Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Rant

2009-04-30T03:06:39Z

KlausW:

A '''rant''' is a method of trying to get one's point across via a violent, excessive, pompous, and often long and incoherent statement of [[speech]] or text. A ranting person is often blinded by belief that everything they are saying is true, and thus doesn't even realize how illogical or aggressive their '''rant''' is. People resort to ranting when they realize that they will fail to get their point across using [[civility|civil]] debate, because they don't have any real arguments to use.

== See Also ==

[[User:Conservative]]

[[Category:Rhetoric]]

Tea

2009-04-30T03:05:43Z

KlausW:

[[Image:Tea usda1.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
'''Tea''' is a beverage made by steeping leaves and buds, most often from the plant ''Camellia sinensis''.

Tea originated in [[China]], although it is now grown throughout the world, and rivals the olive as the key cash crop of the Holy Land.

The drinking of tea is common throughout Asia, the British Isles, where it is often drunk with milk, and the former Soviet Union (especially [[Abkhazia]], South Ossetia, and Transnistria, where it is increasingly replacing melon juice as the national drink). Tea is often served with cake. Mmm... tea and cake.

== Varieties of tea ==

While [[tisanes]], also known as herbal teas, are made from various herbs, flowers, spices, or fruits, all tea, properly speaking, is made from the leaves of a single plant species. All true tea is produced from one of several varieties, naturally occurring or domesticated, of ''camellia sinensis''. Tea is generally classified in terms of how the leaves have been processed. White, green, black and oolong are the generally recognized Western designations, although there is considerable variety within these categories, especially the last one. Although it is little known in the West, pu-erh tea, made over years or even decades from moldy, decaying leaves, is also a popular variety in China.

== "Famous" tea varieties ==

Notable Chinese teas include keemun, a sweet, spicy [[black tea]], lung-ching, a bitter, nutty green tea, and bai mu dan, one of the more affordable varieties of white tea. The finest grade of Japanese tea is probabably gyokuro, a green tea whose leaves are kept shaded to preserve a delicate flavor. In [[India]], tea is grown in the [[Nilgiri]], [[Sikkim]], [[Dooars]] and [[Putharjhora]] regions, but most Indian tea is grown in [[Assam]]. The Indian tea most prized by connoisseurs comes from the mountainous region of [[Darjeeling]]. This is much imitated and grown in the nearby mountains of [[Nepal]]. Since the later part of the nineteenth century, [[Sri Lanka]] has been an important region for tea cultivation, producing brisk, flavorful black tea still known as "Ceylon tea" after the island's earlier name. The most famous oolong tea is probably [[ti kuan yin]], a tea very close to a green tea in oxidation. Like many oolongs, ti kuan yin is made from tightly rolled leaves which unfold as the tea steeps. The Wu Yi mountain region is also home to a variety of teas of the same name. The island of [[Taiwan]] is famous for its oolong teas, either dark and rich or mild and fragrant. These are known as [[Formosa oolong]] after the [[Portuguese]] name for the island.

== Preparing Tea ==

The amount of time necessary to prepare tea varies greatly depending upon the variety of tea and the desired flavor. Sweet China black teas can be brewed for six or seven minutes before straining the leaves from the water. Extremely bitter teas, including some Darjeelings, should be steeped for under two minutes. The quality of the leaves also matters here, and broken leaves or leaf dust only need to be steeped for about a minute to release their flavor. Good, whole-leaf tea can be brewed more than once and tightly rolled oolongs can be steeped several times.

Black tea is made with boiling water, but with other teas, cooler water is often necessary. The more delicate green and white teas can require water no warmer than 165 degrees. The usual temperature for green, white and the lighter oolong teas is 180 degrees. It is important, in serving tea, to warm the pot in which the tea is prepared and warm the cups in which it is served.

[[Iced tea]] can be made in two different ways. The first process, the only effective process with black tea, involves brewing exceptionally strong tea and rapidly cooling it over ice. White, green, and oolong teas can also be brewed as iced tea through cold steeping. This involves soaking the leaves in cold water for approximately twelve hours. For health reasons, it is essential that tea prepared this way be kept cool.

== Additives ==

Tea is often drunk unadulterated, especially in China and Japan. But in other parts of the world, tea is enjoyed with added ingredients. Milk, sugar, and lemon are the most common additives in the [[United States]] and [[Europe]]: the first dilutes the taste of strong teas, the second sweetens sour teas, and that third of these removes the edge from bitter teas. In India it is common to enjoy tea with various spices, such as cardamom and star anise, as well as milk and sugar. In [[Tibet]], tea is drunk with fermented [[yak]] butter.

[[Category:Beverages]]

Cake

2009-04-30T03:05:01Z

KlausW:

[[Image:Benedict XVI George W Bush birthday.jpg|thumb|350px|[[President George W. Bush]] presents [[Pope Benedict XVI]] with a birthday cake]]'''Cake''' is a [[dessert]] food usually consisting of [[bread]], sugar, eggs, and other ingredients added for various flavors, which are mixed together and usually baked. The [[Egyptians]] made honeycakes, and the [[Ancient Greeks]] had "plakous", which were made of [[honey]] and [[nut]]s.

Cakes are typically made from butter, sugar and flour with eggs and a flavoring. There is also a [[leavening]] agent of baking soda or baking powder that causes the cake to rise in the oven. Baking soda is used where there is an acid ingrediant like [[lemon]] juice to activate it. Cakes must be baked shortly after adding the baking soda to the batter or the batter will go flat and your cake will be very thick.

Cake flour has a lower [[gluten]] content and makes a more delicate texture.

Popular cakes include:
*[[Carrot]] cake
*[[Black Forest]] cake
*[[Strawberry]] shortcake
*[[User:TK]]

A cake is the traditional dessert at [[wedding]]s. Because of the numerous guests at the reception, wedding cakes are often very large and elaborate, involving several tiers of cake.

Cakes are also popular to celebrate [[birthday]]s.

==References==
* http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcakes.html#aboutcake
* http://www.recipes4cakes.com/cakehistory/

[[Category:Baked Goods ]]

Federal Bureau of Investigation

2009-04-30T03:02:55Z

KlausW:

[[Image:FBISeal.png|right|200px|thumb|Federal Bureau of Investigation]]
The '''Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)''' is the investigative arm of the [[US Department of Justice]]. The FBI's investigative authority can be found in Title 28, Section 533 of the US Code. Additionally, there are other statutes, such as the Congressional Assassination, Kidnapping, and Assault Act (Title 18, US Code, Section 351), which give the FBI responsibility to investigate specific crimes, including internet vandalism.

==Mission==
The mission of the FBI is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners.

==Priorities==
*Protect the United States from [[terrorist]] attack.
*Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and [[espionage]].
*Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes.
*Combat public corruption at all levels.
*Protect [[civil rights]].
*Combat transnational and national criminal organizations and enterprises.
*Combat major white-collar crime.
*Combat significant [[violent crime]].
*Support federal, state, county, municipal, and international partners.
*Upgrade technology to successfully perform the FBI's mission.<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/priorities/priorities.htm Facts and Figures]</ref>

==Crimes under FBI jurisdiction==
===National Security priorities===
*'''Counterterrorism'''
:International Terrorism
:Domestic Terrorism
:Weapons of Mass Destruction
*'''Counterintelligence'''
:Counterespionage
:Counterproliferation
:Economic Espionage
*'''Cyber Crime'''
:Computer Intrusions
:Online Predators
:Piracy/Intellectual Property Theft
:Internet Fraud
===Criminal Priorities===
*'''Public Corruption'''
:Government Fraud
:Election Fraud
:Foreign Corrupt Practices
*'''Civil Rights'''
:Hate Crime
:Human Trafficking
:Color of Law
:Freedom of Access to Clinics
*'''White-Collar Crime'''
:Antitrust
:Bankruptcy Fraud
:Corporate/Securities Fraud
:Health Care Fraud
:Identity Theft
:Insurance Fraud
:Money Laundering
:Mortgage Fraud
:Telemarketing Fraud
:More White-Collar Frauds
*'''Organized Crime'''
:Italian Mafia/LCN
:Eurasian
:Balkan
:Middle Eastern
:Asian
:African
:Sports Bribery
*'''Major Thefts/Violent Crime'''
:Art Theft
:Bank Robberies
:Cargo Theft
:Crimes Against Children
:Cruise Ship Crime
:Indian Country Crime
:Jewelry and Gems Theft
:Murder for Hire
:Retail Theft
:Vehicle Theft
:Violent Gangs

==The Director==
The FBI is headed by a Director who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. On October 15, 1976, in reaction to the extraordinary 48-year term of [[J. Edgar Hoover]], Congress passed Public Law 94-503, which limits the term of each FBI Director to ten years.

The current Director, Robert S. Mueller, III, was confirmed as Director of the FBI by the Senate on August 2, 2001. He took the oath of office on September 4, 2001. Director Mueller previously served as US Attorney for the Districts of Northern California and Massachusetts and as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division. Director Mueller has experience in the private practice of law and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. For three years, he also served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Director Mueller holds a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University, a master's degree in international relations from New York University, and a law degree from the University of Virginia.

==Headquarters==
FBI Headquarters is currently located in the J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. The Special Agents and support personnel who work at Headquarters organize and coordinate FBI activities around the world. Headquarters personnel determine investigative priorities, oversee major cases, and manage the organization's resources, technology, and personnel. Headquarters also has a role in gathering and distributing information. If a Special Agent in Boise, Idaho, has some information that would help an Agent in New York City solve a case, Headquarters is responsible for making sure the information gets from Boise to New York.

Headquarters plays a key role in fighting terrorism. It is the focal point for intelligence, not only from around the country, but from the CIA and various countries overseas. Headquarters takes the intelligence information it collects, analyzes it, and sends it to field offices, state and municipal police departments, and other federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security.

In the late 1990s, the FBI put a professional scientist in charge of the Laboratory and instituted reforms to improve evidence handling and optimize research. As the FBI has grown, some Headquarters functions have been moved to other locations. The Criminal Justice Information Services Division is located in Clarksburg, [[West Virginia]]. The Laboratory and Investigative Technologies Divisions are located in [[Quantico]], Virginia. Other specialized facilities, such as high-tech computer forensics centers, are at various locations across the country.

==Budget==
In fiscal year (FY) 2003, the FBI received a total of $4.298 billion, including $540.281 million in net program increases to enhance Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, Cybercrime, Information Technology, Security, Forensics, Training, and Criminal Programs.

==Field Offices==
The nuts and bolts work of the FBI is done in its 56 field offices and their 400 satellite offices, known as resident agencies. It is the Special Agent in the field who looks for clues, tracks down leads, and works with local law enforcement to catch and arrest criminals. A Special Agent in Charge oversees each field office, except for the largest field offices, in [[Washington, DC]], [[Los Angeles]], and [[New York City]], which are headed by an Assistant Director.

==International Offices==
In addition to its field offices across the United States, the FBI has 45 offices known as Legal Attachés or "Legats" located around the world. Legats are our first line of defense beyond our borders. Their goals are simple-to stop foreign crime as far from American shores as possible and to help solve international crimes that do occur as quickly as possible.

To accomplish these goals, each Legat works with law enforcement and security agencies in their host country to coordinate investigations of interest to both countries. Some Legats are responsible for coordination with law enforcement personnel in several countries. The purpose of these Legats is strictly coordination; they do not conduct foreign intelligence gathering or counterintelligence investigations. The rules for joint activities and information-sharing are generally spelled out in formal agreements between the United States and the Legat's host country. The entire worldwide Legat program is overseen by a Special Agent in Charge located at FBI Headquarters.

==National Security Branch==
The National Security Branch (NSB) was established on September 12, 2005, in response to a presidential directive to establish a “National Security Service” that combines the missions, capabilities, and resources of the counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and intelligence elements of the FBI under the leadership of a senior FBI official. In July 2006, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate was created within the NSB to integrate WMD components previously spread throughout the FBI.

==Training==
In the FBI, learning is a lifelong process for both Special Agents and support personnel. New Agents' Training incorporates counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cyber investigation matters into basic investigative courses so Agents are better able to recognize and address these intertwined threats. For example, training in financial crimes shows Agents how certain acts should be closely reviewed for possible money laundering activities by terrorist groups.

FBI support personnel enjoy a variety of training opportunities throughout their careers, including in-service training on counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cybecrime, and other matters; language training; distance learning via satellite; and courses offered through the FBI's "Virtual Academy."

===College of Analytical Studies===
The FBI's College of Analytical Studies provides training for intelligence analysts using state-of-the-art computer tools. A variety of courses are offered to FBI personnel, members of Joint Terrorism Task Forces around the country, and Department of Justice analysts.

===National Academy===
Since 1935, the FBI has offered the National Academy program to experienced law enforcement managers nominated by their agency heads because of their leadership qualities.

The 11-week multidisciplinary program emphasizes leadership development. The [[University of Virginia]] accredits its academic courses. Courses offered include management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science. More than 36,000 police managers have graduated from the FBI National Academy.

===Field Police Training===
A Special Agent at each FBI field office coordinates training programs for state and local law enforcement and public safety employees within that office's territory. Course topics include hostage negotiation, computer crime, death investigations, violent crimes, criminal psychology, and forensics. In FY 2002, the field police training programs trained 48,021 law enforcement and public safety employees.

===Leadership and Management Science Programs===
The FBI conducts three five-day National Executive Institute seminars for heads of large law enforcement agencies each year. Since the program began in 1976, more than 800 top police managers have completed the seminar. In FY 2000, 59 police managers from mid-sized law enforcement agencies completed the FBI's two-week Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS). The FBI also offers 18 Regional Mini-LEEDS/Command Colleges each year for the heads of small law enforcement agencies.

===International Training and Assistance===
In FY 2002, the FBI provided training to more than 8,050 police officers and executives representing 118 countries through courses offered at FBI facilities and at on-site in-country seminars. Courses were offered in Major Case Management and Terrorist Crime Scenes Investigation, among others. The FBI also administers an [[International Law Enforcement Academy]] in [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]], and supports a second Academy in Bangkok, Thailand. The curricula at both International Academies are based on the FBI National Academy model.

==History==
===Bureau of Investigation===
On July 26, 1908, Attorney General (AG) Charles J. Bonaparte ordered a small force of permanent investigators (organized a month earlier) to report to the Department of Justice's Chief Examiner, Stanley Finch. AG Bonaparte declared that these investigators would handle all Department of Justice (DOJ) investigative matters, except certain bank frauds. At first, little seemed to come of AG Bonaparte's reorganization.

In 1909, this investigator force was named the Bureau of Investigation (BOI). At this time, it investigated antitrust matters, land fraud, copyright violations, peonage (involuntary slavery), and twenty other matters. Over the next decade, federal criminal authority and Bureau jurisdiction were extended by laws like the 1910 "White-Slave Traffic" Act that put responsibility for interstate prostitution under the Bureau for a time and the 1919 Dyer Act that did the same for interstate auto-theft. US entry into World War I in April 1917 led to further increases in the Bureau's jurisdiction. Congress and President Wilson assigned the BOI's three hundred employees responsibility for espionage, sabotage, sedition, and selective service matters.

===The Gangster Era===
The 1920's brought Prohibition, the automobile, and an increase in criminal activity. Bank robbers, bootleggers, and kidnappers took advantage of jurisdictional boundaries by crossing state lines to elude capture. A criminal culture marked by violent gangsters flourished, but no federal law gave the BOI authority to tackle their crimes and other law enforcement efforts were fragmented. The Bureau addressed these matters as its jurisdiction permitted throughout the 1920's.

In 1924, Attorney General Harlan Stone appointed John Edgar Hoover as Director. Director Hoover (1924-1972) implemented a number of reforms to clean up what had become a politicized Bureau under the leadership of William J. Burns (1921-1924). Hoover reinstated merit hiring, introduced professional training of new Agents, demanded regular inspections of all Bureau operations, and required strict professionalism in the Bureau's work.

Notorious John Dillinger and his gang terrorized the Midwest from September 1933 until July 1934, killing 10 men, wounding 7 others, robbing banks and police arsenals, and staging 3 jail breaks. On July 22, 1934, Dillinger was shot and killed by FBI Agents outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago.

Under Hoover, the Bureau also began to emphasize service to other law enforcement agencies. The Identification Division was created in 1924 to provide US police a means to identify criminals across jurisdictional boundaries. The Technical Crime Laboratory, created in 1932, provided forensic analysis and research for law enforcement, and the FBI National Academy, opened in 1935, provided standardized professional training for America's law enforcement communities.

In answer to the violent crime of the 1930's, Congress began to assign and expand new authorities to the Bureau. The kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's baby son in 1932 led to the passage of the Federal Kidnapping Act, which allowed the Bureau to investigate interstate kidnappings. The 1933 Kansas City Massacre spurred the passage of the 1934 May/June Crime Bills. These laws gave the Bureau authority to act in many new areas, to make arrests, and to carry weapons. Renamed "Federal Bureau of Investigation" in 1935, the FBI dealt with gangsters severely, earning its anonymous agents the nickname "G-Men."

===World War II===
As the gangster threat subsided, a threat of a different nature emerged. In 1936, President Roosevelt directed the FBI to investigate potential subversion by Nazi and Communist organizations. In 1940, he tasked the Bureau with responsibility for foreign intelligence in the western hemisphere and domestic security in the United States. In response, the Bureau created a Special Intelligence Service (SIS) Division in June 1940. The SIS sent undercover FBI Agents throughout the Western Hemisphere. These Agents successfully identified some 1,300 Axis intelligence agents (about 10% of whom were prosecuted). When President Truman ordered the program's end in 1947, several former SIS offices became the backbone of the FBI's foreign liaison efforts, now serving as Legal Attaché Offices. FBI efforts also thwarted many espionage, sabotage, and propaganda attempts on the home front, including Frederick Duquesne's spy ring in 1941 and George Dasch's band of saboteurs in 1942.

===Cold War===
When Germany and Japan surrendered in 1945, concern about the threat of foreign intelligence did not end. Revelations that year from former Soviet intelligence agents like Igor Guzenko and Elizabeth Bentley, information gleaned from FBI investigations during and after the war, and decrypted/decoded Soviet cable traffic called "Venona" (available to the Bureau from 1947), convinced the FBI of the seriousness of the Soviet intelligence threat long before Senator Joseph McCarthy made his 1950 speech about communist "moles." Under the Hatch Act (1940) and Executive Orders issued in 1947 and 1951, the Bureau exercised responsibility for ensuring the loyalty of those who sought to work in the government. The FBI played a critical role in US handling of the Cold War.

===Political activism===
In the 1950's, civil rights violations and organized crime became matters of increasing concern. As in the past, lack of jurisdiction hindered the Bureau from effectively responding to these problems when they first emerged as national issues. It was under the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act that the Bureau received legislative authority to investigate many of the wrongs done to African Americans in the South and elsewhere. Under existing laws, the Bureau's efforts against organized crime also started slowly. Then, with the 1968 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act and the 1970 Organized Crime Control Act, Congress gave the Bureau effective weapons with which to attack organized criminal enterprises, Title III warrants for wiretaps and the Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

During the 1960's, subversion remained a central focus of Bureau efforts. The counter-cultural revolution turned the Bureau's attention towards violent student movements, as criminal groups like the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers engaged in both legitimate political action and illegal crime. The Bureau responded to the threat of subversion with Counterintelligence Programs (COINTELPRO) first against the Communist Party (1956), later against other violent/subversive groups like the Black Panthers and the Ku Klux Klan (1960's). These programs resulted in the Bureau, at times, effectively stepping out of its proper role as a law enforcement agency.

During the 1970's, Bureau actions, which were publicly revealed through a strengthened Freedom of Information Act (1966, amended in 1974), resulted in congressional investigations like the Church Committee and the Pike Committee hearings in 1975. In response to criticisms emerging from these revelations, the Bureau worked with Attorney General Levi to develop guidelines for its domestic counterintelligence investigations.

===After Hoover===
J. Edgar Hoover served as FBI Director for almost 50 years. In the wake of Director Hoover's death in May 1972, Director Clarence M. Kelley (1973-1977) refocused FBI investigative priorities to place less emphasis on having a high number of cases and to focus more on the quality of cases handled. Working with the Bureau and Congress in 1976, Attorney General Edward Levi issued a set of investigative guidelines to address the concerns of Bureau critics and to give the FBI the confidence of having public, legal authority behind its use of irreplaceable investigative techniques like wiretaps, informants, and undercover agents. These investigative techniques were used to great effect in cases like ABSCAM (1980), GREYLORD (1984), and UNIRAC (1978). In 1983, as concerns about terrorist acts grew, Attorney General William French Smith revised the Levi Guidelines to adjust the Bureau's ability to prevent violent radical acts.

Director William H. Webster (1977-1987) built upon Director Kelley's emphasis on investigative "quality" cases by focusing Bureau efforts on three Priority Programs: White Collar Crime, Organized Crime, and Foreign Counterintelligence. Later, Illegal Drugs (1982), Counterterrorism (1982), and Violent Crimes (1989) were also identified as priority programs. This concentration of resources brought great success against Soviet and East Bloc intelligence as more than 40 spies were arrested between 1977 and 1985. The FBI also made breakthroughs against white-collar crime in investigations like ILLWIND (1988) and LOST TRUST (1990), and in organized crime cases like BRILAB (1981) and the PIZZA CONNECTION (1985).

During the 1990's, criminal and security threats to the United States evolved as new technology and the fall of communism in the Soviet bloc changed the geopolitical world. The 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centers and the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building highlighted the potentially catastrophic threat of both international and domestic terrorism. The FBI responded to the emerging international face of crime by aggressively building bridges between US and foreign law enforcement. Under the leadership of Director Louis J. Freeh (1993-2001), the Bureau dramatically expanded its Legat Program (39 offices by fall 2000); provided professional law enforcement education to foreign nationals through the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest (opened in 1994) and other international education efforts; and created working groups and other structured liaisons with foreign law enforcement.

The Bureau also strengthened its domestic agenda. Responding to criticism of its actions in the 1993 standoffs at Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, the Bureau revamped its crisis response efforts. The FBI's commitment to law enforcement service was strengthened by the computerization of its massive fingerprint collection database, enhancements in the National Crime Information Center, and by the revitalization of the FBI Laboratory. In 1997, the Bureau hired its first professional scientist to head the Lab. The Lab tightened its protocols for evidence control, instituted organizational changes to optimize research specialization, and earned national accreditation.

===September 11, 2001===
On September 4, 2001, former US Attorney Robert S. Mueller, III, (2001 to present) was sworn in as Director with a mandate to address a number of tough challenges: upgrading the Bureau's information technology infrastructure; addressing records management issues; and enhancing FBI foreign counterintelligence analysis and security in the wake of the damage done by former Special Agent and convicted spy Robert S. Hanssen.

Then within days of his entering on duty, the September 11 terrorist attacks were launched against New York and Washington. Director Mueller led the FBI's massive investigative efforts in partnership with all US law enforcement, the federal government, and our allies overseas. On October 26, 2001, the President signed into law the US Patriot Act, which granted new provisions to address the threat of terrorism, and Director Mueller accordingly accepted on behalf of the Bureau responsibility for protecting the American people against future terrorist attacks. On May 29, 2002, the Attorney General issued revised investigative guidelines to assist the Bureau's counterterrorism efforts.

To support the Bureau's change in mission and to meet newly articulated strategic priorities, Director Mueller called for a reengineering of FBI structure and operations that will closely focus the Bureau on prevention of terrorist attacks, on countering foreign intelligence operations against the US, and on addressing cyber-based attacks and other high technology crimes. In addition, the Bureau remains dedicated to protecting civil rights, and to combating public corruption, organized crime, white-collar crime, and major acts of violent crime. It is also strengthening its support to federal, county, municipal, and international law enforcement partners. And it is upgrading its technological infrastructure to successfully meet each of its priorities.

At the start of the new millennium, the FBI stands dedicated to its core values and ethical standards. Commitment to these values and standards ensures that the FBI effectively carries out its mission.

==Links==
*[http://www.fbi.gov/homepage.htm Federal Bureau of Investigation official site]
*[http://www.fbi.gov/wanted.htm FBI's "Most Wanted" page]
*[http://www.fbi.gov/hq/td/academy/academy.htm FBI Academy]
*[http://www.slate.com/id/2163407/?nav=fix&GT1=9330 How to get on the List]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:United States Law]]
[[Category:Crime]]

Fundamentalism

2009-04-30T03:01:49Z

KlausW: /* See also */

'''Fundamentalism''' is a movement which began within [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Christianity]] in the late [[19th century]] in opposition to the emergence of [[modernism]] within several denominations.

== Birth of the Fundamentalist Movement ==

Fundamentalism developed as an extension of the [[doctrine of inerrancy]] in response to Protestant clergy concerns regarding professional authority at the start of the [[20th century]]. The term itself was popularized by [[R.A. Torrey]] when he published his book ''The Fundamentals'' in 1917. Fundamentalism stresses several points:

* The inerrancy of the [[Bible]]
* The [[Virgin Birth]] of [[Christ]]
* The bodily [[resurrection]] of Christ
* The substitutionary [[atonement]] of Christ on the cross
* The literal nature of the Biblical accounts of Christ's miracles, the [[Creation]] account in Genesis, and so on

Fundamentalism held to these points in opposition to such trends as [[higher criticism]] and the increasing acceptance of [[Darwinism]], which were popular among modernists. Fundamentalist movements were found in most Protestant denominations by the early 20th century, with the debate between fundamentalists and modernists especially strong in [[Presbyterian]] and [[Baptist]] churches. The term fundamentalism would later come to be closely associated with [[dispensationalist]] beliefs, belief in the impending Second Coming of Christ, and with [[Evangelical]] Christianity in general.

== The Term Fundamentalism in Modern Times ==

The term slowly came to mean all movements within religions that reject modernizing/liberalizing influences and attempt to stay true to the word of that religion's scriptures. The term has been applied to Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. Christian fundamentalism differs from Orthodoxy in its sole reliance on the Bible and disregard for previously established tradition. Similarly, within Islam, the "fundamentalist" movements (such as [[Wahhabism]]) seek to remove perceived impurities in Islam and return it to the believed roots. Unlike Christianity, however, these uncovered roots have spawned incredibly amounts of violence. "Fundamentalist" Hinduism is, in a way, a contradiction in terms. Hinduism has no one sacred holy book, and thus no original scriptures to return to, and so the term is instead used to describe those Hindus who are intolerant of the existence of other religions (and occasionally non-Indians) in their communities.

The term fundamentalist is also self-applied by a breakaway movement from The [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], calling itself Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This group, who's leader was convicted on conspiracy charges relating to child rape, claims to continue the original revelations of Joseph Smith. It is held to be apostate by the mainstream church, and cannot truly be called fundamentalist, as it ignores the doctrine of continuous revelation to the leaders of the church.

There are no fundamentalist Jews, as all movements to return to the basic tenets of [[Judaism]] simply result in increased orthodoxy. Judaism may be unique in this regard. Though according to scholars such as Samuel C. Heilman, Menachem Friedman, and Werner Backeberg, there are "truly fundamentalist Jews" who are "a minority of a minority of a minority (that is, approximately 30 percent of Orthodox Jewry, which itself is only about 15 percent of the apporximately twelve million members of world Jewry)."<ref> Fundamentalism, Werner Backeberg (Faculty of Theology) Institute for Missiological and Ecumenical Research (IMER), University of Pretoria, p. 19 </ref><ref> [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Fundamentalism-Observed/Martin-E-Marty/e/9780226508788 ''Fundamentalism Observed''], p. 198 </ref>

In recent times, the [[liberal media|media]] has taken to describing any conservative non-denominational church or conservative evangelical church as fundamentalist. While these churches do strive to return to the basics of Christianity—its fundamentals—there is a clear attempt to link these groups with other so-called fundamentalist groups in Islam and Hinduism which have perpetuated heinous acts of violence (the [[9/11]] attacks by a Muslim group and the assassination of [[Mohandas K. Gandhi]] by a Hindu for example). Recently, there has been something of a change, with the media starting to refer to Islamic extremists as "radical Muslims." Despite this, the attempt to associate the term fundamentalism with such unrelated concepts as [[Christian Identity]] has succeeded somewhat and it has turned into a pejorative term among [[atheists]], [[liberals]], and [[Darwinists]]. <ref> Chapter 19 "The Fundamentalist and Neo-Evangelical Traditions" in [http://books.google.com/books?id=e7BXpAsDXh0C&pg=RA1-PA352&vq=Fundamentalist+fanatic&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1 ''American Religious Traditions: The Shaping of Religion in the United States''], Richard E. Wentz, Fotress Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8006-3616-3</ref>

== Philosophical distinction between fundamentalism and fanaticism ==
The philosopher Jay Newman concedes that religious fundamentalists are not fanatics. He nevertheless maintains that some unidentified "we" (possibly meaning those who hold [[Professor values]]) are allowed to deplore the methods and objectives of fundamentalists. Moreover, Newman smuggles in an allowance for subjective and bigoted suspicions against religious fundamentalists as possible fanatics until they prove themselves otherwise. To see exactly how he does this, here is Newman's concession<ref> ''Fanatics & Hypocrites'' by Jay Newman (1986) p. 54 (in the ''Frontiers of Philosophy Book Series''), ISBN 0-97975-348-X</ref>:
{{cquote|If some religious fundamentalists eloquently defend their decision to campaign aggressively for the removal of certain "adult" novels from the public school library—if they were to cite relevant facts and figures with some care and point to relevant observations by noted educational psychologists—then, while we may still deplore their methods and objectives, we will probably abandon our initial suspicion that they are fanatics.}}

==Jews and Christian fundamentalism==
Historically speaking, the vast and overwhelming majority of fundamentalists have been and remain [[zionism|zionists]]. Fundamentalist-evangelicals rejoiced when part of Jerusalem was annexed after the 1967 six day war, whereas the [[National Council of Churches]] (by then a mere puppet of the always highly questionable forces of Christian Liberalism) denounced Israel. Liberal Christianity called for the "internationalization" of Jerusalem throughout the 1960s, while Christian fundamentalists believed and expressed their hope for Biblical [[prophecy]]: [[God]] promised Jerusalem to Israel.<ref name=Rausch>''[http://books.google.com/books?id=-BPjHQAACAAJ Zionism Within Early American Fundamentalism 1878-1918: A Convergence of Two Traditions]'', David A. Rausch, Edwin Mellen Press, 1979, ISBN 9-88946-875-3, ISBN 0-88946-976-8, p.4 </ref>

===Differences between liberal and fundamentalist Christians ===
There are three main differences between [[liberal Christianity|liberal Christian theology]] and fundamentalism-evangelicalism that affect their respective attitudes toward Jewish people. These differences<ref name=Rausch/> are:
#Fundamentalism's literal interpretation of [[prophecy]] versus Liberalism's spiritual interpretation.
#Fundamentalism's equal weighting of the Old and New Testaments versus Liberalism privileging the New, especially the liberal tendency to interpret critical remarks against Judaism without taking into full account the Old Testament and the fact that Jesus was genetically and culturally Jewish.
#Fundamentalism's belief in unconverted Israel over against Liberalism's conversion requirement (i.e., so-called replacement theology).

== See also ==
* [[John Gresham Machen]]
* [[Southern Baptist Convention]]
* [[Theory of Fundamentalist anti-Semitism]]
* [[User:Aschlafly]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/6528/fundcont.htm Online copy of ''The Fundamentals'']
* [http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/czionism.htm Christian Zionism]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Protestantism]]
[[Category:Christian Movements]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Fundamentalism]]

Parody

2009-04-30T03:01:03Z

KlausW:

A '''parody''' is a humorous mockery of popular [[songs]], [[literature]], [[films]], or even genres. Parody is often mixed with [[satire]], which attacks the character of individuals through parody.

== Examples ==
[[Johnathan Swift]]'s ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]'' parodied the entire genre of travelers' journals, made popular by [[Daniel Defoe]]'s ''[[Robinson Crusoe]].'' It creates absurd stories and lands, and in doing so, mocked sectarian war, the English legal and political system, and the scientists of the [[Royal Society]].

Novels by [[Terry Pratchett]], while based in a fantasy world, parody diverse elements of modern society, from business, to culture, to war.

A number of films (unfortunately, often crude and liberal) mock famous films. ''Austin Powers'' is a parody of the ''[[James Bond]]'' series for example.

''The Onion'' is a popular fake-news newspaper, which creates absurd stories in the style of real reporting.

A fine example of literary parody is “The Modern Hiawatha”, from “The Song of Milkanwatha” by George A Strong. Strong gently mocks the repetitive literary style of Longfellow.

First, a snippet of Longfellow:
::"''He had mittens, Minjekahwun,''
:''Magic mittens made of deer-skin;''
:''When upon his hands he wore them,''
:''He could smite the rocks asunder,''
:''He could grind them into powder.''
:''He had moccasins enchanted,''
:''Magic moccasins of deer-skin;''
:''When he bound them round his ankles,''
:''When upon his feet he tied them,''
:''At each stride a mile he measured!''"

Now Strong:

::''”He killed the noble Mujokovis,
:''With the skin he made him mittens,
:''Made them with the fur side inside,
:''Made them with the skin side outside,
:''He, to get the warm side inside,'
:''Put the inside skin side outside:
:''He, to get the cold side outside,
:''Put the warm side fur side inside:
:''That’s why he put the fur side inside,
:''Why he put the skin side outside,
:''Why he turned them inside outside.”

== Conservapedia policy toward parodists ==
A number of liberals think it amusing to insult and mock [[conservatives]] by posting absurd, over-the-top parody at Conservapedia, typically to paint conservatives as [[racist]], unintelligent, or otherwise absurd. Given that this behavior is extremely harmful to Conservapedia's editors and readers alike, not to mention highly offensive, there is a zero-tolerance policy toward parody.

== See Also ==

[[User:TK]]

[[Category:Rhetoric]]

Bugle

2009-04-30T02:59:18Z

KlausW:

[[Image:BuglerII.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A US Naval Militia bugler]]
A '''bugle''' is a simple [[brass]] [[instrument]], similar to a [[trumpet]] but with no valves. Because it is unvalved, the bugle can only play a limited range of notes and is thus not suitable for use in [[orchestra]]s, though it is common in brass bands and military bands.

Instruments similar to the bugle have been in existence since ancient times. The 'trumpets' used by [[Gideon]]'s army in the book of [[Judges]] were probably closer to bugles than modern trumpets.

Bugles are often used to play loud fanfares, announcing the arrival of an important guest. In former times, messengers often used bugles to herald their presence, which is presumably why 'bugle' is a common name for [[newspaper]]s (eg "The Daily Bugle").
[[Category:Brass Instruments]]

== See Also ==

[[User:TK]]

Troll

2009-04-30T02:58:36Z

KlausW:

== Folklore ==

A troll is a mythical creature, like a giant or a dwarf.

==

A troll, in [[Internet]] parlance, is an entity or character that purposely disrupts a conversation via [[usenet]] or [[email]], a comment thread on a [[blog]], or another sort of website. For example, on [[Wiki | Wikis]], users who purposely make disruptive edits are considered trolls.

An [[Internet]] troll will lock their target, bait the line and spread the net to catch their goal (unwitting victim).

== See also ==
[[Euro liberal troll]]

== External Links ==
*[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=troll Troll] -- Dictionary definition
*[http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll.htm Beware The Troll]
*[http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll-tactics.html Recognising and Dealing with Trolls]

[[Category:Mythical Beasts]]
[[category:internet slang]]