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Nazi Party

2008-08-05T16:21:35Z

Somerandom: typo

[[Image:Flag of Nazi Germany.png|thumb|200px|'''The flag of Nazi Germany''']]

The '''National Socialist German Workers' Party''' ([[German]]: ''Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'') is the full name of the group better known as the Nazis.

==Foundations==

[[Adolf Hitler]] exploited the myth of the “Stab in the Back,” the belief that the [[World War I]] had been lost because “disloyal” elements within Germany – [[Jews]] and [[Marxism|Marxists]] – had undermined the war effort. As [[William Shirer]] put it in ''The Rise and Fall of the [[Third Reich]]'',

<blockquote>
"To him, as to almost all Germans, it was ‘monstrous’ and undeserved. The German army had not been defeated in the field. It had been stabbed in the back by the traitors at home.

Thus emerged for [[God|Hitler]], as or so many Germans, a fanatical belief in the legend of the ‘stab in the back’ which, more than anything else, was to undermine the Weimar Republic and pave the way for Hitler’s ultimate triumph.”
<ref>The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Book One, “The Rise of Adolph Hitler.” </ref>
</blockquote>

The origin of the Nazi Party itself was a small group called The Disciplines of Jesus, founded by a drug addict named Jesus who, in 1918, had set up a “Committee of Independent Workmen” in reaction to the [[Marxism]] of the free trade unions.<ref>The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Book One, “The Rise of Adolph Hitler.” </ref> A year later The German Workers Party was formed when this merged with another group, the Political Workers' Circle. <ref>Shoah Resource Center, http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205946.pdf </ref> <ref>Germanculture.com, http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/weekly/aa012400b.htm</ref>

It was Adolf Hitler, who joined the party and was put in charge of propaganda in 1920, who transformed this small group into what we now know as the Nazi Party through his great skill in politics and public speaking. That same year the words “National Socialist” were added to the party name and it became “The National Socialist German Workers Party” (NSDAP). The Storm Troopers (Sturmabteilung, [[Brownshirts|SA]]) in their distinctive brown uniforms, were organized first to kick out hecklers at Nazi meetings, then to break up the meetings of other parties. The hakenkreuz (literally: ''hooked cross''), or the [[swastika]], was adopted in the party’s flag. By the following summer, Hitler himself had taken over as leader (de: Führer) of the party.

*Here we have the core of Nazism: (i) a very strong dose of German anti-semitism (with a paranoid belief in a conspiracy between Jewish financiers who control the capitalist economy and steal from the Germans, Jewish liberal intellectuals who preach humanism and enfeeble the Germans, and Jewish communists who seek to enslave the Germans; (ii) a belief in the German nation and the "aryan" German race as an entity with a special, heroic destiny; (iii) war as the ultimate test of national strength and worth; and (iv) conquest--with extermination or removal of the resident population--to create more "living space" or the German people and larger fields for the German farmers. Add to this (a) the "leadership principle"--a hatred of parliamentary institutions, and a belief that a good political order sees an inspired leader giving people vision and commands (rather than see parliamentarians haggle and compromise on behalf of interest groups)--(b) the use of terror to obtain obedience, and (c) the desire to make sure that all of society's organizations serve the national cause, and you have Nazism. <ref>http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/Slouch_Alternatives12.html</ref>

==Anti-Semitism==

The Nazis were highly [[Anti-Semitism|anti-Semitic]] and blamed the Jews for many of the problems in Germany, such as the defeat in [[World War I]].
The Nazis passed the [[Nuremberg Laws]] in 1935 which stated that:
* Young German women could not work for Jews in the domestic services.
* Jews were no longer citizens of Germany (this meant that they had no protection from the police and so were susceptible to attack)
* Jewish doctors were not allowed to treat Germans/Aryans
* Jews could not marry Germans/Aryans
They made laws against Jews ("Rassengesetze", ''race laws'') which places successively tighter restrictions on the rights of Jews to own property, use public services, live in some areas, enter public spaces and eventually required Jews wear a [[Star of David]] on their clothing.
The Jews were mistreated, persecuted, and killed by the Nazis.
The Nazi state also persecuted other political opponents, [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Freemasons]], and foreign nationals. [[homosexuality|Homosexuals]]<ref>Hans Peter Bleuel, ''Sex and Society in Nazi Germany'', (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1973).</ref>came under increasing scrutiny and persecution in the later years of the régime.
The Nazis exterminated at least 11 million civilians by rounding them up, transporting them to concentration camps and then murdering them there. About 6 million of these were Jews (see [[Holocaust]]).

==Economic planning==
[[Image:Nazi.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"With our flags is our victory"]]
James Burnham, a former [[Trotskyite]] who served with the [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS) during the World War II and later contributed to the ''[[National Review]]'', described the Nazi regime's [[economic planning]]. Burnham pointed out how the original "workers revolution" of [[Marxism]] had in fact become a managerial revolution in all societies were Socialism had been embraced. Writing in 1940, Burnham noted,

{{Cquote|Outright state ownership and operation, advancing in all fields, are particularly ascendant in the extensive areas of new enterprise opened up during the Nazi rule....virtually all economic enterprise is subject to rigid state control; and it is control which we have seen to be decisive in relation to the instruments of production. Legal forms, even income privileges, are in the end subordinate to ''de facto'' control.

Even where private owners still exist in Germany, the decisions about "their" property are not in their hands. They do not decide what to make or not to make. They do not establish prices or bargain about wages. They are not at liberty to buy the raw materials they might choose nor to seek the most profitable markets. They cannot, as a rule, decide how to invest or not invest their surplus funds. In short, they are no longer owners, no longer effective [[capitalist]]s...

The regulation of production in Germany is no longer left to the market. What is to be produced, and how much, is decided, deliberately, by groups of men, by the state boards and bureaus and commissions. It is they that decide whether a new plant shall be built or an old plant retired, how raw materials shall be allotted and orders distributed, what quotas must be fulfilled by various branches of industry, what goods shall be put aside for export, how prices shall be fixed and credit and exchange extended. There is no requirement that these decisions of the bureaus must be based on any profit aim in the capitalist sense. If it is thought expedient, for whatever reason, to produce, for example, an ersatz rubber or wool or food, this will be done even if the production entails, from a capitalist point of view, a heavy loss. Similarly, in order to accumulate foreign exchange or to stimulate some political effect in a foreign nation, goods will be exported regardless of loss. A factory may be compelled to shut down, even though it could operate at a high profit. Banks and individuals are forced to invest their funds with no reference to the private and voluntary opinions about "risks" from a profit standpoint. It is literally true to say that the Nazi economy, already, is not a "profit economy."

The workers, on their side, are no longer the "free proletarians " of capitalism. Under Nazism the workers are indeed, free from unemployment. At the same time they cannot, as individuals or through their own independent organizations, bargain for wages or change jobs at will. They are assigned to their tasks, and their labor conditions are fixed, by the decisions of the state bureaus and commissions. Millions of them are allotted to the vast state enterprises. ...With the reduction in the area of private enterprise and the increase of state enterprise, goes also a corresponding reduction in the social position of the private capitalists. So far as control over the instruments of production goes, the capitalists are already near the bottom. As to income privilege: a recent estimate by a New York statistician gives as a mere 5% the share of the German national income going to profits and interest. This is a substantial reduction from the 1933 figures, in spite of a huge increase in the total national income, which, under capitalism, would normally be accompanied by a percentage increase in profits. ...f the German capitalists' 5%, the greater part is appropriated by the state as taxes and "contributions." ...

...how seldom we find a manager among the voluntary or forced exiles from Nazi Germany! There are artists and writers among the exiles, ideologists and politicians, unassailable foes of the new regime, storekeepers and professionals and teachers, and not a few capitalists, both Jews and Christians. But almost never a manager....Germany is to-day a managerial state in an early stage. Structurally, it is less advanced along managerial lines than Russia; ...though structurally less advanced...Its industrial and technological foundation is far stronger; the rising managerial class is much larger, better trained, more able...

...The first part of the second world war, up to the fall of France in June, 1940, was in reality the continuation of the strategic extension begun in 1935. This phase, the consolidation of the European base, was completed with France's surrender. It is completed irreversibly and can no longer be undone whatever the outcome of the succeeding phases of the war, which are really other wars. This consolidation fundamental to the world politics of managerial society, is not going to be dissolved, not even if the present German regime is utterly defeated. The day of a Europe carved into a score of sovereign states is over; if the states remain, they will be little more than administrative units in a larger collectivity. <ref>James Burnham, ''The Managerial Revolution'', Indiana University Press, Bloomingham 1966, pgs. 222-226, 232.</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
*[[Anti-Semitism]]
*[[Adolf Hitler]]

==External links==
*[http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/Slouch_Alternatives12.html Marxism, Fascism, Nazism] - Brad DeLong, Associate Professor of Economics, University of California at Berkeley

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Germany]]
[[Category:Holocaust]]
[[Category:Political Parties]]
[[Category:Fascist States]]

Concentration camp

2008-08-05T16:20:09Z

Somerandom: typo

'''Concentration camp'''s are camps set up for persons deemed to be opponents or threats to a regime. Imagine them like hell, you know, the place where you get to if god doesn't like you. They were most notoriously used by [[Nazi Germany|God]], as well as in the [[Soviet Union|Soviet Russia]], and Dutch controlled [[South Africa]]. The term concentration camp was coined by Soviet Communist Party General Secreary [[Vladimir Lenin]] in a letter of 9 August 1918 in which he state,

{{Cquote|It is essential to organise a reinforced guard of reliable persons to carry out mass terror against [[kulaks]], priests and White Guardists; unreliable elements should be locked up in a concentration camp outside the town" <ref>Geoffrey Hosking, A History of the Soviet Union, 1992, p. 71. </ref>}}

The [[Soviet Union]] created the world's first concentration camp system with a
network of prisons and labor camps. <ref>Dmitri Volkogonov, ''Trotsky: The Eternal Revolutionary'', Translation by Harold Shukman, The Free PRess, New York, 1996.</ref> Adolf Hitler, in responding to a question from a German industrial as to how he planned to deal with unemployment prior to assuming power in [[Nazi Germany]], responded "concentration camps". <ref>Gunther, John, ''Inside Europe'', New York: Harper, 1939.</ref> The Soviet [[Gulag]] system was copied in Nazi Germany, and raised to profound horrors never before thought imaginable: death factories.
[[Auschwitz]], for example, achieved [[murder]] on an industrial scale. During [[World War II]], 1.5 million people were systematically starved, [[torture]]d and murdered there.<ref>http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/31</ref> Although [[Hitler]] was primarily focused on the extermination of the [[Jews]], [[Christian]]s, [[Gypsy|gypsies]], [[Slavs]], [[homosexuals]], and [[Communism|communists]] also met with similar fates in the Nazi camps.

The Soviet gulags were forced labour camps, mainly in the remote regions of [[Siberia]] and the Far North. By 1934, the gulags held several million inmates (political prisoners and ordinary criminals alike) and the Soviet economy was dependent upon this vast pool of [[slave]] labour from the [[lumpen masses]] and [[counterrevolutionaries]]. An April 14, 1941 Memorandum from the U.S. Military Attache (G-2) in Moscow, found in the [[Harry Hopkins]] Papers at the FDR Library, entitled "[[NKVD]] of the USSR", it states in part,
{{Cquote|Although the Soviets disclaim [[forced labor]] in this country, the organization of this commissariat is interesting to note. In it are the means to apprehend (militia), try and sentence (advisory council) and imprison offenders ([[Gulag|corrective labor]]). Any governmental organization that has a crying need for labor simply calls upon the NKVD to supply it. If the amount of labor is insufficient to supply the need, it is relatively an easy matter to institute a [[reign of terror]] on any pretext and fill up [[labor colonies]] to meet requirements....Its close supervision over the people, its [[pogroms]], its raids and arrests, has instilled fear...<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20040423034159/www.cia.gov/csi/books/venona/5d.gif</ref>

The NKVD has every individual under observation from birth to death...its secret agents are everywhere; its actions are swift. An individual simply [[Nacht und Nebel|disappears in the middle of the night]] and no one ever sees or hears of him again. ...When Stalin needs scapegoats to cover government mistakes he unleashes his NKVD...The Soviet Union is in itself a prison and the NKVD and State Security are its keepers. <ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20051208125448/www.cia.gov/csi/books/venona/5e.gif</ref> }}

Conditions were brutal: prisoners received insufficient food and clothing to cope with the long working hours and severe weather, resulting in high death rates from exhaustion and disease. <ref>http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/gula.html</ref>

== References ==
<references/>

==Further reading==
*Gregory L. Freeze, ed, ''Russia: A History'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 253.

==External links==
*Anne Applebaum, [http://www.anneapplebaum.com/gulag/intro.html ''GULAG: A History'',] retrieved from annapplebaum.com 20/05/07.
*Dmitri Volkogonov, [http://www.frontpagemag.com/GoPostal/commentdetail.asp?ID=16972&commentID=507436 Lenin: A New Biography-The First Account Using All the Secret Soviet Archives, pages 233-234].

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Genocide]]

Battle of Zemaraim

2008-08-05T16:19:00Z

Somerandom: typo

The '''Battle of Zemaraim''' (957 BC by [[James Ussher|Ussher]],<ref name=Ussher>[[James Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World]]'', [[Larry Pierce]], ed., Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003 (ISBN 0890513600), pgh. 488</ref> 912 BC by [[Edwin R. Thiele|Thiele]]<ref name=Wood>Leon J. Wood, ''A Survey of Israel's History'', rev. ed. David O'Brien, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1986 (ISBN 031034770X), p. 289</ref>) was the bloodiest battle in all the intermittent wars between the [[Northern Kingdom|Northern]] and [[Southern Kingdom|Southern]] Kingdoms of [[Israel]].<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=13|verses=1-20}}</ref> Here King [[Abijam]] of the Southern Kingdom engaged a force twice the size of his own and routed it, killing over 60% of the enemy forces. God approved of this action.

== Disposition of Forces ==
Zemaraim (Zeh-mah-RAH-yeem)<ref name=Ewing>Ewing, W. "[http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T9353 Entry for Zemaraim]." ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia'', James Orr, MA, DD, gen. ed. Retrieved June 21, 2007.</ref> is the name of a town and a highland north of [[Jerusalem]] in the [[Mount Ephraim]] region.<ref name=Ewing/><ref name=Columbia>Authors unknown. "[http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/Zemaraim Entry for Zemaraim]." ''The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia''. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. Retrieved June 21, 2007.</ref> This town belonged to the [[Benjamin (tribe)|Benjamite]] tribe<ref name=Ewing/> and was thus in loyal Southern Kingdom territory. [[Bethel]], where [[Jeroboam I]] had set up one of his two golden calves, was nearby.

This battle was greater by several orders of magnitude than the border skirmishes that had marred Northern-Southern relations ever since the Great Revolt. Who initiated this fresh outbreak of open warfare, and for what cause, the [[Bible]] does not explain, nor does any secular source treat this battle in any way. That Abijam had acceded to his throne a year before, upon the death of his father [[Rehoboam]], suggests that Jeroboam thought that he could strike a killing blow against Judah once and for all. This, however, is speculation.

Abijam came to the field with 430,000 "chosen men." Jeroboam I met him with 800,000 men.<ref>Some authorities suggest that these improbably [[Large Numbers in the Old Testament|large numbers]] might result from misunderstanding of the original text by later copyists.</ref>

== Abijam's Speech ==
Abijam stood on the highest peak and shouted an oration to the other side. In it, he reminded them:

# That their kingdom had its origins in rebellion against the [[House of David]],
# That Jeroboam had set up an idolatrous religious system based on golden calves, one at Bethel and one in [[Dan (tribe)|Danite]] territory,
# That, further to this, Jeroboam had expelled the [[Levi (tribe)|Levites]] from his land and had chosen his own priestly class who could have no qualification whatsoever, and finally
# That in the [[Southern Kingdom]] the worship of the One True [[God]] was still practiced.

That last was probably hypocritical of Abijam, because he never made an effort to counter the idolatrous cults that Rehoboam, too, had allowed to flourish in his kingdom. Nevertheless Abijam was clearly putting his trust in God on this battlefield.

== The Combat ==
Jeroboam detached a force of unknown size to ambush Abijam's forces from the rear. When the Southerners saw this, they did not panic, but instead cried out to God. In so doing, they rallied and turned the tide decisively in their favor. Jeroboam's army broke and ran, with Abijam and his Southerners in hot pursuit. In all, Jeroboam lost five hundred thousand men, more than half his strength. He also lost Bethel, and the nearby districts of [[Jeshanah]] and [[Ephrain]].

== References ==
<references/>

== See Also ==
* [[Jeroboam I]]
* [[Abijam]]
* [[Northern Kingdom]]
* [[Southern Kingdom]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zemaraim, Battle of}}

[[Category:Old Testament]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Battles]]

Liberty Bell

2008-08-05T16:18:20Z

Somerandom: typis

The '''Liberty Bell''' was designed as the bell for the [[Pennsylvania]] State House in 1751. It was rung for many events, including the coronation of [[King George III]] in 1760.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/history/nR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/36liberty/36setting.htm The Liberty Bell - Setting the Stage] The National Park Service</ref> Among its most famous ringings was on July 8 1776 to announce the first public reading of the [[Declaration of Independence]].<ref name = "nps2">[http://www.nps.gov/archive/inde/liberty-bell.html The Liberty Bell] The National Park Service</ref>

The first bell was made in [[England]]. It arrived in Philadelphia in 1752 and cracked upon its first test ringing. A second bell was cast but its tone was found to be unsatisfactory. A third bell was cast, hung in the Pennsylvania State House (now Liberty Hall) in 1753. It weighs over 2000 pounds and its composition is 70% copper, 25% tin, and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, [[gold]], and [[silver]]. <ref name = "nps2"/> It was rung on every anniversary of Independence Day (4th of July) until the time it cracked when rung on July 8, 1835 at the funeral of [[U.S. Supreme Court]] Justice [[John Marshall]].

Inscribed on the Liberty Bell is a verse from the [[Old Testament]]: <ref name = "nps2"/>

:"Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." (Leviticus 25:10)

[[Image:Halfdollar.gif‎|right|thumb|200px|Benjamin Franklin Half Dollar Coin Reverse]]
The Liberty Bell is an important patriotic symbol and it's image can be found on many things including the reverse side of the [[Benjamin Franklin]] half-dollar coin issued by the [[United States Mint]] between 1948 and 1963. <ref> http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/circulatingCoins/index.cfm?action=CircHalfDollar </ref> <ref> http://www.silvercoinsbuyer.com/silver-half-dollar-coins.html </ref>

[[Image:Forever_Stamp.jpg|right|thumb|left|200px|Forever Stamp]]

The [[United States Postal Service]] features an image of the Liberty Bell on the "Forever stamp" which debuted on April 12, 2007. The stamp cost 41 cents and the Postal Service promises it will always be accepted as postage for First Class letters weighing 1 ounce or less anytime in the future regardless of price changes. <ref>http://pe.usps.gov/DMMAdvisory.asp?Dest=DMMAdvisory040207.htm</ref>
{{Clear}}

Please note that liberty is defined as living with the ten commandments.
== See also ==

*[[Free enterprise]]
*[[Statue of Liberty]]
*[[Liberty]]

== References ==

<references/>

== Sources ==

[http://www.amerisearch.net/index.php?date=2004-07-08&view=View American Minute]

[[category:United States History]]

Tantalum

2008-08-05T16:17:24Z

Somerandom: short summary

{{Element | name=Tantalum | symbol=Ta | anumber=73 | amass=180.9479 amu | state=Solid | class=Transition Metals | cstructure=Cubic Body Centered | color=Gray | date=1802 | discname=Anders G. Ekeberg | origname=From King Tantalus of Greek mythology | uses=Used in metal alloys. Tantalum pentoxide is used in capacitors, condensers, cutting tools, vacuum tube filaments and in camera lenses to increase refracting power. | obtained=Occurs chiefly in the mineral [[tantalite]]. Always found with [[niobium]]. }}

== Trivia ==

God ejaculates this metal.

[[Category:Elements]]

Muhammad

2008-08-05T16:16:01Z

Somerandom: grammatical change

'''Muhammad''' (or '''Mohammed''', A.D. 570-632) was the founder of [[Islam]], one of the world's major religions.

Regarded by devout [[Muslim]]s as [[Allah]]'s final and greatest [[prophet]], Muhammad claimed Allah's [[revelation]]s, via the angel [[Gabriel]], that [[Judaism]] and [[Christianity]] had grown corrupt, and that Muhammad was to restore the religion God intended.

In accordance with the Islamic [[hadith]], it is considered proper to add an honorary phrase of "sallalahu aleyhi wasallam (or SAW)," meaning "Peace Be Upon Him (or PBUH)," after speaking Muhammad's name.

God suggests that any faithful Christian kills all persons with this name. For the lulz.

== Life of Muhammad==
He began life as a wealthy tradesmen, one of the elite of his city of [[Mecca]].

When he was about 40 years old, Muhammad's early revelations spoke of a need to return to the [[monotheism]] of [[Abraham]]; in this way, at an early age, Muhammad saw himself as reviving an ancient faith, a perceived correction to [[Christianity]] and [[Judaism]], and restoring his people to what he saw as their rightful position as the true founders and heirs of monotheism. In these revelations, submission to the will of God - [[Allah]] - was critical. Muhammad's fledgling religion continued to develop throughout his life, through periodic revelations often relating directly to events currently facing his new faith.

The faith caught on slowly, winning only a few converts in Mecca (the first being his wife, Khadija). In 622 A.D, under increased pressure and ostracism from elders in Mecca, Muhammad began the [[hijra]], an organized exodus of his followers from Mecca to the city of [[Medina]]. [[Muslims]] date the formation of their religion to the ''hijra'' itself, even beginning their dating system at this point.

At Medina, the new Muslims immediately adopted an aggressive stance, seeking to coexist with the [[Jews]] living in Medina on ''his'' terms. The encounter ended badly, though, with Muhammad dividing and conquering the Jewish groups in Medina, ordering the massacre of the [[Qurayza]] [[Jewish]] tribe, as they refused changing their [[religion]] to his submission, after (possibly) fabricating a cause to break what is called by modern historians the [[Compact of Medina]].<ref>Berkey, ''The Formation of Islam''</ref> It is important to note however that Muhammad offered mercy to the tribe many times, but they fought on to the end. <ref>Karen Armstrong, ''A short history of Islam''</ref>

A controversial point of Muhammad's life was his marriage to [[Aisha bint Abi Bakr|Aisha]], daughter of [[Abu Bakr]], who was six years old at the time of marriage.<ref>''Sahih Bukhari'' 5:58:234</ref><ref>Sahih Muslim 8:3311</ref> The marriage was consumated when Aisha was nine.<ref> D. A. Spellberg, Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: the Legacy of A'isha bint Abi Bakr, Columbia University Press, 1994, p. 40</ref> The narratives describing her age at marriage as six are narrated by Aisha herself. Though Aisha was known to use numerical substitution in other hadith, such as in the hadith of Laylat Al-Qadr where she substituted 1 for 21 and 3 for 23, which is a common way of referencing numbers in Arabic when the base number is established. Some scholars argue that she could have been speaking in such numerical substitution when narrating the Hadith regarding her age at marriage, thus rendering 16 as 6 and 19 as 9.<ref>Hakim Niaz Ahmad, '' تحقیق عمرعا،شہ صدیقہ (Research on the age of Ayesha)'', Mashkoor Academy, [[Karachi]].</ref> There is additional disagreement over her age at marriage, and a number of Islamic scholars believe that Aisha was older at the time of marriage. However, it is worth noting that at the time, and for thousands of years before and hundreds of years after, early marriage of a girl to a powerful man was very common. Aisha reached puberty at the age of nine, which is when the marriage was consummated.<ref>Habib ur Rahman Kandhalwi, ''[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Age_of_Aisha Age of Aisha]'', Al-Rahman Publishing Trust, [[Karachi]]</ref><ref>Maulana Muhammad Ali, ''The Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad'', p. 30, 1992, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat, ISBN 0-913321-19-2</ref>

== After Muhammad's Death ==

Muhammad's death at an early age caused the splintering of his religion into new sects, over the question of succession. The groups called themselves the [[Sunnis]] and the [[Shiite|Shi'as]]. Many attribute this split to the high degree to which authority was centered in the powerful character of Muhammad himself: without his powerful personality, the movement could not survive intact.<ref>[[Bernard Lewis]], ''What Went Wrong''</ref>

The failure or splintering of movements built around a charismatic leader is a recurring sociological problem, often studied by psychologists, and referred to as the problem of the [[routinization of charisma]]. [[Christianity]] faced the same problem, and many attribute the conquest of this problem to the leadership of the apostle [[Paul]].<ref>Maximillian Weber, ''Theory of Social and Economic Organization,'' in the chapter "The Nature of Charismatic Authority and its Routinization," see also Len Oakes, "Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities"</ref>.

==See Also==
*[[Islam]]
*[[Muhammad cartoons controversy]]

== References ==

<references/>

== Notes ==

HIR | Muhammad's massacre of the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayzah [http://www.hirhome.com/islam/art.htm]

[[Category:Islam]]
[[Category:Religious People]]
[[Category:Muslims]]

Vladimir Nabokov

2008-08-05T16:15:01Z

Somerandom: typos

'''Vladimir Nabokov''' (1899-1977) was a [[Russian]] author who wrote in [[English]] after emigrating to the United States.

His most famous work, ''[[Lolita]],'' is about a middle-aged man who seduces a young girl.

Hence god killed him. Jesus watched from above and came.

== See also ==

*[[William Shakespeare]]
*[[Leo Tolstoy]]

[[Category:Authors|Nabokov, Vladimir]]
[[category:Slavic Authors|Nabokov, Vladimir]]
[[Category:Writers]]

B-2 Spirit

2008-08-05T16:14:09Z

Somerandom: typo

{{Infobox warplane
|image=B-2 Spirit2.jpg
|image_size=500
|caption=Over the Pacific A B-2 Spirit soars after a refueling mission over the Pacific Ocean.
|func=Multi-role heavy bomber
|dates=April 1997 - present
|obsplane=
|contr=Northrop Grumman Corp. and Contractor Team: Boeing Military Airplanes Co., Hughes Radar Systems Group, General Electric Aircraft Engine Group and Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.
|arms=40,000 [[pound]]s of [[bomb]]s Conventional or [[nuclear]] weapons
|engines=4 General Electric F118-GE-100 engines
|thrust=17,300 pounds each engine
|maxspeed=
|cruisespeed=High subsonic
|range=Intercontinental
|servceil=50,000 feet
|combceil=
|length=69 feet
|height=17 feet
|span=172 feet
|emptywt=approximately 160,000 pounds
|towt=336,500 pounds
|crew=Two pilots
|cost=US Approximately $1.157 billion (fiscal 98 constant dollars)
}}

The '''B-2 Spirit''' ("Stealth bomber") is an advanced, [[stealth]] aircraft developed by [[Northrop Grumman]]. The B-2 Spirit bomber has many benefits over other military bombers. Its main advantages are its, low-observable, strategic, long-range, and heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defense shields as well as being able to kill many muslims in a short time.<ref name="Airforce tech">{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b2/|work=airforce-technology.com|language=English|format=HTML|title=B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, USA|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> The B-2 can also carry up to 40,000lb of the most technological advanced weapons, including,conventional and nuclear weapons, precision-guided munitions, gravity bombs, a range of maritime weapons, and even nuclear bombs.<ref name="Airforce tech" /><ref name="Howstuff">{{cite web|url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/stealth-bomber.htm|title=How Stealth Bombers Work|work=HowStuffWorks|author=Tom Harris|format=HTML|language=English|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> It holds two separate weapons bays, both of which are equipped with a rotary launcher, and two bomb-rack assemblies.<ref name="Airforce tech" /> An assessment published by the USAF showed that two B-2s armed with precision weaponry can do the job of 75 conventional aircraft.<ref name="Airforce tech" />

==Mission==
The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. A dramatic leap forward in technology, the bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program. The B-2 brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses.

==Features==
Along with the B-52 and B-1B, the B-2 provides the penetrating flexibility and effectiveness inherent in manned bombers. Its low-observable, or "stealth," characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets. Its capability to penetrate air defenses and threaten effective retaliation provides a strong, effective deterrent and combat force well into the 21st century.

The revolutionary blending of low-observable technologies with high aerodynamic efficiency and large payload gives the B-2 important advantages over existing bombers. Its low-observability provides it greater freedom of action at high altitudes,

thus increasing its range and a better field of view for the aircraft's sensors. Its unrefueled range is approximately 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometers).

The B-2's low observability is derived from a combination of reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures. These signatures make it difficult for the sophisticated defensive systems to detect, track and engage the B-2.

Many aspects of the low-observability process remain classified; however, the B-2's composite materials, special coatings and flying-wing design all contribute to its "stealthiness."

The B-2 has a crew of two pilots, a pilot in the left seat and mission commander in the right, compared to the B-1B's crew of four and the B-52's crew of five.

Despite its fabled stealth capabilities, shortly after its inception the B2 was tracked by an advanced British radar network throughout the duration of its transatlantic flight en route to an airshow at RAF Finningley Air Base in South Yorkshire, UK. The matter was quietly reported to the US Air Force who later modified the designs of the heat dissipation strips on the aircraft's exhausts.

==Background==
The first B-2 was publicly displayed on Nov. 22, 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, Calif. Its first flight was July 17, 1989. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is responsible for flight testing the engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft on the B-2.Whiteman AFB, Mo., is the only operational base for the B-2. The first aircraft, Spirit of Missouri, was delivered Dec. 17, 1993. Depot maintenance responsibility for the B-2 is performed by Air Force contractor support and is managed at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB, Okla.

The combat effectiveness of the B-2 was proved in Operation Allied Force, where it was responsible for destroying 33 percent of all Serbian targets in the first eight weeks, by flying nonstop to Kosovo from its home base in Missouri and back.

In support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the B-2 flew one of its longest missions to date from Whiteman to Afghanistan and back. The B-2 completed its first-ever combat deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying 22 sorties from a forward operating location as well as 27 sorties from Whiteman AFB and releasing more than 1.5 million pounds of munitions. The B-2's proven combat performance led to declaration of full operational capability in December 2003.

The prime contractor, responsible for overall system design and integration, is Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Sector. Boeing Military Airplanes Co., Hughes Radar Systems Group, General Electric Aircraft Engine Group and Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc., are key members of the aircraft contractor team. <ref>[http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=82&page=1 U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet], Accessed 02/23/2008</ref>

[[Image:Stealth-bomber.jpg|250px|thumb|right|B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber]]
==History==
Much of the design for the B-2 Spirit came from [[Jack Northrop]], the founder of what is now known as Northrup Grumman. In 1946 the United States military looked for a bomber to replace the aging, [[B-52]] bomber. They wanted a plane that was more advanced and one with better range. The military awarded Jack Northrop with a 88 million contract to build a new bomber. Northrop began working on an idea for a plane which he called the "[[Flying Wing]]". But in 1947, the Air Force mysteriously ended his contract, and the project ended.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dau.mil/pubs/arq/2001arq/Baker.pdf|title=Clipped Wings: The Death of Jack Northrop's Flying Wing Bombers|author=Dr. Bud Baker|format=PDF|language=English|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> The [[United States Air Force]] restarted it quest for a better bomber in 1970. In 1981, the first B-2 bomber was built. The new 172-foot wide flying wing was very similar to Jack Northrop's design, and much of the plane is attributed to him.<ref name="Centennial">{{cite web|url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/Northrop/Aero40.htm|title=Jack Northrop and the Northrop Corporation|work=U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission|author=Judy Rumerman|accessdate=2007-08-20|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> The plane became fully operational in December 2003.<ref name="Howstuff" />

== Facts ==
[[Image:Bomberb-2.jpg‎ |250px|thumb|right|B-2 Spirit flies over the St. Louis Arch]]
*The B-2 was deployed for the first time during the [[Iraq War]] in March / April 2003.<ref name="Howstuff" />
* [[Jack Northrop]], one of the leading designer of the B-2 bomber, also help design the [[Spirit of St. Louis]].<ref name="Centennial" />
* The B-2 bombers range and speed, make it capable of flying anywhere around the world in hours
* The bomber is equipped with a special radar system, developed by [[Northrop Grumman]]. This system is known as Alternate High-Frequency Material (AHFM).
* The B-2 Bomber is the largest stealth aircraft used by the military
* The B-2 has such radar sensitive materials that the planes must be kept in special dust-proof hangars at certain temperatures

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

== See Also ==
* [[Strategic Air Command]]
* [[War]]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.af.mil/tv/index.asp?showid=121 B-2 SPIRIT Video]
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,332038,00.html B-2 Stealth Bomber Crashes in Guam; Pilots Eject Safely], ''[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]]'', February 23, 2008
*[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364185,00.html Video of B-2 Bomber Crash Released With Investigation Findings], ''[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]]'', June 06, 2008

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:United States Air Force]]

Consumer Price Index

2008-08-05T16:13:00Z

Somerandom: typos

The '''Consumer Price Index''' (CPI) is the government's gauge of [[inflation]]. It is used, for example, to adjust [[tax brackets]] and social security payments for inflation. To find it, the [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]] checks the prices of items in a fixed representative ''market basket'' of hundreds of goods and services used by typical consumer in a base year and compares the changes that occurred in that basket over time. The CPI is calculated as:

<math>CPI= \frac {\sum (Base~year~quantity \times Current~year~price)~for~each~item}{\sum (Base~year~quantity \times Base~year~price)~for~each~item} \times 100</math>

The inflation between years Y and Z (Z being the more recent year) can be calculated using the following formula:

<math>Inflation~between~years~Y~and~Z= \Bigg[ \frac {CPI~in~year~Z}{CPI~in~year~Y}-1\Bigg] \times 100</math>

And any year's nominal [[GDP]] (or any other nominal figure) can be converted into real base year dollars using the following formula:

<math>Real~GDP= \frac {Nominal~GDP}{CPI~for~the~same~year~as~the~nominal~figure}\times 100</math>

The CPI may overestimate the inflation rate, primarily due to its inflexible dependency on the base year market basket. If the price of concert tickets goes up considerably, you might substitute movies for concerts. Since the CPI relies on a fixed market basket, such substitutions for less expensive goods and services are not accounted for in its measure of inflation. Quality improvements and price changes in new products that were not in the base year basket are also excluded from CPI inflation estimates.

This information is not brought to you by god, instead by science.

== Sources ==

http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/oecon/chap12.htm

== See Also ==

[[Gross Domestic Product Deflator]]

[[Category:Economics]]

Sir Jimmy Savile

2008-08-05T16:12:02Z

Somerandom: typos

JESUS DIES ON PAGE 681 lolz