Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

United States of America

2007-05-14T09:46:22Z

Xenophile:

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|United States of America
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:Kljghlkjkh.png|250px]]
Flag of the United States
|-
|Capital
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|-
|Government
|Federal constitutional republic, Representative democracy
|-
|Official Language
|None ([[English]] de facto)
|-
|President
|[[George W. Bush]] ([[Republican|R]])
|-
|Vice President
|[[Dick Cheney]] ([[Republican|R]])
|-
|Senate majority leader
|[[Harry Reid]] ([[Democrat|D]])
|-
|Speaker of the House
|[[Nancy Pelosi]] ([[Democrat|D]])
|-
|House majority leader
|[[Steny Hoyer]] ([[Democrat|D]])
|-
|Area
|3,718,695 sq mi
|-
|Population (2007 estimate)
|301,554,000
|-
|GDP (2007 estimate)
|$13.049 trillion
|-
|GDP per capita (2007 estimate)
|$44,333
|-
|}

The '''United States of America''' (commonly referred to as '''the United States''', '''the USA''', '''the US''', or simply as '''America''') is a North American nation that consists of a federal union of fifty individual states and the federal District of Columbia. Its origins lie in the [[British Empire]]: it was founded on July 4, [[1776]] with the signing of the [[Declaration of Independence]], and its independence from Britain was formally recognized in 1783, following the [[American Revolutionary War|War of Independence]]. The US is currently the world's sole [[superpower]]; it has the world's largest economy, and is recognized as having the world's most powerful, although somewhat inefficient and ineffectual, military.

==Overview==

The United States has land borders with [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]], as well as several territorial water boundaries with Canada, [[Russia]] and The Bahamas. It is otherwise bounded by the [[Pacific Ocean]], the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Two of the fifty states, [[Alaska]], an exclave, and [[Hawaii]], an archipelago, are not contiguous with any of the other states. Alaska in located in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also has a collection of overseas territories and possessions around the world. Each of the 50 states has a high level of local autonomy under the federal system.

At over 3.7 million square miles (over 9.6 million km²), the U.S. (including its non-contiguous and overseas states and territories) is the third largest country by total area. It is the world's third most populous nation, with over 300 million people.

The United States' military, economic, cultural, and political influence increased through the 19th and 20th centuries. Since the mid-20th century, the United States has become a dominant global influence in contemporary economic, political, military, scientific, technological and cultural matters. With the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] at the end of the [[Cold War]], the nation emerged as the world's sole remaining superpower, greatly influencing world affairs, as it continues to do today.

==The Constitution and Politics in the United States==

[[Image:76485685i79.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The drafting committee presenting the [[Declaration of Independence]] to the [[Continental Congress]], painted by John Trumbull 1817–1819.]]

[[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and the other [[Founding Fathers]] risked a sentence of death for treason against the English Crown by signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.

Between the [[Declaration of Independence]] in 1776 and the ratification of the [[Constitution]] in 1788, the United States was governed according to the [[Articles of Confederation]].

[[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and the other [[Founding Fathers]] formally established the current structure of the United States by ratification of the [[U.S. Constitution]] in 1788.

Since 1788, the United States has had only one official governing document: the [[U.S. Constitution]].

Although officially a [[Republic]], since the Presidency of [[John Quincy Adams]], the United States has been governed by two or more [[political parties]] under the rules of a "Representative [[Democracy]]." Presently, the two major political parties are the [[Democratic Party]], and the Republican Party. The younger of the two parties, the [[Republican Party]], was created in 1854.

== The Role of Religion in Government ==

A contentious issue in modern politics is the role of religion in public life and particularly government entanglement in religious affairs. Some groups that self identify as Republican, argue that the US was founded on Christian principles and that the modern US Government should be more lenient with regards to entanglement of Christianity with politics. Others that self identify as Democrat or Libertarian argue that the Constitution is a secular document which prohibits the entanglement of religion and politics in any way. Though these divisions are on general level and a particular stance on this issue is not a prerequisite to being a member of either party.

The [[Declaration of Independence]] acknowledges the existence of a God when it refers to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and says all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." That statement was inserted at the request of [[Thomas Jefferson]], whose religious beliefs were [[Deism|Deistic]].

Many early Americans emigrated because of religious persecution in their home countries. The American [[Founding Fathers]] adhered to various sects of Christianity ranging from Catholicism, Protestantism. and Deism, and recognized that Christian tradition in addition to other legal traditions should inform the Constitution.

Based upon these beliefs, the [[Founding Fathers]] specifically placed into the [[First Amendment]] to the [[U.S. Constitution]] which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The first clause is referred to as the Establishment Clause, and the second the Free Exercise Clause.

This "Free Exercise Clause" of the [[First Amendment]] to the [[U.S. Constitution]] began increasingly to be tested and interpreted by the judiciary in the late 19th century as a result of the increasing population of religious minorities in the United States.

The [[Declaration of Independence]], [[U.S. Constitution]], the [[Federalist Papers]], and the many personal papers of the [[Founding Fathers]] have been used to examine the issue. Different and sometimes contradicting statements have been noted regarding the influence of religion on government, and it can be difficult sometimes to interpret the importance and precedence of personal beliefs, legal intent, and actual verbiage in the documents.

In recent decades, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] has used the [[Lemon Test]] as a means for determining whether or not a particular controversy causes excessive entanglement between government and religion, though in some cases has allowed religious icons (such as the Ten Commandments display in Texas <ref> http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=03-1500 </ref>). The first amendment is often paraphrased as "separation of Church and State"; a phrase originating in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association which assured them that their rights (nor anyone's rights) to free exercise of their religion would not be curtailed.

In America today, an individual's party affiliation is at times determined by their personal view of the relationship between religion and government. Many other social issues, such as Abortion, Euthanasia, Freedom of Speech, and Cloning are based on an individual's religious beliefs.

==History and geography==

[[Image:56eugyjnm.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The [[White House]], the official home and workplace of the [[President of the United States]] of America.]]

In [[1783]], when the [[Peace of Paris]] concluded hostilities against [[Great Britain]], the former [[colonial power]], the United States' population totaled some three million [[citizens]] and [[slaves]] living on slightly less than one million square miles of land. An unknown number of [[Native Americans]] also lived in the western part of the United States, which was then bordered on the west by the [[Mississippi River]], on the north by [[Lake Superior]], [[Lake Huron]], [[Lake Erie]] and [[Lake Ontario]], on the east by the [[Atlantic Ocean]], and on the south by [[Florida]], then controlled by [[Spain]]. The land border with Canada was not clarified until the [[Rush-Bagot Agreement]] of 1816.

The majority of the taxable population lived in the thirteen original [[states]]. In alphabetical order they are [[Connecticut]], [[Delaware]], [[Georgia]], [[Maryland]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New Hampshire]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[North Carolina]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Rhode Island]], [[South Carolina]] and [[Virginia]]. In 1790, an agreement between supporters of Jefferson and those of [[Alexander Hamilton]] resulted in the creation of the [[District of Columbia]] from part of [[Maryland]]; it has served as the national capital from 1800 on. The remainder of the 1783 territory was eventually organized as the states of [[Ohio]], [[Indiana]], [[Michigan]], [[Illinois]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]]. Two additional states were added during the first fifty years by [[secession]] from existing states: [[Vermont]] from New York, and [[Maine]] from Massachusetts. After that, the legality of [[secession]] became an issue.

In 1803, [[French]] emperor [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] took advantage of a lull in his war with Great Britain to sell the [[Louisiana Territory]] to the United States, more than doubling the nation's land area. This territory would later be organized as the states of [[Minnesota]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Montana]], [[Wyoming]], [[Nebraska]], [[Iowa]], [[Missouri]], [[Arkansas]], [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Louisiana]] proper. President Jefferson commissioned [[Lewis and Clark]] to explore the new territory, which they did from 1802 to 1804.

[[Florida]] and [[Texas]] joined the United States as a result of [[revolutions]] by settlers from the United States against their central governments. Florida's was fought in 1810, while the much better remembered [[Texas Revolution]] was fought in 1836. While Spain was willing to cut its losses in Florida and relinquished any claims on the state in the [[Adams-Oniz Agreement]] of 1819, one of the successors to its empire in the Americas, Mexico, was considerably more attached to Texas and fought the [[Mexican War]] between 1846 and 1848 to reverse its annexation by the United States. Losing badly, Mexico was forced to cede the sparsely populated northern portion of itself under the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]]. This territory eventually became the states of [[California]], [[Nevada]], [[Utah]], [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]] and [[Arizona]]. At approximately the same time, [[President]] [[James K. Polk]] had agreed with the British that the 49th Parallel (degree of latitude) would serve as the boundary between the U. S. and Canada from [[Lake of the Woods]] (partially in Minnesota) to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. This territory was later organized as the states of [[Washington]], [[Oregon]] and [[Idaho]].

In 1867, [[Secretary of State]] [[William Seward]] purchased [[Alaska]] from [[Russia]]. Critics referred to this as "Seward's Folly." Alaska is the westernmost extremity of [[North America]] bounded on the east by Canada, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the [[Bering Strait]] and on the north by the [[Arctic Ocean]]. At $7,000,000, Alaska cost the United States considerably less per acre than the [[Mexican Cession]] and slightly less than the Louisiana Territory. Of course, [[inflation]] was less of a factor at this time due to the world [[economy]] still being principally [[agrarian]]. Although at the time it was considered a foolish bargain, Alaska would later become a large source of economic prosperity due to large gold, oil, and other natural resources. Alaska would not be admitted as a state until 1959.

The 50th and so far final state, [[Hawaii]], was also admitted in 1959, 67 years after the DOLE corporation, sugar producers, and the US Marine Corps deposed the last native [[queen]] of the archipelago and 62 years after annexation had become politically feasible as a result of the [[Spanish-American War]], in which the United States also annexed [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]] and [[Wake Island]]. The last three islands are not states, although [[Puerto Rico]] has occasionally held non-binding [[referenda]] to express its desired status within the United States.

The United States has occasionally relinquished territory. The most significant example of this was certainly the granting of independence in 1946 to the [[Philippines]] as part of the general [[decolonization]] of [[Asia]] and [[Africa]] following [[World War II]]. Under both [[autocratic]] and [[democratic]] governments, the Philippines have subsequently remained a strong United Statesian ally, and today contribute more troops to the U. S. [[military]] than some states. Other Pacific territories such as the [[Federated States of Micronesia]] and [[Palau]] have also become independent in the postwar era with little objection from opinion leaders on the mainland. More controversial was the 1977 agreement between President [[Jimmy Carter]] and [[General]] [[Omar Torrijos]] to return the [[Panama Canal Zone]], which had been part of the United States since 1914, to [[Panama]] in the year 2000. Ultimately the United States lived up to this agreement despite the worst fears of both [[liberals]] (who decried [[Operation Just Cause]], the 1989 invasion of Panama) and [[conservatives]] (who feared the management of the [[Panama Canal]] by [[Chinese]] interests).

The USA's has been criticized for holding back its [[United Nations]] dues (currently, even after the Helms-Biden amendment, the United States has withheld 41%, or $1.246 billion dollars, <ref>http://www.un.org/ga/president/55/speech/una_usa.htm</ref>) as the US has sought reforms within the international organization.

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:North American Countries]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:United States]]

United States of America

2007-05-14T09:44:03Z

Xenophile:

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|United States of America
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:Kljghlkjkh.png|250px]]
Flag of the United States
|-
|Capital
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|-
|Government
|Federal constitutional republic, Representative democracy
|-
|Official Language
|None ([[English]] de facto)
|-
|President
|[[George W. Bush]] ([[Republican|R]])
|-
|Vice President
|[[Dick Cheney]] ([[Republican|R]])
|-
|Senate majority leader
|[[Harry Reid]] ([[Democrat|D]])
|-
|Speaker of the House
|[[Nancy Pelosi]] ([[Democrat|D]])
|-
|House majority leader
|[[Steny Hoyer]] ([[Democrat|D]])
|-
|Area
|3,718,695 sq mi
|-
|Population (2007 estimate)
|301,554,000
|-
|GDP (2007 estimate)
|$13.049 trillion
|-
|GDP per capita (2007 estimate)
|$44,333
|-
|}

The '''United States of America''' (commonly referred to as '''the United States''', '''the USA''', '''the US''', or simply as '''America''') is a North American nation that consists of a federal union of fifty individual states and the federal District of Columbia. Its origins lie in the [[British Empire]]: it was founded on July 4, [[1776]] with the signing of the [[Declaration of Independence]], and its independence from Britain was formally recognized in 1783, following the [[American Revolutionary War|War of Independence]]. The US is currently the world's sole [[superpower]]; it has the world's largest economy, and is recognized as having the world's most powerful, although somewhat inefficient and ineffective, military.

==Overview==

The United States has land borders with [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]], as well as several territorial water boundaries with Canada, [[Russia]] and The Bahamas. It is otherwise bounded by the [[Pacific Ocean]], the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Two of the fifty states, [[Alaska]], an exclave, and [[Hawaii]], an archipelago, are not contiguous with any of the other states. Alaska in located in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also has a collection of overseas territories and possessions around the world. Each of the 50 states has a high level of local autonomy under the federal system.

At over 3.7 million square miles (over 9.6 million km²), the U.S. (including its non-contiguous and overseas states and territories) is the third largest country by total area. It is the world's third most populous nation, with over 300 million people.

The United States' military, economic, cultural, and political influence increased through the 19th and 20th centuries. Since the mid-20th century, the United States has become a dominant global influence in contemporary economic, political, military, scientific, technological and cultural matters. With the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] at the end of the [[Cold War]], the nation emerged as the world's sole remaining superpower, greatly influencing world affairs, as it continues to do today.

==The Constitution and Politics in the United States==

[[Image:76485685i79.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The drafting committee presenting the [[Declaration of Independence]] to the [[Continental Congress]], painted by John Trumbull 1817–1819.]]

[[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and the other [[Founding Fathers]] risked a sentence of death for treason against the English Crown by signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.

Between the [[Declaration of Independence]] in 1776 and the ratification of the [[Constitution]] in 1788, the United States was governed according to the [[Articles of Confederation]].

[[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and the other [[Founding Fathers]] formally established the current structure of the United States by ratification of the [[U.S. Constitution]] in 1788.

Since 1788, the United States has had only one official governing document: the [[U.S. Constitution]].

Although officially a [[Republic]], since the Presidency of [[John Quincy Adams]], the United States has been governed by two or more [[political parties]] under the rules of a "Representative [[Democracy]]." Presently, the two major political parties are the [[Democratic Party]], and the Republican Party. The younger of the two parties, the [[Republican Party]], was created in 1854.

== The Role of Religion in Government ==

A contentious issue in modern politics is the role of religion in public life and particularly government entanglement in religious affairs. Some groups that self identify as Republican, argue that the US was founded on Christian principles and that the modern US Government should be more lenient with regards to entanglement of Christianity with politics. Others that self identify as Democrat or Libertarian argue that the Constitution is a secular document which prohibits the entanglement of religion and politics in any way. Though these divisions are on general level and a particular stance on this issue is not a prerequisite to being a member of either party.

The [[Declaration of Independence]] acknowledges the existence of a God when it refers to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and says all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." That statement was inserted at the request of [[Thomas Jefferson]], whose religious beliefs were [[Deism|Deistic]].

Many early Americans emigrated because of religious persecution in their home countries. The American [[Founding Fathers]] adhered to various sects of Christianity ranging from Catholicism, Protestantism. and Deism, and recognized that Christian tradition in addition to other legal traditions should inform the Constitution.

Based upon these beliefs, the [[Founding Fathers]] specifically placed into the [[First Amendment]] to the [[U.S. Constitution]] which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The first clause is referred to as the Establishment Clause, and the second the Free Exercise Clause.

This "Free Exercise Clause" of the [[First Amendment]] to the [[U.S. Constitution]] began increasingly to be tested and interpreted by the judiciary in the late 19th century as a result of the increasing population of religious minorities in the United States.

The [[Declaration of Independence]], [[U.S. Constitution]], the [[Federalist Papers]], and the many personal papers of the [[Founding Fathers]] have been used to examine the issue. Different and sometimes contradicting statements have been noted regarding the influence of religion on government, and it can be difficult sometimes to interpret the importance and precedence of personal beliefs, legal intent, and actual verbiage in the documents.

In recent decades, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] has used the [[Lemon Test]] as a means for determining whether or not a particular controversy causes excessive entanglement between government and religion, though in some cases has allowed religious icons (such as the Ten Commandments display in Texas <ref> http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=03-1500 </ref>). The first amendment is often paraphrased as "separation of Church and State"; a phrase originating in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association which assured them that their rights (nor anyone's rights) to free exercise of their religion would not be curtailed.

In America today, an individual's party affiliation is at times determined by their personal view of the relationship between religion and government. Many other social issues, such as Abortion, Euthanasia, Freedom of Speech, and Cloning are based on an individual's religious beliefs.

==History and geography==

[[Image:56eugyjnm.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The [[White House]], the official home and workplace of the [[President of the United States]] of America.]]

In [[1783]], when the [[Peace of Paris]] concluded hostilities against [[Great Britain]], the former [[colonial power]], the United States' population totaled some three million [[citizens]] and [[slaves]] living on slightly less than one million square miles of land. An unknown number of [[Native Americans]] also lived in the western part of the United States, which was then bordered on the west by the [[Mississippi River]], on the north by [[Lake Superior]], [[Lake Huron]], [[Lake Erie]] and [[Lake Ontario]], on the east by the [[Atlantic Ocean]], and on the south by [[Florida]], then controlled by [[Spain]]. The land border with Canada was not clarified until the [[Rush-Bagot Agreement]] of 1816.

The majority of the taxable population lived in the thirteen original [[states]]. In alphabetical order they are [[Connecticut]], [[Delaware]], [[Georgia]], [[Maryland]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New Hampshire]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[North Carolina]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Rhode Island]], [[South Carolina]] and [[Virginia]]. In 1790, an agreement between supporters of Jefferson and those of [[Alexander Hamilton]] resulted in the creation of the [[District of Columbia]] from part of [[Maryland]]; it has served as the national capital from 1800 on. The remainder of the 1783 territory was eventually organized as the states of [[Ohio]], [[Indiana]], [[Michigan]], [[Illinois]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]]. Two additional states were added during the first fifty years by [[secession]] from existing states: [[Vermont]] from New York, and [[Maine]] from Massachusetts. After that, the legality of [[secession]] became an issue.

In 1803, [[French]] emperor [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] took advantage of a lull in his war with Great Britain to sell the [[Louisiana Territory]] to the United States, more than doubling the nation's land area. This territory would later be organized as the states of [[Minnesota]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Montana]], [[Wyoming]], [[Nebraska]], [[Iowa]], [[Missouri]], [[Arkansas]], [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Louisiana]] proper. President Jefferson commissioned [[Lewis and Clark]] to explore the new territory, which they did from 1802 to 1804.

[[Florida]] and [[Texas]] joined the United States as a result of [[revolutions]] by settlers from the United States against their central governments. Florida's was fought in 1810, while the much better remembered [[Texas Revolution]] was fought in 1836. While Spain was willing to cut its losses in Florida and relinquished any claims on the state in the [[Adams-Oniz Agreement]] of 1819, one of the successors to its empire in the Americas, Mexico, was considerably more attached to Texas and fought the [[Mexican War]] between 1846 and 1848 to reverse its annexation by the United States. Losing badly, Mexico was forced to cede the sparsely populated northern portion of itself under the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]]. This territory eventually became the states of [[California]], [[Nevada]], [[Utah]], [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]] and [[Arizona]]. At approximately the same time, [[President]] [[James K. Polk]] had agreed with the British that the 49th Parallel (degree of latitude) would serve as the boundary between the U. S. and Canada from [[Lake of the Woods]] (partially in Minnesota) to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. This territory was later organized as the states of [[Washington]], [[Oregon]] and [[Idaho]].

In 1867, [[Secretary of State]] [[William Seward]] purchased [[Alaska]] from [[Russia]]. Critics referred to this as "Seward's Folly." Alaska is the westernmost extremity of [[North America]] bounded on the east by Canada, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the [[Bering Strait]] and on the north by the [[Arctic Ocean]]. At $7,000,000, Alaska cost the United States considerably less per acre than the [[Mexican Cession]] and slightly less than the Louisiana Territory. Of course, [[inflation]] was less of a factor at this time due to the world [[economy]] still being principally [[agrarian]]. Although at the time it was considered a foolish bargain, Alaska would later become a large source of economic prosperity due to large gold, oil, and other natural resources. Alaska would not be admitted as a state until 1959.

The 50th and so far final state, [[Hawaii]], was also admitted in 1959, 67 years after the DOLE corporation, sugar producers, and the US Marine Corps deposed the last native [[queen]] of the archipelago and 62 years after annexation had become politically feasible as a result of the [[Spanish-American War]], in which the United States also annexed [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]] and [[Wake Island]]. The last three islands are not states, although [[Puerto Rico]] has occasionally held non-binding [[referenda]] to express its desired status within the United States.

The United States has occasionally relinquished territory. The most significant example of this was certainly the granting of independence in 1946 to the [[Philippines]] as part of the general [[decolonization]] of [[Asia]] and [[Africa]] following [[World War II]]. Under both [[autocratic]] and [[democratic]] governments, the Philippines have subsequently remained a strong United Statesian ally, and today contribute more troops to the U. S. [[military]] than some states. Other Pacific territories such as the [[Federated States of Micronesia]] and [[Palau]] have also become independent in the postwar era with little objection from opinion leaders on the mainland. More controversial was the 1977 agreement between President [[Jimmy Carter]] and [[General]] [[Omar Torrijos]] to return the [[Panama Canal Zone]], which had been part of the United States since 1914, to [[Panama]] in the year 2000. Ultimately the United States lived up to this agreement despite the worst fears of both [[liberals]] (who decried [[Operation Just Cause]], the 1989 invasion of Panama) and [[conservatives]] (who feared the management of the [[Panama Canal]] by [[Chinese]] interests).

The USA's has been criticized for holding back its [[United Nations]] dues (currently, even after the Helms-Biden amendment, the United States has withheld 41%, or $1.246 billion dollars, <ref>http://www.un.org/ga/president/55/speech/una_usa.htm</ref>) as the US has sought reforms within the international organization.

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:North American Countries]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:United States]]

Homer

2007-05-14T09:41:36Z

Xenophile:

{{expand}}

'''Homer''' (8th century B.C.) was a [[Greece|Greek]] poet and the author of the [[Iliad]] and the [[Odyssey]]. He was also supposedly blind. His name, in Greek, means "hostage", so there is some thought he may have been taken by the Greeks as a hostage during war. Little is known about his life beyond such speculations, but his poems have been recognized as two of the greatest epics in Western culture for thousands of years. Homer is nowadays a popular boys' name in the [[United States]] e.g. [[Homer Simpson]].

[[Category:Poets]]

Ayr

2007-05-14T09:38:36Z

Xenophile:

'''Ayr''', lying upon the River Ayr, is the former county town of [[Ayrshire]] in [[Scotland]]. The strategic location of the town in the [[River Clyde|Clyde]] estuary, led to the construction of [[castle]]s there by both [[William the Conqueror]] and [[Oliver Cromwell]].

Historically, Ayr was an important port trading as far afield as Spain and America, but more recently it was the pre-eminent resort town of the Clyde estuary, ahead of [[Ardrossan]], [[Saltcoats]], [[Troon]], [[Largs]] and [[Rothesay]], and it remains a popular destination for excursions to this day,[http://www.ayr.org/Travel/ayr_world_class_holiday_destination.htm] especially to its historic racecourse. Ayr is also the birthplace of Scotland's national poet [[Robert Burns]] and as the centre of Burns country, draws large numbers of tourists annually. Burns wrote of the town ''Auld Ayr wham ne'er a toun surpasses / For honest men and bonnie lasses''.

The Airedale (or Ayrdale) [[terrier]], the largest of all terrier breeds, originates from nearby, where it was bred for the task of hunting the [[otter]]s that plagued local [[salmon]] fisheries.

[http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ayr/ayr/index.html Undiscovered Scotland - Ayr]

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Barrhead

2007-05-14T09:35:44Z

Xenophile:

Renfrew

2007-05-14T09:34:21Z

Xenophile:

'''Renfrew''' is a town and former Royal Burgh to the west of [[Glasgow]] on the [[River Clyde]]. Its castle was originally the seat of the [[Stewart]] clan who became [[Scotland]]'s Royal family. The town is known as "The Cradle of the Royal Stewarts". [[Prince Charles]] heir to [[Queen Elizabeth II]] is the Baron of Renfrew. It is generally regarded as the poor relation of its more prosperous neighbour [[Paisley]] which lies two miles to the south. Renfrew is the most [[Protestant]] town in Scotland and, in [[Scots]], it is said of the town that "ye couldna hit a Catholic wi' a haundfu' o' aromatics". Inhabitants are known as Renfboys.

[[Category: Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Renfrew

2007-05-14T09:33:29Z

Xenophile:

'''Renfrew''' is a town and former Royal Burgh to the west of [[Glasgow]] on the [[River Clyde]]. Its castle was originally the seat of the [[Stewart]] clan who became [[Scotland]]'s Royal family. The town is known as "The Cradle of the Royal Stewarts". [[Prince Charles]] heir to [[Queen Elizabeth II]] is the Baron of Renfrew. It is generally regarded as the poor relation of its more prosperous neighbour [[Paisley]] which lies two miles to the south. Renfrew is the most [[Protestant]] town in Scotland and, in [[Scots]], it is said of the town that "ye coudna hit a Catholic wi a haundfu' o' aromatics". Inhabitants are known as Renfboys.

[[Category: Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Edinburgh

2007-05-14T09:20:32Z

Xenophile: /* Sport */

'''Edinburgh''' is the current capital of [[Scotland]]. There is controversy over the origins of the name Edinburgh, which may derive from King Edwin of Northumbria (Edwins-burgh, burgh being the Northumbrian and later [[Scots]] word for fort or town) or from the earlier Gaelic 'Dún Eideann' (Fort of Edwin).

Edinburgh has a population of around half a million souls. It is the home of the Scottish Parliament at [[Holyrood]], the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the world's largest annual arts festival, the [[Edinburgh International Festival]].

=== The City and Its People ===

The city is also a centre of banking, commerce, education, and food processing. Natives of Edinburgh are called 'Edinburgers' but are popularly known as 'Fuds' to fellow Scots. The unofficial motto of the city is "You'll hae haed yer tea" which is a rejoinder to the unofficial motto of its great rival [[Glasgow]] - "Yer tea's oot".

=== Education ===

There are three universities in Edinburgh - the University of Edinburgh (1583), Heriot Watt University (1965) and Napier University (1992). The city also has many notable private schools including Fettes College (the ''alma mater'' of [[Tony Blair]]), George Watson's College, George Heriot Academy, Loreto College and the Marcia Blaine School for Girls.

=== Sport ===

Edinburgh has two football clubs; Hibernian FC (nickname: the Hibees) and Heart of Midlothian FC (nickname: the Jambos). Both play in the Scottish Premier League. The famous author Sir [[Walter Scott]] wrote a novel ''The Heart of Midlothian'' based around the early days of the club and its founder Vladimir Romanov, an exile from Tsarist [[Russia]] and friend of the author [[Alexander Pushkin]].

=== Culture ===

[[Paganism]] is still practiced in Edinburgh. Every 30th April sees the Pagan Beltane Fire Festival conducted on Calton Hill near Edinburgh City Centre.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6610507.stm</ref>

=== Famous natives of Edinburgh ===

*[[Sean Connery]] (actor)
*Irvine Welsh (author)
*Les McKeown (classical musician)
*[[James Connolly]] (trade unionist and Irish political agitator)
*Tam Paton (child psychologist)
*John Leslie (television presenter)
*[[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]] (author)
*[[Robert Louis Stevenson]] (author)
*Ian Rankin (author)
*[[Walter Scott]] (author)
*James Clerk Maxwell (physicist)
*[[James Hutton]] (geologist)
*John Napier (mathematician)
*[[David Hume]] (philosopher)
*[[Adam Smith]] (philosopher and economist)
*[[Tony Blair]] (politician and entertainer)
*[[Malcolm Rifkind]] (politician)

Although not a native of Edinburgh, the [[Duke of Edinburgh]], [[Philip Mountbatten|Prince Philip]] consort of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] has extensive seigneurial rights within the bounds of the city. These are mainly unexercised, but, to celebrate his fortieth birthday in 1961 he famously drove a herd of [[Highland Cattle]] over North Bridge.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Edinburgh

2007-05-14T09:20:10Z

Xenophile: /* Sport */

'''Edinburgh''' is the current capital of [[Scotland]]. There is controversy over the origins of the name Edinburgh, which may derive from King Edwin of Northumbria (Edwins-burgh, burgh being the Northumbrian and later [[Scots]] word for fort or town) or from the earlier Gaelic 'Dún Eideann' (Fort of Edwin).

Edinburgh has a population of around half a million souls. It is the home of the Scottish Parliament at [[Holyrood]], the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the world's largest annual arts festival, the [[Edinburgh International Festival]].

=== The City and Its People ===

The city is also a centre of banking, commerce, education, and food processing. Natives of Edinburgh are called 'Edinburgers' but are popularly known as 'Fuds' to fellow Scots. The unofficial motto of the city is "You'll hae haed yer tea" which is a rejoinder to the unofficial motto of its great rival [[Glasgow]] - "Yer tea's oot".

=== Education ===

There are three universities in Edinburgh - the University of Edinburgh (1583), Heriot Watt University (1965) and Napier University (1992). The city also has many notable private schools including Fettes College (the ''alma mater'' of [[Tony Blair]]), George Watson's College, George Heriot Academy, Loreto College and the Marcia Blaine School for Girls.

=== Sport ===

Edinburgh has two football clubs; Hibernian FC (nickname: the Hibees) and Heart of Midlothian FC (nickname: the Jambos). Both play in the Scottish Premier League. The famous author Sir [[Walter Scott]] wrote a novel ''The Heart of Midlothian'' based around the early days of the club and its founder Vladimir Romanov, an exile from Tsarist Russia and friend of the author [[Alexander Pushkin]].

=== Culture ===

[[Paganism]] is still practiced in Edinburgh. Every 30th April sees the Pagan Beltane Fire Festival conducted on Calton Hill near Edinburgh City Centre.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6610507.stm</ref>

=== Famous natives of Edinburgh ===

*[[Sean Connery]] (actor)
*Irvine Welsh (author)
*Les McKeown (classical musician)
*[[James Connolly]] (trade unionist and Irish political agitator)
*Tam Paton (child psychologist)
*John Leslie (television presenter)
*[[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]] (author)
*[[Robert Louis Stevenson]] (author)
*Ian Rankin (author)
*[[Walter Scott]] (author)
*James Clerk Maxwell (physicist)
*[[James Hutton]] (geologist)
*John Napier (mathematician)
*[[David Hume]] (philosopher)
*[[Adam Smith]] (philosopher and economist)
*[[Tony Blair]] (politician and entertainer)
*[[Malcolm Rifkind]] (politician)

Although not a native of Edinburgh, the [[Duke of Edinburgh]], [[Philip Mountbatten|Prince Philip]] consort of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] has extensive seigneurial rights within the bounds of the city. These are mainly unexercised, but, to celebrate his fortieth birthday in 1961 he famously drove a herd of [[Highland Cattle]] over North Bridge.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

James Joyce

2007-05-14T09:12:17Z

Xenophile:

'''James Joyce''' was born in 1882 in [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]]. Joyce was an author and a poet. He lived in poverty until the publishing of his controversial book [[Ulysses]] in 1922. Joyce revolutionized the treatment of plot and characterization in fiction and is best known for his use of the [[Stream of consciousness | stream of consciousness]] style. He died in [[Zurich]] in 1941. Other notable works include [[Finnegans Wake]] and [[Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, James}}
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Poets]]
[[Category:Ireland]]

Dirk

2007-05-14T09:10:06Z

Xenophile:

The dirk ([[Gaelic]] ''sgian dubh'') is a ceremonial dagger worn by Scotsmen in their socks. Fear of the dirk is at the root of the popular English saying "Never trust a Scotsman tying his shoelaces".
[[Category:Scottish Clothing and Accessories]]

Gaelic

2007-05-14T09:04:21Z

Xenophile:

Gaelic refers to three closely related modern [[Indo-European]] [[Celtic]] languages spoken on the islands [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]]. Irish Gaelic, usually known as ''Irish'' (or ''Gaeilge'' in its own speech), is spoken on the island of [[Ireland]], Manx Gaelic on the Isle of Man, and Scottish Gaelic (or ''Gaidhlig'') in the Western [[Highlands of Scotland]] and The [[Hebrides]]. These three languages form the Goidelic group of [[Celtic]] languages as opposed to the Brythonic group which comprises Welsh, Cornish and Breton. Gaelic has been in danger of becoming extinct in many of the traditional Gaelic speaking areas, but now a Gaelic renaissance has slowed this trend if not yet reversed it.

==Further Readings==
*[http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MF2/index.html], Gaelic Dictionary.

[[Category:Scottish Languages]]
[[Category:Languages]]

Gaelic

2007-05-14T09:04:03Z

Xenophile:

Gaelic refers to three closely related modern [[Indo-European]] [[Celtic]] languages spoken on the islands [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]]. Irish Gaelic, usually known as ''Irish'' (or ''Gaeilge'' in its own speech), is spoken on the island of [[Ireland]], Manx Gaelic on the Isle of Man, and Scottish Gaelic (or ''Gaidhlig'') in the Western [[Highlands of Scotland]] and The [[Hebrides]]. These three languages form the Goidelic group of [[Celtic]]languages as opposed to the Brythonic group which comprises Welsh, Cornish and Breton. Gaelic has been in danger of becoming extinct in many of the traditional Gaelic speaking areas, but now a Gaelic renaissance has slowed this trend if not yet reversed it.

==Further Readings==
*[http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MF2/index.html], Gaelic Dictionary.

[[Category:Scottish Languages]]
[[Category:Languages]]

Gaelic

2007-05-14T09:00:24Z

Xenophile:

Gaelic refers to three closely related modern [[Indo-European]] languages spoken on the islands [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]]. Irish Gaelic, usually known as ''Irish'' (or ''Gaeilge'' in its own speech), is spoken on the Island of [[Ireland]], Manx Gaelic on the Isle of Man, and Scottish Gaelic (or ''Gaidhlig'') in the Western [[Highlands of Scotland]] and The [[Hebrides]]. Gaelic has been in danger of being exterminated in many of the traditional Gaelic speaking areas, but now a Gaelic renaissance has slowed this trend if not yet reversed it.

==Further Readings==
*[http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MF2/index.html], Gaelic Dictionary.

[[Category:Scottish Languages]]
[[Category:Languages]]

Tam o'Shanter

2007-05-14T08:59:13Z

Xenophile:

{{merge|Culture of Scotland}}A Tam o Shanter (or 'tam') is a cap frequently worn by Scotsmen. It is made of woven woollen fabric and topped by an orange woollen pom-pom known as a 'toorie'. It is named after a character in the poem by [[Robert Burns]].
[[Category:Scottish Clothing and Accessories]]

Gourock

2007-05-14T07:58:31Z

Xenophile:

'''Gourock''' is a pleasant town in [[Inverclyde]] on the [[River Clyde]] two miles to the west of [[Greenock]]. To aspirational Greenockians Gourock, [[Wemyss Bay]] and [[Largs]] are the ultimate goals.

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Liverpool

2007-05-14T07:54:49Z

Xenophile:

A minor port city in the North West of England until it was awarded a [[City Charter]] by King John in 1208. However, it was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that Liverpool developed into a major global city. This prominence was based largely on trade, including [[tobacco]], [[sugar]] and a major involvement in the [[slave trade]]. Although the slave trade was abolished in 1806, Liverpool continued to flourish as an industrial trade and financial industries center. Liverpool has the largest number of listed buildings outside of London, more notable Georgian buildings than Bath and more public sculpture outside the City of Westminster. The Liverpool waterfront is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Liverpool is noted for its two cathedrals, one Anglican and one Roman Catholic. The former, a traditional design from the early 1900s is built from local sandstone. The Catholic cathedral built in a modern style during the 1970s is affectionately known as Paddy's Wigwam or the Mersey Funnel - a pun on the pioneering Mersey Tunnel constructed under the river between Liverpool and Birkenhead.

Liverpool is the European Capital Of Culture for 2008.

Around 1911 Adolf Hitler visited his brother Alois who lived and worked in Liverpool. It is believed that as a result of him seeing Liverpool's position as a port and centre of shipbuilding, during [[World War II]] he directed the [[Luftwaffe]] to target the city.

The city currently has a population of approximately 450,000, known as 'Scousers' after a popular local dish, with the wider [[Merseyside]] region having a population of 1.5 million. The city itself is divided up into villages such as Aigburth, West Derby, [[Aintree]] and [[Knotty Ash]]. The popular culture and 'soul' of Liverpool has most memorably been portrayed by the author and dramatist Carla Lane in a number of highly-regarded television dramas including "The Liver Birds" and "Bread". Willy Russell and Alan Bleasdale are also noted playwrights from Liverpool. Bleasdale effectively portrayed the misery and deprivation of 1980s Liverpool in dramas such as ''The Black Stuff'', ''Giro Day'' and ''Dole Ponce'', while Russell, probably the most well-known of current Liverpool writers has enjoyed huge success with offerings such as ''Educating Rita'', ''Blood Brothers'' and ''Shirley Valentine''.

British [[Prime Minister]] [[Harold Wilson]] later Lord Wilson of Rievaulx was [[Member of Parliament]] for the Liverpool constituency of Huyton from 1945 until 1979.

Famous natives of Liverpool:
* Arthur Askey (comedian and actor)
* Cilla Black (singer, TV presenter)
* Stan Boardman (comedian)
* Cherie Blair (prominent lawyer and amateur comedian)
* Tony Booth (actor and father-in-law of [[Tony Blair]])
* Billy Butler (comedian)
* Jamie Carragher (footballer and comedian)
* Daniel Craig (actor) from nearby Hoylake
* [[Knotty Ash|Ken Dodd]] (poet, comedian and singer)
* Kenny Everett (disc jockey and comedian)
* Robbie Fowler (footballer)
* Steven Gerrard (footballer)
* Fanny Hare (actress)
* Derek Hatton (politician and scally)
* Lord Liverpool (British Prime Minister)
* Terry McDermott (footballer and archetypal Scouser)
* George Melly (jazz singer and author)
* Derek Nimmo (comic actor)
* John Peel (disc jockey and radio personality)
* [[John Prescott]] (comedian)
* Ted Ray (comedian)
* Anne Robinson (TV presenter and journalist)
* Norman Rossington (comedian and actor)
* [[George Stubbs]] (artist)
* Jimmy Tarbuck (comedian)
* Ricky Tomlinson (trade unionist, actor, comedian and banjo player)

Many of the above are strong ambassadors for Liverpool and despite worldly success display their loyalty by continuing to live nearby in the county of [[Buckinghamshire]].

==Culture==
* [[Merseybeat]]
* [[The Beatles]]
* [[Echo and the Bunnymen]]
* [[Tate Modern]]
* The [[Liverpool Poets]]
* [[The Scaffold]]
* [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]]
* [[Siegfried Sassoon]]

==Sports==
* [[Everton FC]] Soccer
* [[Liverpool FC]] Soccer
* [[Liverpool St Helens]] RUFC
* [[St Helens RLFC]]
* [[Tranmere Rovers]] Soccer

[[Category:UK Towns and Cities]]

Hawick

2007-05-14T07:46:35Z

Xenophile: /* Famed Hawickers */

''Teribus, ye Teriodin''

is the motto of Hawick (pronounced ''Hoik''), and is thought to mean 'Thor be with us, Thor and Odin', an invocation to the Norse Gods who are still venerated in the small Scottish border town each year with the bonfires that celebrate its Common Riding day, 14 June.

Hawick lies on the banks of the rivers [[Teviot]] and [[Slitrig]], in the county of Roxburghshire, south-east [[Scotland]], a remote area of hill, forest and narrow, steep-sided valleys. St Mary's church, established by 1183, is thought to stand on the site of a pagan temple (votary offerings with runic inscriptions to Odin have been excavated in the churchyard), and the town was an early settlement of the pagan Angles (the name means 'hedged enclosure' in Anglian). It was a minor administrative centre in medieval Scotland, frequently assaulted and burned during the endemic border warfare. Its later prominence was based on the development of the knitted woolen textile industry (drawing on the huge local resources of sheep, the [[Hawick Blueface]] being the largest native British variety of sheep). The town had a small specialist trade in knitted hose and stockings, but in 1771 the Bailie, John Hardie, introduced the first knitting frames to the town, revolutionising the industry. These were hand-operated, but once the fast-flowing waters of the Teviot and Slitrig were harnessed to power multitudes of frames in specially-built mills, the industry expanded rapidly. In 1824 the first steam-powered mills were introduced. One innovation of which Hawick is proud is the fishnet stocking, which emerged from the hand-farme knitters' dual activity of producing knitted hose and, having made a minor adhjustment to the frame settings, producing fishing net for the local salmon-fishing economy. Knitwear is still made in Hawick, and the famous [[Pringles]] company, a favourite of golfing folk, is based in the town.

== Famed Hawickers ==

[[Bill McLaren]], the [[BBC]] [[rugby]] union commentator with a taste for exotic metaphor, was headmaster of Hawick Grammar School for many decades.

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

East Linton

2007-05-14T07:43:58Z

Xenophile:

East Linton is a major urban conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]].

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Glasgow

2007-05-14T07:41:08Z

Xenophile: /* Famous Glaswegians */

[[Image:uk-glasgow.jpg|thumb|right|Glasgow and the River Clyde viewed looking South over Cludgie]]
'''Glasgow''' is the largest city in [[Scotland]]. Founded by its patron saint [[Kentigern]] (or [[Mungo]]) around 540 AD it stands on both sides of the River Clyde.

The official motto of the city is ''Floreat Glasgua'' ("Let Glasgow Flourish"). However the unofficial motto is the [[Scots]] ''Yer Tea's Oot'' ("Your Tea Is Out") - a reference to the city's great tradition of hospitality towards the stranger.

The population of the city itself has declined from over a million inhabitants in the pre [[World War II]] era to around 600,000 today. However the population of the Greater Glasgow conurbation is approximately 2.5 million, roughly half the population of [[Scotland]].

Inhabitants of Glasgow are called Glaswegians but are often referred to by other Scots as "Keelies" or "Weegies". Glaswegians frequently refer to themselves in [[Scots]] as ''Wee Arra Peepul'' ("Little Arrow People"), a reference to their small stature and historical renown as archers.

=== Buildings ===

Glasgow has many fine public buildings, notably Glasgow Cathedral, a large [[Gothic]] edifice, the City Chambers, [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the Great Eastern Hotel, the University at Gilmorehill, the Armadillo designed by [[Richard Rodgers]], the School of Art designed by [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] and the Beresford Hotel, an art deco building on Sauchiehall St.

Despite a long and proud industrial heritage Glasgow is studded with green spaces and recreation grounds (the name Glasgow comes from the Brythonic for ''Dear Green Place''). The finest of these is the much loved Possil Park, opened by Queen Victoria in 1878.

The slums of the industrial era, particularly the Gorbals and the notorious [[Cludgie]] district, have now been cleared and regenerated with many fine new dwellings and green spaces.

The poet [[Sir John Betjeman]] described Glasgow as the "finest Victorian city in the world". This accolade is still justified today despite the best efforts of the City Council to destroy it in the 1960s and 1970s.

=== History ===

The site of the founding of St Mungo's church by the Molendinar Burn, a stream which flows into the [[River Clyde]], is now the site of Glasgow Cathedral. <ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/Earliest+Beginnings.htm</ref>

In the early days Glasgow was subjected to frequent raids by marauding [[Vikings]] who sailed up the Clyde in their long ships. One such incursion on Glasgow is recounted in the [[Norse]] Saga of [[Noggin the Nog]].

Glasgow is famous for shipbuilding - the [[Queen Mary]], the [[Queen Elizabeth]], the [[Queen Elizabeth 2]] and the [[Lusitania]] are just some of the famous vessels which were "Clyde-built". Other industries include [[whisky]] distilling and the manufacture of hats called 'Jimmy bunnets' which are favoured by members of the [[Tartan Army]] and [[soccer]] fans.

=== Education ===

Glasgow has three universities - the [[University of Glasgow]] founded in 1451, the [[University of Strathclyde]], the former Royal College, which was raised to university status in 1965 and [[Glasgow Caledonian University]], previously Glasgow College of Technology, which has been a university since 1992.

=== The People ===

Glasgow's population consists mainly of Lowland Scots, Gaels from the [[Highlands]] and [[Hebrides]] and the descendants of immigrants from [[Ireland]]. The early twentieth century saw arrivals from [[Italy]], [[Russia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Poland]]. Some of these immigrants from Eastern Europe were Jews escaping pogroms but many came to work in the coalmines and steelworks in and around the city. The latter half of the twentieth century saw a new wave of immigration from [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]. With the recent accession of Poland to the [[European Union]] the city has played host to many young Poles seeking work in the city.

=== Sport and Religion ===

Football and religion are normally seen as being inseparable in Glasgow. Scottish Football has for decades been dominated by two Glasgow clubs; [[Glasgow Rangers FC]] and [[Celtic FC]] (often erroneously called Glasgow Celtic). These are the two clubs with the strongest links to the religious community. Rangers predominantly draw their support, and until the 1980's their players, from members of the [[Protestant]] churches while Celtic historically draw their support from the [[Roman Catholic]] community. Due to the fixture scheduling of the [[Scottish Premier League]] the two teams meet each other at 4 times a year. <ref>http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/FixturesandResults/0,,10002,00.html</ref> At these games an inter-denominational service precedes the game at which one set of supporters sings songs to the other. When matches are played at Ibrox Park (the home of Rangers) the service is usually conducted by the [[Catholic]] [[Archbishop of Glasgow]], whereas at matches played at Celtic Park services have been led by leading clergy from various Protestant denominations. On March 10th 2007 the service at Celtic Park was led by the Rev Dr [[Ian Paisley]], [[Moderator]] of the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ireland]] and First Minister of [[Northern Ireland]]. These events have helped boost inter-faith relations and help give Glasgow its slogan - The Friendly City.<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/Touristattractions/thefriendlycity.htm</ref>

=== Politics ===

Due to its heavy working class culture and tradition of heavy industry Glasgow has always been a hotbed of fervent [[socialism]]. All MPs currently returned to the UK Parliament represent the Labour Party. The last Conservative to represent a Parliamentary seat in Glasgow was Teddy (later Sir Teddy) Taylor who represented Glasgow Cathcart from 1964 to 1979 when he lost he seat to [[John Maxton]]. This was the only Conservative loss in the 1979 election and fore-shadowed the collapse in support of Conservatism throughout Scotland during the premiership of [[Margaret Thatcher]].

In the Scottish Parliament all 9 of the 10 Constituency MPs represent the Labour Party. The only non-Labour MSP is the Scottish National Party's [[Nicola Sturgeon]] in Glasgow Govan. The Proportionately Elected Regional List MPs for Glasgow comprise four from the [[Scottish National Party]], one from the [[Liberal Democrats]], one from the [[Green Party]] and the Conservative, [[Bill Aitken]].<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCouncil/Elections_Voting/Election_Results/ElectionScotland2007/SPElectionResults.htm</ref>

These elections for the Scottish Parliament were held on 3rd May 2007.

=== Customs, Leisure and Culture ===

The city has a number of fine museums and galleries, notably the [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the [[Burrell Collection]] in Pollok Park and the Museum of Religious Life which is situated in Provand's Lordship, the oldest house in Glasgow.

A local custom in Glasgow is the traditional greeting of visitors from afar with a 'Glasgow Kiss'. This is not a kiss at all, and is totally non-sexual in nature. It involves the rubbing of foreheads in a vigorous yet friendly manner. Whether or not the action originates from a desired 'meeting of minds' is unclear but its effect is to initiate the stranger into the social group.

The month of July in Glasgow sees a large parade known as the Orange Walk (popularly, "the Walk"). This colourful extravaganza commemorates the first shipment of citrus fruits from South America to arrive in Glasgow at Broomielaw Quay on the Clyde in 1690 and the establishment of the city's first fruit market nearby. The parade is preceded by the disembarkation at Custom House Quay of a group of marchers known as 'Orangemen' who have sailed up the Clyde in a banana boat. It has often been compared with the Notting Hill Carnival in [[London]] and the [[Rio de Janeiro]] Mardi Gras but, fortunately, has never been marred by the trouble and violence which often accompanies those events.

The Theatre Royal in Hope Street is the home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has its home at the Royal Concert Hall in Buchanan Street. The Henry Wood Hall in Anderston is the base of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Scottish Television and BBC Scotland both have studios on the south bank of the Clyde at Atlantic Quay in the [[Cludgie]] district.

=== Language ===

The language of Glasgow is formally [[English]] but, informally, the natives speak a local variant of [[Scots]]. Here are some common everyday phrases which may be useful for the visitor:
*''Hullawrerr'' - Good morning/afternoon
*''Hoozitgaun?'' - How are you?
*''Awright'' - I'm very well
*''Geeza'' - Please
*''Ta'' - Thank you
*''Yer bahookey'' - You're welcome
*''Wherraboozer?'' - Where can I get something to eat/drink?
*''Fuctifanaw. Ahmno fae here'' - I'm sorry I don't know. I'm a stranger myself.
*''Jeewant chibbed yabassa'' - Please leave me alone
*''Aye, right'' - I agree
*''Yeraffyerheid'' - I disagree
*''Gerritupye'' - Good health
*''Ahwislikaat'' - I was surprised

The ancient Celtic language [[Gaelic]] can often be heard in Glasgow, particularly in the West End where there is a sizeable community from the [[Hebrides]].

=== Famous Glaswegians ===

* [[Billy Connolly]] (Comedian and Actor)
* [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] (Architect)
* Sir William Burrell (Businessman, Philantropist who donated The [[Burrell Collection]] to the City)
* [[Gordon Jackson]] (Actor, The Great Escape, Upstairs Downstairs, The Professionals)
* [[Robbie Coltrane]] (Actor, Hagrid in the [[Harry Potter]] films)
* Billy Boyd (Actor, Pippin in the [[Lord of the Rings]] Trilogy)
* Scrooge McDuck
* Groundskeeper Willie
* Jack McLean (journalist, author, bon viveur and urban Voltaire)
* Gerry McNee (journalist - "The Voice of a Football")
* Alan Cumming (actor)
* Ian and Janette Tough aka [[The Krankies]] (comedy duo),
* Johnny Beattie (Shakespearean actor)
* [[Chutney Ferret]] (comedian)
* Frankie Miller (rock singer)
* Jim Kerr (rock singer with [[Simple Minds]])
* [[Sir Cameron King]] (shipping magnate)
* [[Tommy Toley]] (comedian)
* Stanley Baxter (philologist and author of the definitive academic work on the Glasgow dialect)<ref>http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1874744009?ie=UTF8&tag=globalaffilia-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1874744009</ref>
* Lobey Dosser (frontiersman)
* Charlie Sim (uphill gardener)
* Donald Findlay QC (advocate and ecumenist)
* Sydney Devine (singer)
* Matt Black (painter)
* Field Marshal Lord Roberts of [[Kandahar]], [[Pretoria]] and [[Waterford]] (soldier)
* Chick Young (radio presenter and comedian)
* Lulu (singer)
* Ian Brady (moors murderer)
* Andrew Agnew (Action Film Actor)
* [[Jerry Sadowitz]] (magician, comedian and previous presenter of [[Songs of Praise]])
* Leo Blair (father of [[Tony Blair]])
* Mark McManus (actor)
* Rikki Fulton (Comedian, half of the Francie & Josie comedy duo and creator of Rev I. M. Jolly)
* [[Angus Lennie]] (actor - ''The Great Escape'' and ''Crossroads'')
* [[John Martyn]] ( singer/songwriter)
* [[Claire Grogan]] (actor and singer0
* Pastor [[Jack Glass]] (preacher and ecumenist)
* [[Sir Alex Ferguson]] (football manager - [[Manchester United FC]])

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]
[[Category:Glasgow| ]]

Glasgow

2007-05-14T07:36:52Z

Xenophile: /* Sport and Religion */

[[Image:uk-glasgow.jpg|thumb|right|Glasgow and the River Clyde viewed looking South over Cludgie]]
'''Glasgow''' is the largest city in [[Scotland]]. Founded by its patron saint [[Kentigern]] (or [[Mungo]]) around 540 AD it stands on both sides of the River Clyde.

The official motto of the city is ''Floreat Glasgua'' ("Let Glasgow Flourish"). However the unofficial motto is the [[Scots]] ''Yer Tea's Oot'' ("Your Tea Is Out") - a reference to the city's great tradition of hospitality towards the stranger.

The population of the city itself has declined from over a million inhabitants in the pre [[World War II]] era to around 600,000 today. However the population of the Greater Glasgow conurbation is approximately 2.5 million, roughly half the population of [[Scotland]].

Inhabitants of Glasgow are called Glaswegians but are often referred to by other Scots as "Keelies" or "Weegies". Glaswegians frequently refer to themselves in [[Scots]] as ''Wee Arra Peepul'' ("Little Arrow People"), a reference to their small stature and historical renown as archers.

=== Buildings ===

Glasgow has many fine public buildings, notably Glasgow Cathedral, a large [[Gothic]] edifice, the City Chambers, [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the Great Eastern Hotel, the University at Gilmorehill, the Armadillo designed by [[Richard Rodgers]], the School of Art designed by [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] and the Beresford Hotel, an art deco building on Sauchiehall St.

Despite a long and proud industrial heritage Glasgow is studded with green spaces and recreation grounds (the name Glasgow comes from the Brythonic for ''Dear Green Place''). The finest of these is the much loved Possil Park, opened by Queen Victoria in 1878.

The slums of the industrial era, particularly the Gorbals and the notorious [[Cludgie]] district, have now been cleared and regenerated with many fine new dwellings and green spaces.

The poet [[Sir John Betjeman]] described Glasgow as the "finest Victorian city in the world". This accolade is still justified today despite the best efforts of the City Council to destroy it in the 1960s and 1970s.

=== History ===

The site of the founding of St Mungo's church by the Molendinar Burn, a stream which flows into the [[River Clyde]], is now the site of Glasgow Cathedral. <ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/Earliest+Beginnings.htm</ref>

In the early days Glasgow was subjected to frequent raids by marauding [[Vikings]] who sailed up the Clyde in their long ships. One such incursion on Glasgow is recounted in the [[Norse]] Saga of [[Noggin the Nog]].

Glasgow is famous for shipbuilding - the [[Queen Mary]], the [[Queen Elizabeth]], the [[Queen Elizabeth 2]] and the [[Lusitania]] are just some of the famous vessels which were "Clyde-built". Other industries include [[whisky]] distilling and the manufacture of hats called 'Jimmy bunnets' which are favoured by members of the [[Tartan Army]] and [[soccer]] fans.

=== Education ===

Glasgow has three universities - the [[University of Glasgow]] founded in 1451, the [[University of Strathclyde]], the former Royal College, which was raised to university status in 1965 and [[Glasgow Caledonian University]], previously Glasgow College of Technology, which has been a university since 1992.

=== The People ===

Glasgow's population consists mainly of Lowland Scots, Gaels from the [[Highlands]] and [[Hebrides]] and the descendants of immigrants from [[Ireland]]. The early twentieth century saw arrivals from [[Italy]], [[Russia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Poland]]. Some of these immigrants from Eastern Europe were Jews escaping pogroms but many came to work in the coalmines and steelworks in and around the city. The latter half of the twentieth century saw a new wave of immigration from [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]. With the recent accession of Poland to the [[European Union]] the city has played host to many young Poles seeking work in the city.

=== Sport and Religion ===

Football and religion are normally seen as being inseparable in Glasgow. Scottish Football has for decades been dominated by two Glasgow clubs; [[Glasgow Rangers FC]] and [[Celtic FC]] (often erroneously called Glasgow Celtic). These are the two clubs with the strongest links to the religious community. Rangers predominantly draw their support, and until the 1980's their players, from members of the [[Protestant]] churches while Celtic historically draw their support from the [[Roman Catholic]] community. Due to the fixture scheduling of the [[Scottish Premier League]] the two teams meet each other at 4 times a year. <ref>http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/FixturesandResults/0,,10002,00.html</ref> At these games an inter-denominational service precedes the game at which one set of supporters sings songs to the other. When matches are played at Ibrox Park (the home of Rangers) the service is usually conducted by the [[Catholic]] [[Archbishop of Glasgow]], whereas at matches played at Celtic Park services have been led by leading clergy from various Protestant denominations. On March 10th 2007 the service at Celtic Park was led by the Rev Dr [[Ian Paisley]], [[Moderator]] of the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ireland]] and First Minister of [[Northern Ireland]]. These events have helped boost inter-faith relations and help give Glasgow its slogan - The Friendly City.<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/Touristattractions/thefriendlycity.htm</ref>

=== Politics ===

Due to its heavy working class culture and tradition of heavy industry Glasgow has always been a hotbed of fervent [[socialism]]. All MPs currently returned to the UK Parliament represent the Labour Party. The last Conservative to represent a Parliamentary seat in Glasgow was Teddy (later Sir Teddy) Taylor who represented Glasgow Cathcart from 1964 to 1979 when he lost he seat to [[John Maxton]]. This was the only Conservative loss in the 1979 election and fore-shadowed the collapse in support of Conservatism throughout Scotland during the premiership of [[Margaret Thatcher]].

In the Scottish Parliament all 9 of the 10 Constituency MPs represent the Labour Party. The only non-Labour MSP is the Scottish National Party's [[Nicola Sturgeon]] in Glasgow Govan. The Proportionately Elected Regional List MPs for Glasgow comprise four from the [[Scottish National Party]], one from the [[Liberal Democrats]], one from the [[Green Party]] and the Conservative, [[Bill Aitken]].<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCouncil/Elections_Voting/Election_Results/ElectionScotland2007/SPElectionResults.htm</ref>

These elections for the Scottish Parliament were held on 3rd May 2007.

=== Customs, Leisure and Culture ===

The city has a number of fine museums and galleries, notably the [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the [[Burrell Collection]] in Pollok Park and the Museum of Religious Life which is situated in Provand's Lordship, the oldest house in Glasgow.

A local custom in Glasgow is the traditional greeting of visitors from afar with a 'Glasgow Kiss'. This is not a kiss at all, and is totally non-sexual in nature. It involves the rubbing of foreheads in a vigorous yet friendly manner. Whether or not the action originates from a desired 'meeting of minds' is unclear but its effect is to initiate the stranger into the social group.

The month of July in Glasgow sees a large parade known as the Orange Walk (popularly, "the Walk"). This colourful extravaganza commemorates the first shipment of citrus fruits from South America to arrive in Glasgow at Broomielaw Quay on the Clyde in 1690 and the establishment of the city's first fruit market nearby. The parade is preceded by the disembarkation at Custom House Quay of a group of marchers known as 'Orangemen' who have sailed up the Clyde in a banana boat. It has often been compared with the Notting Hill Carnival in [[London]] and the [[Rio de Janeiro]] Mardi Gras but, fortunately, has never been marred by the trouble and violence which often accompanies those events.

The Theatre Royal in Hope Street is the home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has its home at the Royal Concert Hall in Buchanan Street. The Henry Wood Hall in Anderston is the base of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Scottish Television and BBC Scotland both have studios on the south bank of the Clyde at Atlantic Quay in the [[Cludgie]] district.

=== Language ===

The language of Glasgow is formally [[English]] but, informally, the natives speak a local variant of [[Scots]]. Here are some common everyday phrases which may be useful for the visitor:
*''Hullawrerr'' - Good morning/afternoon
*''Hoozitgaun?'' - How are you?
*''Awright'' - I'm very well
*''Geeza'' - Please
*''Ta'' - Thank you
*''Yer bahookey'' - You're welcome
*''Wherraboozer?'' - Where can I get something to eat/drink?
*''Fuctifanaw. Ahmno fae here'' - I'm sorry I don't know. I'm a stranger myself.
*''Jeewant chibbed yabassa'' - Please leave me alone
*''Aye, right'' - I agree
*''Yeraffyerheid'' - I disagree
*''Gerritupye'' - Good health
*''Ahwislikaat'' - I was surprised

The ancient Celtic language [[Gaelic]] can often be heard in Glasgow, particularly in the West End where there is a sizeable community from the [[Hebrides]].

=== Famous Glaswegians ===

* [[Billy Connolly]] (Comedian and Actor)
* [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] (Architect)
* Sir William Burrell (Businessman, Philantropist who donated The [[Burrell Collection]] to the City)
* [[Gordon Jackson]] (Actor, The Great Escape, Upstairs Downstairs, The Professionals)
* [[Robbie Coltrane]] (Actor, Hagrid in the [[Harry Potter]] films)
* Billy Boyd (Actor, Pippin in the [[Lord of the Rings]] Trilogy)
* Scrooge McDuck
* Groundskeeper Willie
* Jack McLean (journalist, author, bon viveur and urban Voltaire)
* Gerry McNee (journalist - "The Voice of a Football")
* Alan Cumming (actor)
* Ian and Janette Tough aka [[The Krankies]] (comedy duo),
* Johnny Beattie (Shakespearean actor)
* [[Chutney Ferret]] (comedian)
* Frankie Miller (rock singer)
* Jim Kerr (rock singer with [[Simple Minds]])
* [[Sir Cameron King]] (shipping magnate)
* [[Tommy Toley]] (comedian)
* Stanley Baxter (philologist and author of the definitive academic work on the Glasgow dialect)<ref>http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1874744009?ie=UTF8&tag=globalaffilia-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1874744009</ref>
* Lobey Dosser (frontiersman)
* Charlie Sim (uphill gardener)
* Donald Findlay QC (advocate and ecumenist)
* Sydney Devine (singer)
* Matt Black (painter)
* Field Marshal Lord Roberts of [[Kandahar]], [[Pretoria]] and [[Waterford]] (soldier)
* Chick Young (radio presenter and comedian)
* Lulu (singer)
* Ian Brady (moors murderer)
* Andrew Agnew (Action Film Actor)
* [[Jerry Sadowitz]] (magician, comedian and previous presenter of [[Songs of Praise]])
* Leo Blair (father of [[Tony Blair]])
* Mark McManus (actor)
* Rikki Fulton (Comedian, half of the Francie & Josie comedy duo and creator of Rev I. M. Jolly)
* [[Angus Lennie]] (actor - ''The Great Escape'' and ''Crossroads'')
* [[John Martyn]] ( singer/songwriter)

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]
[[Category:Glasgow| ]]

Glasgow

2007-05-14T07:34:55Z

Xenophile:

[[Image:uk-glasgow.jpg|thumb|right|Glasgow and the River Clyde viewed looking South over Cludgie]]
'''Glasgow''' is the largest city in [[Scotland]]. Founded by its patron saint [[Kentigern]] (or [[Mungo]]) around 540 AD it stands on both sides of the River Clyde.

The official motto of the city is ''Floreat Glasgua'' ("Let Glasgow Flourish"). However the unofficial motto is the [[Scots]] ''Yer Tea's Oot'' ("Your Tea Is Out") - a reference to the city's great tradition of hospitality towards the stranger.

The population of the city itself has declined from over a million inhabitants in the pre [[World War II]] era to around 600,000 today. However the population of the Greater Glasgow conurbation is approximately 2.5 million, roughly half the population of [[Scotland]].

Inhabitants of Glasgow are called Glaswegians but are often referred to by other Scots as "Keelies" or "Weegies". Glaswegians frequently refer to themselves in [[Scots]] as ''Wee Arra Peepul'' ("Little Arrow People"), a reference to their small stature and historical renown as archers.

=== Buildings ===

Glasgow has many fine public buildings, notably Glasgow Cathedral, a large [[Gothic]] edifice, the City Chambers, [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the Great Eastern Hotel, the University at Gilmorehill, the Armadillo designed by [[Richard Rodgers]], the School of Art designed by [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] and the Beresford Hotel, an art deco building on Sauchiehall St.

Despite a long and proud industrial heritage Glasgow is studded with green spaces and recreation grounds (the name Glasgow comes from the Brythonic for ''Dear Green Place''). The finest of these is the much loved Possil Park, opened by Queen Victoria in 1878.

The slums of the industrial era, particularly the Gorbals and the notorious [[Cludgie]] district, have now been cleared and regenerated with many fine new dwellings and green spaces.

The poet [[Sir John Betjeman]] described Glasgow as the "finest Victorian city in the world". This accolade is still justified today despite the best efforts of the City Council to destroy it in the 1960s and 1970s.

=== History ===

The site of the founding of St Mungo's church by the Molendinar Burn, a stream which flows into the [[River Clyde]], is now the site of Glasgow Cathedral. <ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/Earliest+Beginnings.htm</ref>

In the early days Glasgow was subjected to frequent raids by marauding [[Vikings]] who sailed up the Clyde in their long ships. One such incursion on Glasgow is recounted in the [[Norse]] Saga of [[Noggin the Nog]].

Glasgow is famous for shipbuilding - the [[Queen Mary]], the [[Queen Elizabeth]], the [[Queen Elizabeth 2]] and the [[Lusitania]] are just some of the famous vessels which were "Clyde-built". Other industries include [[whisky]] distilling and the manufacture of hats called 'Jimmy bunnets' which are favoured by members of the [[Tartan Army]] and [[soccer]] fans.

=== Education ===

Glasgow has three universities - the [[University of Glasgow]] founded in 1451, the [[University of Strathclyde]], the former Royal College, which was raised to university status in 1965 and [[Glasgow Caledonian University]], previously Glasgow College of Technology, which has been a university since 1992.

=== The People ===

Glasgow's population consists mainly of Lowland Scots, Gaels from the [[Highlands]] and [[Hebrides]] and the descendants of immigrants from [[Ireland]]. The early twentieth century saw arrivals from [[Italy]], [[Russia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Poland]]. Some of these immigrants from Eastern Europe were Jews escaping pogroms but many came to work in the coalmines and steelworks in and around the city. The latter half of the twentieth century saw a new wave of immigration from [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]. With the recent accession of Poland to the [[European Union]] the city has played host to many young Poles seeking work in the city.

=== Sport and Religion ===

Football and religion are normally seen as being inseparable in Glasgow. Scottish Football has for decades been dominated by two Glasgow clubs; Glasgow Rangers and Celtic FC (often erroneously called Glasgow Celtic). These are the two clubs with the strongest links to the religious community. Rangers predominantly draw their support, and until the 1980's their players, from members of the Protestant church while Celtic historically draw their support from the Roman Catholic community. Due to the fixture scheduling of the Scottish Premier League to the two teams meet each other at 4 times a year. <ref>http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/FixturesandResults/0,,10002,00.html</ref> At these games an inter-denominational service precedes the game at which one set of supporters sings songs to the other. When matches are played at Ibrox Park (the home of Rangers) the service is usually conducted by the [[Catholic]] [[Archbishop of Glasgow]], whereas at matches played at Celtic Park services have been led by leading clergy from various Protestant denominations. On March 10th 2007 the service at Celtic Park was led by the Rev Dr [[Ian Paisley]], [[Moderator]] of the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ireland]] and First Minister of [[Northern Ireland]]. These events have helped boost inter-faith relations and help give Glasgow its slogan - The Friendly City.<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/Touristattractions/thefriendlycity.htm</ref>

=== Politics ===

Due to its heavy working class culture and tradition of heavy industry Glasgow has always been a hotbed of fervent [[socialism]]. All MPs currently returned to the UK Parliament represent the Labour Party. The last Conservative to represent a Parliamentary seat in Glasgow was Teddy (later Sir Teddy) Taylor who represented Glasgow Cathcart from 1964 to 1979 when he lost he seat to [[John Maxton]]. This was the only Conservative loss in the 1979 election and fore-shadowed the collapse in support of Conservatism throughout Scotland during the premiership of [[Margaret Thatcher]].

In the Scottish Parliament all 9 of the 10 Constituency MPs represent the Labour Party. The only non-Labour MSP is the Scottish National Party's [[Nicola Sturgeon]] in Glasgow Govan. The Proportionately Elected Regional List MPs for Glasgow comprise four from the [[Scottish National Party]], one from the [[Liberal Democrats]], one from the [[Green Party]] and the Conservative, [[Bill Aitken]].<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCouncil/Elections_Voting/Election_Results/ElectionScotland2007/SPElectionResults.htm</ref>

These elections for the Scottish Parliament were held on 3rd May 2007.

=== Customs, Leisure and Culture ===

The city has a number of fine museums and galleries, notably the [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the [[Burrell Collection]] in Pollok Park and the Museum of Religious Life which is situated in Provand's Lordship, the oldest house in Glasgow.

A local custom in Glasgow is the traditional greeting of visitors from afar with a 'Glasgow Kiss'. This is not a kiss at all, and is totally non-sexual in nature. It involves the rubbing of foreheads in a vigorous yet friendly manner. Whether or not the action originates from a desired 'meeting of minds' is unclear but its effect is to initiate the stranger into the social group.

The month of July in Glasgow sees a large parade known as the Orange Walk (popularly, "the Walk"). This colourful extravaganza commemorates the first shipment of citrus fruits from South America to arrive in Glasgow at Broomielaw Quay on the Clyde in 1690 and the establishment of the city's first fruit market nearby. The parade is preceded by the disembarkation at Custom House Quay of a group of marchers known as 'Orangemen' who have sailed up the Clyde in a banana boat. It has often been compared with the Notting Hill Carnival in [[London]] and the [[Rio de Janeiro]] Mardi Gras but, fortunately, has never been marred by the trouble and violence which often accompanies those events.

The Theatre Royal in Hope Street is the home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has its home at the Royal Concert Hall in Buchanan Street. The Henry Wood Hall in Anderston is the base of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Scottish Television and BBC Scotland both have studios on the south bank of the Clyde at Atlantic Quay in the [[Cludgie]] district.

=== Language ===

The language of Glasgow is formally [[English]] but, informally, the natives speak a local variant of [[Scots]]. Here are some common everyday phrases which may be useful for the visitor:
*''Hullawrerr'' - Good morning/afternoon
*''Hoozitgaun?'' - How are you?
*''Awright'' - I'm very well
*''Geeza'' - Please
*''Ta'' - Thank you
*''Yer bahookey'' - You're welcome
*''Wherraboozer?'' - Where can I get something to eat/drink?
*''Fuctifanaw. Ahmno fae here'' - I'm sorry I don't know. I'm a stranger myself.
*''Jeewant chibbed yabassa'' - Please leave me alone
*''Aye, right'' - I agree
*''Yeraffyerheid'' - I disagree
*''Gerritupye'' - Good health
*''Ahwislikaat'' - I was surprised

The ancient Celtic language [[Gaelic]] can often be heard in Glasgow, particularly in the West End where there is a sizeable community from the [[Hebrides]].

=== Famous Glaswegians ===

* [[Billy Connolly]] (Comedian and Actor)
* [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] (Architect)
* Sir William Burrell (Businessman, Philantropist who donated The [[Burrell Collection]] to the City)
* [[Gordon Jackson]] (Actor, The Great Escape, Upstairs Downstairs, The Professionals)
* [[Robbie Coltrane]] (Actor, Hagrid in the [[Harry Potter]] films)
* Billy Boyd (Actor, Pippin in the [[Lord of the Rings]] Trilogy)
* Scrooge McDuck
* Groundskeeper Willie
* Jack McLean (journalist, author, bon viveur and urban Voltaire)
* Gerry McNee (journalist - "The Voice of a Football")
* Alan Cumming (actor)
* Ian and Janette Tough aka [[The Krankies]] (comedy duo),
* Johnny Beattie (Shakespearean actor)
* [[Chutney Ferret]] (comedian)
* Frankie Miller (rock singer)
* Jim Kerr (rock singer with [[Simple Minds]])
* [[Sir Cameron King]] (shipping magnate)
* [[Tommy Toley]] (comedian)
* Stanley Baxter (philologist and author of the definitive academic work on the Glasgow dialect)<ref>http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1874744009?ie=UTF8&tag=globalaffilia-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1874744009</ref>
* Lobey Dosser (frontiersman)
* Charlie Sim (uphill gardener)
* Donald Findlay QC (advocate and ecumenist)
* Sydney Devine (singer)
* Matt Black (painter)
* Field Marshal Lord Roberts of [[Kandahar]], [[Pretoria]] and [[Waterford]] (soldier)
* Chick Young (radio presenter and comedian)
* Lulu (singer)
* Ian Brady (moors murderer)
* Andrew Agnew (Action Film Actor)
* [[Jerry Sadowitz]] (magician, comedian and previous presenter of [[Songs of Praise]])
* Leo Blair (father of [[Tony Blair]])
* Mark McManus (actor)
* Rikki Fulton (Comedian, half of the Francie & Josie comedy duo and creator of Rev I. M. Jolly)
* [[Angus Lennie]] (actor - ''The Great Escape'' and ''Crossroads'')
* [[John Martyn]] ( singer/songwriter)

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]
[[Category:Glasgow| ]]

Spanish language

2007-05-14T07:17:27Z

Xenophile: /* Distribution */

The '''Spanish Language''' is a member of the [[Romance language]] family, the group of languages descending from [[Vulgar Latin]], the dialect spoken by the soldiers and provincial officials of the [[Roman Empire]]. Originally spoken in the northern regions of what is now [[Spain]], Spanish also draws some influence from the regional languages of its area. Spanish also draws heavy influence from [[Arabic]], due to the [[Moorish]] [[Umayyad|occupation]] of Spain lasting from 711 to 1492.

Today, the majority of its speakers live outside of Spain, with large numbers in [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]. It is one of the most-spoken languages in the [[world]]. It is spoken as a first language by about 350,000,000 people, or by 417,000,000 if non-native speakers are included. The Spanish language is the second-most common language in the [[United States]].

==Distribution==
*[[Spain]]
*Former Spanish colonies in the [[Caribbean]] - ([[Dominican Republic]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Cuba]])
*[[Latin America]] (with the exceptions of [[Portuguese]]-speaking [[Brazil]], [[French]]-speaking [[French Guiana]], [[English]]-speaking [[Suriname]], and [[Dutch]]-speaking [[Guyana]])
*Hispanic populations in the [[United States]]
*former Spanish colonies in [[Africa]]
*a distinct dialect is spoken in the [[Philippines]]

[[Category:Languages]]

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

2007-05-14T07:15:53Z

Xenophile:

'''Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albá''' (January 9, 1902 – June 26, 1975) was a [[Spanish]] [[Catholic]] [[priest]] and founder of the [[Opus Dei]] movement. On October 6, 2002, he was canonized by [[Pope John Paul II]], who declared Saint Josemaría as "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."

Escrivá de Balaguer was born in [[Barbastro]], [[Spain]] in 1902 and ordained to the priesthood in 1925. On October 2, 1928, Escrivá founded [[Opus Dei]] as a new lay movement through which Catholics might learn to sanctify themselves without abandoning secular life.

[[Roman Catholic]] [[cardinal]]s spoke highly of his influence in the Catholic world. The majority of the approximately 90,000 members of Opus Dei are lay people. They lead traditional family lives and have secular careers. [[Opus Dei]] has members in more than 80 different countries.

Since 1944 Escrivá suffered from an acute form of diabetes. He died in [[Rome]] on June 26, 1975.

The mortal remains of Saint Josemaría Escrivá are contained in a casket located beneath the altar of the Church of Our Lady of Peace, in Rome.

''"St. Josemaría was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness".'' John Paul II.

== Writings ==

*The Way.
*The Forge
*Furrow
*Friends of God
*Conversations with Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá.

''You don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of [[God]], and as soon as you have said, "Lord, I don't know how to pray!" you can be sure you've already begun.'' The Way, 90.

== See also ==

*[[Catholicism]]
*[[Vatican City]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.josemariaescriva.info/ St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei]
* [http://www.escrivaworks.org/ Writings of Josemaría Escrivá]

[[Category:Catholic leaders]]
[[Category:Biography]]
[[Category:Religious people]]

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

2007-05-14T07:15:22Z

Xenophile:

'''Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albá''' (January 9, 1902 – June 26, 1975) was a [[Spanish]] [[Catholic]] [[priest]] and founder of the [[Opus Dei]] movement. On October 6, 2002, he was canonized by [[Pope John Paul II]], who declared Saint Josemaría as "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."

Escrivá de Balaguer was born in [[Barbastro]], [[Spain]] in 1902 and ordained to the priesthood in 1925. On October 2, 1928, Escrivá founded [[Opus Dei]] as a new lay movement through which Catholics might learn to sanctify themselves without abandoning secular life.

[[Roman Catholic]] Cardinals spoke highly of his influence in the Catholic world. The majority of the approximately 90,000 members of Opus Dei are lay people. They lead traditional family lives and have secular careers. [[Opus Dei]] has members in more than 80 different countries.

Since 1944 Escrivá suffered from an acute form of diabetes. He died in [[Rome]] on June 26, 1975.

The mortal remains of Saint Josemaría Escrivá are contained in a casket located beneath the altar of the Church of Our Lady of Peace, in Rome.

''"St. Josemaría was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness".'' John Paul II.

== Writings ==

*The Way.
*The Forge
*Furrow
*Friends of God
*Conversations with Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá.

''You don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of [[God]], and as soon as you have said, "Lord, I don't know how to pray!" you can be sure you've already begun.'' The Way, 90.

== See also ==

*[[Catholicism]]
*[[Vatican City]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.josemariaescriva.info/ St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei]
* [http://www.escrivaworks.org/ Writings of Josemaría Escrivá]

[[Category:Catholic leaders]]
[[Category:Biography]]
[[Category:Religious people]]

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

2007-05-14T07:14:26Z

Xenophile:

'''Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albá''' (January 9, 1902 – June 26, 1975) was a Spanish Catholic priest and founder of the [[Opus Dei]] movement. On October 6, 2002, he was canonized by [[Pope John Paul II]], who declared Saint Josemaría as "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."

Escrivá de Balaguer was born in Barbastro, Spain in 1902 and ordained to the priesthood in 1925. On October 2, 1928, Escrivá founded [[Opus Dei]] as a new lay movement through which Catholics might learn to sanctify themselves without abandoning secular life.

[[Roman Catholic]] Cardinals spoke highly of his influence in the Catholic world. The majority of the approximately 90,000 members of Opus Dei are lay people. They lead traditional family lives and have secular careers. [[Opus Dei]] has members in more than 80 different countries.

Since 1944 Escrivá suffered from an acute form of diabetes. He died in [[Rome]] on June 26, 1975.

The mortal remains of Saint Josemaría Escrivá are contained in a casket located beneath the altar of the Church of Our Lady of Peace, in Rome.

''"St. Josemaría was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness".'' John Paul II.

== Writings ==

*The Way.
*The Forge
*Furrow
*Friends of God
*Conversations with Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá.

''You don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of [[God]], and as soon as you have said, "Lord, I don't know how to pray!" you can be sure you've already begun.'' The Way, 90.

== See also ==

*[[Catholicism]]
*[[Vatican City]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.josemariaescriva.info/ St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei]
* [http://www.escrivaworks.org/ Writings of Josemaría Escrivá]

[[Category:Catholic leaders]]
[[Category:Biography]]
[[Category:Religious people]]

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

2007-05-14T07:13:56Z

Xenophile:

'''Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albá''' (January 9, 1902 – June 26, 1975) was a Spanish Catholic priest and founder of the [[Opus Dei]] movement. On October 6, 2002, he was canonized by [[Pope John Paul II]], who declared Saint Josemaría as "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."

Escrivá de Balaguer was born in Barbastro, Spain in 1902 and ordained to the priesthood in 1925. On October 2, 1928, Escrivá founded [[Opus Dei]] as a new lay movement through which Catholics might learn to sanctify themselves without abandoning secular life.

[[Roman Catholic]] Cardinals spoke highly of his influence in the Catholic world. The majority of the approximately 90,000 members of Opus Dei are lay people. They lead traditional family lives and have secular careers. [[Opus Dei]] has members in more than 80 different countries. The organization's assets are estimated as: assets worth $2.8 billion worldwide and $344.4 million in the United States.

Since 1944 Escrivá suffered from an acute form of diabetes. He died in [[Rome]] on June 26, 1975.

The mortal remains of Saint Josemaría Escrivá are contained in a casket located beneath the altar of the Church of Our Lady of Peace, in Rome.

''"St. Josemaría was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness".'' John Paul II.

== Writings ==

*The Way.
*The Forge
*Furrow
*Friends of God
*Conversations with Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá.

''You don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of [[God]], and as soon as you have said, "Lord, I don't know how to pray!" you can be sure you've already begun.'' The Way, 90.

== See also ==

*[[Catholicism]]
*[[Vatican City]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.josemariaescriva.info/ St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei]
* [http://www.escrivaworks.org/ Writings of Josemaría Escrivá]

[[Category:Catholic leaders]]
[[Category:Biography]]
[[Category:Religious people]]

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

2007-05-14T07:13:27Z

Xenophile:

'''Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albá''' (January 9, 1902 – June 26, 1975) was a Spanish Catholic priest and founder of the [[Opus Dei]]. On October 6, 2002, he was canonized by [[Pope John Paul II]], who declared Saint Josemaría as "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."

Escrivá de Balaguer was born in Barbastro, Spain in 1902 and ordained to the priesthood in 1925. On October 2, 1928, Escrivá founded [[Opus Dei]] as a new lay movement through which Catholics might learn to sanctify themselves without abandoning secular life.

[[Roman Catholic]] Cardinals spoke highly of his influence in the Catholic world. The majority of the approximately 90,000 members of Opus Dei are lay people. They lead traditional family lives and have secular careers. [[Opus Dei]] has members in more than 80 different countries. The organization's assets are estimated as: assets worth $2.8 billion worldwide and $344.4 million in the United States.

Since 1944 Escrivá suffered from an acute form of diabetes. He died in [[Rome]] on June 26, 1975.

The mortal remains of Saint Josemaría Escrivá are contained in a casket located beneath the altar of the Church of Our Lady of Peace, in Rome.

''"St. Josemaría was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness".'' John Paul II.

== Writings ==

*The Way.
*The Forge
*Furrow
*Friends of God
*Conversations with Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá.

''You don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of [[God]], and as soon as you have said, "Lord, I don't know how to pray!" you can be sure you've already begun.'' The Way, 90.

== See also ==

*[[Catholicism]]
*[[Vatican City]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.josemariaescriva.info/ St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei]
* [http://www.escrivaworks.org/ Writings of Josemaría Escrivá]

[[Category:Catholic leaders]]
[[Category:Biography]]
[[Category:Religious people]]

Macduff

2007-05-14T07:10:01Z

Xenophile:

Macduff is a planned town and port at the mouth of the River Deveron in the historic county of [[Banffshire]] and in the modern adnministrative district of [[Aberdeenshire]], [[Scotland]]. It faces the town of [[Banff]], which lies west of the Deveron. Macduff was founded in the seventeenth century to take advantage of the developing, and rich, [[herring fishery]] of the [[North Sea]] by Sir Kenneadd Mac Kellar, a wealthy Scottish landowner and patron of the arts and ancestor of the [[Scottish]] tenor [[Kenneth McKellar]]. MacKellar was particularly interested in theatre and patronised a professional theatrical troupe - the first such modern company to exist in Scotland - and he named his new town after the character in [[Shakespeare's]] play [[Macbeth]]. Macduff has a population of 3,870 (2004).
[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Gourock

2007-05-14T07:08:13Z

Xenophile: New page: '''Gourock''' is a pleasant town in Inverclyde on the River Clyde two miles to the west of Greenock. To aspirational Greenockians Gourock, Wemyss Bay and Largs are the ...

River Clyde

2007-05-14T07:04:59Z

Xenophile:

[[Image:Biggar Clyde Valley.JPG|right|400 px|thumb|The Upper Clyde Valley, and the town of Biggar.]]

The '''River Clyde''' is the most important river on the west coast of [[Scotland]]. From its source in the Lowther hills in the [[Scottish Lowlands]], it runs down Clydesdale (from where comes the Clydesdale breed of large [[horse]]), past [[Lanark]], [[Motherwell]] and [[Hamilton]], through [[Glasgow]] and out into the [[Firth of Clyde]] at [[Gourock]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clyde, RIver}}
[[Category:Rivers]]
[[Category:Scottish Rivers]]

Perth

2007-05-14T07:03:10Z

Xenophile:

A major urban conurbation in [[Western Australia]]. Also the fifth largest city in [[Scotland]]. During the Middle Ages it was known as St John's Toun, a name which is recalled by the town's [[football]] club St Johnstone.

Australia's Perth is known as a key logistics center for natural resources. Scotland's Perth has no such luck, though it is pretty.

[[Category:Australia]]
[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Barrhead

2007-05-14T06:58:28Z

Xenophile:

Paisley

2007-05-14T06:53:39Z

Xenophile:

'''Paisley''', the "Pearl of Scotland", is a town and former burgh located in the west central lowlands of Scotland approximately eight miles west-south-west of [[Glasgow]]. It is the administrative centre of the Renfrewshire council area. Straddling the [[White Cart Water]], the settlement occupies the low land to the north of the Gleniffer Braes.

In 1163 an abbey was founded at Paisley around which a settlement soon grew. The town became famous during the 18th and 19th centuries for the production of cloth, especially cotton with the distinctive Paisley Pattern which was, however, originally not Scottish but a [[Babylon]]ian design based on a stylized form of the acanthus leaf. It may therefore have been known to the Israelites in Babylonian exile.

The common slang term for a person from Paisley is a Buddie.

==History==
Paisley has monastic origins, due to a site near a waterfall, where a chapel is said to have been established by the 7th century Irish monk, [[Saint Mirin]]. It may have been a major religious centre of the [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]], along with [[Glasgow]] and [[Govan]]. Though Paisley lacks contemporary documentation. A [[Cluniac]] priory was established in 1163 by [[Walter Fitz Alan]] (d. 1177), [[High Steward of Scotland]]. In 1245 this was raised to the status of an Abbey. The restored [[Abbey]] and adjacent 'Place' (palace), constructed out of part of the medieval claustral buildings, survive as a [[Church of Scotland]] parish church. One of [[Scotland]]'s major religious houses, [[Paisley Abbey]] was much favoured by the [[Bruce]] and [[Stewart]] royal families. It is generaly accepted that [[William Wallace]] the great hero of Scottish independence who inspired the film [[Braveheart]] was educated here and King [[Robert III]] (1390-1406) was buried in the Abbey. His tomb has not survived, but that of Princess [[Marjorie Bruce]] (1296-1316), ancestress of the Stewarts is one of [[Scotland]]'s few royal monuments to survive the [[Reformation]].

Paisley coalesced under [[James II of Scotland|James II's]] wish that the lands should become a single regality and, as a result, markets, trading and commerce began to flourish. In 1488 the town's status was raised by [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]] to [[Burgh of barony]].

Many trades sprang up, the first school was established in 1577 by the Town Council. By the mid-nineteenth century weaving had become the town's main industry. Paisley is still very well-known for the Paisley Shawl and its distinctive [[Paisley (Design)|Paisley Pattern]] which originated around this time.

Through its weaving fraternity, Paisley gained notoriety as being a literate and somewhat radical town, although it could be argued in a fiercely positive direction. By this time there was a real mixture of religious opinions and healthy drink-fuelled debate raged at night amongst the weavers, poets, merchants, masons and others. The poet [[Robert Tannahill]] lived in this setting, working as a weaver. The weavers of Paisley were also active in the [[Radical War]] of 1820.

== Famous Residents - Past and Present ==

* [[Kenneth McKellar]] - tenor
* [[Tom Conti]] - actor
* [[John Byrne]] - painter and playwright
* [[Gordon Bowie]] - politician, engineer and cricketer
* [[Paul McGillion]] - actor (''Stargate: Atlantis'')
* [[Gerard Butler]] - actor
* [[David Tennant]] - actor (''Doctor Who'', ''Casanova'')
* [[Alexander Wilson]] - ornithologist and poet
* Reverend [[James Witherspoon]] - signatory of the American [[Declaration of Independence]]

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Glasgow

2007-05-11T14:17:32Z

Xenophile: /* Famous Glaswegians */

[[Image:uk-glasgow.jpg|thumb|right|Glasgow and the River Clyde]]
'''Glasgow''' is the largest city in [[Scotland]]. Founded by its patron saint Kentigern (or Mungo) around 540 AD it stands on both sides of the River Clyde.

The official motto of the city is ''Floreat Glasgua'' ("Let Glasgow Flourish"). However the unofficial motto is the [[Scots]] ''Yer Tea's Oot'' ("Your Tea Is Out") - a reference to the city's great tradition of hospitality towards the stranger.

The population of the city itself has declined from over a million inhabitants in the pre [[World War II]] era to around 600,000 today. However the population of the Greater Glasgow conurbation is approximately 2.5 million, roughly half the population of [[Scotland]].

Inhabitants of Glasgow are called Glaswegians but are often referred to by other Scots as "Keelies" or "Weegies". Glaswegians frequently refer to themselves in [[Scots]] as ''Wee Arra Peepul'' ("Little Arrow People"), a reference to their small stature and historical renown as archers.

=== Buildings ===

Glasgow has many fine public buildings, notably Glasgow Cathedral, a large [[Gothic]] edifice, the City Chambers, [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the Great Eastern Hotel, the University at Gilmorehill, the Armadillo designed by [[Richard Rodgers]], the School of Art designed by [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] and the Beresford Hotel, an art deco building on Sauchiehall St.

Despite a long and proud industrial heritage Glasgow is studded with green spaces and recreation grounds (the name Glasgow comes from the Brythonic for ''Dear Green Place''). The finest of these is the much loved Possil Park, opened by Queen Victoria in 1878.

The slums of the industrial era, particularly the Gorbals and the notorious [[Cludgie]] district, have now been cleared and regenerated with many fine new dwellings and green spaces.

The poet [[Sir John Betjeman]] described Glasgow as the "finest Victorian city in the world". This accolade is still justified today despite the best efforts of the City Council to destroy it in the 1960s and 1970s.

=== History ===

The site of the founding of St Mungo's church by the Molendinar Burn, a stream which flows into the [[River Clyde]], is now the site of Glasgow Cathedral. <ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/Earliest+Beginnings.htm</ref>

In the early days Glasgow was subjected to frequent raids by marauding [[Vikings]] who sailed up the Clyde in their long ships. One such incursion on Glasgow is recounted in the [[Norse]] Saga of [[Noggin the Nog]].

Glasgow is famous for shipbuilding - the [[Queen Mary]], the [[Queen Elizabeth]], the [[Queen Elizabeth 2]] and the [[Lusitania]] are just some of the famous vessels which were "Clyde-built". Other industries include [[whisky]] distilling and the manufacture of hats called 'Jimmy bunnets' which are favoured by members of the [[Tartan Army]] and [[soccer]] fans.

=== Education ===

Glasgow has three universities - the [[University of Glasgow]] founded in 1451, the [[University of Strathclyde]], the former Royal College, which was raised to university status in 1965 and [[Glasgow Caledonian University]], previously Glasgow College of Technology, which has been a university since 1992.

=== The People ===

Glasgow's population consists mainly of Lowland Scots, Gaels from the [[Highlands]] and [[Hebrides]] and the descendants of immigrants from [[Ireland]]. The early twentieth century saw arrivals from [[Italy]], [[Russia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Poland]]. Some of these immigrants from Eastern Europe were Jews escaping pogroms but many came to work in the coalmines and steelworks in and around the city. The latter half of the twentieth century saw a new wave of immigration from [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]. With the recent accession of Poland to the [[European Union]] the city has played host to many young Poles seeking work in the city.

=== Sport and Religion ===

Football and religion are normally seen as being inseparable in Glasgow. Scottish Football has for decades been dominated by two Glasgow clubs; Glasgow Rangers and Celtic FC (often erroneously called Glasgow Celtic). These are the two clubs with the strongest links to the religious community. Rangers predominantly draw their support, and until the 1980's their players, from members of the Protestant church while Celtic historically draw their support from the Roman Catholic community. Due to the fixture scheduling of the Scottish Premier League to the two teams meet each other at 4 times a year. <ref>http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/FixturesandResults/0,,10002,00.html</ref> At these games an inter-denominational service precedes the game at which one set of supporters sings songs to the other. When matches are played at Ibrox Park (the home of Rangers) the service is usually conducted by the [[Catholic]] [[Archbishop of Glasgow]], whereas at matches played at Celtic Park services have been led by leading clergy from various Protestant denominations. On March 10th 2007 the service at Celtic Park was led by the Rev Dr [[Ian Paisley]], [[Moderator]] of the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ireland]] and First Minister of [[Northern Ireland]]. These events have helped boost inter-faith relations and help give Glasgow its slogan - The Friendly City.<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/Touristattractions/thefriendlycity.htm</ref>

=== Politics ===

Due to its heavy working class culture and tradition of heavy industry Glasgow has always been a hotbed of fervent [[socialism]]. All MPs currently returned to the UK Parliament represent the Labour Party. The last Conservative to represent a Parliamentary seat in Glasgow was Teddy (later Sir Teddy) Taylor who represented Glasgow Cathcart from 1964 to 1979 when he lost he seat to [[John Maxton]]. This was the only Conservative loss in the 1979 election and fore-shadowed the collapse in support of Conservatism throughout Scotland during the premiership of [[Margaret Thatcher]].

In the Scottish Parliament all 9 of the 10 Constituency MPs represent the Labour Party. The only non-Labour MSP is the Scottish National Party's [[Nicola Sturgeon]] in Glasgow Govan. The Proportionately Elected Regional List MPs for Glasgow comprise four from the [[Scottish National Party]], one from the [[Liberal Democrats]], one from the [[Green Party]] and the Conservative, [[Bill Aitken]].<ref>http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCouncil/Elections_Voting/Election_Results/ElectionScotland2007/SPElectionResults.htm</ref>

These elections for the Scottish Parliament were held on 3rd May 2007.

=== Customs, Leisure and Culture ===

The city has a number of fine museums and galleries, notably the [[Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery]], the [[Burrell Collection]] in Pollok Park and the Museum of Religious Life which is situated in Provand's Lordship, the oldest house in Glasgow.

A local custom in Glasgow is the traditional greeting of visitors from afar with a 'Glasgow Kiss'. This is not a kiss at all, and is totally non-sexual in nature. It involves the rubbing of foreheads in a vigorous yet friendly manner. Whether or not the action originates from a desired 'meeting of minds' is unclear but its effect is to initiate the stranger into the social group.

The month of July in Glasgow sees a large parade known as the Orange Walk (popularly, "the Walk"). This colourful extravaganza commemorates the first shipment of citrus fruits from South America to arrive in Glasgow at Broomielaw Quay on the Clyde in 1690 and the establishment of the city's first fruit market nearby. The parade is preceded by the disembarkation at Custom House Quay of a group of marchers known as 'Orangemen' who have sailed up the Clyde in a banana boat. It has often been compared with the Notting Hill Carnival in [[London]] and the [[Rio de Janeiro]] Mardi Gras but, fortunately, has never been marred by the trouble and violence which often accompanies those events.

The Theatre Royal in Hope Street is the home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has its home at the Royal Concert Hall in Buchanan Street. The Henry Wood Hall in Anderston is the base of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Scottish Television and BBC Scotland both have studios on the south bank of the Clyde at Atlantic Quay in the [[Cludgie]] district.

=== Language ===

The language of Glasgow is formally [[English]] but, informally, the natives speak a local variant of [[Scots]]. Here are some common everyday phrases which may be useful for the visitor:
*''Hullawrerr'' - Good morning/afternoon
*''Hoozitgaun?'' - How are you?
*''Awright'' - I'm very well
*''Geeza'' - Please
*''Ta'' - Thank you
*''Yer bahookey'' - You're welcome
*''Wherraboozer?'' - Where can I get something to eat/drink?
*''Fuctifanaw. Ahmno fae here'' - I'm sorry I don't know. I'm a stranger myself.
*''Jeewant chibbed yabassa'' - Please leave me alone
*''Aye, right'' - I agree
*''Yeraffyerheid'' - I disagree
*''Gerritupye'' - Good health
*''Ahwislikaat'' - I was surprised

The ancient Celtic language [[Gaelic]] can often be heard in Glasgow, particularly in the West End where there is a sizeable community from the [[Hebrides]].

=== Famous Glaswegians ===

* [[Billy Connolly]] (Comedian and Actor)
* [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] (Architect)
* Sir William Burrell (Businessman, Philantropist who donated The [[Burrell Collection]] to the City)
* [[Gordon Jackson]] (Actor, The Great Escape, Upstairs Downstairs, The Professionals)
* [[Robbie Coltrane]] (Actor, Hagrid in the [[Harry Potter]] films)
* Billy Boyd (Actor, Pippin in the [[Lord of the Rings]] Trilogy)
* Scrooge McDuck
* Groundskeeper Willie
* Jack McLean (journalist, author, bon viveur and urban Voltaire)
* Gerry McNee (journalist - "The Voice of a Football")
* Alan Cumming (actor)
* Ian and Janette Tough aka [[The Krankies]] (comedy duo),
* Johnny Beattie (Shakespearean actor)
* [[Chutney Ferret]] (comedian)
* Frankie Miller (rock singer)
* Jim Kerr (rock singer with [[Simple Minds]])
* [[Sir Cameron King]] (shipping magnate)
* [[Tommy Toley]] (comedian)
* Stanley Baxter (philologist and author of the definitive academic work on the Glasgow dialect)<ref>http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1874744009?ie=UTF8&tag=globalaffilia-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1874744009</ref>
* Lobey Dosser (frontiersman)
* Charlie Sim (uphill gardener)
* Donald Findlay QC (advocate and ecumenist)
* Sydney Devine (singer)
* Matt Black (painter)
* Field Marshal Lord Roberts of [[Kandahar]], [[Pretoria]] and [[Waterford]] (soldier)
* Chick Young (radio presenter and comedian)
* Lulu (singer)
* Ian Brady (moors murderer)
* Andrew Agnew (Action Film Actor)
* [[Jerry Sadowitz]] (magician, comedian and previous presenter of [[Songs of Praise]])
* Leo Blair (father of [[Tony Blair]])
* Mark McManus (actor)
* Rikki Fulton (Comedian, half of the Francie & Josie comedy duo and creator of Rev I. M. Jolly)
* [[Angus Lennie]] (actor - ''The Great Escape'' and ''Crossroads'')

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]
[[Category:Glasgow| ]]

Haddington

2007-05-11T14:10:39Z

Xenophile:

'''Haddington''' is the adminstrative capital and a major conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]]. It is the birthplace of the [[Scottish]] [[Protestant]] reformer [[John Knox]]. Inhabitants are known as Haddies.
[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Gullane

2007-05-11T14:09:30Z

Xenophile:

Gullane is a major urban conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]].

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Prestonpans

2007-05-11T14:09:01Z

Xenophile:

Prestonpans is a major urban conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]].

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Old Kilpatrick

2007-05-11T14:08:24Z

Xenophile:

'''Old Kilpatrick''' is a village on the north bank of the [[River Clyde]] to the west of [[Clydebank]]. It is reputed to be the birthplace of [[Saint Patrick]].

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Saint Patrick

2007-05-11T14:06:58Z

Xenophile: /* Life as a Slave */

[[Image:Patrick1.jpg|right]]
Saint Patrick (''Naomh Pádraig'') of [[Ireland]] was an independent Christian missionary who travelled to Ireland in the early-or-mid 5th Century AD to complete the work of the Bishop Palladius, who had earlier been charged by the Pope with the task of evangelising Ireland. Patrick is believed to have converted virtually the entire island of [[Ireland]] to [[Christianity]]. Much about him remains a mystery, though some of his personal writings have survived.

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] teaches that he was the son of a deacon and a grandson of a priest. The Orthodox Church refers to him as Saint Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland.

==Life as a Slave==
He was captured as a teenager during a raid on the west coast of Wales by a minor Irish king known as [[Niall of the Nine Hostages]] and sold as a slave in Ireland, where he herded animals on Slieve Mish (''Sliabh Mis'') mountain, near Belfast. After six years of this, he escaped.

==Dream==
When Patrick was in his forties, he had a vivid dream that told him to return to Ireland. He wrote in his ''Confession'':<ref name="AmericanMinute">[http://www.amerisearch.net/index.php?date=2004-03-17&view=View American Minute] for March 17th</ref>
{{QuoteBox|In the depth of the night, I saw a man named Victoricus coming as if from Ireland, with innumerable letters, and he gave me one and while I was reading I thought I heard the voice of those near the western sea call out: 'Please, holy boy, come and walk among us again.' Their cry pierced my very heart, and I could read no more, and so I awoke.}}
Patrick risked his life by returning to Ireland and attempting to convert the ruling Kings and Chieftains who ruled the island. According to legend, he used the shamrock ''(seamróg)'', a small three-leafed plant that resembles a miniature clover to educate the Irish about the [[Trinity]]. However, since many of the Irish already worshiped a [[Goddess]], [[Brigid]], with three forms, it is unlikely that the Irish needed the idea of three parts in one god explained to them.

==Conversion==
Patrick baptized 120,000 Irish and established 300 churches. According to legend, Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland, as there are no snakes there to this day. Some regard the snakes as a metaphor representing heathen religions.

==Reflection and Death==
Patrick wrote about his life:<ref name="AmericanMinute"/>
{{QuoteBox|Patrick the sinner, an unlearned man to be sure. None should ever say that it was my ignorance that accomplished any small thing, it was the gift of God.}}
He is believed to have died on or around March 17, 461 [[A.D.]]

== References ==
<references/>

[http://www.goarch.org Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]

[http://www.flickr.com Flickr Public Photos]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Saint}}
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ireland]]

Old Kilpatrick

2007-05-11T14:06:12Z

Xenophile: New page: '''Old Kilpatrick''' is a village on the north bank of the River Clyde to the west of Clydebank. It is reputed to be the birthplace of Saint Patrick.

'''Old Kilpatrick''' is a village on the north bank of the [[River Clyde]] to the west of [[Clydebank]]. It is reputed to be the birthplace of [[Saint Patrick]].

Largs

2007-05-11T14:01:09Z

Xenophile:

Largs is a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire. It was the site of the Battle of Largs in 1263 where the army of King [[Alexander III]] defeated the [[Mongol]] fleet of [[Genghis Khan]] thereby saving [[Europe]] for [[Christianity]]. Kelburn Castle close to Largs is the family seat of the Earls of [[Glasgow]].

Among famous residents of Largs past and present are:
* [[Sir Cameron King]] (business magnate,philanthropist and civic benefactor)
* [[Andy Goram]] (Ulster loyalist and former goalkeeper of Scotland's national team, Rangers FC, Hibernian FC and Manchester Utd FC)
* Daniela Nardini (actress)
* Lou Macari (footballer - Celtic FC and Manchester Utd FC)
* Benny Gallagher (musician and songwriter)
* Graham Lyle (musician and songwriter)

The town has a large Chinese community and the Largs [[Chinatown]] is home to many fine restaurants.

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Ayrshire

2007-05-11T13:04:48Z

Xenophile:

Ayrshire is a county centred around the former county town of [[Ayr]].

==The Ayrshire greeting==

No one knows the origins of this ritual greeting formula which, alongside the [[Auld Lang Syne]] and the [[Selkirk Grace]] has become familiar throughout the English-speaking world. It is believed it may have something to do with swine rustling, which was common in Scotland in the middle ages.

Person A - Is that your Ayrshire bacon?

Person B - Naw, Ah'm juist warmin ma haunds.

[[Category:Scottish Counties and Regions]]

Balmoral

2007-05-11T13:02:02Z

Xenophile:

'''Balmoral''' is a house and estate near [[Braemar]], [[Aberdeenshire]], [[Scotland]], owned by [[Queen Elizabeth II]]. It is Her Majesty's favoured residence in [[Scotland]] and used for royal summer holidays, although her official residence in Scotland is the Palace of [[Holyroodhouse]], [[Edinburgh]]. Balmoral was designed for [[Prince Albert]], consort of [[Queen Victoria]], in the [[Scottish Baronial]] style popular in the nineteenth century. It eschews the formality of court life and decoration, having jolly [[tartan]] wallpaper and carpets, and alarm clocks are prohibited - instead, the Queen and her family and guests are woken by the sound of the [[bagpipes]].
[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Balmoral

2007-05-11T13:01:22Z

Xenophile:

'''Balmoral''' is a house and estate near [[Braemar]], [[Aberdeenshire]], [[Scotland]], owned by [[Queen Elizabeth II]]. It is Her Majesty's favoured residence in [[Scotland]] and used for royal summer holidays, alythough her official residence in Scotland is the Palace of [[Holyroodhouse]], [[Edinburgh]]. Balmoral was designed for [[Prince Albert]], consort of [[Queen Victoria]], in the [[Scottish Baronial]] style popular in the nineteenth century. It eschews the formality of court life and decoration, having jolly tartan wallpaper and carpets, and alarm clocks are prohibited - instead, the Queen and her family and guests are woken by the sound of the [[bagpipes]].
[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Barrhead

2007-05-11T12:58:57Z

Xenophile:

'''Barrhead''' is a town in [[East Renfrewshire]], [[Scotland]] standing on the Levern Water seven miles to the south west of [[Glasgow]]. It was formerly a centre for the production of [[ceramics]], the principal employer being the factory of Thomas Shanks and Sons Ltd. The factory's output was prodigious in the early part of the twentieth century and much of its products found their way around the globe. In response to the popularity of all things [[Chinese]] in that era, Shanks commenced the production of imitation [[Ming]] vases. The more expensive of these were virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article and to this day inhabitants are known locally as "Mingers".

[[Category: Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Longniddry

2007-05-11T12:57:36Z

Xenophile:

Longniddry is a major urban conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]].

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Haddington

2007-05-11T12:57:01Z

Xenophile:

'''Haddington''' is the adminstrative capital and a major urban conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]]. It is the birthplace of the [[Scottish]] [[Protestant]] reformer [[John Knox]]. Inhabitants are known as Haddies.
[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

Haddington

2007-05-11T12:56:31Z

Xenophile:

'''Haddington'' is the adminstrative capital and a major urban conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]]. It is the birthplace of the [[Scottish]] [[Protestant]] reformer [[John Knox]]. Inhabitants are known as Haddies.
[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]

East Fortune

2007-05-11T12:53:58Z

Xenophile:

East Fortune is a major urban conurbation in [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]].

[[Category:Scottish Towns and Cities]]