Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

User:JimR

2010-02-11T22:27:19Z

JimR:

Liberal guilt

2010-02-08T21:24:08Z

JimR: categorize - much expansion still needed

'''Liberal guilt''' describes a feeling harbored by [[liberal|liberals]], who feel bad for having more than other people. Liberal guilt is one of the main motivations for [[foreign aid]] and [[affirmative action]].

== Effects of liberal guilt ==

== References ==

{{Liberalism}}
[[Category:Liberal Traits]]

Talk:Liberal guilt

2010-02-08T05:50:47Z

JimR:

I think that "liberal guilt" is somewhat of an oxymoron. I don't think that liberals actually feel bad for having more than other people; rather, they're spiteful at people who have created wealth when they have failed at it. -- [[User:JLauttamus|Jeff W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 13:13, 7 February 2010 (EST)
:I'm not sure what you're getting at here, JLauttamus. Liberal guilt is a well-known phenomenon -- the phrase gets over 50,000 hits on Google, all with roughly the same meaning. Surely, though, the concept needs to be better elaborated here and I welcome your input. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 00:50, 8 February 2010 (EST)

Liberal guilt

2010-02-07T18:02:06Z

JimR: short new page

Prime number

2010-02-02T17:41:47Z

JimR: update largest known prime

[[File:Eratosthenes.jpg|thumb|[[Eratosthenes]].]]
A '''prime number''' is a [[natural number]] greater than 1 that is [[divisible]] by only 1 and itself. Equivalently, the number has exactly two [[factor]]s, 1 and itself. The first few prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13...

[[Leonhard Euler]] wrote: <blockquote>
''Mathematicians have tried in vain to this day to discover some order in the sequence of prime numbers, and we have reason to believe that it is a mystery into which the mind will never penetrate.''
</blockquote>

There are infinitely many primes. The only [[even]] prime number is 2.

==Sieve of Eratosthenes==
{|class="wikitable" align="right"
|{{User:ClementB/SieveOfEratosthenes}}
|-
|Here, '''n''' equals 144
|}
To construct a table of all prime numbers less than ''n'', you can use a method called the [[Sieve of Eratosthenes]]. Simply write down an ordered list of all counting numbers from 1 to ''n''. Beginning with 2*2 = 4, cross out every second number:

:2 3 <s>4</s> 5 <s>6</s> 7 <s>8</s> 9 <s>10</s> 11 ...

then beginning with 3*3 = 9 cross out every third number:

:2 3 <s>4</s> 5 <s>6</s> 7 <s>8 9 10</s> 11 ...

Beginning with 5*5 = 25, cross out every fifth number, then repeat for the primes 7, 11, 13, etc. until <math>\sqrt{n}</math>.

The number of primes smaller than a given number <math>N</math> is roughly <math>\frac{N}{\ln(N)}</math>, where <math>\ln(N)</math> is the [[natural logarithm]] (base ''[[e]]'') of <math>N</math>.<ref>http://home.att.net/~numericana/answer/primes.htm</ref> This is a formulation of a more general statement known as the [[Prime Number Theorem]].

==How many prime numbers==
{{main|Prime Number Theorem}}

It is easy to prove that there are an infinite number of primes using Euclid's second theorem: Imagine there is a finite set consisting of all the primes. Multiply them all together, add 1, and call this N. N would not be divisible by any number in the set--there would always be a remainder of 1. Because all non-prime numbers can be decomposed into a product of underlying primes (by the [[Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic]]), N must be divisible by some prime not in the set (possibly itself), thus contradicting the assumption that the set contained all of the primes.

Another proof that there are infinitely many primes shows something stronger, namely the sum of the reciprocals of primes less than n "grows like" log(log(n)):
<math>\sum_{p\le x}p^{-1}\approx\log\log x</math>

The largest known prime is ''243112609-1''; it was discovered by the '''Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search''' ('''GIMPS''')<ref>http://www.mersenne.org/</ref>, a distributed computing project launched by George Woltman in early 1996.<ref>http://primes.utm.edu/largest.html</ref>

A '''Mersenne prime''' is a prime number ''M'' that is of the form ''M = 2n − 1'', where ''n'' is some [[prime number]]<ref>[http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MersennePrime.html Mersenne Prime] from Wolfram</ref>. As of April, 2007, only 44 Mersenne Primes have been found. The largest known prime ''232582657-1'', is a Mersenne Prime. The concept of a Mersenne Prime was discovered by the French theologian, philosopher and mathematician [[Marin Mersenne]].

==Unique Factorization==
{{main|Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic}}

According to the [[Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic]], proven by [[Carl Friedrich Gauss]], every positive integer has a unique [[factorization]] into prime numbers.

This means that every integer larger than 1, can be expressed as a product of one or more primes in only one way. For example, 132 = 2 * 2 * 3 * 11. There is no other product of primes that equals 132.

Finding the prime factors for large numbers (having hundreds of digits) can take considerable time (millions of years) even with the most advanced computers.

==Alternative Definition==
Beyond the integers, mathematicians are interested in other structures with addition and multiplication; they are called [[Ring_(mathematics)|ring]]s. When working in rings, mathematicians use a different definition for a "prime" element: <blockquote>''A prime element is a non-unit (i.e., not 1 or -1 for the integers) which whenever it divides the product of two numbers will divide at least one of the factors.''</blockquote>

Or in symbolic notation:

<math>p \in \mathbb{Z} \quad prime :\Leftrightarrow p \not\in \{-1, 1\} \wedge (\forall a,b \in \mathbb{Z}: p \vert ab \Rightarrow p \vert a \vee p \vert b) </math>

For the integers, this definition is equivalent to the one stated above. However in general the two definitions are not equivalent. The earlier definition is still important in rings, and is given the name [[irreducibility]], since it literally states that the element cannot be broken into smaller pieces.

The preference for this alternate definition of "prime" is that this definition gives you unique [[factorization]] theorems analogous to the [[Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic]]. For more information, consult an abstract algebra book<ref>'''Abstract Algebra: An Introduction''', Thomas Hungerford. Brooks Cole; 2 edition (1996)</ref>

==Primality testing==
To determine whether a number is prime, you can use the trial division method, provided the number you are testing is not too large. Let ''N'' be the number being tested and ''s'' be its square root. Divide ''N'' by each number in the prime table, beginning with 2. If there is no remainder, stop--N is composite. Otherwise, test again with the next largest prime in the table. If the next largest prime is greater than ''s'', stop--''N'' is prime.

For larger values of ''N'', a method based on Fermat's theorem can be used, though it usually requires a computer. Start with the number 1, and double it ''N-1'' times. Divide this number by ''N'', keeping only the remainder. If the remainder is greater than 1, ''N'' is composite. Unfortunately, the converse is not true--if the remainder is 1, ''N'' is ''probably'' prime, but not necessarily. Algorithms which improve on this method exist, and primality testing is today an active subject of mathematical research.

==Open Problems about Prime Numbers==

===Twin primes===
{{main|twin primes}}

[[Twin primes]] or '''prime twins''' are pairs of prime number which differ from each other by only 2. Since all primes other than 2 are odd numbers, this is the closest two primes can be to each other, with the exception of 2 and 3. The first few twin primes are 3 and 5, 5 and 7, 11 and 13, 17 and 19, and 29 and 31.

Twin primes become increasingly scarce among larger numbers. For example, there are twenty-four sets of twin primes between 0 and 500, but only eleven sets between 500 and 1000. Computer programmes have calculated some extremely large sets of twin primes. While there are undoubtedly an unlimited number of primes, opinions differ among mathematicians whether there is also an infinite number of twin primes or whether there is an upper limit. This debate is captured by the [[twin primes conjecture]]

Mathematicians have long been fascinated by twin primes and the relationship between them. There seems to be no distinct pattern in their occurrence. For example, there are no twin primes between 700 and 800, or between 900 and 1000, but there are five sets between 800 and 900 (809 and 811; 821 and 823; 827 and 829; 857 and 859; 881 and 883).

===Goldbach's conjecture===

Goldbach's conjecture asserts that every even integer greater than two is the sum of two prime numbers. For example: 4 = 2 + 2, 6 = 3 + 3, 8 = 3 + 5, and so on.

This conjecture is one of the oldest unsettled statements in mathematics. For centuries mathematicians have attempted to prove this statement, without success. The conjecture is known to hold for numbers less than 3 <math>\cdot</math>1017.

===Riemann hypothesis===
{{main|Riemann hypothesis}}

The [[Riemann hypothesis]] is related to patterns in the distribution of prime numbers. ''The Clay Mathematics Institute'' has offered a one million dollar prize for a proof of the Riemann hypothesis.<ref>http://www.claymath.org/millennium/Riemann_Hypothesis/</ref>

==Cryptography==
The security of [[public-key cryptography]] schemes such as [[RSA]] depend on the difficulty of prime factorization, if a pattern in the distribution of prime numbers is discovered, then such [[cryptographic]] schemes could become vulnerable to attack.

==See also==

* [[Composite number]]
* [[Fibonacci sequence]]
* [[Perfect number]]

==External links==
*[http://www.mersenne.org/ ''Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search'' project website]
*[http://primes.utm.edu/ Prime Number resource Archive]
*[http://educ.queensu.ca/%7Efmc/december2003/Sieve.html Sieve of Eratosthenes]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Number Theory]]

Talk:Writing Lecture Two

2010-02-01T20:16:24Z

JimR: /* PSAT */

== PSAT ==

I like that you have chosen to give information about SAT registration. You might consider adding information about the PSAT, which is a good way to practice for the real test and is also linked to various scholarships (most notably National Merit). If memory serves, students typically take it in the fall of junior year of high school. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 10:20, 1 February 2010 (EST)

:Good suggestion, but I don't know if that is so easy for homeschoolers to take. Isn't the PSAT administered in school during the week? Also, quite candidly, the PSAT has very little practical benefit to the students.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:41, 1 February 2010 (EST)

::There is a PSAT date on the weekend, so I assume homeschoolers can take it. To my mind, the main benefit is the possibility for scholarships and the realistic SAT practice. Also, a good score will help a college application, while bad ones can simply not be listed and thus do no harm. Of course, I don't know much about the college application process for homeschoolers, and I will happily defer to your expertise in this case. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 15:16, 1 February 2010 (EST)

Talk:Writing Lecture Two

2010-02-01T15:20:27Z

JimR: add psat?

Essay:Conservapedia's Law

2010-01-19T02:46:40Z

JimR: link to new (and in need of expansion) page insight. hope this is ok, didn't touch the essay otherwise!

'''Conservapedia's Law''' is the observation that [[conservative]] [[insight|insights]] increase over time at a [[geometric progression|geometric rate]], as in 1-2-4-8-16-etc.

For example, there is a doubling in effective [[Essay:Best New Conservative Words|new conservative terms]] per century.

'''Conservapedia's Law''' is analogous to [[Moore's Law]], which holds that the rate of increase in the number of transistors on a chip of a given size roughly doubles every two years.

== Implications ==

The implications of '''Conservapedia's Law''' are striking:

*Over the long term, politics and culture cannot withstand the more powerful forces of logic and language. Conservapedia's Law ensures that a free society will, over time, inevitably become more conservative regardless of the best efforts of [[liberals]]. Of course [[liberal deceit]] can cause much suffering during that process.

*[[Wikipedia]], in order to survive, will inevitably feel compelled to adopt principles similar to [[Conservapedia]]'s. The [[liberal]] practices and rules underlying Wikipedia will either be abandoned or lead it to inevitable ruin.

*Historically conservatives have tended to rely on control and tradition, as in emphasizing what has proven to work in the past. But if conservative insights increase geometrically over time, then a better approach may be to welcome and promote new wisdom in addition to established understandings.

*How quickly is truth discovered in a free society? Conservapedia's Law suggests that truth is discovered at a geometric rate, much faster than an [[arithmetic progression|arithmetic rate]].

*The rapid growth in conservative insights suggests that only a fraction of the truth is yet known, as stated by [[Isaac Newton]] but denied by [[liberals]] today. Indeed, the rapid growth in conservative insights explains why liberals attempt to discourage an [[Essay:Quantifying Open-Mindedness|open-minded]] search for the truth: those discoveries are more likely to be conservative than liberal in nature.

*The geometric growth in conservative insights implies that the obstacles -- liberal [[censorship]] and deceit -- lose ground at a geometric rate in a free society.

== See also ==
*[[Essay:Best New Conservative Words]]
{{Conservapedia}}
[[Category:Essays]]
[[Category:Conservatism]]

Insight

2010-01-19T00:58:36Z

JimR: a start on what could become a nice article

"I shut my eyes in order to see." --[[Gauguin]]

Fox News Channel

2010-01-16T15:09:22Z

JimR: Undo revision 745353 by JefferyWiggins (Talk)

[[Image:FNC logo.jpg|right]]

The '''Fox News Channel''' is a [[United States]] [[cable]] and [[satellite]] [[news]] channel. It is part of the Fox Television Stations Group, a subsidiary of [[Australia|Australian]]-born media mogul [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation]]. [[Roger Ailes]] was named Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group on August 15, 2005.

==Founding==
Fox News was started in 1996 by Murdoch and Roger Ailes. The two of them perceived a need for a news organization that offered more balanced reporting, one where the facts from all sides would be presented. Main-stream media "Political Correctness" was banished, with the news [[anchor]]s calling [[terrorist]]s what they were, (terrorists), instead of referring to them as "militants." As of February, 2007, polls show that over 20% of Americans say their main source of news is the Fox News Channel.

Fox News uses the slogan "Fair & Balanced" and has daily guest pundits from all sides of the [[political spectrum]]. Fox News also is non-hostile to conservative and [[Christian]] values, viewpoints, spokesmen, and ideas. Fox News has gained the reputation for reporting the news in an unbiased manner and then allowing the viewer to decide; "We Report, You Decide" is another of their on-air slogans.

Fox News has dominated the [[ratings]] of other cable news outlets.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center]</ref> Launched by media [[tycoon]] Rupert Murdoch and former political consultant Roger Ailes as a refuge for viewers fed up with real or perceived liberal bias everywhere in the so-called "[[mainstream media]]", Fox is the undisputed ratings champion of cable news. It's been trouncing [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNBC]] for years, and draws a much larger audience share than all competitors, including the three major broadcast news shows, combined. It is by far the most profitable news network in the world, on track to earn more than $700 Million in 2010. <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/media/10ailes.html New York Times, January 9, 2010]</ref>

==Fair and Balanced==
[[Image:Fair_balanced.jpg‎ |thumb|left|Fair And Balanced Logo]]
[[Liberal]] critics have been known to complain about the "Fair & Balanced" slogan. Former President [[Bill Clinton]] exploded at ''Fox News Sunday'' anchor [[Chris Wallace]] in September of 2006, accusing him of "a nice little conservative hit job" after being lightly pressed by Wallace about his record on fighting [[Al Qaeda]]. Democratic politicians and advocates have relentlessly attacked the cable network, sometimes accusing it of being a Republican [[propaganda mill]]. Former Vice-President and environmentalist [[Al Gore]] has likened Fox to a right-wing "[[fifth column]]." Groups, such as [[MoveOn.org]], funded a classic [[schlockumentary]] entitled ''[[Outfoxed]]'', which purports to expose the channel's 'nefarious Republican agenda'. Some have referred to FOX News as "the propaganda arm of the Republican Party" or "Faux News." In a grandstanding gesture of political theater the group unsuccessfully petitioned the [[Federal Trade Commission]] to stop Fox's from using its slogan as "deceptive advertising". It was unanimously rejected. <ref>[http://www.showbizdata.com/news/36127/FTC-REJECTS-COMPLAINTS-AGAINST-FOX-NEWS FTC: "It's best to ignore nuts"]</ref> Fox News spokesman Rob Zimmerman told today's (Tuesday) Wall Street Journal: "If they can attack Fox News to this extreme, ''then all news organizations are at risk to be targeted by similar attacks. ... It's best to ignore nuts."''

A recent comprehensive study by [[UCLA]] political scientist Tim Groseclose and University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Milyo found [[Brit Hume]]'s ''Special Report'' — Fox's most straightforward news show — more centrist than any of the three major networks' evening newscasts, all of which are liberal. <ref>[http://rcp.missouri.edu/articles/milyo_media.html]</ref> The program is a model of smart news television.

Although it is true that the Fox's opinion shows (as opposed to its news shows) are, as they're supposed to be, frequently bombastic and opinionated; it is equally true that Fox's biggest super-star, [[Bill O'Reilly]] is not a mainstream Republican, but a registered [[Independent]] who sides with conservatives. He regularly charges the oil companies with [[price-gouging]] and attacks big business for quashing the little guy. [[Greta Van Susteren]]'s politics are unclear, as she mostly covers the [[crime]]-of-the-day stories. [[Geraldo Rivera]] is traditionally liberal on most issues, with the exception of being a strong supporter of the military and stiff penalties for [[sex offender]]s.

Some liberal commentators, such as news analyst [[Marvin Kalb]], and [[Eleanor Clift]], are affiliated with the channel. In general, Fox News is closer to mainstream America than [[CBS]], [[ABC]], [[NBC]] or [[CNN]], its founding mission.

Conservatives have criticism for Fox. Their 'Fair and Balanced' motto allows [[liberal]] [[propaganda]], lies, deceit, and half-truths to gain an audience. In reality, Fox was judged to actually provide a more "fair and balanced" coverage in the 2008 Presidential race than all three MSM networks, who had a decidedly pro-Obama tilt, a study by the ''Center for Media and Public Affairs''. <ref>[http://www.cmpa.com/pdf/08summer.pdf Center for Media and Public Affairs: ''How TV News Has Covered McCain, Obama and Hillary'']</ref>

== Ratings Dominance ==
Fox News Channel was the 2nd highest rated cable channel on all of television during the first quarter of 2009 in prime time Total Viewers. CNN was 17th and MSNBC 24th for the first three months of the year. FNC beat CNN and MSNBC combined and gained the most compared to the first quarter of 2008, up 24%. 2009's first quarter was FNC's 3rd highest rated quarter in prime time in the network's history — just behind Q4 '08 and Q3 '05. In prime time, ages 25-54 demo, and in total day in both categories, FNC grew more year-to-year than CNN and MSNBC combined. FNC had nine of the top 10 programs on cable news in Total Viewers.

[[Bill O'Reilly|The O'Reilly Factor]] has now been #1 on cable news for 100 consecutive months, up 27% in Total Viewers year-over-year.

[[Glenn Beck]] has increased the 5pmET time period 90% in Total Viewers and 115% in the demo vs. Q1 '08, ''and is the fastest growing program in cable news for March''. Special Report with Bret Baier is up 39% in Total Viewers and 41% in the demo. [[Sean Hannity|"Hannity"]] is up 36% in Total Viewers and up 35% in the demo since going solo for the hour.

Those three new programs beat CNN and MSNBC ''combined'' in total viewers during their respective time slots.

On the Record with [[Greta Van Susteren]] is up 55% in total viewers and 75% in the demo. Your World with Neil Cavuto is up 60% in Total Viewers and 102% in the demo. Glenn Beck, is up 212% in the demo and up 128% in total viewers. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/april_ratings_fnc_beats_cnn_and_msnbc_combined_115179.asp Media Bistro: April Ratings: FNC Beats CNN and MSNBC Combined]
</ref>

== Anti-elitist ==
Conservatives argue that Fox's real ethos is not Republican or conservative, but anti-[[elitist]] — a major reason it connects with so many Americans and annoys so many coastal elites. "There's a whole country that elitists will never acknowledge," Ailes once observed. "What people resent deeply out there are those in the 'blue states' thinking they're smarter." This anti-elitism shows itself in Fox's pro-U.S. stance in covering the [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq war]]s and its broadcasters' use of terms such as "terrorist" instead of the politically correct "militant" to refer to terrorists. Since the [[Vietnam War]] era, mainstream [[journalist]]s have tended to see such blunt language and side-taking as unsophisticated, a betrayal of journalistic [[objectivity]], or perhaps their own ingrained biases against government in general.

Another aspect of Fox's anti-elitism is the treatment of [[evangelical]] and [[fundamentalist Christian]]s with respect, far from the normal liberal media's depiction as as lunatics or extremists. "We regularly have on the [[Rev. Franklin Graham]], [[Dr. James Dobson]] and other religious leaders, just as we put on [[Pat Ireland]] and Eleanor Clift," Ailes said, continuing, ''"Most Americans believe in God and have that as their foundation in life. So why shouldn't we have as guests people that they like, respect and want to hear from?" '' Ailes said he didn't get "too worked up" by a [[Pew Foundation]] study that showed that Fox has more Republican viewers than CNN, CNBC or MSNBC and that his reporters and anchors insert their opinions into stories far more than competitors do. Numbers might have something to do with it: Fox is beating the combined audience of the other three. But Ailes dismissed Pew as a "liberal [[lobbyist|lobbying]] organization." He said, "Most polls today are not taken to provide information to the public but to get press for the organization taking the polls. I took a poll of Pew, and 98% of my organization found that they were biased", Ailes said with a wink. <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

In response, Project director Tom Rosenstiel said the study "was not a poll. It was a content analysis designed by a four-university research team and executed at the [[University of Alabama]]." ''One plus for Fox, he said, was that researchers found Fox News stories were more forthcoming about sourcing than their cable rivals.'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Fox Versus Fringe Views ==
"What really frustrates liberals about Fox, though, is simply that, along with [[talk radio]] and the conservative [[blogosphere]], it has helped shatter the left's near-monopoly on news and information. Fox's opinion-driven programming gives conservatives and liberals a chance to get a fair hearing for their ideas. But Democratic politicians and activists who go on Fox also must defend their views, often against tough questioning, something that happens less often on the networks, where most journalists are left-of-center, survey after survey has shown", said columnist [[Brian Anderson]]. "Even more significant, Fox came on the scene a decade ago as a professional news organization that could define and report news as something different from what the elite consensus says it is. To take one of many examples, the corruption of the [[United Nations]]' [[oil-for-food]] initiative in [[Iraq]], initially downplayed by the mainstream media because of their sympathy for internationalism, was uncovered — deemed newsworthy — on Fox."

All this wouldn't matter if Fox News wasn't so influential. But it is. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 20% of Americans now claim to get news from it, and lots of them (37%) are Democrats or independents. The network's success has also sparked a "Fox effect," leading some competitors to become more open to right-of-center opinions: MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," hosted by former Republican congressman [[Joe Scarborough]], is a prime example. Until a few years ago, Democrats never had to deal with all these mediatized conservatives. <ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center</ref>

Ailes said Fox News has no agenda. His charge to his reporters and anchors is simple: "If you make a mistake, get on the air as fast as you can and admit it. ... Do your homework. Make sure you reach out to a point of view you don't agree with to be sure you have some balance in your piece, because journalists, despite the public perception, are not empty-headed fools. They actually come to the job with some ideas and biases." When asked whether the media have a "conscious bias," Ailes said: "I don't know whether it's conscious or not. I think people who are biased to the left and right are by and large honest people who bring their life experience to whatever their beliefs are. I don't think there's some conspiracy of bias to the left, ''but I do think that [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] have different views than many people that I know from other parts of the country."'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Fox Versus Obama ==
[[Barack Hussein Obama]] has thin skin when it comes to criticism of his policies. The entire [[mainstream media]] has thrown its support to Obama and refuses to questions his policies. Fox News is the lone station that will criticize Obama fairly. Obama said, <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/media_critic_fox_news/2009/06/19/227121.html Media Critic: Fox Only Press Doing Its Job] NewsMax, June 19, 2009</ref>

{{cquote| “I’ve got one television station that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration…That’s a pretty big megaphone. You’d be hard pressed if you watched the entire day to find a positive story about me on that front.” }}

Media critic David Zurawik said “Thank goodness at least one TV outlet, Fox, is questioning Team Obama as it pushes for the kind of massive change in American life not seen since the era of Franklin Roosevelt,” and "...ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and the others allow their news operations to be used by the White House for partisan political reasons."

== Roger Ailes ==
[[Image:Rogerailes_1.jpg‎ |thumb|right|400px|Roger Ailes, Fox News CEO]]
[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205966,00.html This is a transcript] of Ailes speaking to the Television Critics Association, which will be enlightening to readers digging into the Fox take on reporting and its reaction to controversy about its mission.

On November 20, 2008, [[Roger Ailes]], who now holds the titles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FOX News and Chairman of FOX Television Stations, signed a new five year contract with News Corporation, it was announced by Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The contract will pay him over 23 million dollars in 2009. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/roger_ailes_signs_new_5year_deal_with_news_corp_101312.asp Ailes Inks 5 Year Deal With NewsCorp]</ref>

During Ailes' time with [[News Corporation|News Corp]], [[FNC]] passed [[CNN]] in ratings in all day parts in 2002 to become the number one news network in the country, nearing full distribution with more than 90 million subscribers. In 2007, he launched the [[Fox Business Channel]] which currently reaches more than 40 million homes and served as the biggest launch in cable television history. Throughout Mr. Ailes' tenure, FOX Television Stations has increased its market share each of the last three years with all time record shares in the last two years. In addition, Fox Television Stations has expanded its local news presence by nearly 100 hours a week in a challenging economic climate.

{{cquote|'''At a time when the broadcast networks are struggling with diminishing audiences and profits in news, he has built Fox News into the profit engine of the News Corporation. ''Fox News is believed to make more money than CNN, MSNBC and the evening newscasts of NBC, ABC and CBS combined.'' The division is on track to achieve $700 million in operating profit this year, according to analyst estimates.''' --- The New York Times, 1/9/2010 <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/media/10ailes.html?pagewanted=all Ailes: Fox News Chief at the Pinnacle of Media and Politics ]</ref> }}

== Tony Snow ==
In April, 2006 the [[White House]] selected [[Tony Snow]], Fox News Anchorman, to be the new White House Press Secretary. "Snow, who in his roles as a [[pundit]] on Fox News and elsewhere has rapped Bush on several occasions, joined the White House only after extracting a promise that he would become an adviser to the president on day-to-day strategy...the former columnist will be the first outsider to become part of Bush's revamped inner circle.", said the [[Washington Post]]. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042600558.html</ref>

Snow, 50, worked most recently as host for ''Fox News Sunday, with Tony Snow'' and as host of his own radio talk show. He was a director of speech-writing for President [[George H.W. Bush]] and has worked as a [[USA Today]] columnist, Editorial Page Editor of the [[Washington Times]], deputy editorial page editor of the [[Detroit News]] and frequent substitute for radio host [[Rush Limbaugh]]. <ref>http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060426.html</ref>

==Bill O'Reilly==
The [[O'Reilly Factor]] has been the most watched cable news segment for eight years. [[Bill O'Reilly]] has interviewed Barack Obama and other high profile guests on his show.
:"FOX News destroys NBC and CNN on cable every night. We cover the news. We don't ignore it. And we don't denigrate it." - Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly is a registered independent, but sides with Republicans on most issues, excluding several Christian causes. Bill O'Reilly wrote the best seller "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." Like [[Sean Hannity]] and other commentators on Fox, O'Reilly's role is that of an independent contractor, expressing his own opinions, not those of Fox News, as opposed to the networks news anchors, like Sheppard Smith.

==Sarah Palin==
The the network confirmed in January of 2010 that the former [[Alaska|Alaskan]] governor [[Sarah Palin]] had signed a multiyear contract to appear on the news station periodically. Potentially in a format similar to LtCol (ret) Oliver L. North's "War stories" documentary series. <ref>http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/sarah-palin-to-contribute-to-fox-news/?scp=2&sq=Palin&st=cse</ref>

==Red Eye==
It is a hybrid news / comedic satire show hosted by Greg Gutfeld. The show appears on Fox News at 3:00 a.m. on weekdays. Their ratings are remarkable for the time slot. <ref>[http://www.mediaite.com/online/red-eye-resurgence-more-demo-viewers-watch-fox-at-3am-than-cnn-at-8pm/ Red Eye Resurgence: More Demo Viewers Watch Fox At 3am Than CNN at 8pm, October 5th, 2009]</ref>

{{cquote|
The ratings came out for September and Red Eye is up over 30% in total viewers and up 50% in the key demo (25-54) since July. They have more overall viewers than every CNBC show, every MSNBC show that is on before Hardball, most of HLN, and American Morning on CNN.}}

==External Links==
*[http://www.foxnews.com/ Fox News]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Cable TV Networks]]
[[Category:Conservative Media]]
[[Category:Conservative news organizations]]

Emo

2010-01-16T15:05:23Z

JimR: Undo revision 745349 by JefferyWiggins (Talk) dumb

'''Emo''' is a form of rock music, usually considered a sub-genre of alternative or "indie" rock. It is thought that the term emo derived from the fact that, on occasion, members of a band would become spontaneously and strongly emotional during performances. Emerging in the mid-to-late 1980s as a distinctive form of [[punk|punk rock]], the genre has recently gained popularity thanks to bands such as: [[Fall Out Boy]], [[My Chemical Romance]], [[Dashboard Confessional]], [[Taking Back Sunday]], [[Coheed and Cambria]], [[Brand New]], and many others.

==History ==

===Early===

In 1983, the DC [[punk]] scene began to lose popularity and many of the bands of the [[era]] had started to break up. In 1984, the band [[Husker Dü]] began the slow start of the early emo movement with the release of their album, [[Zen Arcade]]. The album featured melodic songwriting, intense vocals, and punkish guitars. Soon afterward, bands such as [[Rites Of Spring]] and [[Embrace]] began to perfect the "DC Sound" with their music. Later on, this style of music begins to be referred to as "emo-core".

==="Emo"===

In 1997, several new bands inspired by the "emo-core" bands of a few years before began to emerge in several areas around [[North America]]. These bands added their own unique sound to the genre, including softer and sometimes whispered vocals, louder guitars, screaming vocals, and the most recognizable element of the genre, octave chords. The vocal style for this genre could range from normal singing, to screaming and even crying at some parts.

Much of the lyrics for this genre were somewhat abstract poetry which were often inaudible because of the volume of the instruments. When playing live, many bands would keep their backs to the audience while playing the quiet parts and would jump around and knock things over and scream at the top of their lungs during the loud parts.

There was almost no commercialism at all for this genre as most bands did not make t-shirts and only sold records at their shows.

Most "emo" bands would only be around for a short time. Many bands only released their first records posthumously.

In this decade, with the rise in popularity of such bands as Fall Out Boy. Panic! at the Disco, and My Chemical Romance, emo has become quite mainstream, getting as much radio play (if not more so) than hip-hop and "bubblegum" pop.

Source: http://altmusic.about.com/od/genresstyles/p/emo.htm

==Noteworthy Early Bands==

* [[Husker Du]],
* [[Rites Of Spring]],
* [[Embrace]],
* [[Dag Nasty]],
* [[Jawbreaker]],
* [[Moss Icon]],
* [[Shotmaker]],
* [[Still Life]]

=="Hardcore Emo"==

"Emo" played harder, faster and louder beginning in the early 1990s with bands such as [[Mohinder]], [[Heroin]], and [[Swing Kids]].

==Emo as a sub-culture==

Recently, the term "Emo" has been used to describe people who wear dark clothing, makeup, use eye-liner, and wear tight pants. This modern stereotype also mentions that "emos" are emotional, suicidal, and often associated with [[borderline personality disorder]]. Although originally considered to be an extremely rude and false term, modern society has slowly accepted "emo" term to describe such people.

=References=

1. http://www.fourfa.com/

[[Category:Musical Genres]]

User talk:Meddy

2010-01-15T21:48:01Z

JimR: welcome!

{{welcome}}

Welcome to CP, Meddy! I get the sense that we may disagree about some things, but we're happy to have you here. Please focus on making substantive edits; simply coming here to argue with everyone is tantamount to trolling and grounds for a lengthy block. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 16:48, 15 January 2010 (EST)

User:JimR

2010-01-14T19:11:57Z

JimR: Undo revision 744815 by Arrse (Talk)

User talk:JimR

2010-01-14T19:11:36Z

JimR: Undo revision 744816 by Arrse (Talk)

{{welcome|sig=[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 16:30, 24 November 2009 (EST)}}

Got it. Thanks for your vigilance, Jim. We're hoping at least one or two of the people who come here from Colbert might contribute constructively. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 00:41, 9 December 2009 (EST)

==Reverts==
You are awesome, thanks for the heroic efforts. I will be recommending block rights for you.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:06, 12 December 2009 (EST)
:Happy to help! --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 13:20, 12 December 2009 (EST)

How was that trolling? The claims that were made were not facts, and were not supported by facts, so I said it needed citation. It even says that all claims must cited. I'm only following the rules.--[[User:Jselin|Jselin]] 16:36, 15 December 2009 (EST)

==Best==

Hi, Jim. I've heard of a project proposal within the scientific community to bypass traditional "[[peer review]]" and put articles of journal-level quality online right away. This would subject the articles to massive [[independent review]] in a public way.

It also sidesteps the censorship or [[spiking]] of really good and important findings which expose errors in theories which the general public has come to regard as mainstream. I recall reading this week an email from [[Michael Mann]] in which he boasted to a colleague that '''as a peer reviewer''' he was able to prevent an entire article from being published, merely on the grounds that it challenged [[AGW]], rather than because of any specific problem with the article itself, or the methods or ideas of its author. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 10:50, 18 December 2009 (EST)

:Interesting! Another neat example, this one from math, is the recent [http://michaelnielsen.org/polymath1/index.php?title=Main_Page Polymath project]. They post open problems on a Wiki and large numbers of editors collaborate on them. Finding the best of the public in math is probably easier than in something like chess, as it's usually easy to see who has the correct idea, without regard for his standing. The first polymath event gave a much nicer proof of a well-known theorem and solved one open problem. It's probably not "the best of the public" per se, as most contributors are graduate students and professors, but it surely isn't "the best of the experts", and I think the principle here is the same. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 11:05, 18 December 2009 (EST)

::It's also like the massive public scrutiny given to new versions of [[Linux]], using the principle that with hundreds of people checking for bugs they should be easy to find. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 11:22, 18 December 2009 (EST)

:::Another good one! I can help with the free software stuff if there's anything you want assistance with (specific projects etc.). Be warned I'm a card-carrying member of the FSF (well, it's actually a bootable CD with membership info on it), but I'll try to keep out the bias! --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 11:44, 18 December 2009 (EST)

::I'm a wholehearted supporter of FSF, to which I owe eternal gratitude since it made possible the [[GNU/Linux]] system, [[MySQL]], and the [[MediaWiki]] software which facilitates this and other [[online encyclopedia]] projects. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 11:49, 18 December 2009 (EST)

== Nice job! ==

Well done translating Obadiah. Now I have a reason to work Old Testament/New Testament stuff into the CBP compilation! [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 23:50, 19 December 2009 (EST)

:Yeah, I thought it would be nice to have an OT book done, so perhaps it wasn't ''entirely'' a coincidence that I picked the shortest one.
:Is there any way a script could help you compile your documents? I have the one that formatted all the tables and could just as easily throw something together to format the new translations to make your life easier, if there's anything that'd help. Let me know. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 23:53, 19 December 2009 (EST)
::Luckily, it's not necessary. I can copy the tables extremely neatly into excel, trim them, and then InDesign has fantastic find and replace formatting functions. [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 00:02, 20 December 2009 (EST)

== [[Talk:Poincaré conjecture]] ==

Take a look at what happened when I tried to add a footnote to the talk page - the same effect that we had on the Main Page a little while back. I've removed it, but take a look at the diffs. I made some sandbox style edits to see if there is a problem with [[Template:reflist]], but I couldn't find any. Think you could take a look? [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 01:55, 23 December 2009 (EST)

*It is a database problem, and I informed Webmaster of it a few days ago. Even the template reflist|2, will not format in two columns on some pages, others it appears to be okay. --<big>[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]</big>/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 03:38, 23 December 2009 (EST)

== Added privileges ==

Congratulations on the promotion! You can upload and night-edit and block now.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:58, 24 December 2009 (EST)
:Congrats, Jim! I've expected you to get these rights for a while now. Nice work! [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 22:59, 24 December 2009 (EST)

== Thanks ==

Thanks for blocking the vandal. [[User:DanielPulido|DanielPulido]] 12:09, 27 December 2009 (EST)

:Sure thing, thanks for your vigilance in reverting him! Rest assured that he will get a longer ban tomorrow if he doesn't mend his ways. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 12:12, 27 December 2009 (EST)

== Banach-Tarski ==

Hey, math person! Please take a look at [[Banach-Tarski Paradox]] and tell me what you think of the recent additions, let me know if there are any errors, omissions or required additions. Hopefully, we can remove the "i don't understand" tag now. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 23:28, 4 January 2010 (EST)

User:TSpencer

2010-01-14T19:11:04Z

JimR: Undo revision 744817 by Arrse (Talk)

==About me==

I am a British Tory.

User talk:TSpencer

2010-01-14T19:10:45Z

JimR: Undo revision 744818 by Arrse (Talk)

{{welcome}} How long until Brown's nightmare is sent packing? [[User:Geo.plrd|Geoff Plourde]][[User_talk:Geo.plrd|Complain!]] 21:01, 9 November 2009 (EST)

Ben Stein

2010-01-14T18:48:52Z

JimR: i can find no trace of this anywhere and assume you are making it up. even if it's true, CP does not engage in gossip, and the story will be added once confirmed. otherwise, you'll soon be blocked!

[[File:Ben stein.jpg|right|thumbnail|250px|Ben Stein ]]
'''Benjamin Jeremy Stein''', born November 25, 1944 (age {{age|1944|11|25}}), in Washington, DC, is a lawyer, writer, actor and economist.
He is a [[conservative]] social activist, public speaker and presidential speechwriter.<ref name="trailer"> [http://www.wingclips.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16682&category_id=779 "[[Expelled]]" trailer] </ref>
He has also been a game show host.

His father was economist [[Herbert Stein]]. Stein earned a law degree from Yale. Having been a speech writer and lawyer for former Presidents [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Gerald Ford]] as well as a publisher of conservative thought in newspapers, Stein unexpectedly turned up with a new career on television after getting his start in the movie ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' as the most boring high school teacher on the planet due to his monotone voice. Most of the scene was unscripted. In a sense Ben showed a key knowledge for understated humor.

Stein has been married for {{years ago|1968}} years - having married, divorced, and remarried the same woman.

== TV ==
A man of considerable intellect, Stein starred in his own gameshow, ''Win Ben Stein's Money'', which would culminate in Stein taking on the winning contestant in a ten-question round to see who could answer more of the questions correctly. Most of the time Stein would emerge victorious. Stein had a subtle form of comedy playing the mostly straight man to Jimmy Kimmel as the joking cohost.

Stein went on to host his own talk show ''Turn Ben Stein On''.

Today Stein can still be seen on television with his "dry humor" such as in the "dry eyes" commercial.

Stein has never lost his conservative roots or his desire to engage in intelligent dialogue. He has appeared many times on [[Fox News]] discussing politics and finance. Ben Stein also writes his "Diary" in every issue of ''The American Spectator'', and is a regular weekly contributor to the Business Section of the [[New York Times]].

Stein was on ''The Weakest Link'' along with seven other celebrities in 2002. Although he was the strongest link before voting was to take place for the final two, he was voted off by the other contestants who said they didn't want to face him head to head.

== Evolution and Intelligent Design ==
[[Image:Image554836x.jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|Ben Stein ]]
Stein co-wrote and appears as the narrator<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1091617/fullcredits#writers IMDB listing] for ''Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed''</ref> in a movie (''[[Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed]]''), released in the US in April 2008 which portrays "Big Science" as suppressing [[Intelligent design]] from being discussed and considered in academic settings.

Stein is interested in questions such as:
*How did we get here?
*Where are we going?
*Is there a meaning and purpose in life? Or are we, the universe, and everything in it merely the result of pure dumb fate and chance?

And he objects to the idea that we are nothing more than "mud animated by lightning". <ref name="trailer" />

Appearing on [[ABC]]'s Jimmy Kimmel show, Stein said:
* We made a documentary about the struggle between [[intelligent_design|Intelligent Design]] and [[Darwinism]]. It's a big thing in the schools and universities, and we were concerned because we think [[Darwinism]] is a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant theory - beyond words brilliant - but it only takes you part of the way. It's like the New Jersey Turnpike only takes you part of the way between Washington, D.C., and New York.
*... and anyway who built the roads in the first place? Where did [[gravity]] come from, and where did the [[planets]] come from, and where did [[thermodynamics]] come from, where did the [[physics|laws of physics]] come from?
*So we just asked a whole bunch of questions: asked why academics are fired for asking those questions, and, believe me, none of us has anything but respect for [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]. We just think a lot of questions should be asked that aren't being asked. <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI8N0Du7p_o&NR=1 Jimmy Kimmel Live 2-15-08]</ref>

== Quotes ==
:"I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat."<ref>http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/benstein2.asp</ref>

:"I'm a rebel to my core ... and happy to be in an uphill struggle, as long as the cause is right."<ref>[http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?id=27761 Intelligent Design foes no match for Stein in 'Expelled' ] </ref>

== Works ==

====Voice-overs====
*''Dukeman''
*''Fairly Odd Parents''
*''Loony Toon''

====Movies====
*''The Mask''
*''Ferris Bueller's Day Off''
*''Expelled'' (released in April 2008)

====Books====
*''Yes, You Can Become a Successful Income Investor!''
*''The Gift Of Peace: Guideposts on the Road to Serenity''
*''How to Ruin Your Life''
*''How to Ruin Your Love Life''
*''How to Ruin Your Financial Life''

====Articles====
''American Spectator'':
*[http://spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=11280 "Sharpton in the Morning"]
*[http://spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=11392 "Bush Much Greater"]
*[http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10928 "The Lynching of the President"]
*[http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10434 "Hypocrisy, Democrat Style"]
*[http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10160 "How to Lose to Terrorists"]
*[http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10007 "Why I Am a Republican"]
*[http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10092 "Eretz Israel"]

''Yahoo! Finance'':
*[http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/yourlife/24513 "To Get Rich, Just Follow the Instructions"]
*[http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/yourlife/34125 "Playing Politics at the Pump"]

''CBS Sunday Morning Commentary'':
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/28/sunday/main2405061.shtml "Bush Is Not All Bad"]
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/31/sunday/main2318344.shtml "Ben Stein Remembers President Ford"]

''New York Times''
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/business/13every.html "Dear Watchdogs: Rein In Wall Street"]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==Further Readings==
*[http://www.benstein.com/ Ben Stein's personal site]
*[http://www.expelledthemovie.com/home.php The movie ''Expelled'']

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stein,Ben}}

[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Fiscal Conservatives]]

Essay:Greatest Myths of American History

2010-01-14T18:32:17Z

JimR: Undo revision 744796 by GiAl (Talk)

Here is a growing list of the greatest myths or falsehoods taught about American history:

* that a "[[triangular trade]]" existed in the 17th and 18th centuries with the New World<ref>In fact, no specific "triangular" trade route has ever been identified and it is unlikely that there was significant sale of goods to Africa at that time. The term was invented by an historian more than 100 years later.</ref>
* that the [[Founding Fathers]] were [[deists]]
* that [[Thomas Jefferson]] was the originator of the key concepts in the [[Declaration of Independence]]
* that [[James Madison]] was the "father of the Constitution"
* that the Constitution established a wall of separation between church and state
* that government regulation brought American prosperity
* that President [[FDR]] brought the [[United States]] out of the [[Great Depression]]
* that President [[LBJ]]'s [[Great Society]] alleviated poverty
* that President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s foreign policy was not key to ending the Cold War.
== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:United States History Essays]]

Torture

2010-01-14T18:31:34Z

JimR: Undo revision 744794 by GiAl (Talk)

The term '''torture''' refers to acts which inflict severe pain or mutilation on prisoners. Governments, armies and tyrants have inflicted torture on opponents throughout recorded history, chiefly against [[slave]]s and [[rebel]]s, but also against political or religious dissidents.

In the West, the best known cases of torture were inflicted by ecclesiastical and political authorities during the Middle Ages. A well-known example from historical fiction occurs in ''[[Ivanhoe]]'', and well-known examples from real history can be found in the [[Malleus Maleficarum]]<ref>[http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/ The Malleus Maleficarum]</ref>, a manual for [[Witch Hunt|witch hunters]]. Opposition to torture on [[human rights]] grounds began in the 20th century, yet torture persists in countries as diverse as [[China]] and [[Sudan]]. 

==Iraq war==
In a raid on an [[al-Qaeda]] safe house in Iraq, U.S. military officials recovered an assortment of crude drawings depicting torture methods like "blowtorch to the skin" and "eye removal." Along with the images soldiers seized various torture implements, such as meat cleavers, whips, and wire cutters. The images, declassified by the Department of Defense, also include a picture of a ramshackle Baghdad safe house described as an "al-Qaeda torture chamber." It was there, during an April 24, 2007 raid, that soldiers found a man suspended from the ceiling by a chain. According to the military, he had been abducted from his job and was being beaten daily by his captors. Earlier Coalition Forces freed five Iraqis who were found in a padlocked room in Karmah. The group, which included a boy, were reportedly beaten with chains, cables, and hoses.<ref>[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0524072torture9.html Torture, Al-Qaeda Style]
Drawings, tools seized from Iraq safe house in U.S. military raid, May 24, 2007. </ref>

== UN definition ==
The UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment defines torture as:

"...any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions." <ref>http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/apro/aproweb.nsf/pages/knowTortureDefinition</ref>

== Common methods ==
Torture is widely practiced in many countries throughout the world as a means of intimidating the ruling regime's opponents. Amnesty International in Asia & the Pacific states that incidences of torture or ill treatment by the police have been reported in over 140 different countries since 1997. <ref>http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/apro/aproweb.nsf/pages/knowTortureContext</ref> By far most commonly reported method of torture is physical beatings - other commonly reported methods include:

* [[Rape]] and [[sexual abuse]] in custody

* [[Mock execution]] or threat of death

* Prolonged [[solitary confinement]]

* [[Electric shock]]s

* [[Suffocation]]<ref>http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/apro/aproweb.nsf/pages/knowTortureMethods</ref>

* [[Waterboarding]]<ref>http://people.howstuffworks.com/water-boarding.htm</ref>, also known as 'water torture' or 'water cure'

== Controversy ==
It is a matter of dispute whether it serves any valid purpose to distinguish between degrees or levels of torture. To some opponents, "torture is torture" and should always be prohibited. The US maintains that its [[coercive interrogation]] techniques are not "[[torture]]". While this position has met with considerable resistance from legal experts nationwide<ref>http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/04/06/usdom13130.htm</ref>, former President [[George W. Bush]] vetoed the [[McCain Amendment]], which was intended to tighten the definition of torture. Ironically, under the current administration's definition of "torture", the abuse [[Senator McCain]] received while a POW in Vietnam would '''not''' be considered torture.

In addition to disagreement over the nature of what is or is not considered torture, controversy exists as to whether torture generally elicits useful information. A large amount of prisoners tortured will eventually break and give up information or confession just to end the torture. John McCain, who is considered both a patriot and a conservative, had his will broken after weeks of torture and the pain of improperly treated injuries, and subsequently signed a written confession stating "I am a black criminal and I have performed the deeds of an air pirate. I almost died and the Vietnamese people saved my life, thanks to the doctors."<ref>http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter3.html</ref> Examples like this illustrate that rather than evoking truthful statements or valuable intelligence, torture has the equal potential to elicit misinformation, and is therefore of questionable value.

The signatories to the [[Geneva Convention]] <ref>http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/lawofwar/geneva03.htm</ref> in 1949 defined relative classes of persons who may be considered "prisoners". The Bush administration has classified [[terrorist]]s as [[unlawful combatant]]s not associated with any signatory power and maintain that previous international conventions have not addressed this classification.

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/14/2devos.pdf?rd=1 Mind the Gap: Purpose, Pain, and the Difference between Torture and Inhuman Treatment] by Christian M. De Vos

[[Category: Instruments and methods of torture]]
[[Category:Barbaric practices]]
[[Category:War Crime]]
[[Category:Crime]]

Bosons

2010-01-12T05:10:06Z

JimR: link "spin" to quantum field theory, which seems to be the only article where it's defined at all

'''Bosons''' are [[elementary particle|particles]] having [[integer]] [[quantum field theory|spin]] that obey the [[Bose-Einstein statistics]]. Gauge Bosons (W+, W- and Z) are bosons that are responsible for the [[weak nuclear force]], such as [[beta decay]] resulting from the [[flavour]] changing of [[quark]]s.

[[category: physics]]

Calabi-Yau

2010-01-08T21:20:54Z

JimR: /* Examples */

{{jargon}}

Calabi-Yau manifolds are a certain class of smooth [[complex analysis|complex]] [[manifolds]] that have proved to play an important role in several areas of mathematics and physics. Calabi-Yau manifolds have proved to occupy a central place in [[string theory]] and are the subject of the important mirror symmetry conjecture. Research here has in turn led to surprising results in the study of [[algebraic geometry]] and related fields.

To be Calabi-Yau, a manifold must first have the structure of [[Kähler manifold]] -- this means that it is a manifold with some notion of distance provided by a [[metric|Riemannian manifold]] (called the Kähler metric), satisfying certain additional conditions. Then a Kähler manifold <math>M</math> is said to be '''Calabi-Yau''' if it carries a non-vanishing [[complex analysis|holomorphic]] [[Calc3.10|differential form]] of maximal dimension (in more sophisticated language, one says that "the canonical bundle is trivial", and this is turn is equivalent to the vanishing of the first Chern class). In the case that the manifold in question is [[compact space|compact]], this has many several equivalent statements, which may be interpreted directly as conditions imposed on the Kähler metric: <math>M</math> is Calabi-Yau if and only if the Kähler metric has zero [[curvature|Ricci curvature]].

==Examples==
All [[torus|elliptic curves]] are Calabi-Yau, since when regarded as quotients of the complex plane <math>\mathbb C</math> by a lattice, they carry a non-vanishing holomorphic 1-form <math>dz</math>.

A degree <math>n+1</math> hypersurface <math>M</math> in <math>\mathbb{P}^n</math> is Calabi-Yau. This is a simple object, nothing more than the vanishing set of a polynomial of degree <math>n+1</math> in <math>n</math> dimensional space. The proof is easy, but requires the development of some machinery: one computes the first Chern class <math>c_1(TM)</math> by using the normal bundle exact sequence and the adjunction formula, which gives:

::<math>
0\to TM \to T\mathbb{P}^n \to \mathcal{O}(n+1)|_M \to 0
</math>

by additivity of the total Chern class this yields <math>c(T\mathbb{P}^n) = c(TM)(1+(n+1)\omega)</math>, where <math>\omega</math> is the hyperplane class, a generator of the cohomology ring <math>H^*(\mathbb P^n;\mathbb C)</math>. But this implies that

::<math>
c(TM) = 1+c_1(TM)+\ldots = \frac{(1+\omega)^{n+1}}{1+(n+1)\omega}
</math>

from which one easily concludes that <math>c_1(TM) = c_1(K_M) = 0</math>.

There are many other ways to construct Calabi-Yau manifolds. In any example similar to that above, one may start with a hypersurface that is not smooth (it might intersect itself, or have something like a corner: these are called singularities). By smoothing out these manifolds (more technically, taking a resolution of singularities), one then obtains a smooth Calabi-Yau. A vast array of other examples, useful for computations, arisse as so-called [[torus|toric]] [[algebraic geometry|varieties]].

==Calabi Conjecture==
The first Chern class of a Kähler manifold is homologous to the [[curvature|Ricci curvature]]. For this reason, Calabi conjectured that when <math>c_1(TM) = 0</math>, there exists a [[metric]] on the manifold whose Ricci form vanishes identically. This was the Calabi Conjecture, eventually proven by Shing-Tung Yau.

[[Category:Mathematics]]

Calabi-Yau

2010-01-08T21:19:45Z

JimR: fluff up the beginning a bit, clarify proofs (but the jargon is unavoidable here), add more examples (and more jargon). i'll see if i can't find some motivation from physics to add to the intro.

{{jargon}}

Calabi-Yau manifolds are a certain class of smooth [[complex analysis|complex]] [[manifolds]] that have proved to play an important role in several areas of mathematics and physics. Calabi-Yau manifolds have proved to occupy a central place in [[string theory]] and are the subject of the important mirror symmetry conjecture. Research here has in turn led to surprising results in the study of [[algebraic geometry]] and related fields.

To be Calabi-Yau, a manifold must first have the structure of [[Kähler manifold]] -- this means that it is a manifold with some notion of distance provided by a [[metric|Riemannian manifold]] (called the Kähler metric), satisfying certain additional conditions. Then a Kähler manifold <math>M</math> is said to be '''Calabi-Yau''' if it carries a non-vanishing [[complex analysis|holomorphic]] [[Calc3.10|differential form]] of maximal dimension (in more sophisticated language, one says that "the canonical bundle is trivial", and this is turn is equivalent to the vanishing of the first Chern class). In the case that the manifold in question is [[compact space|compact]], this has many several equivalent statements, which may be interpreted directly as conditions imposed on the Kähler metric: <math>M</math> is Calabi-Yau if and only if the Kähler metric has zero [[curvature|Ricci curvature]].

==Examples==
All [[torus|elliptic curves]] are Calabi-Yau, since when regarded as quotients of the complex plane <math>\mathbb C</math> by a lattice, they carry a non-vanishing holomorphic 1-form <math>dz</math>.

A degree <math>n+1</math> hypersurface <math>M</math> in <math>\mathbb{P}^n</math> is Calabi-Yau. This is a simple object, nothing more than the vanishing set of a polynomial of degree <math>n+1</math> in <math>n</math> dimensional space. The proof is easy, but requires the development of some machinery: one computes the first Chern class <math>c_1(TM)</math> by using the normal bundle exact sequence and the adjunction formula, which gives:

::<math>
0\to TM \to T\mathbb{P}^n \to \mathcal{O}(n+1)|_M \to 0
</math>

by additivity of the total Chern class this yields <math>c(T\mathbb{P}^n) = c(TM)(1+(n+1)\omega)</math>, where <math>\omega</math> is a generator of the cohomology ring <math>H^*(\mathbb P^n;\mathbb C)</math>. But this implies that

::<math>
c(TM) = 1+c_1(TM)+\ldots = \frac{(1+\omega)^{n+1}}{1+(n+1)\omega}
</math>

from which one easily concludes that <math>c_1(TM) = c_1(K_M) = 0</math>.

There are many other ways to construct Calabi-Yau manifolds. In any example similar to that above, one may start with a hypersurface that is not smooth (it might intersect itself, or have something like a corner: these are called singularities). By smoothing out these manifolds (more technically, taking a resolution of singularities), one then obtains a smooth Calabi-Yau. A vast array of other examples, useful for computations, arisse as so-called [[torus|toric]] [[algebraic geometry|varieties]].

==Calabi Conjecture==
The first Chern class of a Kähler manifold is homologous to the [[curvature|Ricci curvature]]. For this reason, Calabi conjectured that when <math>c_1(TM) = 0</math>, there exists a [[metric]] on the manifold whose Ricci form vanishes identically. This was the Calabi Conjecture, eventually proven by Shing-Tung Yau.

[[Category:Mathematics]]

Stephen Colbert

2010-01-08T19:22:21Z

JimR: Undo revision 742999 by AmandaSpellings (Talk)

[[File:Stephencolbert2.jpg|thumb]]

'''Stephen Colbert''' is a writer, a comedian, and an actor. Colbert claims to be [[Catholic]] and an erstwhile Sunday school teacher<ref>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/07/13/ask-tv-squad-stephen-colbert-teaches-sundayschool/</ref>, and a self-proclaimed [[liberal]] [[Democrat]]. <ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/jon_stewart_stephen_colbert_americas_anchors/page/4 Rolling Stone Interview, Oct 31, 2006</ref>

Colbert began his career at [[Comedy Central]] in the year 2000 on the show ''Strangers with Candy''. He later left in order to become a correspondent on ''[[The Daily Show|The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'', where he began to build what would later be the character he would play on ''The Colbert Report''. He was well-regarded on the show, and was occasionally guest-hosting when Stewart had to be elsewhere.

Due to his work on ''The Daily Show'', he won three [[Emmy Awards]] and two [[Peabody Awards]] along with the other writers.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0170306/awards IMDB List of Stephen Colbert Awards </ref> <ref>http://128.192.29.189/news/pressrelease.asp?ID=151 List of 2007 Peabody Award Winners</ref>

==''The Colbert Report''==

In 2005, Colbert left ''The Daily Show'' in order to become the host of a spinoff, ''The Colbert Report''.

In the show, Colbert plays a satirical right-wing political talk show host. This personna was largely based on [[Bill O'Reilly]], who has a friendly rivalry with the show.

''The Colbert Report'' has a very loyal following which the Colbert character often uses for his various pranks. For example, in every public vote for naming something, Colbert urges his fans to vote for him.

In his recurring segment "The Word", which is a parody of O'Reilly's "Talking Points", Colbert coined the word "truthiness" in order to refer to the quality possessed by statements which, though factually false, are repeated by supporters who feel in their hearts that they ''ought'' to be true, and regard it as quibbling to object to their falsehood.

Colbert has poked fun at [[Wikipedia]] and its apparent democratization of truth. He has coined the word "Wikiality" (as opposed to "reality") and caused trouble for Wikipedia by suggesting that his listeners alter articles. In August of 2006, he encouraged users to state that the population of African [[elephants]] had tripled in the last decade. Colbert's point was that if enough people believe something, it becomes "the truth". Wikipedia responded by reverting and locking down the pages to prevent further vandalism.

Recently, Colbert had viewers write in his name to a public vote done by [[NASA]] to name a new room addition to the [[International Space Station]]. Colbert's cult-like followers won the contest for him with an astonishing 230,539 total votes, 40,000 more than NASA's choice of Serenity.

Stephen Colbert recently has gained attention in the media with his satirical mocking of [[Fox News]]'s [[Glenn Beck]]. Colbert has mocked Beck's claims that [[Barack Hussein Obama]] is a racist and that Obama is a socialist.

==Relationship with Conservapedia==
Conservapedia was mentioned on at least two episodes of ''The Colbert Report''. After learning about Conservapedia's [[Conservative Bible Project|initiative to remove "liberal bias" from the Bible]], Stephen Colbert urged his followers to insert him into the planned conservative rewrite as a Biblical figure.<ref>{{cite episode
| title = The Colbert Report (October 7, 2009 episode)
| series = The Colbert Report
| serieslink = The Colbert Report
| airdate = 2009-10-07
| url = http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/251994/october-07-2009/tip-wag---conservapedia--louvre---honda-unicycle}}</ref> This was followed by mass vandalism by Colbert fans.<ref>[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Stephen_Colbert&diff=709438&oldid=709432 Example of vandalism on the Stephen Colbert article]</ref><ref>[http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Genesis_1-8_%28Translated%29&diff=prev&oldid=709520 Example of vandalism on the Genesis 1-8 page of the Conservative Bible Project]</ref> A few months later, Colbert interviewed Conservapedia founder [[Andy Schlafly]].<ref>{{cite episode
| title = The Colbert Report (December 8, 2009 episode)
| series = The Colbert Report
| serieslink = The Colbert Report
| airdate = 2009-12-08
| url = http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/258144/december-08-2009/andy-schlafly}}</ref>

==See also==

*''[[The Daily Show]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT: Colbert, Stephen}} 
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Television Show Hosts]]
[[Category:Comedians]]
[[Category: Liberals]]
{{liberalism}}

Talk:Equivariant cohomology

2010-01-08T19:20:42Z

JimR: /* Jargon */

== Jargon ==

I agree that this article is full of jargon, but I'm not really sure what could be done about it beyond just deleting the page. Sure, I could go in and add more examples of classifying spaces, and motivate localization a little better, but the bottom line is that a certain amount of background is required to understand the importance of this topic at all, and I really can't imagine how I would write a terribly enlightening take on equivariant cohomology aimed at people who don't already have a solid understanding of, say, de Rham cohomology and group actions. This page simply has some prerequisites and there's nothing to be done about that. What are we supposed to do in such cases? Either we flag it as appropriate for undergrads and don't worry about a bit of jargon, or we delete it; either way is fine by me in this case. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 11:29, 8 January 2010 (EST)

:Start by describing [[de Rham cohomology]] and [[group actions]], then. If you can't handle that, we can always [[userfy]] the article. I don't like to delete works in progress, but if none of our readers can understand what you've written, then you are not communicating. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 11:34, 8 January 2010 (EST)

::This doesn't appear to be a work in progress -- no one has touched it in more than a year, and I have no interest in working on it (nor have I ever edited it). I don't think pages on de Rham cohomology or group actions are a high priority here and so I'm not going to write those either, unless someone would like to see these and requests that I do; certainly a fairly accessible page could be written on either, but I'm not sure it would be enough to save this page. I'm merely interested in the policy about jargony articles like this -- there is simply no way to say anything about this subject without assuming the reader is familiar with certain language. Is some jargon in articles permissable as long as the relevant terms are defined on other pages on CP? Or should advanced material never appear here? --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 14:20, 8 January 2010 (EST)

Talk:Equivariant cohomology

2010-01-08T19:20:13Z

JimR: /* Jargon */

== Jargon ==

I agree that this article is full of jargon, but I'm not really sure what could be done about it beyond just deleting the page. Sure, I could go in and add more examples of classifying spaces, and motivate localization a little better, but the bottom line is that a certain amount of background is required to understand the importance of this topic at all, and I really can't imagine how I would write a terribly enlightening take on equivariant cohomology aimed at people who don't already have a solid understanding of, say, de Rham cohomology and group actions. This page simply has some prerequisites and there's nothing to be done about that. What are we supposed to do in such cases? Either we flag it as appropriate for undergrads and don't worry about a bit of jargon, or we delete it; either way is fine by me in this case. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 11:29, 8 January 2010 (EST)

:Start by describing [[de Rham cohomology]] and [[group actions]], then. If you can't handle that, we can always [[userfy]] the article. I don't like to delete works in progress, but if none of our readers can understand what you've written, then you are not communicating. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 11:34, 8 January 2010 (EST)

::This doesn't appear to be a work in progress -- no one has touched in more than a year, and I have no interest in working on it (nor have I ever touched it). I don't think pages on de Rham cohomology or group actions are a high priority here and so I'm not going to write those either, unless someone would like to see these and requests that I do; certainly a fairly accessible page could be written on either, but I'm not sure it would be enough to save this page. I'm merely interested in the policy about jargony articles like this -- there is simply no way to say anything about this subject without assuming the reader is familiar with certain language. Is some jargon in articles permissable as long as the relevant terms are defined on other pages on CP? Or should advanced material never appear here? --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 14:20, 8 January 2010 (EST)

Talk:Equivariant cohomology

2010-01-08T16:29:53Z

JimR: jargon

Sima Yi

2010-01-05T22:23:43Z

JimR: 司马遗 -> 司马懿, 司馬遺 -> 司馬懿

'''Sima Yi''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Simplified]]: 司马懿; [[Traditional Chinese|Traditional]]: 司馬懿) was a strategist for the Cao Wei empire during the [[Three Kingdoms]] period of [[China]]. After the collapse of Cao Wei, he started the Jin kingdom, which would later briefly reunify China as the [[Jin Dynasty]].

==History==
===Early Life===

Sima Yi was born into a family of scholars, famous as descendants of the historian [[Sima Qian]]. He took the exams in 204 and passed; however, he never served in the imperial court. Over the next few years, he traveled the land, seeking a new master. According to a popular account, after finishing the exams he announced "I will only lend my talents to one who deserves them. None in this court qualify."

===Under Cao Cao===

Around 208, [[Cao Cao]] approached Sima Yi while he was in [[Chang'an]]. Sima Yi refused at first; however, after several visits, he agreed to become minister of literature. He spent little time attending to state affairs, instead keeping track of the status of the army.

After Cao Cao died, Sima Yi approached [[Cao Pi]] to offer him his service as a strategist. Cao Pi gave him control of a force and tasked him with defeating [[Zhuge Liang]], whom Cao Pi viewed as a threat. In 223, Sima Yi tried to capitalize on the death of Liu Bei, making small attacks to draw out Zhuge Liang. The two finally faced each other at the [[Battle of Wuchang Plains]]. While Sima Yi suffered great losses, he also forced the enemy to take the defense. Zhuge Liang died during the battle, and Sima Yi took credit for killing him.

===Founding the Jin===

He continued to serve under [[Cao Rui]] until the collapse of the Cao Wei empire. Before the final Shu invasion, Sima Yi gathered his family and loyal officers and escaped the capital, intent on founding a new kingdom. In many accounts, Sima Yi saboutaged the Wei forces to aid his plan, however this is likely not the case. The Jin kingdom was quietly established the next year.

[[Category:Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]

Huang Gai

2010-01-05T22:22:11Z

JimR: 黄概 -> 黄盖

'''Huang Gai''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Simplified]]: 黄盖; [[Traditional Chinese|Traditional]]: 黃概) was a general of the Eastern Wu during the [[Three Kingdoms]] period of [[China]]. Huang Gai was evidently not his true name, but a title given to him by [[Sun Quan]]; it means "Yellow General." His other name is not known.

It is not known exactly where he was born; he first appears in the historical record shortly before the [[Battle of Chi Bi]]. He was a former sailor who settled in [[Fankou]] after his service ended. When [[Liu Bei]] and [[Sun Quan]] arrived in Fankou, he offered to serve as a soldier or sailor. Sun Quan placed him at the helm of a light warship.

During the battle, Huang Gai successfully captured several of [[Cao Cao|Cao Cao's]] ships. Following the battle, he was made an officer and assigned to a number of naval campaigns on the [[Huang He]]. His became known as the "Yellow River General" by his men for his remarkable skill. Sun Quan liked that name enough that he officially labeled him the Yellow General.

==Romance of the Three Kingdoms==

Huang Gai has an even more prominent role in the Battle of Red Cliffs in [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]. He pretended to defect to Cao Cao's army, as part of the plan to destroy the enemy navy. On the appointed night, he led the fire ships to Cao Cao's fleet and ignited them.

[[Category:Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]

Cao Cao

2010-01-05T22:20:54Z

JimR: 草糙 -> 曹操, fix tones

'''Cao Cao''' ([[Chinese]]: 曹操; [[Hanyu pinyin]]: Cáo Cāo) was a [[Chinese]] warlord during the 1st century AD. He tried but failed at reuniting [[China]] during the [[civil war]] that was documented by several people and later written about by [[Luo Guanzhong]]. Though he failed at reuniting the country but he did conquer a huge area that became the kingdom of [[Wei]].

==History==
===Under the Han===

At the end of the Han, Cao Cao was the [[Duke]] of Wei, a high position though he held little actual power. He lost his position and his land after [[Dong Zhuo]] seized the throne. Cao Cao led the effort to defeat Dong Zhuo, and succeeded. He was reinstated as Duke and regained his land.

At the end of the campaign, Cao Cao assembled a large army. He was made [[Prime Minister]] and made to defend the [[Emperor Xian]]. Using his authority, he invaded various warlords in North China, taking their land as his own and recruiting their officers. After his defeat of [[Lu Bu]], he became famous for his skill as a general and ruler. In the summer of 194, there were a series of rebellions in nearby counties as the people demanded to join with Cao Cao.

===Gaining Power===

In the year 201, he faced his greatest rival, [[Yuan Shao]]. Cao Cao feared that Yuan Shao was gathering too much power in the court, and would attempt to seize the throne. Cao Cao moved his men to Yuan Shao's fief in 200, and the two faced off at the Battle of Guandu, where Yuan Shao was totally defeated. By defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao became the ruler of the north.

With his new power, Cao Cao set his sights on the south. He took his army down the [[Yangtze]] to defeat [[Liu Bei]] and [[Sun Quan]]. Although his army was massive, he lost at Chi Bi and retreated to the north. By this time, Liu Bei and Sun Quan declared themselves emperor. At first, Cao Cao did not wish to follow suit. However, he was very well-respected by the people in the north, and most of them called him "Emperor Cao" anyway. In light of this, he wished to step down, but the people in the capital refused to acknowledge it. According to a popular legend, Cao Cao stood before a crowd in [[Chang'an]] and said, "Who dares address such a lowly official by the Heavenly title?" to which one man replied "We address a man not by his worldly title, but by his character." He was later given the title Peacemaker of Wei (调解人魏) by his officers.

===Three Kingdoms===

During the age of Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao gained support from refugees defecting from Shu and Wu. However, there was dissension in his family and in his court that made it difficult to command his men. As a result, he was forced to fight defensively. His only major victory was at the Battle of Fancheng.

Cao Cao died in 220, allegedly killed by the physician who treated him for migraines. He was succeeded by his son, [[Cao Pi]], who declared himself emperor of the Cao Wei dynasty.

Like most lords of the time, Cao Cao's remains were hidden by his family. In 2009, his tomb was finally found in [[Henan]] province. The archaeologists believe that they can officially prove the cause of his death.[http://www.danwei.org/front_page_of_the_day/cao_caos_grave_was_excavated_i.php]

==Rulership==
===Agriculture===

In 194, there was a terrible famine. To prevent future famines, Cao Cao put refugees and unused soldiers to work in large farms. These farms supplied soldiers in the field and gave poor refugees an opportunity to work.

===Law===

Cao Cao and his advisors wrote a new code of laws which is sometimes known as the Wei Constitution, though it was not called that at the time. These laws defined the powers held by the Prime Minister and his officers. Although far ahead of his time, it is likely that Cao Cao ignored parts of it during his campaign. Only parts of the code exist today.<ref>http://www.gmw.cn/03pindao%5Crenwu/2004-05/04/content_20827.htm</ref>

== Romance of the Three Kingdoms ==
In the [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]] Cao Cao is shown at times to be extremely cruel but at other times very merciful and forgiving. He is meant to be viewed as the moral opposite of another warlord [[Liu Bei]] who until his death was always merciful. Cao Cao is also shown to be very intelligent and also had great skill in resource management, battle strategy, and politics.

== Quotes ==
"I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me."
*''Yelled at Chen Gong after killing his own uncle under false pretense.''

"What is at a peak is certain to decline. He who shows his hand will surely be defeated. He who can prevail in battle by taking advantage of his enemy's doubts is invincible."

[[Category:Chinese Warlords]]
[[Category:Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]

Cao Pi

2010-01-05T22:13:10Z

JimR: 草啤 -> 曹丕

'''Cao Pi''' ([[Chinese]]: 曹丕; [[Hanyu pinyin]]: Cáo Pī) was the son of [[Cao Cao]] and the first emperor of the Cao Wei dynasty during the [[Three Kingdoms]] period.

==History==
===Early Life===

Cao Pi was born in 187 to Lady Bian. Little is known about his early life before he entered service under his father at the age of 17. In 204, he participated in the battle against the minor lord Yuan Xi. Here, he met Lady Zhen, the wife of Yuan Xi, who would later become his empress. After the death of Cao Cao, Cao Pi sent [[Han Xian]] into exile and declared himself emperor.

===Rule===

The Cao Wei empire was much more aggressive under Cao Pi; however, they had only minor success in expanding the empire. In domestic matters, Cao Pi was generally viewed as a competent, but unspectacular, administrator.

While the empire was very stable under Cao Pi, his personal life was very chaotic. He had few sons, probably because he spent little time with his wife or concubines, instead spending his nights gaming and drinking wine with his officers. When he died in 226, he had only one son old enough to take the throne - [[Cao Rui]] - who was probably not Cao Pi's true child.

==Romance of the Three Kingdoms==

In [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]], Cao Pi is a cold, unfeeling man, both as an officer as a ruler. [[Luo Guanzhong]] seemed to respect him more than [[Cao Cao]]; Cao Pi is shown as fair, if sometimes cruel. He is shown as a skilled tactician; most notably, he developed a plan to turn [[Liu Bei]] against [[Sun Quan]] by defeating [[Guan Yu]].

[[Category:Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]

Baijiu

2010-01-05T22:04:45Z

JimR: 百酒 -> 白酒

[[Image:Jiugui.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
'''Baijiu''' ([[Chinese]]: 白酒; Meaning: "white wine") is a fermented [[Chinese]] [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]], made from [[rice]] and other grains. It is clear, odorless and very strong, typically over 50% alcohol. Baijiu is served unmixed at room temperature, although it is occasionally served warm like [[sake]]. The price of baijiu varies greatly; one pint of baijiu can cost as little as 6元 (under 1$) or as much as 400元 (about 60$).

[[Category:Alcoholic Beverages]]
[[Category:Chinese Food]]

Kung Pao chicken

2010-01-05T22:01:35Z

JimR: 公报鸡丁 -> 宫保鸡丁

[[Image:Kung-pao-shanghai.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
'''Kung Pao chicken''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Simplified]]: 宫保鸡丁; [[Traditional Chinese|Traditional]]: 宫保雞丁) is a classic dish in [[Sichuan]] cuisine. In the original Sichuan version, diced chicken is mixed with a prepared marinade. The wok is seasoned and then chili peppers and peppercorns are flash fried to add fragrance. The chicken is then stir fried with vegetables and peanuts. Variants on the dish are popular in Western countries.

[[Category:Chinese Food]]

Communism

2010-01-04T23:42:34Z

JimR: Undo revision 741785 by RobRimbino (Talk)

[[Image:Captive-nations-01b----07-19-06.jpg|thumbnail|180px|right|A monument to the Captive Nations stands at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
'''Communism''' is a materialistic and militantly atheistic ideology created to justify the overthrow of [[Capitalism]], replacing [[free market]] economics and [[democracy]] with a "[[dictatorship of the proletariat]]". Under Communism, the [[political]] system replaces the [[private property|private ownership]] of the [[means of production]] with "[[collective ownership]]" (actually [[nationalization]]).

Twentieth century Communism was based on [[Karl Marx]]'s manifesto which proposed to establishment of a "[[classless society]]." However, all Communist societies have had a [[class structure]], notably the [[USSR]], which was dominated by a self appointed ''[[Nomenklatura]]''.

In the belief that "people cannot change", governments under the banner of Communism have caused the death of somewhere between 40 million to 260 million human lives.<ref>[http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/finalconflict/fcrevb102.html The Black Book of Communism]</ref><ref>[http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm The Black Book of Communism]</ref><ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM</ref><ref>[http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm Source List and Detailed Death Tolls for the Twentieth Century Hemoclysm]</ref><ref>[http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365 Memory and Ideology]</ref><ref>[http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression]</ref> Dr. R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term [[democide]] (death by government). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.<ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM</ref>

President [[Ronald Reagan]] in an address before the British [[House of Commons]] said,
{{Cquote|What I am describing now is a plan and hope for the long term -- the march of freedom and democracy which will leave [[Marxism-Leninism]] on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.<ref>President Ronald Reagan [http://www.iri.org/history_ReaganSpeech.asp Speech to the British Parliament], June 8, 1982. Retrieved from International Republican Institute 05/24/07. </ref>}}

Today, communism continues to rule over at least one-fifth of the world's people.<ref>[http://www.victimsofcommunism.org/history_communism.php Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation], Documenting Communism's Crimes Against Humanity.</ref>
__TOC__
 

==Communist theory and practice==

[[Image:HammerAndSickle.png|thumb|left|200px|The [[hammer and sickle]] is considered throughout much of the world to be offensive in the same manner as the [[swastika]] is.]]
Communism is based upon [[Marxism]], a philosophy which uses [[materialism]] to explain all physical and social phenomena.

Economically, communism advocates a [[socialist]] economy in which the government owns the [[means of production]]. In countries where communism has been imposed, the government has taken ownership of farms, factories, stores and so on in the name of the people; see "[[dictatorship of the proletariat]]". This drives all [[free market|market-based]] economic activity underground and leads to inefficiencies and shortages. In both the Soviet Union and Red China, the number of people who starved to death when the government confiscated their farm products (animals and grain) is estimated in the tens of millions.

Even more important, one party controls every organization from the local labor union to the the army to the national government. The party is not elected. Its top officials (the "Politburo") select replacements when there is a vacancy. usually a dictator (like Stalin, Mao or Castro) controls the Politburo, but sometimes power is shared among five or six people. No dissent is allowed--all news media are controlled, and the Internet is heavily censored.

Elites do not disappear. Members of the ruling party (see [[Nomenklatura]]) have special stores in which ordinary people are barred, stores which are immune to the shortages which the lower class must endure.

Various communist doctrines have evolved or been adapted to the time and place they have been implemented. Marxism, developed by [[Karl Marx]], and its modifications under [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin| Vladimir Lenin]], [[Joseph Stalin]], and [[Mao Zedong]], advocates the overthrow of the existing order by a revolution of the proletariat, the social group which does not control the means of production. The goal of Marxism is supposedly to create a classless society which would result in no longer the need for any [[government]] (Communism).

The most famous government to label itself "communist" is the former [[USSR]] or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; the Communist Party controlled its government from 1918 to 1991. This government was officially [[atheist]] and attempted to suppress all religion until World War II, when it discovered religion was needed to rally the people against the Nazi invaders. Like all authoritarian regimes, it tried to cultivate reverence for the state as a psychological substitute for religion.

Marxist theory is intended to appeal to its adherents with the phrase, "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs", which essentially states point blank a worker does not get paid according to his abilities, and there is no [[incentive]] within the economic theory. Another quote by Marx was, "The theory of the Communism may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property," or as some have phrased it, legalized theft.

== Communism and militant atheism ==

[[Karl Marx]] established atheism as a key part of communism. He famously said, "Religion ... is the opium of the masses."<ref>Marx, K. [http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/31765.html Introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right] (Classic Quotations) (Standard translation from the original German).</ref> He believed it was part of the "superstructure," a false culture built to maintain the status quo. Thus he denigrated Christianity as a fictional religion. Instead, Marx was an avowed atheist, as he wrote, "Communism begins from the outset with [[atheism]]; but atheism is at first far from being communism; indeed, that atheism is still mostly an abstraction."<ref>Marx, Karl, [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/comm.htm Private Property and Communism], 1944.</ref>

[[Vladimir Lenin]] similarly wrote: "A Marxist must be a materialist, i. e., an enemy of religion, but a dialectical materialist, i. e., one who treats the struggle against religion not in an abstract way, not on the basis of remote, purely theoretical, never varying preaching, but in a concrete way, on the basis of the class struggle which is going on ''in practice'' and is educating the masses more and better than anything else could."<ref>Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich, ''Proletary'', No. 45, May 13 (26), 1909, translated by Andrew Rothstein and Bernard Issacs, quote from [http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1909/may/13.htm].</ref>

In 1955, [[China|Chinese]] communist leader Chou En-lai declared, "We Communists are atheists".<ref>Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.</ref>

The [[atheism]] in communist regimes has been and continues to be [[militant atheism]] and various acts of repression including the razing of thousands of religious buildings and the killing, imprisoning, and oppression of religious leaders and believers.<ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2000/March_2000_4.html</ref><ref>http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/frroman1.aspx</ref><ref>http://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1</ref><ref>http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/7/120250.shtml</ref><ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_26_116/ai_56249447</ref><ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818</ref><ref>http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/</ref>

Marxists justification for its persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church was based upon the claim that the Church was a "willing tool of Tsarism."<ref>http://www.marxist.com/religion-soviet-union170406-6.htm</ref>

The clergy openly stated its support for the counter-revolution (White Revolution). Lenin proclaimed that a communist regime must show itself to be merciless toward the question of religion. There was no place for the church in Lenin's regime. This led to anti-religious decrees and propaganda. All church property was expropriated by the new Soviet government. <ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-42047/Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics#277888.hook</ref>

During the late 1930's and later 1940's the restrictions on church activity were loosened as Stalin needed all the support he could get for the war. This doctrine of co-operation between the church and state continued through out the existence of the Soviet republics and the other Warszawa pact nations. Though never going as far as a leader of the Soviet Union asking [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_barrow/2007/03/hiding_behind_god.html god to bless the country] the clause in the Soviet Unions constitution addressing the separation of church and state was rendered useless.

Dr. [[Martin Luther King]] said, "for the Communist there is no divine government, no absolute moral order, there are no fixed, immutable principles; consequently almost anything - force, violence, murder, lying - is a justifiable means." <ref>''Stride Toward Freedom : The Montgomery Story'', Martin Luther King, Jr., Harper and Rowe, New York, 1958, p. 92.</ref>

== Atrocities and Repression ==
[[File:Montana de cadaveres en un gulag sovietico.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Victims of communist purges in a Soviet gulag.<ref>[http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cultura/articulos/la-condena-del-silencio-y-el-olvido-iii-38610 La condena del silencio y el olvido (III)]
La reacción visceral que inspiran los campos de concentración nazis no es unánime cuando se trata de enjuiciar y condenar el horror totalitario del gulag. Carlos Espinosa Domínguez, cubaencuentro.com, 09/07/2007.</ref> Apologists maintain communism has never really been tried. ]]
Communist regimes have engaged in mass killings on a scale of millions of individuals.<ref>http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/comfaq.htm#part3</ref> A work entitled ''[[The Black Book of Communism]]'' published by the [[Harvard]] Press focuses on the crimes, terror, and repression of modern communist regimes over a 70 year period.<ref>http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/COUBLA.html</ref> This book is fairly controversial partly due to the various estimates regarding the millions of people who died under communist regimes.<ref>http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/finalconflict/fcrevb102.html</ref><ref>http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm</ref><ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm</ref>
<ref>http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365</ref><ref>http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526</ref>

Similarly, a influential book which concerns itself with Russian communist torture, repression and atrocities is [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]'s ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]]'' which won Solzhenitsyn a [[Nobel Prize]].<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.html</ref> In 1983, Alexander Solzhenitsyn in which he gave his explanation of the cause of why millions of people died under Russian communism:

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">
"Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened. Since then I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened."<ref>http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=276</ref>
</blockquote>

In communist [[North Korea]], abuse and killing in prison camps is occurring today.<ref>http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5596</ref><ref>http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/nkdefec3.htm</ref> In addition, the North Korean government practices brutal repression and atrocities against North Korean Christians.<ref>http://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1</ref><ref>http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/7/120250.shtml</ref>

In 1999, the publication [[Christian Century]] reported that "China has persecuted religious believers by means of "harassment, prolonged detention, and incarceration in prison or `reform-through-labor' camps and police closure of places of worship."<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_26_116/ai_56249447</ref> In 2003, owners of Bibles in China were sent to prison camps and 125 Chinese churches were closed.<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818</ref> China continues to practice religious oppression today.<ref>http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/</ref>

==Communists cite scripture==

Some Communist ideology has made its way into the Church as a [[Social Gospel]], interpreting the Gospel as less redemptive of sin and more of a public works campaign and activism. They often cite Jesus feeding the masses and warnings to the wealthy who believed self-seeking is all this world has to offer. Communists often cite the Acts of the Apostles, as early Christians practicing some form of sharing for the common good:

:And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (Acts 2:44-45, KJV)

:Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

:And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

:And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

:Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.(Acts 4:34-7, KJV)

But as Arnold Toynbee has pointed out, this Marxist view denies the most crucial points,

:The passage in the Acts represents the philanthropy of the primitive Christian Society as flowing from a God-given grace which was the fruit of a belief in the divinity of Jesus. In other words, the charity which is here depicted as moving the primitive Christians to go—in their mutual concern for one another's welfare—to the extreme length of sharing all their worldly goods is not a mere love of Man for Man (which is the limited literal meaning of the word ‘philanthropy’), but is a spiritual relation to which God is a party as well as His human creatures. In fact, this Christian Socialism is a practical application, on the economic surface of life, of the fundamental religious truth that the brotherhood of man is a consequence of the fatherhood of God - a truth which is driven home with special force by a religion which teaches that God is not only the Father and Creator of man, but also his Savior, Who has been incarnate in human shape and has suffered, and triumphed over, death.<ref>Arnold Toynbee, ''A Study of History'', Annex II to Vol. V, Part C (i) (c) 2, p. 585, ''Marxism, Socialism, and Christianity''.</ref>

==Cuban communism==
[[Cuba]] remains a communist state controlled by the Castro brothers since 1960 and under U.S economic sanctions.

==Asian communism==
The [[CCP]] in China retains an autocratic regime controlled by the Communist party, which allows no democracy or dissent. However it does allow capitalism, and has experienced a very rapid growth of the private sector and the middle class. Observers expect that the regime's efforts to control public opinion and forestall the will of the people will be more and more difficult.

[[North Korea]] remains a brutal dictatorship controlled by the same family. [[Laos]], and [[Vietnam]] are also run by the old Communist cliques.

==Collapse of the Soviet bloc==

The shooting down by the Soviets on Sept. 1, 1983 of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] may have been a contributing factor for the downfall of the Soviet Union as well as for the whole Soviet block. It being a catalyst for the collapse of the Soviet Union may be inferred from the fact that NATO had decided, under the impetus of the U.S. administration, to deploy Pershing II and cruise missiles in Europe, primarily West Germany. This deployment would have placed missiles just 6-10 minutes striking distance from Moscow. But support for the deployment was wavering and many doubted that the missile deployment would find enough support to effect it. When the Soviet Union shot down Flight 007 with 269 people aboard, including conservative Democratic Congressman [[Larry McDonald]] —an act which U.S. President Ronald Reagan characterized as a "massacre"—enough support was galvanized for the deployment. The deployment caused great resources of the Soviet Union to be diverted from inner economic use to military expenditures to counter the U.S. and NATO missile deployment.
Between 1989 and 1991, many communist governments fell. The [[Berlin Wall]] in [[Germany]], which had become a symbol for the division between the West and communist states, was torn down largely in response to Ronald Reagan in 1989, and there was also a large revolution against Romanian dictator [[Nicolaie Ceausescu]]. In 1991, the USSR broke up into several countries - each which reformed to capitalism. Some of these remained under autocratic governments, but some have embraced democracy. With the collapse the remnants of Communist parties have dropped their old names and ideologies, but still operate on the left of the political spectrum.

==American communism==
:''Main article : [[Committees of Correspondence]]''
With the collapse of Soviet communism and the conversion of Chinese communism to "state run capitalism," the spiritual and ideological center of world of communism and the [[Marxist-Leninist]] tradition shifted to the [[United States]]. Several prominent American communists, rudderless without [[Moscow]] direction, formed a new organization in 1992 called the [[Committees of Correspondence for Democratic Socialism]].

The initial organizational conference was held in [[Berkeley]], [[California]], July 17-19, 1992. Charlene Mitchell, a former leader of the California Communist Party, speaking at the conference said, "the collapse of [[socialism]] in [[Eastern Europe]] left the [[United States]] in a near unchallenged position of world leadership." Mitchell continued,
{{Cquote|What began as a moment to take stock and ponder where to go from there has now become a very different entity. People from the Communist Party, from CrossRoads, from the [[Democratic Socialists of America]], from NCIPA [National Committee for Independent Political Action], from Solidarity, from the Socialist Organizing Network and many others, including independent leftists and independent socialists, have come together here in Berkeley.}}
Criticizing U.S. actions in the [[First Gulf War]], Mitchell stated,
{{Cquote|[[progressive]] forces were nearly powerless in the face of an onslaught of demagogic, [[patriotic]] [[jingoism]] and yellow ribbons. This war, fought for no legitimate reason, was the crowning height of [[George H.W. Bush|President [George H.W.] Bush]]'s [[New World Order]]. Previously, the Soviet Union helped to provide a certain balance to rein in the crazies in this country. Now, that balance is no longer there. It is now up to us, the American people, to rein in our own crazies. The [[left]] must take a major responsibility in organizing this task.}}

==Notorious communists==

Well known communists include:
*[[William Ayers]]
*[[Fidel Castro]]
*[[Hugo Chavez]]
*[[Carl Davidson]]
*[[Frank Marshall Davis]]
*[[Bernardine Dohrn]]
*[[Friedrich Engels]]
*[[Che Guevara]]
*[[Van Jones]]
*[[Lazar Kaganovich]]
*[[Vladimir Lenin]]
*[[Mao Zedong]]
*[[Karl Marx]]
*[[Paul Robeson]]
*[[Joseph Stalin]]
*[[Yakov Sverdlov]]
*[[Leon Trotsky]]
*[[Genrikh Yagoda]]
*[[Yakov Yurovsky]]

==Further reading==
* Pipes, Richard. ''Communism: A History'' (2003), by a leading conservative historian
** Pipes, Richard. ''History of Communism: A Brief History'' (2002)
* Priestland, David. ''The Red Flag: A History of Communism'' (2009)
*[http://www.archive.org/stream/100thingsyoushou1949unit#page/n3/mode/2up 100 Things You Should Know About Communism'']

==See also==
*[[Communist Party of the United States of America]]
*[[Cold War]]
*[[Capitalism]]
*[[Iron Curtain]]
*[[Progressives for Obama]]
*[[Socialism]]
*[[Social Effects of the Theory of Evolution]]
*[[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] for the connection of the shootdown by the Soviets of KAL 007, with 269 people aboard, on Sept. 1, 1983 with the heightened U.S./Soviet confrontations of 1983-4.

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.memorialsighet.ro/en/colectie.asp?id=3 Memorial to the Victims of Communism and the Resistance]
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/communism/ What Liberals Say - Category: Communism], [[Accuracy In Media]]

[[Category:Communism]]
[[Category:Forms of Government]]

Ann Coulter

2010-01-04T23:42:16Z

JimR: rv vandal

[[Image:Coulter2006.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Coulter on the ''Tonight Show with Jay Leno''.]]
'''Ann Hart Coulter''' (b. 1961) is an [[attorney]], legal affairs correspondent, social commentator and indefatigable spokesman for the [[Conservative]] cause in America.
She has written five bestselling books on U.S. politics. U.S. Federal Judge [[Richard Posner]] called her one of America's top public intellectuals.<ref>[http://home.uchicago.edu/~rposner/publicintellect.htm] "Data for tables in Chapter 5 of Richard A. Posner, Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline" where Posner talks about the data he used for his book ''Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline''.</ref><ref>[http://home.uchicago.edu/~rposner/TABLE%20II.pdf] Table II, which is Posner's data for 607 public intellectuals. A PDF search of "Coulter" will show she is on Posner's list.</ref>

Coulter's primary focus is exposing the faults of [[liberalism]], and she has enjoyed a popular following for her strong defense of family values against [[abortion]] and [[same-sex marriage]].
She is well known for her forthright statements against those who wish to hurt the [[United States]].

Coulter is a [[movement conservative]], in line with [[Phyllis Schlafly]]. Her books and strong speaking style have endeared her to fans and infuriated opponents.

As a [[Christian]], Coulter adheres to the [[Judeo-Christian]] tradition the view that [[human being]]s are utterly and distinctly apart from other species.

Being an unabashedly conservative pundit, Coulter's social commentaries often draw the ire of [[liberal]]s. Her comments are frequently controversial and her critics often feign being offended.<ref>She called Democratic women "no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, [[hirsute]], somewhat fragrant [[hippie]] chick pie wagons". [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/05/AR2007030501610_2.html (Washington Post)]</ref><ref>At a CPAC conference, Coulter joked, "I was going to have a few comments about John Edwards but you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'f*****.'" [http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Coulter_Faggot_not_offensive_to_gay_0306.html]</ref>

Coulter made headlines during the 2008 Presidential primaries by endorsing [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] for President instead of [[John McCain]]. Coulter asserted that McCain is not conservative, but [[liberal]].

Coulter helped [[Paula Jones]] with her [[sexual harassment]] case against [[Bill Clinton]].

==Background==
Coulter grew up in New Caanan, Connecticut. She fondly recollects arguing with her family about politics and religion as a form of entertainment, sometimes around the dinner table. <ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.booknotes.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1688|title="''Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right'' by Ann Coulter"|accessdate=January 1, 2010 |last=Lamb |first=Brian |date=August 11, 2002| |work=Booknotes}}</ref>She also recalls her first encounter with liberal politics:

:"I was in kindergarten and the teacher was trying to read us the story of Bambi. She was wearing a black armband, and one kid asked why. So she gave this speech against the Vietnam War. I raised my little paw and started arguing what I'd heard at home; that you stand by your allies and that we'd be breaking a promise. We never got to Bambi that day."

Coulter received an undergraduate degree from [[Cornell University]], where she helped found the conservative ''Cornell Review'', and a law degree from the [[University of Michigan]] Law School. In 1989 she served as a clerk for a federal appeals circuit judge in Kansas City. <ref>Gurley, George (August 26, 2002). "Coultergeist". ''New York Observer''.</ref>

==Columns==
In the late 1990s, Coulter's weekly (biweekly from 1999-2000) syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate began appearing. Her column is featured on six conservative websites: [[Human Events|Human Events Online]], [[WorldNetDaily]], Townhall.com, FrontPageMag, Jewish World Review and her own website (which is permanently linked to on the 8 billion visits-a-year news webpage [[Drudge Report|The Drudge Report]]). In 1999, Coulter worked as a regular columnist for ''George'' magazine<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uexpress.com/anncoulter/index.html?uc_full_date=19990728|title=A Republican Tribute to John|last=Coulter|first=Ann|date=July 28, 1999|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref> Coulter also wrote exclusive material between 1998 and 2003 and with occasional columns thereafter for the conservative magazine ''Human Events''.

==Books==

Coulter has written seven best-selling books:
*''[[High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton]]'' (1998)
*''[[Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right]]'' (2002)
*''[[Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism]]'' (2004)
*''[[How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)]]'' (2005)
*''[[Godless: The Church of Liberalism]]'' (2006)
*''[[If Democrats Had Any Brains They'd Be Republicans]]'' (2007)
*''[[Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America]]'' (2009)

In ''Godless'', Coulter illustrates how liberals make a [[religion]] out of their beliefs, which they follow with the sort of intolerant zeal which they claim [[fundamentalist]]s do. "Liberalism is a comprehensive belief system denying the Christian belief in man's immortal soul [and] that we are moral beings in God's image." (pg. 3)

==Quotes==

* "Whether they are defending the [[Soviet Union]] or bleating for [[Saddam Hussein]], liberals are always against [[United States of America|America]]. They are either traitors or idiots ... "<Ref>''Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism.''</ref>
* "My only regret with [[Timothy McVeigh]] is he did not go to the [[New York Times]] Building." She later clarified "Of course I regret [saying] it. I should have added, 'after everyone had left the building except the editors and reporters."<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-06-09-coulter-roemer_x.htm 9/11 Commissioner Criticizes Coulter's 'Hate-Filled Attack'] Associated Press story in USA Today. "'My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building,' The New York Observer quoted her as saying on Aug. 20, 2002. She clarified those remarks with RightWingNews.com: 'Of course I regret it. I should have added, "after everyone had left the building except the editors and reporters."'"</ref><ref>Hawkins, [http://rightwingnews.com/interviews/anncoulter.php An Interview With Ann Coulter], Right Wing News.</ref>

* "We just want Jews to be perfected, as they say." (The view that Christians are perfected Jews is a common belief among Jewish converts to Christianity, who view Christianity as a natural continuation of Judaism.

* "Saddam's barbaric rape rooms, chemical attacks and torture — those, liberals could live with. But now they want us to send troops to [[Darfur]], a country from which no one anticipates terrorism anytime in the next millennium. If you're looking for a good definition of "no imminent threat," Darfur is it... These people can't even wrap up genocide. We've been hearing about this slaughter in Darfur forever — and they still haven't finished. The aggressors are moving like termites across that country. It's like genocide by committee. Who's running this holocaust in Darfur, FEMA?...Darfur is not the threat... though a hostage-taking, [[Holocaust]]-denying lunatic who doesn't own a necktie but is within two years of having a nuclear bomb comes to mind. You can already hear [[Harry Reid]] and [[Nancy Pelosi]] saying, "If the Democrats were in charge, the use of military force wouldn't be necessary because we'd constructively engage them and appease their stated desire to kill us."<REF>This appeared on Coulter's web site on April 4th, 2007. http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=177</REF>

* "If you want a shorter rebuilding process, then we're going to have to wage less humane wars. The enemy — as well as innocent civilians — must be bombed into quivering terror. Otherwise, we displace aggression but don't destroy it. Americans are weaker for having seen that kind of carnage in [[World War II]]. Recall that the Worst Generation was raised by the Greatest Generation. That tells you how awful war is. The Greatest Generation was so exhausted by the war, it didn't have the spine to stand up to [[pot-smoking]], draft-dodging hippies occupying administration buildings."<REF>This appeared on Coulter's web site on April 4th, 2007. http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=177</REF>

* "I think [women] should be armed but should not vote. No, they all have to give up their vote, not just, you know, the lady clapping and me. The problem with women voting -- and your [[Communists]] will back me up on this -- is that, you know, women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it. And when they take these polls, it's always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care."<ref> ''Politically Incorrect'', Feb. 26, 2001</ref>

* "...a cruise missile is more important than Head Start."<ref>Nov. 2001 speech rebroadcast by C-Span in Jan. 2002</ref>

* On Sept. 13, 2001 she wrote this about the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|Sept. 11 terrorist attack]]: "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."<ref>''National Review Online'', September 2001 [http://www.nationalreview.com/coulter/coulter.shtml]</ref>

* "We need to execute people like John Walker [Lindh] in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors," Conservative Political Action Conference, January 2002. Coulter later clarified what she meant; "when I said we should "execute" John Walker Lindh, I mis-spoke. What I meant to say was 'We should burn John Walker Lindh alive and televise it on prime-time network TV'. My apologies for any misunderstanding that might have occurred."<ref>[http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/coulteriffic.php RWN's Ann Coulter Interview #2] John Hawkins.</ref>

* "Liberals are driven by [[Satan]] and lie constantly.<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=21345 That Was No Lady -- That Was My Husband], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 06/28/2007.</ref>

* "Every concrete example of the racism allegedly sweeping the nation's campuses keeps turning out to be a fraud. Far from "institutional racism," there is "institutional racial hoaxism" run amok in this country."<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22909&email Another Liberal Noose-ance], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 10/17/2007.</ref>

* "Rather than own up to their moral blindness to Soviet espionage, Democrats fired up the liberal slander machine, which would be deployed again and again over the next half century to the present day.<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23316 McCarthyism: The Rosetta Stone of Liberal Lies], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 11/07/2007.</ref>

* "By exposing the Democrats' absolute blindness to Soviet [[totalitarianism]], [[McCarthy]] shattered forever the nation's confidence in the Democrats' capacity to govern. For that, the [[Stalin]]ist [[liberal hate speech|hate machine]] attacked him viciously and has never let up."<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23824 They'll Never Forgive You], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 12/05/2007.</ref>

* "How about having [[Tim Russert]] ask Hillary if she believes the [[New Testament]] is the [[perfection]] of the [[Old Testament]]? She claims to be a [[Christian]]. Let's get it on the table: Is she or isn't she? It doesn't get any more bare-bones than that.<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23174 How Long Before the A.D.L. Kicks Out All its Jews?], By Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', October 31, 2007.</ref>

* "[The New York Times'] reaction to al-Zarqawi's death was to lower the U.S. flag at the Times building to half-staff. (Ha ha — just kidding! Everybody knows there aren't any American flags at The New York Times.)"<ref>[http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter071306.php3 ''N.Y. Times: Better dead than read]]</ref>

* "I think our motto should be post-9-11, ‘raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences.'"<ref>http://michellemalkin.com/2006/02/12/ragheads-and-sambos-and-gooks/</ref>

* "I was going to have a few comments about John Edwards but you have to go into rehab if you use the word f****t."

==See Also==
*[[Previous Breaking News/Ann Coulter|Articles about '''Ann Coulter''' from previous "Breaking News"]]
*[[Wikiproject:News by Subject#Ann Coulter| Wikiproject:News by Subject- Ann Coulter]]
*[[Conservative Links]]
*[[Lou Dobbs]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|2}}

==External Links==
*[http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi AnnCoulter.com]
*RealClearPolitcs.com [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/03/poll_most_americans_love_coult.html Poll: Most Americans Love Coulter Columns], accessed 6 May 2007.
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/05/AR2007030501610_2.html The Long Fuse on Ann Coulter's Bomb] - ''Washington Post'' - March 6, 2007
*[http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?RsrcID=2095 Media Research Center 'Funny Video's from 2007'] Watch Ann Coulter present funny videos from 2007 at the 2008 MRC DisHonors Awards in DC.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulter, Ann}}

[[Category:Women Authors]]
[[Category:Conservative Commentators]]

Banach-Tarski Paradox

2010-01-04T23:19:54Z

JimR: Undo revision 741774 by Aroth (Talk) this is just wrong, look up the construction

The '''Banach-Tarski paradox''' uses the [[Axiom of Choice]] to take a [[sphere]], split it into finitely many pieces, and reassemble them into two new spheres. The new spheres both have the same volume as the original, suggesting paradoxically that you can create two identical copies out of one, despite our physical intuition that this is impossible. This paradox has been mathematically proven to be consistent with [[Zermelo-Fraenkel]] set theory.

Note that, since the pieces must be non-measurable, this cannot be done with an actual object.

==External Links==
*[http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Banach-TarskiParadox.html Banach-Tarski Paradox] at MathWorld

[[Category:Set Theory]]
[[Category:geometry]]

B.F. Skinner

2009-12-30T16:25:14Z

JimR: redirecting until someone actually writes an article here, or even just a sentence.

#REDIRECT [[History of psychology]]

Talk:Fidel Castro

2009-12-30T01:13:26Z

JimR: /* Castro Dead? */

I’ve heard Castro called many things, but terrorist is not one of them, can someone explain why he is listed as a terrorist? Also could the information justifying that categorization be added to his page?--[[User:Reginod|Reginod]] 14:33, 31 March 2007 (EDT)

:''4. We do not attempt to be neutral to all points of view. We are neutral to the facts. If a group is a terrorist group, then the label "terrorist" is used here but not on Wikipedia.'' (See [[Differences_with_Wikipedia]])
:see [[Terrorism]] for a description of a terroist. Castro certainly was one.
:[[User:BillyBoy|BillyBoy]] 14:41, 31 March 2007 (EDT)

::It seems it depends on which of those definitions you are using as to whether or not Castro can be called a terrorist. If you are using the first definition, you can’t call him a terrorist (to the best of my knowledge) as the editorial policy here is (or seems to be) that we don’t say people (or possibly just living people) are guilty of doing something illegally (or, one assumes, unlawfully) unless they have been convicted of doing so. The second definition also probably doesn’t apply as Castro overpowered Batista with force not fear. The third definition (the one implicit in the discussion of Terrorism) may apply to Castro but I’d want to see evidence that he actually used “terror” to achieve his end—violence and intimidation clearly were used, but I’m less sure about terror (and if one part of a conjunction is false the whole of it is, so without some evidence that he used terror to achieve his end, you can’t call him a terrorist).--[[User:Reginod|Reginod]] 15:19, 31 March 2007 (EDT)

:::Castro couldn't have been convicted of being a terrorist because he terrorized the legal authority that could have convicted him out of existence.
:::[[User:BillyBoy|BillyBoy]] 15:26, 31 March 2007 (EDT)

::::That does seem to be a problem with the editorial policy (though I would say he used violence rather than terror to end the previous Cuban government), but I don’t make the policy (I’ve even argued against it). I’m just telling you what I gather the policy is. --[[User:Reginod|Reginod]] 15:29, 31 March 2007 (EDT)

"the unlawful use of -- or threatened use of -- force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives."

By that definition Batista was a terrorist with his coup in 1934, just as Castro is, or George Washington for that matter...

It's all about the word "unlawful", which generally doesn't have the same meaning in different times and countries.

[[User:Middle Man|Middle Man]]

== DIctator/President ==

Interesting to note that Castro "has been the dictator of Cuba since 1959 and ''has called himself'' the President of Cuba since 1976," whereas [[Pervez Musharraf]] "''became'' President of Pakistan, ''via a coup''" (emphasis mine). What in essence is the difference? [[User:Humblpi|Humblpi]] 12:46, 19 February 2008 (EST)

:For a dictator, he certainly relinquished power without much of a struggle. [[User:Rugxulo|Rugxulo]] 18:53, 16 March 2008 (EDT)

==Castro Dead?==
Can we see some hard evidence suggesting this? Just because he is keeping to himself dosn't mean he has died. He is still the Secretary of the communist party--[[User:WilliamMc|WilliamMc]] 12:37, 29 December 2009 (EST)

:Maybe Fidel Castro is alive and even editing this site!!!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:08, 29 December 2009 (EST)

::Speculation is not necessary here as Castro is no longer running the show. His brother Raul Castro was innagurated as acting President in July 2006. Until such evidence is shown speculation of his death is ultimately baseless. Please do not add any. This is not a gossip site after all. --[[User:Matthew2208|Matthew2208]] 16:02, 29 December 2009 (EST)

:::Matthew, you're clueless here. When someone is missing for 3.5 years and there is an incentive to lie about his fate, then he's presumptively dead. Communists don't define the truth. God does.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:01, 29 December 2009 (EST)

::::In October Castro allegedly met with the leader of Cyprus and a Chinese official. [http://nba.msg.com/photo/0a1W9IQclz2DV Here] is a supposed photo of Castro with Wu Bangguo. It's released by the Cuban state media, but apparently the (obviously liberal) AP found it sufficiently convincing as to endorse it.
::::Obviously it's possible that the leader of Cyprus (and at least three other leaders who have allegedly met him since July) was paid off to lie about this and the photo is of a lookalike (or older). But true or false, matters are perhaps not quite so simple as Fidel simply disappearing for the last few years, and we should carefully consider the evidence. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 20:13, 29 December 2009 (EST)

Linus Torvalds

2009-12-29T22:53:51Z

JimR: small expansion

'''Linus Torvalds''' is a [[software]] engineer from [[Finland]] whose best-known accomplishment is the initiation of the development of the [[open source]] [[operating system]] [[Linux]], starting in 1991. He remains the lead coordinator of the project and self-styled "benevolent dictator of Planet Linux". Torvalds has remained a prolific contributor to the project, and as of 2006, had written fully 2% of the code in the kernel. He is also noted for initiating the Git project for version control.

Torvalds has a more pragmatic view of the [[open source]] model than other prominent developers, including [[Richard Stallman]]. Though an advocate of the open source development model, Torvalds insists that he uses the "best tool for the job", and has been known to use certain proprietary software in the past.

[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:Essay:Conservatives of the Decade

2009-12-29T04:01:36Z

JimR: "Pat Robinson"?

== Top Ten Ranking ==

I suggest this top 10 ranking.

1. '''[[Rush Limbaugh]]:''' 20 million listeners, providing an alternative to liberal media bias.

2. '''[[Ann Coulter]]:''' While some on this list only emerged after Barack Obama's election, Ann Coulter has been irritating liberals for over 10 years.

3. '''[[Tea Party Movement]]:''' They will be an influence over the next decade as well,or atleast until Obama's final days in office in January 2013. For the first time in 30 years there is a major grassroots conservative movement. You can thank them for preventing many liberal policies on capital hill.

4. '''[[Sarah Palin]]:''' One of the few elected Republican politicians that truly represents grassroots conservatives.

5. '''[[Glenn Beck]]:''' Helped expose ACORN and led the fight against many of the actions of the [[Obama administration]] that the media had first ignored.

6. '''[[Rudy Giuliani]]:''' I'm sure that many on Conservapedia disagree with his stance on abortion. However, he was the hero of 9/11, the most popular politician in America, and an elegant spokesman on the need for a strong national defense.

7. '''[[Dick Cheney]]:''' The chief spokesman for neoconservatism.

8. '''[[Ron Paul]]:''' A libertarian-Republican whose presidential campaign gained a cult following among young voters.

9. '''[[Samuel Alito]]:''' His appointment was one of the few excellent choices made by the Bush Administration during his second term.

10. '''[[Karl Rove]]:''' The architect of Republican victories in 2000, 2002, and 2004.

'''Honorable Mentions'''

*''[[Bill Oreilly]]''
*''[[Charlton Heston]]''
*''[[Jim DeMint]]''
*''[[Joe Wilson]]''
*''[[John Bolton]]''
*''[[Jon Voight]]''
*''[[Michele Bachman]]''
*''[[Michelle Malkin]]''
*''[[Mike Huckabee]]''
*''[[Tom Coburn]]''

-[[User:Chippeterson|Chippeterson]] December 28, 2009

:REPLY: Great choices, and this sparks interesting debate. If I may be so bold, I'd particularly disagree about Limbaugh (he has the numbers, but where's the evidence of influence?), Giuliani (all talk but no achievements except making NYC safer in the 90s, at a time when most cities were getting safer due to demographic changes; don't forget that Giuliani endorsed Mario Cuomo!), Rove (architect of the 2006 loses and a big reason for the complete wipeout in 2008 also, I'm afraid!). But everyone can have his own views about this!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:56, 28 December 2009 (EST)

In the interest of debate, I think anyone who has as many listeners as Limbaugh must be influential. Giuliani had significant achievements as Mayor of New York, just read his bio here on conservapedia. Giuliani endorsed Cuomo, but under that logic Reagan wouldn't have made the 80's list because he once endorsed FDR and Truman. Giuliani could make the list of top 10 conservatives of the 90's or 2000's. You have a point about Rove, he's done a lot of harm and good to conservatives since 2000. [[User:Chippeterson|Chippeterson]] December 28, 2009

== Matt Drudge? ==

More of a libertarian than a classic conservative, but his influence in ending the hegemony of the mainstream media has been substantial. --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 22:28, 28 December 2009 (EST)

== "Pat Robinson"? ==

I don't know this conservative, and Google hasn't helped. Perhaps [[Pat Robertson]] was intended? --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 23:01, 28 December 2009 (EST)

Essay:Conservatives of the Decade

2009-12-29T03:53:03Z

JimR:

It's time; in fact, we have only three days left to identify '''the top ten [[conservatives]] of the decade'''. The criterion would presumably be the best and longest lasting influence. For example, [[Ronald Reagan]] would be a leading candidate for "conservative of the decade" of the 1980s.

The [[best of the public]] is welcome in this list of nominations:

== Nominations ==

*[[Ann Coulter]]
*[[Antonin Scalia]]
*[[Art Robinson]]
*[[Ben Stein]]
*[[Bill O'Reilly]]
*[[Charles H Bronson]]
*[[Charlton Heston]]
*[[Clarence Thomas]]
*[[Club for Growth]]
*[[Condoleezza Rice]]
*[[David Petraeus]]
*[[Dick Cheney]]
*[[Glenn Beck]]
*[[Hannah Giles]] and [[James O'Keefe]]
*[[Homeschoolers]] who captured all the finalist positions in the [[National Bible Bee]]
*[[James Dobson]]
*[[Jerry Falwell]]
*[[Jim DeMint]]
*[[Joe Wilson]]
*[[John Bolton]]
*[[John Roberts]]
*[[John Thune]]
*[[Jon Voight]]
*[[Karl Rove]]
*[[Marco Rubio]]
*[[Drudge Report|Matt Drudge]]
*[[Michele Bachman]]
*[[Michelle Malkin]]
*[[Mike Huckabee]]
*[[Mitt Romney]]
*[[Pat Robinson]]
*[[Proposition 8]] supporters
*[[Ron Paul]]
*[[Rudy Giuliani]]
*[[Rush Limbaugh]]
*[[Samuel Alito]]
*[[Sarah Palin]]
*[[Sean Hannity]]
*[[Tea Party Movement]]
*[[Tom Coburn]]
*[[Zell Miller]]

(add more, or suggest ranking; maybe we should name a "Conservative of the Year" also)

== Quotes of the Decade ==

*"You lie!" (Joe Wilson about Barack Obama)
*"You know babies have finger nails!" (reference to an unborn child in the movie ''Juno'')
*"from my cold, dead hands" (Charlton Heston in 2000 dramatically referring to the only way [[liberal]]s could take his rifle from him)

== Story of the Decade ==

*The taking, for the benefit of a corporation and higher tax revenue, of the long-held homes of Susanne Kelo and others in New London, Connecticut, decided against the homeowners by a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court. Forcibly ousted and their homes destroyed, the residents moved elsewhere at great disruption to their lives. Then, four years later, Pfizer [[Kelo v. New London|abandoned the project]] for its own reasons, leaving a useless eyesore in the wreckage.

== Looking forward ==

What will be the most influential trends for the next decade? Here are some possibilities:

*collapse of the newspapers
*shifts in education away from bricks-and-mortar institutions
*reduction in influence of "experts"
*[[parent trigger legislation]]

(add more)
{{Conservatism}}
[[Category:Essays]]

AIM-7 Sparrow

2009-12-28T18:36:24Z

JimR: Undo revision 738650 by RickL (Talk) user's other edits were lies, assuming this is too

The '''AIM-7 Sparrow''' is a radar guided [[air-to-air missile]]. It first entered service in 1958. The missile guidance system requires the launch aircraft to reflect radar energy off the target, and the missile homes in on the reflected energy. This means that the launch aircraft has to remain in straight and level flight, which is a disadvantage in a dogfight.
The Sparrow was built for the [[F-4 Phantom]] to carry. However, it is carried by many other fighters, such as the [[F-15 Eagle]] , which typically carries four Sparrows at all times, whatever other payload it carries. It also is carried on the [[F-18 Hornet]], and the British [[Sky Flash]] is based on its design.

Raytheon Sparrow

Powerplant: One Hercules Mk 48 or Areojet Mk 65 solid propellant rocket motor

Performance: Cruising speed- Mach 4. Maximum range--62 miles. Usual range--20 miles or less

Weight: 500 lbs

Dimensions: Span-- 3 ft 3 in. Length--12 ft. Diameter-- 8 in.

Warhead: Continuous rod, 88 lbs.

The Sparrow was first used in the [[Vietnam War]], but had problems with reliability. Performance improved, and in the [[Gulf War]], 24 out of the 31 air-to-air victories scored by F-15s were brought down by AIM-7s.<ref>''F-15C Eagle Units in Combat'', by Steve Davies, Osprey Publishing, 2005</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[category:missiles]]

Washington State University

2009-12-28T18:35:50Z

JimR: rv liar

{{University
|name=Washington State University
|image=WashingtonStLogo.jpg
|text=black
|background=#9e1b34
|type=Public
|city=Pullman, Washington
|sports=baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball<ref>[http://wsucougars.cstv.com/ The official site of Cougar Athletics]</ref>
|colors=crimson, gray
|mascot=Butch the cougar
|website=http://www.wsu.edu/
}}
'''Washington State University''' is a [[Washington]] [[public schools|public]] [[university]] founded in 1892 as the Washington Agricultural College and School of Science.<ref>[http://futurestudents.wsu.edu/why/profile.aspx Facts about WSU]</ref> Over 100 years later it has become a nationally recognized research university with over 24,000 students worldwide.

WSU is located in the eastern Washington town of Pullman.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==

*[http://online.wsu.edu/ Online Courses & Degrees]

{{Nb_US_universities‎}}

Fox News Channel

2009-12-28T17:45:56Z

JimR: rv vandal

[[Image:FNC logo.jpg|right]]

The '''Fox News Channel''' is a [[United States]] [[cable]] and [[satellite]] [[news]] channel. It is part of the Fox Television Stations Group, a subsidiary of [[Australia|Australian]]-born media mogul [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation]]. [[Roger Ailes]] was named Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group on August 15, 2005.

==Founding==
Fox News was started in 1996 by Murdoch and Roger Ailes. The two of them perceived a need for a news organization that offered more balanced reporting, one where the facts from all sides would be presented. Main-stream media "Political Correctness" was banished, with the news [[anchor]]s calling [[terrorist]]s what they were, (terrorists), instead of referring to them as "militants." As of February, 2007, polls show that over 20% of Americans say their main source of news is the Fox News Channel.

Fox News uses the slogan "Fair & Balanced," carries bipartisan shows like [[Hannity and Colmes]], and daily guest pundits from all sides of the [[political spectrum]]. Fox News also is non-hostile to conservative and [[Christian]] values, viewpoints, spokesmen, and ideas. Fox News has gained the reputation for reporting the news in an unbiased manner and then allowing the viewer to decide; "We Report, You Decide" is another of their on-air slogans.

Fox News has dominated the [[ratings]] of other cable news outlets.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center]</ref> Launched by media [[tycoon]] Rupert Murdoch and former political consultant Roger Ailes as a refuge for viewers fed up with real or perceived liberal bias everywhere in the so-called "[[mainstream media]]", Fox is the undisputed ratings champion of cable news. It's been trouncing [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNBC]] for years, and it quite often draws a much larger audience share than all competitors, combined.

==Fair and Balanced==
[[Image:Fair_balanced.jpg‎ |thumb|left|Fair And Balanced Logo]]
[[Liberal]] critics have been known to complain about the "Fair & Balanced" slogan. Former President [[Bill Clinton]] exploded at ''Fox News Sunday'' anchor [[Chris Wallace]] in September of 2006, accusing him of "a nice little conservative hit job" after being lightly pressed by Wallace about his record on fighting [[Al Qaeda]]. Democratic politicians and advocates have relentlessly attacked the cable network, sometimes accusing it of being a Republican [[propaganda mill]]. Former Vice-President and environmentalist [[Al Gore]] has likened Fox to a right-wing "[[fifth column]]." Groups, such as [[MoveOn.org]], funded a classic [[schlockumentary]] entitled ''[[Outfoxed]]'', which purports to expose the channel's 'nefarious Republican agenda'. Some have referred to FOX News as "the propaganda arm of the Republican Party" or "Faux News." In a grandstanding gesture of political theater the group unsuccessfully petitioned the [[Federal Trade Commission]] to stop Fox's from using its slogan as "deceptive advertising". It was unanimously rejected. <ref>[http://www.showbizdata.com/news/36127/FTC-REJECTS-COMPLAINTS-AGAINST-FOX-NEWS FTC: "It's best to ignore nuts"]</ref> Fox News spokesman Rob Zimmerman told today's (Tuesday) Wall Street Journal: "If they can attack Fox News to this extreme, ''then all news organizations are at risk to be targeted by similar attacks. ... It's best to ignore nuts."''

A recent comprehensive study by [[UCLA]] political scientist Tim Groseclose and University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Milyo found [[Brit Hume]]'s ''Special Report'' — Fox's most straightforward news show — more centrist than any of the three major networks' evening newscasts, all of which are liberal. <ref>[http://rcp.missouri.edu/articles/milyo_media.html]</ref> The program is a model of smart news television.

And although it's true that the Fox's opinion shows (as opposed to its news shows) are, as they're supposed to be, frequently bombastic and opinionated, it's equally true that Fox's biggest super-star, [[Bill O'Reilly]] is not a mainstream Republican, but a registered [[Independent]] who sides with conservatives. He regularly charges the oil companies with [[price-gouging]] and attacks big business for quashing the little guy. [[Greta Van Susteren]]'s politics are unclear, as she mostly covers the [[crime]]-of-the-day stories. [[Geraldo Rivera]] is traditionally liberal on most issues, with the exception of being a strong supporter of the military and stiff penalties for [[sex offender]]s.

Some liberal commentaors, such as news analyst [[Marvin Kalb]], and [[Eleanor Clift]], are affiliated with the channel. In general, Fox News is closer to mainstream America than [[CBS]], [[ABC]], [[NBC]] or [[CNN]], its founding mission.

Conservatives have criticism for Fox. Their 'Fair and Balanced' motto allows [[liberal]] [[propaganda]], lies, deceit, and half-truths to gain an audience. In reality, Fox was judged to actually provide a more "fair and balanced" coverage in the 2008 Presidential race than all three MSM networks, who had a decidedly pro-Obama tilt, a study by the ''Center for Media and Public Affairs''. <ref>[http://www.cmpa.com/pdf/08summer.pdf Center for Media and Public Affairs: ''How TV News Has Covered McCain, Obama and Hillary'']</ref>

== Ratings Dominance ==
Fox News Channel was the 2nd highest rated cable channel on all of television during the first quarter of 2009 in prime time Total Viewers. CNN was 17th and MSNBC 24th for the first three months of the year. FNC beat CNN and MSNBC combined and gained the most compared to the first quarter of 2008, up 24%. 2009's first quarter was FNC's 3rd highest rated quarter in prime time in the network's history — just behind Q4 '08 and Q3 '05. In prime time, ages 25-54 demo, and in total day in both categories, FNC grew more year-to-year than CNN and MSNBC combined. FNC had nine of the top 10 programs on cable news in Total Viewers.

[[Bill O'Reilly|The O'Reilly Factor]] has now been #1 on cable news for 100 consecutive months, up 27% in Total Viewers year-over-year.

[[Glenn Beck]] has increased the 5pmET time period 90% in Total Viewers and 115% in the demo vs. Q1 '08, ''and is the fastest growing program in cable news for March''. Special Report with Bret Baier is up 39% in Total Viewers and 41% in the demo. [[Sean Hannity|"Hannity"]] is up 36% in Total Viewers and up 35% in the demo since going solo for the hour.

Those three new programs beat CNN and MSNBC ''combined'' in total viewers during their respective time slots.

On the Record with [[Greta Van Susteren]] is up 55% in total viewers and 75% in the demo. Your World with Neil Cavuto is up 60% in Total Viewers and 102% in the demo. Glenn Beck, is up 212% in the demo and up 128% in total viewers. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/april_ratings_fnc_beats_cnn_and_msnbc_combined_115179.asp Media Bistro: April Ratings: FNC Beats CNN and MSNBC Combined]
</ref>

== Anti-elitist ==
Conservatives argue that Fox's real ethos is not Republican or conservative, but anti-[[elitist]] — a major reason it connects with so many Americans and annoys so many coastal elites. "There's a whole country that elitists will never acknowledge," Ailes once observed. "What people resent deeply out there are those in the 'blue states' thinking they're smarter." This anti-elitism shows itself in Fox's pro-U.S. stance in covering the [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq war]]s and its broadcasters' use of terms such as "terrorist" instead of the politically correct "militant" to refer to terrorists. Since the [[Vietnam War]] era, mainstream [[journalist]]s have tended to see such blunt language and side-taking as unsophisticated, a betrayal of journalistic [[objectivity]], or perhaps their own ingrained biases against government in general.

Another aspect of Fox's anti-elitism is the treatment of [[evangelical]] and [[fundamentalist Christian]]s with respect, far from the normal liberal media's depiction as as lunatics or extremists. "We regularly have on the [[Rev. Franklin Graham]], [[Dr. James Dobson]] and other religious leaders, just as we put on [[Pat Ireland]] and Eleanor Clift," Ailes said, continuing, ''"Most Americans believe in God and have that as their foundation in life. So why shouldn't we have as guests people that they like, respect and want to hear from?" '' Ailes said he didn't get "too worked up" by a [[Pew Foundation]] study that showed that Fox has more Republican viewers than CNN, CNBC or MSNBC and that his reporters and anchors insert their opinions into stories far more than competitors do. Numbers might have something to do with it: Fox is beating the combined audience of the other three. But Ailes dismissed Pew as a "liberal [[lobbyist|lobbying]] organization." He said, "Most polls today are not taken to provide information to the public but to get press for the organization taking the polls. I took a poll of Pew, and 98% of my organization found that they were biased", Ailes said with a wink. <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

In response, Project director Tom Rosenstiel said the study "was not a poll. It was a content analysis designed by a four-university research team and executed at the [[University of Alabama]]." ''One plus for Fox, he said, was that researchers found Fox News stories were more forthcoming about sourcing than their cable rivals.'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Fox Versus Fringe Views ==
"What really frustrates liberals about Fox, though, is simply that, along with [[talk radio]] and the conservative [[blogosphere]], it has helped shatter the left's near-monopoly on news and information. Fox's opinion-driven programming gives conservatives and liberals a chance to get a fair hearing for their ideas. But Democratic politicians and activists who go on Fox also must defend their views, often against tough questioning, something that happens less often on the networks, where most journalists are left-of-center, survey after survey has shown", said columnist [[Brian Anderson]]. "Even more significant, Fox came on the scene a decade ago as a professional news organization that could define and report news as something different from what the elite consensus says it is. To take one of many examples, the corruption of the [[United Nations]]' [[oil-for-food]] initiative in [[Iraq]], initially downplayed by the mainstream media because of their sympathy for internationalism, was uncovered — deemed newsworthy — on Fox."

All this wouldn't matter if Fox News wasn't so influential. But it is. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 20% of Americans now claim to get news from it, and lots of them (37%) are Democrats or independents. The network's success has also sparked a "Fox effect," leading some competitors to become more open to right-of-center opinions: MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," hosted by former Republican congressman [[Joe Scarborough]], is a prime example. Until a few years ago, Democrats never had to deal with all these mediatized conservatives. <ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center</ref>

Ailes said Fox News has no agenda. His charge to his reporters and anchors is simple: "If you make a mistake, get on the air as fast as you can and admit it. ... Do your homework. Make sure you reach out to a point of view you don't agree with to be sure you have some balance in your piece, because journalists, despite the public perception, are not empty-headed fools. They actually come to the job with some ideas and biases." When asked whether the media have a "conscious bias," Ailes said: "I don't know whether it's conscious or not. I think people who are biased to the left and right are by and large honest people who bring their life experience to whatever their beliefs are. I don't think there's some conspiracy of bias to the left, ''but I do think that [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] have different views than many people that I know from other parts of the country."'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

== Fox Versus Obama ==
[[Barack Hussein Obama]] has thin skin when it comes to criticism of his policies. The entire [[mainstream media]] has thrown its support to Obama and refuses to questions his policies. Fox News is the lone station that will criticize Obama fairly. Obama said, <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/media_critic_fox_news/2009/06/19/227121.html Media Critic: Fox Only Press Doing Its Job] NewsMax, June 19, 2009</ref>

{{cquote| “I’ve got one television station that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration…That’s a pretty big megaphone. You’d be hard pressed if you watched the entire day to find a positive story about me on that front.” }}

Media critic David Zurawik said “Thank goodness at least one TV outlet, Fox, is questioning Team Obama as it pushes for the kind of massive change in American life not seen since the era of Franklin Roosevelt,” and "...ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and the others allow their news operations to be used by the White House for partisan political reasons."

== Roger Ailes ==
[[Image:Rogerailes_1.jpg‎ |thumb|right|300px|Roger Ailes, Fox News CEO]]
[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205966,00.html This is a transcript] of Ailes speaking to the Television Critics Association, which will be enlightening to readers digging into the Fox take on reporting and its reaction to controversy about its mission.

On November 20, 2008, [[Roger Ailes]], who now holds the titles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FOX News and Chairman of FOX Television Stations, signed a new five year contract with News Corporation, it was announced by Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/roger_ailes_signs_new_5year_deal_with_news_corp_101312.asp Ailes Inks 5 Year Deal With NewsCorp]</ref>

During Ailes' time with [[News Corporation|News Corp]], [[FNC]] passed [[CNN]] in ratings in all day parts in 2002 to become the number one news network in the country, nearing full distribution with more than 90 million subscribers. In 2007, he launched the [[Fox Business News]] which currently reaches more than 40 million homes and served as the biggest launch in cable television history. Throughout Mr. Ailes' tenure, FOX Television Stations has increased its market share each of the last three years with all time record shares in the last two years. In addition, Fox Television Stations has expanded its local news presence by nearly 100 hours a week in a challenging economic climate.

== Tony Snow ==
In April, 2006 the [[White House]] selected [[Tony Snow]], Fox News Anchorman, to be the new White House Press Secretary. "Snow, who in his roles as a [[pundit]] on Fox News and elsewhere has rapped Bush on several occasions, joined the White House only after extracting a promise that he would become an adviser to the president on day-to-day strategy...the former columnist will be the first outsider to become part of Bush's revamped inner circle.", said the [[Washington Post]]. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042600558.html</ref>

Snow, 50, worked most recently as host for ''Fox News Sunday, with Tony Snow'' and as host of his own radio talk show. He was a director of speech-writing for President [[George H.W. Bush]] and has worked as a [[USA Today]] columnist, Editorial Page Editor of the [[Washington Times]], deputy editorial page editor of the [[Detroit News]] and frequent substitute for radio host [[Rush Limbaugh]]. <ref>http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060426.html</ref>

==Bill O'Reilly==
The [[O'Reilly Factor]] has been the most watched cable news segment for eight years. [[Bill O'Reilly]] has interviewed Barack Obama and other high profile guests on his show.
:"FOX News destroys NBC and CNN on cable every night. We cover the news. We don't ignore it. And we don't denigrate it." - Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly is a registered independent, but sides with Republicans on most issues, excluding several Christian causes. Bill O'Reilly wrote the best seller "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." Like [[Sean Hannity]] and other commentators on Fox, O'Reilly's role is that of an independent contractor, expressing his own opinions, not those of Fox News, as opposed to the networks news anchors, like Sheppard Smith.

==Red Eye==
It is a hybrid news / comedic satire show hosted by Greg Gutfeld. The show appears on Fox News at 3:00 a.m. on weekdays. Their ratings are remarkable for the time slot. <ref>[http://www.mediaite.com/online/red-eye-resurgence-more-demo-viewers-watch-fox-at-3am-than-cnn-at-8pm/ Red Eye Resurgence: More Demo Viewers Watch Fox At 3am Than CNN at 8pm, October 5th, 2009]</ref>

{{cquote|
The ratings came out for September and Red Eye is up over 30% in total viewers and up 50% in the key demo (25-54) since July. They have more overall viewers than every CNBC show, every MSNBC show that is on before Hardball, most of HLN, and American Morning on CNN.}}

==External Links==
*[http://www.foxnews.com/ Fox News]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Cable TV Networks]]
[[Category:Conservative Media]]
[[Category:Conservative news organizations]]

User talk:Ximie

2009-12-28T16:19:46Z

JimR: copy/paste

== Rush Limbaugh ==

Copying and pasting from Wikipedia is not permitted. Please familiarize yourself with [[Conservapedia:Commandments]] and related pages before continuing to edit. --[[User:JimR|JimR]] 11:19, 28 December 2009 (EST)

Rush Limbaugh

2009-12-28T16:17:56Z

JimR: rv copy-paste job

[[Image:RushLimbaugh 1.jpg|thumb|right|Rush Limbaugh]]
'''Rush Limbaugh''' (born January 12, 1951) is a [[conservative]] American radio talk show host and author. Limbaugh has risen to the top of the ratings heap as an intensely conservative voice in a talk radio media environment dominated by conservatives. In his sharp criticisms of the [[Obama Administration]] Limbaugh secured his position as one of the ''de facto'' leaders of the Republican opposition. Historians compare his role to Walter Winchell, a radio commentator of the 1930s-1950s era.

== Radio ==
Limbaugh started young. By the age of seventeen, he was already a dedicated disc jockey, hosting a radio show in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He dropped out of college after his freshman year to pursue work full-time as a DJ, and got his big break in 1984, when KFBK in Sacramento hired him to host a talk show that reveled in controversy about conservative politics. His program was widely syndicated and by 1994 he was the number one talk-show host in the country. In 2001, he re-negotiated his contract for eight more years, for $285 million, a radio record. Surgery overcame a disease that left him nearly deaf in 2001.

Limbaugh hosts a radio show famed for its incisive criticism of the follies of liberalism. He is often at odds with liberal activist [[Al Franken]], who wrote a book entitled ''"Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot". Limbaugh habitually refers to [[feminists]] who support [[abortion]] as ''feminazis'' and to his own self as having "talent on loan from God". Sensitive about his own schooling, he ridicules the college educated as the "Arts & Croissant Crowd."

Limbaugh's conservative talk show is nationally syndicated and averages over 16 million listeners weekly, making him the #1 radio talk show host in America.
<ref>[http://www.talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34 The Top Talk Radio Audiences] Talkers magazine online</ref> In July 2008, Rush announced "he has renewed his contract with Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Radio, continuing syndication of his show 'many years into the future.'" <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27326 Rush Renews Contract], ''[[Human Events]]'', July, 2, 2008</ref>
== Politics ==
Limbaugh endorsed [[Mitt Romney]] for the [[2008 Presidential Election]]. <ref>[http://www.cnsnews.com/ThisHour.asp#Limbaugh%20Endorses%20Romney Limbaugh Endorses Romney], [[Melanie Hunter]], ''[[CNSNews]]'', February 05, 2008</ref> He was often critical of [[John McCain]] during the Republican primaries, but supported him in the general election.

Limbaugh has warned against false prophets, telling his audience in 1996 that, "You are being manipulated in a way that I find very bothersome." "Pat Buchanan is not a conservative. He's a populist."<ref>See [http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/23/us/politics-on-the-air-radio-talk-show-host-fears-for-true-conservatism-s-fate.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fL%2fLimbaugh%2c%20Rush Robin Toner, "Radio Talk Show Host Fears For True Conservatism's Fate," ''New York Times'' Feb. 23, 1996]</ref>.
===Obama to Fail===
Limbaugh made national headlines when he was asked to write 400 words for a newspaper column about Obama's plans. He said he didn't need 400 words, he needed just four: "I hope he fails." He immediately came under attack as an unpatriotic obstructionist. What Limbaugh actually meant to say in four words, according to the show's [http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html transcript] was, if Obama is for socialist policies and against capitalist policies, of course he could not support those policies, and hoped he would fail. <ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html Limbaugh radio show transcript.]</ref>

Limbaugh addressed [[CPAC]] and further discussed his stance that generated so much attention. <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/01/limbaugh-leader-obama-chief-staff-calls-talk-host-barrier-progress/ Limbaugh the Leader? Obama Chief of Staff] Fox News, March 01, 2009</ref> {{cquote| ''"Did the Democrats want the war in Iraq to fail? Well, they certainly did. And they not only wanted the war in Iraq to fail, they proclaimed it a failure. ... The last thing they wanted was to win. They hoped George Bush failed. So where is it -- what is so strange about being honest and saying, I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation? Why would I want that to succeed?"'' }}

Republican National Chairman Michael Steele called Limbaugh an "entertainer" whose comments were "incendiary" and "ugly," and Limbaugh counterattacked Steele's fitness to run the party. A Gallup poll in May 2009 on who was the main voice of the GOP found Limbaugh leading the pack at 13%, with Steele trailing at 1%.
==Audience==
Limbaugh's fans enjoy his bluster and bombast, but behind it there is a substantive defense of a coherent political philosophy. He makes politics engaging and entertaining, producing an audience more eager to seek out other sources of information. Limbaugh "dittoheads" consume more print news than do non-listeners. Like Fox News viewers, Limbaugh fans are more likely to tune in to presidential debates. Far from making people cynical or indifferent toward public affairs, Limbaugh reinforces his audience's disposition to participate in the political process.<ref>Jamieson and Cappella (2008) </ref>

Conservative Republicans are in his audience, but educational attainment, family income, and race do not predict who listens. Listening to Limbaugh is significantly correlated with public affairs information. He is not merely an entertainer and people who listen to him regularly are very well informed on public affairs. However, his radio audience is smaller than the TV audiences of conservative commentators [[Bill O'Reilly]] and [[Sean Hannity]].<ref> Stephen Earl Bennett, " Who Listens to Rush Limbaugh's Radio Program and the Relationship Between Listening to Limbaugh and Knowledge of Public Affairs, 1994-2006," ''Journal of Radio & Audio Media,'' May 2009, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p66-82, in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
== Poking fun at Obama liberals==
Newsweek editor Evan Thomas said on MSNBC's "Hardball" that Obama was "sort of God."

Asking rhetorically what [[God]] has in common with Obama, Limbaugh said, "Neither has a birth certificate." <ref>[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=100717 Rush Limbaugh pummels Obama on birth certificate] WND, June 10, 2009</ref> He went on to say "God does not think he's Obama," and "Liberals love Obama." Limbaugh explained more differences, "Another difference is that God only demands to be worshiped once a week," and "God asks for only 10 percent of your money", and "God gives you freedom to live your life as you choose."

== Painkiller addiction ==

On October 6, 2003 Limbaugh told his audience he was addicted to OxyContin and other painkillers citing a failed back surgery as the cause of his pain and subsequent dependence. <ref>The Rush Limbaugh Show, October 6, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/10/10/rush.limbaugh/ "Limbaugh admits addiction to pain medication"</ref> Limbaugh underwent treatment for his addiction, and criminal charges against him for alleged "doctor shopping" to procure prescription medications were dropped on the condition that he continue treatment for his addiction.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/28/national/main1561324.shtml</ref>
== Sports ==

Limbaugh is an avid sports fan, particularly football. He briefly held a position as a commentator on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown pre-game show. He resigned from the show on October 2, 2006 after comments made regarding Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb received widespread criticism.

{{cquote|''' ''"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."'' '''}}

After McNabb's response, "It's sad that you've got to go to skin color. I thought we were through with that whole deal," significant pressure was put upon Limbaugh to resign. <ref>http://espn.go.com/gen/news/2003/1001/1628537.html</ref>

== Other Media Work ==

The Limbaugh Letter is a monthly publication that contains conservative articles and humor in Rush's style.

Limbaugh is involved in the conservative satire show "The 1/2 Hour News Hour" show on the [[Fox News Channel]]. <ref>
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021602098.html Fox News Channel's '1/2 Hour News Hour': Right Funny, in Spots] washingtonpost.com</ref>

Rush occasionally writes op-ed pieces for the [[Wall Street Journal]].

== The Harry Reid Letter ==
On October 2, 2007, Senate Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] wrote a letter to Mark P. Mays, President and CEO of Clear Channel Communications, who is Limbaugh's chief patron. In it Senator Reid essentially demanded that Mays order Limbaugh to apologize for remarks he made concerning "phony soldiers."<ref name=ReidText>Reid, Harry, ''et al.'' "[http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=284699 Letter to Mark P. Mays of Clear Channel Communications]." [http://reid.senate.gov/ Electronic Office of US Senator Harry Reid], October 2, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2007.</ref> A ''phony soldier'' is someone who is not a soldier at all but is pretending to be one, especially in a public forum. Such activity is unlawful, and the faker whose activity prompted Limbaugh's attacks has since been convicted and punished.<ref name=PhonySoldier>Limbaugh, Rush. "[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092807/content/01125106.guest.html The Anatomy of a Smear: 'Phony Soldiers' Is a Phony Story]." ''[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html Rush Limbaugh Official Site]'', accessed December 25, 2007.</ref> This letter was co-signed by nearly all Democratic senators. In a speech in Philadelphia on October 11th, Limbaugh announced plans to sell the original letter on eBay in a charity auction. The proceeds went to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. The letter sold for $2.1 million and Limbaugh matched the winning amount with a total of $.2 million being donated. <ref>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/420889/harry_reidrush_limbaugh_letter_nets.html</ref>

== Quotes ==
* "You know why there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one." - Rush Limbaugh, 17 Aug 1993

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See Also==
*[[Previous Breaking News/Rush Limbaugh|Articles about '''Rush Limbaugh''' from previous "Breaking News"]]
*[[Conservative Links]]
*[[Rush Derangement Syndrome]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html Official Rush Limbaugh website]
*[http://www.cspan.org/Watch/watch.aspx?MediaId=HP-A-15919 Rush's 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Speech], ''C-SPAN'', February 28, 2009
==Further reading==
* Gordon, Scott. ''Rush Limbaugh: An Oral & Media Biography'' (2009). 258pp quotes and comments by his friends and enemies.
* Jamieson, Kathleen Hall, and Joseph N. Cappella. ''Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment'' (2008) balanced analysis by scholars; compares Limbaugh with Fox and ''Wall Street Journal'' [http://www.amazon.com/Echo-Chamber-Limbaugh-Conservative-Establishment/dp/0195398602/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261865854&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Limbaugh, Rush}}

[[Category:Broadcasters]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:Conservative Commentators]]
[[Category:Obama Presidency]]

Wilhelm Kaulbach

2009-12-28T03:11:16Z

JimR: Undo revision 738503 by JohnathanWilliamson (Talk)

'''Wilhelm Kaulbach''' (1805 – 1874) was a German [[painter]] and illustrator. He was a beauty-loving art.

[[File:Kalbauch The Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus.jpg]]

The Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, 1846. [http://www.xs4all.nl/~androom/biography/p025158.htm]

== Some works ==

* "Die Hunnenschlacht" (1834, frescoe at the Neues Museum, Berlin)
* "Die Zerstörung von Jerusalem" ("The Destruction of Jerusalem", 1846, Neune Pinakothek, München)
* "Kaiser Otto III In Der Gruft Karls Des Grossen" (1859, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg).

== See also ==

*[[Painting Schools]]
*[[Painting Masterpieces]]
*[[Gallery of German Masterpieces]]
*[[Samuel Hirszenberg]]

[[Category:Painters]]

American History Homework Seven Answers - Student Seventeen

2009-12-28T03:02:22Z

JimR: Undo revision 738499 by 4chanReturns (Talk)

DanielleR.

1.‘The Gilded Age’, named that by Samuel Clemens, was the period during the late 1800’s where everything appeared to be golden and shiny, but underneath its surface it was full of corruption and greed.

: Excellent, will use as a model answer!

2.I like Thomas Edison because despite everything he had going against him, being mostly deaf and deemed an idiot, he became one of the most influential men in the world. I think that if he hadn’t been homeschooled, his teacher would’ve ignored him because she thought he was dumb and he would’ve been discouraged. Putting Edison in public school would’ve been more of a handicap than being mostly deaf.

: Superb.

3.To Americans the frontier was land to acquire and inhabit. They were free to work it, produce food, and provide for their family.

: Terrific, but how did that influence their ''views''? Always be sure to answer the question that is asked: "How do you think the frontier might have affected the views of Americans?" (Minus 1).

4.I think that the freedom and choices America offers is the perfect environment for inventors to thrive in. They had nothing holding them back except their imagination.

: Good, nice point about imagination.

5.I think that political cartoons are an extremely important part of history. They stick with you more than words. They allow people to express their opinions in a way that grasps the reader without them feeling like they’re trying to be persuaded. One of the most famous and influential political cartoon is Uncle Sam’s ‘I want you’ picture. This is still extremely popular today.

: Superb.

6.Other than obviously Edison, Rockefeller made oil a big business and is still a hot topic today in the current election.

: Nice tie-in to the current election!

7.The cartoon depicts Uncle Sam on a horse sinking in the quicksand of gold. The cartoonist puts prosperity far away where Sam is trying to go, but has to get past all the bimetallism and controversy to get there. The cartoonist obviously does not see the use of gold as a way to success and prosperity.

: Good.

H3. '''Debate: Do you support a "spoils system" or a "civil service system"?'''
Although nothing can be 100% perfect because we’re only human, I think that a civil service system would probably work better than the spoils system. If a president wins the election and puts all the men in office that agree with his point of view, than he has more power. Power is never good in human hands.

: Excellent point!

H4. No, I do not support unions. In a union, it doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much you accomplish, unions just say that you aren’t being paid enough for it. This discourages working hard to earn your raise because you can be lazy and still get paid well for it.

: Superb again! Will also use as a model answer.

H5. My view of his speech was that it was extremely well written, but contained ideas that are not what America needs. He was speaking what Americans wanted to hear and on his own passion. It sounded good, but needed to be useful and applicable to actually be good.

: Excellent.

: Terrific answers. Score: 99/100. Congratulations!--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 18:57, 1 November 2008 (EDT)
[[Category:American History Homework Seven Answers]]

Gabon

2009-12-28T02:52:24Z

JimR: omar bongo died months ago

{{Country
|name =''République Gabonaise''
|map =Gabon rel 2002.jpg
|flag =Flag of Gabon.png
|arms =Arms of Gabon.png
|capital =Libreville
|capital-raw =
|government =Republic
|government-raw =
|language =French
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Ali Bongo Ondimba
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Jean Eyeghe Ndong
|pm-raw =
|area =103,347 sq mi
|pop =1,454,867
|pop-basis =2005
|gdp =$9.621 billion
|gdp-year =2005
|gdp-pc =$7,055
|currency =CFA franc
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''Gabonese Republic''' is a west [[Africa]]n country on the [[equator]], bordering [[Cameroon]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], and the [[Republic of the Congo]], with a coastline on the [[Atlantic Ocean]].

==People==
Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin. Gabon has at least 40 ethnic groups, with separate languages and cultures. The largest is the Fang (about 30%). Other ethnic groups include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke/Obamba, Nzebi, and Bakota. Ethnic group boundaries are less sharply drawn in Gabon than elsewhere in Africa. French, the official language, is a unifying force. More than 12,000 French people live in Gabon, including an estimated 2,000 dual nationals, and France dominates foreign cultural and commercial influences. Historical and environmental factors caused Gabon's population to decline between 1900 and 1940. It is one of the least densely inhabited countries in Africa, and a labor shortage is a major obstacle to development and a draw for foreign workers. The population is generally accepted to be just over 1 million but remains in dispute.
*Population (July 2007 est.): 1,454,867.
*Annual growth rate (2007 est.): 2.036%.
*Ethnic groups: Fang (largest), Myene, Bapounou, Eshira, Bandjabi, Bakota, Nzebi, Bateke/Obamba.
*Religions: Christian (55%-75%), Muslim, animist.
*Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi.
*Education: Years compulsory--to age 16. Attendance--60%. Literacy--63%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate--54/1,000. Life expectancy--54 yrs.
*Work force (500,000 est.): Agriculture--52%; industry and commerce--16%; services and government--33%.

==Government and Political Conditions==
Under the 1961 constitution (revised in 1975, rewritten in 1991, and revised in 2003), Gabon is a republic with a presidential form of government. The National Assembly has 120 deputies elected for a 5-year term. The president is elected by universal suffrage for a 7-year term. The president can appoint and dismiss the prime minister, the cabinet, and judges of the independent Supreme Court. The president also has other strong powers, such as authority to dissolve the National Assembly, declare a state of siege, delay legislation, and conduct referenda. A 2003 constitutional amendment removed presidential term limits and facilitated a presidency for life.

In 1990 the government made major changes to Gabon's political system. A transitional constitution was drafted in May 1990 as an outgrowth of the national political conference in March-April and later revised by a constitutional committee. Among its provisions were a Western-style bill of rights; creation of a National Council of Democracy to oversee the guarantee of those rights; a governmental advisory board on economic and social issues; and an independent judiciary. After approval by the National Assembly, the PDG Central Committee, and the President, the Assembly unanimously adopted the constitution in March 1991. Multiparty legislative elections were held in 1990-91, despite the fact that opposition parties had not been declared formally legal.

The elections produced the first representative, multiparty National Assembly. In January 1991, the Assembly passed by unanimous vote a law governing the legalization of opposition parties. After President Bongo was re-elected in a disputed election in 1993 with 51% of votes cast, social and political disturbances led to the 1994 Paris Conference and Accords, which provided a framework for the next elections. Local and legislative elections were delayed until 1996-97. In 1997, constitutional amendments were adopted to create an appointed Senate and the position of vice president, and to extend the president's term to 7 years.

Facing a divided opposition, President Bongo was re-elected in December 1998. Although the main opposition parties claimed the elections had been manipulated, there was none of the civil disturbance that followed the 1993 election. Peaceful though flawed legislative elections in 2001-02 produced a National Assembly dominated by the President's party and its allies. National Assembly elections were held again in 2006.

In November 2005, President Bongo was elected for his sixth term. He won re-election easily, but opponents claim that the balloting process was marred by irregularities. There were some instances of violence following the announcement of Bongo's win, but Gabon generally remained peaceful.

For administrative purposes, Gabon is divided into 9 provinces, which are further divided into 36 prefectures and 8 separate subprefectures. The president appoints the provincial governors, the prefects, and the subprefects.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President of the Republic, Founder of the Gabonese Democratic Party--El Hadj Omar Bongo
*Vice President--Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge
*Prime Minister, Head of Government--Jean Eyeghe Ndong
*Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Jean Ping
*Ambassador to the United States--Jules Marius Ogouebandja
*Ambassador to the United Nations--Denis Dangue-Rewaka

===Foreign Relations===
Gabon has followed a nonaligned policy, advocating dialogue in international affairs and recognizing both parts of divided countries. Since 1973, the number of countries establishing diplomatic relations with Gabon has doubled. In inter-African affairs, Gabon espouses development by evolution rather than revolution and favors regulated free enterprise as the system most likely to promote rapid economic growth. Concerned about stability in Central Africa and the potential for intervention, Gabon has been directly involved with mediation efforts in Chad, the Central African Republic, Angola, Congo/Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. In December 1999, through the mediation efforts of President Bongo, a peace accord was signed in Congo/Brazzaville between the government and most leaders of an armed rebellion. President Bongo has remained involved in the continuing Congolese peace process, and has also played a role in mediating the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire. Gabon has been a strong proponent of regional stability, and Gabonese armed forces played an important role in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) mission to the Central African Republic.

Gabon is a member of the UN and some of its specialized and related agencies, as well as of the World Bank; the African Union (AU); the Central African Customs Union/Central African Economic and Monetary Community (UDEAC/CEMAC); EU/ACP association under the Lome Convention; the Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA); the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC); and the Nonaligned Movement. Gabon withdrew from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1995.

==Defense==
Gabon has a small, professional military of about 10,000 personnel, divided into army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and national police. Gabonese forces are oriented to the defense of the country and have not been trained for an offensive role. A well-trained, well-equipped 1,500-member guard provides security for the president.

==Economy==
Gabon's economy is dominated by oil. Oil revenues comprise 65% of the Government of Gabon budget, 43% of gross domestic product (GDP), and 81% of exports. Oil production is now declining rapidly from its high point of 370,000 barrels per day in 1997. In spite of the decreasing oil revenues, little planning has been done for an after-oil scenario. Gabon public expenditures from the years of significant oil revenues were not spent efficiently. Overspending on the Transgabonais railroad, the oil price shock of 1986, the CFA franc devaluation of 1994, and low oil prices in the late 1990s caused serious debt problems. Gabon has earned a poor reputation with the Paris Club and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the management of its debt and revenues. Successive IMF missions have criticized the government for overspending on off-budget items (in good years and bad), over-borrowing from the Central Bank, and slipping on the schedule for privatization and administrative reform. In September 2005, Gabon successfully concluded a 15-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF. Gabon seeks a multi-year successor arrangement.

Gabon's oil revenues have given it a strong per capita GDP of $7,200, extremely high for the region. On the other hand, a skewed income distribution and poor social indicators are evident. The richest 20% of the population receives over 90% of the income, and about a third of Gabonese live in poverty. The economy is highly dependent on extraction of abundant primary materials. After oil, logging and manganese mining are the other major sectors. Foreign and Gabonese observers have consistently lamented the lack of transformation of primary materials in the Gabonese economy. Various factors have so far stymied more diversification--small market of 1 million people, dependence on French imports, inability to capitalize on regional markets, lack of entrepreneurial zeal among the Gabonese, and the fairly regular stream of oil "rent". The small processing and service sectors are largely dominated by just a few prominent local investors. At World Bank and IMF insistence, the government embarked on a program of privatization of its state-owned companies and administrative reform, including reducing public sector employment and salary growth, but progress has been slow.
*GDP (2006 est.): $7.052 billion.
*Annual real growth rate (2006 est.): 2.8%.
*Per capita income (2006 est.): $7,200.
*Avg. inflation rate (2006 est.): 2.2%.
*Natural resources: Petroleum (43% of GDP), timber, manganese, uranium.
*Agriculture and forestry (5.9% of GDP): Products--cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar, and pineapples. Cultivated land--1%.
*Industry (59.7% of GDP): Types--petroleum related, wood processing, food and beverage processing.
Services (25% of GDP).
*Trade (2006): Exports--$6.677 billion (f.o.b.): petroleum, wood, manganese. Major markets--U.S. 53%, China 8.5%, France 7.4%, EU, Asia. Imports--$1.607 billion (f.o.b.): construction equipment, machinery, food, automobiles, manufactured goods. Major suppliers--France 43%, U.S. 6.3%, U.K. 5.8%, Netherlands 4%. Current account balance (2006 est.)--$1.807 billion.

==History==
During the last seven centuries, Bantu ethnic groups arrived in the area from several directions to escape enemies or find new land. Little is known of tribal life before European contact, but tribal art suggests rich cultural heritages. Gabon's first European visitors were Portuguese traders who arrived in the 15th century and named the country after the Portuguese word "gabao," a coat with sleeve and hood resembling the shape of the Komo River estuary. The coast became a center of the slave trade. Dutch, British, and French traders came in the 16th century. France assumed the status of protector by signing treaties with Gabonese coastal chiefs in 1839 and 1841. American missionaries from New England established a mission at Baraka (now Libreville) in 1842. In 1849, the French captured a slave ship and released the passengers at the mouth of the Komo River. The slaves named their settlement Libreville--"free town." An American, Paul du Chaillu, was among the first foreigners to explore the interior of the country in the 1850s. French explorers penetrated Gabon's dense jungles between 1862 and 1887. The most famous, Savorgnan de Brazza, used Gabonese bearers and guides in his search for the headwaters of the Congo River. France occupied Gabon in 1885 but did not administer it until 1903. In 1910, Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa, a federation that survived until 1959. The territories became independent in 1960 as the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), and Gabon.

At the time of Gabon's independence in 1960, two principal political parties existed: the Bloc Democratique Gabonais (BDG), led by Leon M'Ba, and the Union Democratique et Sociale Gabonaise (UDSG), led by J.H. Aubame. In the first post-independence election, held under a parliamentary system, neither party was able to win a majority. The BDG obtained support from three of the four independent legislative deputies, and M'Ba was named Prime Minister. Soon after concluding that Gabon had an insufficient number of people for a two-party system, the two party leaders agreed on a single list of candidates. In the February 1961 election, held under the new presidential system, M'Ba became President and Aubame became Foreign Minister.

This one-party system appeared to work until February 1963, when the larger BDG element forced the UDSG members to choose between a merger of the parties or resignation. The UDSG cabinet ministers resigned, and M'Ba called an election for February 1964 and a reduced number of National Assembly deputies (from 67 to 47). The UDSG failed to muster a list of candidates able to meet the requirements of the electoral decrees. When the BDG appeared likely to win the election by default, the Gabonese military toppled M'Ba in a bloodless coup on February 18, 1964. French troops re-established his government the next day. Elections were held in April 1964 with many opposition participants. BDG-supported candidates won 31 seats and the opposition 16. Late in 1966, the constitution was revised to provide for automatic succession of the vice president should the president die in office. In March 1967, Leon M'Ba and Omar Bongo (then Albert Bongo) were elected President and Vice President. M'Ba died later that year, and Omar Bongo became President.

In March 1968, Bongo declared Gabon a one-party state by dissolving the BDG and establishing a new party--the Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG). He invited all Gabonese, regardless of previous political affiliation, to participate. Bongo was elected President in February 1975; in April 1975, the office of vice president was abolished and replaced by the office of prime minister, who had no right to automatic succession. Bongo was re-elected President in December 1979 and November 1986 to 7-year terms. Using the PDG as a tool to submerge the regional and tribal rivalries that divided Gabonese politics in the past, Bongo sought to forge a single national movement in support of the government's development policies.

Economic discontent and a desire for political liberalization provoked violent demonstrations and strikes by students and workers in early 1990. In response to grievances by workers, Bongo negotiated with them on a sector-by-sector basis, making significant wage concessions. In addition, he promised to open up the PDG and to organize a national political conference in March-April 1990 to discuss Gabon's future political system. The PDG and 74 political organizations attended the conference. Participants essentially divided into two loose coalitions, the ruling PDG and its allies, and the United Front of Opposition Associations and Parties, consisting of the breakaway Morena Fundamental and the Gabonese Progress Party.

The April 1990 conference approved sweeping political reforms, including creation of a national Senate, decentralization of the budgetary process, freedom of assembly and press, and cancellation of the exit visa requirement. In an attempt to guide the political system's transformation to multiparty democracy, Bongo resigned as PDG chairman and created a transitional government headed by a new Prime Minister, Casimir Oye-Mba. The Gabonese Social Democratic Grouping (RSDG), as the resulting government was called, was smaller than the previous government and included representatives from several opposition parties in its cabinet. The RSDG drafted a provisional constitution in May 1990 that provided a basic bill of rights and an independent judiciary but retained strong executive powers for the president. After further review by a constitutional committee and the National Assembly, this document came into force in March 1991. Under the 1991 constitution, in the event of the president's death, the prime minister, the National Assembly president, and the defense minister were to share power until a new election could be held.

Opposition to the PDG continued, however, and in September 1990, two coup d'etat attempts were uncovered and aborted. Despite anti-government demonstrations after the untimely death of an opposition leader, the first multiparty National Assembly elections in almost 30 years took place in September-October 1990, with the PDG garnering a large majority.

Following President Bongo's re-election in December 1993 with 51% of the vote, opposition candidates refused to validate the election results. Serious civil disturbances led to an agreement between the government and opposition factions to work toward a political settlement. These talks led to the Paris Accords in November 1994, under which several opposition figures were included in a government of national unity. This arrangement soon broke down, however, and the 1996 and 1997 legislative and municipal elections provided the background for renewed partisan politics. The PDG won a landslide victory in the legislative election, but several major cities, including Libreville, elected opposition mayors during the 1997 local election.

President Bongo coasted to easy re-elections in December 1998 and November 2005, with large majorities of the vote against a divided opposition. While Bongo's major opponents rejected the outcome as fraudulent, some international observers characterized the results as representative despite any perceived irregularities. Legislative elections held in 2001-02, which were boycotted by a number of smaller opposition parties and were widely criticized for their administrative weaknesses, produced a National Assembly almost completely dominated by the PDG and allied independents. National Assembly elections were held again in December 2006.

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2826.htm]}}}.
|}
[[Category:African Countries]]

Internet

2009-12-28T02:21:27Z

JimR: Undo revision 738465 by Codyw (Talk)

The '''Internet''' is a global network of interconnected smaller [[computer]] networks. Data is transmitted between computers and networks in small packets using the Internet Protocol (IP); they are reassembled at their destination. It originated in work funded by the Advanced Research Projects Administration (ARPA), a research funding arm of the [[Department of Defense]].

==Origin==
The conceptual foundation for the internet's creation was significantly developed by three individuals and a research conference, each of which changed the way we thought about communication, business and the exchange of technology:

*Vannevar Bush wrote the first description of the potential uses for information technology with his description of the "memex" automated library system.
*Norbert Wiener invented the field of Cybernetics, encouraging future researchers to focus on the use of technology to extend human capabilities.
*The 1956 Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence conference defined the concept that technology was improving at an exponential rate, and provided the first serious consideration of the consequences, the benefits and advantages or such a network.
*Marshall McLuhan made the idea of a global village interconnected by an electronic nervous system part of our popular culture. <ref>http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii.htm </ref>
*Ethan K. Heinz (cousin of Teresa Heinz), originally developed Internet as ARPANET in the US as a means for various institutes to communicate with each other even in an event such as war. <ref>[http://www.internetisseriousbusiness.com]</ref> The Internet has grown into a worldwide computer network where anyone can have a chat with anyone else almost anywhere in the world, and is a vast source of free information.

==Description==
The Internet is sometimes also known as "[[cyberspace]]." Sometimes it is inaccurately referred to as the Web or the [[World Wide Web]]; the Web is facilitated by one of numerous protocols that operate on the Internet.

The common protocol used to access websites (including this one) is the Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The creator of this is [[Sir Tim Berners-Lee]], who recently in an online magazine article claimed that given the opportunity, he wouldn't use the HTTP format for websites. Berners-Lee is currently the director of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium).

[[Ted Stevens]] famously referred to the internet as "a series of tubes" during a panel on [[network neutrality]]. While the statement was technically inaccurate, it is a reasonable depiction of the internet as an interconnected system to a lay person.

The internet is formed from two basic elements, routers and connections. A router is basically a small computer that acts like a switching station, similar to the pumping stations of public water utilities. The connections are the pipes themselves, acting as a means to move packets from one router to another, and eventually from server to client.

==Controversy==
Although the Internet has been shown to contain valuable information, it also contains pornographic or otherwise vulgar material. Therefore, some conservatives would like to see tighter controls on the Internet which would limit what can be hosted and what can be downloaded.

In 1999, [[Democratic]] presidential candidate [[Al Gore]] misspoke when intending to take partial credit for the development of the internet when he referenced his High Performance [[Computing]] and Communication Act of 1991, commonly known as the "Gore Bill":<ref>http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/03/09/president.2000/transcript.gore/</ref>

:CNN's WOLF BLITZER: I want to get to some of the substance of domestic and international issues in a minute, but let's just wrap up a little bit of the politics right now.

:Why should Democrats, looking at the Democratic nomination process, support you instead of Bill Bradley, a friend of yours, a former colleague in the Senate? What do you have to bring to this that he doesn't necessarily bring to this process?

:AL GORE: Well, I will be offering -- I'll be offering my vision when my campaign begins. And it will be comprehensive and sweeping. And I hope that it will be compelling enough to draw people toward it. I feel that it will be.

:But it will emerge from my dialogue with the American people. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.

In response to [[Al Gore|Al Gore's]] comments, [[Robert Kahn]] and [[Vinton Cerf]], the two men responsible for the creation of the [[TCP/IP]] protocol which the internet uses for most of its communication and two men often credited as the creators of the internet along with [[Sir Tim Berners-Lee]], said the following:
<blockquote>
Al Gore was the first political leader to recognize the importance of the Internet and to promote and support its development.

No one person or even small group of persons exclusively “invented” the Internet. It is the result of many years of ongoing collaboration among people in government and the university community. But as the two people who designed the basic architecture and the core protocols that make the Internet work, we would like to acknowledge VP Gore’s contributions as a Congressman, Senator and as Vice President. No other elected official, to our knowledge, has made a greater contribution over a longer period of time.

Last year the Vice President made a straightforward statement on his role. He said: "During my service in the United States Congress I took the initiative in creating the Internet." We don't think, as some people have argued, that Gore intended to claim he "invented" the Internet. Moreover, there is no question in our minds that while serving as Senator, Gore's initiatives had a significant and beneficial effect on the still-evolving Internet. The fact of the matter is that Gore was talking about and promoting the Internet long before most people were listening.<ref>http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200009/msg00052.html</ref>
</blockquote>

Their letter continued to go on to enumerate Al Gore's involvement in the early periods of the internet.

==Keeping Pornography out of the Reach of Children==
Studies have shown that 90% of children have been exposed to pornography, with the average age of exposure being 11 years old <ref>http://www.healthymind.com/s-porn-stats.html</ref>. Many countries have attempted to take steps to keep underage children from viewing pornographic material. [[Australia]] has taken the additional step of requiring [[internet service providers]] to use web filters to keep inappropriate material from being displayed in houses and schools<ref>http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/31/2129471.htm</ref>. This effort is being blocked by civil liberties groups (such as the [[American Civil Liberties Union]]) who believe that pornagrophy should be considered [[free speech]], and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the government.

Currently many private companies offer software-based web filtering for home use.

==See Also==
*[[Digital Philosophy]]

==External Links==
*[http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/0,39029471,49299033,00.htm The 50 most significant moments of Internet history], ''Crave at CNET.co.uk'', September 25, 2008

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Information technology]]
[[Category:Internet]]

Theodor Adorno

2009-12-28T02:21:09Z

JimR: Undo revision 738467 by Codyw (Talk)

[[Image:Adorno.jpg|right]]
'''Theodor Adorno''' (Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1903 – Visp, Switzerland, 1969) was a German social psychologist who belonged to the left-wing 'Frankfurt School' of critical theorists.

Adorno was one of the most important philosophers and social critics in [[Germany]] after [[World War II]].

::: ''Wrong life cannot be lived rightly.''

== External links ==

*[http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-ador.htm Theodor Adorno]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/adorno/ Theodor W. Adorno] Stanford University.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adorno, Theodor}}
[[Category:Sociology]]