - Jesus did not tell the Parable of the Prodigal Son as a true story, but, well, as a parable. --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 12:59, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Jesus told the [[parable]] as a true story about the good side of human nature.  It was not merely fiction.  Notice how no one asked Him to provide a citation that human nature was really like this.  Instead, listeners of the [[Prodigal Son]] then and now think for themselves, and recognize its truth without resorting to a demand for [[hearsay]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:07, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::So you feel yourself to be on a level with Jesus?  You feel that because he, the infaliable Son of God, was not asked for a citation then you should not be?  Less than 300 years ago you would have been burnt at the stake for making such a claim.  You should really reconsider your hubris, and then ask for forgivness for your pride.  And then provide a citation - or withdraw your claim.  [[User:Davidspencer|Davidspencer]] 13:31, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::But ASchlafly, you yourself said that [[parable| a parable is &amp;quot;a fictional narrative.&amp;quot;]] Is it a true story or fiction? It cannot be both. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 13:34, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::Sylvain, do you think the correct answer to a word problem in math is &amp;quot;merely fiction&amp;quot;?  I don't think so.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::David, I don't think Christians burned anyone at the stake for making observations about premature graying, without citation.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:58, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
For those of you who argue that Andy Schlafly is not infalible and needs to supply sources, keep in mind that by your own argument you need to supply sources that Andy is not infalible if you wish to state it. I doubt you can. [[User:JacobJ|JacobJ]] 14:16, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Edit Conflict: No, but they very well might have burned someone who claimed that his pronouncements were as clear and obvious as those of the Lord. And I'm not sure you can equate word problems with empirical statements about the observable world. I could write a word problem about a train taking 20 minutes to go from Baltimore to Chicago, and for the sake of the word problem, that's fine. It's not the same as saying &amp;quot;a train take 20 minutes to go from Baltimore to Chicago, and only a Pharisee would question my word,&amp;quot; which is essentially what you are doing here. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]]&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::::So is the correct answer to a word problem &amp;quot;merely fiction,&amp;quot; or not?  And, by the way, Christians did not burn people at the stake as much as [[public schools]] might lead people to believe.  Opponents of Christianity have been far more violent throughout history.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:25, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Let's leave the questions of public schools and burning at the stake aside for the purposes of this discussion. The issue here is whether or not a constructed word problem is the same as an empirical claim about the world. I could construct a word problem where the correct answer is that the train took 20 minutes to get from Baltimore to Chicago. That says nothing about an actual train. You are making a claim about grey hair and when asked for evidence, your position seems to be &amp;quot;Jesus didn't need to provide evidence for his parables, and neither do I for this claim.&amp;quot; This implies, to the casual observer, that you think that your claims have the same authority as those of the Lord. Do you not see how the reader might raise his eyebrows at such a position? [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 14:31, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:OK, suppose it wasn't Jesus who told the [[Prodigal Son]], but someone else.  Would anyone ask for references to confirm how the story illustrates a truth about life?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:28, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Someone might ask not for references to confirm that the story tells a truth about life, but for references that the events mentioned in the story actually happened. However, whether or not the story happened or not doesn't change the lesson implied in the story. I get that. But you're not simply telling a story to impart a larger lesson. You are making an empirical claim about the world, having to do with the occurrence of gray hairs. The only evidence you seem to give is &amp;quot;Just like Jesus, I don't need any proof.&amp;quot; But Jesus wasn't talking about an actual son and an actual father in the parable--he was telling a story. He could have made it all up in order to illustrate the lesson; that doesn't make the lesson any less valid. Story-telling is not making an empirical claim. Surely you can see the difference. Either 1. You do not understand the difference between metaphor and observable reality, or 2. You believe that your word is as unquestionable as that of Jesus Christ Himself. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 15:52, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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===A related issue===&lt;br /&gt;
A man making a claim with an appeal to Scripture is one thing. A man making a claim with an appeal to Scripture who led a project to re-write the Bible because parts of it did not conform to his political ideology is quite another. Then the claims of the man become self-fulfilling. Step 1: &amp;quot;Here is a claim about the world.&amp;quot; Step 2: &amp;quot;For verification of this claim, please consult the version of the Bible that I wrote that reinforces the vision of the world that I am claiming in Step 1.&amp;quot; Step 3: &amp;quot;If you have a problem with that, remember that Jesus--at least the version of him that I describe in my Bible--said things without reference to anything, and I can too. Because, like the claims of Jesus (the one in the Bible I rewrote), my claims are obvious.&amp;quot; Does that not strike you as problematic? [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 16:01, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:The [[Conservative Bible Project]] has always been dedicated to translating the original meaning of the [[Bible]] more precisely, free of [[liberal bias]] that creeps into other translations.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:58, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Which explains why so many noted conservative theologians have given the rewritten Bible that you produced high praises, and why so many conservative churches and denominations are using it instead of those other, more liberal versions, I guess. [[User:Sylvain|Sylvain]] 00:07, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I think the first statement would amount to more reliance on [[hearsay]] concerning what &amp;quot;conservative&amp;quot; theologians supposedly said.  And, by the way, the [[Conservative Bible Project]] was never a &amp;quot;rewritten Bible.&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:51, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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{{nohearsay}}&lt;br /&gt;
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*[[Special:Contributions/Brenden|Contribs]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[user talk:Brenden|talk]]&lt;br /&gt;
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|} 15:50, 29 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:It's a template that can be used to answer or pre-empt calls for references on pages where they aren't needed. There's also &amp;lt;nowiki&amp;gt;{{nohearsaysection}}&amp;lt;/nowiki&amp;gt; for use on specific sections of pages.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:21, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Andy, let's assume, just for the sake of argument, that there is a scientist, a well-respected man and a well-known conservative (so no liberal bias involved), who has spent his career investigating premature greying in society, collecting data on the current incidence of premature greying and studying historic records on premature greying. Let us further assume - purely hypothetically - that this man has found that premature greying has not increased since, say, the time of Jesus up to now. If we don't know this man personally, should we take his results seriously or should we dismiss them and all reference to them as hearsay? What if we know him personally, maybe even as a close friend, and know him to be an honest, conservative man? Should we trust him and take his results seriously, even if they contradict what we believe to be true? At what point does information obtained from someone else stop being hearsay? You will surely say that he will not find contradicting results, but my question is not about premature greying (incidentally, I'm in my mid-40s and have been completely grey for at least ten years now). What I really want to understand is the concept of hearsay, its limits and the connection to openmindedness. --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 11:36, 30 April 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::I'm sorry, I meant what's the point of this. References aren't bad, they prevent people from inventing their own facts.[[User:Brenden|brenden]] 00:21, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::When a demand for references is used to shout down logic or obvious truths available to everyone, then that is bad.  When references are used to repeat hearsay contained in the references, then that is also bad.  Silly demands for references or authority were used to interfere with the logic and obvious truths in the [[Gospels]], which of course contain no references.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:44, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
'::good point. However, when used correctly, references help people navigate the facts and content&lt;br /&gt;
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::::I agree, but too often people demand references as a way of sidestepping clear logic or obvious truths, while accepting worthless references in other situations if the references reinforce their views.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:04, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::So, I understand that it some situations, references just aren't readily available. Maybe because an insight is either so obvious that no one's bothered to discuss it or so novel that no one's thought to discuss it. But in other situations, they are available. Lots of smart people have studied lots of obscure things. In situations where references are available, is it appropriate to use them? If I, for example, found a study investigating the age at which people go grey, would that be worth considering? --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 03:07, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Yes, of course references are sometimes - often - wholly appropriate and very useful. They are used extensively on Conservapedia. But Wikipedia has gone beyond that and suffers from a kind of reference-mania - dismissing ''any'' statement that has no reference, and conversely often allowing any old garbage on the grounds that it does have a (questionable) citation. &lt;br /&gt;
:::::: See the comics [http://xkcd.com/978/ here] and [http://xkcd.com/906/ here] for two humorous commentaries on the problems caused by Wikipedia's policies (though note that other comics on that site may not be so educational - in fact the second link should come with a mild warning).--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 04:18, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::I understand, I think, your criticism of how references are used elsewhere. I'm more interested in trying to understand how you/Andy/Conservapedia want them to be used here. How do I know when it is appropriate to ask for a reference? If I ask for one and am told it is not necessary, by what criteria will we (or even better, objective others) determine who is correct? If I have a reference on some topic, how will I know whether or not it is appropriate to include in an article? --[[User:JustinD|JustinD]] 17:31, 1 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Opportunities for improvement ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I recently stumbled upon this article after a link to it was featured on the main page. After reviewing the article and it's subsequent talk page discussion, I believe I have found a few areas that could stand some attention.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
# '''Ambiguousness of predictions''' - Many of the predictions are vague and offer little in the way of an objectively measurable outcome. To be effective, predictions should be as specific as possible, with indisputable results. &lt;br /&gt;
# '''Links to predictions''' - Very few of the list items reference the article (and exact edit) on Conservapedia where the actual prediction was made. Critics of the project could easily claim that predictions were being made after-the-fact once the final outcome was known. Citing the specific edit where the prediction was made would preemptively silence such criticism.&lt;br /&gt;
# '''&amp;quot;Liberal claptrap&amp;quot; responses''' - Like the predictions themselves, only a minuscule amount of the alleged liberal uproar is actually documented. &lt;br /&gt;
# '''The results''' - Surprisingly many of the results do not link to any external source, where the reader can review the material and reach their own conclusion about the accuracy of the prediction.&lt;br /&gt;
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--[[User:DonnyC|DonnyC]] 15:06, 10 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:You're welcome to add more references, but the predictions and outcomes are so clear and well-known that even more references are hardly necessary.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:10, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Item on Armstrong is somewhat ridiculous  ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Lance Armstrong was stripped from his titles in August 2012, so adding him in September 2012 to the list of overrated sport-starts doesn't take a visionary... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:46, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:May seem obvious now, but as you can see from the reference there was objection in September 2012 to including him in the [[Overrated Sports Stars]] entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:02, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::I remember this well, as I reinserted the entry. So there were two editors ([[User:Wonders]] and [[User:AugustO]]) who thought that he was overrated, and other Conservapedians  disagreed: you have enough convenient predictions to cover any outcome.... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 13:58, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::No, because the deniers were not &amp;quot;Conservapedians&amp;quot; in many meaningful sense.  Conservapedians said he was overrated, and non-Conservapedians disagreed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:08, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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*the article on [[Lance Armstrong]] was created in '''Sep 2007'''. The first reference to drug abuse was inserted in '''Jan 2012'''&lt;br /&gt;
*In '''Sep 2007''' wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lance_Armstrong&amp;amp;oldid=156195303#Allegations_of_drug_use article on Armstrong] already had a long section named '''Allegations of drug use'''&lt;br /&gt;
So even if you claim that Conservapedia was proven right, it came quite late to the party... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 14:34, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::&amp;quot;Predicting&amp;quot; that Armstrong is overrated in September is a bit like &amp;quot;predicting&amp;quot; that Obama would win the election ... on the 7th of November.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 15:12, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::[[Liberal denial]] about Armstrong continued well past September.  There are probably atheist websites today that still list him as being great.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:47, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::''[[Liberal denial]] about Armstrong continued well past September.'' Evidence?&lt;br /&gt;
:::::''There are probably atheist websites today that still list him as being great.'' Link?&lt;br /&gt;
:::::There are those thinks called ''facts''... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 17:57, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::Liberal companies including a beer company and Nike continued to endorse Armstrong for months after September.  Now, do you need a citation for that too???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:59, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::::Just citations which show that [[Anheuser Bush]] and [[Nike]] are liberal companies... --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 19:20, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::::Oh please ... is it really necessary to provide a citation that Nike and a beer company are liberal???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:30, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::::::Yes. In my country, beer companies belong to the most conservative companies imaginable. And [[Anheuser Bush]] doesn't strike me as a kind of micro-brewery. &lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 19:32, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::Both Nike and Budd dropped him, presumably after looking in detail at their legal options.  Besides I cannot imagine how you would even begin to argue that Nike is a &amp;quot;liberal&amp;quot; company - they are one of the biggest exploiters of cheap labour in the world; they are famous for having extremely lax safety standards for employees, and being in favour of countries that reduce them as much as possible.  I'm not familiar with the beer company, but given their size I doubt they would meet any sensible definition of liberal.  As for &amp;quot;I'm sure there are atheist websites who endorse him still&amp;quot;; that is a meaningless statement unless you actually cite one.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 21:07, 15 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::It's difficult for me to imagine any corporation as &amp;quot;liberal.&amp;quot;  When the primary motivator is profit, groups and individuals tend to go conservative.  --[[User:CamilleT|CamilleT]] 00:41, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::::::Big corporations have never been friendly to the conservative movement.  Except for the union issue, big corporations tend to support liberals.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:54, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::I think the opposite is the case (take, for example, the membership of ALEC).  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 01:14, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::(EC)And tax policy, and health and safety, and welfare, and discrimination laws, and minimum wages, and healthcare, and political finance reform and etc etc ad nauseum.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 01:18, 16 January 2013 (EST)  &lt;br /&gt;
Rupert Murdock a liberal? [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 00:58, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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: Rupert Murdoch is whatever will further his business interests. He has at various times supported both sides of politics when doing so helps his various business interests. [[User:Dvergne|Dvergne]] 01:13, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:: ''The Australian, &amp;quot;The Times of London&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;The Wall Street Journal&amp;quot;'', those rubbish tabloids in Britain. New York and in the various state capitals in Australia - &amp;quot;liberal&amp;quot; papers, Dvergne? [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 01:38, 16 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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This is like shooting fish in a barrel guys - just follow the money.   In 2012, Anheuser Busch donated [https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00034488 55% of its PAC money to Republicans, 45% to Democrats].   Since 2003, it has donated [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/topcontributor.phtml?u=207 45% of its money to Republicans, and 38% to Democrats].   In 2012, Nike donated [http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00142786 63% to Republicans, 37% to Democrats].   Since 2004, Nike has given [http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00142786 43% to Republicans, 40% to Democrats].   Although neither are 'overwhelmingly GOP', like, for example, [http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00236489 Koch Industries] (98% Republican, 2% Democrat), if the Nike and Anheuser Busch numbers were election results, they would be called a &amp;quot;landslide&amp;quot; for Republicans.   The vast majority of corporations will be found to be like this - it's in their interest to support less regulation, lower business taxes, etc, and they almost all line up to support conservatives.   [[User:Wonders|Wonders]] 12:27, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:The donations by corporations to Republicans are typically to '''''liberal''''' Republicans, some of whom are more liberal than many Democrats.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:30, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::But Anheuser-Busch is a member of ALEC, at least according to [http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7BFB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665%7D/cied_35-day_mailing_2011_annual_meeting%20New%20Orleans.pdf this source].  I don't think they would belong to ALEC if they were liberal.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:13, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Not to mention that Anheuser-Busch donated to Andy's favorite candidate [[Todd Akin]]. --[[User:DonnyC|DonnyC]] 20:32, 18 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Relay ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I read [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/02/130208-super-bowl-blackout-cause/ the National Geographic article], and it appears that the argument is whether the relay mechanically failed or whether it was improperly set.  Nothing suggests that relay or its use was not at fault, and certainly nothing suggests that energy rationing of any sort contributed to the outage.  Please fix this.  Thanks, [[User:GregG|GregG]] 21:25, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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:A low setting on a relay (or fuse) would result from guidelines based on rationing energy.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:05, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::Relays almost never fail, and stadiums almost never go dark. You can't prove that a relay didn't cause a blackout by saying that relays almost never fail, just as liberals can't prove that God didn't create the world because worlds almost never are created. --[[User:Praymond|Praymond]] 11:30, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::There are several other, more plausible reasons.  It could have been to prevent larger-scale blackouts due to interruption in the power coming into the stadium.  It could have been to reduce the risk of fire (the same kind of reason why circuit breakers in your home trip).  Or, the setting may have been too low simply due to human error.  The details should be sorted out soon through investigation. [[User:GregG|GregG]] 22:31, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Media bullying ==&lt;br /&gt;
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A simple google search shows that the term &amp;quot;media bullying&amp;quot; was already in use before Conservapedia purportedly coined it. [[User:Onestone|Onestone]] 09:48, 10 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Were prior uses elsewhere of the term &amp;quot;[[media bullying]]&amp;quot; in the same rich meaning as the usage here?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:24, 10 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::You claim (and literally wrote) that Conservapedia coined the ''term''. However, judging from your reply, what you probably intended to write was that Conservapedia merely coined the highly particular ''usage'' of the term. That is an essential difference. [[User:Onestone|Onestone]] 09:13, 11 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Explained that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer ==&lt;br /&gt;
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The article cited as proof that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer mentions nothing about abortions, nothing about ''Roe V Wade'' being connected with the increase of cancer in young women. Quote: &amp;quot;Why more young women would be presenting with tumors that have already spread to bone, brain, lungs, or other distant sites ''isn't clear, they noted. Rising obesity rates, changes in alcohol and tobacco use, and genetics are possible causes, according to Dr. Thomas Julian, director of surgical oncology at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
''&lt;br /&gt;
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If you want to find a connection, or have some proof, I recommend adding it, but this is not that proof. Doesn't even come close. It just so happens that the studies started a few years after ''Roe V Wade'' was decided. There is not even a casual connection between the two mentioned in this article. [[User:Vyselink|Vyselink]] 15:03, 26 March 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Newspaper articles often do have the problem of [[liberal denial]], but are cited here for the facts they contain.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:09, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::The article's fact's also don't support the conclusion I'm afraid, which ultimately doesn't make a good case for this thesis.  It states:&lt;br /&gt;
::&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;The steepest uptick occurred in the most recent era from 2000-2009, during which incidence rose 3.6 percent per year.&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
::Keeping in mind that the study is about women in the 25-39 age group, the group around 2000 (before the uptick) are not pre-abortion.  Even the oldest (age 39) member of the least cancerous cohort (in 2000) would have been age 12 when  Roe v. Wade was decided in January 1973.  In other words, even the early, healthy, group in the study were of child-bearing age in the abort era.  As much as I'd like for this study to support this case, I don't see how it does. [[User:MelH|MelH]] 15:32, 2 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Here is a link to a reputable source that more than confirms the hypothesis.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1288955/Abortion-triple-risk-breast-cancer.html&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Tomqua|Tomqua]] 16:02, 2 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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==Tamerlan Tsarnaev== &lt;br /&gt;
Does anyone else feel like this might be jumping the gun a little?? &amp;quot;Tamerlan Tsarnaev '''probably''' murdered his friend on a 9/11 anniversary, and DNA '''likely''' proves it.&amp;quot; The words &amp;quot;probably&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;likely&amp;quot; are not synonyms for &amp;quot;proven right&amp;quot;... especially not when the [[Conservapedia proven right#cite note-56|only citation provided]] is a link back to the [[Main Page|same statement]] (without any external source at the time of this posting) on the main page of this very website. I honestly haven't followed the murder case at all and have no idea what is going on with it, but the information provided here is far from convincing to me. [[User:Fnarrow|Fnarrow]] 00:24, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:I stand corrected, there is now a [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2013/0511/Tsarnaev-2011-murders-Boston-bombing-brothers-also-could-be-linked-to-earlier-deaths source] provided on the main page... however, it very clearly states that the evidence only points to them being in the area on the day of the murder and circumstantial at best. Like I said above, I haven't been following the case so I don't know all the details, I just feel it's a little premature to claim CP was proven right on this. [[User:Fnarrow|Fnarrow]] 00:33, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::I don't see any &amp;quot;liberal bias&amp;quot; or right-vs-left in any of this.  All Americans believe that the Boston Marathon bombing, carjacking, police shootouts etc. were horrible behavior.  It is an opportunity for the nation to pull together to respond to this.  We all want the police and the criminal justice system to work effectively to identify all related crimes and any possible co-conspirators.  America demands a complete and professional investigation. Thanks, [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:13, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Within days the DNA evidence from the [[9/11]] triple-murder was compared with the DNA of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and they likely matched.  (If they didn't match, then authorities would surely say so.)  '''''Yet [[liberal denial]] about the DNA match continues'''''.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:57, 12 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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==Proposed Enhancements==&lt;br /&gt;
It seems my recent edit to this page was more controversial than I intended. I wanted to apologize to the project for the problems that I caused--it was never my intent to remove substantive material.  I believe the lay out of the chart can be enhanced, and the following is my proposed methodology. I will not endeavor to make these changes without approval.  Each of these phases would be enacted in separate edits with significant time in between them to facilitate review. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-First: Standardization of the dates.  Currently, there is no standard. Some dates are seasons while others are ranges, and those with specific dates are displayed with no specific style.  My proposed standardization is as follows--for dates: (Full Month) (Day) (Year). for those that are currently seasons or ranges, I will search for the first relevant edit and use that as the date. I will provide a citation. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-Second: Citation of Claims. After completing phase one, my intent is to revisit the table and provide internal citations to all predication made.    &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-Third: Citation of Results. After completing phase two, my intent is to revisit the table and provide citations to all results. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;-Fourth: Sortability of Table. After completing phase three, my intent is to edit the formatting to create a sort-able table. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I believe these enhancements will improve the visual appeal of the table. Further, I believe these enhancements embody an important principle: credit where credit is due. Conservapedia has often made bold predictions and has been proven right time and time again. Although it is improper to brag, we ought to take pride in, and document, the project's success.&lt;br /&gt;
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Again, my apologies for any complications my previous edits caused. [[User:WilliamWB|WilliamWB]] 11:22, 23 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I'm fine with the addition of citations, and with standardizing the form for dates is good too.  I don't see how sortability will be a problem.  The reason I reverted prior edits to this entry was that content changed.  For example, and I don't know if this was your edit, but a correct statement about Manning throwing interceptions in the final key game was changed to incorrectly state that Tebow had done so.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:22, 23 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::As I work through adding dates and internal citations, I have noticed that the archive page of In The News ends in December 2011. Were the months January-December 2012 archived? I ask because searching the archives is simpler than my current method of searching through revision histories. Thanks, [[User:WilliamWB|WilliamWB]] 09:06, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I think 2012 is archived here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page/Previous_Conservapedia_Breaking_News].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:23, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::Ah, great! I was looking at the general archives page here: [http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page/Previous_Conservapedia_Breaking_News/Archives]  Thanks, [[User:WilliamWB|WilliamWB]] 11:55, 27 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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==Variability of the Speed of Light==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I suggest deleting the point about the speed of light being variable. The article sited does not in fact say this. It states that the speed of light is constant but that space is not the complete vacuum previously thought. Thus the speed of light is slightly slower traveling through space as it is in any non vacuum.  [[User:CenterK|CenterK]] 01:53, 1 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== The expert, number two seed, Andy Murray won the men's tournament; defeating a field of &amp;quot;best of publics&amp;quot;. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What does this have to do with a page documenting Conservapedia's correct predictions? Should it not be on a page, if it exists, of incorrect predictions? [[User:EddyJ|EddyJ]] 14:33, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I don't see what the victory by the #2 seed in the men's tourney has to do with this.  No one is claiming that the experts '''''always''''' lose and underachieve, but they often fail - rougly 50% of the time judging by the [[Wimbledon]] results.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:17, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Exactly. Thanks for the insight. [[User:EddyJ|EddyJ]] 15:22, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::What insight? To suggest that ''anyone'' who gets as far as Wimbledon isn't an &amp;quot;expert&amp;quot; is vacuous at best. The &amp;quot;best of the public&amp;quot; are playing tennis in their gardens or at the local club. The only thing they do at Wimbledon is watch. Every single player there is by any reasonable definition an expert. --[[User:ECornwell|ECornwell]] 17:21, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::Why stop there?  Why not say that the &amp;quot;public&amp;quot; are people who are playing tennis for the first time.  Then we can be sure the public won't win.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:07, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:ok so who isn't public? Just players who have won before?--&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&amp;quot;&amp;gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Duan]]&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 18:31, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::&amp;quot;Experts&amp;quot; are people like tenured college professors, a select few whom liberals claim know more than anyone else.  For athletes, &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot; are the ones who get the big endorsements and hype.  The public are those who try just as hard as the experts, but lack the recognition by liberals, sometimes due to political bias.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:59, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::You're insane.--[[User:ErinTH|ErinTH]] 19:17, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::I'd have to second Erin here. You do understand that &amp;quot;effort&amp;quot; without results isn't rewarded in sports, right? Particularly tennis has nothing to do with effort - it has to do with who has had the most success in tournaments.--&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&amp;quot;&amp;gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&amp;lt;span style=&amp;quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Duan]]&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 02:06, 8 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I get what Mr Schlafly is saying, but I think I would label the concept differently. The public in this sense are those who are not well known within the general population but only within their own sport. Serena Williams is well known throughout the world. I would guess their are those who know who she is but unaware she is a tennis player whilst Marion Bartoli is not well known outside the tennis community and her home country. So maybe she is public-plus or expert-minus as she has made over 8 million dollars during her career--[[User:Tomqua|Tomqua]] 23:35, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::And I guess Serena Williams used to be &amp;quot;best of the public&amp;quot; before she became well known.  After that she was an &amp;quot;expert&amp;quot;.   --[[User:HyramF|HyramF]] 23:44, 7 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 15th seed ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
15th seed is best of the public?!?! So the 15th ranked expert in the world is now best of the public? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 10:23, 15 July 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=John_C._Breckinridge&amp;diff=1061006</id>
		<title>John C. Breckinridge</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=John_C._Breckinridge&amp;diff=1061006"/>
		<updated>2013-07-15T14:06:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{President&lt;br /&gt;
|image=Breckinridge.jpg&lt;br /&gt;
|office=vice&lt;br /&gt;
|seq=14&lt;br /&gt;
|term_start=March 4, 1857&lt;br /&gt;
|term_end=March 4, 1861&lt;br /&gt;
|party=Democratic&lt;br /&gt;
|pres=James Buchanan&lt;br /&gt;
|pres_dates=&lt;br /&gt;
|previous=William R. King&lt;br /&gt;
|next=Hannibal Hamlin&lt;br /&gt;
|birth_date=January 16, 1821&lt;br /&gt;
|birth_place=Lexington, Kentucky&lt;br /&gt;
|death_date=May 17, 1875 (aged 54)&lt;br /&gt;
|death_place=Lexington, Kentucky&lt;br /&gt;
|spouse=Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge&lt;br /&gt;
|spouse2=&lt;br /&gt;
|religion=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
'''John C. Breckinridge''' was [[James Buchanan]]'s [[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]] from 1857 to 1861.  He then ran as the Southern Democratic candidate in the 1860 election and after losing to [[Abraham Lincoln]] was elected to the United States [[Senate]] from [[Kentucky]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After the [[Civil War]] began, Breckinridge was an outspoken advocate of the [[Confederacy]]. After being expelled from the Senate for his views in December of 1861, he fled south and joined the Confederate Army as a general, commanding the so called &amp;quot;Orphan Brigade&amp;quot;, made up of Confederates from Kentucky.  After commanding Confederate forces for most of the war, he was made Secretary of War under [[Jefferson Davis]] in 1865.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After the war ended, Breckenridge, fearing he would be charged with [[treason]], fled, first to Cuba and then to England.  In 1869, after being granted amnesty, he returned to Kentucky to practice law, and became Vice President of the Elizabethtown, Lexington, and Big Sandy Railroad Company.  &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Fandex, Workman Publishing, 2002.  &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== References ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{USVicePresidents}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:Vice Presidents of the United States|Breckenridge, John C.]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Failed Presidential Candidates]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059952</id>
		<title>Formula One</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059952"/>
		<updated>2013-07-07T02:14:27Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* 2013 Season Schedule and Results */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Formula One''', also known as '''Formula 1''' or '''F1''' and officially as the '''FIA Formula One World Championship''' is the highest class of [[single-seater]] [[auto racing]] sanctioned by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA). Formula One is often considered the pinnacle of [[automobile]] [[racing]]. It is the highest class of car racing with speeds topping 320 kph. The Formula One World Championship is held every year on racing tracks on every continent except [[Africa]] and [[Antarctica]]. The Championship is given not only to the winning driver after all 20 races but also to the winner car manufacturer. The current Driver's World Champion is [[German]] [[Christian]] racer Sebastien Vettel, while the Constructor's Champions are the [[Austrian]] team Red Bull Racing, who are, like most of the F1 teams based close to the  British circuit Silverstone. Due to the requirement of the drivers to be fit and focused, many of the drivers are devout [[Christians]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=='''Constructors'''==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The teams for the 2013 season are;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Red Bull]] Racing''', which bought the [[Jaguar]] team in 2005, who in turn bought out the [[Stewart]] team.  The team's current drivers are Mark Webber ([[Australia]]) and Sebastien Vettel (Germany). The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsored by Red Bull.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Vodafone]] [[McLaren]] [[Mercedes]]''' was founded in 1966. They are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors' title 8 times. The team was formed by the [[New Zealand]]er Bruce Mclaren. The current drivers are [[Sergio Perez]] and [[Jenson Button]]. Lewis Hamilton left McLaren at the end of the 2012 Formula One season and signed on to the Mercedes team for three seasons. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Ferrari]] [[Marlboro]]''', who first competed in the second-ever Formula One race at [[Monaco]] in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One, and present constructors' champions. They have won the constructors' championship 16 times, maostly because of the dominance of [[Michael Schumacher]], who holds the most championship wins in the sport's history. The team uses [[Ferrari]] engines and are sponsored by the [[Marlboro]] [[tobacco]] company. The current drivers are Fernando Alonso and Filipe Massa&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Mercedes]] F1 Team''', which replaced the [[Honda]] team in 2009 and then became the [[Petronas Mercedes AMG Racing]] in 2010. Their current drivers are [[Nico Rosberg]] and [[Lewis Hamilton]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Lotus]] F1''' Originally named [[Toleman]] and then became Benetton. Under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, Benetton bought out [[Renault]] and became Lucky 7 Renault F1. However, a tobacco sponsorship ban forced the team to change its name under new sponsorship from ING to ING Renault F1. Fernando Alonso won two championships with the team. Flavio Briatore, along with Pat Symmonds and Nelson Piquet Jr. were convicted of race fixing, which led to them being banned from the sport for for 5 years. The team was then bought out by GenII Capital and recieved sponsorship from Lotus. It later was involved in a legal battle with Caterham (who previously held the rights to the Lotus brand) over who had right to use the name. The current drivers are [[Kimi Raikkonen]] and [[Romain Grosjean]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Force India]] F1 Team''', who replaced the [[Spyker]] team in 2008, scored their first points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. The team's present drivers are Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by Indian airline [[Kingfisher]] and Indian Finance giant Sahara.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Red Bull|Toro Rosso]]''', who replaced the [[Minardi]] team in 2006, are a &amp;quot;farm&amp;quot; team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The team's drivers are Jean-Eric Vergne ([[France]]) and Daniel Ricciardo ([[Australia]]) who was in the [[HRT]] for 10 races last year. The drivers replaced [[Sebastion Buemi]] and [[Jaime Alguesari]]. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by beverage company [[Red Bull]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Williams]]''', founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the constructors' title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team is heavily reliant on the money from PVDSA, the state oil company of socialist [[Venezuela]]. The team's present drivers are Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) . The team uses [[Renualt]] engines and are sponsored by various other Venezuelan state owned companies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Air Asia Caterham Team''' Originally Malaysia F1 team and owned by [[businessman]] Tony Fernandes, who also owns leading English football club [[QPR]]. The team's name was changed to LotusF1 before threir first season in 2010, but Renault, who were sponsored by Lotus challenged this in cours but lost. Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes bought out the [[car]] [[manufacturer]] [[Caterham]] and promptly renamed his team Caterham. The [[Malaysia]]n government, who owns [[Proton]], which in turn owns [[Lotus Cars]] were also rumoured to have let [[Fernandes]] buy Air Malaysia in return for him dropping the legal action against [[Lotus]]. Their drivers are currently Giedo Van der Garde and Charles Pic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Marussia F1]]''' A Russian team owned by car manufacturer [[Marussia]], Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton currently race for them. WThey were originally [[Manor F1]] and then became [[Virgin|Virgin F1]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The drivers fight for the world drivers' championship, it is currently being led by Sebastian Vettel.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2013 Season Schedule and Results == &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Grands Prix===&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;font-size:80%&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! Round&lt;br /&gt;
! Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
! Date&lt;br /&gt;
! Pole position&lt;br /&gt;
! Fastest lap&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning driver&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning constructor&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 1&lt;br /&gt;
| Australian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 2&lt;br /&gt;
| Malaysian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|      &lt;br /&gt;
|     &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 3&lt;br /&gt;
| Chinese Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 4&lt;br /&gt;
| Bahrain Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 5&lt;br /&gt;
| Spanish Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 6&lt;br /&gt;
| Monaco Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 7&lt;br /&gt;
| Canadian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 8&lt;br /&gt;
| British Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 9&lt;br /&gt;
| German Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|   &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|     &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 10&lt;br /&gt;
| Hungarian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 11&lt;br /&gt;
| Belgian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 12&lt;br /&gt;
| Italian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 13&lt;br /&gt;
| Singapore Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 14&lt;br /&gt;
| Korean Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 15&lt;br /&gt;
| Japanese Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 16&lt;br /&gt;
| Indian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 17&lt;br /&gt;
| Abu Dhabi Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 18&lt;br /&gt;
| United States Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 19&lt;br /&gt;
| Brazilian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===WDC Standing===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Controversies ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Formula One racing has been involved in several controversies. [[Texas]] gave $300 million dollars to [[Bernie Eccelstone]] to host the [[US Grand Prix]] in [[Austin]], [[Texas]] at the [[Circuit of the Americas]] over the next 10 years. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The state of [[New Jersey]] also gave Ecclestone $300 million so it can host the [[New Jersey Grand Prix]] at [[West New York]] over the next 10 years, starting in 2013. There have been a number of reports that the 2013 [[American Grand Prix]] will not happen due to lack of payment of race fees to Bernie Eccelstone and lack of preparation. However New Jersey Governor [[Chris Christie]] has said that all is on track and that the required fees have been paid, however this conflicts with what is widely being reported in the [[European]] Press.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another controversy was the incident involving the former head of the FIA, Max Mosley. The now defunct liberal gossip newspaper, ''News of the World'', published a story in which they accused Mosley of organizing and participating in a number of immoral and [[Nazi]]-themed events. These accusations caused a lot of concern within certain national sporting bodies and greatly damaged the road safety campaign that was being organised to save lives in developing countries as well as driving a number of key potential sponsors away from the sport. Mosley sued the newspaper for breach of confidentiality regarding private matters, and was awarded 60,000 pounds in the case. The judge stated, &amp;quot;I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust. ... There was bondage, beating and domination which seem to be typical of S&amp;amp;M behaviour.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_07_08mosleyvnewsgroup.pdf ''Mosley vs News Group Newspapers Limited''] (PDF) ''BBC News'', retrieved December 14, 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers' route to F1 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Almost all Formula One drivers start racing Karts in club and sub-national classes between the ages of 5 and their early teens. If they show some talent and have the funding they then progress to the national and international competitions. They then progress to either Formula Renault, Formula Ford or a National Formula 3 class if they have sufficient funding and talent. Drivers then progress to Formula 3 or GP3 which costs in the region of half a million euros per season. After this the drivers go into either [[World Series by Renault]] or [[GP2]], which can cost up to 3 million euros a season. Talented drivers also act as teams third and test drivers while they compete in these series; drivers who can bring large amounts of sponsorship money to the F1 teams are also given these roles even though they may be lacking in talent. Drivers can also get into F1 through routes such as Sports cars and touring cars (such as [[V8 Supercars]]) however this route is very uncommon now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are other, less common routes to a F1 race seat.. The last driver to come to formula one via this route was Paul di Resta who won the [[DTM]] title for [[Mercedes]] and was then given a race seat in the [[Mercedes]]-powered [[Force India]]. Sebastian Bourdais came to Formula 1 through IndyCar, however he failed to compete and was sacked by Toro Rosso.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Other Information ==&lt;br /&gt;
While many people think that F1 is similar to [[Indycar]], Formula One takes place on [[race circuits]] and [[street circuits]], while Indycar races often take place on oval tracks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.fia.com The Sport's governing body]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.formula1.com/ Official Website]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm BBC Sport F1 - Site of the UK broadcaster] &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://joesaward.wordpress.com/ Highly Respected Formula One Journalist]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.autosport.com Worlds leading motorsport publication]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://piranha.excom.us Vast amount of Material on F1 ]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.ten-tenths.com Leader in Motorsport News ]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Motor Racing]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059951</id>
		<title>Formula One</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059951"/>
		<updated>2013-07-07T02:13:33Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Grands Prix */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Formula One''', also known as '''Formula 1''' or '''F1''' and officially as the '''FIA Formula One World Championship''' is the highest class of [[single-seater]] [[auto racing]] sanctioned by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA). Formula One is often considered the pinnacle of [[automobile]] [[racing]]. It is the highest class of car racing with speeds topping 320 kph. The Formula One World Championship is held every year on racing tracks on every continent except [[Africa]] and [[Antarctica]]. The Championship is given not only to the winning driver after all 20 races but also to the winner car manufacturer. The current Driver's World Champion is [[German]] [[Christian]] racer Sebastien Vettel, while the Constructor's Champions are the [[Austrian]] team Red Bull Racing, who are, like most of the F1 teams based close to the  British circuit Silverstone. Due to the requirement of the drivers to be fit and focused, many of the drivers are devout [[Christians]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=='''Constructors'''==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The teams for the 2013 season are;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Red Bull]] Racing''', which bought the [[Jaguar]] team in 2005, who in turn bought out the [[Stewart]] team.  The team's current drivers are Mark Webber ([[Australia]]) and Sebastien Vettel (Germany). The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsored by Red Bull.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Vodafone]] [[McLaren]] [[Mercedes]]''' was founded in 1966. They are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors' title 8 times. The team was formed by the [[New Zealand]]er Bruce Mclaren. The current drivers are [[Sergio Perez]] and [[Jenson Button]]. Lewis Hamilton left McLaren at the end of the 2012 Formula One season and signed on to the Mercedes team for three seasons. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Ferrari]] [[Marlboro]]''', who first competed in the second-ever Formula One race at [[Monaco]] in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One, and present constructors' champions. They have won the constructors' championship 16 times, maostly because of the dominance of [[Michael Schumacher]], who holds the most championship wins in the sport's history. The team uses [[Ferrari]] engines and are sponsored by the [[Marlboro]] [[tobacco]] company. The current drivers are Fernando Alonso and Filipe Massa&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Mercedes]] F1 Team''', which replaced the [[Honda]] team in 2009 and then became the [[Petronas Mercedes AMG Racing]] in 2010. Their current drivers are [[Nico Rosberg]] and [[Lewis Hamilton]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Lotus]] F1''' Originally named [[Toleman]] and then became Benetton. Under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, Benetton bought out [[Renault]] and became Lucky 7 Renault F1. However, a tobacco sponsorship ban forced the team to change its name under new sponsorship from ING to ING Renault F1. Fernando Alonso won two championships with the team. Flavio Briatore, along with Pat Symmonds and Nelson Piquet Jr. were convicted of race fixing, which led to them being banned from the sport for for 5 years. The team was then bought out by GenII Capital and recieved sponsorship from Lotus. It later was involved in a legal battle with Caterham (who previously held the rights to the Lotus brand) over who had right to use the name. The current drivers are [[Kimi Raikkonen]] and [[Romain Grosjean]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Force India]] F1 Team''', who replaced the [[Spyker]] team in 2008, scored their first points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. The team's present drivers are Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by Indian airline [[Kingfisher]] and Indian Finance giant Sahara.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Red Bull|Toro Rosso]]''', who replaced the [[Minardi]] team in 2006, are a &amp;quot;farm&amp;quot; team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The team's drivers are Jean-Eric Vergne ([[France]]) and Daniel Ricciardo ([[Australia]]) who was in the [[HRT]] for 10 races last year. The drivers replaced [[Sebastion Buemi]] and [[Jaime Alguesari]]. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by beverage company [[Red Bull]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Williams]]''', founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the constructors' title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team is heavily reliant on the money from PVDSA, the state oil company of socialist [[Venezuela]]. The team's present drivers are Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) . The team uses [[Renualt]] engines and are sponsored by various other Venezuelan state owned companies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Air Asia Caterham Team''' Originally Malaysia F1 team and owned by [[businessman]] Tony Fernandes, who also owns leading English football club [[QPR]]. The team's name was changed to LotusF1 before threir first season in 2010, but Renault, who were sponsored by Lotus challenged this in cours but lost. Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes bought out the [[car]] [[manufacturer]] [[Caterham]] and promptly renamed his team Caterham. The [[Malaysia]]n government, who owns [[Proton]], which in turn owns [[Lotus Cars]] were also rumoured to have let [[Fernandes]] buy Air Malaysia in return for him dropping the legal action against [[Lotus]]. Their drivers are currently Giedo Van der Garde and Charles Pic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Marussia F1]]''' A Russian team owned by car manufacturer [[Marussia]], Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton currently race for them. WThey were originally [[Manor F1]] and then became [[Virgin|Virgin F1]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The drivers fight for the world drivers' championship, it is currently being led by Sebastian Vettel.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Season Schedule and Results == &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Grands Prix===&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;font-size:80%&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! Round&lt;br /&gt;
! Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
! Date&lt;br /&gt;
! Pole position&lt;br /&gt;
! Fastest lap&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning driver&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning constructor&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 1&lt;br /&gt;
| Australian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 2&lt;br /&gt;
| Malaysian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|      &lt;br /&gt;
|     &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 3&lt;br /&gt;
| Chinese Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 4&lt;br /&gt;
| Bahrain Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 5&lt;br /&gt;
| Spanish Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 6&lt;br /&gt;
| Monaco Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 7&lt;br /&gt;
| Canadian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 8&lt;br /&gt;
| British Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 9&lt;br /&gt;
| German Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|   &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|     &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 10&lt;br /&gt;
| Hungarian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 11&lt;br /&gt;
| Belgian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 12&lt;br /&gt;
| Italian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 13&lt;br /&gt;
| Singapore Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 14&lt;br /&gt;
| Korean Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 15&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 16&lt;br /&gt;
| Indian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 17&lt;br /&gt;
| Abu Dhabi Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 18&lt;br /&gt;
| United States Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 19&lt;br /&gt;
| Brazilian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===WDC Standing===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Controversies ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Formula One racing has been involved in several controversies. [[Texas]] gave $300 million dollars to [[Bernie Eccelstone]] to host the [[US Grand Prix]] in [[Austin]], [[Texas]] at the [[Circuit of the Americas]] over the next 10 years. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The state of [[New Jersey]] also gave Ecclestone $300 million so it can host the [[New Jersey Grand Prix]] at [[West New York]] over the next 10 years, starting in 2013. There have been a number of reports that the 2013 [[American Grand Prix]] will not happen due to lack of payment of race fees to Bernie Eccelstone and lack of preparation. However New Jersey Governor [[Chris Christie]] has said that all is on track and that the required fees have been paid, however this conflicts with what is widely being reported in the [[European]] Press.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another controversy was the incident involving the former head of the FIA, Max Mosley. The now defunct liberal gossip newspaper, ''News of the World'', published a story in which they accused Mosley of organizing and participating in a number of immoral and [[Nazi]]-themed events. These accusations caused a lot of concern within certain national sporting bodies and greatly damaged the road safety campaign that was being organised to save lives in developing countries as well as driving a number of key potential sponsors away from the sport. Mosley sued the newspaper for breach of confidentiality regarding private matters, and was awarded 60,000 pounds in the case. The judge stated, &amp;quot;I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust. ... There was bondage, beating and domination which seem to be typical of S&amp;amp;M behaviour.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_07_08mosleyvnewsgroup.pdf ''Mosley vs News Group Newspapers Limited''] (PDF) ''BBC News'', retrieved December 14, 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers' route to F1 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Almost all Formula One drivers start racing Karts in club and sub-national classes between the ages of 5 and their early teens. If they show some talent and have the funding they then progress to the national and international competitions. They then progress to either Formula Renault, Formula Ford or a National Formula 3 class if they have sufficient funding and talent. Drivers then progress to Formula 3 or GP3 which costs in the region of half a million euros per season. After this the drivers go into either [[World Series by Renault]] or [[GP2]], which can cost up to 3 million euros a season. Talented drivers also act as teams third and test drivers while they compete in these series; drivers who can bring large amounts of sponsorship money to the F1 teams are also given these roles even though they may be lacking in talent. Drivers can also get into F1 through routes such as Sports cars and touring cars (such as [[V8 Supercars]]) however this route is very uncommon now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are other, less common routes to a F1 race seat.. The last driver to come to formula one via this route was Paul di Resta who won the [[DTM]] title for [[Mercedes]] and was then given a race seat in the [[Mercedes]]-powered [[Force India]]. Sebastian Bourdais came to Formula 1 through IndyCar, however he failed to compete and was sacked by Toro Rosso.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Other Information ==&lt;br /&gt;
While many people think that F1 is similar to [[Indycar]], Formula One takes place on [[race circuits]] and [[street circuits]], while Indycar races often take place on oval tracks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.fia.com The Sport's governing body]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.formula1.com/ Official Website]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm BBC Sport F1 - Site of the UK broadcaster] &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://joesaward.wordpress.com/ Highly Respected Formula One Journalist]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.autosport.com Worlds leading motorsport publication]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://piranha.excom.us Vast amount of Material on F1 ]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.ten-tenths.com Leader in Motorsport News ]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Motor Racing]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059949</id>
		<title>Formula One</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059949"/>
		<updated>2013-07-07T02:01:51Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Constructors */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Formula One''', also known as '''Formula 1''' or '''F1''' and officially as the '''FIA Formula One World Championship''' is the highest class of [[single-seater]] [[auto racing]] sanctioned by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA). Formula One is often considered the pinnacle of [[automobile]] [[racing]]. It is the highest class of car racing with speeds topping 320 kph. The Formula One World Championship is held every year on racing tracks on every continent except [[Africa]] and [[Antarctica]]. The Championship is given not only to the winning driver after all 20 races but also to the winner car manufacturer. The current Driver's World Champion is [[German]] [[Christian]] racer Sebastien Vettel, while the Constructor's Champions are the [[Austrian]] team Red Bull Racing, who are, like most of the F1 teams based close to the  British circuit Silverstone. Due to the requirement of the drivers to be fit and focused, many of the drivers are devout [[Christians]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=='''Constructors'''==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The teams for the 2013 season are;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Red Bull]] Racing''', which bought the [[Jaguar]] team in 2005, who in turn bought out the [[Stewart]] team.  The team's current drivers are Mark Webber ([[Australia]]) and Sebastien Vettel (Germany). The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsored by Red Bull.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Vodafone]] [[McLaren]] [[Mercedes]]''' was founded in 1966. They are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors' title 8 times. The team was formed by the [[New Zealand]]er Bruce Mclaren. The current drivers are [[Sergio Perez]] and [[Jenson Button]]. Lewis Hamilton left McLaren at the end of the 2012 Formula One season and signed on to the Mercedes team for three seasons. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Ferrari]] [[Marlboro]]''', who first competed in the second-ever Formula One race at [[Monaco]] in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One, and present constructors' champions. They have won the constructors' championship 16 times, maostly because of the dominance of [[Michael Schumacher]], who holds the most championship wins in the sport's history. The team uses [[Ferrari]] engines and are sponsored by the [[Marlboro]] [[tobacco]] company. The current drivers are Fernando Alonso and Filipe Massa&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Mercedes]] F1 Team''', which replaced the [[Honda]] team in 2009 and then became the [[Petronas Mercedes AMG Racing]] in 2010. Their current drivers are [[Nico Rosberg]] and [[Lewis Hamilton]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Lotus]] F1''' Originally named [[Toleman]] and then became Benetton. Under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, Benetton bought out [[Renault]] and became Lucky 7 Renault F1. However, a tobacco sponsorship ban forced the team to change its name under new sponsorship from ING to ING Renault F1. Fernando Alonso won two championships with the team. Flavio Briatore, along with Pat Symmonds and Nelson Piquet Jr. were convicted of race fixing, which led to them being banned from the sport for for 5 years. The team was then bought out by GenII Capital and recieved sponsorship from Lotus. It later was involved in a legal battle with Caterham (who previously held the rights to the Lotus brand) over who had right to use the name. The current drivers are [[Kimi Raikkonen]] and [[Romain Grosjean]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Force India]] F1 Team''', who replaced the [[Spyker]] team in 2008, scored their first points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. The team's present drivers are Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by Indian airline [[Kingfisher]] and Indian Finance giant Sahara.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Red Bull|Toro Rosso]]''', who replaced the [[Minardi]] team in 2006, are a &amp;quot;farm&amp;quot; team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The team's drivers are Jean-Eric Vergne ([[France]]) and Daniel Ricciardo ([[Australia]]) who was in the [[HRT]] for 10 races last year. The drivers replaced [[Sebastion Buemi]] and [[Jaime Alguesari]]. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by beverage company [[Red Bull]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Williams]]''', founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the constructors' title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team is heavily reliant on the money from PVDSA, the state oil company of socialist [[Venezuela]]. The team's present drivers are Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) . The team uses [[Renualt]] engines and are sponsored by various other Venezuelan state owned companies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Air Asia Caterham Team''' Originally Malaysia F1 team and owned by [[businessman]] Tony Fernandes, who also owns leading English football club [[QPR]]. The team's name was changed to LotusF1 before threir first season in 2010, but Renault, who were sponsored by Lotus challenged this in cours but lost. Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes bought out the [[car]] [[manufacturer]] [[Caterham]] and promptly renamed his team Caterham. The [[Malaysia]]n government, who owns [[Proton]], which in turn owns [[Lotus Cars]] were also rumoured to have let [[Fernandes]] buy Air Malaysia in return for him dropping the legal action against [[Lotus]]. Their drivers are currently Giedo Van der Garde and Charles Pic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Marussia F1]]''' A Russian team owned by car manufacturer [[Marussia]], Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton currently race for them. WThey were originally [[Manor F1]] and then became [[Virgin|Virgin F1]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The drivers fight for the world drivers' championship, it is currently being led by Sebastian Vettel.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Season Schedule and Results == &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Grands Prix===&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;font-size:80%&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! Round&lt;br /&gt;
! Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
! Date&lt;br /&gt;
! Pole position&lt;br /&gt;
! Fastest lap&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning driver&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning constructor&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 1&lt;br /&gt;
| Australian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  18 March&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 2&lt;br /&gt;
| Malaysian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  25 March&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Kimi Räikkönen    &lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso   &lt;br /&gt;
|  Scuderia Ferrari&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 3&lt;br /&gt;
| Chinese Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  15 April&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Kamui Kobayashi&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mercedes-Benz&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 4&lt;br /&gt;
| Bahrain Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  22 April&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 5&lt;br /&gt;
| Spanish Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  13 May&lt;br /&gt;
|  Pastor Maldonado&lt;br /&gt;
|  Romain Grosjean&lt;br /&gt;
|  Pastor Maldonado&lt;br /&gt;
|  Williams F1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 6&lt;br /&gt;
| Monaco Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  27 May&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sergio Pérez&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 7&lt;br /&gt;
| Canadian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  10 June&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 8&lt;br /&gt;
| European Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  24 June&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso   &lt;br /&gt;
|  Scuderia Ferrari&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 9&lt;br /&gt;
| British Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  8 July&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso &lt;br /&gt;
|  Kimi Räikkönen&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 10&lt;br /&gt;
| German Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  22 July&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso &lt;br /&gt;
|  Michael Schumacher&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso   &lt;br /&gt;
|  Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 11&lt;br /&gt;
| Hungarian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  29 July&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 12&lt;br /&gt;
| Belgian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  2 September&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  Bruno Senna&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 13&lt;br /&gt;
| Italian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  9 September&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 14&lt;br /&gt;
| Singapore Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  23 September&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Hülkenberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 15&lt;br /&gt;
| Japanese Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| 7 October&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 16&lt;br /&gt;
| Korean Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  14 October&lt;br /&gt;
| Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
| Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 17&lt;br /&gt;
| Indian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  28 October&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 18&lt;br /&gt;
| Abu Dhabi Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  4 November&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Kimi Räikkönen&lt;br /&gt;
| Lotus Renault&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 19&lt;br /&gt;
| United States Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  18 November&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 20&lt;br /&gt;
| Brazilian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  25 November&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===WDC Standing===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Controversies ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Formula One racing has been involved in several controversies. [[Texas]] gave $300 million dollars to [[Bernie Eccelstone]] to host the [[US Grand Prix]] in [[Austin]], [[Texas]] at the [[Circuit of the Americas]] over the next 10 years. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The state of [[New Jersey]] also gave Ecclestone $300 million so it can host the [[New Jersey Grand Prix]] at [[West New York]] over the next 10 years, starting in 2013. There have been a number of reports that the 2013 [[American Grand Prix]] will not happen due to lack of payment of race fees to Bernie Eccelstone and lack of preparation. However New Jersey Governor [[Chris Christie]] has said that all is on track and that the required fees have been paid, however this conflicts with what is widely being reported in the [[European]] Press.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another controversy was the incident involving the former head of the FIA, Max Mosley. The now defunct liberal gossip newspaper, ''News of the World'', published a story in which they accused Mosley of organizing and participating in a number of immoral and [[Nazi]]-themed events. These accusations caused a lot of concern within certain national sporting bodies and greatly damaged the road safety campaign that was being organised to save lives in developing countries as well as driving a number of key potential sponsors away from the sport. Mosley sued the newspaper for breach of confidentiality regarding private matters, and was awarded 60,000 pounds in the case. The judge stated, &amp;quot;I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust. ... There was bondage, beating and domination which seem to be typical of S&amp;amp;M behaviour.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_07_08mosleyvnewsgroup.pdf ''Mosley vs News Group Newspapers Limited''] (PDF) ''BBC News'', retrieved December 14, 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers' route to F1 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Almost all Formula One drivers start racing Karts in club and sub-national classes between the ages of 5 and their early teens. If they show some talent and have the funding they then progress to the national and international competitions. They then progress to either Formula Renault, Formula Ford or a National Formula 3 class if they have sufficient funding and talent. Drivers then progress to Formula 3 or GP3 which costs in the region of half a million euros per season. After this the drivers go into either [[World Series by Renault]] or [[GP2]], which can cost up to 3 million euros a season. Talented drivers also act as teams third and test drivers while they compete in these series; drivers who can bring large amounts of sponsorship money to the F1 teams are also given these roles even though they may be lacking in talent. Drivers can also get into F1 through routes such as Sports cars and touring cars (such as [[V8 Supercars]]) however this route is very uncommon now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are other, less common routes to a F1 race seat.. The last driver to come to formula one via this route was Paul di Resta who won the [[DTM]] title for [[Mercedes]] and was then given a race seat in the [[Mercedes]]-powered [[Force India]]. Sebastian Bourdais came to Formula 1 through IndyCar, however he failed to compete and was sacked by Toro Rosso.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Other Information ==&lt;br /&gt;
While many people think that F1 is similar to [[Indycar]], Formula One takes place on [[race circuits]] and [[street circuits]], while Indycar races often take place on oval tracks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.fia.com The Sport's governing body]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.formula1.com/ Official Website]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm BBC Sport F1 - Site of the UK broadcaster] &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://joesaward.wordpress.com/ Highly Respected Formula One Journalist]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.autosport.com Worlds leading motorsport publication]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://piranha.excom.us Vast amount of Material on F1 ]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.ten-tenths.com Leader in Motorsport News ]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Motor Racing]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059947</id>
		<title>Formula One</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Formula_One&amp;diff=1059947"/>
		<updated>2013-07-07T01:57:41Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Constructors */ Will be continuing the update...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Formula One''', also known as '''Formula 1''' or '''F1''' and officially as the '''FIA Formula One World Championship''' is the highest class of [[single-seater]] [[auto racing]] sanctioned by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA). Formula One is often considered the pinnacle of [[automobile]] [[racing]]. It is the highest class of car racing with speeds topping 320 kph. The Formula One World Championship is held every year on racing tracks on every continent except [[Africa]] and [[Antarctica]]. The Championship is given not only to the winning driver after all 20 races but also to the winner car manufacturer. The current Driver's World Champion is [[German]] [[Christian]] racer Sebastien Vettel, while the Constructor's Champions are the [[Austrian]] team Red Bull Racing, who are, like most of the F1 teams based close to the  British circuit Silverstone. Due to the requirement of the drivers to be fit and focused, many of the drivers are devout [[Christians]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=='''Constructors'''==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The teams for the 2013 season are;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Red Bull]] Racing''', which bought the [[Jaguar]] team in 2005, who in turn bought out the [[Stewart]] team.  The team's current drivers are Mark Webber ([[Australia]]) and Sebastien Vettel (Germany). The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsored by Red Bull.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Vodafone]] [[McLaren]] [[Mercedes]]''' was founded in 1966. They are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors' title 8 times. The team was formed by the [[New Zealand]]er Bruce Mclaren. The current drivers are [[Sergio Perez]] and [[Jenson Button]]. Lewis Hamilton left McLaren at the end of the 2012 Formula One season and signed on to the Mercedes team for three seasons. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Ferrari]] [[Marlboro]]''', who first competed in the second-ever Formula One race at [[Monaco]] in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One, and present constructors' champions. They have won the constructors' championship 16 times, maostly because of the dominance of [[Michael Schumacher]], who holds the most championship wins in the sport's history. The team uses [[Ferrari]] engines and are sponsored by the [[Marlboro]] [[tobacco]] company. The current drivers are Fernando Alonso and Filipe Massa&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Mercedes]] F1 Team''', which replaced the [[Honda]] team in 2009 and then became the [[Petronas Mercedes AMG Racing]] in 2010. Their current drivers are [[Nico Rosberg]] and [[Lewis Hamilton]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Lotus]] F1''' Originally named [[Toleman]] and then became Benetton. Under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, Benetton bought out [[Renault]] and became Lucky 7 Renault F1. However, a tobacco sponsorship ban forced the team to change its name under new sponsorship from ING to ING Renault F1. Fernando Alonso won two championships with the team. Flavio Briatore, along with Pat Symmonds and Nelson Piquet Jr. were convicted of race fixing, which led to them being banned from the sport for for 5 years. The team was then bought out by GenII Capital and recieved sponsorship from Lotus. It later was involved in a legal battle with Caterham (who previously held the rights to the Lotus brand) over who had right to use the name. The current drivers are [[Kimi Raikonen]] and [[Romain Grosjean]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Force India]] F1 Team''', who replaced the [[Spyker]] team in 2008, scored their first points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. The team's present drivers are Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by Indian airline [[Kingfisher]] and Indian Finance giant Sahara.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Scuderia [[Red Bull|Toro Rosso]]''', who replaced the [[Minardi]] team in 2006, are a &amp;quot;farm&amp;quot; team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The team's drivers are Jean-Eric Vergne ([[France]]) and Daniel Ricciardo ([[Australia]]) who was in the [[HRT]] for 10 races last year. The drivers replaced [[Sebastion Buemi]] and [[Jaime Alguesari]]. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by beverage company [[Red Bull]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Williams]]''', founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the constructors' title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team is heavily reliant on the money from PVDSA, the state oil company of socialist [[Venezuela]]. The team's present drivers are Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland) . The team uses [[Renualt]] engines and are sponsored by various other Venezuelan state owned companies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''Air Asia Caterham Team''' Originally Malaysia F1 team and owned by [[businessman]] Tony Fernandes, who also owns leading English football club [[QPR]]. The team's name was changed to LotusF1 before threir first season in 2010, but Renault, who were sponsored by Lotus challenged this in cours but lost. Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes bought out the [[car]] [[manufacturer]] [[Caterham]] and promptly renamed his team Caterham. The [[Malaysia]]n government, who owns [[Proton]], which in turn owns [[Lotus Cars]] were also rumoured to have let [[Fernandes]] buy Air Malaysia in return for him dropping the legal action against [[Lotus]]. Their drivers are currently &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''HRT''' Is a Spanish F1 team. They lack funds to build a competitive car and rely heavily on sponsors brought by the race drivers and the third drivers. The ircurrent drivers are [[Pedro De La Rosa]] and [[Narain Karthakain]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*'''[[Marussia F1]]''' A Russian team owned by car manufacturer [[Marussia]], Charles Pic and Timo Glock currently race for them. WThey were originally [[Manor F1]] and then became [[Virgin|Virgin F1]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The drivers fight for the world drivers' championship, it is currently being led by Sebastian Vettel.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Season Schedule and Results == &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Grands Prix===&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;font-size:80%&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! Round&lt;br /&gt;
! Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
! Date&lt;br /&gt;
! Pole position&lt;br /&gt;
! Fastest lap&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning driver&lt;br /&gt;
! Winning constructor&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 1&lt;br /&gt;
| Australian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  18 March&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 2&lt;br /&gt;
| Malaysian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  25 March&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Kimi Räikkönen    &lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso   &lt;br /&gt;
|  Scuderia Ferrari&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 3&lt;br /&gt;
| Chinese Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  15 April&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Kamui Kobayashi&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mercedes-Benz&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 4&lt;br /&gt;
| Bahrain Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  22 April&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 5&lt;br /&gt;
| Spanish Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  13 May&lt;br /&gt;
|  Pastor Maldonado&lt;br /&gt;
|  Romain Grosjean&lt;br /&gt;
|  Pastor Maldonado&lt;br /&gt;
|  Williams F1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 6&lt;br /&gt;
| Monaco Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  27 May&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sergio Pérez&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 7&lt;br /&gt;
| Canadian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  10 June&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 8&lt;br /&gt;
| European Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  24 June&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso   &lt;br /&gt;
|  Scuderia Ferrari&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 9&lt;br /&gt;
| British Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  8 July&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso &lt;br /&gt;
|  Kimi Räikkönen&lt;br /&gt;
|  Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 10&lt;br /&gt;
| German Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  22 July&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso &lt;br /&gt;
|  Michael Schumacher&lt;br /&gt;
|  Fernando Alonso   &lt;br /&gt;
|  Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 11&lt;br /&gt;
| Hungarian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  29 July&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 12&lt;br /&gt;
| Belgian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  2 September&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  Bruno Senna&lt;br /&gt;
|  Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 13&lt;br /&gt;
| Italian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  9 September&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Rosberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 14&lt;br /&gt;
| Singapore Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  23 September&lt;br /&gt;
|  Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
|  Nico Hülkenberg&lt;br /&gt;
|  Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
|  Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 15&lt;br /&gt;
| Japanese Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
| 7 October&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 16&lt;br /&gt;
| Korean Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  14 October&lt;br /&gt;
| Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
| Mark Webber&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 17&lt;br /&gt;
| Indian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  28 October&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Jenson Button&lt;br /&gt;
| Sebastian Vettel&lt;br /&gt;
| Red Bull Racing&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 18&lt;br /&gt;
| Abu Dhabi Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  4 November&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Kimi Räikkönen&lt;br /&gt;
| Lotus Renault&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 19&lt;br /&gt;
| United States Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  18 November&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| Lewis Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;
| McLaren-Mercedes&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! 20&lt;br /&gt;
| Brazilian Grand Prix&lt;br /&gt;
|  25 November&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===WDC Standing===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Controversies ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Formula One racing has been involved in several controversies. [[Texas]] gave $300 million dollars to [[Bernie Eccelstone]] to host the [[US Grand Prix]] in [[Austin]], [[Texas]] at the [[Circuit of the Americas]] over the next 10 years. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The state of [[New Jersey]] also gave Ecclestone $300 million so it can host the [[New Jersey Grand Prix]] at [[West New York]] over the next 10 years, starting in 2013. There have been a number of reports that the 2013 [[American Grand Prix]] will not happen due to lack of payment of race fees to Bernie Eccelstone and lack of preparation. However New Jersey Governor [[Chris Christie]] has said that all is on track and that the required fees have been paid, however this conflicts with what is widely being reported in the [[European]] Press.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another controversy was the incident involving the former head of the FIA, Max Mosley. The now defunct liberal gossip newspaper, ''News of the World'', published a story in which they accused Mosley of organizing and participating in a number of immoral and [[Nazi]]-themed events. These accusations caused a lot of concern within certain national sporting bodies and greatly damaged the road safety campaign that was being organised to save lives in developing countries as well as driving a number of key potential sponsors away from the sport. Mosley sued the newspaper for breach of confidentiality regarding private matters, and was awarded 60,000 pounds in the case. The judge stated, &amp;quot;I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust. ... There was bondage, beating and domination which seem to be typical of S&amp;amp;M behaviour.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_07_08mosleyvnewsgroup.pdf ''Mosley vs News Group Newspapers Limited''] (PDF) ''BBC News'', retrieved December 14, 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Drivers' route to F1 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Almost all Formula One drivers start racing Karts in club and sub-national classes between the ages of 5 and their early teens. If they show some talent and have the funding they then progress to the national and international competitions. They then progress to either Formula Renault, Formula Ford or a National Formula 3 class if they have sufficient funding and talent. Drivers then progress to Formula 3 or GP3 which costs in the region of half a million euros per season. After this the drivers go into either [[World Series by Renault]] or [[GP2]], which can cost up to 3 million euros a season. Talented drivers also act as teams third and test drivers while they compete in these series; drivers who can bring large amounts of sponsorship money to the F1 teams are also given these roles even though they may be lacking in talent. Drivers can also get into F1 through routes such as Sports cars and touring cars (such as [[V8 Supercars]]) however this route is very uncommon now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are other, less common routes to a F1 race seat.. The last driver to come to formula one via this route was Paul di Resta who won the [[DTM]] title for [[Mercedes]] and was then given a race seat in the [[Mercedes]]-powered [[Force India]]. Sebastian Bourdais came to Formula 1 through IndyCar, however he failed to compete and was sacked by Toro Rosso.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Other Information ==&lt;br /&gt;
While many people think that F1 is similar to [[Indycar]], Formula One takes place on [[race circuits]] and [[street circuits]], while Indycar races often take place on oval tracks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.fia.com The Sport's governing body]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.formula1.com/ Official Website]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm BBC Sport F1 - Site of the UK broadcaster] &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://joesaward.wordpress.com/ Highly Respected Formula One Journalist]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.autosport.com Worlds leading motorsport publication]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://piranha.excom.us Vast amount of Material on F1 ]&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.ten-tenths.com Leader in Motorsport News ]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Motor Racing]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Thierry_Henry&amp;diff=1059347</id>
		<title>Thierry Henry</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Thierry_Henry&amp;diff=1059347"/>
		<updated>2013-07-02T06:46:56Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Thierry Henry''' is a [[French]] [[football]] player currently signed to New York Red Bulls. He spent eight years as the star player of [[Arsenal F.C.]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A striker, he has won 136 caps for France, playing at the World Cups of 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010, winning the trophy in 1998.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger, he won the Premier League in 2002 and 2004, the second coming after an unbeaten season, the first occurence since 1889. He is Arsenal's leading scorer of all time, beating [[Ian Wright]]. Arsenal also picked up the FA Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2005.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2005 he became the captain after Patrick Vieira joined Juventus and led Arsenal to the Champions League final, they lost to Barcelona. After a dissapointing 2006-07 season where he was wrecked by injury he joined Barcelona, winning the Champions League in 2009. Then he joined New York Red Bulls and has shown fantastic form.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He has also done adverts for French car manufacturer [[Renault]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{DEFAULTSORT: Henry, Thierry}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Athletes]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Sportspeople]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Strikers]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Soccer]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=FC_Barcelona&amp;diff=1059346</id>
		<title>FC Barcelona</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=FC_Barcelona&amp;diff=1059346"/>
		<updated>2013-07-02T06:45:22Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''FC Barcelona''', more commonly known as simply &amp;quot;Barça&amp;quot;, is a [[Spanish]] [[soccer]] team currently playing in the [[Spanish Primera]], also known as La Liga. The club plays in [[Barcelona]]. The club's manager is Tito Vilanova, the team is sponsored by [[The Qatar Foundation]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Roster==&lt;br /&gt;
===Goalkeepers===&lt;br /&gt;
*1 Víctor Valdés&lt;br /&gt;
*13 José Manuel Pinto&lt;br /&gt;
*25 Albert Jorquera&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Defenders===&lt;br /&gt;
*2 Martín Cáceres&lt;br /&gt;
*3 Gerard Piqué&lt;br /&gt;
*4 Rafael Márquez&lt;br /&gt;
*5 [[Carles Puyol]]&lt;br /&gt;
*16 [[Sylvinho]]&lt;br /&gt;
*18 Gabriel Milito&lt;br /&gt;
*20 Dani Alves&lt;br /&gt;
*22 Éric Abidal&lt;br /&gt;
*29 Victor Sánchez&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Midfielders===&lt;br /&gt;
*6 [[Xavi]]&lt;br /&gt;
*7 Eiður Guðjohnsen&lt;br /&gt;
*8 Andrés Iniesta&lt;br /&gt;
*15 Seydou Keita&lt;br /&gt;
*24 [[Yaya Touré]]&lt;br /&gt;
*28 Sergio Busquets&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Strikers===&lt;br /&gt;
*9 [[Samuel Eto'o]]&lt;br /&gt;
*10 [[Lionel Messi]]&lt;br /&gt;
*11 Bojan Krkić&lt;br /&gt;
*14 [[Thierry Henry]]&lt;br /&gt;
*21 [[Aliaksandr Hleb]]&lt;br /&gt;
*27 Pedro Rodríguez&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Notable Former Players==&lt;br /&gt;
*MF [[Ronaldinho]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Spanish Soccer]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:La Liga teams]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Treachery&amp;diff=1059339</id>
		<title>Treachery</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Treachery&amp;diff=1059339"/>
		<updated>2013-07-02T06:13:52Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''Treachery''' is the [[sin]] of acting against people to whom one has an obligation - for example [[family]] members, [[friend]]s or one's [[country]] (in the last case, it is called [[treason]]). In most cultures, a treacherous act is considered far worse than an equivalent [[crime]] against someone with whom one has no connection at all, although [[Jesus]] often emphasised the importance of doing good to everyone and ''not'' just one's own people or family (eg Matthew 5:46-48).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Famous examples of treachery include [[Judas Iscariot]]'s betrayal of Jesus, [[Brutus]] and [[Cassius]]' plot against [[Julius Caesar]], and [[Benedict Arnold]]'s actions during the [[American War of Independence]]. In [[Christian]] tradition, the first traitor was [[Satan]], who led a rebellion against [[God]] and was cast out of [[Heaven]] as punishment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In [[Dante's Inferno]], treachery is considered the worst of all sins, and traitors are frozen in [[ice]] in the lowest circle of [[Hell]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A modern example of treachery, in this case [[treason]] is [[Bradley Manning]]'s betrayal of the [[USA]] in handing over documents to [[Wikileaks]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{DivineComedy}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Sin]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Liberal Traits]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words&amp;diff=1059017</id>
		<title>Talk:Essay:Best New Conservative Words</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words&amp;diff=1059017"/>
		<updated>2013-06-30T12:07:34Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Doubling */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''[[/archive1 | Archive 1 ]]'''&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
'''[[/archive2 | Archive 2 ]]'''&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
'''[[/archive3 | Archive 3 ]]'''&lt;br /&gt;
----&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Additional liberal terms? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What about &amp;quot;ethnocentrism&amp;quot; (1905-1910) and &amp;quot;multiculturalism&amp;quot; (1960-1965)?  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 09:34, 16 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Superb suggestions.  Please add as you think best!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:37, 16 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
==Refudiate==&lt;br /&gt;
Even though liberal dictionaries added this word, Palin admitted it was an error on her part. If it stays then we must add Corpse men for lib terms.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:01, 23 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:Not necessarily--no dictionaries made &amp;quot;corpse man&amp;quot; a [http://www.execdigital.com/business/leader/who-s-laughing-now-sarah-palin-s-refudiate-oxford-s-top-word-2010 word of the year]. Moreover, the word seems to be getting some leverage and use on its own terms. [[User:Martyp|Martyp]] 14:43, 23 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Perhaps time will tell.  The term &amp;quot;Big Bang&amp;quot; was born of mockery also.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:15, 23 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Andy, could that explain the perceived scarcity of conservative words dating from the 21st century? Because I think the notion that a word can &amp;quot;mature&amp;quot; to be conservative is a fascinating and powerful insight. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 23:10, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Charisma? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have doubts that charisma, despite its etymology, is a conservative term.  It seems to elevate style over substance -- a definite [[liberal]] trait.  Nowhere does the Bible refer to Jesus as having charisma.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I suspect the original meaning of charisma was for religious charisma.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:59, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:I would suggest, (if we do ''indeed,'' keep it), to change the phrasing to something more on the order of:&lt;br /&gt;
::'''literally &amp;quot;a gift from God&amp;quot;, charisma is the quality of a person imbued by God to leadership, often found in [[conservative]] public figures.'''&lt;br /&gt;
:This nixes the &amp;quot;magic&amp;quot; from the sentence since as wonderful as a gift from God is, it isn't &amp;quot;magic&amp;quot;. [[User:DevonJ|DevonJ]] 20:20, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::Andy, that's a good point. I prefer to think of charisma as ''the style of substance'', but that's definitely not the case for everyone (especially liberals). While the etymology is undoubtedly conservative, perhaps &amp;quot;difficult to classify&amp;quot; may be a better resting place for charisma. Devon, either way, definitely an improvement on your part, thanks. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 22:21, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
==New words added==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I have added 4 new words: deference (1660), idealist (1701), god-fearing (1835) &amp;amp; Rogue state (1993). If everyone accepts these, they will fill out the doubling pattern for those centuries. Shall I change the numbers in the summary at the top of the page?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have also added 'liberal creep' (2008). [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 01:08, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:All your additions look superb except &amp;quot;deference,&amp;quot; which I'm not sure is [[conservative]].  Please do update the counts the top (I already did increment the 1800s count for &amp;quot;God-fearing&amp;quot;).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:05, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I added 'deference' because CP has 'giving those in authority due respect' listed as a [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservative_values Conservative Value]. I will tweak the definition a bit to emphasis the necessary legitimacy of the superior. Thanks for the positive feedback. [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 02:21, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::But look at the remainder of the chat quote:  &amp;quot;giving those in authority due respect, but not to the point of accepting orders or assertions that are contrary to logic or morality.&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:34, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Let's continue this discussion later Monday morning.  Thanks and Godspeed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:40, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi again. Firstly, let me tell you that I am an Aussie and my timezone is GMT+10. This makes me 12-15 hours ahead of you. Our conversations may be a bit disjointed because of this. Right now it is my bedtime, so I will post this comment &amp;amp; then go, leaving it for your consideration. (Editing has been switched off for a while, is that correct? I realise that you do this most nights. I didn't expect it to be on again tonight.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To return to 'deference': to me the word embodies respect and consideration which I would regard as being conservative values, but not necessarily 'giving in'. However, I do not have the right American nuances to interpret this as you do and will not push this strongly and am happy to remove it from the list.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have a couple of alternatives for consideration:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
atheistic (1625-35) An adjective pertaining to or characteristic of atheists or atheism; containing, suggesting, or disseminating atheism.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
secularize (1611) To make secular; to transfer from ecclesiastical to civil or lay use, possession, or control&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To me, these are useful words for conservatives. They do not describe conservatives. My reading of the list suggests that useful words are acceptable eg alarmist. Anyway, goodnight for now, catch up with you tomorrow. [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 08:32, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &amp;quot;atheistic&amp;quot; is good.  Let's go with that.  I didn't see why &amp;quot;patriarchy&amp;quot; was conservative, so I removed that.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:04, 18 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::No worries. I'll add 'atheistic'. [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 22:36, 18 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== &amp;quot;Copacetic&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm not sure how conservative this word is. There's no reasoning given for its inclusion, apart from the fact that Bojangles Robinson supposedly created it (and even that is extremely weak evidence and I'm not sure what it adds. I'm going to remove it from the list if no one raises any opposition. [[User:DennyW66|DennyW66]] 22:37, 19 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &amp;quot;Copacetic&amp;quot; is the very satisfactory result of conservative values.  It is associated with good and honest living.  I do object to removal of this conservative term.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:32, 20 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Moral Majority - A suggestion ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, I saw your addition &amp;quot;silent majority&amp;quot; and it made me immediately think of &amp;quot;Moral Majority&amp;quot;. [http://www.answers.com/topic/moral-majority This page credits it to Jerry Falwell in 1979]. Although in it's strictest sense it describes a movement it is still has greater symbolism. Thanks, [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 20:30, 21 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Great suggestion.  Please included it ... and increment the total near the beginning for the 1900s.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:04, 21 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Done! [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 21:22, 21 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Obambulate ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Maybe it's just my public school education at work, but I fail to see how obambulate is conservative. Apart from its obvious similarities with &amp;quot;Obama&amp;quot;, it simply means &amp;quot;to walk around&amp;quot;. I know that Obama has been bumbling and whatnot, but it's an innocuous word that is being assigned a special significance due to coincidence. I'm not sure it belongs on this list. [[User:DennyW66|DennyW66]] 22:05, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:It is probably as a result of it being mentioned on Rush Limbaugh's show and the liberal reactions to it during the past week.  [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 23:08, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::What was the reaction? [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 23:14, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Denny, your comment is a valid one, but the modern usage of the term &amp;quot;obambulate&amp;quot; is to criticize the directionless wandering characteristic of liberal leadership.  None of the terms in the list should be viewed in a vacuum independent of their usage.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: Hey, my response used another candidate:  &amp;quot;directionless&amp;quot;.  ''Trying to find its date of origin next ....''--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:35, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Agitprop ==&lt;br /&gt;
Sorry if I get the etiquette wrong, first time commenting. I was just wondering if there was a source for Agitprop? I always understood it to be derived from Soviet Russian institutions, so would be quite keen to see the conservative routes of it. Everything I have tried so far has turned up the term as being derived from Russian e.g. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=agitprop&amp;amp;searchmode=none , and I would be surprised if the internal machinations of the USSR would come up with something conservative, so would be keen to find out the alternative you uncovered&amp;quot;[[User:JTpldl|JTlpdl]] 09:18, 28 March 2011 (EDT)&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Page dividing ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the success of this essay, it's really slow, so can I split it into pages by century of origin? This would allow the page to load faster and be easier to navigate. Any thoughts on the idea? [[User:BenDylan|BenDylan]] 20:09, 14 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:I'd like to see it be broken up by century and automatically numbered. I'm not sure that breaking it up into many pages would facilitate more than inconvenience. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 23:55, 26 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Audit==&lt;br /&gt;
I'm getting 25,48,100,201,17 as the counts. If so, this wouldn't be the first time I've seen them wrong. As I mentioned above, we should consider breaking the list up by century to help avoid counting errors. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 18:37, 27 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Word for 1700's ==&lt;br /&gt;
Could belittle be the word we are looking for to perfect the list? It was coined in 1785 by Thomas Jefferson himself, and is certainly a way to describe an action often done by liberals to protect their ideas. [[User:JoshuaL|JoshuaL]] 19:34, 28 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Joshua, I'm inclined to agree, as Jefferson likely coined the term in response to critics trying to deceptively minimize issues he raised. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 02:07, 29 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Not sure &amp;quot;belittle&amp;quot; is conservative.  But how about &amp;quot;axiomatic&amp;quot;?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:20, 30 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
If you're still looking for an 18th century word, 'nationalist' would fit well - it's a core conservative value, synonymous with 'patriot', the antithesis of 'internationalist', and one of the defining features of the 18th century. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 16:17, 5 May 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Liberal creep ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
How do we reconcile this with liberal creep? If language is becoming more conservative, why is opinion and perception becoming more liberal? Do liberals or conservatives dictate the terms of the national conversation? If someone could take a look at the two phenomena and find out what makes one move in one direction and the other in the opposite, it would make a great essay. [[User:KingHanksley|KingHanksley]] 15:05, 8 May 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:I've also brought this up for discussion [[Talk:Essay:Conservapedia's_Law#Putting_Conservapedia.27s_Law_in_perspective|here]]. Conservapedia's Law, the observation that conservative insights double over time, is clearly incomplete, perhaps even flawed. I agree that there could be a complex relationship between liberal creep and Conservapedia's Law and it is worth investigating. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 15:15, 8 May 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Graph of words over time ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While I was drawing graphs, I wrote a quick script to generate a graph of the data in this page. [http://static.inky.ws/image/405/image.jpg This graph] shows the growth in conservative terms year-by-year, rather than just per-century. The red line is the data from this page, the green line is a quadratic curve. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 20:59, 18 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Wow, that's a spectacular graph!  Can you give permission for me to include it in the entry page?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The graph disproves the theory that there were bursts of new words during certain periods.  I'll remove that from the entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:43, 19 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Please do use the graph as you see fit. I can generate new graphs from the latest data with no trouble at all, so if you'd like it can be updated periodically. I'm currently trying to find a suitably analogous source of data for liberal words/ideas, which would allow comparative analysis. This kind of data is very interesting as it seems to avoid the short-term political cycles which characterize much of popular discourse, focusing on the really significant point of the growth of ideas. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 08:59, 19 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::I posted the graph and your idea is marvelous.  However, I don't think the graph is completely accurate: the curve for the actual data should intersect the predicted curve at each turning of the centuries.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:45, 19 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::*Is the green curve really a fit for the data according to Aschlafly's theory? I mean, Jcw says ''the green line is a quadratic curve'' - at best it's a second approximation for the geometric curve...&lt;br /&gt;
:::*Personally, I find quite hard to judge the existance of ''bursts'' from a [[cdf]]. Perhaps Jcw could create a histogram - perhaps for decades?&lt;br /&gt;
:::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:30, 20 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::You both raise valid points, which hopefully will be answered soon. Andy and August both mention that the x^2 curve isn't a perfect fit - it certainly isn't, and I'm pretty sure a 2^x curve with appropriate constants will fit better; I'm planning to do that tonight. August mentions different ways of representing the data - I'll happily produce a histogram of the data if that'd be interesting, but the reason for plotting it as I have is to produce a curve that I can use for my more grandiose scheme, of which more later. My background is not so much in statistics - although I've done a fair bit of that - but in purer maths, so my thinking is mostly based around the relationships between smooth(-ish) functions. That may not be the best way to deal with these data qua data, but to extract patterns for further, more abstract work, it's ideal. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 12:43, 20 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::[http://static.inky.ws/image/412/image.jpg Et voila], a better fit. This is an exponential curve fitted to the same data. Note that it fits much better in the region with the most words, but is a bit out for the earlier period where there are fewer words in the list. This is because we can more easily find suitable words from more recent periods, so naturally the pattern is most exact there. No doubt if we could go through a large, representative corpus and extract words uniformly, it would fit nicely all the way along. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 16:25, 20 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::'''@Aschlafly: ''' Could you recount the words? My count gave me 26-51-103-210-18 (Sum: 408) instead of 26-52-103-208-18 (Sum: 407). Perhaps a fourth column for the century (or even better, the decade) could be added? That would make it much easier to keep track of the numbers!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::'''@Jcw: ''' I don't think that your ''better fit'' is the function which Aschlafly has in mind: it should be &amp;lt;math&amp;gt;F_{theo}(t) = \frac{\#words }{15}&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;(2^{\frac{t-1599}{100}}-1)&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;, where ''#words'' is the number of words created before 2000, i.e., 390. This function touches/intersects the empirical cdf at the turn of each century, a fact which betrays the biased method of looking for these words.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:12, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::August, so you've constructed a function which you claim 'betrays the biased method of looking for these words'? I'd be interested to see a more thorough explanation of that point. Another editor has attempted a similar argument above, but without success. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 15:42, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::August, I have an open mind about this.  I don't see how we could so easily find [[conservative]] words that double by century if the underlying pattern were not there.  But please explain if you think that is in error.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:27, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hope we can agree on the function ''F&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;theo&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;'' - it should be uncontroversial:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*one layer exists from 1 - 2 - 4 - 8 words, i.e., 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;0&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;, 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;,2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; and 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the partial sums are 1 - 3 - 7 - 15, i.e., 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1, 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1, 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1, and 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;4&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1&lt;br /&gt;
*so, with the turn of the n-th century, there should be 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;n+1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1 words&lt;br /&gt;
*for K layers, the number is K * (2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;n+1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1). Each layer has 15 words, thus, if there are '''N''' feasible words, the number of layers is '''N'''/15&lt;br /&gt;
*now adjust for years instead of centuries, and don't start with the first, but with the 17th, and you get the formula &amp;lt;math&amp;gt;F_{theo}(t) = \frac{\#words }{15}&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;(2^{\frac{t-1599}{100}}-1)&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@jcw: ''' ''Another editor has attempted a similar argument above, but without success.'' I read the sections above, and I ''was'' convinced by the argument.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Aschlafly:''' ''I don't see how we could so easily find [[conservative]] words that double by century if the underlying pattern were not there.''  The effects of the miscount ([[Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words#PERFECTION: 20-40-80-160 BY CENTURY]]) have shown that you are able to match any   pattern you were looking for. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:11, 22 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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August's contrary theory aside, here's an interesting consequence of this trend: [http://static.inky.ws/image/421/image.jpg this graph] shows the curve from above in green, an hypothetical linear growth of liberalism ([liberal creep], in blue) and the effect of the latter on the former (in red). Note how the red line - the net effect of liberal and conservative ideas - falls for a while, reaching a minimum in the twentieth century before shooting up. This is because the exponential growth of conservatism is slower at first that the linear growth of liberalism, but gets very much faster later on, easily overtaking the linear function and increasing to infinity. Obviously the liberalism line is hypothetical, but it's interesting nonetheless. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 12:41, 24 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:That's remarkably insightful.  In other words, the combination of linear [[liberal creep]] and the geometric growth rate of [[Best New Conservative Words]] results in a liberal trend for a while (until the [[Great Depression]]), and then a rapidly increasing conservative trend thereafter.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:16, 24 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Exactly. The precise shape of the final curve depends on the values assumed for the [[liberal creep]] line, but any reasonable values give a final curve with much the same shape. It agrees rather remarkably with the observed facts, especially as nothing in the calculations refers to historical events at all. Purely linguistic inputs produce an undeniably historical result, demonstrating the power of language very clearly. As ever, feel free to use the graph however you please. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 13:48, 24 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::: I am skeptical that the complexities of human society and political philosophies can be summed up simply as an exponential function minus a linear function. What evidence is there that this [[liberal creep]] is linear? How is that even quantified? Does this hypothesis make any specific predictions, in order to make it [[falsifiable]] and thus scientific? --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 02:09, 25 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Good questions.  I'll consider them (as others probably will also) and reply after some thought.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:15, 25 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Good questions indeed. The immediate answer is 'no': of course all the complexities of human society can't be summed up as simply as this. Quantifying complex abstract phenomena is a very rough business, most especially on a short timescale. The goal of my graphs isn't to present concrete mathematical laws, or anything like them, but just to illustrate a conceptual relationship using mathematics. &lt;br /&gt;
:::: To answer your specific questions: &lt;br /&gt;
:::: * 'how is that even quantified?': Crudely and by guesswork, like many first attempts in all sciences, especially those relating to human activity. The crude guess is justified by the answer to:&lt;br /&gt;
:::: * 'Does this hypothesis make any specific predictions...': In one way, the hypothesis is supported by the same kind of evidence as is used to defend evolution - the hypothesis I've produced now gives results which agree with events in the past. As we all agree, that's not the best kind of evidence, but in this case it's rather compelling. Secondly, it does make concrete predictions - indeed, it makes an inescapable prediction which can't be fudged or avoided - the 'conservatism' curve increases very rapidly to infinity, rather than going up and down or settling into a steady state. This suggests a discontinuity in the future, where the level of conservatism rises to something quite outside our experience. I'm not sure what that would look like, but I think we'd recognize it if we saw it. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 20:49, 25 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: In furtherance of Jcw's remarks, it is perhaps easier to study the development of language and politics, which are closely related to each other, than it is to study and predict ... the weather.  Nobody had a problem with [[Al Gore]] trying to predict the weather, so why object when a simpler task is undertaken?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:01, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: @Jcw How specifically does your graph &amp;quot;agree with events in the past&amp;quot;? Also, the claim that &amp;quot;the level of conservatism rises to something quite outside our experience&amp;quot; is not a specific prediction. I'm not even sure what that means. Finally, in [http://static.inky.ws/image/421/image.jpg your graph] what does the y-axis represent? Words? Aschlafly above links the exponential function to the growth of conservative terms.  If so, why is [[liberal creep]] linear? Is there any empirical or theoretical reason to believe this? Looking at [[Essay:New_Liberal_Terms|liberal terms]] by century it seems like liberal terms are also growing exponentially, even though the article claims they don't grow &amp;quot;geometrically&amp;quot; and are &amp;quot;heavily influenced by culture&amp;quot;. In any case, it doesn't look linear. Wouldn't the diminishing intelligence of humans mean liberal terms would be growing quickly?&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: @Aschlafly Weather and climate are distinct things. I don't think anyone believes Al Gore is a climate scientist qualified to make scientific predictions, only a spokesman. Many people do have a problem with him and the whole idea of climate change.  &lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Also, human beings are extremely complicated and it isn't obvious to me that accurately predicting and quantifying the political philosophy of a complex society is much simpler than either meteorology or climatology. Even if the development of politics and language are closely related (I'm not sure they are),  why would studying them be necessarily be a simpler task than studying climates?--[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 01:39, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(unindent)Matthew: now you're asking questions that have already been answered or are clear from the context. I note that your edits on this site are almost exclusively to talk pages; may we assume that you are here simply to argue rather than to contribute? [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 08:44, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The interesting question is, what would an (effectively) infinite level of conservatism look like? I'm afraid I don't know enough about the US to answer that: over here 'conservatism' looks a great deal like US liberalism... [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 12:32, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: One characteristic of infinite conservatism might be when it is impossible to notice a difference in the level of service and attitude between government and a perfectly competitive industry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:18, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: In a perfectly conservative society, would there be any need for government as we now know it? I suppose there are limits to how conservative a society can be in a fallen world... [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 14:52, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Conservatives aren't [[libertarian]]s or [[anarchist]]s, so a '''''limited''''' government would exist ....--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:48, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: I'm sorry, I still don't understand what 'infinite conservatism' means. Perhaps an article detailing how conservatism can be quantified and what happens in the limit as it approaches infinity would help. --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 21:32, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: That's an interesting idea, Matthew. I think that in the US conservatism is closely correlated with Evangelical Christianity, which is not at all the case here in the UK, where our conservatives are more likely to belong to the Church of England - a decidedly liberal institution by US standards. Andy's suggestion above is concise, but if you think about it it's a very acute description of a hypothetical perfectly conservative government. I shudder to think what a perfectly liberal government would be like. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 16:33, 27 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Jcw, your description of US conservatism compared with the UK is interesting, and I've thought about it.  While certainly there are more evangelicals here than there, not all are conservative.  Moreover, the cause-and-effect is less than clear:  does the conservative nature of America allow evangelicalism to develop more fully than in a liberal nation?  If so, there still remains an underlying mystery of why America is more conservative than the UK.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:41, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Yes, a very interesting question. Our two nations have a great deal of shared history, but today are vastly different in fundamental ways. I think the Reformation is particularly important in this context - the UK experienced it directly, while the nascent US only experienced the aftereffects; the US was never a Catholic nation in the Mediaeval sense. Another - perhaps related - aspect is the persistence of monarchy in the UK compared to its outright rejection by the US. There's a lot to be said on this topic, so I'll begin an essay with some of my thoughts and see how it compares with a US view. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 18:39, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Please do start an essay on this, hopefully here so that I can contribute to it too!  Religious differences between the US and the UK are surely part of the explanation for the political differences, but I think there is more to it than that.  [[Federalism]], for example, prevents [[liberals]] from gaining control over the US, while that protection does not exist in the UK.  I will say this:  the UK media is much more free with respect to American politics than the American press is!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:13, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Jcw: ''' What are the parameters of your interpolating function? And how did you calculate them? Could you also display: &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;F_{theo}(t) = \frac{\#words }{15}&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;(2^{\frac{t-1599}{100}}-1)&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And why not use these paramaters - they are the direct result of applying Aschlafly's rule of doubling-by-century...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 09:08, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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August, if you'd like to do those calculations, please feel free - the data isn't kept secret, it's right there on the page. If you'd like to see another presentation of it, go ahead. I'm very happy to explain things - and to justify my choices! - to well-meaning editors with genuine questions, but you seem to be on the wrong side of every argument around here, as if you're deliberately disagreeing for the sake of it. The amount of time and attention you're willing to give to criticizing other people's ideas is remarkable. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 10:35, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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: Well put, Jcw.  Actually, the entries begin with the year 1612, after the publication of the [[KJV]] and the completion of nearly all of [[Shakespeare]]'s works.  So August's date in his exponent appears wrong, but your graph is correct in show an intersection with the x-axis over a decade after 1600.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:45, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Jcw:''' ''August, if you'd like to do those calculations, please feel free - the data isn't kept secret, it's right there on the page.'' I can't reproduce your calculations as there is not enough data: You say that it is a fit, but you don't explain how you fitted it:&lt;br /&gt;
::#How did you treat words like ''atheistic'' (1625-1635), ''deadweight loss''     (1930s) and ''design by committee'' (before 1958)&lt;br /&gt;
::#Which kind of fit did you use? For me, Maximum-Likelihood would be an obvious choice.  &lt;br /&gt;
::#Which family of functions did you look at? Obviously a*2^x. Why not a*2^x+b?&lt;br /&gt;
::#Did you use any weights? Which ones (or why not)?&lt;br /&gt;
All these choices result in different interpolating functions. So, which choices did you make and what was your result?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''If you'd like to see another presentation of it, go ahead. I'm very happy to explain things - and to justify my choices! - to well-meaning editors with genuine questions'' Obviously I won't promise  ''not'' to criticize your choices. Does this make me a not-well-meaning editor?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''You seem to be on the wrong side of every argument around here'' I seem to be constantly on the other side than you are. Doesn't make my side always wrong!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Aschlafly: ''' ''Well put, Jcw.'' Do you condone the policy to share data only with those who you expect not to criticize it? When reading [[Conservapedia:Lenski_dialog]] and its talk page, I got quite another impression! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''So August's date in his exponent appears wrong, but your graph is correct in show an intersection with the x-axis over a decade after 1600'' Jcw's graph (the green line!) doesn't intersect the x-axis at ~1610. I doubt that it intersects the x-axis at all! The red line shows the empirical data, so of course it begins at 1612 with the first word found - though ''obambulate''  (1600) is the oldest word in the table, and seems to be always counted in the ''perfect counts''. OTOH, the graph which I proposed intersects the x-axis at the turn of the 16th century, and crosses the empirical curve at the turn of each century (whether you shift the function by 1599 or 1600 is just a matter of taste...).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Americanadians ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
How about 'Americanadians'? I've observed many good Americans being influenced by the blatant propaganda of our socialist neighbors, and starting to espouse their flawed line of thought. What do others think? Let me know.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Claptrap ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I suggest &amp;quot;claptrap.&amp;quot;  I'm surprised it's not on the list already. --[[User:AndyJ|AndyJ]] 00:20, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Superb suggestion!  I'll add it now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:45, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::It was already on the list.  I added an 1800s term instead.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:10, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== free speech ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Perhaps I simply fail to understand the context you provided, but is free speech really a &amp;quot;conservative word?&amp;quot;  Terms like &amp;quot;political correctness&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;obamacare&amp;quot; are undeniably conservative (to the point where liberals won't use them), but free speech is at best non-partisan, and at worst (I am attempting to write from a conservative viewpoint- I may fail miserably at this) a term co-opted by liberals to justify their perversions and excesses. &amp;lt;/attempt to write from conservative viewpoint&amp;gt;--[[User:CamilleT|CamilleT]] 01:20, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:You raise a valid point.  But isn't it the conservatives who protect, for example, corporate and many other types of expenditures in elections as &amp;quot;free speech&amp;quot;?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:28, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Indeed, you are correct.  But I think it's fair to say now that it is a word used by conservatives as well as liberals to represent their agendas.  I do not know how this factors into this particular list--[[User:CamilleT|CamilleT]] 02:13, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I'll continue to think about your valid criticism.  Maybe I can search Supreme Court opinions and see who is using the term &amp;quot;free speech&amp;quot; most.  I don't think [[liberals]] are using it as much as [[conservatives]] are today.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:30, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Decades ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I added a column for the decades (rather than for the centuries). I hope this will help to keep the count of the words up-to-date.&lt;br /&gt;
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[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 09:05, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I'm not sure how that will help - surely the decade is already contained in the 'year' column? If you'd like a more accurate count, I suggest doing what I do - use a perl script to parse the wikitext and print out whatever information you want. To me the decade column looks annoyingly redundant, but perhaps I've missed something... [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 10:27, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I wanted to facilitate the count: as some of the dates are not purely numeric (1950s, before 1958, 1625-1635), it's hard to sort the table by the column ''date''. If there is a purely numeric column, the table can be easily copied into a spreadsheet and recounted even by those who don't know anything about regular expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::If you have a script, please use it to keep an eye on the count: I'm surprised that you didn't spot the miscount earlier on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I'll add the column for the decades again, this time at the last place. This should be more pleasing...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:07, 29 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don't know how to upload a picture, so here is an ascii-graphic for the distribution by decades:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*1600: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1610: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1620: *****&lt;br /&gt;
*1630: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1640: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*1650: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1660: **&lt;br /&gt;
*1670:&lt;br /&gt;
*1680: **&lt;br /&gt;
*1690: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1700: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1710: ***&lt;br /&gt;
*1720: *****&lt;br /&gt;
*1730: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1740: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1750: *****&lt;br /&gt;
*1760: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*1770: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*1780: ********&lt;br /&gt;
*1790: *********&lt;br /&gt;
*1800: ********&lt;br /&gt;
*1810: *********&lt;br /&gt;
*1820: ***************&lt;br /&gt;
*1830: ***************&lt;br /&gt;
*1840: *********&lt;br /&gt;
*1850: **********&lt;br /&gt;
*1860: **********&lt;br /&gt;
*1870: *******&lt;br /&gt;
*1880: ************&lt;br /&gt;
*1890: **********&lt;br /&gt;
*1900: ***********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1910: ***********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1920: **********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1930: *******************&lt;br /&gt;
*1940: ***************************&lt;br /&gt;
*1950: **************************&lt;br /&gt;
*1960: *************************&lt;br /&gt;
*1970: ****************&lt;br /&gt;
*1980: **********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1990: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*2000: ***************&lt;br /&gt;
*2010: ***&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1820/1830,1900/1910, and 1940/1950 seem to be decades in which significantly more conservative terms were created than one would have expected... [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:15, 29 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Suggested additions ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Eurabia - what Europe will become if people don't stand up for themselves.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Islamofascism - repressive muslim shariah regimes/totalitarian islamism.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:MeganH|MeganH]] 01:01, 30 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Go ahead and add if you have some dates of origin, even if only approximate.  I hadn't heard of the first one (&amp;quot;Eurabia&amp;quot;) before.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:04, 30 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Dumpster diving ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Was 'dumping diving' added because food is not going to waste, or am I misunderstanding why it's conservative? --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 09:54, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I'll take a stab at it. Conservative words can describe liberal actions. I am not saying dumpster divers are liberal, those poor folks maybe hungry. Dumpster Diving is not limited to food. It's also a method to get trade secrets from companies or dig up dirt against somebody. Most likely, Dumpster Diving is used for deceitful purposes for example gaining a social security number from discarded bills used for the creation of fraudulent IDs. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:06, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Great points.  This is a list of [[conservative]] terms, often insightful, about activities that may be conservative or liberal, harmful or helpful, or none of the above.  Evidently this term was developed by small businessmen to describe an unhelpful activity outside their restaurants and other stores.  Dumpster diving may sometimes be the equivalent of recycling or getting a hungry person some food, but in any event '''the term''' is a perfect description of the activity.  And once there is a good term for something, then the activity can be understood and addressed better.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:39, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: Good analysis. But is dumpster diving a conservative act? --[[User:GeorgeZ|GeorgeZ]] 15:53, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Read Andy's post. He specifically says that that does not matter. It was created by conservatives. Therefore it is a conservative word. [[User:NickP|NickP]] 16:12, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Right that it does not matter whether it is a conservative act.  In the case of dumpster diving, whether it is ever conservative depends on what the purpose and effect are.  It also doesn't matter if a conservative coined it; a liberal can sing a [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Songs|conservative song]].  The point is whether the insight is conservative.  In this case, small businessmen (a conservative line of work) coined the term to criticize how homeless people were digging through their trash.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:19, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::I see Andy. Thanks for explaining. [[User:NickP|NickP]] 16:22, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Indeed, one might suggest that liberals have indirectly contributed to the increase in conservative terms by constantly inventing new ways to avoid work and personal responsibility.  Conservatives are then, naturally, obligated to develop terms for these behaviors.  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 17:18, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2000s ==&lt;br /&gt;
It's fascinating how the new Conservative words and insights do seem to grow geometrically by century, but I'm curious as to why the 2000s seem to be pretty far behind.  We're 11 years in, so you'd expect there to be roughly 40 new words so far, but we've got less than half that many.  With the rise of the TEA Party, I'd expect to be much closer. --[[User:FergusE|FergusE]] 15:06, 17 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Excellent point. Possible reasons could include that it is too soon to recognize new words in the most recent decade ... or maybe there has been a short-term decline in conservative intellectualism?  At any rate, I've been meaning to add the term &amp;quot;Tea Party&amp;quot; itself with its etymology in the last decade!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:12, 17 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I have to agree with you, Andy. Even though we're in 2011 now, it might be too early to be able to fully appreciate all the new conservative words created last decade. I think &amp;quot;Tea Party&amp;quot; might just be one of the most important words to add and I think the movement itself will produce a lot of new, conservative words in its own right! [[User:BobSherman|BobSherman]] 19:58, 20 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Very perceptive, Andy.  It takes time for the gatekeepers of knowledge to acknowledge the validity of new terms; therefore, while the public production of new conservative insights and terms may be quite rapid, the assimilation of those insights and terms into formal reference works is likely to be much slower.  This is, I would suggest, exacerbated by reliance on archaic forms of knowledge dissemination such as print dictionaries.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An interesting side project might be to evaluate dictionaries (both online and print) to see how rapidly they accept and incorporate new conservative words versus new liberal words.  In this way, it might be possible to determine which dictionaries are reliable and which are liberally biased.  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 12:19, 22 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Help! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I tried to archive the page - at least the parts which were from last year, but I totally botched it: my browser can't handle long pages, I have difficulties with the captchas &amp;amp; I created the wrong page for an archive [[Archive 3]] instead of [[Talk:Essay:Best New Conservative Words/Archive 3]] ([[Archive 3]] should be moved there...)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So I give up... [[User:RonLar|RonLar]] 11:58, 26 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I archived 2010... [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 14:44, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Thank you -  I had problems with the captchas! [[User:RonLar|RonLar]] 15:26, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Maybe these two ==&lt;br /&gt;
Here's two possibilities I found in [[Federal debt limit]], &amp;quot;leveraged loss&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;debt spiral&amp;quot;, but I'm not sure how to fit them in.  [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 14:01, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== More possibilities... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Constructionist (1835-45)&lt;br /&gt;
Inalienable (1635-45)&lt;br /&gt;
Hubris (1880-1885)&lt;br /&gt;
Scientism (1875-1880)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Benp|Benp]] 14:11, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Trickle-down? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As a descriptor for the trickle-down theory of economics, it dates to 1950-1955.  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 21:43, 31 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: I think &amp;quot;trickle-down&amp;quot; is pejorative, and thus more a [[liberal]] term than a [[conservative]] one.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:47, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::If trickle-down is the pejorative would the standard, conservative, phrase be &amp;quot;supply-side&amp;quot;? [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 18:53, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Yes, it would - and &amp;quot;supply side&amp;quot; is already on the list.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:56, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::ah, excellent. my work here is done! [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 19:00, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Civil body politic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Civil body politic&amp;quot; is an interesting bit of history but does not seem to have caught on as widely used term, and hence would not seem to warrant inclusion in this list.  Does anyone disagree?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:43, 8 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Medal of Honor (and other proper names) ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm not sure that a proper name given to an award is inherently conservative-- the Medal itself reflects conservative values of course, but would do so even if had been called, say, the Award of Bravery or the Citation of Courage. &amp;quot;Coolant,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;transistor&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;greasy spoon&amp;quot; are all truly conservative both in terms of content and syntax. [[User:BrentH|BrentH]] 19:50, 27 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Your point is valid.  Perhaps it does not fit this particular list, but I'm reluctant to delete it.  Isn't there something conservative about simply recognizing &amp;quot;honor&amp;quot;, and calling the medal after the concept, rather than after, say, a liberal politician?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:15, 27 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==alcoholism ?==&lt;br /&gt;
Could you please explain how alcoholism is a conservative word ? Alcoholism is more of a liberal trait.--[[User:PhilipN|PhilipN]] 21:24, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&amp;quot;Alcoholism&amp;quot; is a criticism of excessive drinking, and thus is a conservative word.  Words that end in &amp;quot;ism&amp;quot; are often pejoratives, as in &amp;quot;alarmism&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;collectivism&amp;quot; (which are also on the list).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:41, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:: And do you feel the same way about the word &amp;quot;liberalism&amp;quot;?--[[User:JeanB|JeanB]] 21:49, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::: Word that end in -ism are not always pejorative, capitalism is good. And when the words socialism or communism were invented, they were meant to be good.--[[User:PhilipN|PhilipN]] 21:53, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Handout==&lt;br /&gt;
1882, I wanted to add this to best new conservative words as it describes a liberal policy of government giveaways. But it also could be the conservative position of helping the poor through charity. Either way it is a conservative word but the proper way to describe alludes me. Op?--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 09:28, 25 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:That would a superb addition!  It would also leave the list only two 20-century words shy of another perfect doubling by century.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:48, 25 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Level Playing Field ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I added the term &amp;quot;level playing field&amp;quot; for two main reasons: 1) It is an intuitive metaphor used in its [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/228650.html first recorded use] to describe how markets usually work best when they are fair for all participants and free of interference. 2) The term has since been used by liberals to describe policies such as affirmative action, progressive taxation, and government handouts, but it obvious to anyone who looks at these policies objectively that they actually distort the playing field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I believe that is enough for the term to stand on its own merits, but it looks even more conservative if we compare it to other words on the list such as &amp;quot;motivation,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;quantify,&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;coolant.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Maybe I have overlooked something and the word does not belong on the list. Comments are welcome. --[[User:Toadaron|AaronT]] 21:03, 8 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:As you point out, the term is often used by liberals, so that makes it a doubtful candidate for &amp;quot;best&amp;quot; new conservative words.  The term seems to imply that government is needed to level the playing field.  Level playing fields rarely occur in nature, for example.  The term almost sounds like the famous &amp;quot;life's not fair&amp;quot; expression ... which is not conservative either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&amp;quot;Motivation&amp;quot; is a far more conservative term - one can find motivation whether the playing field islevel or not.  &amp;quot;Quantify&amp;quot; is logic, which is an essential difference between conservative and liberal approaches.  &amp;quot;Coolant&amp;quot; is an essential part of nuclear energy -- which liberals loathe.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:51, 8 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== A.M. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This entry is an abbreviation for ''ante meridiem'', which originates from 1563 [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ante%20meridiem].  I'm not clear on whether the abbreviation is being claimed as a new conservative word or the phrase for which it stands.  Additionally, it is unclear where the given date of origin in the article of 1762 comes from.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 23:43, 11 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The online etymology dictionary gives a date of 1762.  Perhaps it's referring to common usage.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:While you're right that the &amp;quot;A&amp;quot; in A.M. is from a Latin word that is different from the &amp;quot;A&amp;quot; in A.D., the popularity of &amp;quot;A.D.&amp;quot; could have led to the popularity of &amp;quot;A.M.&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:37, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Just seen this catch my attention on the mainpage. I highly doubt that the two could be related in any conservative sense. Of course &amp;quot;AD&amp;quot; refers to &amp;quot;In the year of our lord&amp;quot;. But back in the 18th century, Latin was still being routinely taught in schools (especially in [[Britain]]), bring us many other Latin abbreviations, such as eg, etc, ie, RIP (from 'requiescat in pace', and later backronymed into 'rest in peace'). I highly doubt the link between any apparent 'popularity' of AD spurred the formation of AM, and personally I'd remove it. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 15:57, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::But what percentage of the overall British population learned Latin in school in the 1700s?  Perhaps only 10%?  Most Latin appreviations did not catch on with the general population the way that &amp;quot;A.M.&amp;quot; did.  The most plausible explanation is its proximity to &amp;quot;[[A.D.]]&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:19, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Nonetheless etymological creation power lies not with those who use the language the most. One must remember that our records of language from the 1700s (both Britain and America) are not vernacular English of the working classes but written English of those who were educated. This was before widespread adoption of clocks and timepieces, which came later with the [[industrial revolution]] and the railways. Again, I highly disagree that likeness to AM would be a significant contributor. Those that would have used the world in our written records would have been educated in Latin, and would therefore be aware of the etymological roots of '''both''' AM and AD. Since the A stands for '''anno''' and '''ante''' respectively, there is no etymological proximity at all between the two. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 18:35, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::But &amp;quot;A.D.&amp;quot; did gain widespread currency with the masses, and then &amp;quot;A.M.&amp;quot; became popular in a similar manner. Many other Latin abbreviations, like &amp;quot;Q.E.D.&amp;quot;, did not follow in their footsteps.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:54, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::You mean, the masses had a choice whether to use &amp;quot;A.M&amp;quot; or something else? It wasn't determined by the use of that convention by those few who created, say, railroad timetables or other documents? Incidentally, do we know what that date of &amp;quot;1762&amp;quot; refers to? Refering to some &amp;quot;online etymology dictionary&amp;quot; seems a bit like relying on hearsay. --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 02:44, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::I still maintain that Mr Schlafly is assuming correlation from causation. While of course nowadays we might view AD in a more conservative light since the introduction (especially amongst the humanities communities) of [[CE]], then back in the case it certainly wasn't the case and due to the pervasiveness of the Christian terms I highly doubt that its religious connotations had any contributing factor over its use as a year marker. If it's another conservative word that's being looked for, I can have a think over the next few days for an alternative word that might not be as debatable. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 17:27, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== It Really Is Amazing... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It really is amazing that the pattern of perfect doubling by century is so strong that almost every &amp;quot;layer&amp;quot; is complete before the next layer starts, even though words are added to the list pretty much randomly whenever a user thinks of one. --[[User:AndreaM|AndreaM]] 17:47, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Great discoveries are rarely random.  In this case, it would not be possible to discover such a perfect geometric fit unless the underlying pattern existed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:12, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I don't actually believe in this theory, but I think it's interesting nonetheless to think about the etymologies of such words and why we might consider them conservative or not. Thus this essay has potential for insights, whether or not one believes in the underlying theory. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 17:33, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== You know this list is contrived. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see, [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] is actively trying to make it a perfect doubling by century. [[User:DavidCalman|David]][[User talk:DavidCalman|Calman]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:It would be impossible to discover such a perfect doubling of conservative words by century unless it existed.  If someone discovered oil, would anyone say, &amp;quot;well, that's no big deal, because you looked for it there!&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:00, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Intelligent design ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm not sure where your date of 1991 is coming from.  I know that the Kitzmiller trial uncovered a 1987 draft of ''Of Pandas and People'' that used intelligent design in the origins context:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Intelligent design means that various forms of life began abruptly through an intelligent agency, with their distinctive features already intact. Fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, wings, etc.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:39, 16 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Teamwork ==&lt;br /&gt;
In a liberal society, true team work is impossible because nothing bets done without an overarching authority to control and monitor and meddle in activity. The ideas of equals respecting each other and working for the good of the country is a conservative value, and I think that teamwork should be made a Conservative Word. What do you think? [[User:JeffBron|JeffBron]] 15:15, 19 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:In political usage, &amp;quot;teamwork&amp;quot; implies abandoning principles.  It does not have a positive political connotation for [[conservatives]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:23, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== anticompetitive ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to Merriam-Webster the first known use of this word is from 1854: [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anticompetitive]. [[User:Richman|Richman]] 15:49, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And Doubting Thomas is at least from as early as 1848:&lt;br /&gt;
[http://books.google.be/books?id=DbY3AQAAIAAJ&amp;amp;pg=PA222&amp;amp;lpg=PA222&amp;amp;dq=doubting+thomas&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=cJvz-HgNDp&amp;amp;sig=xyM0lYOAZJG1qaMtOYj-PiZ2qmg&amp;amp;hl=nl&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=csY_ULzJJa_Z0QXzsIGQBQ&amp;amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=doubting%20thomas&amp;amp;f=false]. These are just two words I checked. Which begs the question how accurate the other origin dates are. [[User:Richman|Richman]] 16:06, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Merriam-Webster (10th Edition, hardbound) says that &amp;quot;anticompetitive&amp;quot; dates from only 1952.  It also says that &amp;quot;Doubting Thomas&amp;quot; is from 1883.  But I'll change the dates based on your citations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:It's not surprising that there are some minor disputes about ''when'' the first use of a word occurred.  But the disputes are not substantial enough to alter the overall trend of doubling by century.  In fact, these changes may conform the data more closely to the geometric growth rate.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:19, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Superb remark! In the meantime, I have had a closer look at the list. Most of the terms don't seem inherently conservative to me. For instance, do you really think ''illiteracy'' is a conservative word of the highest quality just because &amp;quot;liberals seek to produce illiterate voters who lack independence, and many graduates of the public schools are illiterate today&amp;quot;? With explanations like that, any word can be labeled conservative or liberal.&lt;br /&gt;
::As to the geometric growth rate, have you considered that the ''total'' number of words in the English language shows a similar growth rate? [[User:Richman|Richman]] 11:40, 2 September 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Understanding the theory ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi. I'm having some difficulty with this argument:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''Conservative terms, expressing conservative insights, originate at a faster rate, and with much higher quality, than liberal terms. Conservative triumph over liberalism is thus inevitable.''&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If we're running this study from the start of the 17th century, then that's 400+ years in which conservatism has been growing steadily stronger due to outperforming liberalism in the generation of high quality terms and insights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With that in mind, I can't find any good explanation why conservatism hasn't yet triumphed, unless we wish to argue that the world was an exceptionally liberal place prior to 1600. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apologies if I've overlooked some other obvious implicit premise. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:JohanZ|JohanZ]] 18:16, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Conservatism '''''has''''' triumphed on many, many issues.  But just as food production has triumphed and far surpassed the demand for food consumption, some pockets of starvation still exist, and thus the triumph of conservatism does not mean that all pockets of liberalism have vanished.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:31, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Is it possible to quantify (roughly) where we started c.1600 and where we're at now, then, in terms of conservatism v. liberalism? Taking a 10 point scale of 1 (untrammelled liberalism) to 10 (complete triumph of conservatism), what approximate values would you ascribe to 1600 and 2012?&lt;br /&gt;
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::I don't suggest adding them to the essay as such; more as a guide for setting the theory in its proper historical context.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Thanks, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::--[[User:JohanZ|JohanZ]] 19:03, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Perhaps society's conservatism was only &amp;quot;2&amp;quot; in 1600, and today it is &amp;quot;7&amp;quot;.  Perhaps a logarithmic scale (as with earthquakes) would be better than a linear scale.  In 1600, the wealthiest person lacked a standard of living that many poor Americans enjoy today.  Moreover, today there is immense opportunity for upward mobility in America, which did not exist in 1600.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:36, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I just have a question about the page that isn't clear to me- is this stating that these conservative words were created by conservatives on the origin date and then the meaning OR that these words were appropriated on those origin dates and the example of meaning is how it was adopted and used?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Could be either.  It's the meaning and term that are conservative, not necessarily the person who uses it.  Conservative words and insights are available to help everyone.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:34, 25 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== didactic ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I'm surprised you didn't approve of this word Andy, as it's a conservative-leaning way of describing learning in that it places importance on literature and other forms of classical art. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 21:34, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Conservative is not synonymous with traditional.  Conservative is more forward-looking, although it respects concepts that are time-tested (a word recently added to the list).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:22, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== sectarian ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, I added this one when I discovered that it was a word created by conservatives. Seems like a good reason for it being on the list, however please let me know if you think otherwise. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 23:24, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== zero ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not sure whether to add this one. I know there's been discussions about zero with respect to biblical scientific foreknowledge ... should it be included? [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 23:27, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
PS. Sorry for all the edits - just getting into this list ;)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: I don't see why zero would be a particularly conservative word.  This is not a list of any words.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:46, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== &amp;quot;pertinence&amp;quot; not a high enough standard? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, could you please explain the characteristics which distinguish &amp;quot;addictive&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;aerobics&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;ambulance chaser&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;axiomatic&amp;quot; and so on and so forth as less run-of-the-mill and of a higher standard than the word &amp;quot;pertinence&amp;quot;? In my opinion &amp;quot;pertinence&amp;quot; is a very '''good''' word, alluding to logic and insight - both of which appear as conservative values in the Conservatism template. Perhaps I can be a more constructive contributer if this is clear [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 23:41, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Falsifiable vs. Falsifiability ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again I'm unclear as to how one is more or less conservative than the other, and also why the youngest word takes precedence in the list over the older one. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 20:55, 29 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== A pertinent question ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, would it be safe to say that, in this entire list, there is only room for one more word and that word must be from the 1700s? I feel like I'm wasting my time making what I consider to be constructive contributions (which are arguably of higher quality than many, many other entries) to this &amp;quot;''Best'' Conservative Words&amp;quot; project. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 21:06, 29 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:How can there be &amp;quot;room&amp;quot; for a particular number of words from a particular time? There are as many &amp;quot;best conservative words&amp;quot; in circulation at a given time as were in circulation--the model has to fit the data; the data can't fit the model. [[User:MattyD|MattyD]] 13:58, 30 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::The words proposed for addition were &amp;quot;facilitator&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Quaker&amp;quot;, both of which are liberal concepts and certainly not conservative.  Quakers did not even fight in the American Revolution, and tended to support [[abortion]]!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Good additions from any of the centuries are welcome, but they need to fit the high quality standards of the list.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:30, 30 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Listener? Falsifiable? Fatherland? Pertinent? Oh well, at least words like &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;correlate&amp;quot; - which are ''clearly'' conservative - remain. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 17:48, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Don't forget &amp;quot;transistor.&amp;quot; And &amp;quot;Philadelphia.&amp;quot; [[User:MattyD|MattyD]] 18:22, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Philadelphia was founded on [[conservative]] principles -- as was the [[U.S. Constitution]] that was drafted there.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:17, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::I have to agree with MattyD that &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot; is a particularly poor choice for this list.  Nevertheless, I updated the entry to reflect that the name originates from the 2nd century BC and cities in the Near East at the time of Jesus.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:29, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::'''EDIT''' By the way, if you want to keep up your &amp;quot;pattern&amp;quot; of doubling by century, you are going to need to find a total 2,097,152 &amp;quot;new conservative words&amp;quot; from the 20th century.  Better get to work :P.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:34, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::That's witty about doubling from the 2nd century BC, but the reality is that the English city name &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot; is not nearly so old.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:17, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
Seeing as Philadelphia was one of the principle slave ports of its time, and most of the slaves in the colony and state of Pennsylvania lived in or near the city, I guess your argument about its foundation on conservative principles is confirmed. [[User:MattyD|MattyD]] 12:41, 5 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Philadelphia ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The explanation for the word &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot;'s (dated on the main page to 1682) being conservative is&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|coined by William Penn and meaning &amp;quot;city of brotherly love,&amp;quot; the concept captures the &amp;quot;best of the public&amp;quot; approach}}&lt;br /&gt;
I'm confused by the 1682 date because the ancient city of Philadelphia in Asia minor was established in the 2nd century BC and it was named for the Greek for &amp;quot;brotherly love.&amp;quot;  So it's clear that the name &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot; is over 2000 years old.  Moreover, the explanation for why &amp;quot;brotherly love&amp;quot; is conservative (that it &amp;quot;captures the 'best of the public' approach&amp;quot;) appears to apply equally to any city named Philadelphia.  I simply don't know why 1688 is listed as the origin date for a word that has existed for much longer--perhaps you can clarify so that there aren't any further misunderstandings.  Thanks, [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:04, 3 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:Hmm... that's an interesting point you have there GregG. If Philidelphia is indeed a conservative word ''and'' it dates back to the second century BC... that means there should be over 4,194,304 conservative words by now. Obviously, the author of this article only intended to include words in the English language, in which case, Philly (along with other non-English entries) should be removed from he list. --[[User:DonnyC|DonnyC]] 21:11, 5 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== &amp;quot;welfare to work&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From [http://www.gop.gov/policy-news/12/09/19/preserving-work-requirements-for-welfare gop.gov]:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
House Republicans believe that Welfare to Work empowers mothers and helps to strengthen families.  In the years following the passage of Welfare to Work, poverty among all single mothers fell by 30 percent and employment and earnings among single mothers increased significantly. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Although I see that the term was used by Democrats, &amp;lt;strike&amp;gt;I've re-added the term to the list.&amp;lt;/strike&amp;gt;  The 1996 welfare reform was a major Republican victory, exemplified by the term.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:39, 29 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Proposed changes ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1. Boomerang - the word was not used as a verb until the 1880s. I don't think that there is anything particularly conservative about the noun version of the word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
2. Cesspool - according to the OED this word is from the 1680s and in other examples on this page the Oxford etymology is chosen in preference over Merriam-Webster.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
3. Quackery is a word often used by conservatives to describe unproven liberal nonsense in a similar way that claptrap is used to describe other liberal nonsense.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'd also like clarification on how to know whether a stem word should be used in place of its root. For example, the entry &amp;quot;scapegoating&amp;quot; is based on the 1943 adjective version of the noun &amp;quot;scapegoat&amp;quot;, which is from the 1500s - why?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Disputes at the margin are to be expected in a list like this.  You've identified two questionable entries, but their inclusion is adequately explained in the comment section.  Your third word, &amp;quot;quackery&amp;quot;, is namecalling that conservatives rarely use.  It is a smear word that has no place in this quality list.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:48, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:As to your second issue, when a word goes to a level higher than the root (as &amp;quot;scapegoating&amp;quot; does), then its new date and usage are more relevant.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:50, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Mightn't some consider &amp;quot;claptrap&amp;quot; to be just as much a smear/namecalling word as quackery?&lt;br /&gt;
::Also, my only dispute with boomerang is its date. It was used as a verb in the 1880s and since the explanation is for the word indicates it's the action of boomeranging (as opposed to a crooked stick) I think that date should be used. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 17:33, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Conservative Words hypothesis is errant ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I believe that once America and Europe start tasting the bitter fruits of - liberal economic policies (Eurocrisis and French economy will get worse, etc,), an overregulated private sector, big government, failing public schools with leftist ideology, a heavily aging population due to abortion (and other liberal ideology) and growing competition from an increasingly Christianized Eastern World and developing world - then they will sober up and become more conservative. In addition, strongly religious people are having more kids than secularists plus the liberal media is losing market share while conservative media is growing.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However, the two time election of Barack Obama, a ballooning U.S. federal deficit over the last 12 years, a liberal U.S. Supreme Court since the 1960s that continues to uphold Roe vs. Wade (and other liberal policies such as upholding ObamaCare)  and a very liberal UK does not give me confidence that the Anglosphere has become more conservative over time in general - especially post 1960s. It has become more liberal. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition, words such as &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; are not conservative. You are engaging in confirmation bias and trying to shoehorn words into your &amp;quot;Conservative Words hypothesis&amp;quot;.  I don't like the Anglosphere becoming more liberal since the 1960s and the failed policies will bear their bitter fruits in heapfuls on the horizon so things could reverse, but that doesn't give me a license to construct a false reality in the meantime.  Plus, constructing a false reality is counterproductive. In order to effectively cure a problem, you have to recognize the full scope of the problem and not claim victory where there is no victory. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bottom line: The [[Essay:Best New Conservative Words|Conservative Words hypothesis]] fails. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:10, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: I would agree that galvanize isn't a conservative word, it isn't a liberal word either it is a science/engineering word. It is word derived from the name of Luigi Galvani who found the galvanic series. Of which bought about the discovery of galvanization. However it can be political in certain situations and us from the conservative side of politics tend to work better together than those on the liberal side of politics (ie labor tearing itself apart and us in the liberal party counting down the days till our win on the 14th of september !) [[User:Dvergne|Dvergne]] 11:09, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Though not strongly conservative, &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; has usage with respect to the grassroots, as in &amp;quot;galvanize the grassroots.&amp;quot;  Also, liberals tend to be pessimistic about what man can achieve with God, denying progress, while &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; suggests the progress advocated by conservatives.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:30, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Andy, you have some good articles in terms of their content and titles such as [[Essay:The Invisible Hand of Marriage]] and [[Professor values]], but also need to cut your losses for the clunkers like [[Essay:Best New Conservative Words]].  For example, to say that &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; is not a strongly conservative word is quite an understatement since it is not conservative word at all. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 14:55, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::I don't doubt that certain groups of society use words with different, even characteristic frequencies. Have a lawyer and a nurse retell Grimm's ''[[Snow White]]'', and you can guess who told which version using  only the word-count! &lt;br /&gt;
::::That said, I'm surprised tby claim that certain words indicate a conservative leaning for more than 300 years! Languages are always changing, and preferences for words, too! I cannot talk about the English language with confidence - unfortunately I'm not getting all the subtleties - but here are two examples in German:&lt;br /&gt;
::::#using the abbreviation &amp;quot;BRD&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;Bundesrepublik Deutschland&amp;quot; during 1960-1990 was a clear indicator of a left-wing weltanschauung, but it became politically neutral over the last years.&lt;br /&gt;
::::#nowadays, the term &amp;quot;Nachhaltigkeit&amp;quot; (sustainability) isn't missing from any speech of any economist or politician, whether from the right or from the left. In the 1980s, it was  used by environmentalists exclusively.&lt;br /&gt;
::::So there may be conservative and liberal concepts, but the language describing them is always changing.&lt;br /&gt;
::::Another problem: Over the last year, I saw  examples of &amp;quot;perfect doublings&amp;quot; announced a couple of times. That seems to be rather improbable, statistically speaking, and indicates a manipulation of the data (confirmation bias) - as User:Conservative stated above.&lt;br /&gt;
::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 16:01, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::The fact that a perfect doubling has occurred many times with different layers tends to support, rather than undermine, the hypothesis that a perfect doubling is inherent in the language.  Otherwise it would be very difficult for each layer to display a perfect doubling too!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Many stumble on the issue of whether the selection of terms is perfectly random.  The selection of terms need not be random to conclude that a doubling by century intrinsically exists.  Think about why.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:51, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::''Think about why.'' Because you have invented a new kind of statistics?&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Using your method, we could show that there are as many Germans as there are Americans, just by alternately listing Germans and Americans! That could go on for quite a while, without proving anything about the real ratio. (Browsing through the archives, I see I'm not the first to point this out: see [[Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words/archive3#Research_method|here]] and [[Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words/archive3#Selection_Bias_and_Proposal_for_an_Unbiased_Test|here]])&lt;br /&gt;
::::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 16:57, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::May I expect an answer to my comment above? --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 19:30, 2 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== My problems with making any statistical conclusions ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I will provide my honest opinion.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this essay is meant to be a personal project in learning new vocabulary, etymology, and use of language, then it's certainly worthwhile.  However, if the intent of this essay was to draw statistical conclusions, the methodology is so egregiously flawed that there is really nothing one can take away from the data in the essay.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Several methodology problems are the following:&lt;br /&gt;
*There is no objective definition as to what constitutes a word, or a conservative word, for that matter.  For some reason, abbreviations, proper names, and multiple-word terms appear on the list.  Very similar terms are alternative counted as conservative or not (contrast &amp;quot;welfare queen&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;welfare to work&amp;quot;, for example).  The fact that there are several arguments on this very page as to whether or not words are conservative indicate that the notion of a &amp;quot;conservative word&amp;quot; is not well-defined.&lt;br /&gt;
*The arbiter of whether or not a term is conservative appears to a strong interest in ensuring that the data collected fit into a predetermined &amp;quot;doubling&amp;quot; pattern.  (In fact, it seems to me that this approach to the subject demonstrates a lack of open-mindedness that the empirical data may suggest a different conclusion than the one anticipated.)  It's not even single blind, much less double blind.&lt;br /&gt;
*There is no consistency as to the date assigned to a term.  It appears to be the date a term became conservative.  There is no objective calculation of the date assigned to a term (like, for example, consulting the OED for the oldest extant print reference to a word).&lt;br /&gt;
*No comparison is made to the growth in the number of English terms since 1600 nor the growth of liberal terms over time.&lt;br /&gt;
*The words are not randomly sampled.  They appear to be inserted in order to fit a predetermined pattern.  A better method to solve the problem would be to randomly select words from the dictionary.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In all, if you want to keep this as a side project just for the educational value, be my guest.  However, if you want to draw mathematical or statistical conclusions from this essay, I would advise you not to, as it only serves to make us conservatives at Conservapedia appear sophomoric in mathematics, statistics, and logic.  Thanks, [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:22, 1 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Good points. Let's revisit this at the end of the 21st century when we have another data point. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 19:54, 2 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:: Why so modest? Lets wait for the year 2700: then we'll see more than one conservative word each day! --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 20:02, 2 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== &amp;quot;Act of God&amp;quot; dates back to at least 1787 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
In the case before the court, if the lessee had covenanted for himself and his assigns, to deliver up the tenements in good order and repair, notwithstanding they should be destroyed by act of God or of an Enemy, then this action would certainly lie, because of the special express words; but when there are no such words, but only generally to repair &amp;amp;c. would it be reasonable to construe these words so as to extend to the cases put?&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
''Pollard v. Shaaffer'', 1 U.S. 210, 213 (1 Dall. 210) (1787).  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 01:15, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Superb research!  I'll update the entry (you can also).  I also learned something: the U.S. Reports include Pennsylvania Supreme Court decisions before the US Supreme Court was created.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:09, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Mardi Gras ==&lt;br /&gt;
Just thought I should let you know that Mardi Gras is on this site as an example of a Conservative word and also a [[Secularized_Language|secularized word]]. If I use it am I a conservative or a liberal-homosexual-atheist-evolutionist-leftist attempting to remove the Christian origins of our language? ([[User:Ic|Ic]] 15:23, 14 February 2013 (EST))&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Definition ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have read the essay and skimmed through the huge archives of this talk page, but I didn't find any reference to a reliable, objective, independent definition of &amp;quot;best new conservative word&amp;quot;. By the way, [http://www.oed.com/timelines this] is interesting reliable information on the increase of the total number of words in the English language. [[User:Onestone|Onestone]] 02:34, 15 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Objections ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The vast majority of so-called &amp;quot;Conservative&amp;quot; words shown here are just words without any sort of difference between a Conservative use and a Liberal use (e.g. activism, addictive, aerobics, accuracy, alarmism, alcoholism, etc.). And somehow the statistics at the top of the page claim that the usage of &amp;quot;Conservative&amp;quot; words are growing at an exponential rate compared to &amp;quot;Liberal&amp;quot; words! It is clear that this is just a blatant example of fact-twisting employed in order to further Conservative propaganda. [[User:RaymondZ|RaymondZ]] 17:23, 4 March 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Reply to the above ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I think some conflate a conservative word/idea/concept with whether the person using the word is a conservative or a liberal.  A similar objection was raised to [[Greatest Conservative Songs]], when people insisted that a particular song was sung by a liberal group, and therefore could not be conservative.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A liberal can wish someone &amp;quot;Merry Christmas,&amp;quot; and is welcome to use other conservative terms.  But such use would not detract from the conservative nature of the terms.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:56, 4 March 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== May I suggest ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Antidisestablishmentarianism: 18th Century, Against the separation of church and state.&lt;br /&gt;
Tory: 17th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
Protestant: 16th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
Dreadnaught: 20th Century. A large all big gun battleship.&lt;br /&gt;
Aircraft-Carrier: 20th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
Machine-gun: 19th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
I will try to thing of more later--[[User:Patmac|Patmac]] 19:57, 6 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Recount ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Could someone please check the numbers of words per century? My count is somewhat differing from the official one:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Century&lt;br /&gt;
!# official&lt;br /&gt;
!# AugustO&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1600s&lt;br /&gt;
|32&lt;br /&gt;
|32&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1700s&lt;br /&gt;
|64&lt;br /&gt;
|64&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1800s&lt;br /&gt;
|127&lt;br /&gt;
|'''129'''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1900s&lt;br /&gt;
|256&lt;br /&gt;
|'''258'''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|2000s&lt;br /&gt;
|27 (preliminary)&lt;br /&gt;
|27&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'd rather like to see someone checking these numbers, it's so easy to make an error. --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 04:46, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Excellent work!  There were some recent additions that are not high quality enough to remain, and not worthy of inclusion in the count.  I'll revert them now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 08:59, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*Thank you for your praise! But I'd like to see someone double-checking the numbers!&lt;br /&gt;
::*You removed ''coolant'', a term you had introduced into the list on [http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words&amp;amp;diff=801887&amp;amp;oldid=801500 Aug 7, 2010]. This implies that every one of the '''nine''' ''perfect geometric fits'' since August 2010 was false - and it highlights the problematic approach of your ''statistics'', which I already mentioned above in [[#Conservative Words hypothesis is errant]]. I see that you haven't answered to my comments in that section...&lt;br /&gt;
::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:00, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Not &amp;quot;false&amp;quot;, but lacking in a perfect understanding - which is what all knowledge is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:17, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::I share a critical view of the &amp;quot;Best New Conservative Words&amp;quot; with many on these talk-pages. Before you erased &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; from the list, I had the following working definition:&lt;br /&gt;
:::::''A conservative word is a term which Andrew Schlafly likes''.&lt;br /&gt;
::::Now, I have refined this to:&lt;br /&gt;
:::::''A conservative word is a term which Andrew Schlafly likes today''.&lt;br /&gt;
::::Please excuse this flippant approach, but I've yet to see an objective definition of the term &amp;quot;conservative word&amp;quot;, something which would allow even me to decide whether a certain word (perhaps even a German one) is conservative or not. &lt;br /&gt;
::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:21, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::It's an atheistic quality to think that stubbornness in a position is an admirable trait, as in someone who rejects God as a college student and then clings for decades to that mistaken belief without genuinely reconsidering it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:47, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Objections to &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; were made, and upon reflection the objections had validity.  I don't see why anyone would criticize someone for making an improvement.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:47, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::It's always good to rethink one's position, but generally a change should be induced by new information. The last time someone criticized &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; (this was a year ago), you answered:&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::''&amp;quot;Motivation&amp;quot; is a far more conservative term - one can find motivation whether the playing field islevel or not. &amp;quot;Quantify&amp;quot; is logic, which is an essential difference between conservative and liberal approaches. &amp;quot;Coolant&amp;quot; is an essential part of nuclear energy -- which liberals loathe.''&lt;br /&gt;
::::::What has changed your opinion? Why is &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; not longer conservative, but &amp;quot;motivation&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;quantify&amp;quot; are? Why is &amp;quot;transistor&amp;quot; a conservative word, but not &amp;quot;diode&amp;quot;. Is an &amp;quot;ordered pair&amp;quot; more conservative than a &amp;quot;vector&amp;quot;? &amp;quot;Decrypt&amp;quot; more conservative than &amp;quot;encrypt&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;decode&amp;quot;? &amp;quot;Countability&amp;quot; is conservative, but what about &amp;quot;computability&amp;quot;? &amp;quot;Conservative field&amp;quot; is conservative, because it is in its name, duh?&lt;br /&gt;
::::::You have given no systematic approach for the detection of conservative words, it is all very fuzzy (but that's no problem, because &amp;quot;fuzzy math&amp;quot; is a conservative word, other than &amp;quot;chaos theory&amp;quot;).&lt;br /&gt;
::::::It is very difficult to take this seemingly random list of words serious, and the statistics behind it are even shadier (see e.g., [[#Conservative Words hypothesis is errant]].  Could you please come up with a working definition for the term &amp;quot;conservative word&amp;quot;? --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 15:20, 11 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Silver Lining==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Actually the first mention of clouds having silver linings is in ''&amp;quot;Comus&amp;quot;'', a [[Masque]] by [[John Milton]], first performed in 1632.  A young lady, lost and alone in a forest with night approaching is encouraged by the phenomenon:&lt;br /&gt;
:''Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud'' &lt;br /&gt;
:''Turn forth her silver lining on the night?''&lt;br /&gt;
:''I did not err; there does a sable cloud''&lt;br /&gt;
:''Turn forth her silver lining on the night'' &lt;br /&gt;
:''And cast a gleam over this tufted grove''.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Dickens]] played on the allusion in ''&amp;quot;Bleak House&amp;quot;'' in 1852 and the 1871 reference was, I assume, by Samuel Smiles. [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 03:47, 27 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:That's fascinating.  Perhaps Dickens (1852) should be created for first popularizing the figurative meaning?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:30, 27 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Morning all...Dickens wrote: ''&amp;quot;I turn my silver lining outward like Milton's cloud.&amp;quot;'' I believe though that by the mid 19th century the phrase &amp;quot;''Every cloud has a silver lining&amp;quot;'' had become recognised as a proverb.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And while we're sorta on Milton, try ''pandemonium'' and ''trip the light fantastic''. [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 17:05, 27 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Doubling ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm struggling to see why it is so crucial that a perfect doubling is achieved. It doesn't prove anything, and looking down the page some words don't seem very conservative at all. [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 19:07, 29 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The ease of finding conservative words in a doubling pattern does prove something, just as easy discovery of gold in a stream would prove how valuable that stream is, and cause a gold rush.  Surely no one denies the significance of correlations and probabilities.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:15, 29 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::I'm assuming that Mr. Schlafly is compiling the list for his own edification (which is certainly a noble and worthwhile endeavor) and is not trying to use it as statistical evidence (because it has zero statistical value for all the reasons I've mentioned previously).  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 23:20, 29 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::The ease of finding new conservative words in a pattern that doubles by century is significant, just as easily finding some gold nuggets in a stream would be highly significant.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:42, 29 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::As a mathematician, I can tell you that because of the problems with your methodology that [[#My problems with making any statistical conclusions|I have already pointed out]], there is zero statistical significance for what you have done.  To make a helpful analogy, your methodology would be equivalent to someone who wants to show that the number of instances of the letter &amp;quot;E&amp;quot; in the Bible (KJV) doubles with each book and thus picks out one occurrence of the letter &amp;quot;E&amp;quot; in Genesis, two in Exodus, four in Leviticus, eight in Numbers, etc.  If your methodology were correct, then Revelation should have an e-normous number of &amp;quot;E&amp;quot;'s (pun intended).  As a second example, if your methodology is correct, why not trim examples from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to increase the rate of growth to tripling by century, quadrupling by century, or even more.  The absurdity of these examples points out the fundamental flaw with your methodology: the words selected are not a random sample but appear to be selected in a calculated manner to fit your predetermined doubling pattern.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:01, 30 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Even if your methodology was correct, I fail to see how significant the &amp;quot;perfect doubling&amp;quot; is, or if it is even significant at all. Furthermore, how do you even define a word as being conservative. There are words like &amp;quot;competitive&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;veracity&amp;quot; to name a few, and while they are... words, I see no possibility of them having especially conservative roots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I agree with you on many issues Mr. Schlafly, but I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 08:07, 30 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words&amp;diff=1058968</id>
		<title>Talk:Essay:Best New Conservative Words</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words&amp;diff=1058968"/>
		<updated>2013-06-29T23:07:56Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Doubling */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;'''[[/archive1 | Archive 1 ]]'''&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
'''[[/archive2 | Archive 2 ]]'''&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
'''[[/archive3 | Archive 3 ]]'''&lt;br /&gt;
----&lt;br /&gt;
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== Additional liberal terms? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What about &amp;quot;ethnocentrism&amp;quot; (1905-1910) and &amp;quot;multiculturalism&amp;quot; (1960-1965)?  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 09:34, 16 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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: Superb suggestions.  Please add as you think best!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:37, 16 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
==Refudiate==&lt;br /&gt;
Even though liberal dictionaries added this word, Palin admitted it was an error on her part. If it stays then we must add Corpse men for lib terms.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:01, 23 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:Not necessarily--no dictionaries made &amp;quot;corpse man&amp;quot; a [http://www.execdigital.com/business/leader/who-s-laughing-now-sarah-palin-s-refudiate-oxford-s-top-word-2010 word of the year]. Moreover, the word seems to be getting some leverage and use on its own terms. [[User:Martyp|Martyp]] 14:43, 23 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Perhaps time will tell.  The term &amp;quot;Big Bang&amp;quot; was born of mockery also.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:15, 23 January 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Andy, could that explain the perceived scarcity of conservative words dating from the 21st century? Because I think the notion that a word can &amp;quot;mature&amp;quot; to be conservative is a fascinating and powerful insight. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 23:10, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Charisma? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have doubts that charisma, despite its etymology, is a conservative term.  It seems to elevate style over substance -- a definite [[liberal]] trait.  Nowhere does the Bible refer to Jesus as having charisma.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I suspect the original meaning of charisma was for religious charisma.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:59, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:I would suggest, (if we do ''indeed,'' keep it), to change the phrasing to something more on the order of:&lt;br /&gt;
::'''literally &amp;quot;a gift from God&amp;quot;, charisma is the quality of a person imbued by God to leadership, often found in [[conservative]] public figures.'''&lt;br /&gt;
:This nixes the &amp;quot;magic&amp;quot; from the sentence since as wonderful as a gift from God is, it isn't &amp;quot;magic&amp;quot;. [[User:DevonJ|DevonJ]] 20:20, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::Andy, that's a good point. I prefer to think of charisma as ''the style of substance'', but that's definitely not the case for everyone (especially liberals). While the etymology is undoubtedly conservative, perhaps &amp;quot;difficult to classify&amp;quot; may be a better resting place for charisma. Devon, either way, definitely an improvement on your part, thanks. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 22:21, 4 February 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
==New words added==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I have added 4 new words: deference (1660), idealist (1701), god-fearing (1835) &amp;amp; Rogue state (1993). If everyone accepts these, they will fill out the doubling pattern for those centuries. Shall I change the numbers in the summary at the top of the page?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have also added 'liberal creep' (2008). [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 01:08, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:All your additions look superb except &amp;quot;deference,&amp;quot; which I'm not sure is [[conservative]].  Please do update the counts the top (I already did increment the 1800s count for &amp;quot;God-fearing&amp;quot;).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:05, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I added 'deference' because CP has 'giving those in authority due respect' listed as a [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservative_values Conservative Value]. I will tweak the definition a bit to emphasis the necessary legitimacy of the superior. Thanks for the positive feedback. [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 02:21, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::But look at the remainder of the chat quote:  &amp;quot;giving those in authority due respect, but not to the point of accepting orders or assertions that are contrary to logic or morality.&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:34, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: Let's continue this discussion later Monday morning.  Thanks and Godspeed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:40, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi again. Firstly, let me tell you that I am an Aussie and my timezone is GMT+10. This makes me 12-15 hours ahead of you. Our conversations may be a bit disjointed because of this. Right now it is my bedtime, so I will post this comment &amp;amp; then go, leaving it for your consideration. (Editing has been switched off for a while, is that correct? I realise that you do this most nights. I didn't expect it to be on again tonight.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To return to 'deference': to me the word embodies respect and consideration which I would regard as being conservative values, but not necessarily 'giving in'. However, I do not have the right American nuances to interpret this as you do and will not push this strongly and am happy to remove it from the list.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have a couple of alternatives for consideration:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
atheistic (1625-35) An adjective pertaining to or characteristic of atheists or atheism; containing, suggesting, or disseminating atheism.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
secularize (1611) To make secular; to transfer from ecclesiastical to civil or lay use, possession, or control&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To me, these are useful words for conservatives. They do not describe conservatives. My reading of the list suggests that useful words are acceptable eg alarmist. Anyway, goodnight for now, catch up with you tomorrow. [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 08:32, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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: &amp;quot;atheistic&amp;quot; is good.  Let's go with that.  I didn't see why &amp;quot;patriarchy&amp;quot; was conservative, so I removed that.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:04, 18 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::No worries. I'll add 'atheistic'. [[User:CharlieJ|CharlieJ]] 22:36, 18 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== &amp;quot;Copacetic&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm not sure how conservative this word is. There's no reasoning given for its inclusion, apart from the fact that Bojangles Robinson supposedly created it (and even that is extremely weak evidence and I'm not sure what it adds. I'm going to remove it from the list if no one raises any opposition. [[User:DennyW66|DennyW66]] 22:37, 19 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &amp;quot;Copacetic&amp;quot; is the very satisfactory result of conservative values.  It is associated with good and honest living.  I do object to removal of this conservative term.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:32, 20 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Moral Majority - A suggestion ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, I saw your addition &amp;quot;silent majority&amp;quot; and it made me immediately think of &amp;quot;Moral Majority&amp;quot;. [http://www.answers.com/topic/moral-majority This page credits it to Jerry Falwell in 1979]. Although in it's strictest sense it describes a movement it is still has greater symbolism. Thanks, [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 20:30, 21 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Great suggestion.  Please included it ... and increment the total near the beginning for the 1900s.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:04, 21 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Done! [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 21:22, 21 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Obambulate ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Maybe it's just my public school education at work, but I fail to see how obambulate is conservative. Apart from its obvious similarities with &amp;quot;Obama&amp;quot;, it simply means &amp;quot;to walk around&amp;quot;. I know that Obama has been bumbling and whatnot, but it's an innocuous word that is being assigned a special significance due to coincidence. I'm not sure it belongs on this list. [[User:DennyW66|DennyW66]] 22:05, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:It is probably as a result of it being mentioned on Rush Limbaugh's show and the liberal reactions to it during the past week.  [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 23:08, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::What was the reaction? [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 23:14, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Denny, your comment is a valid one, but the modern usage of the term &amp;quot;obambulate&amp;quot; is to criticize the directionless wandering characteristic of liberal leadership.  None of the terms in the list should be viewed in a vacuum independent of their usage.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: Hey, my response used another candidate:  &amp;quot;directionless&amp;quot;.  ''Trying to find its date of origin next ....''--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:35, 27 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Agitprop ==&lt;br /&gt;
Sorry if I get the etiquette wrong, first time commenting. I was just wondering if there was a source for Agitprop? I always understood it to be derived from Soviet Russian institutions, so would be quite keen to see the conservative routes of it. Everything I have tried so far has turned up the term as being derived from Russian e.g. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=agitprop&amp;amp;searchmode=none , and I would be surprised if the internal machinations of the USSR would come up with something conservative, so would be keen to find out the alternative you uncovered&amp;quot;[[User:JTpldl|JTlpdl]] 09:18, 28 March 2011 (EDT)&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Page dividing ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the success of this essay, it's really slow, so can I split it into pages by century of origin? This would allow the page to load faster and be easier to navigate. Any thoughts on the idea? [[User:BenDylan|BenDylan]] 20:09, 14 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:I'd like to see it be broken up by century and automatically numbered. I'm not sure that breaking it up into many pages would facilitate more than inconvenience. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 23:55, 26 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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==Audit==&lt;br /&gt;
I'm getting 25,48,100,201,17 as the counts. If so, this wouldn't be the first time I've seen them wrong. As I mentioned above, we should consider breaking the list up by century to help avoid counting errors. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 18:37, 27 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Word for 1700's ==&lt;br /&gt;
Could belittle be the word we are looking for to perfect the list? It was coined in 1785 by Thomas Jefferson himself, and is certainly a way to describe an action often done by liberals to protect their ideas. [[User:JoshuaL|JoshuaL]] 19:34, 28 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Joshua, I'm inclined to agree, as Jefferson likely coined the term in response to critics trying to deceptively minimize issues he raised. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 02:07, 29 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Not sure &amp;quot;belittle&amp;quot; is conservative.  But how about &amp;quot;axiomatic&amp;quot;?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:20, 30 April 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
If you're still looking for an 18th century word, 'nationalist' would fit well - it's a core conservative value, synonymous with 'patriot', the antithesis of 'internationalist', and one of the defining features of the 18th century. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 16:17, 5 May 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Liberal creep ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
How do we reconcile this with liberal creep? If language is becoming more conservative, why is opinion and perception becoming more liberal? Do liberals or conservatives dictate the terms of the national conversation? If someone could take a look at the two phenomena and find out what makes one move in one direction and the other in the opposite, it would make a great essay. [[User:KingHanksley|KingHanksley]] 15:05, 8 May 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:I've also brought this up for discussion [[Talk:Essay:Conservapedia's_Law#Putting_Conservapedia.27s_Law_in_perspective|here]]. Conservapedia's Law, the observation that conservative insights double over time, is clearly incomplete, perhaps even flawed. I agree that there could be a complex relationship between liberal creep and Conservapedia's Law and it is worth investigating. [[User:BradB|BradB]] 15:15, 8 May 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Graph of words over time ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While I was drawing graphs, I wrote a quick script to generate a graph of the data in this page. [http://static.inky.ws/image/405/image.jpg This graph] shows the growth in conservative terms year-by-year, rather than just per-century. The red line is the data from this page, the green line is a quadratic curve. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 20:59, 18 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Wow, that's a spectacular graph!  Can you give permission for me to include it in the entry page?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The graph disproves the theory that there were bursts of new words during certain periods.  I'll remove that from the entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:43, 19 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Please do use the graph as you see fit. I can generate new graphs from the latest data with no trouble at all, so if you'd like it can be updated periodically. I'm currently trying to find a suitably analogous source of data for liberal words/ideas, which would allow comparative analysis. This kind of data is very interesting as it seems to avoid the short-term political cycles which characterize much of popular discourse, focusing on the really significant point of the growth of ideas. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 08:59, 19 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I posted the graph and your idea is marvelous.  However, I don't think the graph is completely accurate: the curve for the actual data should intersect the predicted curve at each turning of the centuries.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:45, 19 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::*Is the green curve really a fit for the data according to Aschlafly's theory? I mean, Jcw says ''the green line is a quadratic curve'' - at best it's a second approximation for the geometric curve...&lt;br /&gt;
:::*Personally, I find quite hard to judge the existance of ''bursts'' from a [[cdf]]. Perhaps Jcw could create a histogram - perhaps for decades?&lt;br /&gt;
:::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:30, 20 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::You both raise valid points, which hopefully will be answered soon. Andy and August both mention that the x^2 curve isn't a perfect fit - it certainly isn't, and I'm pretty sure a 2^x curve with appropriate constants will fit better; I'm planning to do that tonight. August mentions different ways of representing the data - I'll happily produce a histogram of the data if that'd be interesting, but the reason for plotting it as I have is to produce a curve that I can use for my more grandiose scheme, of which more later. My background is not so much in statistics - although I've done a fair bit of that - but in purer maths, so my thinking is mostly based around the relationships between smooth(-ish) functions. That may not be the best way to deal with these data qua data, but to extract patterns for further, more abstract work, it's ideal. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 12:43, 20 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::[http://static.inky.ws/image/412/image.jpg Et voila], a better fit. This is an exponential curve fitted to the same data. Note that it fits much better in the region with the most words, but is a bit out for the earlier period where there are fewer words in the list. This is because we can more easily find suitable words from more recent periods, so naturally the pattern is most exact there. No doubt if we could go through a large, representative corpus and extract words uniformly, it would fit nicely all the way along. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 16:25, 20 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::'''@Aschlafly: ''' Could you recount the words? My count gave me 26-51-103-210-18 (Sum: 408) instead of 26-52-103-208-18 (Sum: 407). Perhaps a fourth column for the century (or even better, the decade) could be added? That would make it much easier to keep track of the numbers!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::'''@Jcw: ''' I don't think that your ''better fit'' is the function which Aschlafly has in mind: it should be &amp;lt;math&amp;gt;F_{theo}(t) = \frac{\#words }{15}&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;(2^{\frac{t-1599}{100}}-1)&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;, where ''#words'' is the number of words created before 2000, i.e., 390. This function touches/intersects the empirical cdf at the turn of each century, a fact which betrays the biased method of looking for these words.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:12, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::August, so you've constructed a function which you claim 'betrays the biased method of looking for these words'? I'd be interested to see a more thorough explanation of that point. Another editor has attempted a similar argument above, but without success. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 15:42, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::August, I have an open mind about this.  I don't see how we could so easily find [[conservative]] words that double by century if the underlying pattern were not there.  But please explain if you think that is in error.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:27, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hope we can agree on the function ''F&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;theo&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;'' - it should be uncontroversial:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*one layer exists from 1 - 2 - 4 - 8 words, i.e., 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;0&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;, 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;,2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; and 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the partial sums are 1 - 3 - 7 - 15, i.e., 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1, 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1, 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1, and 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;4&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1&lt;br /&gt;
*so, with the turn of the n-th century, there should be 2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;n+1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1 words&lt;br /&gt;
*for K layers, the number is K * (2&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;n+1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;-1). Each layer has 15 words, thus, if there are '''N''' feasible words, the number of layers is '''N'''/15&lt;br /&gt;
*now adjust for years instead of centuries, and don't start with the first, but with the 17th, and you get the formula &amp;lt;math&amp;gt;F_{theo}(t) = \frac{\#words }{15}&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;(2^{\frac{t-1599}{100}}-1)&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@jcw: ''' ''Another editor has attempted a similar argument above, but without success.'' I read the sections above, and I ''was'' convinced by the argument.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Aschlafly:''' ''I don't see how we could so easily find [[conservative]] words that double by century if the underlying pattern were not there.''  The effects of the miscount ([[Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words#PERFECTION: 20-40-80-160 BY CENTURY]]) have shown that you are able to match any   pattern you were looking for. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:11, 22 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
August's contrary theory aside, here's an interesting consequence of this trend: [http://static.inky.ws/image/421/image.jpg this graph] shows the curve from above in green, an hypothetical linear growth of liberalism ([liberal creep], in blue) and the effect of the latter on the former (in red). Note how the red line - the net effect of liberal and conservative ideas - falls for a while, reaching a minimum in the twentieth century before shooting up. This is because the exponential growth of conservatism is slower at first that the linear growth of liberalism, but gets very much faster later on, easily overtaking the linear function and increasing to infinity. Obviously the liberalism line is hypothetical, but it's interesting nonetheless. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 12:41, 24 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:That's remarkably insightful.  In other words, the combination of linear [[liberal creep]] and the geometric growth rate of [[Best New Conservative Words]] results in a liberal trend for a while (until the [[Great Depression]]), and then a rapidly increasing conservative trend thereafter.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:16, 24 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Exactly. The precise shape of the final curve depends on the values assumed for the [[liberal creep]] line, but any reasonable values give a final curve with much the same shape. It agrees rather remarkably with the observed facts, especially as nothing in the calculations refers to historical events at all. Purely linguistic inputs produce an undeniably historical result, demonstrating the power of language very clearly. As ever, feel free to use the graph however you please. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 13:48, 24 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: I am skeptical that the complexities of human society and political philosophies can be summed up simply as an exponential function minus a linear function. What evidence is there that this [[liberal creep]] is linear? How is that even quantified? Does this hypothesis make any specific predictions, in order to make it [[falsifiable]] and thus scientific? --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 02:09, 25 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Good questions.  I'll consider them (as others probably will also) and reply after some thought.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 02:15, 25 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Good questions indeed. The immediate answer is 'no': of course all the complexities of human society can't be summed up as simply as this. Quantifying complex abstract phenomena is a very rough business, most especially on a short timescale. The goal of my graphs isn't to present concrete mathematical laws, or anything like them, but just to illustrate a conceptual relationship using mathematics. &lt;br /&gt;
:::: To answer your specific questions: &lt;br /&gt;
:::: * 'how is that even quantified?': Crudely and by guesswork, like many first attempts in all sciences, especially those relating to human activity. The crude guess is justified by the answer to:&lt;br /&gt;
:::: * 'Does this hypothesis make any specific predictions...': In one way, the hypothesis is supported by the same kind of evidence as is used to defend evolution - the hypothesis I've produced now gives results which agree with events in the past. As we all agree, that's not the best kind of evidence, but in this case it's rather compelling. Secondly, it does make concrete predictions - indeed, it makes an inescapable prediction which can't be fudged or avoided - the 'conservatism' curve increases very rapidly to infinity, rather than going up and down or settling into a steady state. This suggests a discontinuity in the future, where the level of conservatism rises to something quite outside our experience. I'm not sure what that would look like, but I think we'd recognize it if we saw it. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 20:49, 25 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: In furtherance of Jcw's remarks, it is perhaps easier to study the development of language and politics, which are closely related to each other, than it is to study and predict ... the weather.  Nobody had a problem with [[Al Gore]] trying to predict the weather, so why object when a simpler task is undertaken?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:01, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: @Jcw How specifically does your graph &amp;quot;agree with events in the past&amp;quot;? Also, the claim that &amp;quot;the level of conservatism rises to something quite outside our experience&amp;quot; is not a specific prediction. I'm not even sure what that means. Finally, in [http://static.inky.ws/image/421/image.jpg your graph] what does the y-axis represent? Words? Aschlafly above links the exponential function to the growth of conservative terms.  If so, why is [[liberal creep]] linear? Is there any empirical or theoretical reason to believe this? Looking at [[Essay:New_Liberal_Terms|liberal terms]] by century it seems like liberal terms are also growing exponentially, even though the article claims they don't grow &amp;quot;geometrically&amp;quot; and are &amp;quot;heavily influenced by culture&amp;quot;. In any case, it doesn't look linear. Wouldn't the diminishing intelligence of humans mean liberal terms would be growing quickly?&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: @Aschlafly Weather and climate are distinct things. I don't think anyone believes Al Gore is a climate scientist qualified to make scientific predictions, only a spokesman. Many people do have a problem with him and the whole idea of climate change.  &lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Also, human beings are extremely complicated and it isn't obvious to me that accurately predicting and quantifying the political philosophy of a complex society is much simpler than either meteorology or climatology. Even if the development of politics and language are closely related (I'm not sure they are),  why would studying them be necessarily be a simpler task than studying climates?--[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 01:39, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(unindent)Matthew: now you're asking questions that have already been answered or are clear from the context. I note that your edits on this site are almost exclusively to talk pages; may we assume that you are here simply to argue rather than to contribute? [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 08:44, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The interesting question is, what would an (effectively) infinite level of conservatism look like? I'm afraid I don't know enough about the US to answer that: over here 'conservatism' looks a great deal like US liberalism... [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 12:32, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: One characteristic of infinite conservatism might be when it is impossible to notice a difference in the level of service and attitude between government and a perfectly competitive industry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:18, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: In a perfectly conservative society, would there be any need for government as we now know it? I suppose there are limits to how conservative a society can be in a fallen world... [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 14:52, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Conservatives aren't [[libertarian]]s or [[anarchist]]s, so a '''''limited''''' government would exist ....--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:48, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: I'm sorry, I still don't understand what 'infinite conservatism' means. Perhaps an article detailing how conservatism can be quantified and what happens in the limit as it approaches infinity would help. --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 21:32, 26 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: That's an interesting idea, Matthew. I think that in the US conservatism is closely correlated with Evangelical Christianity, which is not at all the case here in the UK, where our conservatives are more likely to belong to the Church of England - a decidedly liberal institution by US standards. Andy's suggestion above is concise, but if you think about it it's a very acute description of a hypothetical perfectly conservative government. I shudder to think what a perfectly liberal government would be like. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 16:33, 27 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Jcw, your description of US conservatism compared with the UK is interesting, and I've thought about it.  While certainly there are more evangelicals here than there, not all are conservative.  Moreover, the cause-and-effect is less than clear:  does the conservative nature of America allow evangelicalism to develop more fully than in a liberal nation?  If so, there still remains an underlying mystery of why America is more conservative than the UK.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:41, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Yes, a very interesting question. Our two nations have a great deal of shared history, but today are vastly different in fundamental ways. I think the Reformation is particularly important in this context - the UK experienced it directly, while the nascent US only experienced the aftereffects; the US was never a Catholic nation in the Mediaeval sense. Another - perhaps related - aspect is the persistence of monarchy in the UK compared to its outright rejection by the US. There's a lot to be said on this topic, so I'll begin an essay with some of my thoughts and see how it compares with a US view. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 18:39, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Please do start an essay on this, hopefully here so that I can contribute to it too!  Religious differences between the US and the UK are surely part of the explanation for the political differences, but I think there is more to it than that.  [[Federalism]], for example, prevents [[liberals]] from gaining control over the US, while that protection does not exist in the UK.  I will say this:  the UK media is much more free with respect to American politics than the American press is!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:13, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Jcw: ''' What are the parameters of your interpolating function? And how did you calculate them? Could you also display: &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;F_{theo}(t) = \frac{\#words }{15}&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&amp;lt;math&amp;gt;(2^{\frac{t-1599}{100}}-1)&amp;lt;/math&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And why not use these paramaters - they are the direct result of applying Aschlafly's rule of doubling-by-century...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 09:08, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
August, if you'd like to do those calculations, please feel free - the data isn't kept secret, it's right there on the page. If you'd like to see another presentation of it, go ahead. I'm very happy to explain things - and to justify my choices! - to well-meaning editors with genuine questions, but you seem to be on the wrong side of every argument around here, as if you're deliberately disagreeing for the sake of it. The amount of time and attention you're willing to give to criticizing other people's ideas is remarkable. [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 10:35, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Well put, Jcw.  Actually, the entries begin with the year 1612, after the publication of the [[KJV]] and the completion of nearly all of [[Shakespeare]]'s works.  So August's date in his exponent appears wrong, but your graph is correct in show an intersection with the x-axis over a decade after 1600.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:45, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Jcw:''' ''August, if you'd like to do those calculations, please feel free - the data isn't kept secret, it's right there on the page.'' I can't reproduce your calculations as there is not enough data: You say that it is a fit, but you don't explain how you fitted it:&lt;br /&gt;
::#How did you treat words like ''atheistic'' (1625-1635), ''deadweight loss''     (1930s) and ''design by committee'' (before 1958)&lt;br /&gt;
::#Which kind of fit did you use? For me, Maximum-Likelihood would be an obvious choice.  &lt;br /&gt;
::#Which family of functions did you look at? Obviously a*2^x. Why not a*2^x+b?&lt;br /&gt;
::#Did you use any weights? Which ones (or why not)?&lt;br /&gt;
All these choices result in different interpolating functions. So, which choices did you make and what was your result?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''If you'd like to see another presentation of it, go ahead. I'm very happy to explain things - and to justify my choices! - to well-meaning editors with genuine questions'' Obviously I won't promise  ''not'' to criticize your choices. Does this make me a not-well-meaning editor?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''You seem to be on the wrong side of every argument around here'' I seem to be constantly on the other side than you are. Doesn't make my side always wrong!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''@Aschlafly: ''' ''Well put, Jcw.'' Do you condone the policy to share data only with those who you expect not to criticize it? When reading [[Conservapedia:Lenski_dialog]] and its talk page, I got quite another impression! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''So August's date in his exponent appears wrong, but your graph is correct in show an intersection with the x-axis over a decade after 1600'' Jcw's graph (the green line!) doesn't intersect the x-axis at ~1610. I doubt that it intersects the x-axis at all! The red line shows the empirical data, so of course it begins at 1612 with the first word found - though ''obambulate''  (1600) is the oldest word in the table, and seems to be always counted in the ''perfect counts''. OTOH, the graph which I proposed intersects the x-axis at the turn of the 16th century, and crosses the empirical curve at the turn of each century (whether you shift the function by 1599 or 1600 is just a matter of taste...).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Americanadians ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
How about 'Americanadians'? I've observed many good Americans being influenced by the blatant propaganda of our socialist neighbors, and starting to espouse their flawed line of thought. What do others think? Let me know.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Claptrap ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I suggest &amp;quot;claptrap.&amp;quot;  I'm surprised it's not on the list already. --[[User:AndyJ|AndyJ]] 00:20, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Superb suggestion!  I'll add it now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:45, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::It was already on the list.  I added an 1800s term instead.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:10, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== free speech ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Perhaps I simply fail to understand the context you provided, but is free speech really a &amp;quot;conservative word?&amp;quot;  Terms like &amp;quot;political correctness&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;obamacare&amp;quot; are undeniably conservative (to the point where liberals won't use them), but free speech is at best non-partisan, and at worst (I am attempting to write from a conservative viewpoint- I may fail miserably at this) a term co-opted by liberals to justify their perversions and excesses. &amp;lt;/attempt to write from conservative viewpoint&amp;gt;--[[User:CamilleT|CamilleT]] 01:20, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:You raise a valid point.  But isn't it the conservatives who protect, for example, corporate and many other types of expenditures in elections as &amp;quot;free speech&amp;quot;?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:28, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Indeed, you are correct.  But I think it's fair to say now that it is a word used by conservatives as well as liberals to represent their agendas.  I do not know how this factors into this particular list--[[User:CamilleT|CamilleT]] 02:13, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I'll continue to think about your valid criticism.  Maybe I can search Supreme Court opinions and see who is using the term &amp;quot;free speech&amp;quot; most.  I don't think [[liberals]] are using it as much as [[conservatives]] are today.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:30, 21 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Decades ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I added a column for the decades (rather than for the centuries). I hope this will help to keep the count of the words up-to-date.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 09:05, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I'm not sure how that will help - surely the decade is already contained in the 'year' column? If you'd like a more accurate count, I suggest doing what I do - use a perl script to parse the wikitext and print out whatever information you want. To me the decade column looks annoyingly redundant, but perhaps I've missed something... [[User:Jcw|Jcw]] 10:27, 28 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I wanted to facilitate the count: as some of the dates are not purely numeric (1950s, before 1958, 1625-1635), it's hard to sort the table by the column ''date''. If there is a purely numeric column, the table can be easily copied into a spreadsheet and recounted even by those who don't know anything about regular expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::If you have a script, please use it to keep an eye on the count: I'm surprised that you didn't spot the miscount earlier on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I'll add the column for the decades again, this time at the last place. This should be more pleasing...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:07, 29 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don't know how to upload a picture, so here is an ascii-graphic for the distribution by decades:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*1600: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1610: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1620: *****&lt;br /&gt;
*1630: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1640: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*1650: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1660: **&lt;br /&gt;
*1670:&lt;br /&gt;
*1680: **&lt;br /&gt;
*1690: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1700: *&lt;br /&gt;
*1710: ***&lt;br /&gt;
*1720: *****&lt;br /&gt;
*1730: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1740: ****&lt;br /&gt;
*1750: *****&lt;br /&gt;
*1760: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*1770: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*1780: ********&lt;br /&gt;
*1790: *********&lt;br /&gt;
*1800: ********&lt;br /&gt;
*1810: *********&lt;br /&gt;
*1820: ***************&lt;br /&gt;
*1830: ***************&lt;br /&gt;
*1840: *********&lt;br /&gt;
*1850: **********&lt;br /&gt;
*1860: **********&lt;br /&gt;
*1870: *******&lt;br /&gt;
*1880: ************&lt;br /&gt;
*1890: **********&lt;br /&gt;
*1900: ***********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1910: ***********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1920: **********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1930: *******************&lt;br /&gt;
*1940: ***************************&lt;br /&gt;
*1950: **************************&lt;br /&gt;
*1960: *************************&lt;br /&gt;
*1970: ****************&lt;br /&gt;
*1980: **********************&lt;br /&gt;
*1990: ******&lt;br /&gt;
*2000: ***************&lt;br /&gt;
*2010: ***&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1820/1830,1900/1910, and 1940/1950 seem to be decades in which significantly more conservative terms were created than one would have expected... [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:15, 29 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Suggested additions ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Eurabia - what Europe will become if people don't stand up for themselves.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Islamofascism - repressive muslim shariah regimes/totalitarian islamism.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:MeganH|MeganH]] 01:01, 30 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Go ahead and add if you have some dates of origin, even if only approximate.  I hadn't heard of the first one (&amp;quot;Eurabia&amp;quot;) before.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:04, 30 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Dumpster diving ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Was 'dumping diving' added because food is not going to waste, or am I misunderstanding why it's conservative? --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 09:54, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I'll take a stab at it. Conservative words can describe liberal actions. I am not saying dumpster divers are liberal, those poor folks maybe hungry. Dumpster Diving is not limited to food. It's also a method to get trade secrets from companies or dig up dirt against somebody. Most likely, Dumpster Diving is used for deceitful purposes for example gaining a social security number from discarded bills used for the creation of fraudulent IDs. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:06, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Great points.  This is a list of [[conservative]] terms, often insightful, about activities that may be conservative or liberal, harmful or helpful, or none of the above.  Evidently this term was developed by small businessmen to describe an unhelpful activity outside their restaurants and other stores.  Dumpster diving may sometimes be the equivalent of recycling or getting a hungry person some food, but in any event '''the term''' is a perfect description of the activity.  And once there is a good term for something, then the activity can be understood and addressed better.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:39, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: Good analysis. But is dumpster diving a conservative act? --[[User:GeorgeZ|GeorgeZ]] 15:53, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Read Andy's post. He specifically says that that does not matter. It was created by conservatives. Therefore it is a conservative word. [[User:NickP|NickP]] 16:12, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Right that it does not matter whether it is a conservative act.  In the case of dumpster diving, whether it is ever conservative depends on what the purpose and effect are.  It also doesn't matter if a conservative coined it; a liberal can sing a [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Songs|conservative song]].  The point is whether the insight is conservative.  In this case, small businessmen (a conservative line of work) coined the term to criticize how homeless people were digging through their trash.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:19, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::I see Andy. Thanks for explaining. [[User:NickP|NickP]] 16:22, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Indeed, one might suggest that liberals have indirectly contributed to the increase in conservative terms by constantly inventing new ways to avoid work and personal responsibility.  Conservatives are then, naturally, obligated to develop terms for these behaviors.  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 17:18, 15 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== 2000s ==&lt;br /&gt;
It's fascinating how the new Conservative words and insights do seem to grow geometrically by century, but I'm curious as to why the 2000s seem to be pretty far behind.  We're 11 years in, so you'd expect there to be roughly 40 new words so far, but we've got less than half that many.  With the rise of the TEA Party, I'd expect to be much closer. --[[User:FergusE|FergusE]] 15:06, 17 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Excellent point. Possible reasons could include that it is too soon to recognize new words in the most recent decade ... or maybe there has been a short-term decline in conservative intellectualism?  At any rate, I've been meaning to add the term &amp;quot;Tea Party&amp;quot; itself with its etymology in the last decade!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:12, 17 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I have to agree with you, Andy. Even though we're in 2011 now, it might be too early to be able to fully appreciate all the new conservative words created last decade. I think &amp;quot;Tea Party&amp;quot; might just be one of the most important words to add and I think the movement itself will produce a lot of new, conservative words in its own right! [[User:BobSherman|BobSherman]] 19:58, 20 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Very perceptive, Andy.  It takes time for the gatekeepers of knowledge to acknowledge the validity of new terms; therefore, while the public production of new conservative insights and terms may be quite rapid, the assimilation of those insights and terms into formal reference works is likely to be much slower.  This is, I would suggest, exacerbated by reliance on archaic forms of knowledge dissemination such as print dictionaries.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An interesting side project might be to evaluate dictionaries (both online and print) to see how rapidly they accept and incorporate new conservative words versus new liberal words.  In this way, it might be possible to determine which dictionaries are reliable and which are liberally biased.  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 12:19, 22 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Help! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I tried to archive the page - at least the parts which were from last year, but I totally botched it: my browser can't handle long pages, I have difficulties with the captchas &amp;amp; I created the wrong page for an archive [[Archive 3]] instead of [[Talk:Essay:Best New Conservative Words/Archive 3]] ([[Archive 3]] should be moved there...)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So I give up... [[User:RonLar|RonLar]] 11:58, 26 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I archived 2010... [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 14:44, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Thank you -  I had problems with the captchas! [[User:RonLar|RonLar]] 15:26, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Maybe these two ==&lt;br /&gt;
Here's two possibilities I found in [[Federal debt limit]], &amp;quot;leveraged loss&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;debt spiral&amp;quot;, but I'm not sure how to fit them in.  [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 14:01, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== More possibilities... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Constructionist (1835-45)&lt;br /&gt;
Inalienable (1635-45)&lt;br /&gt;
Hubris (1880-1885)&lt;br /&gt;
Scientism (1875-1880)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Benp|Benp]] 14:11, 30 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Trickle-down? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As a descriptor for the trickle-down theory of economics, it dates to 1950-1955.  --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 21:43, 31 July 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: I think &amp;quot;trickle-down&amp;quot; is pejorative, and thus more a [[liberal]] term than a [[conservative]] one.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:47, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::If trickle-down is the pejorative would the standard, conservative, phrase be &amp;quot;supply-side&amp;quot;? [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 18:53, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Yes, it would - and &amp;quot;supply side&amp;quot; is already on the list.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:56, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::ah, excellent. my work here is done! [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 19:00, 1 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Civil body politic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Civil body politic&amp;quot; is an interesting bit of history but does not seem to have caught on as widely used term, and hence would not seem to warrant inclusion in this list.  Does anyone disagree?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:43, 8 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Medal of Honor (and other proper names) ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm not sure that a proper name given to an award is inherently conservative-- the Medal itself reflects conservative values of course, but would do so even if had been called, say, the Award of Bravery or the Citation of Courage. &amp;quot;Coolant,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;transistor&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;greasy spoon&amp;quot; are all truly conservative both in terms of content and syntax. [[User:BrentH|BrentH]] 19:50, 27 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Your point is valid.  Perhaps it does not fit this particular list, but I'm reluctant to delete it.  Isn't there something conservative about simply recognizing &amp;quot;honor&amp;quot;, and calling the medal after the concept, rather than after, say, a liberal politician?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:15, 27 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==alcoholism ?==&lt;br /&gt;
Could you please explain how alcoholism is a conservative word ? Alcoholism is more of a liberal trait.--[[User:PhilipN|PhilipN]] 21:24, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&amp;quot;Alcoholism&amp;quot; is a criticism of excessive drinking, and thus is a conservative word.  Words that end in &amp;quot;ism&amp;quot; are often pejoratives, as in &amp;quot;alarmism&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;collectivism&amp;quot; (which are also on the list).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:41, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:: And do you feel the same way about the word &amp;quot;liberalism&amp;quot;?--[[User:JeanB|JeanB]] 21:49, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::: Word that end in -ism are not always pejorative, capitalism is good. And when the words socialism or communism were invented, they were meant to be good.--[[User:PhilipN|PhilipN]] 21:53, 17 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Handout==&lt;br /&gt;
1882, I wanted to add this to best new conservative words as it describes a liberal policy of government giveaways. But it also could be the conservative position of helping the poor through charity. Either way it is a conservative word but the proper way to describe alludes me. Op?--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 09:28, 25 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:That would a superb addition!  It would also leave the list only two 20-century words shy of another perfect doubling by century.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:48, 25 November 2011 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Level Playing Field ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I added the term &amp;quot;level playing field&amp;quot; for two main reasons: 1) It is an intuitive metaphor used in its [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/228650.html first recorded use] to describe how markets usually work best when they are fair for all participants and free of interference. 2) The term has since been used by liberals to describe policies such as affirmative action, progressive taxation, and government handouts, but it obvious to anyone who looks at these policies objectively that they actually distort the playing field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I believe that is enough for the term to stand on its own merits, but it looks even more conservative if we compare it to other words on the list such as &amp;quot;motivation,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;quantify,&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;coolant.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Maybe I have overlooked something and the word does not belong on the list. Comments are welcome. --[[User:Toadaron|AaronT]] 21:03, 8 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:As you point out, the term is often used by liberals, so that makes it a doubtful candidate for &amp;quot;best&amp;quot; new conservative words.  The term seems to imply that government is needed to level the playing field.  Level playing fields rarely occur in nature, for example.  The term almost sounds like the famous &amp;quot;life's not fair&amp;quot; expression ... which is not conservative either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&amp;quot;Motivation&amp;quot; is a far more conservative term - one can find motivation whether the playing field islevel or not.  &amp;quot;Quantify&amp;quot; is logic, which is an essential difference between conservative and liberal approaches.  &amp;quot;Coolant&amp;quot; is an essential part of nuclear energy -- which liberals loathe.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:51, 8 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== A.M. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This entry is an abbreviation for ''ante meridiem'', which originates from 1563 [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ante%20meridiem].  I'm not clear on whether the abbreviation is being claimed as a new conservative word or the phrase for which it stands.  Additionally, it is unclear where the given date of origin in the article of 1762 comes from.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 23:43, 11 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The online etymology dictionary gives a date of 1762.  Perhaps it's referring to common usage.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:While you're right that the &amp;quot;A&amp;quot; in A.M. is from a Latin word that is different from the &amp;quot;A&amp;quot; in A.D., the popularity of &amp;quot;A.D.&amp;quot; could have led to the popularity of &amp;quot;A.M.&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:37, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Just seen this catch my attention on the mainpage. I highly doubt that the two could be related in any conservative sense. Of course &amp;quot;AD&amp;quot; refers to &amp;quot;In the year of our lord&amp;quot;. But back in the 18th century, Latin was still being routinely taught in schools (especially in [[Britain]]), bring us many other Latin abbreviations, such as eg, etc, ie, RIP (from 'requiescat in pace', and later backronymed into 'rest in peace'). I highly doubt the link between any apparent 'popularity' of AD spurred the formation of AM, and personally I'd remove it. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 15:57, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::But what percentage of the overall British population learned Latin in school in the 1700s?  Perhaps only 10%?  Most Latin appreviations did not catch on with the general population the way that &amp;quot;A.M.&amp;quot; did.  The most plausible explanation is its proximity to &amp;quot;[[A.D.]]&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:19, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Nonetheless etymological creation power lies not with those who use the language the most. One must remember that our records of language from the 1700s (both Britain and America) are not vernacular English of the working classes but written English of those who were educated. This was before widespread adoption of clocks and timepieces, which came later with the [[industrial revolution]] and the railways. Again, I highly disagree that likeness to AM would be a significant contributor. Those that would have used the world in our written records would have been educated in Latin, and would therefore be aware of the etymological roots of '''both''' AM and AD. Since the A stands for '''anno''' and '''ante''' respectively, there is no etymological proximity at all between the two. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 18:35, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::But &amp;quot;A.D.&amp;quot; did gain widespread currency with the masses, and then &amp;quot;A.M.&amp;quot; became popular in a similar manner. Many other Latin abbreviations, like &amp;quot;Q.E.D.&amp;quot;, did not follow in their footsteps.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:54, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::You mean, the masses had a choice whether to use &amp;quot;A.M&amp;quot; or something else? It wasn't determined by the use of that convention by those few who created, say, railroad timetables or other documents? Incidentally, do we know what that date of &amp;quot;1762&amp;quot; refers to? Refering to some &amp;quot;online etymology dictionary&amp;quot; seems a bit like relying on hearsay. --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 02:44, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::I still maintain that Mr Schlafly is assuming correlation from causation. While of course nowadays we might view AD in a more conservative light since the introduction (especially amongst the humanities communities) of [[CE]], then back in the case it certainly wasn't the case and due to the pervasiveness of the Christian terms I highly doubt that its religious connotations had any contributing factor over its use as a year marker. If it's another conservative word that's being looked for, I can have a think over the next few days for an alternative word that might not be as debatable. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 17:27, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== It Really Is Amazing... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It really is amazing that the pattern of perfect doubling by century is so strong that almost every &amp;quot;layer&amp;quot; is complete before the next layer starts, even though words are added to the list pretty much randomly whenever a user thinks of one. --[[User:AndreaM|AndreaM]] 17:47, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Great discoveries are rarely random.  In this case, it would not be possible to discover such a perfect geometric fit unless the underlying pattern existed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:12, 12 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I don't actually believe in this theory, but I think it's interesting nonetheless to think about the etymologies of such words and why we might consider them conservative or not. Thus this essay has potential for insights, whether or not one believes in the underlying theory. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 17:33, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== You know this list is contrived. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see, [[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] is actively trying to make it a perfect doubling by century. [[User:DavidCalman|David]][[User talk:DavidCalman|Calman]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:It would be impossible to discover such a perfect doubling of conservative words by century unless it existed.  If someone discovered oil, would anyone say, &amp;quot;well, that's no big deal, because you looked for it there!&amp;quot;--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:00, 13 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Intelligent design ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm not sure where your date of 1991 is coming from.  I know that the Kitzmiller trial uncovered a 1987 draft of ''Of Pandas and People'' that used intelligent design in the origins context:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Intelligent design means that various forms of life began abruptly through an intelligent agency, with their distinctive features already intact. Fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, wings, etc.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:39, 16 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Teamwork ==&lt;br /&gt;
In a liberal society, true team work is impossible because nothing bets done without an overarching authority to control and monitor and meddle in activity. The ideas of equals respecting each other and working for the good of the country is a conservative value, and I think that teamwork should be made a Conservative Word. What do you think? [[User:JeffBron|JeffBron]] 15:15, 19 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:In political usage, &amp;quot;teamwork&amp;quot; implies abandoning principles.  It does not have a positive political connotation for [[conservatives]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:23, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== anticompetitive ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
According to Merriam-Webster the first known use of this word is from 1854: [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anticompetitive]. [[User:Richman|Richman]] 15:49, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And Doubting Thomas is at least from as early as 1848:&lt;br /&gt;
[http://books.google.be/books?id=DbY3AQAAIAAJ&amp;amp;pg=PA222&amp;amp;lpg=PA222&amp;amp;dq=doubting+thomas&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=cJvz-HgNDp&amp;amp;sig=xyM0lYOAZJG1qaMtOYj-PiZ2qmg&amp;amp;hl=nl&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=csY_ULzJJa_Z0QXzsIGQBQ&amp;amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=doubting%20thomas&amp;amp;f=false]. These are just two words I checked. Which begs the question how accurate the other origin dates are. [[User:Richman|Richman]] 16:06, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Merriam-Webster (10th Edition, hardbound) says that &amp;quot;anticompetitive&amp;quot; dates from only 1952.  It also says that &amp;quot;Doubting Thomas&amp;quot; is from 1883.  But I'll change the dates based on your citations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:It's not surprising that there are some minor disputes about ''when'' the first use of a word occurred.  But the disputes are not substantial enough to alter the overall trend of doubling by century.  In fact, these changes may conform the data more closely to the geometric growth rate.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:19, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Superb remark! In the meantime, I have had a closer look at the list. Most of the terms don't seem inherently conservative to me. For instance, do you really think ''illiteracy'' is a conservative word of the highest quality just because &amp;quot;liberals seek to produce illiterate voters who lack independence, and many graduates of the public schools are illiterate today&amp;quot;? With explanations like that, any word can be labeled conservative or liberal.&lt;br /&gt;
::As to the geometric growth rate, have you considered that the ''total'' number of words in the English language shows a similar growth rate? [[User:Richman|Richman]] 11:40, 2 September 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Understanding the theory ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi. I'm having some difficulty with this argument:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''Conservative terms, expressing conservative insights, originate at a faster rate, and with much higher quality, than liberal terms. Conservative triumph over liberalism is thus inevitable.''&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If we're running this study from the start of the 17th century, then that's 400+ years in which conservatism has been growing steadily stronger due to outperforming liberalism in the generation of high quality terms and insights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With that in mind, I can't find any good explanation why conservatism hasn't yet triumphed, unless we wish to argue that the world was an exceptionally liberal place prior to 1600. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apologies if I've overlooked some other obvious implicit premise. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:JohanZ|JohanZ]] 18:16, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Conservatism '''''has''''' triumphed on many, many issues.  But just as food production has triumphed and far surpassed the demand for food consumption, some pockets of starvation still exist, and thus the triumph of conservatism does not mean that all pockets of liberalism have vanished.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:31, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Is it possible to quantify (roughly) where we started c.1600 and where we're at now, then, in terms of conservatism v. liberalism? Taking a 10 point scale of 1 (untrammelled liberalism) to 10 (complete triumph of conservatism), what approximate values would you ascribe to 1600 and 2012?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::I don't suggest adding them to the essay as such; more as a guide for setting the theory in its proper historical context.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Thanks, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::--[[User:JohanZ|JohanZ]] 19:03, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Perhaps society's conservatism was only &amp;quot;2&amp;quot; in 1600, and today it is &amp;quot;7&amp;quot;.  Perhaps a logarithmic scale (as with earthquakes) would be better than a linear scale.  In 1600, the wealthiest person lacked a standard of living that many poor Americans enjoy today.  Moreover, today there is immense opportunity for upward mobility in America, which did not exist in 1600.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:36, 30 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I just have a question about the page that isn't clear to me- is this stating that these conservative words were created by conservatives on the origin date and then the meaning OR that these words were appropriated on those origin dates and the example of meaning is how it was adopted and used?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Could be either.  It's the meaning and term that are conservative, not necessarily the person who uses it.  Conservative words and insights are available to help everyone.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:34, 25 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== didactic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm surprised you didn't approve of this word Andy, as it's a conservative-leaning way of describing learning in that it places importance on literature and other forms of classical art. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 21:34, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Conservative is not synonymous with traditional.  Conservative is more forward-looking, although it respects concepts that are time-tested (a word recently added to the list).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:22, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== sectarian ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, I added this one when I discovered that it was a word created by conservatives. Seems like a good reason for it being on the list, however please let me know if you think otherwise. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 23:24, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== zero ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not sure whether to add this one. I know there's been discussions about zero with respect to biblical scientific foreknowledge ... should it be included? [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 23:27, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
PS. Sorry for all the edits - just getting into this list ;)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: I don't see why zero would be a particularly conservative word.  This is not a list of any words.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:46, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
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== &amp;quot;pertinence&amp;quot; not a high enough standard? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, could you please explain the characteristics which distinguish &amp;quot;addictive&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;aerobics&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;ambulance chaser&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;axiomatic&amp;quot; and so on and so forth as less run-of-the-mill and of a higher standard than the word &amp;quot;pertinence&amp;quot;? In my opinion &amp;quot;pertinence&amp;quot; is a very '''good''' word, alluding to logic and insight - both of which appear as conservative values in the Conservatism template. Perhaps I can be a more constructive contributer if this is clear [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 23:41, 28 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Falsifiable vs. Falsifiability ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again I'm unclear as to how one is more or less conservative than the other, and also why the youngest word takes precedence in the list over the older one. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 20:55, 29 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== A pertinent question ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, would it be safe to say that, in this entire list, there is only room for one more word and that word must be from the 1700s? I feel like I'm wasting my time making what I consider to be constructive contributions (which are arguably of higher quality than many, many other entries) to this &amp;quot;''Best'' Conservative Words&amp;quot; project. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 21:06, 29 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:How can there be &amp;quot;room&amp;quot; for a particular number of words from a particular time? There are as many &amp;quot;best conservative words&amp;quot; in circulation at a given time as were in circulation--the model has to fit the data; the data can't fit the model. [[User:MattyD|MattyD]] 13:58, 30 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::The words proposed for addition were &amp;quot;facilitator&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Quaker&amp;quot;, both of which are liberal concepts and certainly not conservative.  Quakers did not even fight in the American Revolution, and tended to support [[abortion]]!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Good additions from any of the centuries are welcome, but they need to fit the high quality standards of the list.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:30, 30 November 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Listener? Falsifiable? Fatherland? Pertinent? Oh well, at least words like &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;correlate&amp;quot; - which are ''clearly'' conservative - remain. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 17:48, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Don't forget &amp;quot;transistor.&amp;quot; And &amp;quot;Philadelphia.&amp;quot; [[User:MattyD|MattyD]] 18:22, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Philadelphia was founded on [[conservative]] principles -- as was the [[U.S. Constitution]] that was drafted there.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:17, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::I have to agree with MattyD that &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot; is a particularly poor choice for this list.  Nevertheless, I updated the entry to reflect that the name originates from the 2nd century BC and cities in the Near East at the time of Jesus.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:29, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::'''EDIT''' By the way, if you want to keep up your &amp;quot;pattern&amp;quot; of doubling by century, you are going to need to find a total 2,097,152 &amp;quot;new conservative words&amp;quot; from the 20th century.  Better get to work :P.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:34, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::That's witty about doubling from the 2nd century BC, but the reality is that the English city name &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot; is not nearly so old.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:17, 2 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
Seeing as Philadelphia was one of the principle slave ports of its time, and most of the slaves in the colony and state of Pennsylvania lived in or near the city, I guess your argument about its foundation on conservative principles is confirmed. [[User:MattyD|MattyD]] 12:41, 5 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Philadelphia ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The explanation for the word &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot;'s (dated on the main page to 1682) being conservative is&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|coined by William Penn and meaning &amp;quot;city of brotherly love,&amp;quot; the concept captures the &amp;quot;best of the public&amp;quot; approach}}&lt;br /&gt;
I'm confused by the 1682 date because the ancient city of Philadelphia in Asia minor was established in the 2nd century BC and it was named for the Greek for &amp;quot;brotherly love.&amp;quot;  So it's clear that the name &amp;quot;Philadelphia&amp;quot; is over 2000 years old.  Moreover, the explanation for why &amp;quot;brotherly love&amp;quot; is conservative (that it &amp;quot;captures the 'best of the public' approach&amp;quot;) appears to apply equally to any city named Philadelphia.  I simply don't know why 1688 is listed as the origin date for a word that has existed for much longer--perhaps you can clarify so that there aren't any further misunderstandings.  Thanks, [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:04, 3 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:Hmm... that's an interesting point you have there GregG. If Philidelphia is indeed a conservative word ''and'' it dates back to the second century BC... that means there should be over 4,194,304 conservative words by now. Obviously, the author of this article only intended to include words in the English language, in which case, Philly (along with other non-English entries) should be removed from he list. --[[User:DonnyC|DonnyC]] 21:11, 5 December 2012 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== &amp;quot;welfare to work&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From [http://www.gop.gov/policy-news/12/09/19/preserving-work-requirements-for-welfare gop.gov]:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
House Republicans believe that Welfare to Work empowers mothers and helps to strengthen families.  In the years following the passage of Welfare to Work, poverty among all single mothers fell by 30 percent and employment and earnings among single mothers increased significantly. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Although I see that the term was used by Democrats, &amp;lt;strike&amp;gt;I've re-added the term to the list.&amp;lt;/strike&amp;gt;  The 1996 welfare reform was a major Republican victory, exemplified by the term.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:39, 29 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Proposed changes ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1. Boomerang - the word was not used as a verb until the 1880s. I don't think that there is anything particularly conservative about the noun version of the word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
2. Cesspool - according to the OED this word is from the 1680s and in other examples on this page the Oxford etymology is chosen in preference over Merriam-Webster.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
3. Quackery is a word often used by conservatives to describe unproven liberal nonsense in a similar way that claptrap is used to describe other liberal nonsense.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'd also like clarification on how to know whether a stem word should be used in place of its root. For example, the entry &amp;quot;scapegoating&amp;quot; is based on the 1943 adjective version of the noun &amp;quot;scapegoat&amp;quot;, which is from the 1500s - why?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Disputes at the margin are to be expected in a list like this.  You've identified two questionable entries, but their inclusion is adequately explained in the comment section.  Your third word, &amp;quot;quackery&amp;quot;, is namecalling that conservatives rarely use.  It is a smear word that has no place in this quality list.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:48, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:As to your second issue, when a word goes to a level higher than the root (as &amp;quot;scapegoating&amp;quot; does), then its new date and usage are more relevant.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:50, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Mightn't some consider &amp;quot;claptrap&amp;quot; to be just as much a smear/namecalling word as quackery?&lt;br /&gt;
::Also, my only dispute with boomerang is its date. It was used as a verb in the 1880s and since the explanation is for the word indicates it's the action of boomeranging (as opposed to a crooked stick) I think that date should be used. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 17:33, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Conservative Words hypothesis is errant ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I believe that once America and Europe start tasting the bitter fruits of - liberal economic policies (Eurocrisis and French economy will get worse, etc,), an overregulated private sector, big government, failing public schools with leftist ideology, a heavily aging population due to abortion (and other liberal ideology) and growing competition from an increasingly Christianized Eastern World and developing world - then they will sober up and become more conservative. In addition, strongly religious people are having more kids than secularists plus the liberal media is losing market share while conservative media is growing.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However, the two time election of Barack Obama, a ballooning U.S. federal deficit over the last 12 years, a liberal U.S. Supreme Court since the 1960s that continues to uphold Roe vs. Wade (and other liberal policies such as upholding ObamaCare)  and a very liberal UK does not give me confidence that the Anglosphere has become more conservative over time in general - especially post 1960s. It has become more liberal. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition, words such as &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; are not conservative. You are engaging in confirmation bias and trying to shoehorn words into your &amp;quot;Conservative Words hypothesis&amp;quot;.  I don't like the Anglosphere becoming more liberal since the 1960s and the failed policies will bear their bitter fruits in heapfuls on the horizon so things could reverse, but that doesn't give me a license to construct a false reality in the meantime.  Plus, constructing a false reality is counterproductive. In order to effectively cure a problem, you have to recognize the full scope of the problem and not claim victory where there is no victory. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bottom line: The [[Essay:Best New Conservative Words|Conservative Words hypothesis]] fails. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:10, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: I would agree that galvanize isn't a conservative word, it isn't a liberal word either it is a science/engineering word. It is word derived from the name of Luigi Galvani who found the galvanic series. Of which bought about the discovery of galvanization. However it can be political in certain situations and us from the conservative side of politics tend to work better together than those on the liberal side of politics (ie labor tearing itself apart and us in the liberal party counting down the days till our win on the 14th of september !) [[User:Dvergne|Dvergne]] 11:09, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Though not strongly conservative, &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; has usage with respect to the grassroots, as in &amp;quot;galvanize the grassroots.&amp;quot;  Also, liberals tend to be pessimistic about what man can achieve with God, denying progress, while &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; suggests the progress advocated by conservatives.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:30, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Andy, you have some good articles in terms of their content and titles such as [[Essay:The Invisible Hand of Marriage]] and [[Professor values]], but also need to cut your losses for the clunkers like [[Essay:Best New Conservative Words]].  For example, to say that &amp;quot;galvanize&amp;quot; is not a strongly conservative word is quite an understatement since it is not conservative word at all. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 14:55, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::I don't doubt that certain groups of society use words with different, even characteristic frequencies. Have a lawyer and a nurse retell Grimm's ''[[Snow White]]'', and you can guess who told which version using  only the word-count! &lt;br /&gt;
::::That said, I'm surprised tby claim that certain words indicate a conservative leaning for more than 300 years! Languages are always changing, and preferences for words, too! I cannot talk about the English language with confidence - unfortunately I'm not getting all the subtleties - but here are two examples in German:&lt;br /&gt;
::::#using the abbreviation &amp;quot;BRD&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;Bundesrepublik Deutschland&amp;quot; during 1960-1990 was a clear indicator of a left-wing weltanschauung, but it became politically neutral over the last years.&lt;br /&gt;
::::#nowadays, the term &amp;quot;Nachhaltigkeit&amp;quot; (sustainability) isn't missing from any speech of any economist or politician, whether from the right or from the left. In the 1980s, it was  used by environmentalists exclusively.&lt;br /&gt;
::::So there may be conservative and liberal concepts, but the language describing them is always changing.&lt;br /&gt;
::::Another problem: Over the last year, I saw  examples of &amp;quot;perfect doublings&amp;quot; announced a couple of times. That seems to be rather improbable, statistically speaking, and indicates a manipulation of the data (confirmation bias) - as User:Conservative stated above.&lt;br /&gt;
::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 16:01, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::The fact that a perfect doubling has occurred many times with different layers tends to support, rather than undermine, the hypothesis that a perfect doubling is inherent in the language.  Otherwise it would be very difficult for each layer to display a perfect doubling too!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Many stumble on the issue of whether the selection of terms is perfectly random.  The selection of terms need not be random to conclude that a doubling by century intrinsically exists.  Think about why.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:51, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::''Think about why.'' Because you have invented a new kind of statistics?&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Using your method, we could show that there are as many Germans as there are Americans, just by alternately listing Germans and Americans! That could go on for quite a while, without proving anything about the real ratio. (Browsing through the archives, I see I'm not the first to point this out: see [[Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words/archive3#Research_method|here]] and [[Talk:Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words/archive3#Selection_Bias_and_Proposal_for_an_Unbiased_Test|here]])&lt;br /&gt;
::::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 16:57, 31 January 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::May I expect an answer to my comment above? --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 19:30, 2 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== My problems with making any statistical conclusions ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I will provide my honest opinion.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this essay is meant to be a personal project in learning new vocabulary, etymology, and use of language, then it's certainly worthwhile.  However, if the intent of this essay was to draw statistical conclusions, the methodology is so egregiously flawed that there is really nothing one can take away from the data in the essay.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Several methodology problems are the following:&lt;br /&gt;
*There is no objective definition as to what constitutes a word, or a conservative word, for that matter.  For some reason, abbreviations, proper names, and multiple-word terms appear on the list.  Very similar terms are alternative counted as conservative or not (contrast &amp;quot;welfare queen&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;welfare to work&amp;quot;, for example).  The fact that there are several arguments on this very page as to whether or not words are conservative indicate that the notion of a &amp;quot;conservative word&amp;quot; is not well-defined.&lt;br /&gt;
*The arbiter of whether or not a term is conservative appears to a strong interest in ensuring that the data collected fit into a predetermined &amp;quot;doubling&amp;quot; pattern.  (In fact, it seems to me that this approach to the subject demonstrates a lack of open-mindedness that the empirical data may suggest a different conclusion than the one anticipated.)  It's not even single blind, much less double blind.&lt;br /&gt;
*There is no consistency as to the date assigned to a term.  It appears to be the date a term became conservative.  There is no objective calculation of the date assigned to a term (like, for example, consulting the OED for the oldest extant print reference to a word).&lt;br /&gt;
*No comparison is made to the growth in the number of English terms since 1600 nor the growth of liberal terms over time.&lt;br /&gt;
*The words are not randomly sampled.  They appear to be inserted in order to fit a predetermined pattern.  A better method to solve the problem would be to randomly select words from the dictionary.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In all, if you want to keep this as a side project just for the educational value, be my guest.  However, if you want to draw mathematical or statistical conclusions from this essay, I would advise you not to, as it only serves to make us conservatives at Conservapedia appear sophomoric in mathematics, statistics, and logic.  Thanks, [[User:GregG|GregG]] 20:22, 1 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: Good points. Let's revisit this at the end of the 21st century when we have another data point. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 19:54, 2 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:: Why so modest? Lets wait for the year 2700: then we'll see more than one conservative word each day! --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 20:02, 2 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== &amp;quot;Act of God&amp;quot; dates back to at least 1787 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
In the case before the court, if the lessee had covenanted for himself and his assigns, to deliver up the tenements in good order and repair, notwithstanding they should be destroyed by act of God or of an Enemy, then this action would certainly lie, because of the special express words; but when there are no such words, but only generally to repair &amp;amp;c. would it be reasonable to construe these words so as to extend to the cases put?&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
''Pollard v. Shaaffer'', 1 U.S. 210, 213 (1 Dall. 210) (1787).  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 01:15, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Superb research!  I'll update the entry (you can also).  I also learned something: the U.S. Reports include Pennsylvania Supreme Court decisions before the US Supreme Court was created.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:09, 9 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Mardi Gras ==&lt;br /&gt;
Just thought I should let you know that Mardi Gras is on this site as an example of a Conservative word and also a [[Secularized_Language|secularized word]]. If I use it am I a conservative or a liberal-homosexual-atheist-evolutionist-leftist attempting to remove the Christian origins of our language? ([[User:Ic|Ic]] 15:23, 14 February 2013 (EST))&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Definition ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have read the essay and skimmed through the huge archives of this talk page, but I didn't find any reference to a reliable, objective, independent definition of &amp;quot;best new conservative word&amp;quot;. By the way, [http://www.oed.com/timelines this] is interesting reliable information on the increase of the total number of words in the English language. [[User:Onestone|Onestone]] 02:34, 15 February 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Objections ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The vast majority of so-called &amp;quot;Conservative&amp;quot; words shown here are just words without any sort of difference between a Conservative use and a Liberal use (e.g. activism, addictive, aerobics, accuracy, alarmism, alcoholism, etc.). And somehow the statistics at the top of the page claim that the usage of &amp;quot;Conservative&amp;quot; words are growing at an exponential rate compared to &amp;quot;Liberal&amp;quot; words! It is clear that this is just a blatant example of fact-twisting employed in order to further Conservative propaganda. [[User:RaymondZ|RaymondZ]] 17:23, 4 March 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Reply to the above ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I think some conflate a conservative word/idea/concept with whether the person using the word is a conservative or a liberal.  A similar objection was raised to [[Greatest Conservative Songs]], when people insisted that a particular song was sung by a liberal group, and therefore could not be conservative.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A liberal can wish someone &amp;quot;Merry Christmas,&amp;quot; and is welcome to use other conservative terms.  But such use would not detract from the conservative nature of the terms.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:56, 4 March 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== May I suggest ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Antidisestablishmentarianism: 18th Century, Against the separation of church and state.&lt;br /&gt;
Tory: 17th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
Protestant: 16th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
Dreadnaught: 20th Century. A large all big gun battleship.&lt;br /&gt;
Aircraft-Carrier: 20th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
Machine-gun: 19th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
I will try to thing of more later--[[User:Patmac|Patmac]] 19:57, 6 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Recount ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Could someone please check the numbers of words per century? My count is somewhat differing from the official one:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Century&lt;br /&gt;
!# official&lt;br /&gt;
!# AugustO&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1600s&lt;br /&gt;
|32&lt;br /&gt;
|32&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1700s&lt;br /&gt;
|64&lt;br /&gt;
|64&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1800s&lt;br /&gt;
|127&lt;br /&gt;
|'''129'''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|1900s&lt;br /&gt;
|256&lt;br /&gt;
|'''258'''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|2000s&lt;br /&gt;
|27 (preliminary)&lt;br /&gt;
|27&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'd rather like to see someone checking these numbers, it's so easy to make an error. --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 04:46, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Excellent work!  There were some recent additions that are not high quality enough to remain, and not worthy of inclusion in the count.  I'll revert them now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 08:59, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*Thank you for your praise! But I'd like to see someone double-checking the numbers!&lt;br /&gt;
::*You removed ''coolant'', a term you had introduced into the list on [http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words&amp;amp;diff=801887&amp;amp;oldid=801500 Aug 7, 2010]. This implies that every one of the '''nine''' ''perfect geometric fits'' since August 2010 was false - and it highlights the problematic approach of your ''statistics'', which I already mentioned above in [[#Conservative Words hypothesis is errant]]. I see that you haven't answered to my comments in that section...&lt;br /&gt;
::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:00, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Not &amp;quot;false&amp;quot;, but lacking in a perfect understanding - which is what all knowledge is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:17, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::I share a critical view of the &amp;quot;Best New Conservative Words&amp;quot; with many on these talk-pages. Before you erased &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; from the list, I had the following working definition:&lt;br /&gt;
:::::''A conservative word is a term which Andrew Schlafly likes''.&lt;br /&gt;
::::Now, I have refined this to:&lt;br /&gt;
:::::''A conservative word is a term which Andrew Schlafly likes today''.&lt;br /&gt;
::::Please excuse this flippant approach, but I've yet to see an objective definition of the term &amp;quot;conservative word&amp;quot;, something which would allow even me to decide whether a certain word (perhaps even a German one) is conservative or not. &lt;br /&gt;
::::--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 12:21, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::It's an atheistic quality to think that stubbornness in a position is an admirable trait, as in someone who rejects God as a college student and then clings for decades to that mistaken belief without genuinely reconsidering it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:47, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Objections to &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; were made, and upon reflection the objections had validity.  I don't see why anyone would criticize someone for making an improvement.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:47, 10 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::It's always good to rethink one's position, but generally a change should be induced by new information. The last time someone criticized &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; (this was a year ago), you answered:&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::''&amp;quot;Motivation&amp;quot; is a far more conservative term - one can find motivation whether the playing field islevel or not. &amp;quot;Quantify&amp;quot; is logic, which is an essential difference between conservative and liberal approaches. &amp;quot;Coolant&amp;quot; is an essential part of nuclear energy -- which liberals loathe.''&lt;br /&gt;
::::::What has changed your opinion? Why is &amp;quot;coolant&amp;quot; not longer conservative, but &amp;quot;motivation&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;quantify&amp;quot; are? Why is &amp;quot;transistor&amp;quot; a conservative word, but not &amp;quot;diode&amp;quot;. Is an &amp;quot;ordered pair&amp;quot; more conservative than a &amp;quot;vector&amp;quot;? &amp;quot;Decrypt&amp;quot; more conservative than &amp;quot;encrypt&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;decode&amp;quot;? &amp;quot;Countability&amp;quot; is conservative, but what about &amp;quot;computability&amp;quot;? &amp;quot;Conservative field&amp;quot; is conservative, because it is in its name, duh?&lt;br /&gt;
::::::You have given no systematic approach for the detection of conservative words, it is all very fuzzy (but that's no problem, because &amp;quot;fuzzy math&amp;quot; is a conservative word, other than &amp;quot;chaos theory&amp;quot;).&lt;br /&gt;
::::::It is very difficult to take this seemingly random list of words serious, and the statistics behind it are even shadier (see e.g., [[#Conservative Words hypothesis is errant]].  Could you please come up with a working definition for the term &amp;quot;conservative word&amp;quot;? --[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 15:20, 11 May 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Silver Lining==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Actually the first mention of clouds having silver linings is in ''&amp;quot;Comus&amp;quot;'', a [[Masque]] by [[John Milton]], first performed in 1632.  A young lady, lost and alone in a forest with night approaching is encouraged by the phenomenon:&lt;br /&gt;
:''Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud'' &lt;br /&gt;
:''Turn forth her silver lining on the night?''&lt;br /&gt;
:''I did not err; there does a sable cloud''&lt;br /&gt;
:''Turn forth her silver lining on the night'' &lt;br /&gt;
:''And cast a gleam over this tufted grove''.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Dickens]] played on the allusion in ''&amp;quot;Bleak House&amp;quot;'' in 1852 and the 1871 reference was, I assume, by Samuel Smiles. [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 03:47, 27 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:That's fascinating.  Perhaps Dickens (1852) should be created for first popularizing the figurative meaning?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:30, 27 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Morning all...Dickens wrote: ''&amp;quot;I turn my silver lining outward like Milton's cloud.&amp;quot;'' I believe though that by the mid 19th century the phrase &amp;quot;''Every cloud has a silver lining&amp;quot;'' had become recognised as a proverb.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And while we're sorta on Milton, try ''pandemonium'' and ''trip the light fantastic''. [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 17:05, 27 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Doubling ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I'm struggling to see why it is so crucial that a perfect doubling is achieved. It doesn't prove anything, and looking down the page some words don't seem very conservative at all. [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 19:07, 29 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Tour_de_France&amp;diff=1058965</id>
		<title>Tour de France</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Tour_de_France&amp;diff=1058965"/>
		<updated>2013-06-29T23:02:30Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: Little Update&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The [[Tour de France]] is a famous cycling race, held annually in [[France]] during the month of July. The Tour de France, [[Giro d'Italia]], and [[Vuelta a Espagne]] are referred to as the [[Grand Tours]] of professional cycling. The course of the race changes from year to year, often passing through neighboring countries, but traditionally finishes on the [[Champs-Elysees]] in [[Paris]]. The tour often starts in countries other than France to create more publicity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Tour de France was first run in 1903, and has been completed every year since, except for the war years 1915 - 1918 and 1940 - 1946.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Tour de France is a stage race; that is, it consists of a series of one-day races over different routes, with the overall winner determined by the combined time from all events, with bonus and penalty times removed and added. The race is typically composed of 20 or 21 stages and a short prologue time trial, with some stages being flat and others being hugely mountainous.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Riders who compete in the Tour de France are members of corporate-sponsored teams of nine riders. These nine riders work together to help the team leader or other team members to increase their standing. Two teams competing in the 2013 Tour de France were based in the United States: BMC Racing and Garmin-Sharp&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Riders in the Tour de France compete in several different competitions; the leader of each competition is awarded a jersey at the end of each stage race. The [[Yellow Jersey]] is awarded to the overall race leader. The Green Jersey is awarded to the leader of the points competition, in which points are awarded to riders winning a series of sprint races. The Polka-dot Jersey is awarded to the &amp;quot;King of the Mountains&amp;quot; leader, given to the rider who has the best record climbing designated hills and mountains in the race. The White Jersey  is awarded to the &amp;quot;Best Young Rider&amp;quot;, the rider under the age of 25 with the highest placement in the overall race standings.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Greg Lemond]] was the first American to win the Tour, in 1986.  Lemond won again in 1989 and 1990.  American [[Lance Armstrong]] won the race a record seven times from 1999 to 2005. While the French media often accused Armstrong of steroid use, such claims were never supported by his drug test results, however, in 2012 Armstrong was stripped of all results and victories since 1998, and the 7 Tours he won now have no victor. The 2006 winner was another American, [[Floyd Landis]], however his victory was contested due to a failed drug test following a stage victory. The controversy came after a number of riders, including race favorites [[Ivan Basso]] and [[Jan Ullrich]], were banned from competing in the race just a few days before it began due to allegations of steroid use.  Landis was eventually stripped of his title, and Spanish rider [[Oscar Pereiro]] became the 2006 winner.  The most recent Tours have been won by English Speakers[[Cadel Evans]] (2011) and [[Bradley Wiggins]] (2012).  American [[Lance Armstrong]] returned to professional cycling and competed in the 2009 Tour, finishing third behind Alberto Contador of [[Spain]] and [[Andy Schleck]] of [[Luxembourg]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/LIVE/us/2100/classement/index.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An up to date list of Tour winners is here: &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/tdf/tdfindex.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Cycling]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Anti-Americanism&amp;diff=1058964</id>
		<title>Anti-Americanism</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Anti-Americanism&amp;diff=1058964"/>
		<updated>2013-06-29T22:54:00Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[File:US Iran.gif|right]]&lt;br /&gt;
'''Anti-Americanism''' is hostility towards the people, policies and culture of [[United States of America]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many Islamist and Marxist regimes are noted for their anti-American sentiments- often disguised as criticism of the War on Terror. Those with anti-American sentiments often lack the liberty celebrated in America and therefore hate America because of the freedoms available to the American people, and many are liberals who believe that other nations are equal to or beyond America in their achievements. There are some others who envy America's military might and ability to spread democracy who dislike America for doing so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anti-Americanism is not only the world’s most pernicious and ubiquitous ideology — it is also the most tenacious. In fact, it has taken on some aspects of a religion.&amp;quot; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nysun.com/news/america-s-moral-authority&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anti-Americanism is not only the world’s most pernicious and ubiquitous ideology — it is also the most tenacious. In fact, it has taken on some aspects of a religion.&amp;quot; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nysun.com/news/america-s-moral-authority America’s Moral Authority], Daniel Johnson, ''[[New York Sun|The New York Sun]]'', May 1, 2008&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anti-Americanism is the prevailing disease of intellectuals today.&amp;quot; &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.forbes.com/global/2003/0721/017.html Anti-Americanism Is Racist Envy], Paul Johnson, ''[[Forbes|Forbes.com]]'', July 21, 2003&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/anti-americanism/ What Liberals Say - Category: Anti-Americanism], [[Accuracy In Media]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:United States]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Liberalism]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=National_Organization_for_Marriage&amp;diff=1058660</id>
		<title>National Organization for Marriage</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=National_Organization_for_Marriage&amp;diff=1058660"/>
		<updated>2013-06-28T12:05:31Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''National Organization for Marriage''' is against redefining marriage and in favor of [[marriage]] as &amp;quot;the union of husband and wife&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
They believe this will protect the institution of marriage. The organisation's leader, Brian S. Brown, strongly opposed the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling on [[DOMA]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/06/26/supreme-court-issues-two-illegitimate-decisions-on-same-sex-marriage/ Brian S. Brown response to DOMA ruling]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.nationformarriage.org Official Site]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:Political Organizations]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=National_Organization_for_Marriage&amp;diff=1058659</id>
		<title>National Organization for Marriage</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=National_Organization_for_Marriage&amp;diff=1058659"/>
		<updated>2013-06-28T12:05:09Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''National Organization for Marriage''' is against redefining marriage and in favor of [[marriage]] as &amp;quot;the union of husband and wife&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
They believe this will protect the institution of marriage. The organisation's leader, Brian S. Brown, strongly opposed the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling on [[DOMA]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/06/26/supreme-court-issues-two-illegitimate-decisions-on-same-sex-marriage/ Brian S. Brown response to DOMA ruling]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
==External Links==&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.nationformarriage.org Official Site&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:Political Organizations]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1057393</id>
		<title>Talk:Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Essay:_Conservapedia_obsessive_compulsive_disorder&amp;diff=1057393"/>
		<updated>2013-06-21T03:51:49Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Quality control */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Sounds frightening. Is there any known cure? [[User:Martyp|Martyp]] 21:40, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Thanks for the input. I just added a section to the essay entitled '''Treatment of Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder'''. [[User:Conservative|conservative]] 22:20, 20 November 2010 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Dog with a bone.jpg|right|thumbnail|250px|If you think taking a bone away from a dog is hard, try getting a [[liberal]] with [[Essay: Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder|Conservapedia obsessive compulsive disorder]] to stop thinking about [[Conservapedia]]!&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;(photo obtained from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsand/4589825889/ Flickr], see: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en license agreement])&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt;]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== lol ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I love you people. we need to get you all a tv show.. ratings would be big!! [[User:Xoxoxoxo|Xoxoxoxo]] 18:13, 22 June 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Should it be noted==&lt;br /&gt;
That COCD can afflict conservatives as well? If an obsessive compulsion with Conservapedia caused people to read the Bible less, would we censor that? [[User:BradB|BradB]] 13:10, 9 August 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Dog photos ==&lt;br /&gt;
I love dogs as much as the next guy but having them all over this article both takes away from the point, and makes Conservapedia look a little... childish? Thoughts? [[User:JRegden|JRegden]] 23:50, 23 May 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Quality control ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This should not pass it. This is the lowest quality article I have seen on any wiki. It's an affront to the brilliance of so many other articles on CP. I will ask ASchlafly whether this can be deleted. Any thoughts? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 23:51, 20 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057143</id>
		<title>Talk:2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057143"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:55:03Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* The Durant question */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== &amp;quot;1 Nations That Impose Same-sex marriage/ 2 Nations that are increasingly atheistic/ 3 Sports that have been ravaged by feminist Title IX in the U.S.&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nice. Great way to cover all your bases. When the US does well, you can crow about the same-sex marriage and the atheism. When the US doesn't do well, you can pile on Title IX and the feminists. Win-Win. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 10:52, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Also, it's curious that you are focused on reasons for failure, not reasons for success. Why not divide up the matrix by, say, &amp;quot;Countries with a record of supporting young athletes&amp;quot;/&amp;quot;Countries with a strong cultural tradition of teamwork&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Countries with a strong tradition of individual accomplishment&amp;quot;/&amp;quot;Countries where fitness is held as an important value&amp;quot;? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 11:06, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Category 3 is sports-specific in the [[U.S.]], so there is no contradiction with categories 1 and 2, which are nation-specific.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:54, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Which is exactly why your matrix allows you to frame both US victories and US defeats in terms of your political agenda. It's an awesome rhetorical move. But I'm still curious as to why you are more focused on reasons for failure than on reasons for success. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:15, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::There is nothing &amp;quot;rhetorical&amp;quot; about this.  Ideologies obviously have consequences, and this is a prediction of those consequences beforehand, with an evaluation as the results occur.  Surely we shouldn't pretend that every contestant is a winner, and every ideology is a winner too?  (Except, of course, [[Christianity]], which [[liberals]] never want to credit).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:22, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Of course it's a rhetorical move--you are narrowing your analysis to focus on the political points that you are most interested in. Of course we shouldn't pretend that every contestant is a winner, so why not focus on reasons why people win, as opposed to why they lose--and surely Christianity is not the only reason, otherwise Jews, Muslims, atheists, Shintoists, Mormons, Moonies, Buddhists etc would never win any medals. It would be worthwhile to account for non-divine, or at least non-Christian   reasons for success. Your focus on failure is really disheartening. Do you enjoy pointing out other's shortcomings, or are you projecting? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:29, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::I'm fine with focusing on the winners - a entire entry called [[Greatest Conesrvative Sports Stars]] has been doing that for months.  If you'd like to add a section to [[Olympics 2012]] that focuses on winners, that would be welcome.  In fact, I'll start it for you now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:46, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::Again, a great rhetorical move on your part--what about the non-conservative winners? If they're not conservative, they can't be winners. If they're winners, they must be conservative. If Tim Thomas doesn't lead the Boston Bruins to another Stanley Cup, hockey falls off the front page of the website; if the Miami Heat win, it's because they were somehow &amp;quot;taught a lesson&amp;quot; by a team they went on to beat soundly. Well played, sir. Well played. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:52, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::::Your objection reminds me of the editor who thought it significant that [[Tim Tebow]], after winning a spectacular upset in the first game of last year's [[NFL]] playoffs, then lost in the second round to a much stronger team.  My response then is similar to now:  people usually don't look for a miracle to occur ever single time.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:34, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Euro 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
Slightly off-topic, I admit, but I was wondering, whether Andy had any comments on the final of the European Cup final (soccer) that takes place tonight between Spain and Italy? Maybe even a prediction who might win? If you haven't followed the tournament so far, atheistic England went out in the quarter finals, while the liberal Netherlands didn't make it past the first round (same as catholic, pro-life Poland, incidentally). --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 13:31, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The [[Netherlands]] is a big [[same-sex marriage]] country, so no surprise there.  Both [[Spain]] and [[Italy]] are very [[liberal]], so that's a tough choice.  Poland was under communist martial law until about 20-25 years ago, so I don't think it's far to expect it to do as well.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:34, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::So gay marriage, political culture, and form of government matter more that the relative skill of the players, their histories in recent match-ups, their style of play, the depth of their squads, coaching, or any other soccer-related questions? So when you sit down to watch a given sports contest, you analyze the game through the lens of politics and religion, and not through the lenses of ability, strategy, or any other sports-related concept. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:06, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Deny it all you like, but ideologies do have consequences.  Show me a sports team of atheists and I'll show you a team that's not going to win the championship.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:20, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::So all of those Soviet medal wins in the Olympics, or in international hockey, all of the medal wins by Chinese teams--they were all believers of one sort or another? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:26, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Also, if Spain and Italy are both &amp;quot;very liberal&amp;quot;, that means a liberal team is guaranteed to win the championship. Guess it pays to be &amp;quot;very liberal!&amp;quot;  [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:30, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Meh.... In the first Euro championship (1960), the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia finished 1-2-3 respectively. All were communist. At least two communist nations made the semifinals for each of the next 3 Euros. In 1980, the Czechoslovakians finished third. In 1984, no Communist nations finished in the Top 4, but that was the only time that happened. The Soviets came in second in 1988, and then the communists fell. Since then (6 Euros), the Czechs have two Top 4 apppearances, the Russians have one, and other communist nations or their successor states have none. Of course, this is misleading because a combined Yugoslavia team consisting of the Serbian, Montenegrin, Croatian, etc. teams might have done well, and of those nations, only Croatia qualified and they did fairly well considering they were in a group with Italy and Spain. Most of the Yugoslavian players were Serbian, and most of the Soviet players were Russian. So it appears Serbia and Russia suffered. But Croatia and Montenegro have done well since independence (and a unified Serbia and Montenegro team qualified for the World Cup in 2006, but was placed in the group of death and eliminated in the first round. It also didn't help that the World Cup was held after the two nations separated). Also, Bosnia and Herzigovina has improved, coming within a playoff against Portugal of qualifying for both the World Cup and Euro, but they lost both.&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, Ukraine has improved significantly since the USSR breakup. Although they only qualified this year because they were hosts, they qualified for the World Cup in 2006 and almost again in 2010. Latvia qualified for Euro 2004, even though there were pretty much no Latvian Soviet soccer players. Estonia also came within a playoff of qualifying for Euro this year, a marked improvement over their Soviet days, but lost. Same with Bosnia-Herzigovinia and Montenegro. Additionally, either Slovakia or the Czech Republic has qualified almost always for the World Cup and Euro, and a combined team would likely have done better. In team sports, it is hard to compare stats from before and after, because while the USSR may have done better than any of the new nations, we don't know how the new nations would do if they competed together as they did when they were the USSR. Andre Szevchenko is one of the best players in Europe for Ukraine, but he doesn't have much support. If he had the support of Russian players, Estonian players, and Latvian players on his team, then that team would probably have done better. The same could be said of a combined team for Czech Republic and Slovakia. &lt;br /&gt;
As an example of the opposite, the new German team has done far better than the old East German team, including some players from Berlin who would have competed for East Gemrany 25 years ago. Their performance is slightly better than the West German performance, although this is probably just because they have more people now, since they were both capitalist. &lt;br /&gt;
Also, Germany is the only country in the Netherlands' group that does not have same-sex marriage (Portugal and Denmark also do). At least one of them by rule HAD to advance (Portugal did), but it was the Germans who won the group with a perfect record. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 05:20, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Evidence that Christianity increases a countries  Olympic medals while atheism and liberalism reduce gold medals won ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, although it is true that Communist/authoritarian countries have gone out of their way in the past to pour money in the Olympic gold winning efforts (Soviet Union)[http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&amp;amp;context=econ_honproj&amp;amp;sei-redir=1&amp;amp;referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dgdp%2520population%2520freedom%2520and%2520olympic%2520medals%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26ved%3D0CEoQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.iwu.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1004%2526context%253Decon_honproj%26ei%3DbsLwT5fpO-Hq0gHpidj6Ag%26usg%3DAFQjCNGA2tePIDTqdOmM8p42uwGhpzkVhA#search=%22gdp%20population%20freedom%20olympic%20medals%22], it is also true that a higher population size and a higher GDP positively affect the number of gold medals that a country wins.[http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/andrew.bernard/olymp60restat_finaljournalversion.pdf]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Atheism reduces a countries population size while religiosity increases a countries birth rate: http://conservapedia.com/Decline_of_atheism#Decline_of_atheism_in_terms_of_global_adherents_is_expected_to_accelerate See also: [[Decline of atheism]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the journal article ''Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications'' psychologists McCullough and Willoughby theorize that many of the positive links of religiousness with health and social behavior may be caused by religion's beneficial influences on self-control/self-regulation.[http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/Papers/Relig_self_control_bulletin.pdf][http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19210054] Athletes with more self-control have more mental toughness.[http://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8800&amp;amp;ATCLID=926652] Athletes with more mental toughness tend to perform at higher levels.[http://vimeo.com/23328555]  See also: [[Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, all other things remaining equal, religion in the Western world tends to promote more self-discipline and healthier behaviors when it comes to mental and physical health: See: [[Atheism and health]] and [[Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism]] and [[Atheism and obesity]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, while it is true that a country that is doing well can have &amp;quot;fat and sassy&amp;quot; atheists as a result. On the other hand,  if there is religious freedom in a country a country can have high levels of religiosity even with high incomes such as the United States. See effects of prosperity on rates of atheism: http://www.conservapedia.com/User:Conservative/atheism-research#Effect_of_prosperity_on_rate_of_atheism&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I am sure you can find data to support that capitalism causes a country to have higher incomes than socialism/liberalism over the long term. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Next, liberalism promotes abortion and small family sizes where conservative religion does not. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Summary: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLEAWsX0qk Jesus is the winnamon and Christians are on the winning side!] Christians are winners and atheists tend to lose again! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Go for the gold America! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! (where atheists are the least trusted group of individuals. See: [[Views on atheists]]) :) [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 17:07, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
=== No doubt Bible believers achieve more gold medals than atheists all other things being equal ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a study listed in Who's Who in Who's Who, it took 5,000 Presbyterian ministers to produce one child listed in Who's Who. Among lawyers the ratio was 5,000 to 1; dentists 2,500 to 1. But for every seven Christian missionary families from the United States, one of their children would be listed in Who's Who.[http://www.wentworthbaptist.ca/old/sermontexts/Leaving%20the%20past%20behind_Phil%203.1-14_071230.htm] See also: [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and health]] [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 09:33, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Do you have a link to that actual study? One in seven seems high. How big is this &amp;quot;Who's Who&amp;quot; list and how many missionary families are there in the USA?&lt;br /&gt;
::::Come on, everybody knows the formula to winning the gold. Preparation and conceive, believe and achieve! :) Doubters have a harder time believing than believers! Atheists are pessimists and have higher rates of depression. See: [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]. Bible believers who are realists and optimists are more upbeat and win more gold medals. Plus, conservative Bible believing Protestants with the Protestant work ethic, are more able to outwork atheists and achieve more gold medals. Secular Europe is filled lazy doubters who love socialism. Lazy people are less likely to win gold medals.  [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 10:08, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::yeah, that's good, really I just want to see how the study explains it&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::We know that per capita GDP increases Olympic medals. Therefore, when the shortsighted measures holding together the [http://www.care2.com/causes/euro-zone-crisis-banks-lower-rates-but-confidence-stays-low.html troubled Eurozone economy] stop working, they will win less gold medals than countries which were more prudent. The lazy secular Europeans should have listened to the Bible about hard work and not getting heavy into debt. The gold medal counts of secular Europe are going to be lower than they needed to be in 2016. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 10:24, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
http://www.gfmag.com/tools/global-database/economic-data/10394-public-debt-by-country.html#axzz1zqxAoMmm&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::I think it is self explanatory that those who have faith will have the discipline and the belief to achieve something extraordinary--[[User:OconnorM|OconnorM]] 12:46, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I do know that post 1950 the USA became more secular and United States became less financially prudent. Socialism and communism do not have great track records over the long term and atheists have tended to like these systems more.  Countries which adopted a Protestant work ethic have benefited and even those with a legacy of a Protestant work ethic culture have benefited.[http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/oct/31/economics-religion-research] The Bible also mentions sharpening the axe (Ecclesiastes 10:10), good stewardship of resources and orderliness. [http://www.openbible.info/topics/orderliness]  No doubt the legacy of Protestantism in the country of Germany (birth place of Protestantism), helped to create the efficiency and orderliness that their society is known for. Athletes who train more efficiently using the best methods and get better nutrition, gain more medals. See also: [[Christianity and science]]. Christianity has one of the highest rates of creationism in the world and despite Darwinist persecution of creationists and intelligent design proponents (see: [[Expelled]]) manages to be leader in technological innovation. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 13:48, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== One fair way to analyze ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In order to give a fair analysis, information needs to be compiled before the Games for the countries/sports listed for both pre/post same-sex marriage/girls playing sports and then add this year's results. As far as I can see, that would be the only way to objectively assess any trend regarding medals/performance. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 10:14, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:It would still make no case for any causal relationship between same-sex marriage, atheism etc. and performance at the Olympics. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 19:54, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Baseball not an Olympic sport in 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Baseball is removed from the list, because both baseball and softball have been dropped for the program for the 2012 Olympics. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/08/sports/08iht-oly.html?_r=1 [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 11:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Baseball being removed from list ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Maybe baseball (and softball) have been removed because they are not included in the 2012 Olympics. [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/8504326/] &amp;quot;They'rrre out! Olympics drop baseball, softball: Sports eliminated for 2012 Games, but could win way back in 2016&amp;quot; AP, nbcsports.com, July 9, 2005, retrieved July 2, 2012. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 11:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[[Baseball]] was dropped from the 2012 Olympics???  That's a disappointment!  Is the sport considered too [[conservative]]?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::If it is, why did [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Summer_Olympics#Medal_table Cuba win most of the gold medals?] (And the most medals overall?) [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:47, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Same sex marriage and underachievement. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While a rationale is given for the relationship between atheism and underperformance, none is given for the relationship between same sex marriage and underperformance. Can somebody who understands the relationship please provide a rationale in the relevant section? Thanks. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:25, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::A factor in winning gold medals is the population size of a country. How does same sex marriage help increase the population size of a country? The Russians seem to think that it doesn't. Also, Olympic athletes have to be in top physical condition. See: [[Homosexuality and health]].  In addition, mental toughness is important in sports and &amp;quot;Nancy boys&amp;quot; lack this characteristic!  Also, there is the issue of [[Homosexuality and obesity]]. If you could show us that the town of Ereses on the Greek Island of [[Lesbos]] has produced an inordinate amount of Olympic women gymnasts instead of higher incidence of obese lesbians, it would be greatly appreciated (See: [[Lesbianism and obesity]]).[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:16, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the town is called Eresos (Greek: Ερεσός), no? --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 15:21, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Thanks! Corrected. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:26, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::This isn't a good argument against same-sex marriage, you know. It's just not logical. If a marriage is for population growth, then why are marriages that can't/won't produce children permitted? My dad's on his second marriage since my mother passed away - no half-siblings yet. You need to think through your arguments. If these non-productive marriages ''are'' permitted, under what reason? Companionship? That can be applied to same-sex couples as well. Tax benefits? Ditto. The argument doesn't stand up very well. &lt;br /&gt;
:::Oh, and there you go - you just can't get away from negatively portraying fat people. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 15:24, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Why an ancient Greek myth should be applicable to today is something only you would know.&lt;br /&gt;
::::As for homosexuals at the Olympics - and &amp;quot;nancy boys&amp;quot; is a very derogatory term, much like using the n-word. One would think a site like this would be above that sort of thing, but obviously not - how about Mark Spitz (7 gold) and Greg Louganis (4 gold), who was also the the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States in 1984. &lt;br /&gt;
::::Once again, your tired old arguments don't hold any water - obese people - gay or straight are hardly likely to be participating at the games, so trying to make a correlation between a country's political decisions and the performance of individual athletes is - quite frankly - stupid. But I have a feeling that you still can't grasp the idea. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:26, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::There's a legal precedent - &amp;quot;He Who Asserts Must Prove&amp;quot;... so, let's see your proof that a government passing same-sex marriage laws affects individual sportsmens' performance. Hint: the drivel you wrote above is not proof. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:34, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Homosexuality related tourism occurs in this town today. Second, re: lower amount of mental toughness issue: [[Mental Health and Homosexuality]] Third, the birth rate of heterosexual marriages will always exceed homosexual &amp;quot;marriages&amp;quot; [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:37, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Your first point - totally not relevant. What the hell does tourism have to do with athletes at the Olympic Games? Second people - people who are not mentally tough - gay or straight wouldn't last at any level of competitive sport and thus wouldn't appear at the Games, so your point is invalid. Third point is equally invalid - birth rates have nothing to do with how individuals perform at the Games. Care to try again? [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:40, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
It is relevant: Homosexuality related tourism occurs in the Greek town today. In 1976, Gwen J. Proude and Sarah J. Green published a study in the journal Ethnology which showed a positive correlation between cultures which accepted or ignored homosexuality in their cultures and cultures which were more likely to have homosexuality be more common. (see: [[Homosexuality]]). [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Birth rates, already covered above: &amp;quot;A factor in winning gold medals is the population size of a country. How does same sex marriage help increase the population size of a country? The Russians seem to think that it doesn't.&amp;quot; [[User:Conservative|Conservative]]&lt;br /&gt;
:::Nope. Still has absolutely no relevance to the performance of individual athletes at the Games. In fact, on rereading your reasons, you seem to be stuck on the thought that countries that allow same-sex marriage would only send gay athletes to the Games. That is bizarre. &lt;br /&gt;
:::Just how many people of the same gender do you think are going to be married? To say it'll affect a country's population growth is double bizarre. Japan's population growth is going backwards and they don't have same-sex marriage. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:49, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Your [[last wordism]] isn't impressing anyone - especially since you conveniently ignored the [[Homosexuality and health]] issue. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:08, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Chuck norris.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|It is no coincidence that the fit and healthy Bible believing martial artist [[Chuck Norris]] lives in the state of [[Texas]] and not the city of San Francisco! Chuck Norris is no &amp;quot;Nancy boy&amp;quot; and he is the embodiment of mental toughness. ]]&lt;br /&gt;
{{clear}}&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Wouldn't there be just as many homosexuals whether same-sex marriage is legal or not? Legalizing same-sex marriage wouldn't turn the existing athletes into homosexuals. So we're barking up the wrong tree here. Even if there were a correlation between homosexuality and athletic performance, it would have nothing to do with the legal status of same-sex marriage. Tim Tebow will be playing his home games in New York next year (ok, fine, New Jersey, but I'm a Jets fan and I consider them to be from New York). Same-sex marriage is legal in New York. It was not legal in Colorado or Florida. It is ridiculous to suggest that this would somehow hurt Tebow's performance. He will be just as faithful, Christian, and heterosexual as he ever was. Even if the NFL adds a franchise in atheistic London (as they are foolishly considering) and Tebow winds up there, nothing will change. Even if the Bills move to Toronto and Tebow plays for them, nothing will change. So supposing there is a correlation, we're looking for it in the wrong place, in my opinion. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 07:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::To be fair, legalization of homosexual relationships may be a proxy for a jurisdiction's attitudes for homosexuality.  I don't think it's a very good proxy; it would probably be a better idea to examine sexual orientations of athletes themselves rather than attitudes about homosexuality held  by residents the places they represent.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 12:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: But it's not the ''attitudes'' of the athletes that [[User:Conservative]] says are relevant. It's the actual ''orientation'' of the athletes. He posted a number of references to homosexuality and health problems. Without commenting one way or the other on their merits, they only apply if the athlete himself is a homosexual. So I'm inclined to agree with GregG here. Perhaps Conservative's theory is right, but if it is, he's going about proving it the wrong way. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:08, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Evidence pointing to same sex marriage acceptance negatively affecting Olympic medal counts ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We know that bigger populations tend to gain more Olympic medals.[http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/andrew.bernard/olymp60restat_finaljournalversion.pdf] Show me that societies which accept homosexuality tend to have higher birth rates. &lt;br /&gt;
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We know that atheists are more accepting of homosexuality and also more liberal (see: [[Atheism and morality]]). We know that liberals are more accepting of homosexuality. See: [[Views on Homosexuality]].  We also know atheists tend to have lower birth rates. See: [[Decline of atheism]].  My educated guess is that liberal countries have lower birth rates (abortion, birth control, etc.). [http://erlc.com/article/death-of-liberalism/] There is also evidence pointing to societies which accept homosexuality having more of it. In 1976, Gwen J. Proude and Sarah J. Green published a study in the journal Ethnology which showed a positive correlation between cultures which accepted or ignored homosexuality in their cultures and cultures which were more likely to have homosexuality be more common. (see: [[Homosexuality]]). My educated guess therefore is that societies accepting of same sex marriage have lower birth rates and achieve less medals as a result. I do understand that societies which have more material wealth can grow morally lax and thus more accepting of homosexuality and those societies tend to be more prone to falling (Roman Empire for example). Therefore, we should not confuse higher GDP per capita and achieving more medals and a societies acceptance of homosexuality. &lt;br /&gt;
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Athletes with higher degrees of mental toughness achieve more. I would think that societies with higher degrees of mental toughness would have lower suicide rates. We know that atheists tend to be more accepting of homosexuality (plus more liberal) and they have higher suicide rates than the general population. See: [[Atheism and morality]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]. Also, compare the suicide rates of countries and their acceptance of homosexuality as a possible benchmark for the mental toughness of the societies.  Of course, you would have to do statistical analysis to examine the relationship between societies accepting homosexuality and their suicide rates so you do not count other factors which cause suicides.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Alternatively, show me societies accepting of homosexuality tend to score high on mental toughness tests such as Peter Cough's test. Also, [http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm Emotional intelligence (EQ) test] score and a person's [http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/501-550/article517_body.html &amp;quot;Adversity quotient&amp;quot;] test score would be possible benchmarks as far as measuring mental toughness, but obviously the latter would be better. EQ is popular in management circles and perhaps different societies have been measured in terms of their EQ test scores. My guess is that perhaps EQ is only somewhat popular in the USA and Spain perhaps.[http://danielgoleman.info/2008/can-there-be-an-emotionally-intelligent-society/] With that being said, I think there is far more detailed information on suicide rates of countries and that is probably a better benchmark of mental toughness. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:13, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Canada's medal haul went UP by 50% after they allowed same-sex marriage. (12 in 2004, 18 in 2008) [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 08:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Anecdotal and too tied to them hosting the Olympics and starting a drive to win more gold. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:58, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::They didn't host the Olympics in 2008, and anyways, the medal drive was focused on the winter games, not the summer games. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 09:03, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
It takes time to develop winning programs and I am guessing they knew in advance they were going to host the Olympics. 09:13, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Caribbeans have low suicide rates.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate] They must be pretty mentally tough and not worry. :) Mental toughness increases performance. Hey mon, don't worry, be happy! Hey mon, I think I am going to kick back on a Caribbean beach and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTW0ifgY9zc&amp;amp;playnext=1&amp;amp;list=PLAA6853EB17004E8E listen to Caribbean music] while conservative, Bible believing  families  (which don't approve of homosexuality) keep winning more gold medals per family because they have more kids and have more mental toughness! :) And remember, conservative Bible believers with the Protestant work ethic, work harder to win gold medals than lazy, liberal, obese homosexuals with knee problems on welfare! See: [[Homosexuality and obesity]] and [[Lesbianism and obesity]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 09:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::HAHAHA they do talk funny&lt;br /&gt;
:::: That may be so, [[User:Conservative]], but you are still miscorrelating. A conservative Canadian family wouldn't be made liberal by the legalization of same-sex marriage. If anything, the decline in medals should come ''before'' the legalization of same sex-marriage, since liberalization would come ''before'' the legalization of same-sex marriage. So, perhaps a better study would be looking at a country's attitudes towards homosexuality over time (both before and after legalization of same-sex marriage) and try to correlate that. But I honestly doubt the actual act of legalizing same-sex marriage has a magic wand effect. Which is why the evidence shows you are wrong even though your logic may be perfectly correct. It's only your conclusion that's flawed. Liberalization and shift in views on homosexuality take time to occur. They don't happen overnight upon legalization of same-sex marriage. There would only be evidence of what you're saying if it was a magical overnight shift. And it's not. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:16, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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=== More evidence that homosexuality leads to lower medal counts and Bible believing enables more medals to be won ===&lt;br /&gt;
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Homosexuals have higher suicide rates than the general population (see: [[Mental Health and Homosexuality]]). Historically, Christians have faced a lot of persecution, but they don't commit suicide. They know that God wants Christians to be strong and not commit suicide and the Bible has many verses about being courageous plus the Bible is against suicide.   Bible believers are more mentally tough than homosexuals. Mental toughness increases athletic performance. Therefore, Bible believers, all other things remaining equal, are able to win more Olympic medals than homosexuals. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:52, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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=== Math'd -- Gay marriage ===&lt;br /&gt;
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A subject about quantifying something?? I accept your challenge.&lt;br /&gt;
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For the following, I am trying to determine the effect of pro-gay legislation on Olympic Medals. Since different countries have hugely different factors, I thought we could use the states of the USA to observe any effects (being labs of democracy, and all). What I did was find a list of all 2008 Olympic Medalists. Then, I got rid of any groups, leaving only individual medalists. Then, I mapped these medalists to their home state. Then, I figured out, based on population, how many medals each state should win out of the total USA medals. Then, I matched states with their same-sex marriage legislation (I assumed if same-sex couples could marry or engage in civil unions, this was a &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; state. No marriage or civil unions, an &amp;quot;Anti-Gay&amp;quot; state.) Then I summed up expected and actuals by these two categories. Here's what I got....&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! State Type&lt;br /&gt;
! Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Actual Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Over/Under&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Pro-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 29.8&lt;br /&gt;
| 45&lt;br /&gt;
| 15.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Anti-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 42.2&lt;br /&gt;
| 27&lt;br /&gt;
| -15.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Total&lt;br /&gt;
| 72.0&lt;br /&gt;
| 72&lt;br /&gt;
| 0&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If we look just at Gold Medals...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! State Type&lt;br /&gt;
! Expected Golds&lt;br /&gt;
! Actual Golds&lt;br /&gt;
! Over/Under&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Pro-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 8.3&lt;br /&gt;
| 14&lt;br /&gt;
| 5.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Anti-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 11.7&lt;br /&gt;
| 6&lt;br /&gt;
| -5.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Total&lt;br /&gt;
| 20.0&lt;br /&gt;
| 20&lt;br /&gt;
| 0&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
(Please note that if a medalist is from another country, they were excluded. Same with two obscure athletes I couldn't find information on)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see, &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; states outperform their expected total medal results by over 50%. Conversely, &amp;quot;Anti-Gay&amp;quot; states underperform by 36%.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The picture is more extreme only looking at Gold medals - &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; outperformes %69%, while &amp;quot;Anti-Gay' under perform by almost half.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In conclusion, do I think &amp;quot;imposing&amp;quot; gay marriage has anything to do with Olympic results? Probably not, since states, along any group of people in the Olympics, have a huge number of factors affecting their outcomes. But, to say that gay marriage destroys Olypmic results...well, that just goes against the data.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 15:49, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think you are going to have to do regression analysis to isolate the homosexuality issue. It seems as if the wealth and population size are important variables to winning medals as noted above. Cultures which have significant wealth often get morally complacent history shows. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:00, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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1) This is a regression based on population size. But I don't think a regression could be done on wealth, since it's hard to track the socio-economic movements of dozens of medalists, many of whom are relatively unknown. Also, if you want me to regress based on a group of large, poor states that allow gay marriage...my sample size isn't going to be even close to credible. I agree though, it would be very interesting.&lt;br /&gt;
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2) You didn't provide isolation of the homosexuality issue in your hypothesis, so that's what I based my refutation on.. You said countries with gay marriage would underperform. Not that a country with gay marriage would underperform an identical country without gay marriage.&lt;br /&gt;
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3) Most importantly, why should ''I'' isolate the homosexuality issue? ''You'' should be the one supporting your premise, or at least refuting my data. I spent the time showing why your idea was wrong, now it's your turn to either show where I am wrong, or adjust or reject your hypothesis.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 16:13, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::The liberals are not being realistic and fighting an uphill battle here. You are never going to have people associate homosexuality with athleticism/health. This is a Pickett's charge to say the least - especially at Conservapedia (see: [[Homosexuality and health]]). [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:36, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::So...nothing about the Olympics then? [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 16:47, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::You still haven't shown me that the homosexual population can clear Olympic hurdles as well as the heterosexual population. See: [[Homosexuality and obesity]] and [[Lesbianism and obesity]]. Are you saying that overweight people are better hurdlers?  If so, I have a hard time believing this. Also, nations with bigger populations earn more medals. How does homosexuality promote procreation? After all, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:37, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::And kudos to you, User:Conservative. You once again can't resist bringing up us evil fat people as your argument. And lo and behold, it's even completely off-topic to the above comments. Color me surprised... '''''NOT!''''' [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 13:38, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: [[User:Conservative]], you make valid points, but you are confusing two statistical populations. There is the homosexual population, and if your statistics are correct, they should perform worse. Let's assume that you're right for the purpose of this discussion. However, that would only effect athletes who are homosexual themselves, not entire countries. Legalizing same-sex marriage won't magically make the entire population into homosexuals. So you should be looking at the sexual orientation of the athletes themselves if you want to prove your point. Whether the country/state legalizes same-sex marriage is irrelevant to your point, one way or the other. I'd be interested in seeing your new study which focuses on the athletes themselves and not on the whole country. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Conservative, you said that legalizing gay marriage leads to a country under-performing in the Olympics. I showed that the evidence does not support that, at least in America. I didn't say fat gays make good hurdlers. But, the Olympics usually doesn't draw athletes from the 'out-of-shape' population... [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 22:45, 8 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Expected Medals ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello all,&lt;br /&gt;
I think it would be fun to track &amp;quot;expected vs actuals&amp;quot; with regards to medals. I was thinking of adding a table giving each partipating country an expected value. However, I'm having trouble deciding it it would be better to do it on a &amp;quot;per capita&amp;quot; basis, or a &amp;quot;per GDP&amp;quot; basis. Any thoughts? [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 17:09, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I think ranking on a &amp;quot;per GDP&amp;quot; basis would be fairer.  Competitive sports is an activity of affluent nations.  Any thoughts on this by others?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:14, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I added a table, proportioning medals by nominal GDP. I notice that I'm predicting 200 medals for America, which seems high. I wonder why that could be? My thought is that there are a ton of countries with less than 1 medal expected, but a lot of them will probably get one. I'll leave the table, but please let me know if you have any thoughts on modifications. It's a least something to get us thinking! [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 13:43, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Added info re same-sex marriage ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I added more info on same-sex marriage being allowed in certain political subdivisions of a country. I clarified that there are two US States that have legalized same sex marriage but there is a citizen's referendum about it, but that one of them (Washington) already had civil unions. I also noted that in Mexico, same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a Federal District similar to Washington, DC. Also, I noted that several overseas territories of the Netherlands will compete separately and also have different laws regarding same-sex marriage. Aruba does not perform them, but per the Kingdom's requirements must recognize those performed elsewhere. Same with Curacao and Sint Maarten, who will compete as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Participants&amp;quot; under the Olympic flag after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition for their Olympic committee. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 19:29, 3 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Joke sports ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I'm going to remove beach volleyball from the list, as it's a very physically demanding sport. Also, while I agree that synchronised swimming is a bit of a joke, I disagree with the description that these are &amp;quot;sports that allow underachieving nations to pad their medal totals&amp;quot;. The USA has won (usually multiple) medals in beach volleyball every year it has been included in the Olympics, synchronised swimming medals ''most'' times and half of all the BMX medals ever awarded! In fact, the only weak nation that has ever won a medal in any of these events (ever) was a Latvian who won the first BMX gold. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 00:00, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I realize that the U.S. wins many of these &amp;quot;joke&amp;quot; medals.  I was being objective and fair to other nations in criticizing these medals.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Ok fair enough. So what are your thoughts on beach volleyball? What makes it joke...ish? [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 00:19, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I think it's mainly because it's a relatively recent creation, arrived at by taking an existing sport and just playing it on a beach. (I know that teams are smaller and the rules are a bit different etc, but that's basically it.) Why not have beach tennis, beach archery, beach baseball and beach cricket as well??? That and the requirements by the sport's governing body specifying the skimpiness of female competitors' attire.&lt;br /&gt;
:::This isn't to say that it's not demanding to play at the top level, but do the Olympics really need to have two different kinds of volleyball? Regular volleyball is hardly a blue riband event as it is!--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 08:33, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Beach volleyball and regular volleyball have different rules. The idea is the same, but the rules are pretty different. A similar situation would be rugby. Starting in 2016 rugby sevens will be in the Olympics. If they also added rugby league (which is fairly similar to rugby sevens, but has a lot of differences too) as well, then that would be too similar. But it just makes them redundant, it doesn't make one of them a &amp;quot;joke&amp;quot;. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:04, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Are the nations of Japan increasingly atheistic or increasingly theistic and/or christian? ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Are the nations of Japan increasingly atheistic or increasingly theistic and/or christian?&lt;br /&gt;
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Gallup poll: Christianity growing in Japan: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=2278&lt;br /&gt;
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Pastor Lee in Korea, 2007 - BBC: &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Our church is still growing, so sooner or later Christianity will be the major religion in Korea. All Christians are praying for that right now.&amp;quot;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8322072.stm]&lt;br /&gt;
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== Move page ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Can we move this page to [[2012 Olympics]]? That's a more natural title. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 07:16, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:How bout a redirect?[[User:Brenden|brenden]] 11:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::The redirect works.  It's a close call which title is better, but to me starting an entry with a number seems less efficient in conveying meaning.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:24, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::You have to have something indicating summer. I retitled the article. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:04, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::I agree.  Even though Summer and Winter Olympics never occur in the same year anymore, they historically were both held in the same year.  Having this naming convention will ensure consistency with other Olympics articles we may create.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 12:11, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: I agree. 2012 Olympics may not be ambiguous but [[1984 Olympics]] would be. (Los Angeles Summer Games or Sarajevo Winter Games). Also, with regards to Andy's concern, virtually all press releases refer to these as the 2012 (Summer) Olympics, and/or use the official name &amp;quot;Games of the XXX Olympiad&amp;quot;. (XXX is Roman Numeral 30, not a placeholder) However, since the official Olympiad name is never used except in official releases, and it is commonly referred to as 2012 Summer Olympics everywhere else, I say keep it this way. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:01, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Agree with Greg. Thirtieth Olympiad is too obscure for a generation that regards 3 month old music as outdated. Better call it the 2012 Olympics. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 20:26, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Tables for medals ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I'm going to add tables showing medals won, and indicate in the table when same-sex marriage was recognized, for each country listed. This will make it easier to identify trends from before and after legalization. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 11:54, 5 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== This page is preposterous ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I can't believe that nearly everything you have to say about this year's Olympic games revolves around your overweening obsession with homosexuality and atheism. Even conservatives--well, normal conservatives--would want more substantive information. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 19:51, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:That's not enough to qualify as trying to improve this page. Are you saying there's no correlation, or are you indirectly registering an objection to this project's campaign against homosexuality and atheism? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 20:25, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::In my opinion, the way to improve this page would be to delete all the content and start over. I understand that the project is against homosexuality and atheism. But that doesn't mean those things have to be the main focus of ''every'' article. And yes, I ''am'' saying that there is no known correlation between same-sex marriage, homosexuality or atheism and Olympics success, and even if one were demonstrated, it would not establish causality, which is clearly what you are after. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 21:20, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Ideas do have consequences on productivity, achievement, happiness, etc.  A high percentage of successful [[NFL]] quarterbacks are devout [[Christians]].  Why?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:17, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::Is that so?  What is the percentage?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:57, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Where is the UK... ==&lt;br /&gt;
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...in the expected medals section?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 21:02, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Whoops, I had it listed as Great Britain. Which I should have known better than to do - I lived in London for a couple years, and got yelled at every time I got the terms wrong... [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 23:18, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Aaargh! I checked UK and Britain but neglected to check Great Britain.  Silly me.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:23, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== GDP ==&lt;br /&gt;
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If GDP &amp;quot;may be a fair proxy&amp;quot; in relation to how many medals a country will win then why is the main part of the article all about how atheism and gay marriage are going to have such an influence over the results?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 21:04, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I wanted to have a start point for comparisons and trend-spotting. It is my hypothesis that homosexuality and atheism have nothing to do with a country's athletic performance, and the table is my first step in testing. [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 23:21, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I am inclined to agree with you.  Unfortunately it makes the article a little schizophrenic (if I may use that term in such an inaccurate manner).  The top of the article asserts that homosexuality and atheism are solid indicators of Olympic performance for reasons, whereas your section is intended to show otherwise.  An internal tension, if you will.&lt;br /&gt;
::I get the feeling from the ''Nations that are increasingly atheistic'' section that there is supposed to be some reason that atheists are incapable of acting as members of a team (the reason is not explained).  Beyond that, the article is not only utterly unsupported by any study or even by any observations made by eminent persons in the appropriate field, it doesn't even contain a hypothesis as to the means by which the asserted connections operate.  I would suggest deleting and starting again but I have read Ed Poor's comments above and I assume any such similar request from myself would be resisted.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:36, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: We have explained those connections elsewhere, including on this talk page. Perhaps make separate articles and link to them? If we put all the explanations in this article, I think it would get a bit too busy. Also, we'd have to copy them for every future Olympics, which seems like a waste if we can just link to them. What does everyone else think? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:04, 21 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Rowing -&amp;gt; soccer ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I see Andy that you have reverted my edit which asserted that rowing was the sport requiring the most teamwork.  Apparently soccer is the sport that requires most teamwork (for reasons that are mysterious to me).&lt;br /&gt;
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Why is that Andy?  Why not (field) hockey, for example?  Or American football?  I would still assert that rowing is far and away the paramount team sport.  Your edit comment that it is &amp;quot;emulating a machine&amp;quot; really does nothing to detract from that assertion.  So what?  If that means that each crew member must move their body in perfect time with each other then my point is all the stronger isn't it?&lt;br /&gt;
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Obviously if this is a conservative insight then clearly I must be wrong, but if there is an actual reason that soccer is the ultimate team sport over rowing then I would be interested to hear it.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:52, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:There is no dynamic teamwork of any consequence in rowing - no passing a ball from one player to another, no reactions to defenders, and no mental strategy.  Rowing is great exercise for those who have access to expensive equipment and placid lakes, but it's not dynamic teamwork as soccer is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:43, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Ok, so it's &amp;quot;dynamic teamwork&amp;quot; that atheists can't perform?  They are capable of acting in perfect harmony with each other in a rowing shell but cannot pass a ball to each other or perform mental strategy?  Interesting.  Is there any evidence to support any of this?  If so, why is it that atheists are incapable of such activities?&lt;br /&gt;
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::P.S. I performed a couple of Google searches on which (rowing or soccer) is more commonly referred to as &amp;quot;the ultimate team sport&amp;quot;: [https://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;amp;q=%22rowing+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;oq=%22rowing+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;gs_l=serp.3..0i30.71845.74333.0.74873.2.2.0.0.0.0.220.429.2-2.2.0...0.0...1c.IPtkh8308qI&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=862d766996523d9f&amp;amp;biw=1201&amp;amp;bih=678 rowing] or [https://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&amp;amp;gs_nf=1&amp;amp;pq=soccer%20the%20ultimate%20team%20sport&amp;amp;cp=32&amp;amp;gs_id=e&amp;amp;xhr=t&amp;amp;q=%22soccer+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;pf=p&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;amp;oq=%22soccer+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;gs_l=&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=862d766996523d9f&amp;amp;biw=1201&amp;amp;bih=678 soccer].  I think that the hit numbers speak for themselves.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 00:57, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Rowing is obviously a rich-man's sport, which gives an unfair advantage to a few nations like the [[U.K.]]  While physically challenging, rowing is the only sport where the contestant should think as little as possible and simply act like a robot.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:12, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: In rowing, don't you have a coxswain telling you when to row? It requires everyone rowing together, yes, but as long as they all act like robots (as Andy put it) and row when the coxswain says row, that's the only teamwork required. I won't deny it's a difficult sport, but it doesn't require much teamwork when there's a coxswain. The reason it's the ultimate team sport is that, more so than in any other sport, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link. If you put me on a soccer field with the 10 best players in the world (assuming they're of different positions), we could win, even though I'm a terrible soccer player. If you put me in a four-man boat with the three best rowers in the world, we would do terrible, because I'm a terrible rower. That's the difference between rowing and other team sports. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 05:35, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::I row 3 times a week and I am a coxswain. It is certainly not a &amp;quot;robot&amp;quot; sport, and it requires intense concentration from the rowers to make sure that the crew is in time, running on perfect technique and drawing through together. A physically stronger crew will often lose to a weaker but more technical crew. The reason that our crews look like robots are because they are concentrating as hard as they can to keep everything technical, and to work against what the body is intuitively telling you to make every single inch of pressure on the water count.&lt;br /&gt;
::::::&lt;br /&gt;
::::::As for being a rich man's sport, I can sympathise. Those boats are bloody expensive, and are often donated through philanthropy. However many of us, myself included, come from very underprivileged backgrounds and are fortunate enough to row in university teams. But getting to Olympic level requires training from a young age, which usually means being brought up at a very expensive private school that has rowing equipment. So I agree to an extent there, but one must not forget the huge benefits that philanthropy gives to broadening the pool of rowers, which is a conservative virtue as far as this website is concerned. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 11:16, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: (edit conflict) Doesn't the above data prove my point?  The wealthiest nations in the world have won nearly all of the rowing medals.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: Rowing is a grueling sport - I rowed for a bit myself.  But it is a rich man's sport, and it is the only sport that does not use the brain.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: In reply to Greg's insight comments, I doubt a soccer team with 25% terrible players could win either, if the coaching by the opposing side is good.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: In reply to HumanGeographer's good comments, I agree that concentration is required and that the sport is terrific exercise.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:29, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Andy, soccer teams have 11 players (including goalie). So it would be 9% poor players. And considering that teams have won 10-on-11 after an early red card, it's not inconceivable. But in rowing, it would be impossible. That's where the &amp;quot;team sport&amp;quot; mantra comes from. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:05, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Greg, you have missed Andy's point.  If you are one out of the four rowers you now have 25% of a team being terrible, whereas in soccer, as you have put it, missing one player means only 9% of the team is terrible.  What Andy is suggesting is that the better comparison would be if a soccer team had 3 of their players essentially non-effective, and his point in that regard is well-taken.  A soccer team playing 8 against 11 would not fare well either.--[[User:Krayner|Krayner]] 15:23, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== The Olympics and Economics 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
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[[Goldman Sachs]] has some thoughts on the matters discussed above: [http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/topics/global-economic-outlook/olympics-and-economics-.pdf pdf]&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Britain has quite high per capita spending on elite sports for a western democracy. Sailing is a perfect example— boats are very costly. For equestrianism, you need a horse. For rowing, you need a boathouse, boats and oars. For track cycling, you don’t really have a chance without a wind tunnel, a velodrome. It’s different with running, where you just need a pair of shoes. There is a dramatic difference between sports that only a tiny group of countries can afford to invest in and the others.|||Matthew Syed, British journalist}}&lt;br /&gt;
They have a forecast for Gold and Total medals, too.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 05:50, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by faith-based achievement by the participating athletes ==&lt;br /&gt;
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This seems to be wishful thinking: the Olympics were for quite a time dominated by nations which didn't allow their athletes the comforts of faith. [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 05:59, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Group of Left ==&lt;br /&gt;
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For those who don't get the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot; reference, it's a play on the phrase &amp;quot;Group of Death&amp;quot;, which refers to an unusually strong group. I doubt Tunisia will finish in the top two and go to the medal round, but anything other than last place would be overperforming for them. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:21, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Women's Soccer ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Why would the US women's soccer team be expected to underachieve? They're not one of the atheist nations, same-sex marriage is only legal in six states, and if Title IX effected them in any way, it would have helped them (albeit at the expense of men's sports). We should either explain it or remove it. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:35, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:As I understand it, women's soccer is very strong in the US.  Still, the nature of Soccer means that results are more unpredictable than other sports.  Very often the best team is not able to win.  Its a funny sport in that respect.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 18:44, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: I know that. But that still doesn't answer the question. We could say the same about any of the favorites. There's no reason given to expect the US team specifically to underperform. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 08:49, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::It seems as though &amp;quot;underperformance&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;failing to live up to expectations&amp;quot; are a preferred theme of the website's management. Maybe it's just a case of projection. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 09:22, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Possibly. If that's all it is, we should remove it. But I'm going to wait and see if anyone has a better explanation before I do so. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:07, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::[[Politically correct]] teams often underachieve.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:03, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Very well. I removed the part about the coach being a foreigner, since surprisingly it isn't an unusual practice to do something like that. About half the women's soccer coaches this year are from another country (i.e. not the one they coach). And Jurgen Kingsman of Germany coaches the men's US national team, although it's unlikely he'd have coached at the Olympics even if they did qualify, since men's soccer at the Olympics is primarily Under-23 teams. However, I kept the rest of the footnote. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 21:10, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::: I don't think it's that common for a prominent sport like soccer.  Germany, of course, has a very strong soccer program.  But a coach from Sweden for the women's team???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:21, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: Ahhh.... Good point. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 21:50, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
The coach in question was the coach when the US won gold in 2008. She took the job in 2007. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 00:14, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: Early goal for France in Game 1 for the USA. 1-0. Plenty of time for us to come back. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:13, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: 2-0 France, less than 20 minutes in. A loss wouldn't eliminate the US, but a big loss would make it hard to go through in a tough group. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:15, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: 2-1. US goal came on a corner kick, which requires a lot of teamwork, against, atheist France. Still not even a quarter of the way through. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:20, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
So let me get this straight: If France loses, it's because of atheism. If the US loses, it's because their coach is a foreign-born lesbian, even though she led the team to gold in 2008. Is that correct? [[User:RayM|RayM]] 12:29, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::: It's only one game. And one of them had to win (or it could be a tie, I suppose). Let's see how the tournament progresses. It looks like they'll both go to the quarterfinals, but with 8 of the 12 teams advancing, that's not unexpected. Let's see how they do there. Then we can discuss this. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:51, 29 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:The US girls have won the gold medal! [http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/08/09/us-beats-japan-for-third-straight-olympic-gold-in-women-soccer/] --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 17:40, 9 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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==&amp;quot;No Religion&amp;quot; in census response==&lt;br /&gt;
There are three possible explanations for a citizen refusing to state a religious preference on a government census form: no self-identification with one of the listed denominations, fear of government recording of religious preferences, or protest against government intrusion into a citizen's private spiritual life.  Do we know which is the case in Australia?  I know that if the government were to knock on my door, I would be in the third group.  We don't know if Australia is in a religious decline based on census data, when there are better measures, including church service attendance and audience ratings for religious radio and TV broadcasts.  Are there better data sources for this article? Thanks, [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:08, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Over 11% of Australians refused to answer the religion question on their census forms.  These people could have a faith. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 08:22, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Beckham and the Olympic torch ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I suggest not adding whether Beckham lights the Olympic cauldron until after it airs on NBC, even though we should know around 7:30 PM ET whether he has or not. Some people might not know and might want to not know until NBC shows it on tape delay. It's only a few hours, and since most of our users are American and won't have seen the cauldron lighting yet, I think it's a reasonable courtesy. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 06:41, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Black Power salute controversy ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I don't see a connection between the Black Power salute controversy, which was an act of political defiance on the medal stand that hardly anyone remembers (and which the Olympic committee forgave participants for) and [[Tebowing]].  Also, why would the comment be in the &amp;quot;TBD&amp;quot; column anyway?&lt;br /&gt;
:I think that athletes may (understandably) refrain from engaging in overt religious activity due to the precedent set by Smith and Carlos.  The Olympics are a major event, and being banned from them (even wrongly) can seriously affect athletes, especially those competing in sports whose major competition is the Olympics.  That's why I think that athletes will at least think twice before engaging in such behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
:The column where I added my explanation is headed &amp;quot;Answer,&amp;quot; and my explanation is certainly an answer.  Of course, it's just my insight, and maybe it will be proven wrong.  But even if no one does end up doing Tebowing, we can rest assured that Christian athletes have Jesus' words in mind:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.|||Matthew 6:5-8|NIV}}&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:GregG|GregG]] 14:42, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::The &amp;quot;answer&amp;quot; is presumably provided by the results, as for the other issues, all of which is &amp;quot;TBA&amp;quot;.  [[Tebowing]] is not something that would likely be done during the medal ceremony, not even by Tebow himself.  It's done before or after the athletic event, as in the American marathon medalist in 2004 who did the Sign of the Cross right after crossing the finish line.&lt;br /&gt;
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::As to the quote from the [[Bible]], the context for that quote is clear:  people should not pray in a hypocritical manner like the liberal Pharisees.  There is nothing hypocritical about [[Tebowing]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:08, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the precedent still applies, or at least it has an ''in terrorem'' effect, to all such displays, regardless of whether they are during a medals ceremony or before or after an event.  I know that this is my opinion, but Tebowing seems to me to be nothing more than a gimmick, a practice designed to whack people over the head with the &amp;quot;HEY, IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, I'M CHRISTIAN!&amp;quot; hammer.  Such efforts, no matter how sincere they are, are misguided, and Jesus tells us that this sort of public display is not at all required by Christians, just as Jesus goes on to criticize people who make a public display out the pious practice of fasting.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 15:41, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Reformat ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Can someone with better formatting skills than me please make the table into a better, cleaner format? It's very hard to read right now. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:42, 30 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Public Schools ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Is the public schools example really that good? There are certain private schools in America that are infamous for training its students like athletes rather than students. More so in basketball and (American) football than other Olympic sports, though. Public schools don't do that. Nor should schools do that, it's called &amp;quot;school&amp;quot;, not &amp;quot;training&amp;quot;. I should point out that certain colleges are legendary for that too, including my own school, which is a public college under the State of Connecticut. But don't think that's why we're banned from the tournament next year - we're actually banned for not doing enough to game the system. And half the women's basketball Olympic team went to UConn. We actually care about academics for our women's basketball team, and do very well academically. But don't get me started on that, because it's irrelevant.&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway, assuming you mean public high schools (or below), I think it doesn't present a very conservative argument. Private primary schools should not exist for the purpose of training athletes. The fact that some do indicates something is wrong with the system, not that the system is good. Not saying that's enough to make the whole system bad - the vast majority of private schools are very good academically. But these aren't the ones that produce the superstar athletes, for the most part. Also, other than basketball, it wouldn't apply to any of the Olympic sports, since football isn't in the Olympics. And there are only 12 American men's basketball players. I don't know how many of them went to the sham private schools whose main purpose is athletics, but I know LeBron is one of them.  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:49, 30 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== The Swiss tweet in  question. ==&lt;br /&gt;
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[http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/07/30/swiss-soccer-player-michel-morganella-sent-home-olympics-racist-tweet/ Here is a link to an image of the tweet]. As you can easily read for yourself, it's directed at &amp;quot;les coréens,&amp;quot; et non pas contre &amp;quot;l'équipe coréen&amp;quot; ou quelque chose de même. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 18:33, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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: &amp;quot;South Korean&amp;quot; is not a race, and there is no evidence that the tweet was racist as the [[liberals]] claim.  Rather, this incident shows how much liberals oppose [[free speech]], and will NOT defend the rights of others to speak their minds.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:40, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::So, just for the record, you do defend the right of a person to call an entire nation of people &amp;quot;mentally handicapped retards&amp;quot; and think that he should face no consequences for doing so while representing his own country at an international event? [[User:RayM|RayM]] 18:48, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::For the record, I do support [[free speech]], even for statements with which I disagree.  The tweet was not racist and athletes should be able to vent on twitter, just as they do vocally during games.  Fans do also, by the way.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:13, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::Do you believe a private, non-profit organization such as the Swiss and/or Greek Olympic committees has the right to demand and/or expect behavior from its members that reflects well on the organization, and that organization should be allowed to sanction a participant when behavior does not meet those expectations? If you do, where do you think the line is drawn? [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 21:27, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::No, I don't think the organizations you mention should be expelling athletes based on what they say on Twitter (and I question whether the organizations are truly private, rather than publicly funded).  &lt;br /&gt;
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:::::There was no evidence that the tweets embarrassed the nations in any way.  Rather, this is [[liberal censorship]] run amok.  Thirty years ago, liberals and the ACLU would have sided with the athletes.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:39, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: The only NOC that is 100% privately funded is the American one, although the vast majority of them are funded privately in part. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:01, 2 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Atheistic Brits ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I wonder...what percentage of the underachieving, God-hating British Olympians are actually Atheists? [[user:Willingham77|Willingham77]] 17:03, 31 July 2012&lt;br /&gt;
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:The better question is what percentage of the Brits are subjected to an increasingly atheistic media and culture?  Unfortunately, nearly 100%.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:11, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::The better better question is why does an &amp;quot;atheistic&amp;quot; country have an established religion (COE)?  Should all of us God-fearing Americans want the same for Christianity?[[User:Emmerich|Emmerich]] 23:23, 1 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::[[Great Britain]] has an established '''''church'''''.  That is something the [[Founders]] opposed - a state supported '''''church'''''.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:42, 1 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Wow Andy, you should use that statement as an example in a Conservapedia article entitled &amp;quot;Non sequitur&amp;quot;. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 15:43, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
==Proposed table entry==&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will Netball be played at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics? Wikipedia claims that Netball is an &amp;quot;Olympic sport&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Olympic_sports|title=Category:Olympic sports|accessdate=Aug. 3, 2012}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Olympics/Archive_12#Category:Olympic_sports&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; played &amp;quot;at the Olympics&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball_at_the_Olympics&amp;amp;action=history&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Olympics/Archive_12#Olympic_recognised_sports&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Feminists have been demanding equality in Olympic participation. As a result, women have been playing the same game as men -- five-players-on-each-side basketball in the Olympics since 1976, rather than a watered-down version designed for Victorian women called Netball.&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If there are no objections, I will move this to the table in the article. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 11:19, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: That's not really a question about the Olympics, more a commentary on Wikipedia. Stick it in [[Bias in Wikipedia]], not here. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:11, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Also, Wikipedia no longer claims Netball is an Olympic sport, only an &amp;quot;Olympic recognized sport&amp;quot;, which is correct. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:17, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::With all due respect to my friend Gregkochuconn, I just looked at the Wikipedia netball article and it is still in category &amp;quot;Olympic sports.&amp;quot;  I admit that the Wikipedia article &amp;quot;Netball and the Olympic Movement&amp;quot; is in category &amp;quot;Olympic recognised sports&amp;quot; but the radical feminists have insisted that Netball stay in the former category.  Please see for yourself. The table entry was an assertion: We say netball will not be played in 2012 and 2016, Wikipedia says it is already an Olympic sport and keeps deleting statements that it could not possibly be added to the Olympic Programme before 2024.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&amp;amp;diff=502656544&amp;amp;oldid=502573324] [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:00, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Its a bit hard to see exactly what the issue is.  It is not hard to see that this issue is one for the Wikipedia page and not for the Olympics 2012 page.  Whether or not it is deservedly and &amp;quot;Olympic Sport&amp;quot; or an &amp;quot;Olympic Recognised Sport&amp;quot; (these terms are not synonymous) is an issue for a general Olympics page, and whether Wikipedia is somehow censoring conservative thought is an issue for the Wikipedia page.  Frankly I doubt very many of you even know what netball is.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 01:52, 4 August 2012 (EDT) &lt;br /&gt;
:::: That edit seems to be adding the 2024 information, not deleting it. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:24, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Promptly reverted.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&amp;amp;diff=next&amp;amp;oldid=502668446] [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 03:52, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Probably because it was in the article about the sport at the Olympics, and didn't belong in the main article. The main article doesn't make any claim one way or the other. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:54, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Also, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netball_at_the_Olympics current version of the page] includes that information. So what you are saying is wrong. In any case, this is not the place for it, as it has absolutely nothing to do with the 2012 Olympics. Wikipedia makes no claim that it will be contested at the 2012 Olympics, even if it is an &amp;quot;Olympic sport&amp;quot;, seeing as that category includes present Olympic sports, past Olympic sports, and Olympic recognized sports. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:27, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Note that the article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport) squash], which has a far more significant chance of being added to the Olympic program than squash, also does not mention that it could be added no sooner than 2024. As I said above, the article on Netball and the Olympic Movement does mention that it can't be added until 2024. The fact doesn't belong in the main article for the sport, by WP standards, and other articles on Olympic-recognized sports don't mention it either. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:17, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Comparing medals from last olympics and expecting a country to get the same amount at the next olympics is pretty futile and a pointless exercise for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why it is pointless is due to the retirement of older and successful medal winning athletes and the emergence of the new generation of athletes in that sport. This is one of the main reasons why australia didn't win as many medals in 2012 as it did in 2008. The non swimming medal tally was pretty much the same, however the swimming team is going through a major generational change with a lot of the great athletes from 2008 retiring (or retiring and then failing to come back) that generation of swimming talent was a bit of a &amp;quot;bumper crop&amp;quot; similiar to what you have with phelps and locte. There was also a fair number of athletes who had ongoing injury concerns which doesn't help but that does happen in every team. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Funding is also a big factor as olympic sport has got to the level that if you don't put large resources into your athletes your not going to have a very big chance at rating in the top 5 in an event. The funding for althletes in a lot of european countries from both the government and the private sector has dried up due to the economic conditions. Spain did really well considering this however thier performance in rio is likely to suffer as funding is unlikely to increase. For example the womens 6m team from spain that won gold, barely made it to the olympics as there was bugger all funding for it.  --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Oh no, the tennis! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Look what's happening! One of the greatest conservative sports stars just lost the bronze medal match to an Argentinian who no doubt supports gay marriage, and an overrated Brit is smashing one of the all-time greats in the gold! What is going on?? Not only that, but we all just watched home-schooled gymnast Makayla Maroney underperform, right onto her bum! This page may need a re-write ... [[User:AlanA|AlanA]] 10:43, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:While expressing doubt about your guess as to the Argentinian star's political views, I welcome further review of the predictions in the entry as more results pour in ....--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:45, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: The predictions represent things that are &amp;quot;likely&amp;quot; to happen, not things that are guaranteed to happen. Murray also had the advantage of the home fans, and Federer was tired from his marathon match with Del Potro. Of course, Del Potro should have been tired too.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Will someone please explain where the expected total medals figures in this section come from? Thanks. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 15:41, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: The table lower down in the article. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:59, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Oh, you mean the one based on GDP, which &amp;quot;cannot be used as a fair proxy&amp;quot;. In other words, they're meaningless. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 22:15, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: Find a better proxy and we can use that. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:17, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: I have changed the proxy to medals won at the last (Summer) Olympics prior to implementing same-sex marriage. The expected total is virtually unchanged. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:28, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Better, but expected numbers should be corrected for any significant differences in total number of medals available and in a country's number of athletes competing between the base estimate year and 2012. Also, since it's conceded that it's too early to tell how these countries will ultimately perform, the +/- figures are premature. With about 59% of events concluded, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, South Africa and Sweden are on track to meet or exceed their medal count for the base year. The Netherlands and Norway could easily do so as well by the games' end. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 10:53, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Hence &amp;quot;too early to tell&amp;quot;. It's unlikely (though not impossible) for the Netherlands and Spain to overperform, while Denmark and Sweden have overperformed already. The rest are too early to tell. That being said, I will remove the +/- totals until the Games are over - they are misleading at this point. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 11:00, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Also, there are only a few more medal events (out of over 300) being contested in 2012 than in previous years, so that shouldn't matter. I think there were 301 in 2008 and 2004 and 302 this year. Insigificant. Since the theory centers around how many exceptional athletes these countries produce, adjusting for the number of athletes is incorrect. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 11:02, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::What is &amp;quot;the theory&amp;quot;? [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 09:37, 8 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: See [[User:Conservative]]'s rant somewhere above on this page. It's confusing, and I don't feel like repeating all of it, especially since I don't think it's accurate (though as an empiricist, I'm willing to put it to the test). [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:23, 9 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Seems that the highly promiscous gay diver has been eliminated, news article said he has been spending to much time at gay rallies instead of training  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:33, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: I did not just say that about the gay diver. Who signed my name to that comment? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:53, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: Looking through the edit history, it appears to be [[User:Nacacube]], who for some reason decided to affix my username to his comment. I don't even know how he did it, since he obviously didn't copy and paste - the time is different. Strange. Message left on his talk page. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:55, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Originally, the &amp;quot;developed nations&amp;quot; took most of the medals in the Modern Olympics.  In fact, because of transportation challenges, the host country had a big advantage in the early years of the Modern Olympics.  Since that time, there has been a long-term trend of spreading the medals to countries throughout the world.  Over time, the portion of the medals going to smaller countries has increased and the number of medals going to France, UK, and Germany have declined.  So, if one had to explain a 4% decline in Olympic medals, could one look to this long-term trend rather than to the gay marriage factor? Thanks [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 12:26, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: 4% isn't a significant difference anyway, unless it continues. One sample showing a 4% change doesn't really prove anything by itself. You could be right, but we'd have to analyze it long-term, rather than just one year, given the small change. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:14, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Assuming GregG calculated the p-value correctly, he is correct in that there is no statistical significance just from this one test. Generally, you would need a p value of 0.05 or less for it to be significant (or by stricter standards, 0.01). 0.73 is nowhere near that. I'm not going to verify the calculations, but it seems right. And assuming it's right, GregG is correct that it is not significant. However, if repeated tests showed a 4% decrease, that would be significant. We can run it again in 2014 and 2016, and beyond. And possibly we would have more nations to work with in those years. Keep in mind that the Winter Olympics (2014) have fewer total medals, so a 4% drop would be less significant, by itself. But if demonstrated, it could show significance of the trend. Something inonsistent with the 4% decrease, such as a small increase, would indicate no correlation. Bottom line is that this one sample test can't disprove the correlation by itself, but it doesn't prove it either. I'm an actuarial science major at school, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. A repeated 4% decrease would be significant. But for the moment, it's not. I'm going to retroactively analyze the 2008 medal data, although we'll have fewer countries. When I'm done, I'll post the results.  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:26, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Here is the medal data from previous years from the original post, omitting any countries that legalized same-sex marriage after 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 5 in 2000, 2 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Canada - 12 in 2004, 18 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 16 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Norway - 6 in 2004, 9 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
South Africa - 6 in 2004, 1 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Spain - 19 in 2004, 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 73 expected, 64 actual&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a decrease of 9 medals out of 73, a 12.3% decrease.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let's look at the countries that legalized same-sex marriage between 2000 and 2004, as far back as we can go. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 22 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 30 in 2000, 25 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
This is a 16.7% decrease, but with far too small a sample size to be significant by itself. [[User:GregG]], care to run the significance test?&lt;br /&gt;
Also of note, there appears to be something going on with the Belgians and Dutch, who have seen a consistent decline, while the rest of the nations have not, apparently. Since they are geographically and culturally close, this may be relevant. Ignoring them, we have no data for 2004, a 4.6% INCREASE in 2008, and again a 4.6% increase in 2012, neither of which is statistically significant by itself, and probably still not together. (Note: 4.6% increase is just as statistically significant as 4.6% decrease.  In this case, not very) Of course, we can't just kick the two lowest samples out of the data set. But there seems to be some factor that has steadily brought the Dutch and Belgian totals down, without influencing anyone else. Was something else going on in Belgium and the Netherlands at the same time? Or was the 2000 medals we're using as the baseline simply an anomaly? I'm guessing the latter. 2000 was the Dutch's best Olympics EVER. It wasn't the Belgians', but even the 40% decrease from 2000 to 2004 isn't significant when they only had 5 to begin with. I'm going to rerun this data when I have more time, using totals from the three previous summer Olympics, and totals from all Olympiads thereafter, multiplying the latter by 3 or 1.5 if necessary, where there are fewer years, although I'll note where so as not to effect the significance test. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:41, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Going in alphabetical order, &lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 14 from 1992-2000, 8 from 2004-2012 (no reweighting necessary)&lt;br /&gt;
Canada - 48 from 1996-2004, 36 from 2008-2012, multiply by 1.5 to weight as if there were 3 Olympics = 54 weighted total &lt;br /&gt;
Denmark - 21 from 2000-2008, 9 in 2012, reweights as 27&lt;br /&gt;
Iceland - 2 from 2000-2008, 0 in 2012, reweights as 0&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 59 from 1992-2000, 58 from 2004-2012, no reweighting necessary&lt;br /&gt;
Norway - 23 from 1996-2004, 13 in 2008-2012, reweight as 19.5 due to lack of future data&lt;br /&gt;
Portugal - 7 from 2000-2008, 1 in 2012, reweights as 3&lt;br /&gt;
South Africa - 17 from 1996-2004, 7 from 2008-2012, reweight as 10.5&lt;br /&gt;
Spain - 47 from 1996-2004, 35 from 2008-2012, reweights as 52.5&lt;br /&gt;
Sweden - 24 from 2000-2008, 8 in 2012, reweights as 24&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 262 &amp;quot;baseline&amp;quot;, 256.5 actual+projected, decrease of 5.5, or 2.1%. Smaller percentage, but with a larger sample size, it could have a higher significance. Or the two could cancel out. I can't do the math in my head. [[User:GregG]], do you mind doing the calculations again? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:52, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::First, for countries that implemented same-sex marriage before 2008, I am going to use the 2004 total medals awarded for both 2000 and 2004 (there isn't much of a difference: 928 medals in 2000, 929 in 2004).  The pre-same-sex-marriage proportion of medals won is 7.858%, the post proportion won is 6.681%.  The p-value is 0.3244, which indicates no significance at any common alpha level.&lt;br /&gt;
::Second, for countries implementing same-sex marriage before 2004, we have the proportion of medals won in 2000 by those countries as 3.233%, and the proportion of medals won in 2004 by those countries is 2.691%.  The p-value is 0.4912, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.&lt;br /&gt;
::I will take a look at how to proceed with your final set of data.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 17:10, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::One would expect some time period before the adoption of the [[same-sex marriage]] and its harmful effect, so I don't think it's meaningful to go back to 2004 and 2000.  The trend line from 2008 to this year is probably a better indicator.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:15, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Using the data for countries that implemented same-sex marriage between 2008 and 2012 (Denmark, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden):&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Those countries won 15 medals out of 958 in 2008.&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Those countries won 18 medals out of 962 in 2012.&lt;br /&gt;
::::The proportion of medals won by those countries actually went up from 2008 to 2012 (1.566% to 1.871%); the p-value, though, is 0.6068, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 17:21, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::The shortness of time between the adoption of same-sex marriage by those nations and their medals at the 2012 Games renders that particular analysis less meaningful.  More significant, I think, would be nations that adopted same-sex marriage before 2008 and how they then trended lower in medal count from 2008 to 2012.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:49, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Using the data for countries that implemented same-sex marriage before 2008 and the medal counts for 2008 and 2012 (Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Belgium: 2 in 2008, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Canada: 18 in 2008, 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Netherlands: 16 in 2008, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Norway: 9 in 2008, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::South Africa: 1 in 2008, 6 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Spain: 18 in 2008, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Total: 64 in 2008, 68 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Again, the proportion of medals won went up from 2008 (6.68%) to 2012 (7.07%).  The p-value is 0.7369, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.  And, since this data set is rather scant (and, to be fair, we are having to make assumptions that might not exactly hold water but should be good approximations, like the number of medals won being a binomial distribution, in order to draw any conclusions from the data), I would surmise that you're not going to be able to get much evidence from just these data.  Perhaps we will have to wait and see at the 2016 Summer Olympics.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 23:57, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Netherlands and South Africa seem to distort the results here.  Removing those anomalies results in a decline from 47 to 42 - more than a 10% decrease.  For example, it appears that Netherlands did unusually poorly in 2008, which may result in its analomous increase.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:27, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::Now it looks like you're just cherry-picking the data to get the conclusion you want.  ''A priori'', we would expect that such issues would average out.  In fact, you suggested comparing 2008 medal counts to 2012 medal counts.&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::Also, I haven't run the numbers, but I think that even if you exclude the Netherlands and South Africa, you would still not have statistical significance due to the low number of successes that are expected by those countries.  As an example, if we flip a fair coin 10 times, a result of 3 heads is not statistically significant at any common alpha (p=11/32).  Yet 3 heads is 40% fewer heads than the 5 we would expect.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:50, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::If the Netherlands and South Africa are to be excluded then we should exclude Norway as well. I think that leaves 38 and 38? No change. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 02:15, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::The data are worth analyzing before drawing final conclusions.  I spent some time studying South Africa and the issue, and concluded it should not be in the list.  I explain this in a footnote in the entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:40, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::Well there are several problems, the most fundamental of which is that you are selecting data points to exclude on the basis of the dependent variable (2012 medals won), as opposed to an independent variable, which leads to bias.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 02:09, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::::When there is a valid reason to exclude (or include) data, then it makes sense to exclude (or include) the data.  South Africa does not appear to have imposed [[same-sex marriage]], so it should not have been included in the data in the first place.  Correcting that makes sense.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:29, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We should be comparing two sets of countries - those that implement same-sex marriage and those that prohibit same-sex marriage.  When comparing sets with similar economies and populations, one could find that medal counts when down for both groups.  The question is whether there is a statistically significant difference in the drop in medal count between the same-sex marriage and no same-sex marriage countries.  I would guess that there are so many other factors that have a larger effect on the medal count, that any difference would be insignificant, but I welcome someone to run the numbers. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 18:35, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Nancy boys don't have kids which contributes to decline of populations as does pro-abortion/anti-life policies. see: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZeyYIsGdAA Demographic winter] In 2008, there were 70 countries with sub-replacement levels of fertility. So we look at trend of medals won by countries which adopt same sex marriage. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 19:06, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Male homosexual couples not being able to have children the natural way is a biological fact. It doesn't depend on them being married or not. [[User:Baobab|Baobab]] 02:21, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Also, not many 8-year olds win Olympic medals, so regardless there would be no data for at least a decade or so. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:57, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Comparing medals from last olympics and expecting a country to get the same amount at the next olympics is pretty futile and a pointless exercise for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why it is pointless is due to the retirement of older and successful medal winning athletes and the emergence of the new generation of athletes in that sport. This is one of the main reasons why australia didn't win as many medals in 2012 as it did in 2008. The non swimming medal tally was pretty much the same, however the swimming team is going through a major generational change with a lot of the great athletes from 2008 retiring (or retiring and then failing to come back) that generation of swimming talent was a bit of a &amp;quot;bumper crop&amp;quot; similiar to what you have with phelps and locte. There was also a fair number of athletes who had ongoing injury concerns which doesn't help but that does happen in every team.Funding is also a big factor as olympic sport has got to the level that if you don't put large resources into your athletes your not going to have a very big chance at rating in the top 5 in an event. The funding for althletes in a lot of european countries from both the government and the private sector has dried up due to the economic conditions. Spain did really well considering this however thier performance in rio is likely to suffer as funding is unlikely to increase. For example the womens 6m team from spain that won gold, barely made it to the olympics as there was bugger all funding for it. --Nacacube 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 23:41, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Which is why you look at long-term trends. I agree that one Olympics' worth of data for two countries is pretty much useless. It will take more data to prove or disprove the theory. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:15, 21 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Medal weighting ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It's been pointed out at [[talk:Main Page]] that some sports, notably swimming, are vastly over-rewarded in terms of the number of medals available. We would get a better representation of which nations were actually the best, sporting-wise, if we took this into account in our medals tables. One simple way would be to discount multiple medals won by the same individual, or perhaps to cap the number of medals counted in the same sport at, say, five. What do people think?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Sadly the nation most affected by this would currently be that titan of the swimming pool, the USA.)--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 10:37, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: That would be hard to do, though. And nearly impossible to keep updating during the Games. I propose keep the current system for now, and discuss further when the Games are over. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 10:53, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: Capping at five gold medals per sport wouldn't be too tricky. The only countries affected are:&lt;br /&gt;
::*USA - 11 in track and field, 16 in swimming&lt;br /&gt;
::*China - 6 in diving&lt;br /&gt;
::*GB - 8 in cycling&lt;br /&gt;
::*Russia - 8 in track and field.&lt;br /&gt;
::Something to think about. It wouldn't have a huge effect on the ordering of the table as it happens.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 06:16, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: Capping it at 5 medals for athletics would be pretty pointless as pretty much all the events have their own set of athletes, with the only overlaps in athletes either being track guys competing in similar groups of races (like bolt in 200 and 100 and farah in 10k and 5k) and atheltes competing in their respective relay teams. Then there are the decathletes and heptathletes who comptete in individual events as opposed to the decathlon and heptathlon, however the top 10 athletes in each of these are pretty much outsiders to get a medal for the single events. In the cycling the events are very different with specialists in each event and most athletes only competed in one or two events + the team events.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::How about counting only one medal per athlete, then? That's harder to calculate because of relays, though - I suppose a relay gold would only be discounted if every member of the team was also an individual medalist?--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:45, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: But then you would have to discount one of the medals won by the athlete who got silver in the 1500m freestyle and gold in the 10km swim. Whilst they are both swimming events, it would be like someone in athletics getting second in the 800, 5000 or 10000m and then winning the mens marathon. --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 23:12, 16 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Team Sports ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don't really have the time to finish off this nicely, but I just did a quick count-up of medals across handball, hockey, basketball, volleyball and football. as these are probably the sports best described as '''team''' sports (ie. multiple players on a field working together and reacting to each other). Could someone do it for me and add it to the main page perhaps?&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Country&lt;br /&gt;
! Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Status&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| United States of America&lt;br /&gt;
| 4&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Australia&lt;br /&gt;
| Increasingly Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| France&lt;br /&gt;
| Increasingly Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Japan&lt;br /&gt;
| Agnostic (see comment below)&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
| Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Russia&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Spain&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Countries with only 1 medal in team sports are Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Montenegro, Norway and Sweden.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 02:51, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: The criteria seems pretty vague. Water polo? Tenis? Going out on a limb, cycling, and triathlon (The Brits certainly worked as a team to get gold and bronze). [[User:Nine|Nine]] 21:23, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::That's a fascinating table.  I wouldn't describe Japan as atheist, however.  Shinto, perhaps, although there is a Christian population as well.  I cannot think of a single prominent Japanese atheist.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:38, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: I would also class some sailing events as team sports as you need perfect team work to do well in sailing. non communication between helmsman and the other crew members will result in a pretty poor performance ! If there are no major breakaways road cycling is also a team sport. --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:27, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:27, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Having lived in Japan, I would define it as agnostic. Virtually noone actively disbelieves in God (or a god). Most people have a very open mind to religion and are happy to visit the temples and partake in the rituals (both Shinto and Buddhist ones) and also to dip into church once in a while. Most Japanese people even get married in church, not at the temple! Nonetheless while my Japanese church had a core group of worshippers, the general attitude to religion in Japan is &amp;quot;Born a Shinto, convert to Christian in middle age, die a Buddhist!&amp;quot;. The challenge for the church in Japan is keeping people saved once they get interested. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 11:15, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== A bit confused ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Recent edits seem to downplay the US women's gold in soccer/football, despite the fact that it seems this site should trumpet every accomplishment by Americans. It seems to imply that Canada should have beat the US in the semifinals, despite the fact that Conservapedia earlier predicted that Canada should underperform in Olympics because of socialism and same sex marriage. Likewise Japan, which should underperform by this site's standards, as it's been ranked [http://www.infobarrel.com/25_Most_Atheist_Countries_in_the_World the #5 most atheist country in the world]. Furthermore, this idea that the US advanced unfairly seems to contradict the idea that the Olympics is a prime example of the best of the public, in which winners are decided by pure skill and performance alone, and not by some committee of so-called &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot;. Are the Olympic games not an example of the best of the public after all? [[User:PortlyMort|PortlyMort]] 00:12, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Interesting points, but:&lt;br /&gt;
:*this site does not unthinkingly cheer for [[Team USA]]; and&lt;br /&gt;
:*there is nothing wrong without pointing out how a referee imposed an almost unheard of penalty against the [[Canadian]] women's soccer team, which enabled the American team to advance.&lt;br /&gt;
:None of this changes our support of the [[best of the public]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:39, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Canada ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Canada legalized same-sex marriage in 2005. Is there any reason we used the 2008 data instead of the 2004 data? It seemed like a mistake, so I corrected it and updated the numbers. If someone can provide an explanation for using 2008, feel free to change it back. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 10:20, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:A full year transpired between the 2004 and 2008 Olympics before Canada passed the [[Civil Marriage Act]] and it became effective.  But your point is a good one, so let's do a weighted proration on the 2004 and 2008 numbers.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:51, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Great Britain ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I think that any analysis involving Great Britain at these Games, either to prove or disprove the atheist theory, is problematic because hosts ALWAYS receive a big medal boost. Australia and France by themselves are insufficient to indicate a trend with just this year's data, even with the decreases. We'll have to analyze them again in 2016, along with Great Britain, but should probably throw out this year's data for GB, and factor in that there is an 8 year difference between the two data points we have for them, after 2016. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 19:30, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Superb point about how the host nation wins more medals almost automatically.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:36, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== The Durant question ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One of the key points in the answer to the Durant question is that he scored a bucketload of points. While he indeed did, the question emphasises '''selfless''' play. Would selfless play be better indicated by assists and not points? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 09:44, 19 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:No, I don't think so, unless the player has a relatively low field goal percentage, as Kobe Bryant does compared with the best players.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:48, 19 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Okay, makes sense, just thought I would clarify. Thanks for the lightning fast response by the way, is there anything wrong with my little clean up of the page? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 09:55, 19 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057141</id>
		<title>Talk:2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057141"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:45:09Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* The Durant question */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== &amp;quot;1 Nations That Impose Same-sex marriage/ 2 Nations that are increasingly atheistic/ 3 Sports that have been ravaged by feminist Title IX in the U.S.&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nice. Great way to cover all your bases. When the US does well, you can crow about the same-sex marriage and the atheism. When the US doesn't do well, you can pile on Title IX and the feminists. Win-Win. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 10:52, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Also, it's curious that you are focused on reasons for failure, not reasons for success. Why not divide up the matrix by, say, &amp;quot;Countries with a record of supporting young athletes&amp;quot;/&amp;quot;Countries with a strong cultural tradition of teamwork&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Countries with a strong tradition of individual accomplishment&amp;quot;/&amp;quot;Countries where fitness is held as an important value&amp;quot;? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 11:06, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Category 3 is sports-specific in the [[U.S.]], so there is no contradiction with categories 1 and 2, which are nation-specific.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:54, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Which is exactly why your matrix allows you to frame both US victories and US defeats in terms of your political agenda. It's an awesome rhetorical move. But I'm still curious as to why you are more focused on reasons for failure than on reasons for success. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:15, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::There is nothing &amp;quot;rhetorical&amp;quot; about this.  Ideologies obviously have consequences, and this is a prediction of those consequences beforehand, with an evaluation as the results occur.  Surely we shouldn't pretend that every contestant is a winner, and every ideology is a winner too?  (Except, of course, [[Christianity]], which [[liberals]] never want to credit).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:22, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Of course it's a rhetorical move--you are narrowing your analysis to focus on the political points that you are most interested in. Of course we shouldn't pretend that every contestant is a winner, so why not focus on reasons why people win, as opposed to why they lose--and surely Christianity is not the only reason, otherwise Jews, Muslims, atheists, Shintoists, Mormons, Moonies, Buddhists etc would never win any medals. It would be worthwhile to account for non-divine, or at least non-Christian   reasons for success. Your focus on failure is really disheartening. Do you enjoy pointing out other's shortcomings, or are you projecting? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:29, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::I'm fine with focusing on the winners - a entire entry called [[Greatest Conesrvative Sports Stars]] has been doing that for months.  If you'd like to add a section to [[Olympics 2012]] that focuses on winners, that would be welcome.  In fact, I'll start it for you now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:46, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::Again, a great rhetorical move on your part--what about the non-conservative winners? If they're not conservative, they can't be winners. If they're winners, they must be conservative. If Tim Thomas doesn't lead the Boston Bruins to another Stanley Cup, hockey falls off the front page of the website; if the Miami Heat win, it's because they were somehow &amp;quot;taught a lesson&amp;quot; by a team they went on to beat soundly. Well played, sir. Well played. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:52, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::::Your objection reminds me of the editor who thought it significant that [[Tim Tebow]], after winning a spectacular upset in the first game of last year's [[NFL]] playoffs, then lost in the second round to a much stronger team.  My response then is similar to now:  people usually don't look for a miracle to occur ever single time.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:34, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Euro 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
Slightly off-topic, I admit, but I was wondering, whether Andy had any comments on the final of the European Cup final (soccer) that takes place tonight between Spain and Italy? Maybe even a prediction who might win? If you haven't followed the tournament so far, atheistic England went out in the quarter finals, while the liberal Netherlands didn't make it past the first round (same as catholic, pro-life Poland, incidentally). --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 13:31, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The [[Netherlands]] is a big [[same-sex marriage]] country, so no surprise there.  Both [[Spain]] and [[Italy]] are very [[liberal]], so that's a tough choice.  Poland was under communist martial law until about 20-25 years ago, so I don't think it's far to expect it to do as well.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:34, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::So gay marriage, political culture, and form of government matter more that the relative skill of the players, their histories in recent match-ups, their style of play, the depth of their squads, coaching, or any other soccer-related questions? So when you sit down to watch a given sports contest, you analyze the game through the lens of politics and religion, and not through the lenses of ability, strategy, or any other sports-related concept. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:06, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Deny it all you like, but ideologies do have consequences.  Show me a sports team of atheists and I'll show you a team that's not going to win the championship.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:20, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::So all of those Soviet medal wins in the Olympics, or in international hockey, all of the medal wins by Chinese teams--they were all believers of one sort or another? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:26, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Also, if Spain and Italy are both &amp;quot;very liberal&amp;quot;, that means a liberal team is guaranteed to win the championship. Guess it pays to be &amp;quot;very liberal!&amp;quot;  [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:30, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Meh.... In the first Euro championship (1960), the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia finished 1-2-3 respectively. All were communist. At least two communist nations made the semifinals for each of the next 3 Euros. In 1980, the Czechoslovakians finished third. In 1984, no Communist nations finished in the Top 4, but that was the only time that happened. The Soviets came in second in 1988, and then the communists fell. Since then (6 Euros), the Czechs have two Top 4 apppearances, the Russians have one, and other communist nations or their successor states have none. Of course, this is misleading because a combined Yugoslavia team consisting of the Serbian, Montenegrin, Croatian, etc. teams might have done well, and of those nations, only Croatia qualified and they did fairly well considering they were in a group with Italy and Spain. Most of the Yugoslavian players were Serbian, and most of the Soviet players were Russian. So it appears Serbia and Russia suffered. But Croatia and Montenegro have done well since independence (and a unified Serbia and Montenegro team qualified for the World Cup in 2006, but was placed in the group of death and eliminated in the first round. It also didn't help that the World Cup was held after the two nations separated). Also, Bosnia and Herzigovina has improved, coming within a playoff against Portugal of qualifying for both the World Cup and Euro, but they lost both.&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, Ukraine has improved significantly since the USSR breakup. Although they only qualified this year because they were hosts, they qualified for the World Cup in 2006 and almost again in 2010. Latvia qualified for Euro 2004, even though there were pretty much no Latvian Soviet soccer players. Estonia also came within a playoff of qualifying for Euro this year, a marked improvement over their Soviet days, but lost. Same with Bosnia-Herzigovinia and Montenegro. Additionally, either Slovakia or the Czech Republic has qualified almost always for the World Cup and Euro, and a combined team would likely have done better. In team sports, it is hard to compare stats from before and after, because while the USSR may have done better than any of the new nations, we don't know how the new nations would do if they competed together as they did when they were the USSR. Andre Szevchenko is one of the best players in Europe for Ukraine, but he doesn't have much support. If he had the support of Russian players, Estonian players, and Latvian players on his team, then that team would probably have done better. The same could be said of a combined team for Czech Republic and Slovakia. &lt;br /&gt;
As an example of the opposite, the new German team has done far better than the old East German team, including some players from Berlin who would have competed for East Gemrany 25 years ago. Their performance is slightly better than the West German performance, although this is probably just because they have more people now, since they were both capitalist. &lt;br /&gt;
Also, Germany is the only country in the Netherlands' group that does not have same-sex marriage (Portugal and Denmark also do). At least one of them by rule HAD to advance (Portugal did), but it was the Germans who won the group with a perfect record. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 05:20, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Evidence that Christianity increases a countries  Olympic medals while atheism and liberalism reduce gold medals won ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, although it is true that Communist/authoritarian countries have gone out of their way in the past to pour money in the Olympic gold winning efforts (Soviet Union)[http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&amp;amp;context=econ_honproj&amp;amp;sei-redir=1&amp;amp;referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dgdp%2520population%2520freedom%2520and%2520olympic%2520medals%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26ved%3D0CEoQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.iwu.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1004%2526context%253Decon_honproj%26ei%3DbsLwT5fpO-Hq0gHpidj6Ag%26usg%3DAFQjCNGA2tePIDTqdOmM8p42uwGhpzkVhA#search=%22gdp%20population%20freedom%20olympic%20medals%22], it is also true that a higher population size and a higher GDP positively affect the number of gold medals that a country wins.[http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/andrew.bernard/olymp60restat_finaljournalversion.pdf]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Atheism reduces a countries population size while religiosity increases a countries birth rate: http://conservapedia.com/Decline_of_atheism#Decline_of_atheism_in_terms_of_global_adherents_is_expected_to_accelerate See also: [[Decline of atheism]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the journal article ''Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications'' psychologists McCullough and Willoughby theorize that many of the positive links of religiousness with health and social behavior may be caused by religion's beneficial influences on self-control/self-regulation.[http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/Papers/Relig_self_control_bulletin.pdf][http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19210054] Athletes with more self-control have more mental toughness.[http://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8800&amp;amp;ATCLID=926652] Athletes with more mental toughness tend to perform at higher levels.[http://vimeo.com/23328555]  See also: [[Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, all other things remaining equal, religion in the Western world tends to promote more self-discipline and healthier behaviors when it comes to mental and physical health: See: [[Atheism and health]] and [[Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism]] and [[Atheism and obesity]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, while it is true that a country that is doing well can have &amp;quot;fat and sassy&amp;quot; atheists as a result. On the other hand,  if there is religious freedom in a country a country can have high levels of religiosity even with high incomes such as the United States. See effects of prosperity on rates of atheism: http://www.conservapedia.com/User:Conservative/atheism-research#Effect_of_prosperity_on_rate_of_atheism&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I am sure you can find data to support that capitalism causes a country to have higher incomes than socialism/liberalism over the long term. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Next, liberalism promotes abortion and small family sizes where conservative religion does not. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Summary: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLEAWsX0qk Jesus is the winnamon and Christians are on the winning side!] Christians are winners and atheists tend to lose again! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Go for the gold America! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! (where atheists are the least trusted group of individuals. See: [[Views on atheists]]) :) [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 17:07, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
=== No doubt Bible believers achieve more gold medals than atheists all other things being equal ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a study listed in Who's Who in Who's Who, it took 5,000 Presbyterian ministers to produce one child listed in Who's Who. Among lawyers the ratio was 5,000 to 1; dentists 2,500 to 1. But for every seven Christian missionary families from the United States, one of their children would be listed in Who's Who.[http://www.wentworthbaptist.ca/old/sermontexts/Leaving%20the%20past%20behind_Phil%203.1-14_071230.htm] See also: [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and health]] [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 09:33, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Do you have a link to that actual study? One in seven seems high. How big is this &amp;quot;Who's Who&amp;quot; list and how many missionary families are there in the USA?&lt;br /&gt;
::::Come on, everybody knows the formula to winning the gold. Preparation and conceive, believe and achieve! :) Doubters have a harder time believing than believers! Atheists are pessimists and have higher rates of depression. See: [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]. Bible believers who are realists and optimists are more upbeat and win more gold medals. Plus, conservative Bible believing Protestants with the Protestant work ethic, are more able to outwork atheists and achieve more gold medals. Secular Europe is filled lazy doubters who love socialism. Lazy people are less likely to win gold medals.  [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 10:08, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::yeah, that's good, really I just want to see how the study explains it&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::We know that per capita GDP increases Olympic medals. Therefore, when the shortsighted measures holding together the [http://www.care2.com/causes/euro-zone-crisis-banks-lower-rates-but-confidence-stays-low.html troubled Eurozone economy] stop working, they will win less gold medals than countries which were more prudent. The lazy secular Europeans should have listened to the Bible about hard work and not getting heavy into debt. The gold medal counts of secular Europe are going to be lower than they needed to be in 2016. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 10:24, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
http://www.gfmag.com/tools/global-database/economic-data/10394-public-debt-by-country.html#axzz1zqxAoMmm&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::I think it is self explanatory that those who have faith will have the discipline and the belief to achieve something extraordinary--[[User:OconnorM|OconnorM]] 12:46, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I do know that post 1950 the USA became more secular and United States became less financially prudent. Socialism and communism do not have great track records over the long term and atheists have tended to like these systems more.  Countries which adopted a Protestant work ethic have benefited and even those with a legacy of a Protestant work ethic culture have benefited.[http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/oct/31/economics-religion-research] The Bible also mentions sharpening the axe (Ecclesiastes 10:10), good stewardship of resources and orderliness. [http://www.openbible.info/topics/orderliness]  No doubt the legacy of Protestantism in the country of Germany (birth place of Protestantism), helped to create the efficiency and orderliness that their society is known for. Athletes who train more efficiently using the best methods and get better nutrition, gain more medals. See also: [[Christianity and science]]. Christianity has one of the highest rates of creationism in the world and despite Darwinist persecution of creationists and intelligent design proponents (see: [[Expelled]]) manages to be leader in technological innovation. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 13:48, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== One fair way to analyze ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In order to give a fair analysis, information needs to be compiled before the Games for the countries/sports listed for both pre/post same-sex marriage/girls playing sports and then add this year's results. As far as I can see, that would be the only way to objectively assess any trend regarding medals/performance. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 10:14, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:It would still make no case for any causal relationship between same-sex marriage, atheism etc. and performance at the Olympics. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 19:54, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Baseball not an Olympic sport in 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Baseball is removed from the list, because both baseball and softball have been dropped for the program for the 2012 Olympics. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/08/sports/08iht-oly.html?_r=1 [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 11:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Baseball being removed from list ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Maybe baseball (and softball) have been removed because they are not included in the 2012 Olympics. [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/8504326/] &amp;quot;They'rrre out! Olympics drop baseball, softball: Sports eliminated for 2012 Games, but could win way back in 2016&amp;quot; AP, nbcsports.com, July 9, 2005, retrieved July 2, 2012. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 11:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:[[Baseball]] was dropped from the 2012 Olympics???  That's a disappointment!  Is the sport considered too [[conservative]]?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::If it is, why did [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Summer_Olympics#Medal_table Cuba win most of the gold medals?] (And the most medals overall?) [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:47, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Same sex marriage and underachievement. ==&lt;br /&gt;
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While a rationale is given for the relationship between atheism and underperformance, none is given for the relationship between same sex marriage and underperformance. Can somebody who understands the relationship please provide a rationale in the relevant section? Thanks. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:25, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::A factor in winning gold medals is the population size of a country. How does same sex marriage help increase the population size of a country? The Russians seem to think that it doesn't. Also, Olympic athletes have to be in top physical condition. See: [[Homosexuality and health]].  In addition, mental toughness is important in sports and &amp;quot;Nancy boys&amp;quot; lack this characteristic!  Also, there is the issue of [[Homosexuality and obesity]]. If you could show us that the town of Ereses on the Greek Island of [[Lesbos]] has produced an inordinate amount of Olympic women gymnasts instead of higher incidence of obese lesbians, it would be greatly appreciated (See: [[Lesbianism and obesity]]).[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:16, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the town is called Eresos (Greek: Ερεσός), no? --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 15:21, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Thanks! Corrected. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:26, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::This isn't a good argument against same-sex marriage, you know. It's just not logical. If a marriage is for population growth, then why are marriages that can't/won't produce children permitted? My dad's on his second marriage since my mother passed away - no half-siblings yet. You need to think through your arguments. If these non-productive marriages ''are'' permitted, under what reason? Companionship? That can be applied to same-sex couples as well. Tax benefits? Ditto. The argument doesn't stand up very well. &lt;br /&gt;
:::Oh, and there you go - you just can't get away from negatively portraying fat people. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 15:24, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Why an ancient Greek myth should be applicable to today is something only you would know.&lt;br /&gt;
::::As for homosexuals at the Olympics - and &amp;quot;nancy boys&amp;quot; is a very derogatory term, much like using the n-word. One would think a site like this would be above that sort of thing, but obviously not - how about Mark Spitz (7 gold) and Greg Louganis (4 gold), who was also the the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States in 1984. &lt;br /&gt;
::::Once again, your tired old arguments don't hold any water - obese people - gay or straight are hardly likely to be participating at the games, so trying to make a correlation between a country's political decisions and the performance of individual athletes is - quite frankly - stupid. But I have a feeling that you still can't grasp the idea. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:26, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::There's a legal precedent - &amp;quot;He Who Asserts Must Prove&amp;quot;... so, let's see your proof that a government passing same-sex marriage laws affects individual sportsmens' performance. Hint: the drivel you wrote above is not proof. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:34, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Homosexuality related tourism occurs in this town today. Second, re: lower amount of mental toughness issue: [[Mental Health and Homosexuality]] Third, the birth rate of heterosexual marriages will always exceed homosexual &amp;quot;marriages&amp;quot; [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:37, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Your first point - totally not relevant. What the hell does tourism have to do with athletes at the Olympic Games? Second people - people who are not mentally tough - gay or straight wouldn't last at any level of competitive sport and thus wouldn't appear at the Games, so your point is invalid. Third point is equally invalid - birth rates have nothing to do with how individuals perform at the Games. Care to try again? [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:40, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
It is relevant: Homosexuality related tourism occurs in the Greek town today. In 1976, Gwen J. Proude and Sarah J. Green published a study in the journal Ethnology which showed a positive correlation between cultures which accepted or ignored homosexuality in their cultures and cultures which were more likely to have homosexuality be more common. (see: [[Homosexuality]]). [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Birth rates, already covered above: &amp;quot;A factor in winning gold medals is the population size of a country. How does same sex marriage help increase the population size of a country? The Russians seem to think that it doesn't.&amp;quot; [[User:Conservative|Conservative]]&lt;br /&gt;
:::Nope. Still has absolutely no relevance to the performance of individual athletes at the Games. In fact, on rereading your reasons, you seem to be stuck on the thought that countries that allow same-sex marriage would only send gay athletes to the Games. That is bizarre. &lt;br /&gt;
:::Just how many people of the same gender do you think are going to be married? To say it'll affect a country's population growth is double bizarre. Japan's population growth is going backwards and they don't have same-sex marriage. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:49, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Your [[last wordism]] isn't impressing anyone - especially since you conveniently ignored the [[Homosexuality and health]] issue. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:08, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Chuck norris.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|It is no coincidence that the fit and healthy Bible believing martial artist [[Chuck Norris]] lives in the state of [[Texas]] and not the city of San Francisco! Chuck Norris is no &amp;quot;Nancy boy&amp;quot; and he is the embodiment of mental toughness. ]]&lt;br /&gt;
{{clear}}&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Wouldn't there be just as many homosexuals whether same-sex marriage is legal or not? Legalizing same-sex marriage wouldn't turn the existing athletes into homosexuals. So we're barking up the wrong tree here. Even if there were a correlation between homosexuality and athletic performance, it would have nothing to do with the legal status of same-sex marriage. Tim Tebow will be playing his home games in New York next year (ok, fine, New Jersey, but I'm a Jets fan and I consider them to be from New York). Same-sex marriage is legal in New York. It was not legal in Colorado or Florida. It is ridiculous to suggest that this would somehow hurt Tebow's performance. He will be just as faithful, Christian, and heterosexual as he ever was. Even if the NFL adds a franchise in atheistic London (as they are foolishly considering) and Tebow winds up there, nothing will change. Even if the Bills move to Toronto and Tebow plays for them, nothing will change. So supposing there is a correlation, we're looking for it in the wrong place, in my opinion. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 07:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::To be fair, legalization of homosexual relationships may be a proxy for a jurisdiction's attitudes for homosexuality.  I don't think it's a very good proxy; it would probably be a better idea to examine sexual orientations of athletes themselves rather than attitudes about homosexuality held  by residents the places they represent.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 12:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: But it's not the ''attitudes'' of the athletes that [[User:Conservative]] says are relevant. It's the actual ''orientation'' of the athletes. He posted a number of references to homosexuality and health problems. Without commenting one way or the other on their merits, they only apply if the athlete himself is a homosexual. So I'm inclined to agree with GregG here. Perhaps Conservative's theory is right, but if it is, he's going about proving it the wrong way. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:08, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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=== Evidence pointing to same sex marriage acceptance negatively affecting Olympic medal counts ===&lt;br /&gt;
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We know that bigger populations tend to gain more Olympic medals.[http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/andrew.bernard/olymp60restat_finaljournalversion.pdf] Show me that societies which accept homosexuality tend to have higher birth rates. &lt;br /&gt;
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We know that atheists are more accepting of homosexuality and also more liberal (see: [[Atheism and morality]]). We know that liberals are more accepting of homosexuality. See: [[Views on Homosexuality]].  We also know atheists tend to have lower birth rates. See: [[Decline of atheism]].  My educated guess is that liberal countries have lower birth rates (abortion, birth control, etc.). [http://erlc.com/article/death-of-liberalism/] There is also evidence pointing to societies which accept homosexuality having more of it. In 1976, Gwen J. Proude and Sarah J. Green published a study in the journal Ethnology which showed a positive correlation between cultures which accepted or ignored homosexuality in their cultures and cultures which were more likely to have homosexuality be more common. (see: [[Homosexuality]]). My educated guess therefore is that societies accepting of same sex marriage have lower birth rates and achieve less medals as a result. I do understand that societies which have more material wealth can grow morally lax and thus more accepting of homosexuality and those societies tend to be more prone to falling (Roman Empire for example). Therefore, we should not confuse higher GDP per capita and achieving more medals and a societies acceptance of homosexuality. &lt;br /&gt;
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Athletes with higher degrees of mental toughness achieve more. I would think that societies with higher degrees of mental toughness would have lower suicide rates. We know that atheists tend to be more accepting of homosexuality (plus more liberal) and they have higher suicide rates than the general population. See: [[Atheism and morality]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]. Also, compare the suicide rates of countries and their acceptance of homosexuality as a possible benchmark for the mental toughness of the societies.  Of course, you would have to do statistical analysis to examine the relationship between societies accepting homosexuality and their suicide rates so you do not count other factors which cause suicides.  &lt;br /&gt;
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Alternatively, show me societies accepting of homosexuality tend to score high on mental toughness tests such as Peter Cough's test. Also, [http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm Emotional intelligence (EQ) test] score and a person's [http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/501-550/article517_body.html &amp;quot;Adversity quotient&amp;quot;] test score would be possible benchmarks as far as measuring mental toughness, but obviously the latter would be better. EQ is popular in management circles and perhaps different societies have been measured in terms of their EQ test scores. My guess is that perhaps EQ is only somewhat popular in the USA and Spain perhaps.[http://danielgoleman.info/2008/can-there-be-an-emotionally-intelligent-society/] With that being said, I think there is far more detailed information on suicide rates of countries and that is probably a better benchmark of mental toughness. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:13, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Canada's medal haul went UP by 50% after they allowed same-sex marriage. (12 in 2004, 18 in 2008) [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 08:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Anecdotal and too tied to them hosting the Olympics and starting a drive to win more gold. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:58, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::They didn't host the Olympics in 2008, and anyways, the medal drive was focused on the winter games, not the summer games. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 09:03, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
It takes time to develop winning programs and I am guessing they knew in advance they were going to host the Olympics. 09:13, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Caribbeans have low suicide rates.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate] They must be pretty mentally tough and not worry. :) Mental toughness increases performance. Hey mon, don't worry, be happy! Hey mon, I think I am going to kick back on a Caribbean beach and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTW0ifgY9zc&amp;amp;playnext=1&amp;amp;list=PLAA6853EB17004E8E listen to Caribbean music] while conservative, Bible believing  families  (which don't approve of homosexuality) keep winning more gold medals per family because they have more kids and have more mental toughness! :) And remember, conservative Bible believers with the Protestant work ethic, work harder to win gold medals than lazy, liberal, obese homosexuals with knee problems on welfare! See: [[Homosexuality and obesity]] and [[Lesbianism and obesity]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 09:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::HAHAHA they do talk funny&lt;br /&gt;
:::: That may be so, [[User:Conservative]], but you are still miscorrelating. A conservative Canadian family wouldn't be made liberal by the legalization of same-sex marriage. If anything, the decline in medals should come ''before'' the legalization of same sex-marriage, since liberalization would come ''before'' the legalization of same-sex marriage. So, perhaps a better study would be looking at a country's attitudes towards homosexuality over time (both before and after legalization of same-sex marriage) and try to correlate that. But I honestly doubt the actual act of legalizing same-sex marriage has a magic wand effect. Which is why the evidence shows you are wrong even though your logic may be perfectly correct. It's only your conclusion that's flawed. Liberalization and shift in views on homosexuality take time to occur. They don't happen overnight upon legalization of same-sex marriage. There would only be evidence of what you're saying if it was a magical overnight shift. And it's not. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:16, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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=== More evidence that homosexuality leads to lower medal counts and Bible believing enables more medals to be won ===&lt;br /&gt;
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Homosexuals have higher suicide rates than the general population (see: [[Mental Health and Homosexuality]]). Historically, Christians have faced a lot of persecution, but they don't commit suicide. They know that God wants Christians to be strong and not commit suicide and the Bible has many verses about being courageous plus the Bible is against suicide.   Bible believers are more mentally tough than homosexuals. Mental toughness increases athletic performance. Therefore, Bible believers, all other things remaining equal, are able to win more Olympic medals than homosexuals. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:52, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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=== Math'd -- Gay marriage ===&lt;br /&gt;
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A subject about quantifying something?? I accept your challenge.&lt;br /&gt;
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For the following, I am trying to determine the effect of pro-gay legislation on Olympic Medals. Since different countries have hugely different factors, I thought we could use the states of the USA to observe any effects (being labs of democracy, and all). What I did was find a list of all 2008 Olympic Medalists. Then, I got rid of any groups, leaving only individual medalists. Then, I mapped these medalists to their home state. Then, I figured out, based on population, how many medals each state should win out of the total USA medals. Then, I matched states with their same-sex marriage legislation (I assumed if same-sex couples could marry or engage in civil unions, this was a &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; state. No marriage or civil unions, an &amp;quot;Anti-Gay&amp;quot; state.) Then I summed up expected and actuals by these two categories. Here's what I got....&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! State Type&lt;br /&gt;
! Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Actual Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Over/Under&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Pro-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 29.8&lt;br /&gt;
| 45&lt;br /&gt;
| 15.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Anti-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 42.2&lt;br /&gt;
| 27&lt;br /&gt;
| -15.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Total&lt;br /&gt;
| 72.0&lt;br /&gt;
| 72&lt;br /&gt;
| 0&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
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If we look just at Gold Medals...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! State Type&lt;br /&gt;
! Expected Golds&lt;br /&gt;
! Actual Golds&lt;br /&gt;
! Over/Under&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Pro-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 8.3&lt;br /&gt;
| 14&lt;br /&gt;
| 5.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Anti-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 11.7&lt;br /&gt;
| 6&lt;br /&gt;
| -5.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Total&lt;br /&gt;
| 20.0&lt;br /&gt;
| 20&lt;br /&gt;
| 0&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
(Please note that if a medalist is from another country, they were excluded. Same with two obscure athletes I couldn't find information on)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see, &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; states outperform their expected total medal results by over 50%. Conversely, &amp;quot;Anti-Gay&amp;quot; states underperform by 36%.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The picture is more extreme only looking at Gold medals - &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; outperformes %69%, while &amp;quot;Anti-Gay' under perform by almost half.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In conclusion, do I think &amp;quot;imposing&amp;quot; gay marriage has anything to do with Olympic results? Probably not, since states, along any group of people in the Olympics, have a huge number of factors affecting their outcomes. But, to say that gay marriage destroys Olypmic results...well, that just goes against the data.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 15:49, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think you are going to have to do regression analysis to isolate the homosexuality issue. It seems as if the wealth and population size are important variables to winning medals as noted above. Cultures which have significant wealth often get morally complacent history shows. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:00, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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1) This is a regression based on population size. But I don't think a regression could be done on wealth, since it's hard to track the socio-economic movements of dozens of medalists, many of whom are relatively unknown. Also, if you want me to regress based on a group of large, poor states that allow gay marriage...my sample size isn't going to be even close to credible. I agree though, it would be very interesting.&lt;br /&gt;
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2) You didn't provide isolation of the homosexuality issue in your hypothesis, so that's what I based my refutation on.. You said countries with gay marriage would underperform. Not that a country with gay marriage would underperform an identical country without gay marriage.&lt;br /&gt;
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3) Most importantly, why should ''I'' isolate the homosexuality issue? ''You'' should be the one supporting your premise, or at least refuting my data. I spent the time showing why your idea was wrong, now it's your turn to either show where I am wrong, or adjust or reject your hypothesis.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 16:13, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::The liberals are not being realistic and fighting an uphill battle here. You are never going to have people associate homosexuality with athleticism/health. This is a Pickett's charge to say the least - especially at Conservapedia (see: [[Homosexuality and health]]). [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:36, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::So...nothing about the Olympics then? [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 16:47, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::You still haven't shown me that the homosexual population can clear Olympic hurdles as well as the heterosexual population. See: [[Homosexuality and obesity]] and [[Lesbianism and obesity]]. Are you saying that overweight people are better hurdlers?  If so, I have a hard time believing this. Also, nations with bigger populations earn more medals. How does homosexuality promote procreation? After all, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:37, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::And kudos to you, User:Conservative. You once again can't resist bringing up us evil fat people as your argument. And lo and behold, it's even completely off-topic to the above comments. Color me surprised... '''''NOT!''''' [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 13:38, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: [[User:Conservative]], you make valid points, but you are confusing two statistical populations. There is the homosexual population, and if your statistics are correct, they should perform worse. Let's assume that you're right for the purpose of this discussion. However, that would only effect athletes who are homosexual themselves, not entire countries. Legalizing same-sex marriage won't magically make the entire population into homosexuals. So you should be looking at the sexual orientation of the athletes themselves if you want to prove your point. Whether the country/state legalizes same-sex marriage is irrelevant to your point, one way or the other. I'd be interested in seeing your new study which focuses on the athletes themselves and not on the whole country. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Conservative, you said that legalizing gay marriage leads to a country under-performing in the Olympics. I showed that the evidence does not support that, at least in America. I didn't say fat gays make good hurdlers. But, the Olympics usually doesn't draw athletes from the 'out-of-shape' population... [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 22:45, 8 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Expected Medals ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Hello all,&lt;br /&gt;
I think it would be fun to track &amp;quot;expected vs actuals&amp;quot; with regards to medals. I was thinking of adding a table giving each partipating country an expected value. However, I'm having trouble deciding it it would be better to do it on a &amp;quot;per capita&amp;quot; basis, or a &amp;quot;per GDP&amp;quot; basis. Any thoughts? [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 17:09, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I think ranking on a &amp;quot;per GDP&amp;quot; basis would be fairer.  Competitive sports is an activity of affluent nations.  Any thoughts on this by others?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:14, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I added a table, proportioning medals by nominal GDP. I notice that I'm predicting 200 medals for America, which seems high. I wonder why that could be? My thought is that there are a ton of countries with less than 1 medal expected, but a lot of them will probably get one. I'll leave the table, but please let me know if you have any thoughts on modifications. It's a least something to get us thinking! [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 13:43, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Added info re same-sex marriage ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I added more info on same-sex marriage being allowed in certain political subdivisions of a country. I clarified that there are two US States that have legalized same sex marriage but there is a citizen's referendum about it, but that one of them (Washington) already had civil unions. I also noted that in Mexico, same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a Federal District similar to Washington, DC. Also, I noted that several overseas territories of the Netherlands will compete separately and also have different laws regarding same-sex marriage. Aruba does not perform them, but per the Kingdom's requirements must recognize those performed elsewhere. Same with Curacao and Sint Maarten, who will compete as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Participants&amp;quot; under the Olympic flag after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition for their Olympic committee. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 19:29, 3 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Joke sports ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I'm going to remove beach volleyball from the list, as it's a very physically demanding sport. Also, while I agree that synchronised swimming is a bit of a joke, I disagree with the description that these are &amp;quot;sports that allow underachieving nations to pad their medal totals&amp;quot;. The USA has won (usually multiple) medals in beach volleyball every year it has been included in the Olympics, synchronised swimming medals ''most'' times and half of all the BMX medals ever awarded! In fact, the only weak nation that has ever won a medal in any of these events (ever) was a Latvian who won the first BMX gold. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 00:00, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I realize that the U.S. wins many of these &amp;quot;joke&amp;quot; medals.  I was being objective and fair to other nations in criticizing these medals.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Ok fair enough. So what are your thoughts on beach volleyball? What makes it joke...ish? [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 00:19, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I think it's mainly because it's a relatively recent creation, arrived at by taking an existing sport and just playing it on a beach. (I know that teams are smaller and the rules are a bit different etc, but that's basically it.) Why not have beach tennis, beach archery, beach baseball and beach cricket as well??? That and the requirements by the sport's governing body specifying the skimpiness of female competitors' attire.&lt;br /&gt;
:::This isn't to say that it's not demanding to play at the top level, but do the Olympics really need to have two different kinds of volleyball? Regular volleyball is hardly a blue riband event as it is!--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 08:33, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Beach volleyball and regular volleyball have different rules. The idea is the same, but the rules are pretty different. A similar situation would be rugby. Starting in 2016 rugby sevens will be in the Olympics. If they also added rugby league (which is fairly similar to rugby sevens, but has a lot of differences too) as well, then that would be too similar. But it just makes them redundant, it doesn't make one of them a &amp;quot;joke&amp;quot;. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:04, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Are the nations of Japan increasingly atheistic or increasingly theistic and/or christian? ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Are the nations of Japan increasingly atheistic or increasingly theistic and/or christian?&lt;br /&gt;
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Gallup poll: Christianity growing in Japan: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=2278&lt;br /&gt;
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Pastor Lee in Korea, 2007 - BBC: &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Our church is still growing, so sooner or later Christianity will be the major religion in Korea. All Christians are praying for that right now.&amp;quot;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8322072.stm]&lt;br /&gt;
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== Move page ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Can we move this page to [[2012 Olympics]]? That's a more natural title. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 07:16, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:How bout a redirect?[[User:Brenden|brenden]] 11:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::The redirect works.  It's a close call which title is better, but to me starting an entry with a number seems less efficient in conveying meaning.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:24, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::You have to have something indicating summer. I retitled the article. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:04, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::I agree.  Even though Summer and Winter Olympics never occur in the same year anymore, they historically were both held in the same year.  Having this naming convention will ensure consistency with other Olympics articles we may create.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 12:11, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: I agree. 2012 Olympics may not be ambiguous but [[1984 Olympics]] would be. (Los Angeles Summer Games or Sarajevo Winter Games). Also, with regards to Andy's concern, virtually all press releases refer to these as the 2012 (Summer) Olympics, and/or use the official name &amp;quot;Games of the XXX Olympiad&amp;quot;. (XXX is Roman Numeral 30, not a placeholder) However, since the official Olympiad name is never used except in official releases, and it is commonly referred to as 2012 Summer Olympics everywhere else, I say keep it this way. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:01, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Agree with Greg. Thirtieth Olympiad is too obscure for a generation that regards 3 month old music as outdated. Better call it the 2012 Olympics. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 20:26, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Tables for medals ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I'm going to add tables showing medals won, and indicate in the table when same-sex marriage was recognized, for each country listed. This will make it easier to identify trends from before and after legalization. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 11:54, 5 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== This page is preposterous ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I can't believe that nearly everything you have to say about this year's Olympic games revolves around your overweening obsession with homosexuality and atheism. Even conservatives--well, normal conservatives--would want more substantive information. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 19:51, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:That's not enough to qualify as trying to improve this page. Are you saying there's no correlation, or are you indirectly registering an objection to this project's campaign against homosexuality and atheism? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 20:25, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::In my opinion, the way to improve this page would be to delete all the content and start over. I understand that the project is against homosexuality and atheism. But that doesn't mean those things have to be the main focus of ''every'' article. And yes, I ''am'' saying that there is no known correlation between same-sex marriage, homosexuality or atheism and Olympics success, and even if one were demonstrated, it would not establish causality, which is clearly what you are after. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 21:20, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Ideas do have consequences on productivity, achievement, happiness, etc.  A high percentage of successful [[NFL]] quarterbacks are devout [[Christians]].  Why?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:17, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::Is that so?  What is the percentage?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:57, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Where is the UK... ==&lt;br /&gt;
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...in the expected medals section?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 21:02, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Whoops, I had it listed as Great Britain. Which I should have known better than to do - I lived in London for a couple years, and got yelled at every time I got the terms wrong... [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 23:18, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Aaargh! I checked UK and Britain but neglected to check Great Britain.  Silly me.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:23, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== GDP ==&lt;br /&gt;
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If GDP &amp;quot;may be a fair proxy&amp;quot; in relation to how many medals a country will win then why is the main part of the article all about how atheism and gay marriage are going to have such an influence over the results?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 21:04, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I wanted to have a start point for comparisons and trend-spotting. It is my hypothesis that homosexuality and atheism have nothing to do with a country's athletic performance, and the table is my first step in testing. [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 23:21, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I am inclined to agree with you.  Unfortunately it makes the article a little schizophrenic (if I may use that term in such an inaccurate manner).  The top of the article asserts that homosexuality and atheism are solid indicators of Olympic performance for reasons, whereas your section is intended to show otherwise.  An internal tension, if you will.&lt;br /&gt;
::I get the feeling from the ''Nations that are increasingly atheistic'' section that there is supposed to be some reason that atheists are incapable of acting as members of a team (the reason is not explained).  Beyond that, the article is not only utterly unsupported by any study or even by any observations made by eminent persons in the appropriate field, it doesn't even contain a hypothesis as to the means by which the asserted connections operate.  I would suggest deleting and starting again but I have read Ed Poor's comments above and I assume any such similar request from myself would be resisted.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:36, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: We have explained those connections elsewhere, including on this talk page. Perhaps make separate articles and link to them? If we put all the explanations in this article, I think it would get a bit too busy. Also, we'd have to copy them for every future Olympics, which seems like a waste if we can just link to them. What does everyone else think? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:04, 21 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Rowing -&amp;gt; soccer ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I see Andy that you have reverted my edit which asserted that rowing was the sport requiring the most teamwork.  Apparently soccer is the sport that requires most teamwork (for reasons that are mysterious to me).&lt;br /&gt;
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Why is that Andy?  Why not (field) hockey, for example?  Or American football?  I would still assert that rowing is far and away the paramount team sport.  Your edit comment that it is &amp;quot;emulating a machine&amp;quot; really does nothing to detract from that assertion.  So what?  If that means that each crew member must move their body in perfect time with each other then my point is all the stronger isn't it?&lt;br /&gt;
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Obviously if this is a conservative insight then clearly I must be wrong, but if there is an actual reason that soccer is the ultimate team sport over rowing then I would be interested to hear it.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:52, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:There is no dynamic teamwork of any consequence in rowing - no passing a ball from one player to another, no reactions to defenders, and no mental strategy.  Rowing is great exercise for those who have access to expensive equipment and placid lakes, but it's not dynamic teamwork as soccer is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:43, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Ok, so it's &amp;quot;dynamic teamwork&amp;quot; that atheists can't perform?  They are capable of acting in perfect harmony with each other in a rowing shell but cannot pass a ball to each other or perform mental strategy?  Interesting.  Is there any evidence to support any of this?  If so, why is it that atheists are incapable of such activities?&lt;br /&gt;
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::P.S. I performed a couple of Google searches on which (rowing or soccer) is more commonly referred to as &amp;quot;the ultimate team sport&amp;quot;: [https://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;amp;q=%22rowing+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;oq=%22rowing+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;gs_l=serp.3..0i30.71845.74333.0.74873.2.2.0.0.0.0.220.429.2-2.2.0...0.0...1c.IPtkh8308qI&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=862d766996523d9f&amp;amp;biw=1201&amp;amp;bih=678 rowing] or [https://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&amp;amp;gs_nf=1&amp;amp;pq=soccer%20the%20ultimate%20team%20sport&amp;amp;cp=32&amp;amp;gs_id=e&amp;amp;xhr=t&amp;amp;q=%22soccer+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;pf=p&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;amp;oq=%22soccer+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;gs_l=&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=862d766996523d9f&amp;amp;biw=1201&amp;amp;bih=678 soccer].  I think that the hit numbers speak for themselves.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 00:57, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Rowing is obviously a rich-man's sport, which gives an unfair advantage to a few nations like the [[U.K.]]  While physically challenging, rowing is the only sport where the contestant should think as little as possible and simply act like a robot.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:12, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: In rowing, don't you have a coxswain telling you when to row? It requires everyone rowing together, yes, but as long as they all act like robots (as Andy put it) and row when the coxswain says row, that's the only teamwork required. I won't deny it's a difficult sport, but it doesn't require much teamwork when there's a coxswain. The reason it's the ultimate team sport is that, more so than in any other sport, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link. If you put me on a soccer field with the 10 best players in the world (assuming they're of different positions), we could win, even though I'm a terrible soccer player. If you put me in a four-man boat with the three best rowers in the world, we would do terrible, because I'm a terrible rower. That's the difference between rowing and other team sports. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 05:35, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::I row 3 times a week and I am a coxswain. It is certainly not a &amp;quot;robot&amp;quot; sport, and it requires intense concentration from the rowers to make sure that the crew is in time, running on perfect technique and drawing through together. A physically stronger crew will often lose to a weaker but more technical crew. The reason that our crews look like robots are because they are concentrating as hard as they can to keep everything technical, and to work against what the body is intuitively telling you to make every single inch of pressure on the water count.&lt;br /&gt;
::::::&lt;br /&gt;
::::::As for being a rich man's sport, I can sympathise. Those boats are bloody expensive, and are often donated through philanthropy. However many of us, myself included, come from very underprivileged backgrounds and are fortunate enough to row in university teams. But getting to Olympic level requires training from a young age, which usually means being brought up at a very expensive private school that has rowing equipment. So I agree to an extent there, but one must not forget the huge benefits that philanthropy gives to broadening the pool of rowers, which is a conservative virtue as far as this website is concerned. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 11:16, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: (edit conflict) Doesn't the above data prove my point?  The wealthiest nations in the world have won nearly all of the rowing medals.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: Rowing is a grueling sport - I rowed for a bit myself.  But it is a rich man's sport, and it is the only sport that does not use the brain.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: In reply to Greg's insight comments, I doubt a soccer team with 25% terrible players could win either, if the coaching by the opposing side is good.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: In reply to HumanGeographer's good comments, I agree that concentration is required and that the sport is terrific exercise.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:29, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Andy, soccer teams have 11 players (including goalie). So it would be 9% poor players. And considering that teams have won 10-on-11 after an early red card, it's not inconceivable. But in rowing, it would be impossible. That's where the &amp;quot;team sport&amp;quot; mantra comes from. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:05, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Greg, you have missed Andy's point.  If you are one out of the four rowers you now have 25% of a team being terrible, whereas in soccer, as you have put it, missing one player means only 9% of the team is terrible.  What Andy is suggesting is that the better comparison would be if a soccer team had 3 of their players essentially non-effective, and his point in that regard is well-taken.  A soccer team playing 8 against 11 would not fare well either.--[[User:Krayner|Krayner]] 15:23, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== The Olympics and Economics 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
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[[Goldman Sachs]] has some thoughts on the matters discussed above: [http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/topics/global-economic-outlook/olympics-and-economics-.pdf pdf]&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Britain has quite high per capita spending on elite sports for a western democracy. Sailing is a perfect example— boats are very costly. For equestrianism, you need a horse. For rowing, you need a boathouse, boats and oars. For track cycling, you don’t really have a chance without a wind tunnel, a velodrome. It’s different with running, where you just need a pair of shoes. There is a dramatic difference between sports that only a tiny group of countries can afford to invest in and the others.|||Matthew Syed, British journalist}}&lt;br /&gt;
They have a forecast for Gold and Total medals, too.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 05:50, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by faith-based achievement by the participating athletes ==&lt;br /&gt;
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This seems to be wishful thinking: the Olympics were for quite a time dominated by nations which didn't allow their athletes the comforts of faith. [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 05:59, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Group of Left ==&lt;br /&gt;
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For those who don't get the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot; reference, it's a play on the phrase &amp;quot;Group of Death&amp;quot;, which refers to an unusually strong group. I doubt Tunisia will finish in the top two and go to the medal round, but anything other than last place would be overperforming for them. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:21, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Women's Soccer ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Why would the US women's soccer team be expected to underachieve? They're not one of the atheist nations, same-sex marriage is only legal in six states, and if Title IX effected them in any way, it would have helped them (albeit at the expense of men's sports). We should either explain it or remove it. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:35, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:As I understand it, women's soccer is very strong in the US.  Still, the nature of Soccer means that results are more unpredictable than other sports.  Very often the best team is not able to win.  Its a funny sport in that respect.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 18:44, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: I know that. But that still doesn't answer the question. We could say the same about any of the favorites. There's no reason given to expect the US team specifically to underperform. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 08:49, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::It seems as though &amp;quot;underperformance&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;failing to live up to expectations&amp;quot; are a preferred theme of the website's management. Maybe it's just a case of projection. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 09:22, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Possibly. If that's all it is, we should remove it. But I'm going to wait and see if anyone has a better explanation before I do so. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:07, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::[[Politically correct]] teams often underachieve.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:03, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Very well. I removed the part about the coach being a foreigner, since surprisingly it isn't an unusual practice to do something like that. About half the women's soccer coaches this year are from another country (i.e. not the one they coach). And Jurgen Kingsman of Germany coaches the men's US national team, although it's unlikely he'd have coached at the Olympics even if they did qualify, since men's soccer at the Olympics is primarily Under-23 teams. However, I kept the rest of the footnote. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 21:10, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::: I don't think it's that common for a prominent sport like soccer.  Germany, of course, has a very strong soccer program.  But a coach from Sweden for the women's team???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:21, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: Ahhh.... Good point. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 21:50, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
The coach in question was the coach when the US won gold in 2008. She took the job in 2007. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 00:14, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: Early goal for France in Game 1 for the USA. 1-0. Plenty of time for us to come back. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:13, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: 2-0 France, less than 20 minutes in. A loss wouldn't eliminate the US, but a big loss would make it hard to go through in a tough group. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:15, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: 2-1. US goal came on a corner kick, which requires a lot of teamwork, against, atheist France. Still not even a quarter of the way through. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:20, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
So let me get this straight: If France loses, it's because of atheism. If the US loses, it's because their coach is a foreign-born lesbian, even though she led the team to gold in 2008. Is that correct? [[User:RayM|RayM]] 12:29, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::: It's only one game. And one of them had to win (or it could be a tie, I suppose). Let's see how the tournament progresses. It looks like they'll both go to the quarterfinals, but with 8 of the 12 teams advancing, that's not unexpected. Let's see how they do there. Then we can discuss this. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:51, 29 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:The US girls have won the gold medal! [http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/08/09/us-beats-japan-for-third-straight-olympic-gold-in-women-soccer/] --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 17:40, 9 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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==&amp;quot;No Religion&amp;quot; in census response==&lt;br /&gt;
There are three possible explanations for a citizen refusing to state a religious preference on a government census form: no self-identification with one of the listed denominations, fear of government recording of religious preferences, or protest against government intrusion into a citizen's private spiritual life.  Do we know which is the case in Australia?  I know that if the government were to knock on my door, I would be in the third group.  We don't know if Australia is in a religious decline based on census data, when there are better measures, including church service attendance and audience ratings for religious radio and TV broadcasts.  Are there better data sources for this article? Thanks, [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:08, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Over 11% of Australians refused to answer the religion question on their census forms.  These people could have a faith. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 08:22, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Beckham and the Olympic torch ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I suggest not adding whether Beckham lights the Olympic cauldron until after it airs on NBC, even though we should know around 7:30 PM ET whether he has or not. Some people might not know and might want to not know until NBC shows it on tape delay. It's only a few hours, and since most of our users are American and won't have seen the cauldron lighting yet, I think it's a reasonable courtesy. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 06:41, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Black Power salute controversy ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I don't see a connection between the Black Power salute controversy, which was an act of political defiance on the medal stand that hardly anyone remembers (and which the Olympic committee forgave participants for) and [[Tebowing]].  Also, why would the comment be in the &amp;quot;TBD&amp;quot; column anyway?&lt;br /&gt;
:I think that athletes may (understandably) refrain from engaging in overt religious activity due to the precedent set by Smith and Carlos.  The Olympics are a major event, and being banned from them (even wrongly) can seriously affect athletes, especially those competing in sports whose major competition is the Olympics.  That's why I think that athletes will at least think twice before engaging in such behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
:The column where I added my explanation is headed &amp;quot;Answer,&amp;quot; and my explanation is certainly an answer.  Of course, it's just my insight, and maybe it will be proven wrong.  But even if no one does end up doing Tebowing, we can rest assured that Christian athletes have Jesus' words in mind:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.|||Matthew 6:5-8|NIV}}&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:GregG|GregG]] 14:42, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::The &amp;quot;answer&amp;quot; is presumably provided by the results, as for the other issues, all of which is &amp;quot;TBA&amp;quot;.  [[Tebowing]] is not something that would likely be done during the medal ceremony, not even by Tebow himself.  It's done before or after the athletic event, as in the American marathon medalist in 2004 who did the Sign of the Cross right after crossing the finish line.&lt;br /&gt;
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::As to the quote from the [[Bible]], the context for that quote is clear:  people should not pray in a hypocritical manner like the liberal Pharisees.  There is nothing hypocritical about [[Tebowing]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:08, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the precedent still applies, or at least it has an ''in terrorem'' effect, to all such displays, regardless of whether they are during a medals ceremony or before or after an event.  I know that this is my opinion, but Tebowing seems to me to be nothing more than a gimmick, a practice designed to whack people over the head with the &amp;quot;HEY, IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, I'M CHRISTIAN!&amp;quot; hammer.  Such efforts, no matter how sincere they are, are misguided, and Jesus tells us that this sort of public display is not at all required by Christians, just as Jesus goes on to criticize people who make a public display out the pious practice of fasting.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 15:41, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Reformat ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Can someone with better formatting skills than me please make the table into a better, cleaner format? It's very hard to read right now. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:42, 30 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Public Schools ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Is the public schools example really that good? There are certain private schools in America that are infamous for training its students like athletes rather than students. More so in basketball and (American) football than other Olympic sports, though. Public schools don't do that. Nor should schools do that, it's called &amp;quot;school&amp;quot;, not &amp;quot;training&amp;quot;. I should point out that certain colleges are legendary for that too, including my own school, which is a public college under the State of Connecticut. But don't think that's why we're banned from the tournament next year - we're actually banned for not doing enough to game the system. And half the women's basketball Olympic team went to UConn. We actually care about academics for our women's basketball team, and do very well academically. But don't get me started on that, because it's irrelevant.&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway, assuming you mean public high schools (or below), I think it doesn't present a very conservative argument. Private primary schools should not exist for the purpose of training athletes. The fact that some do indicates something is wrong with the system, not that the system is good. Not saying that's enough to make the whole system bad - the vast majority of private schools are very good academically. But these aren't the ones that produce the superstar athletes, for the most part. Also, other than basketball, it wouldn't apply to any of the Olympic sports, since football isn't in the Olympics. And there are only 12 American men's basketball players. I don't know how many of them went to the sham private schools whose main purpose is athletics, but I know LeBron is one of them.  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:49, 30 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== The Swiss tweet in  question. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/07/30/swiss-soccer-player-michel-morganella-sent-home-olympics-racist-tweet/ Here is a link to an image of the tweet]. As you can easily read for yourself, it's directed at &amp;quot;les coréens,&amp;quot; et non pas contre &amp;quot;l'équipe coréen&amp;quot; ou quelque chose de même. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 18:33, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &amp;quot;South Korean&amp;quot; is not a race, and there is no evidence that the tweet was racist as the [[liberals]] claim.  Rather, this incident shows how much liberals oppose [[free speech]], and will NOT defend the rights of others to speak their minds.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:40, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::So, just for the record, you do defend the right of a person to call an entire nation of people &amp;quot;mentally handicapped retards&amp;quot; and think that he should face no consequences for doing so while representing his own country at an international event? [[User:RayM|RayM]] 18:48, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::For the record, I do support [[free speech]], even for statements with which I disagree.  The tweet was not racist and athletes should be able to vent on twitter, just as they do vocally during games.  Fans do also, by the way.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:13, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Do you believe a private, non-profit organization such as the Swiss and/or Greek Olympic committees has the right to demand and/or expect behavior from its members that reflects well on the organization, and that organization should be allowed to sanction a participant when behavior does not meet those expectations? If you do, where do you think the line is drawn? [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 21:27, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::No, I don't think the organizations you mention should be expelling athletes based on what they say on Twitter (and I question whether the organizations are truly private, rather than publicly funded).  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::There was no evidence that the tweets embarrassed the nations in any way.  Rather, this is [[liberal censorship]] run amok.  Thirty years ago, liberals and the ACLU would have sided with the athletes.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:39, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: The only NOC that is 100% privately funded is the American one, although the vast majority of them are funded privately in part. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:01, 2 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Atheistic Brits ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wonder...what percentage of the underachieving, God-hating British Olympians are actually Atheists? [[user:Willingham77|Willingham77]] 17:03, 31 July 2012&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The better question is what percentage of the Brits are subjected to an increasingly atheistic media and culture?  Unfortunately, nearly 100%.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:11, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::The better better question is why does an &amp;quot;atheistic&amp;quot; country have an established religion (COE)?  Should all of us God-fearing Americans want the same for Christianity?[[User:Emmerich|Emmerich]] 23:23, 1 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::[[Great Britain]] has an established '''''church'''''.  That is something the [[Founders]] opposed - a state supported '''''church'''''.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:42, 1 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Wow Andy, you should use that statement as an example in a Conservapedia article entitled &amp;quot;Non sequitur&amp;quot;. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 15:43, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
==Proposed table entry==&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will Netball be played at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics? Wikipedia claims that Netball is an &amp;quot;Olympic sport&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Olympic_sports|title=Category:Olympic sports|accessdate=Aug. 3, 2012}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Olympics/Archive_12#Category:Olympic_sports&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; played &amp;quot;at the Olympics&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball_at_the_Olympics&amp;amp;action=history&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Olympics/Archive_12#Olympic_recognised_sports&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Feminists have been demanding equality in Olympic participation. As a result, women have been playing the same game as men -- five-players-on-each-side basketball in the Olympics since 1976, rather than a watered-down version designed for Victorian women called Netball.&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If there are no objections, I will move this to the table in the article. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 11:19, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: That's not really a question about the Olympics, more a commentary on Wikipedia. Stick it in [[Bias in Wikipedia]], not here. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:11, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Also, Wikipedia no longer claims Netball is an Olympic sport, only an &amp;quot;Olympic recognized sport&amp;quot;, which is correct. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:17, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::With all due respect to my friend Gregkochuconn, I just looked at the Wikipedia netball article and it is still in category &amp;quot;Olympic sports.&amp;quot;  I admit that the Wikipedia article &amp;quot;Netball and the Olympic Movement&amp;quot; is in category &amp;quot;Olympic recognised sports&amp;quot; but the radical feminists have insisted that Netball stay in the former category.  Please see for yourself. The table entry was an assertion: We say netball will not be played in 2012 and 2016, Wikipedia says it is already an Olympic sport and keeps deleting statements that it could not possibly be added to the Olympic Programme before 2024.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&amp;amp;diff=502656544&amp;amp;oldid=502573324] [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:00, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Its a bit hard to see exactly what the issue is.  It is not hard to see that this issue is one for the Wikipedia page and not for the Olympics 2012 page.  Whether or not it is deservedly and &amp;quot;Olympic Sport&amp;quot; or an &amp;quot;Olympic Recognised Sport&amp;quot; (these terms are not synonymous) is an issue for a general Olympics page, and whether Wikipedia is somehow censoring conservative thought is an issue for the Wikipedia page.  Frankly I doubt very many of you even know what netball is.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 01:52, 4 August 2012 (EDT) &lt;br /&gt;
:::: That edit seems to be adding the 2024 information, not deleting it. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:24, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Promptly reverted.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&amp;amp;diff=next&amp;amp;oldid=502668446] [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 03:52, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Probably because it was in the article about the sport at the Olympics, and didn't belong in the main article. The main article doesn't make any claim one way or the other. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:54, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Also, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netball_at_the_Olympics current version of the page] includes that information. So what you are saying is wrong. In any case, this is not the place for it, as it has absolutely nothing to do with the 2012 Olympics. Wikipedia makes no claim that it will be contested at the 2012 Olympics, even if it is an &amp;quot;Olympic sport&amp;quot;, seeing as that category includes present Olympic sports, past Olympic sports, and Olympic recognized sports. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:27, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Note that the article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport) squash], which has a far more significant chance of being added to the Olympic program than squash, also does not mention that it could be added no sooner than 2024. As I said above, the article on Netball and the Olympic Movement does mention that it can't be added until 2024. The fact doesn't belong in the main article for the sport, by WP standards, and other articles on Olympic-recognized sports don't mention it either. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:17, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Comparing medals from last olympics and expecting a country to get the same amount at the next olympics is pretty futile and a pointless exercise for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why it is pointless is due to the retirement of older and successful medal winning athletes and the emergence of the new generation of athletes in that sport. This is one of the main reasons why australia didn't win as many medals in 2012 as it did in 2008. The non swimming medal tally was pretty much the same, however the swimming team is going through a major generational change with a lot of the great athletes from 2008 retiring (or retiring and then failing to come back) that generation of swimming talent was a bit of a &amp;quot;bumper crop&amp;quot; similiar to what you have with phelps and locte. There was also a fair number of athletes who had ongoing injury concerns which doesn't help but that does happen in every team. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Funding is also a big factor as olympic sport has got to the level that if you don't put large resources into your athletes your not going to have a very big chance at rating in the top 5 in an event. The funding for althletes in a lot of european countries from both the government and the private sector has dried up due to the economic conditions. Spain did really well considering this however thier performance in rio is likely to suffer as funding is unlikely to increase. For example the womens 6m team from spain that won gold, barely made it to the olympics as there was bugger all funding for it.  --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Oh no, the tennis! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Look what's happening! One of the greatest conservative sports stars just lost the bronze medal match to an Argentinian who no doubt supports gay marriage, and an overrated Brit is smashing one of the all-time greats in the gold! What is going on?? Not only that, but we all just watched home-schooled gymnast Makayla Maroney underperform, right onto her bum! This page may need a re-write ... [[User:AlanA|AlanA]] 10:43, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:While expressing doubt about your guess as to the Argentinian star's political views, I welcome further review of the predictions in the entry as more results pour in ....--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:45, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: The predictions represent things that are &amp;quot;likely&amp;quot; to happen, not things that are guaranteed to happen. Murray also had the advantage of the home fans, and Federer was tired from his marathon match with Del Potro. Of course, Del Potro should have been tired too.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Will someone please explain where the expected total medals figures in this section come from? Thanks. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 15:41, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: The table lower down in the article. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:59, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Oh, you mean the one based on GDP, which &amp;quot;cannot be used as a fair proxy&amp;quot;. In other words, they're meaningless. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 22:15, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: Find a better proxy and we can use that. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:17, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: I have changed the proxy to medals won at the last (Summer) Olympics prior to implementing same-sex marriage. The expected total is virtually unchanged. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:28, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Better, but expected numbers should be corrected for any significant differences in total number of medals available and in a country's number of athletes competing between the base estimate year and 2012. Also, since it's conceded that it's too early to tell how these countries will ultimately perform, the +/- figures are premature. With about 59% of events concluded, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, South Africa and Sweden are on track to meet or exceed their medal count for the base year. The Netherlands and Norway could easily do so as well by the games' end. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 10:53, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Hence &amp;quot;too early to tell&amp;quot;. It's unlikely (though not impossible) for the Netherlands and Spain to overperform, while Denmark and Sweden have overperformed already. The rest are too early to tell. That being said, I will remove the +/- totals until the Games are over - they are misleading at this point. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 11:00, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Also, there are only a few more medal events (out of over 300) being contested in 2012 than in previous years, so that shouldn't matter. I think there were 301 in 2008 and 2004 and 302 this year. Insigificant. Since the theory centers around how many exceptional athletes these countries produce, adjusting for the number of athletes is incorrect. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 11:02, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::What is &amp;quot;the theory&amp;quot;? [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 09:37, 8 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: See [[User:Conservative]]'s rant somewhere above on this page. It's confusing, and I don't feel like repeating all of it, especially since I don't think it's accurate (though as an empiricist, I'm willing to put it to the test). [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:23, 9 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Seems that the highly promiscous gay diver has been eliminated, news article said he has been spending to much time at gay rallies instead of training  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:33, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: I did not just say that about the gay diver. Who signed my name to that comment? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:53, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: Looking through the edit history, it appears to be [[User:Nacacube]], who for some reason decided to affix my username to his comment. I don't even know how he did it, since he obviously didn't copy and paste - the time is different. Strange. Message left on his talk page. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:55, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Originally, the &amp;quot;developed nations&amp;quot; took most of the medals in the Modern Olympics.  In fact, because of transportation challenges, the host country had a big advantage in the early years of the Modern Olympics.  Since that time, there has been a long-term trend of spreading the medals to countries throughout the world.  Over time, the portion of the medals going to smaller countries has increased and the number of medals going to France, UK, and Germany have declined.  So, if one had to explain a 4% decline in Olympic medals, could one look to this long-term trend rather than to the gay marriage factor? Thanks [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 12:26, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: 4% isn't a significant difference anyway, unless it continues. One sample showing a 4% change doesn't really prove anything by itself. You could be right, but we'd have to analyze it long-term, rather than just one year, given the small change. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:14, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Assuming GregG calculated the p-value correctly, he is correct in that there is no statistical significance just from this one test. Generally, you would need a p value of 0.05 or less for it to be significant (or by stricter standards, 0.01). 0.73 is nowhere near that. I'm not going to verify the calculations, but it seems right. And assuming it's right, GregG is correct that it is not significant. However, if repeated tests showed a 4% decrease, that would be significant. We can run it again in 2014 and 2016, and beyond. And possibly we would have more nations to work with in those years. Keep in mind that the Winter Olympics (2014) have fewer total medals, so a 4% drop would be less significant, by itself. But if demonstrated, it could show significance of the trend. Something inonsistent with the 4% decrease, such as a small increase, would indicate no correlation. Bottom line is that this one sample test can't disprove the correlation by itself, but it doesn't prove it either. I'm an actuarial science major at school, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. A repeated 4% decrease would be significant. But for the moment, it's not. I'm going to retroactively analyze the 2008 medal data, although we'll have fewer countries. When I'm done, I'll post the results.  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:26, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Here is the medal data from previous years from the original post, omitting any countries that legalized same-sex marriage after 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 5 in 2000, 2 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Canada - 12 in 2004, 18 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 16 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Norway - 6 in 2004, 9 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
South Africa - 6 in 2004, 1 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Spain - 19 in 2004, 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 73 expected, 64 actual&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a decrease of 9 medals out of 73, a 12.3% decrease.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let's look at the countries that legalized same-sex marriage between 2000 and 2004, as far back as we can go. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 22 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 30 in 2000, 25 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
This is a 16.7% decrease, but with far too small a sample size to be significant by itself. [[User:GregG]], care to run the significance test?&lt;br /&gt;
Also of note, there appears to be something going on with the Belgians and Dutch, who have seen a consistent decline, while the rest of the nations have not, apparently. Since they are geographically and culturally close, this may be relevant. Ignoring them, we have no data for 2004, a 4.6% INCREASE in 2008, and again a 4.6% increase in 2012, neither of which is statistically significant by itself, and probably still not together. (Note: 4.6% increase is just as statistically significant as 4.6% decrease.  In this case, not very) Of course, we can't just kick the two lowest samples out of the data set. But there seems to be some factor that has steadily brought the Dutch and Belgian totals down, without influencing anyone else. Was something else going on in Belgium and the Netherlands at the same time? Or was the 2000 medals we're using as the baseline simply an anomaly? I'm guessing the latter. 2000 was the Dutch's best Olympics EVER. It wasn't the Belgians', but even the 40% decrease from 2000 to 2004 isn't significant when they only had 5 to begin with. I'm going to rerun this data when I have more time, using totals from the three previous summer Olympics, and totals from all Olympiads thereafter, multiplying the latter by 3 or 1.5 if necessary, where there are fewer years, although I'll note where so as not to effect the significance test. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:41, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Going in alphabetical order, &lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 14 from 1992-2000, 8 from 2004-2012 (no reweighting necessary)&lt;br /&gt;
Canada - 48 from 1996-2004, 36 from 2008-2012, multiply by 1.5 to weight as if there were 3 Olympics = 54 weighted total &lt;br /&gt;
Denmark - 21 from 2000-2008, 9 in 2012, reweights as 27&lt;br /&gt;
Iceland - 2 from 2000-2008, 0 in 2012, reweights as 0&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 59 from 1992-2000, 58 from 2004-2012, no reweighting necessary&lt;br /&gt;
Norway - 23 from 1996-2004, 13 in 2008-2012, reweight as 19.5 due to lack of future data&lt;br /&gt;
Portugal - 7 from 2000-2008, 1 in 2012, reweights as 3&lt;br /&gt;
South Africa - 17 from 1996-2004, 7 from 2008-2012, reweight as 10.5&lt;br /&gt;
Spain - 47 from 1996-2004, 35 from 2008-2012, reweights as 52.5&lt;br /&gt;
Sweden - 24 from 2000-2008, 8 in 2012, reweights as 24&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 262 &amp;quot;baseline&amp;quot;, 256.5 actual+projected, decrease of 5.5, or 2.1%. Smaller percentage, but with a larger sample size, it could have a higher significance. Or the two could cancel out. I can't do the math in my head. [[User:GregG]], do you mind doing the calculations again? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:52, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::First, for countries that implemented same-sex marriage before 2008, I am going to use the 2004 total medals awarded for both 2000 and 2004 (there isn't much of a difference: 928 medals in 2000, 929 in 2004).  The pre-same-sex-marriage proportion of medals won is 7.858%, the post proportion won is 6.681%.  The p-value is 0.3244, which indicates no significance at any common alpha level.&lt;br /&gt;
::Second, for countries implementing same-sex marriage before 2004, we have the proportion of medals won in 2000 by those countries as 3.233%, and the proportion of medals won in 2004 by those countries is 2.691%.  The p-value is 0.4912, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.&lt;br /&gt;
::I will take a look at how to proceed with your final set of data.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 17:10, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::One would expect some time period before the adoption of the [[same-sex marriage]] and its harmful effect, so I don't think it's meaningful to go back to 2004 and 2000.  The trend line from 2008 to this year is probably a better indicator.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:15, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Using the data for countries that implemented same-sex marriage between 2008 and 2012 (Denmark, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden):&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Those countries won 15 medals out of 958 in 2008.&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Those countries won 18 medals out of 962 in 2012.&lt;br /&gt;
::::The proportion of medals won by those countries actually went up from 2008 to 2012 (1.566% to 1.871%); the p-value, though, is 0.6068, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 17:21, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::The shortness of time between the adoption of same-sex marriage by those nations and their medals at the 2012 Games renders that particular analysis less meaningful.  More significant, I think, would be nations that adopted same-sex marriage before 2008 and how they then trended lower in medal count from 2008 to 2012.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:49, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Using the data for countries that implemented same-sex marriage before 2008 and the medal counts for 2008 and 2012 (Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Belgium: 2 in 2008, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Canada: 18 in 2008, 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Netherlands: 16 in 2008, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Norway: 9 in 2008, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::South Africa: 1 in 2008, 6 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Spain: 18 in 2008, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Total: 64 in 2008, 68 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Again, the proportion of medals won went up from 2008 (6.68%) to 2012 (7.07%).  The p-value is 0.7369, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.  And, since this data set is rather scant (and, to be fair, we are having to make assumptions that might not exactly hold water but should be good approximations, like the number of medals won being a binomial distribution, in order to draw any conclusions from the data), I would surmise that you're not going to be able to get much evidence from just these data.  Perhaps we will have to wait and see at the 2016 Summer Olympics.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 23:57, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Netherlands and South Africa seem to distort the results here.  Removing those anomalies results in a decline from 47 to 42 - more than a 10% decrease.  For example, it appears that Netherlands did unusually poorly in 2008, which may result in its analomous increase.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:27, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::Now it looks like you're just cherry-picking the data to get the conclusion you want.  ''A priori'', we would expect that such issues would average out.  In fact, you suggested comparing 2008 medal counts to 2012 medal counts.&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::Also, I haven't run the numbers, but I think that even if you exclude the Netherlands and South Africa, you would still not have statistical significance due to the low number of successes that are expected by those countries.  As an example, if we flip a fair coin 10 times, a result of 3 heads is not statistically significant at any common alpha (p=11/32).  Yet 3 heads is 40% fewer heads than the 5 we would expect.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:50, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::If the Netherlands and South Africa are to be excluded then we should exclude Norway as well. I think that leaves 38 and 38? No change. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 02:15, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::The data are worth analyzing before drawing final conclusions.  I spent some time studying South Africa and the issue, and concluded it should not be in the list.  I explain this in a footnote in the entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:40, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::Well there are several problems, the most fundamental of which is that you are selecting data points to exclude on the basis of the dependent variable (2012 medals won), as opposed to an independent variable, which leads to bias.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 02:09, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::::When there is a valid reason to exclude (or include) data, then it makes sense to exclude (or include) the data.  South Africa does not appear to have imposed [[same-sex marriage]], so it should not have been included in the data in the first place.  Correcting that makes sense.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:29, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We should be comparing two sets of countries - those that implement same-sex marriage and those that prohibit same-sex marriage.  When comparing sets with similar economies and populations, one could find that medal counts when down for both groups.  The question is whether there is a statistically significant difference in the drop in medal count between the same-sex marriage and no same-sex marriage countries.  I would guess that there are so many other factors that have a larger effect on the medal count, that any difference would be insignificant, but I welcome someone to run the numbers. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 18:35, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Nancy boys don't have kids which contributes to decline of populations as does pro-abortion/anti-life policies. see: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZeyYIsGdAA Demographic winter] In 2008, there were 70 countries with sub-replacement levels of fertility. So we look at trend of medals won by countries which adopt same sex marriage. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 19:06, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Male homosexual couples not being able to have children the natural way is a biological fact. It doesn't depend on them being married or not. [[User:Baobab|Baobab]] 02:21, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Also, not many 8-year olds win Olympic medals, so regardless there would be no data for at least a decade or so. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:57, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Comparing medals from last olympics and expecting a country to get the same amount at the next olympics is pretty futile and a pointless exercise for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why it is pointless is due to the retirement of older and successful medal winning athletes and the emergence of the new generation of athletes in that sport. This is one of the main reasons why australia didn't win as many medals in 2012 as it did in 2008. The non swimming medal tally was pretty much the same, however the swimming team is going through a major generational change with a lot of the great athletes from 2008 retiring (or retiring and then failing to come back) that generation of swimming talent was a bit of a &amp;quot;bumper crop&amp;quot; similiar to what you have with phelps and locte. There was also a fair number of athletes who had ongoing injury concerns which doesn't help but that does happen in every team.Funding is also a big factor as olympic sport has got to the level that if you don't put large resources into your athletes your not going to have a very big chance at rating in the top 5 in an event. The funding for althletes in a lot of european countries from both the government and the private sector has dried up due to the economic conditions. Spain did really well considering this however thier performance in rio is likely to suffer as funding is unlikely to increase. For example the womens 6m team from spain that won gold, barely made it to the olympics as there was bugger all funding for it. --Nacacube 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 23:41, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Which is why you look at long-term trends. I agree that one Olympics' worth of data for two countries is pretty much useless. It will take more data to prove or disprove the theory. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:15, 21 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Medal weighting ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It's been pointed out at [[talk:Main Page]] that some sports, notably swimming, are vastly over-rewarded in terms of the number of medals available. We would get a better representation of which nations were actually the best, sporting-wise, if we took this into account in our medals tables. One simple way would be to discount multiple medals won by the same individual, or perhaps to cap the number of medals counted in the same sport at, say, five. What do people think?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Sadly the nation most affected by this would currently be that titan of the swimming pool, the USA.)--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 10:37, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: That would be hard to do, though. And nearly impossible to keep updating during the Games. I propose keep the current system for now, and discuss further when the Games are over. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 10:53, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: Capping at five gold medals per sport wouldn't be too tricky. The only countries affected are:&lt;br /&gt;
::*USA - 11 in track and field, 16 in swimming&lt;br /&gt;
::*China - 6 in diving&lt;br /&gt;
::*GB - 8 in cycling&lt;br /&gt;
::*Russia - 8 in track and field.&lt;br /&gt;
::Something to think about. It wouldn't have a huge effect on the ordering of the table as it happens.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 06:16, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: Capping it at 5 medals for athletics would be pretty pointless as pretty much all the events have their own set of athletes, with the only overlaps in athletes either being track guys competing in similar groups of races (like bolt in 200 and 100 and farah in 10k and 5k) and atheltes competing in their respective relay teams. Then there are the decathletes and heptathletes who comptete in individual events as opposed to the decathlon and heptathlon, however the top 10 athletes in each of these are pretty much outsiders to get a medal for the single events. In the cycling the events are very different with specialists in each event and most athletes only competed in one or two events + the team events.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::How about counting only one medal per athlete, then? That's harder to calculate because of relays, though - I suppose a relay gold would only be discounted if every member of the team was also an individual medalist?--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:45, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: But then you would have to discount one of the medals won by the athlete who got silver in the 1500m freestyle and gold in the 10km swim. Whilst they are both swimming events, it would be like someone in athletics getting second in the 800, 5000 or 10000m and then winning the mens marathon. --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 23:12, 16 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Team Sports ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don't really have the time to finish off this nicely, but I just did a quick count-up of medals across handball, hockey, basketball, volleyball and football. as these are probably the sports best described as '''team''' sports (ie. multiple players on a field working together and reacting to each other). Could someone do it for me and add it to the main page perhaps?&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Country&lt;br /&gt;
! Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Status&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| United States of America&lt;br /&gt;
| 4&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Australia&lt;br /&gt;
| Increasingly Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| France&lt;br /&gt;
| Increasingly Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Japan&lt;br /&gt;
| Agnostic (see comment below)&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
| Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Russia&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Spain&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Countries with only 1 medal in team sports are Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Montenegro, Norway and Sweden.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 02:51, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: The criteria seems pretty vague. Water polo? Tenis? Going out on a limb, cycling, and triathlon (The Brits certainly worked as a team to get gold and bronze). [[User:Nine|Nine]] 21:23, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::That's a fascinating table.  I wouldn't describe Japan as atheist, however.  Shinto, perhaps, although there is a Christian population as well.  I cannot think of a single prominent Japanese atheist.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:38, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: I would also class some sailing events as team sports as you need perfect team work to do well in sailing. non communication between helmsman and the other crew members will result in a pretty poor performance ! If there are no major breakaways road cycling is also a team sport. --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:27, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:27, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Having lived in Japan, I would define it as agnostic. Virtually noone actively disbelieves in God (or a god). Most people have a very open mind to religion and are happy to visit the temples and partake in the rituals (both Shinto and Buddhist ones) and also to dip into church once in a while. Most Japanese people even get married in church, not at the temple! Nonetheless while my Japanese church had a core group of worshippers, the general attitude to religion in Japan is &amp;quot;Born a Shinto, convert to Christian in middle age, die a Buddhist!&amp;quot;. The challenge for the church in Japan is keeping people saved once they get interested. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 11:15, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== A bit confused ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Recent edits seem to downplay the US women's gold in soccer/football, despite the fact that it seems this site should trumpet every accomplishment by Americans. It seems to imply that Canada should have beat the US in the semifinals, despite the fact that Conservapedia earlier predicted that Canada should underperform in Olympics because of socialism and same sex marriage. Likewise Japan, which should underperform by this site's standards, as it's been ranked [http://www.infobarrel.com/25_Most_Atheist_Countries_in_the_World the #5 most atheist country in the world]. Furthermore, this idea that the US advanced unfairly seems to contradict the idea that the Olympics is a prime example of the best of the public, in which winners are decided by pure skill and performance alone, and not by some committee of so-called &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot;. Are the Olympic games not an example of the best of the public after all? [[User:PortlyMort|PortlyMort]] 00:12, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Interesting points, but:&lt;br /&gt;
:*this site does not unthinkingly cheer for [[Team USA]]; and&lt;br /&gt;
:*there is nothing wrong without pointing out how a referee imposed an almost unheard of penalty against the [[Canadian]] women's soccer team, which enabled the American team to advance.&lt;br /&gt;
:None of this changes our support of the [[best of the public]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:39, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Canada ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Canada legalized same-sex marriage in 2005. Is there any reason we used the 2008 data instead of the 2004 data? It seemed like a mistake, so I corrected it and updated the numbers. If someone can provide an explanation for using 2008, feel free to change it back. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 10:20, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:A full year transpired between the 2004 and 2008 Olympics before Canada passed the [[Civil Marriage Act]] and it became effective.  But your point is a good one, so let's do a weighted proration on the 2004 and 2008 numbers.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:51, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Great Britain ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I think that any analysis involving Great Britain at these Games, either to prove or disprove the atheist theory, is problematic because hosts ALWAYS receive a big medal boost. Australia and France by themselves are insufficient to indicate a trend with just this year's data, even with the decreases. We'll have to analyze them again in 2016, along with Great Britain, but should probably throw out this year's data for GB, and factor in that there is an 8 year difference between the two data points we have for them, after 2016. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 19:30, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Superb point about how the host nation wins more medals almost automatically.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:36, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== The Durant question ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One of the key points in the answer to the Durant question is that he scored a bucketload of points. While he indeed did, the question emphasises '''selfless''' play. Would selfless play be better indicated by assists and not points? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 09:44, 19 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== The Durant question ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One of the key points in the answer to the Durant question is that he scored a bucketload of points. While he indeed did, the question emphasises '''selfless''' play. Would selfless play be better indicated by assists and not points? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 09:45, 19 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057140</id>
		<title>Talk:2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057140"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:44:42Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* The Durant question */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== &amp;quot;1 Nations That Impose Same-sex marriage/ 2 Nations that are increasingly atheistic/ 3 Sports that have been ravaged by feminist Title IX in the U.S.&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nice. Great way to cover all your bases. When the US does well, you can crow about the same-sex marriage and the atheism. When the US doesn't do well, you can pile on Title IX and the feminists. Win-Win. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 10:52, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Also, it's curious that you are focused on reasons for failure, not reasons for success. Why not divide up the matrix by, say, &amp;quot;Countries with a record of supporting young athletes&amp;quot;/&amp;quot;Countries with a strong cultural tradition of teamwork&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Countries with a strong tradition of individual accomplishment&amp;quot;/&amp;quot;Countries where fitness is held as an important value&amp;quot;? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 11:06, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::Category 3 is sports-specific in the [[U.S.]], so there is no contradiction with categories 1 and 2, which are nation-specific.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:54, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Which is exactly why your matrix allows you to frame both US victories and US defeats in terms of your political agenda. It's an awesome rhetorical move. But I'm still curious as to why you are more focused on reasons for failure than on reasons for success. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:15, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::There is nothing &amp;quot;rhetorical&amp;quot; about this.  Ideologies obviously have consequences, and this is a prediction of those consequences beforehand, with an evaluation as the results occur.  Surely we shouldn't pretend that every contestant is a winner, and every ideology is a winner too?  (Except, of course, [[Christianity]], which [[liberals]] never want to credit).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:22, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Of course it's a rhetorical move--you are narrowing your analysis to focus on the political points that you are most interested in. Of course we shouldn't pretend that every contestant is a winner, so why not focus on reasons why people win, as opposed to why they lose--and surely Christianity is not the only reason, otherwise Jews, Muslims, atheists, Shintoists, Mormons, Moonies, Buddhists etc would never win any medals. It would be worthwhile to account for non-divine, or at least non-Christian   reasons for success. Your focus on failure is really disheartening. Do you enjoy pointing out other's shortcomings, or are you projecting? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:29, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::I'm fine with focusing on the winners - a entire entry called [[Greatest Conesrvative Sports Stars]] has been doing that for months.  If you'd like to add a section to [[Olympics 2012]] that focuses on winners, that would be welcome.  In fact, I'll start it for you now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:46, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::Again, a great rhetorical move on your part--what about the non-conservative winners? If they're not conservative, they can't be winners. If they're winners, they must be conservative. If Tim Thomas doesn't lead the Boston Bruins to another Stanley Cup, hockey falls off the front page of the website; if the Miami Heat win, it's because they were somehow &amp;quot;taught a lesson&amp;quot; by a team they went on to beat soundly. Well played, sir. Well played. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:52, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::::Your objection reminds me of the editor who thought it significant that [[Tim Tebow]], after winning a spectacular upset in the first game of last year's [[NFL]] playoffs, then lost in the second round to a much stronger team.  My response then is similar to now:  people usually don't look for a miracle to occur ever single time.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:34, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Euro 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
Slightly off-topic, I admit, but I was wondering, whether Andy had any comments on the final of the European Cup final (soccer) that takes place tonight between Spain and Italy? Maybe even a prediction who might win? If you haven't followed the tournament so far, atheistic England went out in the quarter finals, while the liberal Netherlands didn't make it past the first round (same as catholic, pro-life Poland, incidentally). --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 13:31, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The [[Netherlands]] is a big [[same-sex marriage]] country, so no surprise there.  Both [[Spain]] and [[Italy]] are very [[liberal]], so that's a tough choice.  Poland was under communist martial law until about 20-25 years ago, so I don't think it's far to expect it to do as well.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:34, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::So gay marriage, political culture, and form of government matter more that the relative skill of the players, their histories in recent match-ups, their style of play, the depth of their squads, coaching, or any other soccer-related questions? So when you sit down to watch a given sports contest, you analyze the game through the lens of politics and religion, and not through the lenses of ability, strategy, or any other sports-related concept. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:06, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::Deny it all you like, but ideologies do have consequences.  Show me a sports team of atheists and I'll show you a team that's not going to win the championship.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:20, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::So all of those Soviet medal wins in the Olympics, or in international hockey, all of the medal wins by Chinese teams--they were all believers of one sort or another? [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:26, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Also, if Spain and Italy are both &amp;quot;very liberal&amp;quot;, that means a liberal team is guaranteed to win the championship. Guess it pays to be &amp;quot;very liberal!&amp;quot;  [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:30, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Meh.... In the first Euro championship (1960), the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia finished 1-2-3 respectively. All were communist. At least two communist nations made the semifinals for each of the next 3 Euros. In 1980, the Czechoslovakians finished third. In 1984, no Communist nations finished in the Top 4, but that was the only time that happened. The Soviets came in second in 1988, and then the communists fell. Since then (6 Euros), the Czechs have two Top 4 apppearances, the Russians have one, and other communist nations or their successor states have none. Of course, this is misleading because a combined Yugoslavia team consisting of the Serbian, Montenegrin, Croatian, etc. teams might have done well, and of those nations, only Croatia qualified and they did fairly well considering they were in a group with Italy and Spain. Most of the Yugoslavian players were Serbian, and most of the Soviet players were Russian. So it appears Serbia and Russia suffered. But Croatia and Montenegro have done well since independence (and a unified Serbia and Montenegro team qualified for the World Cup in 2006, but was placed in the group of death and eliminated in the first round. It also didn't help that the World Cup was held after the two nations separated). Also, Bosnia and Herzigovina has improved, coming within a playoff against Portugal of qualifying for both the World Cup and Euro, but they lost both.&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, Ukraine has improved significantly since the USSR breakup. Although they only qualified this year because they were hosts, they qualified for the World Cup in 2006 and almost again in 2010. Latvia qualified for Euro 2004, even though there were pretty much no Latvian Soviet soccer players. Estonia also came within a playoff of qualifying for Euro this year, a marked improvement over their Soviet days, but lost. Same with Bosnia-Herzigovinia and Montenegro. Additionally, either Slovakia or the Czech Republic has qualified almost always for the World Cup and Euro, and a combined team would likely have done better. In team sports, it is hard to compare stats from before and after, because while the USSR may have done better than any of the new nations, we don't know how the new nations would do if they competed together as they did when they were the USSR. Andre Szevchenko is one of the best players in Europe for Ukraine, but he doesn't have much support. If he had the support of Russian players, Estonian players, and Latvian players on his team, then that team would probably have done better. The same could be said of a combined team for Czech Republic and Slovakia. &lt;br /&gt;
As an example of the opposite, the new German team has done far better than the old East German team, including some players from Berlin who would have competed for East Gemrany 25 years ago. Their performance is slightly better than the West German performance, although this is probably just because they have more people now, since they were both capitalist. &lt;br /&gt;
Also, Germany is the only country in the Netherlands' group that does not have same-sex marriage (Portugal and Denmark also do). At least one of them by rule HAD to advance (Portugal did), but it was the Germans who won the group with a perfect record. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 05:20, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Evidence that Christianity increases a countries  Olympic medals while atheism and liberalism reduce gold medals won ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andy, although it is true that Communist/authoritarian countries have gone out of their way in the past to pour money in the Olympic gold winning efforts (Soviet Union)[http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&amp;amp;context=econ_honproj&amp;amp;sei-redir=1&amp;amp;referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dgdp%2520population%2520freedom%2520and%2520olympic%2520medals%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26ved%3D0CEoQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.iwu.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1004%2526context%253Decon_honproj%26ei%3DbsLwT5fpO-Hq0gHpidj6Ag%26usg%3DAFQjCNGA2tePIDTqdOmM8p42uwGhpzkVhA#search=%22gdp%20population%20freedom%20olympic%20medals%22], it is also true that a higher population size and a higher GDP positively affect the number of gold medals that a country wins.[http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/andrew.bernard/olymp60restat_finaljournalversion.pdf]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Atheism reduces a countries population size while religiosity increases a countries birth rate: http://conservapedia.com/Decline_of_atheism#Decline_of_atheism_in_terms_of_global_adherents_is_expected_to_accelerate See also: [[Decline of atheism]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the journal article ''Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications'' psychologists McCullough and Willoughby theorize that many of the positive links of religiousness with health and social behavior may be caused by religion's beneficial influences on self-control/self-regulation.[http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/Papers/Relig_self_control_bulletin.pdf][http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19210054] Athletes with more self-control have more mental toughness.[http://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8800&amp;amp;ATCLID=926652] Athletes with more mental toughness tend to perform at higher levels.[http://vimeo.com/23328555]  See also: [[Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, all other things remaining equal, religion in the Western world tends to promote more self-discipline and healthier behaviors when it comes to mental and physical health: See: [[Atheism and health]] and [[Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism]] and [[Atheism and obesity]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, while it is true that a country that is doing well can have &amp;quot;fat and sassy&amp;quot; atheists as a result. On the other hand,  if there is religious freedom in a country a country can have high levels of religiosity even with high incomes such as the United States. See effects of prosperity on rates of atheism: http://www.conservapedia.com/User:Conservative/atheism-research#Effect_of_prosperity_on_rate_of_atheism&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I am sure you can find data to support that capitalism causes a country to have higher incomes than socialism/liberalism over the long term. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Next, liberalism promotes abortion and small family sizes where conservative religion does not. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Summary: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLEAWsX0qk Jesus is the winnamon and Christians are on the winning side!] Christians are winners and atheists tend to lose again! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Go for the gold America! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! (where atheists are the least trusted group of individuals. See: [[Views on atheists]]) :) [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 17:07, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
=== No doubt Bible believers achieve more gold medals than atheists all other things being equal ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a study listed in Who's Who in Who's Who, it took 5,000 Presbyterian ministers to produce one child listed in Who's Who. Among lawyers the ratio was 5,000 to 1; dentists 2,500 to 1. But for every seven Christian missionary families from the United States, one of their children would be listed in Who's Who.[http://www.wentworthbaptist.ca/old/sermontexts/Leaving%20the%20past%20behind_Phil%203.1-14_071230.htm] See also: [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and health]] [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 09:33, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Do you have a link to that actual study? One in seven seems high. How big is this &amp;quot;Who's Who&amp;quot; list and how many missionary families are there in the USA?&lt;br /&gt;
::::Come on, everybody knows the formula to winning the gold. Preparation and conceive, believe and achieve! :) Doubters have a harder time believing than believers! Atheists are pessimists and have higher rates of depression. See: [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]. Bible believers who are realists and optimists are more upbeat and win more gold medals. Plus, conservative Bible believing Protestants with the Protestant work ethic, are more able to outwork atheists and achieve more gold medals. Secular Europe is filled lazy doubters who love socialism. Lazy people are less likely to win gold medals.  [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 10:08, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::yeah, that's good, really I just want to see how the study explains it&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::We know that per capita GDP increases Olympic medals. Therefore, when the shortsighted measures holding together the [http://www.care2.com/causes/euro-zone-crisis-banks-lower-rates-but-confidence-stays-low.html troubled Eurozone economy] stop working, they will win less gold medals than countries which were more prudent. The lazy secular Europeans should have listened to the Bible about hard work and not getting heavy into debt. The gold medal counts of secular Europe are going to be lower than they needed to be in 2016. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 10:24, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
http://www.gfmag.com/tools/global-database/economic-data/10394-public-debt-by-country.html#axzz1zqxAoMmm&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::I think it is self explanatory that those who have faith will have the discipline and the belief to achieve something extraordinary--[[User:OconnorM|OconnorM]] 12:46, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I do know that post 1950 the USA became more secular and United States became less financially prudent. Socialism and communism do not have great track records over the long term and atheists have tended to like these systems more.  Countries which adopted a Protestant work ethic have benefited and even those with a legacy of a Protestant work ethic culture have benefited.[http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/oct/31/economics-religion-research] The Bible also mentions sharpening the axe (Ecclesiastes 10:10), good stewardship of resources and orderliness. [http://www.openbible.info/topics/orderliness]  No doubt the legacy of Protestantism in the country of Germany (birth place of Protestantism), helped to create the efficiency and orderliness that their society is known for. Athletes who train more efficiently using the best methods and get better nutrition, gain more medals. See also: [[Christianity and science]]. Christianity has one of the highest rates of creationism in the world and despite Darwinist persecution of creationists and intelligent design proponents (see: [[Expelled]]) manages to be leader in technological innovation. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 13:48, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== One fair way to analyze ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In order to give a fair analysis, information needs to be compiled before the Games for the countries/sports listed for both pre/post same-sex marriage/girls playing sports and then add this year's results. As far as I can see, that would be the only way to objectively assess any trend regarding medals/performance. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 10:14, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:It would still make no case for any causal relationship between same-sex marriage, atheism etc. and performance at the Olympics. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 19:54, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Baseball not an Olympic sport in 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Baseball is removed from the list, because both baseball and softball have been dropped for the program for the 2012 Olympics. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/08/sports/08iht-oly.html?_r=1 [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 11:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Baseball being removed from list ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Maybe baseball (and softball) have been removed because they are not included in the 2012 Olympics. [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/8504326/] &amp;quot;They'rrre out! Olympics drop baseball, softball: Sports eliminated for 2012 Games, but could win way back in 2016&amp;quot; AP, nbcsports.com, July 9, 2005, retrieved July 2, 2012. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 11:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[[Baseball]] was dropped from the 2012 Olympics???  That's a disappointment!  Is the sport considered too [[conservative]]?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::If it is, why did [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Summer_Olympics#Medal_table Cuba win most of the gold medals?] (And the most medals overall?) [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 15:47, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Same sex marriage and underachievement. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While a rationale is given for the relationship between atheism and underperformance, none is given for the relationship between same sex marriage and underperformance. Can somebody who understands the relationship please provide a rationale in the relevant section? Thanks. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 12:25, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::A factor in winning gold medals is the population size of a country. How does same sex marriage help increase the population size of a country? The Russians seem to think that it doesn't. Also, Olympic athletes have to be in top physical condition. See: [[Homosexuality and health]].  In addition, mental toughness is important in sports and &amp;quot;Nancy boys&amp;quot; lack this characteristic!  Also, there is the issue of [[Homosexuality and obesity]]. If you could show us that the town of Ereses on the Greek Island of [[Lesbos]] has produced an inordinate amount of Olympic women gymnasts instead of higher incidence of obese lesbians, it would be greatly appreciated (See: [[Lesbianism and obesity]]).[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:16, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the town is called Eresos (Greek: Ερεσός), no? --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 15:21, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Thanks! Corrected. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:26, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::This isn't a good argument against same-sex marriage, you know. It's just not logical. If a marriage is for population growth, then why are marriages that can't/won't produce children permitted? My dad's on his second marriage since my mother passed away - no half-siblings yet. You need to think through your arguments. If these non-productive marriages ''are'' permitted, under what reason? Companionship? That can be applied to same-sex couples as well. Tax benefits? Ditto. The argument doesn't stand up very well. &lt;br /&gt;
:::Oh, and there you go - you just can't get away from negatively portraying fat people. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 15:24, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Why an ancient Greek myth should be applicable to today is something only you would know.&lt;br /&gt;
::::As for homosexuals at the Olympics - and &amp;quot;nancy boys&amp;quot; is a very derogatory term, much like using the n-word. One would think a site like this would be above that sort of thing, but obviously not - how about Mark Spitz (7 gold) and Greg Louganis (4 gold), who was also the the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States in 1984. &lt;br /&gt;
::::Once again, your tired old arguments don't hold any water - obese people - gay or straight are hardly likely to be participating at the games, so trying to make a correlation between a country's political decisions and the performance of individual athletes is - quite frankly - stupid. But I have a feeling that you still can't grasp the idea. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:26, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::There's a legal precedent - &amp;quot;He Who Asserts Must Prove&amp;quot;... so, let's see your proof that a government passing same-sex marriage laws affects individual sportsmens' performance. Hint: the drivel you wrote above is not proof. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:34, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Homosexuality related tourism occurs in this town today. Second, re: lower amount of mental toughness issue: [[Mental Health and Homosexuality]] Third, the birth rate of heterosexual marriages will always exceed homosexual &amp;quot;marriages&amp;quot; [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:37, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Your first point - totally not relevant. What the hell does tourism have to do with athletes at the Olympic Games? Second people - people who are not mentally tough - gay or straight wouldn't last at any level of competitive sport and thus wouldn't appear at the Games, so your point is invalid. Third point is equally invalid - birth rates have nothing to do with how individuals perform at the Games. Care to try again? [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:40, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
It is relevant: Homosexuality related tourism occurs in the Greek town today. In 1976, Gwen J. Proude and Sarah J. Green published a study in the journal Ethnology which showed a positive correlation between cultures which accepted or ignored homosexuality in their cultures and cultures which were more likely to have homosexuality be more common. (see: [[Homosexuality]]). [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:43, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Birth rates, already covered above: &amp;quot;A factor in winning gold medals is the population size of a country. How does same sex marriage help increase the population size of a country? The Russians seem to think that it doesn't.&amp;quot; [[User:Conservative|Conservative]]&lt;br /&gt;
:::Nope. Still has absolutely no relevance to the performance of individual athletes at the Games. In fact, on rereading your reasons, you seem to be stuck on the thought that countries that allow same-sex marriage would only send gay athletes to the Games. That is bizarre. &lt;br /&gt;
:::Just how many people of the same gender do you think are going to be married? To say it'll affect a country's population growth is double bizarre. Japan's population growth is going backwards and they don't have same-sex marriage. [[User:MaartenG|MaartenG]] 15:49, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Your [[last wordism]] isn't impressing anyone - especially since you conveniently ignored the [[Homosexuality and health]] issue. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:08, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Chuck norris.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|It is no coincidence that the fit and healthy Bible believing martial artist [[Chuck Norris]] lives in the state of [[Texas]] and not the city of San Francisco! Chuck Norris is no &amp;quot;Nancy boy&amp;quot; and he is the embodiment of mental toughness. ]]&lt;br /&gt;
{{clear}}&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Wouldn't there be just as many homosexuals whether same-sex marriage is legal or not? Legalizing same-sex marriage wouldn't turn the existing athletes into homosexuals. So we're barking up the wrong tree here. Even if there were a correlation between homosexuality and athletic performance, it would have nothing to do with the legal status of same-sex marriage. Tim Tebow will be playing his home games in New York next year (ok, fine, New Jersey, but I'm a Jets fan and I consider them to be from New York). Same-sex marriage is legal in New York. It was not legal in Colorado or Florida. It is ridiculous to suggest that this would somehow hurt Tebow's performance. He will be just as faithful, Christian, and heterosexual as he ever was. Even if the NFL adds a franchise in atheistic London (as they are foolishly considering) and Tebow winds up there, nothing will change. Even if the Bills move to Toronto and Tebow plays for them, nothing will change. So supposing there is a correlation, we're looking for it in the wrong place, in my opinion. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 07:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::To be fair, legalization of homosexual relationships may be a proxy for a jurisdiction's attitudes for homosexuality.  I don't think it's a very good proxy; it would probably be a better idea to examine sexual orientations of athletes themselves rather than attitudes about homosexuality held  by residents the places they represent.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 12:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: But it's not the ''attitudes'' of the athletes that [[User:Conservative]] says are relevant. It's the actual ''orientation'' of the athletes. He posted a number of references to homosexuality and health problems. Without commenting one way or the other on their merits, they only apply if the athlete himself is a homosexual. So I'm inclined to agree with GregG here. Perhaps Conservative's theory is right, but if it is, he's going about proving it the wrong way. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:08, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Evidence pointing to same sex marriage acceptance negatively affecting Olympic medal counts ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We know that bigger populations tend to gain more Olympic medals.[http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/andrew.bernard/olymp60restat_finaljournalversion.pdf] Show me that societies which accept homosexuality tend to have higher birth rates. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We know that atheists are more accepting of homosexuality and also more liberal (see: [[Atheism and morality]]). We know that liberals are more accepting of homosexuality. See: [[Views on Homosexuality]].  We also know atheists tend to have lower birth rates. See: [[Decline of atheism]].  My educated guess is that liberal countries have lower birth rates (abortion, birth control, etc.). [http://erlc.com/article/death-of-liberalism/] There is also evidence pointing to societies which accept homosexuality having more of it. In 1976, Gwen J. Proude and Sarah J. Green published a study in the journal Ethnology which showed a positive correlation between cultures which accepted or ignored homosexuality in their cultures and cultures which were more likely to have homosexuality be more common. (see: [[Homosexuality]]). My educated guess therefore is that societies accepting of same sex marriage have lower birth rates and achieve less medals as a result. I do understand that societies which have more material wealth can grow morally lax and thus more accepting of homosexuality and those societies tend to be more prone to falling (Roman Empire for example). Therefore, we should not confuse higher GDP per capita and achieving more medals and a societies acceptance of homosexuality. &lt;br /&gt;
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Athletes with higher degrees of mental toughness achieve more. I would think that societies with higher degrees of mental toughness would have lower suicide rates. We know that atheists tend to be more accepting of homosexuality (plus more liberal) and they have higher suicide rates than the general population. See: [[Atheism and morality]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]. Also, compare the suicide rates of countries and their acceptance of homosexuality as a possible benchmark for the mental toughness of the societies.  Of course, you would have to do statistical analysis to examine the relationship between societies accepting homosexuality and their suicide rates so you do not count other factors which cause suicides.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Alternatively, show me societies accepting of homosexuality tend to score high on mental toughness tests such as Peter Cough's test. Also, [http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm Emotional intelligence (EQ) test] score and a person's [http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/501-550/article517_body.html &amp;quot;Adversity quotient&amp;quot;] test score would be possible benchmarks as far as measuring mental toughness, but obviously the latter would be better. EQ is popular in management circles and perhaps different societies have been measured in terms of their EQ test scores. My guess is that perhaps EQ is only somewhat popular in the USA and Spain perhaps.[http://danielgoleman.info/2008/can-there-be-an-emotionally-intelligent-society/] With that being said, I think there is far more detailed information on suicide rates of countries and that is probably a better benchmark of mental toughness. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:13, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Canada's medal haul went UP by 50% after they allowed same-sex marriage. (12 in 2004, 18 in 2008) [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 08:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Anecdotal and too tied to them hosting the Olympics and starting a drive to win more gold. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 08:58, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::They didn't host the Olympics in 2008, and anyways, the medal drive was focused on the winter games, not the summer games. [[User:JeffreyB|JeffreyB]] 09:03, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
It takes time to develop winning programs and I am guessing they knew in advance they were going to host the Olympics. 09:13, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Caribbeans have low suicide rates.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate] They must be pretty mentally tough and not worry. :) Mental toughness increases performance. Hey mon, don't worry, be happy! Hey mon, I think I am going to kick back on a Caribbean beach and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTW0ifgY9zc&amp;amp;playnext=1&amp;amp;list=PLAA6853EB17004E8E listen to Caribbean music] while conservative, Bible believing  families  (which don't approve of homosexuality) keep winning more gold medals per family because they have more kids and have more mental toughness! :) And remember, conservative Bible believers with the Protestant work ethic, work harder to win gold medals than lazy, liberal, obese homosexuals with knee problems on welfare! See: [[Homosexuality and obesity]] and [[Lesbianism and obesity]]. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 09:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::HAHAHA they do talk funny&lt;br /&gt;
:::: That may be so, [[User:Conservative]], but you are still miscorrelating. A conservative Canadian family wouldn't be made liberal by the legalization of same-sex marriage. If anything, the decline in medals should come ''before'' the legalization of same sex-marriage, since liberalization would come ''before'' the legalization of same-sex marriage. So, perhaps a better study would be looking at a country's attitudes towards homosexuality over time (both before and after legalization of same-sex marriage) and try to correlate that. But I honestly doubt the actual act of legalizing same-sex marriage has a magic wand effect. Which is why the evidence shows you are wrong even though your logic may be perfectly correct. It's only your conclusion that's flawed. Liberalization and shift in views on homosexuality take time to occur. They don't happen overnight upon legalization of same-sex marriage. There would only be evidence of what you're saying if it was a magical overnight shift. And it's not. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:16, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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=== More evidence that homosexuality leads to lower medal counts and Bible believing enables more medals to be won ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Homosexuals have higher suicide rates than the general population (see: [[Mental Health and Homosexuality]]). Historically, Christians have faced a lot of persecution, but they don't commit suicide. They know that God wants Christians to be strong and not commit suicide and the Bible has many verses about being courageous plus the Bible is against suicide.   Bible believers are more mentally tough than homosexuals. Mental toughness increases athletic performance. Therefore, Bible believers, all other things remaining equal, are able to win more Olympic medals than homosexuals. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:52, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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=== Math'd -- Gay marriage ===&lt;br /&gt;
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A subject about quantifying something?? I accept your challenge.&lt;br /&gt;
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For the following, I am trying to determine the effect of pro-gay legislation on Olympic Medals. Since different countries have hugely different factors, I thought we could use the states of the USA to observe any effects (being labs of democracy, and all). What I did was find a list of all 2008 Olympic Medalists. Then, I got rid of any groups, leaving only individual medalists. Then, I mapped these medalists to their home state. Then, I figured out, based on population, how many medals each state should win out of the total USA medals. Then, I matched states with their same-sex marriage legislation (I assumed if same-sex couples could marry or engage in civil unions, this was a &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; state. No marriage or civil unions, an &amp;quot;Anti-Gay&amp;quot; state.) Then I summed up expected and actuals by these two categories. Here's what I got....&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! State Type&lt;br /&gt;
! Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Actual Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Over/Under&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Pro-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 29.8&lt;br /&gt;
| 45&lt;br /&gt;
| 15.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Anti-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 42.2&lt;br /&gt;
| 27&lt;br /&gt;
| -15.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Total&lt;br /&gt;
| 72.0&lt;br /&gt;
| 72&lt;br /&gt;
| 0&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If we look just at Gold Medals...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! State Type&lt;br /&gt;
! Expected Golds&lt;br /&gt;
! Actual Golds&lt;br /&gt;
! Over/Under&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Pro-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 8.3&lt;br /&gt;
| 14&lt;br /&gt;
| 5.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Anti-Gay&lt;br /&gt;
| 11.7&lt;br /&gt;
| 6&lt;br /&gt;
| -5.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Total&lt;br /&gt;
| 20.0&lt;br /&gt;
| 20&lt;br /&gt;
| 0&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
(Please note that if a medalist is from another country, they were excluded. Same with two obscure athletes I couldn't find information on)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see, &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; states outperform their expected total medal results by over 50%. Conversely, &amp;quot;Anti-Gay&amp;quot; states underperform by 36%.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The picture is more extreme only looking at Gold medals - &amp;quot;Pro-Gay&amp;quot; outperformes %69%, while &amp;quot;Anti-Gay' under perform by almost half.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In conclusion, do I think &amp;quot;imposing&amp;quot; gay marriage has anything to do with Olympic results? Probably not, since states, along any group of people in the Olympics, have a huge number of factors affecting their outcomes. But, to say that gay marriage destroys Olypmic results...well, that just goes against the data.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 15:49, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think you are going to have to do regression analysis to isolate the homosexuality issue. It seems as if the wealth and population size are important variables to winning medals as noted above. Cultures which have significant wealth often get morally complacent history shows. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:00, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1) This is a regression based on population size. But I don't think a regression could be done on wealth, since it's hard to track the socio-economic movements of dozens of medalists, many of whom are relatively unknown. Also, if you want me to regress based on a group of large, poor states that allow gay marriage...my sample size isn't going to be even close to credible. I agree though, it would be very interesting.&lt;br /&gt;
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2) You didn't provide isolation of the homosexuality issue in your hypothesis, so that's what I based my refutation on.. You said countries with gay marriage would underperform. Not that a country with gay marriage would underperform an identical country without gay marriage.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
3) Most importantly, why should ''I'' isolate the homosexuality issue? ''You'' should be the one supporting your premise, or at least refuting my data. I spent the time showing why your idea was wrong, now it's your turn to either show where I am wrong, or adjust or reject your hypothesis.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 16:13, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::The liberals are not being realistic and fighting an uphill battle here. You are never going to have people associate homosexuality with athleticism/health. This is a Pickett's charge to say the least - especially at Conservapedia (see: [[Homosexuality and health]]). [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 16:36, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::So...nothing about the Olympics then? [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 16:47, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::You still haven't shown me that the homosexual population can clear Olympic hurdles as well as the heterosexual population. See: [[Homosexuality and obesity]] and [[Lesbianism and obesity]]. Are you saying that overweight people are better hurdlers?  If so, I have a hard time believing this. Also, nations with bigger populations earn more medals. How does homosexuality promote procreation? After all, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:37, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::And kudos to you, User:Conservative. You once again can't resist bringing up us evil fat people as your argument. And lo and behold, it's even completely off-topic to the above comments. Color me surprised... '''''NOT!''''' [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 13:38, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: [[User:Conservative]], you make valid points, but you are confusing two statistical populations. There is the homosexual population, and if your statistics are correct, they should perform worse. Let's assume that you're right for the purpose of this discussion. However, that would only effect athletes who are homosexual themselves, not entire countries. Legalizing same-sex marriage won't magically make the entire population into homosexuals. So you should be looking at the sexual orientation of the athletes themselves if you want to prove your point. Whether the country/state legalizes same-sex marriage is irrelevant to your point, one way or the other. I'd be interested in seeing your new study which focuses on the athletes themselves and not on the whole country. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:54, 6 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Conservative, you said that legalizing gay marriage leads to a country under-performing in the Olympics. I showed that the evidence does not support that, at least in America. I didn't say fat gays make good hurdlers. But, the Olympics usually doesn't draw athletes from the 'out-of-shape' population... [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 22:45, 8 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Expected Medals ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello all,&lt;br /&gt;
I think it would be fun to track &amp;quot;expected vs actuals&amp;quot; with regards to medals. I was thinking of adding a table giving each partipating country an expected value. However, I'm having trouble deciding it it would be better to do it on a &amp;quot;per capita&amp;quot; basis, or a &amp;quot;per GDP&amp;quot; basis. Any thoughts? [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 17:09, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:I think ranking on a &amp;quot;per GDP&amp;quot; basis would be fairer.  Competitive sports is an activity of affluent nations.  Any thoughts on this by others?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:14, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I added a table, proportioning medals by nominal GDP. I notice that I'm predicting 200 medals for America, which seems high. I wonder why that could be? My thought is that there are a ton of countries with less than 1 medal expected, but a lot of them will probably get one. I'll leave the table, but please let me know if you have any thoughts on modifications. It's a least something to get us thinking! [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 13:43, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Added info re same-sex marriage ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I added more info on same-sex marriage being allowed in certain political subdivisions of a country. I clarified that there are two US States that have legalized same sex marriage but there is a citizen's referendum about it, but that one of them (Washington) already had civil unions. I also noted that in Mexico, same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a Federal District similar to Washington, DC. Also, I noted that several overseas territories of the Netherlands will compete separately and also have different laws regarding same-sex marriage. Aruba does not perform them, but per the Kingdom's requirements must recognize those performed elsewhere. Same with Curacao and Sint Maarten, who will compete as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Participants&amp;quot; under the Olympic flag after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition for their Olympic committee. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 19:29, 3 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Joke sports ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I'm going to remove beach volleyball from the list, as it's a very physically demanding sport. Also, while I agree that synchronised swimming is a bit of a joke, I disagree with the description that these are &amp;quot;sports that allow underachieving nations to pad their medal totals&amp;quot;. The USA has won (usually multiple) medals in beach volleyball every year it has been included in the Olympics, synchronised swimming medals ''most'' times and half of all the BMX medals ever awarded! In fact, the only weak nation that has ever won a medal in any of these events (ever) was a Latvian who won the first BMX gold. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 00:00, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I realize that the U.S. wins many of these &amp;quot;joke&amp;quot; medals.  I was being objective and fair to other nations in criticizing these medals.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Ok fair enough. So what are your thoughts on beach volleyball? What makes it joke...ish? [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 00:19, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::I think it's mainly because it's a relatively recent creation, arrived at by taking an existing sport and just playing it on a beach. (I know that teams are smaller and the rules are a bit different etc, but that's basically it.) Why not have beach tennis, beach archery, beach baseball and beach cricket as well??? That and the requirements by the sport's governing body specifying the skimpiness of female competitors' attire.&lt;br /&gt;
:::This isn't to say that it's not demanding to play at the top level, but do the Olympics really need to have two different kinds of volleyball? Regular volleyball is hardly a blue riband event as it is!--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 08:33, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Beach volleyball and regular volleyball have different rules. The idea is the same, but the rules are pretty different. A similar situation would be rugby. Starting in 2016 rugby sevens will be in the Olympics. If they also added rugby league (which is fairly similar to rugby sevens, but has a lot of differences too) as well, then that would be too similar. But it just makes them redundant, it doesn't make one of them a &amp;quot;joke&amp;quot;. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:04, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Are the nations of Japan increasingly atheistic or increasingly theistic and/or christian? ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Are the nations of Japan increasingly atheistic or increasingly theistic and/or christian?&lt;br /&gt;
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Gallup poll: Christianity growing in Japan: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=2278&lt;br /&gt;
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Pastor Lee in Korea, 2007 - BBC: &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Our church is still growing, so sooner or later Christianity will be the major religion in Korea. All Christians are praying for that right now.&amp;quot;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8322072.stm]&lt;br /&gt;
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== Move page ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Can we move this page to [[2012 Olympics]]? That's a more natural title. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 07:16, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:How bout a redirect?[[User:Brenden|brenden]] 11:13, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::The redirect works.  It's a close call which title is better, but to me starting an entry with a number seems less efficient in conveying meaning.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:24, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::You have to have something indicating summer. I retitled the article. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 12:04, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::I agree.  Even though Summer and Winter Olympics never occur in the same year anymore, they historically were both held in the same year.  Having this naming convention will ensure consistency with other Olympics articles we may create.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 12:11, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: I agree. 2012 Olympics may not be ambiguous but [[1984 Olympics]] would be. (Los Angeles Summer Games or Sarajevo Winter Games). Also, with regards to Andy's concern, virtually all press releases refer to these as the 2012 (Summer) Olympics, and/or use the official name &amp;quot;Games of the XXX Olympiad&amp;quot;. (XXX is Roman Numeral 30, not a placeholder) However, since the official Olympiad name is never used except in official releases, and it is commonly referred to as 2012 Summer Olympics everywhere else, I say keep it this way. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:01, 4 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Agree with Greg. Thirtieth Olympiad is too obscure for a generation that regards 3 month old music as outdated. Better call it the 2012 Olympics. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 20:26, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Tables for medals ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I'm going to add tables showing medals won, and indicate in the table when same-sex marriage was recognized, for each country listed. This will make it easier to identify trends from before and after legalization. [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 11:54, 5 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== This page is preposterous ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I can't believe that nearly everything you have to say about this year's Olympic games revolves around your overweening obsession with homosexuality and atheism. Even conservatives--well, normal conservatives--would want more substantive information. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 19:51, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:That's not enough to qualify as trying to improve this page. Are you saying there's no correlation, or are you indirectly registering an objection to this project's campaign against homosexuality and atheism? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 20:25, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::In my opinion, the way to improve this page would be to delete all the content and start over. I understand that the project is against homosexuality and atheism. But that doesn't mean those things have to be the main focus of ''every'' article. And yes, I ''am'' saying that there is no known correlation between same-sex marriage, homosexuality or atheism and Olympics success, and even if one were demonstrated, it would not establish causality, which is clearly what you are after. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 21:20, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Ideas do have consequences on productivity, achievement, happiness, etc.  A high percentage of successful [[NFL]] quarterbacks are devout [[Christians]].  Why?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:17, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::Is that so?  What is the percentage?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:57, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Where is the UK... ==&lt;br /&gt;
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...in the expected medals section?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 21:02, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:Whoops, I had it listed as Great Britain. Which I should have known better than to do - I lived in London for a couple years, and got yelled at every time I got the terms wrong... [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 23:18, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Aaargh! I checked UK and Britain but neglected to check Great Britain.  Silly me.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:23, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== GDP ==&lt;br /&gt;
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If GDP &amp;quot;may be a fair proxy&amp;quot; in relation to how many medals a country will win then why is the main part of the article all about how atheism and gay marriage are going to have such an influence over the results?  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 21:04, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:I wanted to have a start point for comparisons and trend-spotting. It is my hypothesis that homosexuality and atheism have nothing to do with a country's athletic performance, and the table is my first step in testing. [[User:EricAlstrom|EricAlstrom]] 23:21, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::I am inclined to agree with you.  Unfortunately it makes the article a little schizophrenic (if I may use that term in such an inaccurate manner).  The top of the article asserts that homosexuality and atheism are solid indicators of Olympic performance for reasons, whereas your section is intended to show otherwise.  An internal tension, if you will.&lt;br /&gt;
::I get the feeling from the ''Nations that are increasingly atheistic'' section that there is supposed to be some reason that atheists are incapable of acting as members of a team (the reason is not explained).  Beyond that, the article is not only utterly unsupported by any study or even by any observations made by eminent persons in the appropriate field, it doesn't even contain a hypothesis as to the means by which the asserted connections operate.  I would suggest deleting and starting again but I have read Ed Poor's comments above and I assume any such similar request from myself would be resisted.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:36, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: We have explained those connections elsewhere, including on this talk page. Perhaps make separate articles and link to them? If we put all the explanations in this article, I think it would get a bit too busy. Also, we'd have to copy them for every future Olympics, which seems like a waste if we can just link to them. What does everyone else think? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:04, 21 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Rowing -&amp;gt; soccer ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I see Andy that you have reverted my edit which asserted that rowing was the sport requiring the most teamwork.  Apparently soccer is the sport that requires most teamwork (for reasons that are mysterious to me).&lt;br /&gt;
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Why is that Andy?  Why not (field) hockey, for example?  Or American football?  I would still assert that rowing is far and away the paramount team sport.  Your edit comment that it is &amp;quot;emulating a machine&amp;quot; really does nothing to detract from that assertion.  So what?  If that means that each crew member must move their body in perfect time with each other then my point is all the stronger isn't it?&lt;br /&gt;
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Obviously if this is a conservative insight then clearly I must be wrong, but if there is an actual reason that soccer is the ultimate team sport over rowing then I would be interested to hear it.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 23:52, 15 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:There is no dynamic teamwork of any consequence in rowing - no passing a ball from one player to another, no reactions to defenders, and no mental strategy.  Rowing is great exercise for those who have access to expensive equipment and placid lakes, but it's not dynamic teamwork as soccer is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:43, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::Ok, so it's &amp;quot;dynamic teamwork&amp;quot; that atheists can't perform?  They are capable of acting in perfect harmony with each other in a rowing shell but cannot pass a ball to each other or perform mental strategy?  Interesting.  Is there any evidence to support any of this?  If so, why is it that atheists are incapable of such activities?&lt;br /&gt;
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::P.S. I performed a couple of Google searches on which (rowing or soccer) is more commonly referred to as &amp;quot;the ultimate team sport&amp;quot;: [https://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;amp;q=%22rowing+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;oq=%22rowing+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;gs_l=serp.3..0i30.71845.74333.0.74873.2.2.0.0.0.0.220.429.2-2.2.0...0.0...1c.IPtkh8308qI&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=862d766996523d9f&amp;amp;biw=1201&amp;amp;bih=678 rowing] or [https://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&amp;amp;gs_nf=1&amp;amp;pq=soccer%20the%20ultimate%20team%20sport&amp;amp;cp=32&amp;amp;gs_id=e&amp;amp;xhr=t&amp;amp;q=%22soccer+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;pf=p&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;amp;oq=%22soccer+the+ultimate+team+sport%22&amp;amp;gs_l=&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=862d766996523d9f&amp;amp;biw=1201&amp;amp;bih=678 soccer].  I think that the hit numbers speak for themselves.  --[[User:QuentinQ|QuentinQ]] 00:57, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Rowing is obviously a rich-man's sport, which gives an unfair advantage to a few nations like the [[U.K.]]  While physically challenging, rowing is the only sport where the contestant should think as little as possible and simply act like a robot.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:12, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: In rowing, don't you have a coxswain telling you when to row? It requires everyone rowing together, yes, but as long as they all act like robots (as Andy put it) and row when the coxswain says row, that's the only teamwork required. I won't deny it's a difficult sport, but it doesn't require much teamwork when there's a coxswain. The reason it's the ultimate team sport is that, more so than in any other sport, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link. If you put me on a soccer field with the 10 best players in the world (assuming they're of different positions), we could win, even though I'm a terrible soccer player. If you put me in a four-man boat with the three best rowers in the world, we would do terrible, because I'm a terrible rower. That's the difference between rowing and other team sports. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 05:35, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::I row 3 times a week and I am a coxswain. It is certainly not a &amp;quot;robot&amp;quot; sport, and it requires intense concentration from the rowers to make sure that the crew is in time, running on perfect technique and drawing through together. A physically stronger crew will often lose to a weaker but more technical crew. The reason that our crews look like robots are because they are concentrating as hard as they can to keep everything technical, and to work against what the body is intuitively telling you to make every single inch of pressure on the water count.&lt;br /&gt;
::::::&lt;br /&gt;
::::::As for being a rich man's sport, I can sympathise. Those boats are bloody expensive, and are often donated through philanthropy. However many of us, myself included, come from very underprivileged backgrounds and are fortunate enough to row in university teams. But getting to Olympic level requires training from a young age, which usually means being brought up at a very expensive private school that has rowing equipment. So I agree to an extent there, but one must not forget the huge benefits that philanthropy gives to broadening the pool of rowers, which is a conservative virtue as far as this website is concerned. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 11:16, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: (edit conflict) Doesn't the above data prove my point?  The wealthiest nations in the world have won nearly all of the rowing medals.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: Rowing is a grueling sport - I rowed for a bit myself.  But it is a rich man's sport, and it is the only sport that does not use the brain.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: In reply to Greg's insight comments, I doubt a soccer team with 25% terrible players could win either, if the coaching by the opposing side is good.&lt;br /&gt;
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:::: In reply to HumanGeographer's good comments, I agree that concentration is required and that the sport is terrific exercise.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:29, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Andy, soccer teams have 11 players (including goalie). So it would be 9% poor players. And considering that teams have won 10-on-11 after an early red card, it's not inconceivable. But in rowing, it would be impossible. That's where the &amp;quot;team sport&amp;quot; mantra comes from. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:05, 16 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Greg, you have missed Andy's point.  If you are one out of the four rowers you now have 25% of a team being terrible, whereas in soccer, as you have put it, missing one player means only 9% of the team is terrible.  What Andy is suggesting is that the better comparison would be if a soccer team had 3 of their players essentially non-effective, and his point in that regard is well-taken.  A soccer team playing 8 against 11 would not fare well either.--[[User:Krayner|Krayner]] 15:23, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== The Olympics and Economics 2012 ==&lt;br /&gt;
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[[Goldman Sachs]] has some thoughts on the matters discussed above: [http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/topics/global-economic-outlook/olympics-and-economics-.pdf pdf]&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Britain has quite high per capita spending on elite sports for a western democracy. Sailing is a perfect example— boats are very costly. For equestrianism, you need a horse. For rowing, you need a boathouse, boats and oars. For track cycling, you don’t really have a chance without a wind tunnel, a velodrome. It’s different with running, where you just need a pair of shoes. There is a dramatic difference between sports that only a tiny group of countries can afford to invest in and the others.|||Matthew Syed, British journalist}}&lt;br /&gt;
They have a forecast for Gold and Total medals, too.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 05:50, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by faith-based achievement by the participating athletes ==&lt;br /&gt;
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This seems to be wishful thinking: the Olympics were for quite a time dominated by nations which didn't allow their athletes the comforts of faith. [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 05:59, 18 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Group of Left ==&lt;br /&gt;
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For those who don't get the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot; reference, it's a play on the phrase &amp;quot;Group of Death&amp;quot;, which refers to an unusually strong group. I doubt Tunisia will finish in the top two and go to the medal round, but anything other than last place would be overperforming for them. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:21, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Women's Soccer ==&lt;br /&gt;
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Why would the US women's soccer team be expected to underachieve? They're not one of the atheist nations, same-sex marriage is only legal in six states, and if Title IX effected them in any way, it would have helped them (albeit at the expense of men's sports). We should either explain it or remove it. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:35, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:As I understand it, women's soccer is very strong in the US.  Still, the nature of Soccer means that results are more unpredictable than other sports.  Very often the best team is not able to win.  Its a funny sport in that respect.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 18:44, 22 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: I know that. But that still doesn't answer the question. We could say the same about any of the favorites. There's no reason given to expect the US team specifically to underperform. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 08:49, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::It seems as though &amp;quot;underperformance&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;failing to live up to expectations&amp;quot; are a preferred theme of the website's management. Maybe it's just a case of projection. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 09:22, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Possibly. If that's all it is, we should remove it. But I'm going to wait and see if anyone has a better explanation before I do so. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:07, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::[[Politically correct]] teams often underachieve.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:03, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: Very well. I removed the part about the coach being a foreigner, since surprisingly it isn't an unusual practice to do something like that. About half the women's soccer coaches this year are from another country (i.e. not the one they coach). And Jurgen Kingsman of Germany coaches the men's US national team, although it's unlikely he'd have coached at the Olympics even if they did qualify, since men's soccer at the Olympics is primarily Under-23 teams. However, I kept the rest of the footnote. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 21:10, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::: I don't think it's that common for a prominent sport like soccer.  Germany, of course, has a very strong soccer program.  But a coach from Sweden for the women's team???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:21, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: Ahhh.... Good point. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 21:50, 24 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
The coach in question was the coach when the US won gold in 2008. She took the job in 2007. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 00:14, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: Early goal for France in Game 1 for the USA. 1-0. Plenty of time for us to come back. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:13, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: 2-0 France, less than 20 minutes in. A loss wouldn't eliminate the US, but a big loss would make it hard to go through in a tough group. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:15, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::: 2-1. US goal came on a corner kick, which requires a lot of teamwork, against, atheist France. Still not even a quarter of the way through. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:20, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
So let me get this straight: If France loses, it's because of atheism. If the US loses, it's because their coach is a foreign-born lesbian, even though she led the team to gold in 2008. Is that correct? [[User:RayM|RayM]] 12:29, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::: It's only one game. And one of them had to win (or it could be a tie, I suppose). Let's see how the tournament progresses. It looks like they'll both go to the quarterfinals, but with 8 of the 12 teams advancing, that's not unexpected. Let's see how they do there. Then we can discuss this. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:51, 29 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:The US girls have won the gold medal! [http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/08/09/us-beats-japan-for-third-straight-olympic-gold-in-women-soccer/] --[[User:FrederickT3|FrederickT3]] 17:40, 9 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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==&amp;quot;No Religion&amp;quot; in census response==&lt;br /&gt;
There are three possible explanations for a citizen refusing to state a religious preference on a government census form: no self-identification with one of the listed denominations, fear of government recording of religious preferences, or protest against government intrusion into a citizen's private spiritual life.  Do we know which is the case in Australia?  I know that if the government were to knock on my door, I would be in the third group.  We don't know if Australia is in a religious decline based on census data, when there are better measures, including church service attendance and audience ratings for religious radio and TV broadcasts.  Are there better data sources for this article? Thanks, [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:08, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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Over 11% of Australians refused to answer the religion question on their census forms.  These people could have a faith. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 08:22, 23 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Beckham and the Olympic torch ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I suggest not adding whether Beckham lights the Olympic cauldron until after it airs on NBC, even though we should know around 7:30 PM ET whether he has or not. Some people might not know and might want to not know until NBC shows it on tape delay. It's only a few hours, and since most of our users are American and won't have seen the cauldron lighting yet, I think it's a reasonable courtesy. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 06:41, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Black Power salute controversy ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I don't see a connection between the Black Power salute controversy, which was an act of political defiance on the medal stand that hardly anyone remembers (and which the Olympic committee forgave participants for) and [[Tebowing]].  Also, why would the comment be in the &amp;quot;TBD&amp;quot; column anyway?&lt;br /&gt;
:I think that athletes may (understandably) refrain from engaging in overt religious activity due to the precedent set by Smith and Carlos.  The Olympics are a major event, and being banned from them (even wrongly) can seriously affect athletes, especially those competing in sports whose major competition is the Olympics.  That's why I think that athletes will at least think twice before engaging in such behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
:The column where I added my explanation is headed &amp;quot;Answer,&amp;quot; and my explanation is certainly an answer.  Of course, it's just my insight, and maybe it will be proven wrong.  But even if no one does end up doing Tebowing, we can rest assured that Christian athletes have Jesus' words in mind:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.|||Matthew 6:5-8|NIV}}&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:GregG|GregG]] 14:42, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::The &amp;quot;answer&amp;quot; is presumably provided by the results, as for the other issues, all of which is &amp;quot;TBA&amp;quot;.  [[Tebowing]] is not something that would likely be done during the medal ceremony, not even by Tebow himself.  It's done before or after the athletic event, as in the American marathon medalist in 2004 who did the Sign of the Cross right after crossing the finish line.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::As to the quote from the [[Bible]], the context for that quote is clear:  people should not pray in a hypocritical manner like the liberal Pharisees.  There is nothing hypocritical about [[Tebowing]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:08, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I think the precedent still applies, or at least it has an ''in terrorem'' effect, to all such displays, regardless of whether they are during a medals ceremony or before or after an event.  I know that this is my opinion, but Tebowing seems to me to be nothing more than a gimmick, a practice designed to whack people over the head with the &amp;quot;HEY, IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, I'M CHRISTIAN!&amp;quot; hammer.  Such efforts, no matter how sincere they are, are misguided, and Jesus tells us that this sort of public display is not at all required by Christians, just as Jesus goes on to criticize people who make a public display out the pious practice of fasting.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 15:41, 25 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Reformat ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Can someone with better formatting skills than me please make the table into a better, cleaner format? It's very hard to read right now. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:42, 30 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Public Schools ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is the public schools example really that good? There are certain private schools in America that are infamous for training its students like athletes rather than students. More so in basketball and (American) football than other Olympic sports, though. Public schools don't do that. Nor should schools do that, it's called &amp;quot;school&amp;quot;, not &amp;quot;training&amp;quot;. I should point out that certain colleges are legendary for that too, including my own school, which is a public college under the State of Connecticut. But don't think that's why we're banned from the tournament next year - we're actually banned for not doing enough to game the system. And half the women's basketball Olympic team went to UConn. We actually care about academics for our women's basketball team, and do very well academically. But don't get me started on that, because it's irrelevant.&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway, assuming you mean public high schools (or below), I think it doesn't present a very conservative argument. Private primary schools should not exist for the purpose of training athletes. The fact that some do indicates something is wrong with the system, not that the system is good. Not saying that's enough to make the whole system bad - the vast majority of private schools are very good academically. But these aren't the ones that produce the superstar athletes, for the most part. Also, other than basketball, it wouldn't apply to any of the Olympic sports, since football isn't in the Olympics. And there are only 12 American men's basketball players. I don't know how many of them went to the sham private schools whose main purpose is athletics, but I know LeBron is one of them.  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:49, 30 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== The Swiss tweet in  question. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/07/30/swiss-soccer-player-michel-morganella-sent-home-olympics-racist-tweet/ Here is a link to an image of the tweet]. As you can easily read for yourself, it's directed at &amp;quot;les coréens,&amp;quot; et non pas contre &amp;quot;l'équipe coréen&amp;quot; ou quelque chose de même. [[User:RayM|RayM]] 18:33, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &amp;quot;South Korean&amp;quot; is not a race, and there is no evidence that the tweet was racist as the [[liberals]] claim.  Rather, this incident shows how much liberals oppose [[free speech]], and will NOT defend the rights of others to speak their minds.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:40, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::So, just for the record, you do defend the right of a person to call an entire nation of people &amp;quot;mentally handicapped retards&amp;quot; and think that he should face no consequences for doing so while representing his own country at an international event? [[User:RayM|RayM]] 18:48, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::For the record, I do support [[free speech]], even for statements with which I disagree.  The tweet was not racist and athletes should be able to vent on twitter, just as they do vocally during games.  Fans do also, by the way.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:13, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Do you believe a private, non-profit organization such as the Swiss and/or Greek Olympic committees has the right to demand and/or expect behavior from its members that reflects well on the organization, and that organization should be allowed to sanction a participant when behavior does not meet those expectations? If you do, where do you think the line is drawn? [[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 21:27, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::No, I don't think the organizations you mention should be expelling athletes based on what they say on Twitter (and I question whether the organizations are truly private, rather than publicly funded).  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::There was no evidence that the tweets embarrassed the nations in any way.  Rather, this is [[liberal censorship]] run amok.  Thirty years ago, liberals and the ACLU would have sided with the athletes.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:39, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: The only NOC that is 100% privately funded is the American one, although the vast majority of them are funded privately in part. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:01, 2 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Atheistic Brits ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wonder...what percentage of the underachieving, God-hating British Olympians are actually Atheists? [[user:Willingham77|Willingham77]] 17:03, 31 July 2012&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The better question is what percentage of the Brits are subjected to an increasingly atheistic media and culture?  Unfortunately, nearly 100%.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:11, 31 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::The better better question is why does an &amp;quot;atheistic&amp;quot; country have an established religion (COE)?  Should all of us God-fearing Americans want the same for Christianity?[[User:Emmerich|Emmerich]] 23:23, 1 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::[[Great Britain]] has an established '''''church'''''.  That is something the [[Founders]] opposed - a state supported '''''church'''''.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:42, 1 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Wow Andy, you should use that statement as an example in a Conservapedia article entitled &amp;quot;Non sequitur&amp;quot;. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 15:43, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
==Proposed table entry==&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will Netball be played at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics? Wikipedia claims that Netball is an &amp;quot;Olympic sport&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Olympic_sports|title=Category:Olympic sports|accessdate=Aug. 3, 2012}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Olympics/Archive_12#Category:Olympic_sports&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; played &amp;quot;at the Olympics&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball_at_the_Olympics&amp;amp;action=history&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Olympics/Archive_12#Olympic_recognised_sports&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Feminists have been demanding equality in Olympic participation. As a result, women have been playing the same game as men -- five-players-on-each-side basketball in the Olympics since 1976, rather than a watered-down version designed for Victorian women called Netball.&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If there are no objections, I will move this to the table in the article. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 11:19, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: That's not really a question about the Olympics, more a commentary on Wikipedia. Stick it in [[Bias in Wikipedia]], not here. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:11, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Also, Wikipedia no longer claims Netball is an Olympic sport, only an &amp;quot;Olympic recognized sport&amp;quot;, which is correct. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:17, 3 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::With all due respect to my friend Gregkochuconn, I just looked at the Wikipedia netball article and it is still in category &amp;quot;Olympic sports.&amp;quot;  I admit that the Wikipedia article &amp;quot;Netball and the Olympic Movement&amp;quot; is in category &amp;quot;Olympic recognised sports&amp;quot; but the radical feminists have insisted that Netball stay in the former category.  Please see for yourself. The table entry was an assertion: We say netball will not be played in 2012 and 2016, Wikipedia says it is already an Olympic sport and keeps deleting statements that it could not possibly be added to the Olympic Programme before 2024.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&amp;amp;diff=502656544&amp;amp;oldid=502573324] [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 01:00, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Its a bit hard to see exactly what the issue is.  It is not hard to see that this issue is one for the Wikipedia page and not for the Olympics 2012 page.  Whether or not it is deservedly and &amp;quot;Olympic Sport&amp;quot; or an &amp;quot;Olympic Recognised Sport&amp;quot; (these terms are not synonymous) is an issue for a general Olympics page, and whether Wikipedia is somehow censoring conservative thought is an issue for the Wikipedia page.  Frankly I doubt very many of you even know what netball is.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 01:52, 4 August 2012 (EDT) &lt;br /&gt;
:::: That edit seems to be adding the 2024 information, not deleting it. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:24, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Promptly reverted.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&amp;amp;diff=next&amp;amp;oldid=502668446] [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 03:52, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Probably because it was in the article about the sport at the Olympics, and didn't belong in the main article. The main article doesn't make any claim one way or the other. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 17:54, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Also, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netball_at_the_Olympics current version of the page] includes that information. So what you are saying is wrong. In any case, this is not the place for it, as it has absolutely nothing to do with the 2012 Olympics. Wikipedia makes no claim that it will be contested at the 2012 Olympics, even if it is an &amp;quot;Olympic sport&amp;quot;, seeing as that category includes present Olympic sports, past Olympic sports, and Olympic recognized sports. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:27, 4 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Note that the article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport) squash], which has a far more significant chance of being added to the Olympic program than squash, also does not mention that it could be added no sooner than 2024. As I said above, the article on Netball and the Olympic Movement does mention that it can't be added until 2024. The fact doesn't belong in the main article for the sport, by WP standards, and other articles on Olympic-recognized sports don't mention it either. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 15:17, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: Comparing medals from last olympics and expecting a country to get the same amount at the next olympics is pretty futile and a pointless exercise for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why it is pointless is due to the retirement of older and successful medal winning athletes and the emergence of the new generation of athletes in that sport. This is one of the main reasons why australia didn't win as many medals in 2012 as it did in 2008. The non swimming medal tally was pretty much the same, however the swimming team is going through a major generational change with a lot of the great athletes from 2008 retiring (or retiring and then failing to come back) that generation of swimming talent was a bit of a &amp;quot;bumper crop&amp;quot; similiar to what you have with phelps and locte. There was also a fair number of athletes who had ongoing injury concerns which doesn't help but that does happen in every team. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Funding is also a big factor as olympic sport has got to the level that if you don't put large resources into your athletes your not going to have a very big chance at rating in the top 5 in an event. The funding for althletes in a lot of european countries from both the government and the private sector has dried up due to the economic conditions. Spain did really well considering this however thier performance in rio is likely to suffer as funding is unlikely to increase. For example the womens 6m team from spain that won gold, barely made it to the olympics as there was bugger all funding for it.  --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Oh no, the tennis! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Look what's happening! One of the greatest conservative sports stars just lost the bronze medal match to an Argentinian who no doubt supports gay marriage, and an overrated Brit is smashing one of the all-time greats in the gold! What is going on?? Not only that, but we all just watched home-schooled gymnast Makayla Maroney underperform, right onto her bum! This page may need a re-write ... [[User:AlanA|AlanA]] 10:43, 5 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:While expressing doubt about your guess as to the Argentinian star's political views, I welcome further review of the predictions in the entry as more results pour in ....--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:45, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:: The predictions represent things that are &amp;quot;likely&amp;quot; to happen, not things that are guaranteed to happen. Murray also had the advantage of the home fans, and Federer was tired from his marathon match with Del Potro. Of course, Del Potro should have been tired too.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Will someone please explain where the expected total medals figures in this section come from? Thanks. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 15:41, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: The table lower down in the article. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:59, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Oh, you mean the one based on GDP, which &amp;quot;cannot be used as a fair proxy&amp;quot;. In other words, they're meaningless. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 22:15, 6 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: Find a better proxy and we can use that. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:17, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::: I have changed the proxy to medals won at the last (Summer) Olympics prior to implementing same-sex marriage. The expected total is virtually unchanged. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:28, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Better, but expected numbers should be corrected for any significant differences in total number of medals available and in a country's number of athletes competing between the base estimate year and 2012. Also, since it's conceded that it's too early to tell how these countries will ultimately perform, the +/- figures are premature. With about 59% of events concluded, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, South Africa and Sweden are on track to meet or exceed their medal count for the base year. The Netherlands and Norway could easily do so as well by the games' end. [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 10:53, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Hence &amp;quot;too early to tell&amp;quot;. It's unlikely (though not impossible) for the Netherlands and Spain to overperform, while Denmark and Sweden have overperformed already. The rest are too early to tell. That being said, I will remove the +/- totals until the Games are over - they are misleading at this point. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 11:00, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Also, there are only a few more medal events (out of over 300) being contested in 2012 than in previous years, so that shouldn't matter. I think there were 301 in 2008 and 2004 and 302 this year. Insigificant. Since the theory centers around how many exceptional athletes these countries produce, adjusting for the number of athletes is incorrect. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 11:02, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::What is &amp;quot;the theory&amp;quot;? [[User:CasparRH|CasparRH]] 09:37, 8 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::: See [[User:Conservative]]'s rant somewhere above on this page. It's confusing, and I don't feel like repeating all of it, especially since I don't think it's accurate (though as an empiricist, I'm willing to put it to the test). [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 13:23, 9 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Seems that the highly promiscous gay diver has been eliminated, news article said he has been spending to much time at gay rallies instead of training  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 12:33, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: I did not just say that about the gay diver. Who signed my name to that comment? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:53, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::: Looking through the edit history, it appears to be [[User:Nacacube]], who for some reason decided to affix my username to his comment. I don't even know how he did it, since he obviously didn't copy and paste - the time is different. Strange. Message left on his talk page. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 14:55, 11 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Originally, the &amp;quot;developed nations&amp;quot; took most of the medals in the Modern Olympics.  In fact, because of transportation challenges, the host country had a big advantage in the early years of the Modern Olympics.  Since that time, there has been a long-term trend of spreading the medals to countries throughout the world.  Over time, the portion of the medals going to smaller countries has increased and the number of medals going to France, UK, and Germany have declined.  So, if one had to explain a 4% decline in Olympic medals, could one look to this long-term trend rather than to the gay marriage factor? Thanks [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 12:26, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: 4% isn't a significant difference anyway, unless it continues. One sample showing a 4% change doesn't really prove anything by itself. You could be right, but we'd have to analyze it long-term, rather than just one year, given the small change. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:14, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Assuming GregG calculated the p-value correctly, he is correct in that there is no statistical significance just from this one test. Generally, you would need a p value of 0.05 or less for it to be significant (or by stricter standards, 0.01). 0.73 is nowhere near that. I'm not going to verify the calculations, but it seems right. And assuming it's right, GregG is correct that it is not significant. However, if repeated tests showed a 4% decrease, that would be significant. We can run it again in 2014 and 2016, and beyond. And possibly we would have more nations to work with in those years. Keep in mind that the Winter Olympics (2014) have fewer total medals, so a 4% drop would be less significant, by itself. But if demonstrated, it could show significance of the trend. Something inonsistent with the 4% decrease, such as a small increase, would indicate no correlation. Bottom line is that this one sample test can't disprove the correlation by itself, but it doesn't prove it either. I'm an actuarial science major at school, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. A repeated 4% decrease would be significant. But for the moment, it's not. I'm going to retroactively analyze the 2008 medal data, although we'll have fewer countries. When I'm done, I'll post the results.  [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:26, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Here is the medal data from previous years from the original post, omitting any countries that legalized same-sex marriage after 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 5 in 2000, 2 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Canada - 12 in 2004, 18 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 16 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Norway - 6 in 2004, 9 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
South Africa - 6 in 2004, 1 in 2008&lt;br /&gt;
Spain - 19 in 2004, 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 73 expected, 64 actual&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a decrease of 9 medals out of 73, a 12.3% decrease.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let's look at the countries that legalized same-sex marriage between 2000 and 2004, as far back as we can go. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 22 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 30 in 2000, 25 in 2004&lt;br /&gt;
This is a 16.7% decrease, but with far too small a sample size to be significant by itself. [[User:GregG]], care to run the significance test?&lt;br /&gt;
Also of note, there appears to be something going on with the Belgians and Dutch, who have seen a consistent decline, while the rest of the nations have not, apparently. Since they are geographically and culturally close, this may be relevant. Ignoring them, we have no data for 2004, a 4.6% INCREASE in 2008, and again a 4.6% increase in 2012, neither of which is statistically significant by itself, and probably still not together. (Note: 4.6% increase is just as statistically significant as 4.6% decrease.  In this case, not very) Of course, we can't just kick the two lowest samples out of the data set. But there seems to be some factor that has steadily brought the Dutch and Belgian totals down, without influencing anyone else. Was something else going on in Belgium and the Netherlands at the same time? Or was the 2000 medals we're using as the baseline simply an anomaly? I'm guessing the latter. 2000 was the Dutch's best Olympics EVER. It wasn't the Belgians', but even the 40% decrease from 2000 to 2004 isn't significant when they only had 5 to begin with. I'm going to rerun this data when I have more time, using totals from the three previous summer Olympics, and totals from all Olympiads thereafter, multiplying the latter by 3 or 1.5 if necessary, where there are fewer years, although I'll note where so as not to effect the significance test. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:41, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Going in alphabetical order, &lt;br /&gt;
Belgium - 14 from 1992-2000, 8 from 2004-2012 (no reweighting necessary)&lt;br /&gt;
Canada - 48 from 1996-2004, 36 from 2008-2012, multiply by 1.5 to weight as if there were 3 Olympics = 54 weighted total &lt;br /&gt;
Denmark - 21 from 2000-2008, 9 in 2012, reweights as 27&lt;br /&gt;
Iceland - 2 from 2000-2008, 0 in 2012, reweights as 0&lt;br /&gt;
Netherlands - 59 from 1992-2000, 58 from 2004-2012, no reweighting necessary&lt;br /&gt;
Norway - 23 from 1996-2004, 13 in 2008-2012, reweight as 19.5 due to lack of future data&lt;br /&gt;
Portugal - 7 from 2000-2008, 1 in 2012, reweights as 3&lt;br /&gt;
South Africa - 17 from 1996-2004, 7 from 2008-2012, reweight as 10.5&lt;br /&gt;
Spain - 47 from 1996-2004, 35 from 2008-2012, reweights as 52.5&lt;br /&gt;
Sweden - 24 from 2000-2008, 8 in 2012, reweights as 24&lt;br /&gt;
Total - 262 &amp;quot;baseline&amp;quot;, 256.5 actual+projected, decrease of 5.5, or 2.1%. Smaller percentage, but with a larger sample size, it could have a higher significance. Or the two could cancel out. I can't do the math in my head. [[User:GregG]], do you mind doing the calculations again? [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 16:52, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::First, for countries that implemented same-sex marriage before 2008, I am going to use the 2004 total medals awarded for both 2000 and 2004 (there isn't much of a difference: 928 medals in 2000, 929 in 2004).  The pre-same-sex-marriage proportion of medals won is 7.858%, the post proportion won is 6.681%.  The p-value is 0.3244, which indicates no significance at any common alpha level.&lt;br /&gt;
::Second, for countries implementing same-sex marriage before 2004, we have the proportion of medals won in 2000 by those countries as 3.233%, and the proportion of medals won in 2004 by those countries is 2.691%.  The p-value is 0.4912, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.&lt;br /&gt;
::I will take a look at how to proceed with your final set of data.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 17:10, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::One would expect some time period before the adoption of the [[same-sex marriage]] and its harmful effect, so I don't think it's meaningful to go back to 2004 and 2000.  The trend line from 2008 to this year is probably a better indicator.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:15, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::Using the data for countries that implemented same-sex marriage between 2008 and 2012 (Denmark, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden):&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Those countries won 15 medals out of 958 in 2008.&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Those countries won 18 medals out of 962 in 2012.&lt;br /&gt;
::::The proportion of medals won by those countries actually went up from 2008 to 2012 (1.566% to 1.871%); the p-value, though, is 0.6068, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 17:21, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::The shortness of time between the adoption of same-sex marriage by those nations and their medals at the 2012 Games renders that particular analysis less meaningful.  More significant, I think, would be nations that adopted same-sex marriage before 2008 and how they then trended lower in medal count from 2008 to 2012.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:49, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Using the data for countries that implemented same-sex marriage before 2008 and the medal counts for 2008 and 2012 (Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Belgium: 2 in 2008, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Canada: 18 in 2008, 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Netherlands: 16 in 2008, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Norway: 9 in 2008, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::South Africa: 1 in 2008, 6 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Spain: 18 in 2008, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Total: 64 in 2008, 68 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
::::::Again, the proportion of medals won went up from 2008 (6.68%) to 2012 (7.07%).  The p-value is 0.7369, which indicates no statistical significance at any common alpha level.  And, since this data set is rather scant (and, to be fair, we are having to make assumptions that might not exactly hold water but should be good approximations, like the number of medals won being a binomial distribution, in order to draw any conclusions from the data), I would surmise that you're not going to be able to get much evidence from just these data.  Perhaps we will have to wait and see at the 2016 Summer Olympics.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 23:57, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::Netherlands and South Africa seem to distort the results here.  Removing those anomalies results in a decline from 47 to 42 - more than a 10% decrease.  For example, it appears that Netherlands did unusually poorly in 2008, which may result in its analomous increase.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:27, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::Now it looks like you're just cherry-picking the data to get the conclusion you want.  ''A priori'', we would expect that such issues would average out.  In fact, you suggested comparing 2008 medal counts to 2012 medal counts.&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::Also, I haven't run the numbers, but I think that even if you exclude the Netherlands and South Africa, you would still not have statistical significance due to the low number of successes that are expected by those countries.  As an example, if we flip a fair coin 10 times, a result of 3 heads is not statistically significant at any common alpha (p=11/32).  Yet 3 heads is 40% fewer heads than the 5 we would expect.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 00:50, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::If the Netherlands and South Africa are to be excluded then we should exclude Norway as well. I think that leaves 38 and 38? No change. [[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 02:15, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::The data are worth analyzing before drawing final conclusions.  I spent some time studying South Africa and the issue, and concluded it should not be in the list.  I explain this in a footnote in the entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:40, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::::Well there are several problems, the most fundamental of which is that you are selecting data points to exclude on the basis of the dependent variable (2012 medals won), as opposed to an independent variable, which leads to bias.  [[User:GregG|GregG]] 02:09, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::::::::::When there is a valid reason to exclude (or include) data, then it makes sense to exclude (or include) the data.  South Africa does not appear to have imposed [[same-sex marriage]], so it should not have been included in the data in the first place.  Correcting that makes sense.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:29, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We should be comparing two sets of countries - those that implement same-sex marriage and those that prohibit same-sex marriage.  When comparing sets with similar economies and populations, one could find that medal counts when down for both groups.  The question is whether there is a statistically significant difference in the drop in medal count between the same-sex marriage and no same-sex marriage countries.  I would guess that there are so many other factors that have a larger effect on the medal count, that any difference would be insignificant, but I welcome someone to run the numbers. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 18:35, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Nancy boys don't have kids which contributes to decline of populations as does pro-abortion/anti-life policies. see: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZeyYIsGdAA Demographic winter] In 2008, there were 70 countries with sub-replacement levels of fertility. So we look at trend of medals won by countries which adopt same sex marriage. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 19:06, 13 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Male homosexual couples not being able to have children the natural way is a biological fact. It doesn't depend on them being married or not. [[User:Baobab|Baobab]] 02:21, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: Also, not many 8-year olds win Olympic medals, so regardless there would be no data for at least a decade or so. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 09:57, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Comparing medals from last olympics and expecting a country to get the same amount at the next olympics is pretty futile and a pointless exercise for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why it is pointless is due to the retirement of older and successful medal winning athletes and the emergence of the new generation of athletes in that sport. This is one of the main reasons why australia didn't win as many medals in 2012 as it did in 2008. The non swimming medal tally was pretty much the same, however the swimming team is going through a major generational change with a lot of the great athletes from 2008 retiring (or retiring and then failing to come back) that generation of swimming talent was a bit of a &amp;quot;bumper crop&amp;quot; similiar to what you have with phelps and locte. There was also a fair number of athletes who had ongoing injury concerns which doesn't help but that does happen in every team.Funding is also a big factor as olympic sport has got to the level that if you don't put large resources into your athletes your not going to have a very big chance at rating in the top 5 in an event. The funding for althletes in a lot of european countries from both the government and the private sector has dried up due to the economic conditions. Spain did really well considering this however thier performance in rio is likely to suffer as funding is unlikely to increase. For example the womens 6m team from spain that won gold, barely made it to the olympics as there was bugger all funding for it. --Nacacube 09:20, 15 August 2012 (EDT)--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 23:41, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: Which is why you look at long-term trends. I agree that one Olympics' worth of data for two countries is pretty much useless. It will take more data to prove or disprove the theory. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 18:15, 21 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Medal weighting ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It's been pointed out at [[talk:Main Page]] that some sports, notably swimming, are vastly over-rewarded in terms of the number of medals available. We would get a better representation of which nations were actually the best, sporting-wise, if we took this into account in our medals tables. One simple way would be to discount multiple medals won by the same individual, or perhaps to cap the number of medals counted in the same sport at, say, five. What do people think?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Sadly the nation most affected by this would currently be that titan of the swimming pool, the USA.)--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 10:37, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
: That would be hard to do, though. And nearly impossible to keep updating during the Games. I propose keep the current system for now, and discuss further when the Games are over. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 10:53, 7 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: Capping at five gold medals per sport wouldn't be too tricky. The only countries affected are:&lt;br /&gt;
::*USA - 11 in track and field, 16 in swimming&lt;br /&gt;
::*China - 6 in diving&lt;br /&gt;
::*GB - 8 in cycling&lt;br /&gt;
::*Russia - 8 in track and field.&lt;br /&gt;
::Something to think about. It wouldn't have a huge effect on the ordering of the table as it happens.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 06:16, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::: Capping it at 5 medals for athletics would be pretty pointless as pretty much all the events have their own set of athletes, with the only overlaps in athletes either being track guys competing in similar groups of races (like bolt in 200 and 100 and farah in 10k and 5k) and atheltes competing in their respective relay teams. Then there are the decathletes and heptathletes who comptete in individual events as opposed to the decathlon and heptathlon, however the top 10 athletes in each of these are pretty much outsiders to get a medal for the single events. In the cycling the events are very different with specialists in each event and most athletes only competed in one or two events + the team events.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::How about counting only one medal per athlete, then? That's harder to calculate because of relays, though - I suppose a relay gold would only be discounted if every member of the team was also an individual medalist?--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:45, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: But then you would have to discount one of the medals won by the athlete who got silver in the 1500m freestyle and gold in the 10km swim. Whilst they are both swimming events, it would be like someone in athletics getting second in the 800, 5000 or 10000m and then winning the mens marathon. --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 23:12, 16 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Team Sports ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don't really have the time to finish off this nicely, but I just did a quick count-up of medals across handball, hockey, basketball, volleyball and football. as these are probably the sports best described as '''team''' sports (ie. multiple players on a field working together and reacting to each other). Could someone do it for me and add it to the main page perhaps?&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Country&lt;br /&gt;
! Medals&lt;br /&gt;
! Status&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| United States of America&lt;br /&gt;
| 4&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Australia&lt;br /&gt;
| Increasingly Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| France&lt;br /&gt;
| Increasingly Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Japan&lt;br /&gt;
| Agnostic (see comment below)&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
| Atheist&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Russia&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Spain&lt;br /&gt;
| Christian&lt;br /&gt;
| 2&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Countries with only 1 medal in team sports are Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Montenegro, Norway and Sweden.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:WilcoxD|WilcoxD]] 02:51, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: The criteria seems pretty vague. Water polo? Tenis? Going out on a limb, cycling, and triathlon (The Brits certainly worked as a team to get gold and bronze). [[User:Nine|Nine]] 21:23, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::That's a fascinating table.  I wouldn't describe Japan as atheist, however.  Shinto, perhaps, although there is a Christian population as well.  I cannot think of a single prominent Japanese atheist.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:38, 14 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::: I would also class some sailing events as team sports as you need perfect team work to do well in sailing. non communication between helmsman and the other crew members will result in a pretty poor performance ! If there are no major breakaways road cycling is also a team sport. --[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:27, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Nacacube|Nacacube]] 09:27, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::: Having lived in Japan, I would define it as agnostic. Virtually noone actively disbelieves in God (or a god). Most people have a very open mind to religion and are happy to visit the temples and partake in the rituals (both Shinto and Buddhist ones) and also to dip into church once in a while. Most Japanese people even get married in church, not at the temple! Nonetheless while my Japanese church had a core group of worshippers, the general attitude to religion in Japan is &amp;quot;Born a Shinto, convert to Christian in middle age, die a Buddhist!&amp;quot;. The challenge for the church in Japan is keeping people saved once they get interested. [[User:HumanGeographer|HumanGeographer]] 11:15, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== A bit confused ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Recent edits seem to downplay the US women's gold in soccer/football, despite the fact that it seems this site should trumpet every accomplishment by Americans. It seems to imply that Canada should have beat the US in the semifinals, despite the fact that Conservapedia earlier predicted that Canada should underperform in Olympics because of socialism and same sex marriage. Likewise Japan, which should underperform by this site's standards, as it's been ranked [http://www.infobarrel.com/25_Most_Atheist_Countries_in_the_World the #5 most atheist country in the world]. Furthermore, this idea that the US advanced unfairly seems to contradict the idea that the Olympics is a prime example of the best of the public, in which winners are decided by pure skill and performance alone, and not by some committee of so-called &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot;. Are the Olympic games not an example of the best of the public after all? [[User:PortlyMort|PortlyMort]] 00:12, 15 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Interesting points, but:&lt;br /&gt;
:*this site does not unthinkingly cheer for [[Team USA]]; and&lt;br /&gt;
:*there is nothing wrong without pointing out how a referee imposed an almost unheard of penalty against the [[Canadian]] women's soccer team, which enabled the American team to advance.&lt;br /&gt;
:None of this changes our support of the [[best of the public]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:39, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Canada ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Canada legalized same-sex marriage in 2005. Is there any reason we used the 2008 data instead of the 2004 data? It seemed like a mistake, so I corrected it and updated the numbers. If someone can provide an explanation for using 2008, feel free to change it back. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 10:20, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:A full year transpired between the 2004 and 2008 Olympics before Canada passed the [[Civil Marriage Act]] and it became effective.  But your point is a good one, so let's do a weighted proration on the 2004 and 2008 numbers.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:51, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Great Britain ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I think that any analysis involving Great Britain at these Games, either to prove or disprove the atheist theory, is problematic because hosts ALWAYS receive a big medal boost. Australia and France by themselves are insufficient to indicate a trend with just this year's data, even with the decreases. We'll have to analyze them again in 2016, along with Great Britain, but should probably throw out this year's data for GB, and factor in that there is an 8 year difference between the two data points we have for them, after 2016. [[User:Gregkochuconn|Gregkochuconn]] 19:30, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Superb point about how the host nation wins more medals almost automatically.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:36, 19 August 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== The Durant question ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One of the key points in the answer to the Durant question is that he scored a bucketload of points. While he indeed did, the question emphasises '''selfless''' play. Would selfless play be better indicated by assists and not points? [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 09:44, 19 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057139</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057139"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:37:05Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism */ Cleaned up section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, as the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B in the quarter finals.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It should be noted that they finished 8th ranked in the twelve team tournament, beating the Great Britain squad that was only formed for the Olympics and then disbanded, and the Argentine team, who qualified for the first time in 2012. So their performance could be viewed as living up to their expectations in some quarters.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This distinction became apparent as a number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see above). No Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 2 || 4 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 43 !! 67 !! 69 !! 179&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 6 || 6 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 77 !! 85 !! 104 !! 266&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/medals/ Medal Table]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057138</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057138"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:32:58Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Political Questions Resolved by the Games */ Added to handball section, I sense a lack of understanding of the sport by some editors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, as the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B in the quarter finals.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It should be noted that they finished 8th ranked in the twelve team tournament, beating the Great Britain squad that was only formed for the Olympics and then disbanded, and the Argentine team, who qualified for the first time in 2012. So their performance could be viewed as living up to their expectations in some quarters.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 2 || 4 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 43 !! 67 !! 69 !! 179&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 6 || 6 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 77 !! 85 !! 104 !! 266&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/medals/ Medal Table]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057134</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057134"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:17:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Winners */ Over ambitious and unformattable section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 2 || 4 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 43 !! 67 !! 69 !! 179&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 6 || 6 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 77 !! 85 !! 104 !! 266&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/medals/ Medal Table]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057133</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057133"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:15:01Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* See also */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 2 || 4 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 43 !! 67 !! 69 !! 179&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 6 || 6 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 77 !! 85 !! 104 !! 266&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/medals/ Medal Table]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057132</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057132"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:14:05Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* NetherlandsAlthough part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 2 || 4 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 43 !! 67 !! 69 !! 179&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 6 || 6 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 77 !! 85 !! 104 !! 266&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057131</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057131"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:12:36Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Iceland */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 2 || 4 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 43 !! 67 !! 69 !! 179&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 71 !! 79 !! 96 !! 246&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057130</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057130"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:11:17Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Denmark */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 2 || 4 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 43 !! 67 !! 69 !! 179&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 71 !! 79 !! 96 !! 246&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057129</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057129"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:09:29Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Canada */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 5 || 12 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 59 || 99 || 120 || 278&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 41 !! 63 !! 66 !! 170&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 71 !! 79 !! 96 !! 246&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057128</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057128"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:07:57Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Belgium */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 52 !! 53 !! 142&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 58 || 94 || 108 || 260&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 41 !! 63 !! 66 !! 170&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 71 !! 79 !! 96 !! 246&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057127</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1057127"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:04:47Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Argentina */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 18 || 24 || 28 || 70&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 51 !! 51 !! 139&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 58 || 94 || 108 || 260&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 41 !! 63 !! 66 !! 170&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 71 !! 79 !! 96 !! 246&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Arlen_Specter&amp;diff=1057126</id>
		<title>Arlen Specter</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Arlen_Specter&amp;diff=1057126"/>
		<updated>2013-06-19T13:02:07Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: Couple of little tweaks&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Officeholder&lt;br /&gt;
|name=Arlen Specter&lt;br /&gt;
|image=Specter-0.jpg&lt;br /&gt;
|party=[[Democrat]]&lt;br /&gt;
|spouse=Joan Specter&lt;br /&gt;
|religion=[[Judaism]]&lt;br /&gt;
|offices=&lt;br /&gt;
	{{Officeholder/senator&lt;br /&gt;
	|state=Pennsylvania&lt;br /&gt;
	|terms=January 5, 1981 – January 5, 2011&lt;br /&gt;
	|preceded=Richard Schweiker&lt;br /&gt;
	|former=n&lt;br /&gt;
	|succeeded=[[Pat Toomey]]&lt;br /&gt;
	}}&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''Arlen Specter''' (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was the former Democratic senior [[United States]] Senator from [[Pennsylvania]]. He was first elected in 1980, and was subsequently reelected five times since then. He has moderate to liberal viewpoints - particularly when it comes to economic and social issues. He supported Obama's massive stimulus bill in 2009 and opposed attempts to overturn Roe v. Wade.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Before defecting to the [[Democratic Party]] (see below), Senator Specter was a [[RINO]], disagreeing with the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] Administration on numerous issues. He was one of three Republicans who supported Obama's stimulus bill in 2009. Threatened with a [[conservative]] [[primary]] challenger for his seat in 2010, on April 28, 2009, he announced he was switching to the Democratic party. Once [[Al Franken]] was declared the victor in the [[Minnesota]] Senate race, Specter's vote provided the crucial 60th vote needed for the Democrats (and the two independents) to stop GOP [[filibusters]]. However, that filibuster-proof majority ended when [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Scott Brown]] won the [[Massachusetts]] special Senate election in January 2010.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Specter was defeated in the Democratic primary by Joe Sestak for his reelection in the [[2010 Midterm Elections]].&lt;br /&gt;
==Career==&lt;br /&gt;
He was a [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] veteran, serving within the U.S. as an officer within the Air Force Office of Special Investigations during the [[Korean War]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Political Career== &lt;br /&gt;
Specter's first foray into politics was his election as [[Philadelphia]]'s District Attorney in 1965. He mounted an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Philadelphia in 1967 and was defeated for reelection to a third term as District Attorney in 1973. He was defeated in the 1976 Republican Primary for U.S. Senate by John Heinz and in the 1978 primary for Governor of Pennsylvania by Dick Thornburgh. Arlen Specter was elected to the Senate in 1980 and is currently serving his fifth term. In 2005, Senator Specter became Pennsylvania's longest-serving U.S. Senator. He was formerly Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and was a senior member of the Appropriations and Veterans Affairs committees. However, after defecting from the Republican Party and joining the Democrat caucus, Specter lost all of his seniority. Specter went from serving as the most powerful Republican on the Judiciary Committee to the lowest-ranking Democrat in four out of his five committee assignments. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/arlen_specter_stripped/2009/05/06/211368.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arlen Specter made an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1996 and ended up supporting Republican nominee [[Robert Dole]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====The &amp;quot;Unicorn&amp;quot; murder====&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:The Unicorn Killer.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ira Einhorn]]&lt;br /&gt;
Specter has a knack for notoriety; in one such case he was a member of the Warren Commission investigating the death of President [[John F. Kennedy]] when he was credited with creating the &amp;quot;magic bullet&amp;quot; theory, which in essence was a single bullet that wounded Kennedy and Texas governor John Connoly, but not before it went through a pair of right-angle turns in mid-air before hitting Connoly.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But his most notorious case - and one which he rarely talks about - is his getting the release on bail of [[Ira Einhorn]], a celebrated Philadelphia liberal and leftist who had strong ties to the elite in the city, and who was scheduled to go to trial for the murder of his former girlfriend, Holly Maddux, who was two-years dead when her mummified body was found stuffed in a trunk in Einhorn's closet in 1979.  Specter - who also shared the same elite ties with Einhorn, convinced the judge to have his bail reduced from and &amp;quot;excessive&amp;quot; $100,000 to $40,000, with Einhorn putting up a mere 10% to be released.  Judge William Marutani had initially thought that Einhorn might flee to Norway; &amp;quot;I have to disagree with your last statement,&amp;quot; replied Specter. &amp;quot;Anybody is as likely to go to Norway as anybody else.&amp;quot;  Einhorn did flee the country before his trial started in 1981, to Sweden.  He remained a fugitive until 1997, when he was extradited from France, convicted in a new trial, and sentenced to life in prison. [http://www.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200404080822.asp][http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2009/04/29/specter-switches-ira-einhorn-saga-deserves-wider-mention]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Political Views==&lt;br /&gt;
Specter's moderate to liberal views have affected his political career as a Republican. Many considered him a RINO (Republican in Name Only) while he was in that party. For example, his status as the Chairman of the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] (a position he held from January, 2005 through January, 2007) was in question when he made comments hinting that he would oppose candidates who would overturn [[Roe v. Wade]]. In addition, in the 2004 Republican Senate Primary Election, he only received 51% of the vote when the conservative [[Patrick Toomey]] challenged him. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arlen Specter was the only Republican in the Senate to vote for the [[Employee Free Choice Act]], &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/27/nation/na-union27&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, legislation supported by big labor that would eliminate a private-ballot vote over whether workers would [[union]]ize. Specter was also one of only three Republicans in the United State Congress to vote for the 2009 economic stimulus bill. Additionally, Specter has announced he supports Single Payer [[Healthcare]]. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb-6QfxqKnk&amp;amp;feature=channel&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the past, there were issues where Specter was considered marginally [[conservative]]. In 2002, he voted to authorize the use of military force in [[Iraq]], although many Democrats did so as well. A native of [[Kansas]], Specter supports [[Second Amendment]] rights, receiving an A rating from the National Rifle Association, and [[capital punishment]]. Specter also supported the confirmation of conservative Clarence Thomas when he was appointed by President Bush to the US Supreme Court in 1991 and aroused considerable controversy through his questioning of Anita Hill, a witness who accused Thomas of sexual harassment. Specter generally supported Republican nominees although he cast a crucial vote against conservative Robert Bork, who was nominated by President Reagan to the Supreme Court. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Interest Group Ratings===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Prior to changing parties, political interest groups reflected Arlen Specter's moderate to liberal reputation. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=53340&amp;amp;type=category&amp;amp;category=10&amp;amp;go.x=5&amp;amp;go.y=13&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 100% rating from [[NARAL Pro-Choice America]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 79% rating from [[Planned Parenthood]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 14% rating from the [[National Right to Life Committee]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Rated '''D''' by the [[National Taxpayers Union]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 43% rating from the [[American Civil Liberties Union]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 42% rating from the [[American Conservative Union]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 60% rating from the [[League of Conservation Voters]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 43% rating from the [[American Family Association]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received an A from the [[National Rifle Association]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a 100% rating from [[Gun Owners of America]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Received a '''D-''' from [[Americans for Better Immigration]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Health Problems== &lt;br /&gt;
On February 16, 2005, Specter announced that he had been diagnosed with an advanced form of Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer. Despite the advanced form, Specter continued working during chemotherapy. He ended treatment on July 22. Senator John Sununu shaved his head to show solidarity with Specter when he was undergoing chemotherapy and was temporarily bald.  On October 14, 2012, he passed away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==2010 Reelection==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Specter graph.PNG|left|300px|thumb|Studies show Arlen Specter's 2010 reelection campaign has influenced his voting record.]]Specter barely won the 2004 Republican primary, which allows only registered Republicans to vote, by less than 2% against [[conservative]] challenger [[Pat Toomey]]. [[Rick Santorum]], himself a former Pennsylvania senator, described that &amp;quot;Specter's biggest problem ... may be that thousands of southeastern Pennsylvania Republicans who voted for him in 2004 can't vote for him in the (2010) primary. Why? Because they're no longer Republicans.&amp;quot;  In fact, the number of registered Republicans in Pennsylvania decreased by 162,000 between 2004 and 2008.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/americandebate/Arlen_Specter_tilting_rightward.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; This is one of the main reasons why Specter switched parties; to get re-elected in 2010, he needed to rely on his left-leaning supporters. However, Specter was denied the 2010 Democratic senatorial nomination, and the more conservative Republican Pat Toomey , who lost the Republican primary to Specter six years earlier, narrowly won the general election for the seat in a strongly Republican year in Pennsylvania.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Ira Einhorn]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{DEFAULTSORT: Specter, Arlen}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Former United States Senators]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:111th United States Congress]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Democratic Party]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Reagan Era]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:2010 Midterm Elections]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:American Jews]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Abortion Advocates]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1056787</id>
		<title>2012 Summer Olympics</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Olympics&amp;diff=1056787"/>
		<updated>2013-06-16T12:00:55Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* NBC Coverage */ Will be doing tense changes and updating winners etc. on this article. Very out of date&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad''' and informally as '''London 2012''', took place in [[London]] from July 27 through August 12.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;This makes London the first city to host the Games three times - the previous occasions being in 1908 and 1948.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  '''''During the Modern Olympic Games, the pagan origins of the Olympics have been replaced by [[faith]]-based achievement by the participating athletes'''''.&lt;br /&gt;
__NOTOC__&lt;br /&gt;
== Political Questions Resolved by the Games ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Independent Olympic Athletes from [[South Sudan]], who does not yet have a National Olympic Committee, and the former Netherlands Antilles, who no longer has a National Olympic Committee due to their dissolution, will also compete under the Olympic Flag.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Sports contests having the greatest political interest are (note especially the growing list of lack of [[public schools]] for the gold medalists below):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Sport&lt;br /&gt;
!Political issue&lt;br /&gt;
!Answer&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will do the equivalent of [[Tebowing]] after a victory?  American Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal in the marathon in 2004, typically gives glory to [[God]] with the sign of the [[Cross]] after finishing a race.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.letsrun.com/2009/nycmen1101.php&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|Missy Franklin, who won three gold medals at the 2012 games, thanked [[God]] as one of her first comments after winning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lauren Cheney and at least four other members of the women's soccer team are devout [[Christians]] who participate in [[Bible]] studies and worshiped together in church services.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[American]] Allyson Felix, whose three gold medals (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) were the most by a female track star in nearly 25 years, has said &amp;quot;I feel so blessed that [[God]] has given me the talent of running. My running is an amazing gift from God, and I want to use it to the best of my ability to glorify Him. For me, my [[faith]] is the reason I run. ... '''''My goal is to be more [[Christ]]-like every single day, and that is not an easy task'''''.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/allyson-felix-says-my-faith-is-the-reason-that-i-run&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first American medalist (silver) in the 10k since 1964, Galen Rupp, reportedly has a strong [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith]] and attended Catholic high school.Dawn Harper, gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012 in the 100m hurdles, said &amp;quot;My [[faith]] was definitely a part of me growing up. ... I knew that [[God]] was real in my life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Belief&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/page/6/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first gold medalist for [[Ireland]] since 1996, boxer Katie Taylor said after winning: &amp;quot;I serve an amazing God and without Him I wouldn't be here without this gold medal around my neck.&amp;quot; Her boxing robe contained the verse, &amp;quot;The [[Lord]] is my shepherd and my shield.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/08/09/2990989/the-lord-shepherds-irelands-taylor.html#storylink=cpy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After winning the all-around women's gymnastic title, Gabby Douglas tweeted, &amp;quot;Let all that I am praise the [[Lord|LORD]]; may I never forget the good things he does for me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bernard Lagat, a medalist at prior Olympics, did the [[Sign of the Cross]] just before he was introduced to the crowd for the 5k race.  He then &amp;quot;finished fourth after being clipped from behind in the final 200 meters,&amp;quot; but showed tremendous sportsmanship, praised the winner, and gave thanks afterward as &amp;quot;the most blessed person during my career.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/espnw/olympics/8260406/2012-olympics-mo-farah-makes-5000-win-look-easy&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Indeed, at least three out of the eight athletes running in the 5k finals did the Sign of the Cross shortly before being introduced for the race, and a fourth runner is known to be a devout Catholic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ethiopian Tiki Gelana remarkably overcame a mid-race fall to win the women's marathon, after thinking &amp;quot;thank God&amp;quot; at the beginning of the race for the rain because she grew up running in rainy weather - but the [[lamestream media]] reported her quote with a small &amp;quot;g&amp;quot; for &amp;quot;God&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://news.yahoo.com/rain-queen-gelana-wins-soggy-maratho-175353459--spt.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius noted that he thanks God &amp;quot;Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength.&amp;quot;[http://assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12060047.htm]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The winner of both the 10,000 and 5,000 metres races, Mohamed Farah, bowed towards Mecca to give thanks to Allah after both his victories.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will almost no athletes from [[public school]] sports programs win any gold medals, despite how public schools spend more than $500 billion annually to teach and train [[American]]s?&lt;br /&gt;
|The [[lamestream media]] state that Missy Franklin, the star swimmer, is a high school student, but fail to mention that she attends ''[[Catholic]]'' school rather than [[public school]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
'''American 2012 Olympic gold medal winners (incomplete)'''&lt;br /&gt;
*Private: Missy Franklin ([[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] high school)&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Franklin's swimming has been with a swim club&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;, Katie Ledecky (Catholic high school); triple-gold medalist Allyson Felix was a graduate of Los Angeles [[Baptist]] High School&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Homeschooled]]: Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney&lt;br /&gt;
*College or adult: Michael Phelps,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Phelps' swimming has been with a private swim club.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Dana Vollmer, Vincent Hancock, Conor Dwyer, Kristin Armstrong, Nathan Adrian, Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Kim Rhode, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Aly Raisman, Ricky Berens, Jamie Lynn Gray, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Serena Williams, all members of the women's soccer, women's water polo, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Public school]]: Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber won a group gold medal as part of the team led by [[homeschooled]] Gabby Douglas&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|How many athletes will be unfairly expelled based on [[liberal]] [[censorship]] of their [[free speech]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|One athlete -- Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou -- was expelled from the Greek National team by her own country's Olympic committee '''''before it officially opened''''' based on a one-sentence joke about immigration, even though she apologized. The joke in question was this from her Twitter: &amp;quot;With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!&amp;quot; It should be noted that Papachristou apologized for the tweet. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition to the Greek Olympic Committee's decision on Papachristou, the IOC's own twitter-use policy has been criticized for hindering free speech. The policy, which is claimed to protect the IOC's commercial rights, goes as far as to prevent athletes from &amp;quot;reporting on events&amp;quot;. According to The Globe and Mail, even a tweet such as &amp;quot;Won our games against China, USA. Next up, the Brazilians,&amp;quot; could get an athlete expelled from the Games without notice. As of yet, no athletes have been expelled by the IOC for this [[social media]] [[censorship]] policy. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lolo Jones, a pro-[[abstinence]] [[American]] hurdler, is being criticized by the [[lamestream media]] for sending out a pro-[[Second Amendment]] tweet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[liberal]] thought police expelled a Swiss soccer player for tweeting that South Koreans are &amp;quot;retards.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/another-racist-twitter-scandal-gets-another-olympic-athlete-boot/55197/] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Opening Ceremonies&lt;br /&gt;
|Will [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]] David Beckham be selected to light the Olympic cauldron? &lt;br /&gt;
|Beckham was not selected as the final torchbearer. He was, however, a passenger on the speedboat that carried the torch up the River Thames. He assisted in the hand-off of the torch to Sir Steve Redgrave, one of Britain's greatest Olympians. Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, stated, &amp;quot;He [Beckham] will be more than an ambassador given what he has done, the commitment he has given and the amount of time he has spent with us in London on this project. He was not only alongside us when we won [the right to host the Olympics], he was alongside us when we threw our hats in the ring.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/football/9388462/London-2012-Olympics-David-Beckham-will-be-more-than-an-ambassador-at-the-Games.html London 2012 Olympics: David Beckham will be 'more than an ambassador' at the Games] telegraph.co.uk, July 10, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|will [[atheist]] nations underachieve in '''''team''''' sports?&lt;br /&gt;
|Yes.  The performance by Great Britain's teams was abysmal.  They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in soccer, the national sport.  They did not even make the tournament round in men's basketball, after going 1-5 in the qualifying matches.  In men's volleyball, Great Britain's team lost every single match and was eliminated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Increasingly atheistic Australia underachieved in team sports also.  It failed to qualify for men's or women's soccer. In men's soccer, they finished ''last'' in their four-team qualifying group, competing against three mediocre teams: United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Iraq (Australia competes in soccer competitions against Asian teams, not Oceanic teams, unlike in most other team sports). The women did slightly better in qualifying, finishing third behind Japan and North Korea, but also failed to qualify. This is the first Olympics since 1976 where the Australian men did not compete - however the competition, while still weak, is much tougher than the competition in the Oceanic Zone they faced until 2004. Still, Australia was the best team in their men's qualifying group and should not have finished last. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In women's basketball, France won Group B with a 5-0 record, while Australia finished 4-1 in the same group. Great Britain is 0-5. France and Australia won their quarterfinals. France will face Russia in the semifinals while Australia will face the United States.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
In women's handball, Great Britain finished 0-5-0 and France is 4-0-1 (W-L-D). France lost to Montenegro the quarterfinals. Handball is almost unknown in GB, with only a dozen or so clubs, in stark contrast to most other countries in Western Europe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In basketball, Australia finished 3-2, fourth in their group, and lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. France finished 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. Basketball is a minor sport in GB, much less played than in continental Europe, and GB would have considered themselves lucky if they had won a match.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In men's volleyball, Australia finished 2-3 and was eliminated in the group stage.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Similarly, will atheist nations underachieve in general?&lt;br /&gt;
|China, an officially atheist and communist country, led in gold medals in the first week but then dropped badly to a distant second place behind the United States, despite China having more than three times the population of the United States and despite having a national program designed to produce champion athletes.  Increasingly atheistic Australia performed much worse than expectations.  Australia won 35 medals, but only 7 gold medals. France has 34 medals, of which 11 are gold. In 2008, Australia won 46 medals and France won 41. Australia won 14 golds that year, a total that they failed to surpass. &amp;quot;Atheistic&amp;quot; Great Britain, on the other hand, had its best Olympic showing since the 1908 Olympic Games (where Team GB had over half of the athletes in competition), although this is possibly because they were the hosts (as they were in 1908 and 1948). Even excluding Britain (which may or may not be accurate), the data is inconclusive as there is a 1/4 chance (25%) that two randomly selected countries would underperform by pure chance. 2016 will provide additional data to analyze, and it may be possible to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, any analysis including Great Britain in these Games is problematic, because hosts typically experience about a 30% medal boost. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|wrestling&lt;br /&gt;
|have [[feminist]] [[Title IX quotas]] destroyed the [[U.S.]] team?&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. men's wrestling team won only three medals - less than half that won by much-smaller and less prosperous Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russian, despite the U.S. winning far more medals overall than both nations.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Men's track has also been ravaged by feminist Title IX quotas, and [[Team USA]] won only one bronze medal out of 12 medals in the marquee events of the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events -- which the U.S. previously dominated.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A majority of medals won by Team USA were won by women, but many of those were in sports unhelped by Title IX, such as women's gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's basketball&lt;br /&gt;
|will selfless play by outspoken [[Christian]] [[Kevin Durant]] overcome ball-hogging by [[Overrated Sports Stars|Overrated Sports Star]]s [[Kobe Bryant]] and [[LeBron James]] on [[USA Basketball]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Outspoken Christian Kevin Durant set an all-time Olympic record of 147 points, including a game-high of 30 points in the tight final game, while the media-promoted players did not do as well.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|women's soccer&lt;br /&gt;
|ranked #1 and won the gold in the last two Olympics, most recently with a foreign coach. Now that this [[U.S.]] team is [[politically correct]], will it underachieve?&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A foreigner, reportedly a lesbian, was selected as the head coach of the already champion American Olympic women's soccer team in 2007, and in the following year that team repeated its gold medal-winning performance of 2004.  Aren't there American, although perhaps not politically correct, soccer coaches good enough to run the Olympic team?&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  Major rivals will be Japan, Brazil and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|The U.S. women's team advanced to the finals only because of a foul that is almost never called in a big game: holding the ball too long by the Canadian goalie.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/football/article/1238210--london-2012-soccer-controversial-call-against-canada-in-u-s-semifinal-rarely-made&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  In the finals the women's team then won the gold by a margin of only one goal against an underfunded team from Japan that had to fly to the Olympics in economy class.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|[[Joke sports]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Will underperforming countries pad their medal totals by excelling in many varieties of [[swimming]] and in non-serious sports like [[badminton]] and [[dressage]]? &lt;br /&gt;
|Several nations were able to obscure their underachievement in real sports and pad their medal totals by winning [[joke sport]] events of dubious value, such as table tennis (atheistic China won all 4 gold medals),&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/tabletennis/story/_/id/8247325/2012-summer-olympics-china-sweeps-all-four-table-tennis-gold-medals&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; swimming relays (there is no baton passed in a swimming relay), equestrian (Great Britain racked up five medals in this), [add more], synchronized swimming (China won two of the six medals awarded), and synchronized diving (where China won all four gold medals).&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|men's tennis&lt;br /&gt;
|will one of the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]] -- such as Novak Djokovic -- win the gold medal? Will [[Andy Murray]] of atheistic Britain underperform?&lt;br /&gt;
|Both players advanced to the semifinals, where Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. Murray defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland for the gold in straight sets, while Djokovic underperformed and lost to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the bronze medal match.  Murray then went on to play in mixed doubles match that same day and medalled silver with Laura Robson, losing to the heavily favoured Mirnyi and Azarenka.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|8-month pregnant athlete&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] report on Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi of Malaysia, who is competing while being 8 months pregnant, or does that send too [[pro-life]] of a message?&lt;br /&gt;
|Taibi was eliminated from the Olympics on the first day of official competition after finishing in 34th place. Few articles mentioned her prior to her elimination; there was more publicity about her after her defeat.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/07/28/pregnant-shooter%E2%80%99s-olympics-end-after-34th-place-finish-in-qualifying/ Pregnant shooter’s Olympics end after 34th-place finish in qualifying] sfgate.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/shooting/story/Pregnant-Malaysian-shooter-does-baby-proud-at-London-Olympics-072812 Pregnant shooter does baby proud] foxsports.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/shooting/story/2012-07-28/pregnant-shooter-nur-suryani-mohd-taibi-malaysia-misses-final/56551354/1 Pregnant shooter misses final, treasures experience] usatoday.com, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting London 2012: 'Be quiet, mummy's shooting,' says pregnant competitor] guardian.co.uk, July 28, 2012, retrieved July 28, 2012&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The New York Times ran an article on the athlete on 16 July 2012,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/sports/olympics/17iht-oly17.html?_r=1] &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Guardian &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-pregnant-shooting]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and ESPN &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.espnstar.com/olympics/shooting/news/detail/item832224/Nur-Suryani-off-target-in-London/]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; both reported on her results in the competition. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gun events&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[lamestream media]] downplay the gun events because they want to continue to push [[gun control]]?&lt;br /&gt;
|Great Britain shooter Peter Wilson's gold medal success in the double-trap clay pigeon event was widely reported and celebrated in the British media, despite Britain being strong in favor of gun control. The victory of Chinese air rifle shooter Yi Siling in winning the first gold medal of the games was reported in most GB media.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/28/olympics-first-gold-medal-china&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Coverage is similar to other sports with modest national following. See the entry above on the Malaysian shooter for an exception to this lack of coverage. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Openly [[homosexual]] athletes&lt;br /&gt;
|Will the [[liberal media]] overpromote [[homosexual]] athletes, far beyond their achievements?&lt;br /&gt;
|Several months before the games, ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a feature article entitled &amp;quot;The Transgender Athlete&amp;quot;, which included significant overage of a transgender female-to-male shotputter attempting to qualify for the United States women's Olympic team. However, she failed to qualify at the US Olympic Trials, and as such did not receive any coverage during the actual Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Multiple&lt;br /&gt;
|Will countries that have implemented same-sex marriage underperform? (See below for a more lengthy explanation)&lt;br /&gt;
|The total number of medals decreased:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;South Africa is excluded from this analysis for several reasons:  it did not change its Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage, it has relatively few same-sex civil unions, and its medal total in average medal total in the Olympics prior to 2008 was almost identical to its medal total in 2012.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
: Belgium - 5 in 2000, 3 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Canada - 14 in 2004/2008,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;A prorated number is used here, averaging 12 in 2004 and 18 in 2008, because [[same-sex marriage]] became effective in late July 2005.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 18 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Netherlands - 25 in 2000, 20 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Norway - 6 in 2004, 4 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Spain - 19 in 2004, 17 in 2012&lt;br /&gt;
: Total - 69 expected, 62 actual - '''''decline by more than 10%'''''&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;There was also an increase in increase in overall medals available, which makes the decline larger.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Handball&lt;br /&gt;
|Will heavy underdogs [[Tunisia]] overperform in Group A? Group A should perhaps be dubbed the &amp;quot;Group of Left&amp;quot;, since the other five teams are Sweden, Iceland, and Argentina, where same-sex marriage is legal, and increasingly atheistic Great Britain and France.&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia went 2-3 in the group stage, becoming just the second African team ever to advance to the quarterfinals. They then lost to Croatia, the winner of Group B. &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== 2012 Olympics - Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
See also: [[Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism ]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
''The Sports Journal'' is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. &lt;br /&gt;
A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions''. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'' declares:&lt;br /&gt;
{{cquote|Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, &amp;amp; Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, &amp;amp; Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/strength-religious-faith-athletes-and-nonathletes-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions ''Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions'']&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Atheism and sports performance ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: [[Atheism and mental health]] and [[Atheism and depression]] and [[Atheism and suicide]]).  This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== 2012 Olympics: faith vs. atheism ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A number of Christian athletes have thanked God for their 2012 Olympic medals (see below). To date, no Olympic athlete at the 2012 Olympic games has credited atheism with providing them enhanced sport performance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that have implemented [[same-sex marriage]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Argentina]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Argentina's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 3 || 1 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 0 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 22, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total || 17 || 23 || 26 || 66&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Belgium]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Belgium's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 5 || 5 || 5 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 1 || 5 || 2 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp (host) || 14 || 11 || 11 || 36&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 3 || 7 || 3 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 2 || 0 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 2 || 2 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| January 30, 2003 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 37 !! 51 !! 51 !! 139&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Canada]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Canada's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| ''1896 Athens'' || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 3 || 3 || 10 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 3 || 2 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 3 || 3 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 0 || 3 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 4 || 4 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 8 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 1 || 3 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 1 || 2 || 0 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 3 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal (host) || 0 || 5 || 6 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || colspan=4|''did not compete''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 10 || 18 || 16 || 44&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 3 || 2 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 7 || 4 || 7 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 3 || 11 || 8 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 3 || 3 || 8 || 14&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 3 || 6 || 3 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| July 20, 2005 || colspan=4|''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 3 || 9 || 6 || 18&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!| Total || 58 || 94 || 108 || 260&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Denmark]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Denmark's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || 1 || 2 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 1 || 6 || 5 || 12&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 3 || 9 || 1 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 2 || 5 || 2 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || 3 || 1 || 2 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 7 || 8 || 20&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 1 || 2 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 1 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 1 || 4 || 3 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 1 || 0 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 2 || 1 || 2 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 1 || 1 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 1 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 2 || 3 || 1 || 6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 2 || 0 || 6 || 8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 2 || 2 || 3 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 15, 2012 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 41 !! 63 !! 66 !! 170&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Iceland]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+Iceland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || colspan=4| ''Did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm || 0 ||1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| June 27, 2010 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !!  0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Netherlands]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Although part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, [[Aruba]] competes separately at the Olympic Games. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Aruba, although marriages performed in the European mainland Netherlands are recognized per the Kingdom's requirements. Additionally, the territories of Curacao and Sint Maarten, who competed as &amp;quot;Independent Olympic Athletes&amp;quot; under the Olympic Flag following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the loss of recognition of their Olympic Committee, have the same regulations as Aruba with regards to same-sex marriage. Since citizens of these territories are also Dutch citizens, they are also eligible to compete for Team Netherlands. Therefore, they may have won some of the Dutch medals. In all three territories, the population is heavily Catholic and there is large opposition to same-sex marriage in spite of the Kingdom's requirements. When Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba opted to integrate fully with the Netherlands as part of the dissolution, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a law that will make same sex-marriage legal in those territories effective in October 2012. However, this law was very strongly opposed by locals and should not be seen as a reflection of popular opinion. Athletes from those three territories were permitted to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well. However, of the four IOAs at the Olympics, three are from Curacao and one is a marathoner from South Sudan, which does not yet have a national Olympic Committee. Neither Aruba nor the Independent Olympic Athletes won any medals.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot; border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+The Netherland's Olympic medals in the Summer Games&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Year and location&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Gold&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Silver&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Bronze&lt;br /&gt;
! scope=&amp;quot;col&amp;quot; | Total &lt;br /&gt;
|- ||- |-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1896 Athens || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1900 Paris || 0 || 1 || 3 || 4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1904 St. Louis || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1908 London || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1912 Stockholm || 0 || 0 || 3 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1920 Antwerp || 4 || 2 || 5 || 11&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1924 Paris || 4 || 1 || 5 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|- &lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1928 Amsterdam (host) || 6 || 9 || 4 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1932 Los Angeles || 2 || 5 || 0 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1936 Berlin || 6 || 4 || 7 || 17&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1948 London || 5 || 2 || 9 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1952 Helsinki || 0 || 5 || 0 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1956 Stockholm/Melbourne || colspan=4| ''did not participate''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1960 Rome || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1964 Tokyo || 2 || 4 || 4 || 10&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1968 Mexico City || 3 || 3 || 1 || 7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1972 Munich || 3 || 1 || 1 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1976 Montreal || 0 || 2 || 3 || 5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1980 Moscow || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1984 Los Angeles || 5 || 2 || 6 || 13&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1988 Seoul || 2 || 2 || 5 || 9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1992 Barcelona || 2 || 6 || 7 || 15&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 1996 Atlanta || 4 || 5 || 10 || 19&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2000 Sydney || 12 || 9 || 4 || 25&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| April 1, 2001 || colspan=4| ''Same-sex marriage legalized''&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2004 Athens || 4 || 9 || 9 || 22&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2008 Beijing || 7 || 5 || 4 || 16&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|align=left| 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London || ? || ? || ? || ?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! Total !! 71 !! 79 !! 96 !! 246&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Norway]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Portugal]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[South Africa]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Spain]]===&lt;br /&gt;
===[[Sweden]]===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by nations allowing same sex marriage will be particularly evident.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;In the [[United States]], 6 out of 50 states permit same-sex marriage (Washington, D.C. also permits same-sex marriage), and 8 additional states permit civil unions.  Two states (including Washington, which had previously recognized civil unions) have declared same-sex marriage legal, but implementation is postponed until after voter referendums on the laws in November 2012. Additionally, in [[Mexico]], same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, a federal district roughly equivalent to Washington, DC, as well as in the state of Quintana Roo. &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nations that are increasingly [[atheist]]ic ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Sweden]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Norway]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Finland]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Denmark]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Netherlands]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Britain]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[France]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Australia]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; Since the 2001 Australians have increasingly answered &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; in the official census.  The growing numbers of those answering &amp;quot;no religion&amp;quot; has coincided with fewer people self-identifying as Christian: [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2008]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[New Zealand]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Canada]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Underachievement by atheistic nations will be particularly evident in the '''''team''''' sports, where spiritual motivation is usually non-existent.  Expect the atheistic nations to underachieve most notably in soccer, where teamwork is paramount.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, since Great Britain is the host nation, it may receive a boost in performance in spite of its increasingly atheistic nature. One should be careful to account for this when comparing Britain's performance this year to that in previous Olympic Games.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Winners ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Individual Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Athlete&lt;br /&gt;
!Achievement&lt;br /&gt;
!Religion, or Atheist?&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Team Events ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Event&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Religious Category&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|Christian&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Team Archery&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's 4x100m Freestyle (Swimming)&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|Increasingly Atheistic&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Women's Synchronized 3m Springboard (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Synchronized 10m Platform (Diving)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Men's Artistic Team All-round (Gymnastics)&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|Buddhist&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Expected Medals==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many factors contribute to a country's success in the Olympics (e.g., population, proximity to host country, culture), and [[Gross Domestic Product]] cannot be used as a fair proxy, due to low (per capita) GDP China comfortably coming first in the 2008 Olympics and Russia ranking third. Below is how the Olympic medals would be awarded if each country earned medals in proportion to their GDP, which vastly overestimates the United States' performance. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Country&lt;br /&gt;
!Expected Medals&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Albania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Andorra&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Antigua and Barbuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Angola&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Algeria&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Argentina&lt;br /&gt;
|5.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Armenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Aruba&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Australia&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Austria&lt;br /&gt;
|5.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Azerbaijan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahamas&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bangladesh&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Barbados&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burundi&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belgium&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belize&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Benin&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bermuda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bhutan&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bolivia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bosnia-Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bahrain&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Botswana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Belarus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Brazil&lt;br /&gt;
|29.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Virgin Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Bulgaria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Burkina Faso&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cameroon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cambodia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Canada&lt;br /&gt;
|22.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cayman Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Central African Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chad&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Chile&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|China&lt;br /&gt;
|98.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;
|7.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Colombia&lt;br /&gt;
|4.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Comoros&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cape Verde&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Congo&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cook Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Costa Rica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cote-d´lvoire&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Croatia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cuba&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Cyprus&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Czech Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|2.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Denmark&lt;br /&gt;
|4.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Djibouti&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominica&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Dominican Republic&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ecuador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Egypt&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|El Salvador&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Equatorial Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Eritrea&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Estonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ethiopia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Fiji&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Finland&lt;br /&gt;
|3.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|France&lt;br /&gt;
|39.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gabon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Gambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Germany&lt;br /&gt;
|47&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ghana&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Kingdom&lt;br /&gt;
|32.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea-Bissau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Georgia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Greece&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Grenada&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guam&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guatemala&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Guyana&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Haiti&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Honduras&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hong Kong&lt;br /&gt;
|3.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Hungary&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iceland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|India&lt;br /&gt;
|24.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Indonesia&lt;br /&gt;
|10.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iran&lt;br /&gt;
|4.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Iraq&lt;br /&gt;
|1.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ireland&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Italy&lt;br /&gt;
|29.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Israel&lt;br /&gt;
|3.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jamaica&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Japan&lt;br /&gt;
|78.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Jordan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kazakhstan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kyrgyzstan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kenya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|14.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|North Korea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Kuwait&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Laos&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Latvia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lebanon&lt;br /&gt;
|0.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lesotho&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Libya&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Lichtenstein&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Luxembourg&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Macedonia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Madagascar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malawi&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malaysia&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Moldova&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Marshall Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Maldives&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Malta&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mali&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mauritius&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mexico&lt;br /&gt;
|16.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Micronesia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Monaco&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Montenegro&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mongolia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Morocco&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Mozambique&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Myanmar&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Namibia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nepal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Netherlands&lt;br /&gt;
|11.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|New Zealand&lt;br /&gt;
|1.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Nicaragua&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Niger&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Norway&lt;br /&gt;
|5.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Oman&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Pakistan&lt;br /&gt;
|2.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Palau&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Panama&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Papua New Guinea&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Paraguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Peru&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Philippines&lt;br /&gt;
|2.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Poland&lt;br /&gt;
|6.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Portugal&lt;br /&gt;
|3.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Puerto Rico&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Qatar&lt;br /&gt;
|1.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Romania&lt;br /&gt;
|2.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Rwanda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Lucia&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saint Kitts and Nevis&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Samoa&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|San Marino&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Saudi Arabia&lt;br /&gt;
|6.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Seychelles&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sierra Leone&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Senegal&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovenia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Solomon Islands&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|South Africa&lt;br /&gt;
|5.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sri Lanka&lt;br /&gt;
|0.7&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Slovakia&lt;br /&gt;
|1.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Swaziland&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Serbia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Singapore&lt;br /&gt;
|3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Spain&lt;br /&gt;
|20.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sudan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.9&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Suriname&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Syria&lt;br /&gt;
|0.8&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Sweden&lt;br /&gt;
|6.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Switzerland&lt;br /&gt;
|7.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tanzania&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tonga&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Thailand&lt;br /&gt;
|4.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Togo&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Trinidad and Tobago&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tajikistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Timor-Leste&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkmenistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tunisia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Turkey&lt;br /&gt;
|10.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Tuvalu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uganda&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Ukraine&lt;br /&gt;
|2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United Arab Emirates&lt;br /&gt;
|4.3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|United States&lt;br /&gt;
|209&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uruguay&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Uzbekistan&lt;br /&gt;
|0.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vanuatu&lt;br /&gt;
|0&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Venezuela&lt;br /&gt;
|5.6&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Vietnam&lt;br /&gt;
|1.5&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yemen&lt;br /&gt;
|0.4&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zambia&lt;br /&gt;
|0.2&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Zimbabwe&lt;br /&gt;
|0.1&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Commemoration ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The 2012 games mark the 40th anniversary of 11 [[Israeli]] Olympic team members taken hostage and killed by [[Palestinian]] [[terrorist]] group Black September. The Internal Olympic Committee has been urged to offer a commemorative moment of silence for the athletes at the opening ceremony. The IOC has rejected the moment of silence or any mention of the tragic event so as not to upset [[Muslim]] countries. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.eju.org/news/world/ioc-refuses-request-memorial-munich-victims IOC refuses request for a memorial to Munich victims, EJU News, may 22, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Sportscaster Bob Costas says NBC will honor the Munich 11 despite IOC’s refusal to allow it. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/21/bob-costas-says-he-will-observe-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-1972-munich-massacre-during-live-broadcast-of-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-despite-iocs-refusal-to-allow-it/ Bob Costas Says He Will Observe Moment of Silence For Victims of 1972 Munich Massacre, WeaselZippers, July 21, 2012]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There were reports in the media that NBC had cut out a portion of the opening ceremony memorializing the London subway bombing victims. However, according to ceremony director Danny Boyle, the portion was intended as a tribute to his late father, who would have celebrated his birthday that day had he still been alive. Although pictures of victims were displayed, it was not intended to commemorate the victims specifically. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== NBC Coverage ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Scorn for Comcast's [[NBC]] coverage of the Olympic games hit America coast to coast. Viewers took to the internet with the trend #NBCfail During the event. The groans began at the opening ceremony when [[American]] viewers were denied the tribute to British victims of [[Islamic]] terrorism. However, ''Sports Illustrated'' later reported that ceremony director Danny Boyle had intended the tribute in memory of his father, whose birthday would have been that night, and that it was not specifically for the 7/7 victims. While pictures of some of the victims were displayed on the video board, in Boyle's mind, it had &amp;quot;nothing to do with 7/7&amp;quot;. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/richard_deitsch/08/10/NBCs-Mark-Lazarus-responds-to-criticism/2.html]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As the games moved forward, live events were interrupted or had already finished, replaced with commercials and NBC commentators talking about the athletes. It has been reported the Comcast spent $1 billion for the rights to televise the 2012 Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/ Schedule and Results]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist|2}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Olympics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Overrated_Sports_Stars&amp;diff=1056786</id>
		<title>Talk:Overrated Sports Stars</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Overrated_Sports_Stars&amp;diff=1056786"/>
		<updated>2013-06-16T11:55:16Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Hmmmm... */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Some issues with this list ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see some issues with this list; as an avid follower of basketball and football, I will attempt to rebut some of the claims made in this article.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Kobe Bryant (who the article says has not won a championship except under the coaching of Phil Jackson) has played 11 of his 16 seasons under Jackson. He was not the leader of the Lakers his first 3 seasons (that would be Shaq) and was only 17 when he was drafted, so let's write those off. Since then, he played one season (in which he was injured) under Rudy Tomjanovich, and one under Mike Brown. Hardly a large sample size. Say whatever you'd like about him, but he won two championships as the leader of the Lakers without Shaq, lifting an average supporting cast. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Bryant couldn't win after Jackson left.  Enough said.  Jackson has a phenomenal record of winning championships no matter whom he's coaching.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Jackson's been gone for ONE season. One. That is nowhere near a reliable sample size. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::For what it's worth, Michael Jordan never won a title without Phil Jackson either.  I hardly think that takes away from his accomplishments.  --[[User:Krayner|Krayner]] 10:53, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Magic Johnson is one of the greatest, most versatile players in NBA history, and turned in the greatest Finals performance ever (Game 6 in 1980, when he had 42 points and 15 rebounds in plaee of the injured Kareem at center...as a ROOKIE). Basketball is a team sport and it is rarely fair to attribute most or all of a team's success to one player (although in rare cases that may be done, like Kobe post-Shaq); calling those teams Kareem's is patently false. They belonged to Kareem, Magic, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambis, and every other player. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::What was Magic's shooting percentage???  Look, Magic with good teammates had trouble beating Bird with nobodys as teammates for the NCAA championship, and Michael Jordan nearly swept Magic when they finally met in an NBA finals.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Magic primarily played point guard, a position that places much more emphasis on passing. The fact that he averaged 18-20 points a game is a testament to his offensive ability. And of course Jordan is better, he's the best player of all time. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::The only weakness in Magic's game was three point shooting, and that was a new thing in the 80s, so most people couldn't shoot threes. Jordan couldn't until the 90s. I think the fact that Larry grew up dirt poor in the middle of nowhere helped him, cause you're just gonna move further back to have something to entertain yourself with. But other than that, Magic was probably the most versatile player of all time, I mean he played center for crying out loud! Bird could probably play any position offensively, but probably wasn't fast enough to play guard very well defensively. Jordan wasn't tall enough to be a big man. As for teams, the 85-86 Celtics was probably the best group of players ever assembled. 5 Hall of Famers plus another All-Star. And the entire 80s was based on loaded teams (Celtics, Lakers, Sixers, and Pistons), so that argument doesn't work. A lot things about this list are wrong, but Magic is the most glaringly obvious. [[User:Gtbob12|Gtbob12]] 14:09, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Would anyone want a &amp;quot;versatile&amp;quot; football or player??? In the big leagues, praising someone for his versatility is a back-handed compliment, something to say when the player is not the best at anything else.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Magic's weakness was not simply three-point shooting, but scoring field goals at all.  He never broke 25 ppg in a season.  Michael Jordan was so much better than Magic in the 1991 finals that it wasn't even close.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:25, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::&amp;quot;Magic's weakness was not simply three-point shooting, but scoring field goals at all&amp;quot; -- that's very inaccurate. He scored an extraordinary number of points for a point guard at very high efficiency (52.0%, with a high free throw percentage as well) while dishing out more assists per game than any other player in history. If he were to force more shots, it would take away from his distribution. &lt;br /&gt;
:::::Allen Iverson is the only point guard (if you count him as a point guard) in history with more points per game, and he was a much less efficient scorer (42.5% vs 52.0%) and a much weaker passer (6.2 assists vs. 11.2). Since Magic was among the best scorers of all time at his position, it is ridiculous to claim that scoring was a weakness in his game. The fact that he was outplayed, in his second to last season, by Michael Jordan in his prime, does not invalidate his accomplishments.  [[User:KingHanksley|KingHanksley]] 08:32, 2 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::::::But football is a game where positions are extremely specialized. In basketball, the positions do different things, but don't have different rules. Any player is allowed to take the ball at any spot, shoot, pass, rebound, whatever. An interior lineman can't go out for a pass. His job is to block, and only to block. In basketball, versatility is very important. That's what makes Michael and Larry great as well. Bird was a small forward who averaged 6-8 assists and over 10 rebounds, a great scorer and arguably the NBA's first great three point shooter. If all Michael did was score, he wouldn't be the best. But he rebounded, passed, and played great defense as well. Based just on scoring, Kobe is probably Jordan's equal (His career average being lower because he came straight out of high-school and didn't start immediately). But Kobe can't rebound, pass, or defend like Mike, and is a less efficient shooter. And 11.2 assists per game? Not even Stockton did that and Magic was a much better scorer and rebounder. [[User:Gtbob12|Gtbob12]] 10:44, 5 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::Magic shot 52% for his career, an absurdly high number for a point guard, and he is almost without dispute, the greatest point guard in NBA history.  He won multiple titles by beating Bird's Celtics in the NBA.--[[User:Krayner|Krayner]] 10:57, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::Magic Johnson was a true great who was completely unrivaled at his position. And the idea that Bird has &amp;quot;nobodys as teammates is absurd.&amp;quot; Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson are all Hall of Famers. McHale in particular was one of the most efficient scorers in history, the only player to ever shoot better than 60% from the field and better than 80% from the line in the same season.[[User:KingHanksley|KingHanksley]] 11:26, 28 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:The relevant questions are (1) is he rated higher than someone else who's actually better? and (2) is this because of some liberal ideological reason, such as promoting the gay lobby's contention that [[AIDS is not a gay disease]]? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 11:12, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Obviously there is no entirely unquestioned ranking of NBA players, but Magic Johnson is rightly regarded as one of the 2 or 3 greatest point guards ever and one of the top 12-15 players ever. And his ranking has nothing to do with politics, and Johnson is not homosexual. He contracted HIV through unprotected sex with a woman. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 11:47, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Kareem was well past his prime during all but the first of the Showtime Lakers titles, and only played that long because he got bad financial advice and wanted to make more money. All in all, the Celtics had far better big men than the Lakers in the 1980s. [[User:Gtbob12|Gtbob12]] 13:55, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
*LeBron James (who by any stretch is NOT &amp;quot;far from the best&amp;quot; in the NBA) is certainly one of the top 5 players in the NBA today.  And this &amp;quot;overrating&amp;quot; by the media...LeBron has been the villain of the media narrative for the last 2 years since he joined Miami. Do you even wtach ESPN? And Durant is not underrated in the least; again, the media narrative is that he and the Thunder will be contending for a spot in the Finals for years to come (which they will). Plus, he went to a Catholic school. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::LeBron wasn't my addition but the hype for him seems a bit much.  Perhaps his unusual name helps.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 24 June 2012 (EDT)\&lt;br /&gt;
:::How does his name impact anything at all? [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Steve Nash and his 2 MVPs...does the phrase &amp;quot;Most Valuable Player&amp;quot; mean anything? It is awarded to the player judged to be most valuable to his team. Not the best player on the best team...the player most important to his team's success. And Nash was certainly the most valuable to the Suns those years considering his supporting cast. Nash is an extremely inventive, creative point guard and the ultimate team player. Plus, he produced a documentary about famed conservative runner Terry Fox. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::MVP is by popular vote by ... the [[lamestream media]].  It's like the Academy Awards and Nobel Prize -- being liberal is worth more than being talented.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::NBA MVPs will always more likely be liberal because the league is so heavily black. For comparison, let's look at the last 20 NFL MVPs (awarded by an AP poll of &amp;quot;liberal media&amp;quot;, as you would call them). Republican Favre thrice, Steve Young (a relative of Brigham Young, for crying out loud) twice, Manning 4 times, Christian Aaron Rodgers once, outspoken Christian Kurt Warner twice...that's 60% of the MVPs from 1992-2011. Clearly your argument fails. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Peyton Manning...the MVP stuff from above holds true in the NFL. Yes, he won 1 Super Bowl, but he made another and had to deal with the Steelers and Patriots in the AFC (hardly weak competition). He is one of the smartest football minds to ever play the game, and no serious football analyst would claim he was a downgrade from Tebow. Not one. And he's a Republican.&lt;br /&gt;
::The maneuver to replace Tebow with Peyton in a [[swing state]] in an election year is transparent, wouldn't you say?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::...so John Elway, a Republican, apparently isn't concerned with his team primarily and traded his Republican starting QB once he acquired an even better Republican quarterback? Your argument makes no sense. Elway is a Republican but not a national political figure. None of this has anything to do with politics. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::: So anything that occurs in a [[swing state]] during an election year is a political maneuver? Well, it rained today in Florida. Clearly a plot by Obama to gather more votes. --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 14:12, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::: I wasn't being entirely serious with my &amp;quot;wouldn't you say?&amp;quot; comment above, but even some jokes can carry a germ of truth.  Colorado is very polarized politically and ideologically, as a swing state, and there was pressure to find a substitute who could serve as a plausible reason to trade Tebow away.  Florida is not as much of a [[swing state]] as Colorado, and rain is not the result of political pressure!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:13, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::: If you weren't being entirely serious then why did you write the thing about Tebow being traded from a swing state during an election year in the article?! Or is Conservapedia openly a satire site now? (Many people seem to think it is one.) Anyway, the evidence that political pressure having anything to do with Tebow being trade is just as strong as political pressure being responsible for the rain.  --[[User:MatthewQ|MatthewQ]] 16:40, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::::The entry is obviously about the ''hype'', the ''overrated'' aspect.  Peyton Manning was overrated earlier this year in connection with replacing Tebow.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:44, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::::::::How exactly was Manning overrated in this case? Please tell me using your knowledge of football, not your political views. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:05, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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*Mark Sanchez...say what you will, but he's been to 2 AFC Championship games, Tebow none. I will acknowledge his below average play last season (I'm not the biggest fan of him) but it would be suicidal for Rex Ryan to bench him in favor of a new acquisition who completed 46% of his passes last season. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Not my addition, but I bet Tebow is replacing him by mid-season, but the replacement should occur before the first regular season game, if it weren't for liberal politics.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::Please tell me specifically how &amp;quot;liberal politics&amp;quot; is keeping Sanchez as the starter, and use your knowlege of football to tell me why Tebow would be a better starter than Sanchez. [[User:AndrewTompkins|AndrewTompkins]] 22:42, 24 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Becks ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I follow US soccer closely and have never seen David Beckham promoted as he is Pele. He is one of the best, probably top 3, free kick takers to have played the sport. This is shown by his stats. I don't see how he is overrated when he actually is a fantastic athlete. He has six Premier League titles, 2 FA Cup titles, 4 FA community shields, 2 MLS supporters shields , an MLS Cup.. the list goes on and on (that doesn't include lengthy list of personal honors he has received.) I am seriously curious as to how he is overrated. --[[User:DanJG|DanJG]] 13:25, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:With respect, I think you are missing the point.  This list has nothing to do with sporting achievements.  Rather it has to do with whether the athletes involved are deserving of the praise they receive.  Beckham, due to his promotion of [[Hollywood Values]] does not deserve the accolades he has acquired.  --[[User:DamianJohn|DamianJohn]] 09:07, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Athletes should be praised, or criticized, for the job they do on whatever sporting field they participate in - that's their job, and that's how they should be rated. Period. Everything else is just petty gossipmongering. --[[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 09:18, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::With regards to DamianJohn's comments... I believe this list should have everything to do with their sporting achievements. It is called &amp;quot;Overrated Sports Stars&amp;quot;. Unless the point is just to list every sports player that votes on the Democrat ticket. If that is the case, the title of the page should be changed. --[[User:DanJG|DanJG]] 11:29, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::Beckham is a famous celebrity because he has a hot wife.  However, his promotion as a football player is different.  He is genuinely considered a great player, his teammates always speak very highly of his ability to be a team player (more important than if your team wins) [[User:AlexanderSz|AlexanderSz]] 09:49, 28 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Quick question about standards... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are these athletes overrated based on their entire career, or just based on the last years of it, as they age and their skills fade due to injuries and/or age? Truly, the only ''fair'' way to judge someone is based on the entirety of their career, as objectively as possible. --[[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 14:47, 25 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Tiger Woods? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I know that Tiger Woods is not well liked and that people here enjoy seeing him fail, but his achievements still place him in the upper echelons of golfers for all time&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Yes, he merits a place on the all-time list, but he is no longer one of the very top golfers currently playing. Yet the media still claim that he is one of the favorites, or &amp;quot;can't be written off&amp;quot;, going into each big tournament, at the expense of giving coverage to other players who actually have a much better chance.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:23, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::So, is it a terrible thing to root for someone who was once on top of their game, but now is struggling? Isn't that what all of us do in our daily lives - struggle? Should we sneer at others when they go through something difficult, or should we show support? --[[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 09:32, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::Ok I understand. Based on that outline I've added Michael Schumacher&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::::No, we shouldn't sneer. I'm not advocating sneering. But we ought to be realistic about his chances, which are small, and the media often aren't. That's the definition of being overrated.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 10:01, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::Sorry - this is sneering as far as I'm concerned. Either that, or gloating as a once-great player stumbles. Dissing someone because someone else (the media) likes them is petty and is certainly not Christ-like. --[[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 10:13, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::::: If Tiger's chances are slim, wouldn't he then be the underdog? Didn't this site [[Mystery:Why_Do_Atheists_Dislike_Underdogs%3F|not too long ago]] claim that rooting for the [[underdog|underdog]] was a Christian characteristic? So in that sense, the media is hyping the underdog.. if Tiger's chances of winning are small. --[[User:DanJG|DanJG]] 11:35, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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::::::: The [[lamestream media]] do not overhype Woods because he's an underdog.  There are lots of underdogs who then win without the media giving them the time of day.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:27, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I think that the media is so fascinated by Tiger Woods because of his sudden fall from incredible player to mediocre one because of an emotional upheaval. It seems likely that he will return to his former power. But even if he dosen't then he is still an interesting story.&lt;br /&gt;
Also, the media does not call him a favorite, he is just watched closely, as he is probably the biggest name in golf. (this reputation earned before his fall) --[[User:SMagnet|SMagnet]] 11:59, 2 September 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== More removals ==&lt;br /&gt;
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I removed Wayne Gretzky and Sol Campbell, because neither is particularly overrated. Also Bradman, which was obviously a frivolous addition - it criticised him for &amp;quot;not achieving anything for decades&amp;quot;, when he retired decades ago and died in 2001.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 10:07, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:I've re-added Sol Campbell as Conservative himself at one point reverted the page to the edit where I added him, so it must be fine. To make the case more robust, I've added a statement about how he has played for the top Soccer clubs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::He's only played for one top club, which is Arsenal. Spurs weren't so successful back when he played for them, which was essentially why he left.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:40, 27 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Wow, you guys don't know sports do you... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ok, let's start from the top &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1) Oh, so Agassi isn't as good as the second greatest player to ever step foot on a court, therefore he is over rated? Agassi is compared to Sampras because their rivalry was a classic. No one acts as though Agassi is far superior to Sampra, and you cannot deny his results considering he won 8 slams and was a world number 1 (a title given based on a completely unbiased scoring system of points).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
2) Beckham is famous for being clutch with free kicks and penalty shots, as well as being in the right place at the right time. He is perhaps the only justified member of this list. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
3) Not sure how you can compare Jeremy Lin to Kobe Bryant. One has had one good season, the other has proven to be a deadly scoring threat with multiple clutch shots under his belt. Winning titles in the NBA relies on more than one player (Jordan didn't win it without Pippen and a good supporting cast), so saying he can't win w/o help is a crap argument. And again saying he is not as good as the best player who ever played hardly makes him over-rated, his FG percentage is only 3 points lower than Jordan's career average.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
4) His status as the best player in the league is a topic of debate yes, but his showcase of skills (averaging a triple double in the finals) proves he's hardly over-rated. His ability to lock-down Durant and not suffer the same fate to Durant would also seem to indicate a more balanced game from Mr. James. Also, you followed sports at ALL, you would know that a common complaint about ESPN is that they show both James AND Durant far too much love.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
5) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, you are so silly. This doesn't even bear arguing, just look at his stats and performances. Again, no one wins it alone, and they were battling the legendary Big Three of Boston. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
6)...Wow, just, wow. Ok, let's start with a (then) record of 49 TDs. Then lets look at the fact that he's thrown for over 4,000 yards in every season but two...one of which was his rookie. Then let's also look at the fact that he lost a lot of playoff games to the Patriots, a modern dynasty. Do you think Dan Marino sucks because he could never get that championship? He is acknowledged as one of the few (perhaps only) QBs essentially calling their own plays in the NFL today and, oh yeah, he can actually read coverage. Tim Tebow on the other hand, while an exciting athlete, has demonstrated that he doesn't make the best football decisions, trusting his feet more than his arm. That doesn't win. Peyton Manning has HoF numbers and skills, you would have to be an idiot (or have Tom Brady) not to CONSIDER having him as your QB.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
7) Sooo, if you're not a champion, than you cannot be the most valuable cog in a team? Steve Nash's picks were based on his ability to facilitate play and move offenses and his stats speak for themselves. Again, if championships are the only barometer with which you measure, then Trent Dilfer is on par with Joe Namath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
8) Sanchez is the starter, Tebow is the back-up. Coaches decisions, end of discussion. The media can have its say, but ultimately the coaches decide who starts. However, as pointed out before, Tebow's football decisions are questionable, that is why he is the back-up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
9) He's two majors from the Golden Bear, and was THE dominant player for a decade. Kind of hard to ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
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10) At one point he was the number one driver in the world, again, hard to ignore. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All-in-all, your list is entirely based on sports starts being liberal or (in the case of Manning and Sanchez) for taking the job away from Tebow. Your transparetly flawed list doesn't seem to take into account that the ranking of sports stars rarely reflects their political leanings, but rather their performance on the field and, in cases, their rapport with sports media. [[User:FernandoTorez|FernandoTorez]] 19:06, 26 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:You mistyped Torres, &amp;quot;Fernando&amp;quot;.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 09:37, 27 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::Way to skip the content slick. I know how Fernando Torres is spelled, but I am not him, nor do I claim to be him. Now, could you please at least try to address why these people are in this article? [[User:FernandoTorez|FernandoTorez]] 18:08, 27 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:::I know you aren't him, duh, and I realise that you aren't claiming to be him. What you are doing is laughing behind your handkerchief at your own cleverness in choosing a silly pseudonym that most Americans wouldn't pick up on. Well, you have been busted!--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 06:43, 28 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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== Kobe Bryant not as valuable as Jeremy Lin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is this a joke?--[[User:Krayner|Krayner]] 09:06, 27 June 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Reversione explained ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This entry is about '''''overrated'''''in the distant past, so a consideration of the media hype must be done before adding or deleting.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:07, 1 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
* So why was Tommy Morrison removed from the list? He is overrated. [[User:Wschact|Wschact]] 11:48, 5 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Can someone offer a non-ideological, sports-relevant reason that Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin are not overrated based on press coverage received.  If not, I propose the addition of these entries.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Tim Tebow — Has a career record of 9-7 with a completion percentage under 50% and more turnovers than TD passes, yet is promoted by the media as a top quarterback in the NFL, even ranked in the NFL's top 100 players countdown despite achieving nothing of significance in the NFL. Media pressure will likely be responsible for Tebow overtaking Mark Sanchez during this NFL season. Some conservatives have even postulated that Tebow's mere presence in a state could impact the 2012 presidential election, drastically overrating his contributions as a sports star.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Jeremy Lin — Having only played in 64 NBA games (25 as a starter) averaging under 10 points a game for his career, and never playing in a single playoff game, the media has hyped Jeremy Lin as one of the games best point guards, despite not having a single significant achievement to his name. Jeremy Lin only shoots 44% from the field. Is the hype around Jeremy Lin due primarily to his ethnicity? &lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Krayner|Krayner]] 16:02, 5 July 2012 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Removed David Beckham form the list.&lt;br /&gt;
This gets worse.Sol Campbell??, are you a gooner?? Out of order. People like SOl have helped soften the English fans attitude. If it were not for people like SOl, English fans would still be destroying every foreign city they visited. During 2012 not one English supporter was arrested in Poland and Ukraine, NOT A SINGLE SUPPORTER, the stance of people like Campbell have helped to almost eradicate the &amp;quot;English Disease&amp;quot; , I will remove his reference. And when I am at it i will remove Michael Schumacher, 7 times World Champion, what planet do you live on?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Dennis Rodman ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Where is Dennis Rodman? --[[User:Alex00|Alex00]] 14:52, 2 March 2013 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Tom Brady, Peyton manning, and Tim Tebow ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Why is Tebow being held up against these two and claimed to be better? Both of them have passer ratings that are 20 points better than his. Perhaps you could claim that the team has something to do with it, but manning had the same Broncos after he took over, and did much better with them. Tebow doesn't have to be better or worse than anyone else, I don't know why you would disparage these guys like this. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady both publically profess Christian Faith, and credit their highly religious backgropunds with their success and dedication. Peyton Manning is known to pray before football games. Brady is active in the (pro life) Catholic community, and had a Catholic wedding, and a Catholic baptism. Manning donated $14,500 to the GOP at the federal campaign level since 2004, including $2000 to GWB over Kerry. Brady doesn't endorse any candidate or political party and keeps his political opinions to himself (which is his right) though there is speculation that suggests that he would join the GOP if forced to make a choice. Really you are besmirching an openly Conservative Christian and a Active Christian who keeps his political positions to himself in order to puff up a slightly more openly Christan player. It makes no sense.  --[[User:HHB|HHB]] 20:54, 13 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Manning did not do better with Tebow's team.  Manning was defeated in his first playoff game, while Tebow led the same Broncos to a stunning upset in his playoff game.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:The exaggerated praise of Manning and Brady is undeserved from a purely sports perspective.  Moreover, Manning and Brady chase money, while Tebow stands up for real values.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:09, 13 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: Manning was defeated in his first playoff game, that is true. Sports has an element of randomness to it, even great players lose some games, and lousy players win sometimes too. If you hold Tebows best game to Manning's worst then Tebow is a little better. If you hold Manning's best game to Tebow's worst then Manning is way better. If you look at their average performances, with the same teams, then Manning throws more passes, has them completed more, has them intercepted less often, and scored more points per time spent on the field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:: I'm also uncertain where you get the idea that Manning and Brady chase money more than Tebow? Tebow started off with a big fat contract as I recall. Peyton and Tom both stuck with the teams that drafted them, Peyton having done so until he was let go and replaced. When Tebow was offered a different position, one that made fuller use of his God given athleticism but did not rely so heavily on the decision making capacity that his QBing record shows that he does not have, he turned it down, holding out for a better paying QB position. Tebow also makes plenty of money through other venues in sponsorships and speaking engagements, which he courts as actively as any other player. The others may not have done a superbowl ad with their mothers, but it's not like they are slouching in the encouraging values department. Besides, isn't this about overrated sports stars? Why does their off the field behavior matter? Your whole thesis here is that off the field they are immoral liberals in bed with hollywood and the media (which is false) and not as good on the field, and that they should be given less media attention because of how poorly they compare on the field. When it's pointed out that they are excellent on the field, you point to what you consider failings off the field, you point to the area you just said that we shouldn't be using to justify media attention as your justification for media attention. --[[User:HHB|HHB]] 08:28, 14 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
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:::You don't understand, HHB. Manning and Brady with their 7 Super Bowl appearances, 4 championships, and dozens of passing records clearly don't have the ability of a QB who won 7 regular season games in a row and has a passing accuracy percentage near the bottom of the League.---eg&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hmmmm... ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not too sure about either Hamilton, Messi or Bolt. Hamilton somply hasn't had the team behind him recently, Messi is still the greatest player in the world, sespite his (mere) allegations of tax evasion, and Bolt was the best at the 2012 Olympics as well. Bolt was and still is good enough for it to make world news when he lost last month to Gatlin (now THERE is an overrated sports star).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I would add Australian cricketer David Warner, Kiwi rugby player Richie McCaw (He's a cheat, okay!) and Spanish footballer Pedro to the list myself. [[User:JAnderson|Jacob]] [[User talk:Anderson|Anderson]] 07:55, 16 June 2013 (EDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Overrated_Sports_Stars&amp;diff=1056784</id>
		<title>Overrated Sports Stars</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Overrated_Sports_Stars&amp;diff=1056784"/>
		<updated>2013-06-16T11:49:47Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: Updated some players&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;The [[lamestream media]] like to promote athletes based not on skill, but for [[liberal]] reasons.  Here's a growing list of the most overrated sports stars (notice how none are on the list of [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]]):&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Andre Agassi]] &amp;amp;mdash; his rival [[Pete Sampras]] was far better, but Sampras is [[conservative]].  Agassi is a big donor to [[Democrat]] politicians.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Lance Armstrong]]  &amp;amp;mdash; favored by the [[liberal media]] because he publicly denied belief in [[God]], he possibly pulled off the biggest scam in the history of sports by &amp;quot;winning&amp;quot; the [[Tour-de-France]] seven times with what has been described as [http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/#  &amp;quot;the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.&amp;quot;]&lt;br /&gt;
#[[David Beckham]] - retired early to the weak American MLS league and then became a benchwarmer in the French League. His own [[British]] [[2012 Summer Olympics]] team did not even want him; his real skill seems to be in catering to the [[liberal media]].&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Tom Brady]] &amp;amp;mdash; has relatively weak throwing strength, which makes him less effective when there is a good pass rush that forces him to throw while moving. But the media over-promote Brady because he says so little of religious value.  [[Pro-life]] [[Tim Tebow]] is a far better athlete and speaker. &lt;br /&gt;
#Boomer Esiason &amp;amp;mdash; the [[liberal media]] like how he criticizes [[conservative]] [[Tim Tebow]], but Esiason couldn't get the job done himself when he was a player: Esiason failed to win championships despite expectations.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Kobe Bryant]] &amp;amp;mdash; was an overhyped bust at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]; hasn't won a single title without super-coaching by Phil Jackson, who observes that Kobe is not on the high level of [[Michael Jordan]]; Kobe makes only 46% of his shots, and scores lots of points merely because he hogs the ball.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[LeBron James]] &amp;amp;mdash; over-promoted by the media to an absurd extent, LeBron has repeatedly underachieved in key playoff games and failed to win the scoring title despite constantly being given the ball. Christian star Kevin Durant, who outscored LeBron (and Kobe) in the Olympics, and other players are as good or better.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Magic Johnson]] &amp;amp;mdash; lucky enough to play on [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]'s Lakers to win some titles, but was crushed by [[Michael Jordan]] and the Bulls; no problem, Magic was a critic of President [[George H.W. Bush]], which thrilled liberals.&lt;br /&gt;
#*People look at him, and say, 'Hey, it's OK to get HIV because I'm living with it.' That is the wrong message. [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500202_162-57319698/20-years-since-magic-johnsons-hiv-stunner/]&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Peyton Manning]] &amp;amp;mdash; a [[quarterback]] who won only one [[NFL]] championship, despite being voted by the media and others to be NFL MVP 4 times, AFC Player of the Year 6 times, and Pro Bowler 11 times.  The [[liberal media]] treated him like the Second Coming of [[Christ]] in order to oust [[conservative]] [[Tim Tebow]] from his leadership position in the [[swing state]] of [[Colorado]] prior to the [[Presidential Election 2012]].  After replacing Tebow, Manning eventually caused a humiliatingly early exit for the Broncos from the 2013 playoffs by throwing two big interceptions.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Steve Nash]] &amp;amp;mdash; an [http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2009/3/25/809516/steve-nash-on-media-bias-t outspoken liberal who supported Obama], Nash was chosen ''twice'' by the [[lamestream media]] as the [[NBA]] MVP despite never leading his team to even an NBA Finals.  Even worse, the former coach of Nash was then hired by the Lakers in late 2012, rather than a far better coach who was available.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Mark Sanchez]] &amp;amp;mdash; the [[New York Jets]] [[quarterback]] is being touted as the team's best QB over [[conservative]] [[Christian]] [[Tim Tebow]] despite falling apart at the end of the 2011–12 season and continuing to perform poorly in the 2012-2013 season. When Tebow came to the Jets, [[liberals]] championed the former [[USC]] star as the superior player despite his mediocre play throughout his career. As a result, Tebow was forced out of the Jets team and released at the end of the 2012-13 season.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Tiger Woods]] &amp;amp;mdash; Hasn't won a major golf tournament in four years, and yet he's still the only one liberals want to talk about while reporting on tournaments. Had a spectacular early career, but his performances got worse and worse due to his womanizing and partying lifestyle.   Has never attained his promise.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Danica Patrick]] - Has won a single race in the Indy Car series, but has yet to win a race in either the NASCAR Sprint Cup or Nationwide series, finishing no higher than fourth, although ESPN promotes her first and foremost when showing highlights of the NASCAR races in which she participates. The lamestream media adores her for her participation in controversial GoDaddy television advertisements.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Wayne Rooney]] - Burst onto the scene as a 16 year old and called &amp;quot;The English Pele&amp;quot;. 10 years on and he has still failed to fulfill his potential, especially at international level, and still behaves like a childish immature 16 year old.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Ronaldinho]] - looked like a wonderful player in early years, but quickly became overweight due to his 'partying' lifestyle.   Fired from minor Brazilian team, he declared he's finally &amp;quot;just going to party&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Cristiano Ronaldo]] - his spectacular talents have been ruined by his self-obsession, vanity and cravings of celebrity.   He is now officially &amp;quot;sad&amp;quot;, despite being one of the luckiest men alive.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Lewis Hamilton]] - [[Affirmative Action]] race driver.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Lionel Messi]] - Stands accused of criminal tax evasion.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Usain Bolt]] - Will never run the times of 2009 again.&lt;br /&gt;
#[[Sebastian Vettel]] - Beneath the nice guy exterior lies a deceitful, win at all costs person who thinks he is above following orders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== See also ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Conservapedia Proven Right]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:sports]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Scientist&amp;diff=1055980</id>
		<title>Scientist</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Scientist&amp;diff=1055980"/>
		<updated>2013-06-12T11:58:06Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;JAnderson: /* Science and Christianity */ added paleontology to junk science&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;A '''scientist''' is someone who practices [[science]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Scope of term ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Depending on the [[context]], the term &amp;quot;scientist&amp;quot; might refer to anyone using the [[scientific method]] or anyone with a qualification in a field of science.&lt;br /&gt;
In most cases, both will be true, but in other cases only one or the other may be true.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Origin of term ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The invention of the word ''scientist'' is often credited to [[William Whewell]] (1794-1866), who was himself a scientist as well as a moral [[philosopher]] and [[Anglican]] priest. In 1858, he wrote:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:As we cannot use ''physician'' for a cultivator of [[physics]], I have referred to him as a ''Physicist.''&lt;br /&gt;
:We need very much[sic] a name to describe a cultivator of science in general. I should incline to call him a ''Scientist.'' Thus we might say that as an Artist is a Musician, Painter, or Poet, a Scientist is a Mathematician, Physicist, or Naturalist.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Whewell, William (1858), ''Novum Organon Renovatum: Being the second part of the philosophy of the inductive sciences,'' J. W. Parker and Son, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC22881657&amp;amp;id=xYMKAAAAIAAJ&amp;amp;pg=RA14-PA338&amp;amp;lpg=RA14-PA338&amp;amp;dq=%22william+whewell%22+scientist p. 338]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Prior to this, scientists were usually called &amp;quot;natural philosophers&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;natural historians.&amp;quot; (The oldest scientific journal in the world, established in 1665, is entitled ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.'' Among its early numbers are letters from Leeuwenhoek describing his discovery of [[microorganism]]s).&lt;br /&gt;
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== Science and Christianity ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Many scientists have been devout Christians or held a belief in God ([[Isaac Newton]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; http://www.newton.cam.ac.uk/newtlife.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; or monk Gregor Mendel&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.adherents.com/people/pm/Gregor_Mendel.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;). Modern science has become increasingly [[atheism|atheistic]],&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/atheism1.htm&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; rejecting God and his works in explanations of the world and all of human experience. Instead readily embracing [[liberal logic]] and pseudo or [[junk science]] such as [[Counterexamples to Evolution|evolution]], [[Counterexamples to Relativity|relativity]], [[global warming]], [[paleontology]]  and much of [[cosmology]] and [[geology]] based on a [[Counterexamples to an Old Earth|time frame]] which predates [[creation]]. Consequently the rigid [[logic]] of [[creation science]] is gaining in importance, enabling intelligent people to distinguish real science from atheistic secular junk science. A 1998 study indicates that among U. S. scientists belief in God has declined between 1914 and 1998, with 7% believing, 72.2% disbelieving, and 20.8% professing doubt or agnosticism.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/news/file002.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[category:Scientists]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Professions]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>JAnderson</name></author>
	</entry>
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