Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:Examples of Bias in Wikipedia

2010-01-26T13:16:09Z

DWiggins: /* Stats? */ new section

{| align=right border=3 cellspacing=0 style="border-width: 5px; border-color: #d0d0d0; background: #d0e0e0; margin: 2em;"
| style="text-align: center; padding: 10px 40px 10px 40px;" | [[/Archives|Archives]]
|}



== Validity of claims of Evolution page bias ==

I find this statement to be rather hypocritical:

"Wikipedia's evolution article certainly does not have robust and relevant "Criticism and controversy" section its evolution article which is not surprising since liberals are rather enamored of the evolutionary position despite the evolutionary view having a total lack of evidence supporting it."

It seems like a vindictive ad hominem attack against "liberals" rather than a legitimate argument. You cannot assert that "which is not surprising since liberals are rather enamored...etc." and honestly think that you are being unbiased. Sarcasm is not a valid way to respectfully argue against another's theories.

A liberal could just as easily state,

"Conservapedia's creationism article certainly does not have a robust and relevant "Criticism and controversy" section, which is not surprising since conservatives are rather enamored of the creationism position despite having a total lack of evidence supporting it."

and be just as "accurate" as whoever wrote the original conservative criticism. I'm not debating whether evolution or creationism is the correct theory (I'm neutral), but rather trying to suggest a way to improve your arguments. If you want to accuse someone of being baised, then you can't be biased yourself.

== I deleted "Wikipedia makes no mention of the fact that Eric Holder..." ==

I deleted "Wikipedia makes no mention of the fact that [[Obama]]'s Attorney General [[Eric Holder]] called the United States a "nation of cowards" when it comes to the discussion of race."

The citation was a link to an old revision of a Wikipedia page. The new revision DOES mention this. --[[User:Andrew1123|Andrew1123]] 17:22, 8 March 2009 (EDT)

==Reference Needed for Claim that Wikipedia Called Bush a Nazi==

The claim that G. W. Bush "was called a supporter of the Nazi regime" on his wikipedia page is very believable, but could someone find a reference proving it? [[User:Sjay|Sjay]] 20:50, 9 March 2009 (EDT)

== Is #150 really relevant? (The criticism of GWB/BHO) ==

Looking back at the history of the "Presidency of George W. Bush" article, the Criticism section was not added to the article until July 5th, 2006. If Wikipedia had a liberal bias wouldn't they have added that much sooner? BHO has been in power for less then two months, not enough time to form a valid criticism of his presidency as a whole.

:I'm sorry - and you are?
::20:34, March 9, 2009 Dparker (Talk | contribs | block) New user ‎
::20:44, March 9, 2009 (hist) (diff) Talk:Examples of Bias in Wikipedia‎ (→Is #150 really relavent? (The criticism of GWB/BHO): new section)
:Do you have any interest here other than this issue?
:Anyway, to answer your question, the articles are not simply about criticism of the men as they acted as president. They are about them in general. B.O. has been around quite a while before January 20, 2009. Was there no criticism of him before that date? Has there been no criticism of him after it? And what, pray tell, defines criticism as "valid" or not and what is the official figure for how much time must pass for the criticism to be worthy of Wikipedia? I mean, is criticism of George W. Bush's personality - his ''personality'' for crying out loud! - valid? This is a ridiculous line from the ridiculous WP article:
:<blockquote>"Raised in West Texas, Bush's accent, vacations on his Texas ranch, and penchant for country metaphors contribute to his folksy, American cowboy image, which occasionally served as fodder for criticism."</blockquote>
:Oh, my dear Lord in Heaven, NOOOOOO!!!! His accent! His ranch! His metaphors! Why did we ever let such a man be president with all these valid criticisms?! Chimpeachment!
:Okay, I freely admit that was gratuitous sarcasm, but it sure felt good.
:Bottom line: the excuses people are putting forth to excuse the blatant B.O. worship and kowtowing on WP are lame and don't hold water. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. [[User:Jinxmchue|Jinxmchue]] 00:28, 16 March 2009 (EDT)

The WP articles are referenced in the "example of bias" are "Presidency of" articles, not general articles. You would know if you read them. But I guess reading an article on a site with a "liberal bias" is a lot to expect from someone here. Laying the sarcasm so thick isn't helping your argument either. If you think that line is so ridiculous then you've obviously blocked out the last eight years from your memory, not to mention that his attitude is probably the weakest criticism anyone has of GWB. Also, it should be mentioned that if that page on WP is ridiculous, then how do you describe this: [[Religion of Barack Obama]]. The rabbit hole of crazy goes really deep here.

: Your unsigned comment is incoherent. But in answer to your question, it is biased to point of absurdity to criticize Bush for his "accent" and his "ranch". Do you see similar criticisms of Obama and Ted Kennedy on Wikipedia???--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:13, 16 March 2009 (EDT)

== Gothic architecture ==

I am confused by the entry. It is maybe linked to the wrong wikipedia article? Because right now anyway, the article "Gothic Architecture" has its whole 3rd paragraph, out of 5 in the introduction section, about churches and cathedrals. And after that, there is the section "Religious influences" which is talking about christian monastary orders. Then it does mention moslems but only to say that their architecture had pointed arches, and i agree this is bias because there is no reason to think christians did not invent pointed arches themselves, but i still think that the entry bullet point makes little sense. The article mentions christianty in the third paragraph, after maybe 100 words not 1 500. It credits Christianity first and not moslems. It mentions christians many times through out, not "never mentioning christianity again." I am not saying it is unbiased but what we say about it is incorrect in fact. And it is strange to open with this, too. The list should start with the worst, like the black-list on intelligent design and climate sceptics, the celebirty gossip, and then on. [[User:ELeger|ELeger]] 00:24, 27 March 2009 (EDT)

:I agree that this article is a poor example of bias. The article says that "Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and parish churches of Europe," in the first sentence of the third paragraph. These are definitely Christian buildings, not Muslim. If a specific mention of Christianity is necessary, the article mentions the Cistercians by name after 1,097 words (1,280 words if you include the table contents), which is well earlier than the claim of 1,500 words and also before any mention of Islam. Unless somebody can show [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture Wikipedia's article on Gothic architecture] to be biased, I am going to delete this entry in the list of biases. [[User:Chris3145|Chris3145]] 22:28, 24 September 2009 (EDT)

::Wikipedia bias includes a refusal to credit ''Christianity''. This is an example of that. There are many other examples also. When Wikipedia gives credit where it is due with respect to Christianity, then this entry can be updated. That hasn't happened yet at Wikipedia, and probably never will.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:39, 25 September 2009 (EDT)

:::How, exactly, does the Wikipedia article not credit Christianity? The points made in the entry are untrue: Christianity is mentioned before Islam, Christianity is mentioned well before 1500 words, and the article frequently references churches, cathedrals, and other distinctly Christian structures. The article may be biased, or it may not be, but the facts currently presented in the bullet point are not true. If you want to show that Wikipedia's article on Gothic Architecture is biased, you'll need supporting evidence that is factually correct. Maybe an older version of the article was biased?[[User:Chris3145|Chris3145]] 11:26, 2 October 2009 (EDT)

== Drudge Bias ==

I don't have the time now but will somebody compare (and post a summary of) the existing Wikipedia DRUDGE REPORT and MATT DRUDGE entries with the existing Wikipedia entries for BILL MAHER, ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, and KEITH OLBERMANN? You will see that the DR and Matt Drudge, '''news aggregators,''' are cited in the first sentence as "conservative" while no such labels are applied to the latter '''pundits''' in even the first paragraph. Instead, they are buried well down the page or omitted entirely. In fact, it was the case recently that none were objectively called liberals but instead made use of sleight of hand, e.g., saying they had been critical of certain right-wingers at certain times, but not mentioning that they were proudly liberal. Good example of Wiki bias, in my estimation.

: You're right. Thanks for your insight. Please add a point about this, or I will if you don't get around to it. {{unsigned|Aschlafly}}

Personally, whilst I don't disagree as such with your observations, there is still an element of bias in them as well. You have cited just 3 'liberal' examples against 2 'conservative' examples. Who's to say there aren't others on each side which in fact show the opposite to what these do. It seems highly selective to select these few for comparison. The Michael Moore article for example does state in the opening that he is a 'liberal', so basically I think you would have to see how wide ranging this is before calling it bias. [[User:RobertWDP|RobertWDP]] 18:59, 28 March 2009 (EDT)

: You're right that we cannot make sweeping generalizations from a handful of articles, but that was never my intention. My point was that '''at this point in time and on each of those articles,''' there was resistance to "equalizing" the labels so that they were applied to all or none. The most dedicated editors made sure to protect accusations of conservatism while preventing--EVEN BANNING--those who suggested the others were liberal. Additionally, Matt Drudge is a '''news aggregator''' who has claimed to be libertarian, and he gets the 'conservative' label even while '''pundits''' who are proud and open of their liberalism get to play shy about it? And until recently, the Drudge Report was labeled while its openly liberal challenger, The Drudge Retort, was described as merely "left-leaning." In summary, I don't mean to make broad claims from narrow examples, just to acknowledge that those examples are there. Added together, hundreds or thousands of examples can suggest, if nothing else, an important trend. [[User:Iamchipdouglas|Iamchipdouglas]] 21:21, 30 March 2009 (EDT)

== Organizing instances in order of severity? ==

While I don't really agree with the comment about "Gothic Architecture" above, the author may have a point: would it be better to list the most egregious examples of bias first? Perhaps have a section for the most blatant instances of bias, and then a section for other instances? It just seems like good common sense to present the strongest arguments first. --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 18:00, 27 March 2009 (EDT)

== Thank you ==

Dear Conservapedia editors

Firstly, I would like to disclose that I am a regular Wikipedia editor. I wanted to thank this site for this particular article. I regularly review it for errors Wikipedia might have missed, and whilst I don't agree that every complaint raised in this article is valid, a reasonable number have proven to be correct. This site, and I wish to stress I don't agree with a lot of it, does serve as a watchdog which many Wikipedia editors value for its investigations, and helps to keep us on our toes. Thanks again. [[User:Breithaupt|Breithaupt]] 14:52, 28 March 2009 (EDT)

:Thank you! No place is immune from the benefits of "outside" eyes, offering suggestions or solutions. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 15:57, 28 March 2009 (EDT)

== Thank you as well! ==

:Thank you as well! I am sure that a growing number of contributors to Wikipedia are beginning to rethink their alleged objectivity and purveyors of unfettered information in a quest for the unvarnished truth, as well as a genuine effort "to present all sides" in a so-called fair manner, especially when "fairness" is tangible and wholly subjective in a multitude of cases. Their editorial staff once seemed to be the paragon of inclusion; now, an increasingly harsh tone of what cannot but be considered pious liberal subterfuge seems to confront the participant. Indeed, the forbearance manifested by the editors of Conservapedia - apparently from editors secure in their own intellect and the resilience of their faith - is a most nonthreatening and refreshing antithesis to those of us who have been savaged by an ever-noxious and insipid constriction of the truth or, as said, objectivity of the presentation. What one unfortunately faces on WP is a sort of editorial goon squad set about to investigate the alleged self-serving proprieties of them who deign to taint their presuppositions--tragic denial of their quest for greater information. I see in the current socio-religious (and socio-political) culture wars which currently afflict this nation a most disturbing phenomenon played out in the generation of information made available to the masses through the internet: The war of words and information waged between what appears to be an encroaching governmental superiority vs. the rights of man. If we are not careful, that which we feared the most shall come upon us--God help us all if the truth that sets us free is submerged in the blather of the self-righteous platitudes of so-called progressives whose purposeful and/or inadvertent desire is to manifest their disdain of any and all absolutes (especially those which the faithful project) - and in so doing, descend to a most horrible absolute wherein truth becomes fiction and fiction becomes the truth. The matter astounds - they who profess such indignity toward personal aggrandizement are countered (thankfully) by the accused who embrace their absolutes with calm and persistent expression of unfettered information which irritates the so-called guardians of information. Keep up the good work! [[User:Kriegerdwm|Kriegerdwm]] 00:13, 29 March 2009 (EDT)kriegerdwm[[User:Kriegerdwm|Kriegerdwm]] 00:13, 29 March 2009 (EDT)

== Update regarding the "Controversies and criticism" section at Wikipedia's Presidency of George W. Bush article ==

Regarding current example 153: "Wikipedia clearly adds a "Controversies" sections to their article for the "Presidency of George W. Bush"... but not to their article on the "Presidency of Barack Obama"".

After consensus was reached on Wikipedia that this section on George W. Bush was not appropriate, it has now been removed. [[User:Breithaupt|Breithaupt]] 14:10, 9 April 2009 (EDT)

:The word "criticism" or "critics" appears 24 times in the George W. Bush article. It only appears twice in the article on Obama, one referring to his criticism of others. So they can reshuffle the page all they want, but it's the content that matters.--[[User:FredCorps|FredCorps]] 14:15, 9 April 2009 (EDT)

==Why do they do it?==

Let's turn this article into a table with two columns: next to each example should be the '''reason''' Wikipedia presents the information the way they do. For example, is it policy, or just the current editorial consensus? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 14:29, 11 May 2009 (EDT)

==Cassie Bernall==

Number 11, as it stands, is simply not true. The Wikipedia page currently echoes what is written on the truthorfiction site: "Emily Wyant, who had been sitting with Bernall in the library as the shootings began, asserted that the exchange did not take place. Wyant stated that she and Bernall were studying together when the gunmen broke in. According to her account Bernall exclaimed, "Dear God, dear God! Why is this happening? I just want to go home." Wyant described how Eric Harris suddenly slammed his hand onto the table top and yelled "Peek-a-boo!" before fatally shooting Cassie Bernall." This is exactly what is described at the truthorfiction site. In fact, the Wikipedia article has been accurate about this since at least 2006, ''before'' the Conservapedia article was amended to include this example of supposed "bias." It should be removed. [[User:TaKess|TaKess]] 12:47, 12 May 2009 (EDT)

:Please quote the sentence in Number 11 which you feel is not true. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 12:55, 12 May 2009 (EDT)

::"Wikipedia's entry about the Christian martyr at Columbine refuses to admit that she was murdered by an atheist as she was expressing her faith in God, as confirmed by multiple witnesses."--Actually, the Wikipedia article acknowledges that Cassie was praying, "Dear God, dear God! Why is this happening? I just want to go home," before Eric Harris shot her. This is what the link cited as a reference also claims. [[User:TaKess|TaKess]] 12:59, 12 May 2009 (EDT)

:::So you are saying that Wikipedia '''does''' admit she was murdered by an atheist? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 13:03, 12 May 2009 (EDT)

::::Is Wikipedia's failure to note Eric Harris's atheism what is considered "biased"? If so, I guess 11 should stand. The sentence makes it sound like Wikipedia didn't note that Bernall was praying when she was shot (which it does). In any case, the truthorfiction site linked doesn't note Harris as an atheist, either. I'm sure he was but I don't have a link off-hand for it--I'll try to find one later. [[User:TaKess|TaKess]] 13:15, 12 May 2009 (EDT)

== Negative Words ==

While alot of this article is valid, alot of negative words are using. This simply makes the facts come across as angry attacks at wikipedia. Words like "vulger", "frivolous" and "blatant" aren't neccessary and make this wikipedia look very unprofessional. If anybody has any concern with the removal of these words, let me know. --[[User:Carceous|Carceous]] 08:00, 5 June 2009 (EDT)

===Racistpedia===
I checked the link, and a good majority of the search results are from book titles, song/album names, direct quotes, and other such media. In the first 50 results, only 8 instances can be justified as being frivolous--not in the form of a proper noun or direct quotes. [[User:JonathanG|JonG]][[User_talk:JonathanG|Tennisu no Boifriendo]] 21:40, 27 June 2009 (EDT)
:I concur. Wikipedia isn't perfect, and I hope my posts have demonstrated that is my view, but most of the results are legitimate. [[User:Breithaupt|Breithaupt]] 20:04, 5 July 2009 (EDT)

::These postings are incoherent. What are you referring to?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:11, 5 July 2009 (EDT)

::My sincere apologies for not replying earlier. #164 says "The scope and depth of racism prevalent on Wikipedia is despicable. Over a thousand pages that include the ethnic slur 'Nigger', many in the page title." What I, and I think JonG, was getting at, is that the results listed when you click the link at the end of #164, are mostly legitimate; i.e. the word "nigger" is used in the title for songs, books, even an island which have names with the word "nigger", and that makes those results legitimate because if that is their names then Wikipedia can't really call them anything else. Hope that clears things up. [[User:Breithaupt|Breithaupt]] 19:37, 13 July 2009 (EDT)

:::You make a valid point. But "mostly legitimate" is not all that reassuring. Also, I sense the liberal [[double standard]]: liberals often think it's OK for liberals to utter racist terms, but will savage any conservative who does. Surely no one denies the existence of that double standard, and surely no one defends it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:31, 14 July 2009 (EDT)

::::It's not just Wikipedia. [[Mark Twain]] was called a racist way back in the 1970s for using the word ''nigger'' nearly 1,000 times in [[Huckleberry Finn]]. It's just as much an anti-slavery novel as Stowe's [[Uncle Tom]], but some professor counted all the words and assumed that the more times the word is used, the more racist the author must be. I always ask liberals if they recall reading the part where Huck pretends to have been washed off the raft during a storm. His poignant realization that Jim cares more about him than his own father ever did, shows the reader that blacks are just as human as anyone else is. Surely, a novel teaching a lesson like that merits the use of authentic dialogue. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 12:58, 31 August 2009 (EDT)

:::::Is it agreed then that this particular bullet point is not a legitimate complaint against Wikipedia? [[User:Chris3145|Chris3145]] 21:57, 24 September 2009 (EDT)

== Cover up ==

Looks like Wikipedia is trying to hide up an embarrassing scandal it's involved in. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Blacketer_controversy] Check out how it has been nominated for deletion. Maybe this is significant enough for a front-page report? [[User:Breithaupt|Breithaupt]] 09:26, 8 June 2009 (EDT)

:This ref [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191474/Labour-councillor-David-Boothroyd-caught-altering-David-Camerons-Wikipedia-entry.html] says "Wikipedia appoints supposedly impartial and unpaid moderators to review and correct changes," about one member of its 15-strong international arbitration committee is a fraud. Plus, another ref [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10577178]--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:09, 8 June 2009 (EDT)

== Messy ==

I removed a few lines of things that were off topic, such as the 'while wikipedia has a rainbow banner on the page regarding homosexuality it fails to list the related higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases'

I don't think mentioning that they have rainbow banners is relevant to anything, that is until I see a cult of conservatives who secretly love rainbows. This is highly unlikely.

== o3o ==

Well, it says that Wikipedia has a "smear of Conservapedia" and you guys are mad about this...so why not go on Wikipedia and edit it to what you want? After all, you don't need an account to edit Wikipedia, so it'd be quick and easy. [[User:KnightOfTheNight|KnightOfTheNight]]KnightOfTheNight

:Such edits would last a mere few minutes, if not mere seconds. Liberal, Conservapedia-hating editors would make sure of that (and they'd gang up to game the three-revert-rule to ensure their preferred viewpoint prevailed). [[User:Jinxmchue|Jinx McHue]] 20:49, 13 July 2009 (EDT)

==Concealing facts==

Can we make a list of facts which are well-referenced but deliberately omitted from Wikipedia articles, along with our best guess as to their motivation for concealing the fact? I daresay a list like that could even be maintained at Wikipedia, on some user subpage at least.

If we get enough cases together, we can rally some support to lobby for the inclusion of these omitted facts - if they are indeed being removed due to something like anti-religious bias.

Or can we start an article (here, of course) on such themes as [[scientists with a religious motivation]]? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 12:38, 31 August 2009 (EDT)

==a question==

People, if you think all these things in wikipedia are biased then why not just edit them with valid sources to support your edit? seems simple enough, and if wikipedia was as pro liberal as you claim then wouldnt the conservative page be alot more smeared? it seems factual to me, if established and proven facts conflict with your ideas of the articles' subject, find something valid that challenges whichever part you find conflicts with your views, otherwise accept that your view has been proven wrong for the time being, instead of calling it liberal bias. [[User:Euaaan|Euaaan]] 22:56, 2 October 2009 (EDT)

:That "seems simple enough" to someone who doesn't understand the liberal mobocracy that runs Wikipedia. Many Wikipedians quickly revert the conservative truth. These Wikipedians view their role in life as censoring conservative insights and observations wherever possible.

:If you doubt it, then you can try to editing Wikipedia to fix any of the over 100 biased entries listed here. Watch how quickly it is reverted and/or distorted to conform to the liberal/atheistic mindset.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:30, 2 October 2009 (EDT)
::Well i would have to disagree with you there, a while back i edited the article on "elitism" to remove an image of barrack obama which was the flagship image of the entire article, it had been there for quite a while, atleast a month if i remember right. Anyway, most of the time i have seen conservative viewpoints removed from wiki is because they are just that: viewpoints, not properly cited. I'm sure there are examples of liberal bias on wikipedia, but my example just goes to show there are also conservative ones, its not just one sided.[[User:Euaaan|Euaaan]] 23:43, 2 October 2009 (EDT)

::: You're free to take any opinion you like, but the list of examples of bias far exceeds 100, and many Wikipedians are well aware of it. They like Wikipedia ''because'' it has liberal bias and gossip.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 00:15, 3 October 2009 (EDT)

== Jim Pouillon ==

The Wikipedia page for Jim Pouillon is here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Pouillon Jim Pouillon]

==I beg to differ==

First of all, I'd like to say that I fully support the idea of a Conservative-based encyclopedia. But you make an encyclopedia that is a hundred times as biased as Wikipedia, and you justify it by saying that Wikipedia is biased as well. Pages on Conservapedia are full of negative critics towards Liberals. Wikipedia may have a bias (Note please; if ALL conservative users on Conservapedia would just edit Wikipedia's pages into genuinely balanced pages, this would not be an issue) but it is nowhere nearly as awful as the bias on Conservapedia. On Wikipedia, articles do not criticize people with certain opinions. They do not pretend to be appalled by the oh-so devastating thought of people not agreeing with them. On Conservapedia there are pages like [[Mystery:Why Do Non-Conservatives Exist?]]. Instead of accepting that opinions aren't moral crimes, and that your opinion's value equals a liberal's opinion's value, you portray liberals as ignorant, morally unjustifiable idiots, who are brainwashed by modern science. Now tell me, is that what "The Trustworthy Encyclopedia" is supposed to look like?
I am willing to debate about this. --[[User:GatesOfDawn|Arno Sluismans]] 2:00PM, 11 October 2009 (GMT+2)

:"GatesOfDawn" (what a ridiculous user name!), you lost credibility when you claimed that conservatives could add the truth on Wikipedia. It's like trying to reason with a lynch mob. Wikipedians do not tolerate truthful edits on politically sensitive issues.

:Unfortunately, I doubt you have a clue about "modern science" and you have this backwards: it's liberals who just passed a hate crimes bill that criminalizes opinion, and it's liberals who censor prayer in public school. Conservatives believe in free speech.

:Open your mind a bit, please, for your own sake. Godspeed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:49, 11 October 2009 (EDT)

::First of all, my name being ridiculous is already a pretty narrow minded thing to say. It's a reference to a great piece of art. Anyway, that's not the point of this conversation.
::I think your reaction already shows what I mean. I speak about "opinions" and "beliefs", you speak about "the truth". The things that you call truth are often half proven, half disproven, meaning that it's everybody's personal choice what to think of it. Many reasonable Conservapedia users prefer to see everything from a biblical point of view, trying to relate things to God's work, while I, and many other reasonable Liberals, see things from a mathematical and scientific point of view.
::I'm rather new to Conservapedia, but, for example, I've seen pages in which is matter-of-factly mentioned that God created earth about 6000 years ago. This makes me wonder how it is possible that scientists have been (quite accurately) able to estimate dead livings' age through C14-isotopes, finding out that some of them are tens of thousands years old? Other, more accurate ways of determining a cadaver's age, have showed us that certain species even used to live hundreds of millions years ago. Doesn't this show you that literal biblical quotes should be taken with a grain of salt? On another note, the Bible was written by humans, during times when science was not as correct as it is now. For instance, the Bible claims that earth is a flat disk, while every broad minded person nowadays understands that it is a sphere.
::Another thing: "Conservatives believe in free speech," you say. I have a question for you, then: If I go and edit the [[Evolution]] page, adding a list of plausible evidence for the theory of evolution, would it last long? I see a list of implausible evidence, and quite some critics contra-evolution. So would Conservapedians be okay with me adding some "reason to believe" to that page?
::Oh, and please don't tell me there is no plausible evidence for the theory of evolution, which you might have been thinking of saying. You know just as well as I do that there is plenty of it.--[[User:GatesOfDawn|Arno Sluismans]] 11:09PM, 11 October 2009 (GMT+2)
:::'GatesofDawn' why don't you read our [[Evolution]] and [[Carbon dating]] pages with an open mind. While you're at it, read our [[Liberal Style]] article. [[User:JohnFraiser|JohnFraiser]] 17:29, 11 October 2009 (EDT)
::::John Fraiser, the [[Liberal Style]] is actually a great article. But please, rename it to "A person arguing with somebody with an opposite opinion Style". You're trying to make Liberals seem like desperate kids who have nothing reasonable to say. The truth is that, in an argument, people simply have a certain style of writing and speaking. And since Liberals argue, and Conservatives don't (they just state their point and say it is true), this article only applies to Liberals when it comes to writing style on Conservapedia.
::::I had expected a more open minded discussion here, hoping my reasonable post would trigger reasonable answers. Yet instead of replying with supportive arguments and examples of where I'm wrong, you pretend I'm a retard whose sole purpose is to be laughed at. Seriously, people, your Trustworthy Encyclopedia has a long way to go.--[[User:GatesOfDawn|Arno Sluismans]] 11:43PM, 11 October 2009 (GMT+2)

:::::Who names himself after a "piece of art"??? From that starting point you ramble on a way not worth responding to. Scientific wannabees are fooled by the [[radiometric dating]], not realizing the rates of decay have certainly changed over time since the origin. Perhaps you fell for the [[global warming]] fraud also; I've found the overlap between belief in evolution and belief in global warming to be nearly 100%.

:::::The Bible is the most logical book ever written. If you spent just 10% of the time that you chase evolution frauds on actually reading the Bible, you'd have an entirely better outlook on life. Do yourself a favor.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:05, 11 October 2009 (EDT)

== "None even exist off the shores of the United States.... " ==

Funny how things that aren't in the United States end up being featured on the WORLD WIDE web. [[User:PeterF|PeterF]] 11:05, 1 November 2009 (EST)

:You miss the point. If the world's biggest and most competitive economy doesn't use something, not even once, then it's not a good example of engineering. Surely people aren't so anti-American to miss that obvious point.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:09, 1 November 2009 (EST)
::I see in the current version of the article six images--the wind turbines off the coast of Belgium, a Spanish example of a British steam engine, a German turbine, the American space shuttle, a Québecois bio-engineering facility, and the Italian Leonardo Da Vinci.Given that there's nothing from a Asian or African country, I'd say the US, if anything, is OVER-represented in that list, in terms of being representative of the number of people in the world and how they relate to engineering. Why not a well with a hand-pump, say, or a bicycle--the types of engineering that most human beings encounter on a daily basis. [[User:PeterF|PeterF]] 11:18, 1 November 2009 (EST)

:::Are you saying that you've fallen for Wikipedia's notorious [[placement bias]]? Most viewers don't read beyond the top screen. That's where the bias is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:22, 1 November 2009 (EST)
:::::You're not addressing my point about the non-western world being completely ignored in the article in question. Besides that, in terms if your irrelevant tangent, I don't know about most readers. I read the whole article. That's how I learned to read in public school and from my professor-values-addled professors in college. The whole article. [[User:PeterF|PeterF]] 11:26, 1 November 2009 (EST)

::::::Peter, you're in denial. You well know that the top of an article is the most important, and by far the most widely read. Your refusal to admit that results in a loss in credibility, and makes a discussion about bias with you pointless.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 11:29, 1 November 2009 (EST)
::::::::Sure, the top is most important, which is why I'd love to see a hand-pump or something similar as the first image. What's a true sign of denial, however, is your refusal to admit the images in the article completely overlook the majority of humanity. Unless you're able to shed your US/Eurocentrism, and deal with the real problems in the article in question, I see no point in discussing with you further. [[User:PeterF|PeterF]] 11:34, 1 November 2009 (EST)

:::::::::This may be a moot point as it stands, as the article now has a steam engine at the top of it. [[User:MichaelZ|MichaelZ]] 19:51, 11 November 2009 (EST)

== Wikipedia recommends using "God" rather than "Allah." ==

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOS:ISLAM#Allah]

Worth including?

--[[User:Benp|Benp]] 17:45, 11 November 2009 (EST)
::You know, the clear bias is that in the sentence after they state they prefer the use of "God" over "Allah," they point out that the God of Islam should be a distinct addition to only the first mention of God. They are differentiating between the gods, just in a very subliminal, slimey way. -- [[User:JLauttamus|Jeff W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 17:48, 11 November 2009 (EST)

:::Any other thoughts on this? I'm leaning strongly towards adding it...especially given the comment on the same page about how the word terrorism is 'contentious.' So's blowing up innocent people, if you ask me. --[[User:Benp|Benp]] 19:41, 11 November 2009 (EST)

== Possible Bias ==

The WP article on "Argumentum ad populum" has several anti-religion statements in it. [[User:MichaelZ|MichaelZ]] 20:57, 11 November 2009 (EST)

== Wind turbine line ==

If you actually look at the article, tha caption of the turbine picture states:
'Offshore wind turbines represent a modern multi disciplinary engineering problem.'; stating they rae not an example of fully competent engineering.

:The statement is incoherent, and doesn't fool anyone here. A turbine is not "a problem," for starters.

:The presentation of a picture of wind turbines creates the false impression that it IS "an example of fully competent engineering."--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:11, 15 December 2009 (EST)

== Hans Bethe and SDI ==

Why is this line included in the section on SDI?: "with inexplicable prominence given to criticisms by Hans Bethe, a European-raised scientist who later endorsed John Kerry for president." Why is the prominence given his criticisms "inexplicable"? He was an important member of the Manhattan Program designing the first atomic bomb, he was an professor of quantum physics, and he won the Nobel Prize for physics. If ANYONE is in a position to criticize the SDI project and nuclear proliferation, it would probably be him. Plus, he was an important advocate for nuclear non-proliferation, so his inclusion would seem to make perfect sense.

Furthermore, the inclusion of the tidbit that he endorsed John Kerry strikes this reader as specious and anachronistic. He criticized SDI in the 1980s, long before endorsing John Kerry for president. While his disarmament politics may have influenced his endorsement, the wording of the sentence makes it sound as though his criticism was a result of his support for Kerry. --[[User:Rubashov|Rubashov]] 11:30, 20 January 2010 (EST)

:You inflate Hans Bethe's achievements, perhaps because you like his liberal politics. SDI is an engineering project, and Bethe didn't know diddly-squat about engineering. But apparently he knew his politics: he was a left-winger, and that explains his absurd criticism of SDI best.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:06, 20 January 2010 (EST)

::Regardless of his politics, I don't "inflate" his achievements at all. All the things that I listed him as doing: Manhattan Project, professor, and Nobel Prize winner are all factually and verifiably true; they are not in dispute. And whether he is correct or not, his inclusion in the Wikipedia entry as a critic of SDI is not at all "inexplicable," as he was not only a critic of the project but an important one given his standing in the scientific community. He wrote influential papers on the subject of SDI. --[[User:Rubashov|Rubashov]] 13:23, 20 January 2010 (EST)

:::You claimed he was an "important" member of the Manhattann Project "designing" the "first" atomic bomb. That is an exaggeration. You claimed that "if ANYONE is in a position to criticize the SDI project," then it would be this liberal hack Bethe. The guy was clueless about engineering, had no training or accomplishment in it, and was little more than a liberal blowhard. It is obvious liberal bias for Wikipedia to give such prominence to his distorted and uninformed opinion.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 13:54, 20 January 2010 (EST)

::::Liberals, progressives, specialize in stating half-truths. The fact that SDI was so pathologically opposed, and still is, by progressives/liberals and communists is proof on the face of it, otherwise they wouldn't have the "concerns" they do. What a silly, time-wasting nit pick this is! Rubashov, get some integrity and/or find the truth. It will set you free. --<big>[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]</big>/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 17:06, 20 January 2010 (EST)

:::::I'll concede the point that perhaps Bethe was not THE MOST qualified person to criticize SDI, that might have been overstatement. But, I don't feel it is nitpicking to point out that the man was an important critic of the program and thus it makes sense for the original wikipedia article to consider him as such. It is certainly no more "nitpicking" than the original observation that he was cited in wikipedia. Furthermore, that Bethe was a nuclear physicist and not an "engineer" hardly makes him a "hack." And, I don't think that attacking the man in such a way does much to elevate the discussion. As I am not an engineer, and I don't believe you are either Andy, I don't see how either of us have the requisite knowledge to call his criticisms of SDI "absurd"? We certainly don't have any more engineering background than did Bethe when he made them (if not less). And, let us not forget, that even if Bethe was not an engineer, the fact remains that SDI still doesn't work and isn't defending anyone from anything. So, maybe the man wasn't so far off.

:::::Moreover, I don't see how you know anything about my "politics," Andy, or my "integrity," TK, as neither of you have ever met me. I sincerely suggested that the section on this person be removed because it seemed the chaff weighing down the wheat. While there may be liberal bias on wikipedia, this struck me as little more than a "nitpicking" example (to turn TK's phrase) that would turn off the informed reader. But, if you would rather end our discussion by disparaging me as a person with pseudo-insults and snide asides, then so be it.... It's your website, grind your axes and do with it what you will.

:::::p.s. TK -- The opposition by some liberals to SDI is not necessarily proof that liberals are duplicitous purveyors of half-truths. Support for the program is not somehow self-evident. There are perfectly logical reasons that one can not support a program or ideology that don't boil down to "he's a liar and a bad man."

::::::Hans Bethe has no more credibility in criticizing SDI than Sean Penn does, and Bethe's liberal politics obviously distorted his "scientific" view. Physics is not engineering. I don't need a degree and experience in engineering, and neither do you, to admit that obvious fact. (I do have a degree and years of working in engineering, by the way.)

::::::This is a common form of liberal bias: cite a liberal's opinion on something outside his area of expertise, while pretending he's an expert on that other issue too. It's fallacious and should be exposed.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:37, 20 January 2010 (EST)

:::::::This will be the last post I'll make on the subject, as we seem to be going in circles now. First, the fact remains that regardless of Bethe's expertise, he was an important critic of SDI at the time, and thus including him in a discussion of criticisms of SDI makes perfect sense. For example, on an article about the War in Vietnam, I would expect a criticism section to include Jane Fonda, not because she was a general or an expert on Vietnam, but because her critical stance was important and controversial at the time.

:::::::Second, I'm not sure why "cit[ing] a liberal's opinion on something outside his area of expertise, while pretending he's an expert on that other issue too" is only a form of "liberal bias"? Are you saying that conservatives only criticize or make pronouncements on subjects on which they have formal training and expertise? Are all critics of embryonic stem-cell research geneticists? Was Pat Robertson able to say that the earth quake in Haiti was a result of a pact with the devil during the Haitian Revolution because of his extensive training as a seismologist or an historian? Sadly, Andy, this is a trap into which we all fall, regardless of politics; to suggest otherwise, is simply wearing rose-colored glasses. Cheers. --[[User:Rubashov|Rubashov]] 08:25, 21 January 2010 (EST)

::::::::Jane Fonda was only "important" concerning Vietnam because of her highly publicized betrayal. No one respected Jane Fonda's expertise on military strategy, and there's no reason to think Hans Bethe had any expertise on engineering with respect to SDI. Wikipedia might as well feature Jane Fonda's opinion about SDI also!

::::::::More generally, it's a [[liberal trick]] to take a liberal who claims expertise in one field and try to pass him off as an expert in another field. That's what Wikipedia does with Bethe's opinion about SDI, and it is deceptive. Feel free to preface Bethe's liberal opinion about SDI with a disclaimer like, "Someone who had no training or expertise in engineering, Hans Bethe, was a critic of the engineering feasibility of SDI." See how many seconds that clarification lasts on Wikipedia before a liberal censors it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:15, 25 January 2010 (EST)

== Stats? ==

I noticed the claim added by a user that 'more than half of wikipedia users who claim to Christian are in fact mocking Christianity'

While saying 'some' might be appropriate, without any statistics to back that up the claim of 'more than half' is dubious at best. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 08:16, 26 January 2010 (EST)

User talk:JacobB

2009-12-14T22:13:03Z

DWiggins: /* Stubs */ new section

For older discussions, see [[User talk:JacobB/Archive 1]].



== Blocking ==

Please be aware of our [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:Guidelines#Assistants Guidelines] regarding blocking. Non-Administrators should not be blocking for reasons of policy, or subjective reasons such as user name, unless such name is blatantly obscene. Communications from blocked users should be passed on to one of the Admins as well. Thanks. --[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 20:51, 28 November 2009 (EST)

== Relativity and MemeShock ==

Jacob:

"You continue to address the same points over and over in your objections to Conservapedia's content on relativity,"

Well the debate has gone back over several points. I tried to explain that this was begging the question, and move the discussion forwards, but for some reason the same points are brought up again and again.

"just to bait other editors into responding to you - a classic internet troll."

No, I'm having a debate with Andy. You can read my posts they are not rude. I am merely trying to explain to him why the stuff he has there is wrong. Let me show you something. The page contradicts itself:

In one section it argues that relativity lacks evidence:

http://www.conservapedia.com/Relativity#Lack_of_evidence_for_Relativity

In the very next section it gives evidence for relativity!:

http://www.conservapedia.com/Relativity#Time_dilation

You can't tell me this is unreasonable debate.

P.S. And I have not suggested any changes to the page and/or tried to change the page after you lifted the block.

"and, by your own admission, try to use Conservapedia to push your agenda and your preferred vocabulary."

Yes, that was meant to be a contribution to Conservapedia. Here, I've greatly contributed to your new conservative words page and created stubs for many of these: http://www.conservapedia.com/Essay:Best_New_Conservative_Words

Look at the links above in about MemeShock in the talk section on my page. I think you'll like what I have to offer.

"Please contribute constructively and stop violating 90/10 on the relativity pages."

I'm sorry I got distracted with the relativity page. I originally came here to add to the conservative lexicon -which I figured would be appreciated. I got sidetracked with the relativity page because I happen to be a physics major and couldn't help but object to what I was seeing.

I intend to produce a number of pages on different topics and edit pages in a way you would find constructive. Don't I'm not a troll.

P.S. Tell me what you think of the MemeShock program on facebook. I hope you will find that useful.

[[user:jfraatz|Johanan Raatz]]

If you came here to contribute, contribute. Stop putting walls of text on talk pages and make new articles or improve existing ones. Plenty of people have objected to relativity on here before, and rest assured, plenty will in the future. The fact of the matter is, unless you have some new bombshell up your sleave, you're not adding anything new to the conversation. Stop talking about relativity, stop arguing about minor details in pages you disagree with, and contribute usefully. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 23:53, 28 November 2009 (EST)

== Block ==

In checking, I think the block was justified, and not the product of someone hijacking the account. I base this on my earlier editing concerns with the user, Jacob. Good job! --[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 17:09, 30 November 2009 (EST)

== Promotion ==

Now you don't have to be burdened by Captcha! Thanks for your superb edits and blocks.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:26, 10 December 2009 (EST)
:Thank you! This will make vandalism reversion that much faster. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 21:31, 10 December 2009 (EST)

== I answered your question on my user talk page ==

I answered your question on my user talk page. [[User:Conservative|conservative]] 04:11, 11 December 2009 (EST)

== Thanks for your Herculean efforts! ==

Jacob, thanks for your Herculean efforts the past few days! You may have set a new individual record for blocking ... and correcting a few blocks. Well done!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:41, 11 December 2009 (EST)

== Rude emails ==

You've experienced this too? I've been getting far more emails of that sort in the last week than before. [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 19:10, 13 December 2009 (EST)
:Yes, I've had quite a few. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 20:33, 13 December 2009 (EST)

== Stubs ==

Can I just enquire as to why you are removing a number of articles from the stub category? Most do indeed appear to be very short, even on sentence, and surely the point of that category is to make it obvious to contributors which articles need improvement. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 17:13, 14 December 2009 (EST)

House, MD

2009-12-14T03:03:00Z

DWiggins:

'''House MD''' is a television series on the [[Fox Network]] that runs for an hour each week. It is also known as '''House''', without the MD. The main character, House (picked because of its similarity to the last name of [[Sherlock Holmes]]) is a witty and brilliant genius of a [[doctor]], but a man with few redeeming social graces. The show mixes medical issues with moral and personal dilemmas and has become quite popular, in part because it often comes on after [[American Idol]], but it has since done well on its own even when American Idol is not on. Due to sometimes graphic scenes and adult themes, the show is not recommended for children under 14.

== Cast ==

*Dr. Gregory House: [[Hugh Laurie]]
*Dr. Allison Cameron: Jennifer Morrison
*Dr. Robert Chase: Jesse Spencer
*Dr. Eric Foreman: Omar Epps
*Dr. James Wilson: Robert Sean Leonard
*Dr. Lisa Cuddy: Lisa Edelstein

==References==
<references/>
*[http://www.tv.com/house/show/22374/cast.html House Cast and Crew]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412142/ IMDB website]

[[Category:Television Shows]]

Stephen Fry

2009-12-14T03:00:42Z

DWiggins:

{{merge|QI}}
'''Stephen Fry''' is a [[England|English]] comedian, actor and writer, born 24 August 1957 (age {{age|1957|8|24}}).

He has published several books and hosts the [[television|TV]] [[comedy]] quiz show ''[[QI]]''. He is perhaps best known for his comedy partnership with [[Hugh Laurie]], with whom he appeared in the popular series ''[[Blackadder]]'' alongside [[Rowan Atkinson]]. He also had a key role as ''Gordon Dietrich'' in the film ''[[V for Vendetta]]''.

Fry is a self-confessed [[Liberal]], a well known [[Homosexual]] and has [[bipolar disorder]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fry, Stephen}}

[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Comedians]]
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Broadcasters]]

Shetland Islands

2009-12-14T02:59:45Z

DWiggins: /* Wildlife */

The '''Shetland Islands''' are the most northerly county of the [[British Isles]]. Lying to the north of the [[Orkney]] Islands, the group comprises the large Mainland or Zetland, Yell, Unst, Fetlar and Whalsay, the isolated outlying islands of Foula and Fair Isle, and many smaller stacks and skerries.

The islands are on the whole low-lying, windswept, waterlogged and desolate. There is a conspicuous absence of trees. Only a few of the islands are inhabited. The capital is at [[Lerwick]] on Mainland, and other important settlements are at Sumburgh, Scalloway, Otterswick and Baltasound.

The name Zetland was until the early 20th century applied to the county as a whole; and survives in the truncated form of the postcode (US: zip code) prefix for the islands, which is ZE. It is also the origin of the given name Zeta, popular for Shetland girl children and still sometimes encountered, for example in the film actress Catherine Zeta Jones, from [[Swansea]], [[Wales]], whose maternal grandmother was a Shetlander.

== Economy ==

Farming activities on the islands are today mostly restricted to the rough grazing of [[sheep]] and Highland [[cattle]], though historically [[crofting|crofters]] grew [[oats]], [[barley]] and mangelwurzels for their own use. The islands have characteristic breeds of pony and sheepdog, both considerably smaller than mainland varieties.

Fishing, especially for [[cod]] and ling was historically important, the catches being exported in Medieval times to the cities of the [[Hanseatic League]].

Today, the [[oil]] industry dominates the islands economy, and is served by the huge terminal at Sullom Voe.

Fair Isle is famous for its jumpers, colorfully patterned woollen sweaters, traditionally knitted with no arms so that they can be worn while gathering [[seaweed]] from rockpools to be used as [[fertiliser]]; making these is still the primary occupation of the islands womenfolk today, although now they are exported worldwide and fetch high prices. In 1834 James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan visited the islands and ordered some of the local knitwear, but with a system of [[buttons]] fastening the front. This garment is still known as a cardigan.

== Wildlife ==

Native wildlife includes large [[seal]] colonies of both Atlantic grey and common seals, and there are many local tales about [[mermaid]]s who disguised themselves as seals.

[[Basking shark]]s migrate to the islands to give birth, and sometimes [[white shark]]s and other more tropical fish are seen.

Internationally important colonies of sea birds including [[gannet]]s, [[guillemot]]s, [[razorbill]]s, [[shag]]s and [[puffin]]s are found, along with nearly 98% of Scotlands population of [[great skua]]s.

The isolated nature of the islands draws in a surprising number of avian rarities, especially in spring and autumn, from as far afield as [[Siberia]] and [[Alaska]], which in turn draw large numbers of birdwatchers.

[[Category:United Kingdom Counties]]
[[Category:Scottish Islands]]

Orkney

2009-12-14T02:57:54Z

DWiggins:

'''The Orkney Islands''' are a [[county]] and group of [[island]]s off the north coast of [[Scotland]]. The [[Shetland|Shetland Islands]] are also part of Scotland but much further to the north.

The [[archipelago]] consists of 70 or so islands and skerries, of which 17 are currently inhabited.
[[Category:United Kingdom Counties]]
[[Category:Scottish Islands]]
[[Category:Scottish Counties and Regions]]

Europe

2009-12-13T02:52:26Z

DWiggins:

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|[[Image:Europe pol 2004.jpg|300px]]
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: maroon no-repeat scroll top left;"|Europe
|-
|-
| Area
| 4,066,281 square miles
|-
| Coastline
| 50,000 square miles
|-
| Highest point
| Mt. Elbrus, 18,481 feet
|-
| Lowest point
| Shoreline of Caspian Sea, 92 feet below sea level
|-
| Longest river
| Volga, 2,330 miles
|-
|}
'''Europe''' is the western part of the [[continent]]al landmass of Eurasia, consisting of the general area between the [[Ural Mountains]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. With an area of 3,998,000 square miles it ranks as the second-smallest of the continents, but in terms of population (727,000,000 in 2007) it is the third-largest.

Long a center of culture, art, philosophy, warfare, invention and government, Europe was the birthplace of [[classical liberalism]]; the [[Renaissance]]; the springboard of the great age of exploration; and the beginnings of the industrial age. Several major empires inhabited the continent: [[Ancient Greece|Greece]], [[Roman Empire|Rome]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]], the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], the Austrian, the French, the German, and the British] each producing great achievements, as well as fighting huge wars which have shaped the world.

Politically, most countries in the region are part of the [[European Union]], with Switzerland and Norway being notable exceptions, (EU), and (separately), most are part of the [[NATO]] military alliance. The EU is slowly becoming a power in its own right, especially in economic affairs. NATO has been the world's dominant military force, in large part because it is basically controlled by the United States.

In recent years conservative parties have dominated in Europe, as typified by President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] of France and chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] of Germany. Europe’s center-right parties have embraced many ideas associated with the left in the United States: generous welfare benefits, nationalized health care, sharp restrictions on carbon emissions, the ceding of some sovereignty to the European Union. But they have won elections by promising more efficiently than the left-wing parties, while working to lower taxes, improve financial regulation, and grapple with ageing populations. They have supported the United States in Afghanistan, participating heavily in the International Security Assistance Force. In general, labour unions are tied to the left in Europe and have the image of inefficiency and selfishness. "Green" parties, emphasizing environmentalism, have drained off much of the younger leftist.<ref>Steven Erlanger, "In Bad Times for Capitalism, Socialists in Europe Suffer," [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/europe/29socialism.html?ref=world ''New York Times'' Sept. 29, 2009]</ref> Europe is generally a highly secularized continent containing many of the most atheistic countries in the world.

==Land==
There is no overall consensus over the eastern boundary of Europe, given that it is not a continent in the same sense as the others, given that it is not a distinct tectonic plate. However, one of the most commonly suggested eastern borders is that of the Ural Mountains, a chain running north-south in present-day Russia. The Caucasus, another mountain chain between the Black and Caspian Seas, forms the southern land boundary. Its remaining boundaries are coastlines; the Arctic Ocean, the North and Norwegian Seas, the Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. The northernmost point on the mainland is Cape Nordkinn, Norway; the southernmost in Spain at Punta de Tarifa.

===Climate===
Cool winters and mild summers are typical of the climate in northern Europe, the result of the warm currents brought by the warm North Atlantic Drift as well as prevailing westerly winds. The climate of southern Europe is Mediterranean, usually hot in summer, with most rainfall taking place in winter. A colder climate begins in central Poland eastward, typified by drier conditions and, especially in Russia, severely-cold winters.

===Drainage===
The major rivers in western Europe originate in the mountain ranges of central Europe. The Rhine, Rhone, Elbe, Seine and Vistula flow from the Alps and the Balkans northward, emptying into the English Channel, North and Baltic seas; the Po and Rubicon rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea, while the [[Danube]] flows into the Black Sea. Long a navigable river, the [[Danube]] is further connected via locks and canals to the Rhine, ensuring a centuries-long free flow of commerce from both sides of Europe into the interior. In eastern Europe the major rivers flow towards the south, emptying in the Black and Caspian seas; among them are the Dnepr, Donets, and Volga. With the exception of the Mediterranean rivers, all European rivers have an even rate of flow as a result of an even spread of yearly precipitation; the faster-flowing rivers, particularly in the mountain highlands and Scandinavia, also aid in the production of hydroelectric power for home and industry.

===Flora===
Forests covered a large part of Europe as late as the 19th century, but human activities have cleared many areas for farming. Still, a large amount of forested land remains, as well as those acres that have been re-planted or re-grown after human abandonment.

A mixed coniferous-deciduous belt dominates a vegetation zone across the central portion of the continent from east to west, characterized by oak, elm and maple mingled with fir and pine. Spruce and pine dominate inland northern Europe as a result of cool, but mild temperatures. Tundra is characteristic of the Arctic land regions, consisting of shrubs, wild flowers, lichens and mosses. To the east is the European Plain, an expanse of prairie grass which gives way to the Ukrainian steppe and its short grasses of a drier climate.

===Fauna===
[[Image:Three-happy-bears.jpg|thumb|280px|Russian bears]]
The lakes and rivers support an abundance of fish, including trout and salmon, while the coastal areas and inland seas support tuna, sardines, sturgeon, cod, haddock, halibut, and many others. Birds are widespread as well, including eagles, storks, ravens, and seabirds.

Although there are many mammal species on the continent (deer, lemmings, beaver, etc), they have been hard hit as a result of man's long occupation in Europe. The once common brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is now restricted to isolated pockets of the Pyrenees and the far north of Scandinavia. The wisent (''Bison bonasus''), the largest mammal on the continent, has been over-hunted so extensively that only a few managed herds survive in central Poland, while a relative, the larger aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') was killed off by 1627.

===Mineral [[resources]]===

Coal is found extensively in Britain, Spain, France, the Ruhr of Germany, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine. Oil and natural gas deposits lie throughout Europe, with the two most important regions within Russia and the North Sea. Nickel, tin, bauxite, copper, lead, gypsum, manganese, lead, and iron ore have been mined extensively and traded. Marble, such as that from Carrera, Italy, is used in monumental architecture and statuary.

===Arable land===
Countries in Europe with the largest percentage of arable land include the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, and the Netherlands, all of which have large areas of plains despite also having a large amount of highlands (in addition, the Netherlands has much land re-claimed from the sea). In addition, nearly half of western Europe has arable land. Norway, Sweden, Finland, and northern Russia have limited amounts of arable land by comparison, due to a restricted growing season at high latitudes as well as extreme cold.

==People==
It is conjectured that the first humans migrated into Europe in several waves, either from Asia Minor across the Bosporus and into the Balkan region, or from Asia by way of the steppes. River barriers, mountains, and forested lands help to divide early Europeans into distinct groups, and by about 4000 B.C. humans were well-established.

===Ethnic groups===
A large number of diverse ethnic groups live on the continent. Several of the European nations are composed of one predominant ethnic group, i.e. Greeks in Greece, Spanish in Spain. Several of these countries have a distinctive minority, such as the Laplanders of northern Norway and Finland.

===Languages===
The vast majority of the languages spoken on the European continent come from the [[Indo-European]] language family. Within this category, the three largest European branches are the [[Romance]] (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian); [[Germanic]] (German, English, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic); and [[Slavic]] (Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian). Other languages include Celtic (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton), Baltic (Latvian, Lithuanian), Greek and Albanian, as well as languages within the Finno-Ugric group (Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian). Turkish is spoken in the European portion of Turkey.

Several of the European languages were spread world-wide over the past five hundred years as a result of trade, colonization, or political/military power; as a result, French, English, Spanish, and German are second languages for many people.

===Religion===
[[Image:Caravaggio Ecce Homo.JPG|thumb|Cece Homo by [[Caravaggio]].]]
The dominant religion in Europe is Christianity, with the Roman Catholic Church the largest single denomination, forming a major part of the lives of people in France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and Poland. The Protestants are several churches which originally broke away from the Catholic Church at the beginning of the 16th century, the first being the Lutheran Church. Members of Protestant denominations form the majority in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. The third major Christian group is Eastern Orthodoxy, mainly in eastern Europe, of which the Greek and Russian denominations are well known.

Europe is a very secularized and socialized continent.<ref>[http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/05/02/europe-the-dark-continent/ Europe: The Dark Continent]</ref>
====Muslims====
About 15 million Muslims now live in Europe, 3% of the population. They are highly diverse in terms of ethnicity and language; about half practice religion. About half are citizens of the countries in which they live. Economic poverty and limited opportunity is striking for the Muslims of France; where riots have occurred periodically. Islam is the dominant religion in the Balkan countries of Albania and Kosovo as well as the slice of Turkey in Europe.

===Culture and Education===
[[File:Liszt-1870.jpg|thumb|[[Franz Liszt]] in 1870.]]
Europe has long and rich cultural history, which produced many outstanding works in painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, music, and literature; among the great masters are [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Michaelangelo]], [[Raphael]], [[Vincent Van Gogh]], Mozart, Brahms, Alexander Dumas, [[Charles Dickens]], and many others. [[Paris]], Vienna, [[London]], Rome, Madrid, [[Florence]], and other European capitals became havens where art flourished and expanded. Institutions of learning also grew, with several, such as Oxford and Cambridge, becoming well-known world-wide.

===Demography===
Migration and differential birth and death rates have resulted in a shifting in population distribution over periods of time. By 400 A.D. the bulk of the population was along the Mediterranean coastline; today the interior and north-central Europe has the majority of population density. The average life expectancy for Europeans is 75 years, despite a population decrease attributed to a low birth rate of 10.2 births per 1,000 people (2005).

==Economy and Commerce==
===Industry===
The Industrial Revolution began in Europe during the late 18th century, and since then Europe has become a leading exporter of manufactured goods. Textiles and clothing, ships, motor vehicles, aircraft, railroads, are among the items produced, and since World War II high-technology and electronic items were added. Manufacturing is particularly concentrated in central Europe, and in European Russia and Ukraine.

===Agriculture===
European farmers produce a mixed variety of crops yearly, with wheat producing the largest yield, especially within the Ukraine. Other crops include barley, oats, rye, corn, potatoes, beets, beans, peas, and sugar beets. Southern Europe is noted for the production of grapes for the wine industry, olives, pistachio nuts, and citrus fruits; the first two (grapes and olives) have become important to the identity as well as the economy of the countries which produce them. Animal production includes beef (especially in Spain), pigs, goats, and poultry.

===Forestry===
The main sources of wood for construction and other products come from the northern European forests of Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia; southern Europe, with less forested acreage, is known primarily as a producer of cork.

===Fishing===
Fishing is very important to northern European countries; access to the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans enable a large harvest of cod, char, herring and flatfish yearly. All coastal countries engage in commercial fishing to some degree, and two, Italy and Greece, have fishing traditions which date to ancient times.

===Transportation===
[[File:Tour Eiffel.jpg|thumb|220px|Tour Eiffel from underneath.]]
The Vikings have traded extensively via the waterways and river systems of northern Europe, while in the south the Danube and Mediterranean was used. Today, large fleets of ships are maintained by several countries which import and export a great deal of goods, and have transformed many coastal cities into major sea ports.

Highways and roads are well-established and maintained; Germany's famous Autobahns providing the example, and in addition to trade via trucks a large number of Europeans own automobiles. Railways carrying passengers and freight criss-cross the continent; France's TGV is among the fastest trains in the world, and the "Orient Express", made famous by an Agatha Christie novel, still makes its fabled run from Paris to [[Istanbul]].

All European countries have a national airline (KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, etc) that maintain routes world-wide. The Airbus Corporation competes with Boeing in the manufacture of large-bodied passenger aircraft.

===Trade===
International and intercontinental trade on a large scale is conducted by nearly all European countries, with the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom among the largest trading nations in the world.

==History==
====Early humans====
[[Image:Europe ref04.jpg|thumb|300 px|Shaded relief map of Europe]]
It was during the late Paleolithic that humans arrived on the continent, and although of a hunter-gatherer stock they left behind examples of their art, most notably the cave paintings in Spain and France with their highly-decorated murals of extinct animals. As these hunters settled down by the Neolithic period, they had learned to farm, and by roughly 6000 B.C. farming had spread across most of the continent. With farming came a more settled life, and towns were created, with the Starčevo and Danubian cultures in the Balkans, and Sesklo and Dimini in Thessaly. Trade in metals (copper, tin) resulted in the creation of bronze by about 4000 B.C.; amber marked its appearence as a precious stone in trade from the Baltic. Elaborate burials were becoming common, especially of aristocrats or royalty; during this time as well humans were organized into societies that resulted in the construction of the megaliths, of which [[Stonehenge]] is the best known example.

No clear definition exists for the origin of the Indo-European languages. Some scholars theorize that it came across the plains north of the Black Sea with a kurgan culture around 2500 B.C. According to the theory, the first such kurgan invasion was successful in the Balkans, where it spread to central Europe.

====First Civilizations====
The island of Crete in the Aegean was the first to have a major civilization in Europe. Named after King Minos of Greek mythology, the Minoan Civilization had its capital at Knossos; the ruins excavated in the early 20th century by British archaeologist Arthur Evans indicate a well-developed society, capable of extensive trade by sea, which effectively controlled the Aegean by 1600 B.C. By then the first tellings of the Mycenaean Civilization appeared on mainland Greece. These ancient Greeks may have been Indo-Europeans from the Balkans, and have been in conflict with the Minoans, who simply vanish from the historical record by 1400 B.C. (this may be due to the eruption of Thera, a volcano to the north of Crete, about 1450 B.C., which may have caused a tsunami to strike Crete; physical evidence on Crete indicates a massive, catastrophic explosion). By 1200 B.C. the Mycenaeans themselves were almost destroyed, by warfare and earthquakes. In the years following, the Greeks began to fashion new tools and weapons from iron.

== See also ==
*[[Europa]]
*[[Architecture]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/europe.htm Europe]
==Further reading==
===Reference===
* DeWald, Jonathan, ed. ''Europe 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World'' (6 vol. 2003), 3200pp; 1100 articles by experts.
* Merriman, John, and Jay Winter, eds. ''Europe 1789 to 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire'' (5 vol 2006).
* Merriman, John, and Jay Winter, eds. ''Europe - Since 1914 - Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction'' (5 vol 2005), 3100 pp. 920 articles by experts
===Guides===
* ''Europe'' (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by Dan Colwell (2003)[http://www.amazon.com/Europe-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides-Colwell/dp/0789497301/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226617&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* ''The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget'' (2008)[http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Europe-Budget-Travel-Guides/dp/1843539942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226617&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* ''Frommer's Eastern Europe'' by Dr. Ryan James et al. (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Eastern-Europe-Complete/dp/0470399082/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226617&sr=1-10 excerpt and text search]
* ''MTV Europe'' by Lauren Berger et al. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/MTV-Europe-Guides-Lauren-Berger/dp/0764584995/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226824&sr=1-19 excerpt and text search]
* '' Central Europe'' by Lisa Dunford et al. (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Central-Europe-Multi-Country-Guide/dp/1741049997/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226824&sr=1-20 excerpt and text search]
* ''Western Europe'' by Ryan ver Berkmoes (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Western-Europe-Multi-Country-Guide/dp/1741049172/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226824&sr=1-23 excerpt and text search]
* ''Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2010'' by Rick Steves (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Best-Europe-2010/dp/1598802828/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226975&sr=1-32 excerpt and text search]

===Surveys and textbooks===
* Beazley, Mitchell. ''From the Dark Ages to the Renaissance: 700 - 1599 AD'' (2003)
* Bispham, Edward. ''Roman Europe: 1000 BC - AD 400'' (Short Oxford History of Europe) (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Roman-Europe-Short-Oxford-History/dp/0199266018/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220635&sr=1-10 excerpt and text search]
* Buchanan, Tom. ''Europe's Troubled Peace: 1945 - 2000'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Europes-Troubled-Peace-Blackwell-History/dp/0631221638/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226547&sr=1-5 excerpt and text search]
* Davies, Norman. ''Europe - A History'' (1998). [http://www.amazon.com/Europe-History-Norman-Davies/dp/0060974680/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254227637&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Eichengreen, Barry. ''The European Economy since 1945: Coordinated Capitalism and Beyond'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/European-Economy-since-1945-Coordinated/dp/0691138486/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226547&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search], advanced economics
* Hollister, C. Warren, and Judith Bennett. ''Medieval Europe: A Short History'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Europe-History-C-Warren-Hollister/dp/0071244239/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220835&sr=1-23 excerpt and text search]
* Judt, Tony. '' Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945‎'' (2006) - 933 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=10oPnprPjcgC&dq=intitle:history+intitle:of+intitle:europe&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=2002&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=2009&num=30&as_brr=3 excerpt and text search]
* Kerr, Gordon. ''A Short History of Europe: From Charlemagne to the Treaty of Lisbon'' (2009), 160pp
* Kishlansky, Mark, et al. ''A Brief History of Western Civilization: The Unfinished Legacy'' (2 vol. 2006) , widely used textbook; numerous editions
* McEvedy, Colin, and David Woodroffe. ''The New Penguin Atlas of Recent History: Europe Since 1815'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/New-Penguin-Atlas-Recent-History/dp/0140515046/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220635&sr=1-7 excertp and text search]
* McKay, John P. et al. ''Western Society: A Brief History: (2 vol 2009), widely used textbook; numerous editions
* Mazower, Mark. ''Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Continent-Europes-Twentieth-Century/dp/067975704X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226466&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Merriman, John. ''A History of Modern Europe, From the Renaissance to the Present'' (2nd ed. 2004) [http://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Europe-Second-One/dp/0393979105/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220931&sr=1-27 excerpt and text search]
* Milward, Alan S., and S. B. Saul. ''Development of the Economies of Continental Europe 1850-1914'' (1977)
* Sherman, Dennis. ''Western Civilization: Sources, Images, and Interpretations, from the Renaissance to the Present'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Western-Civilization-Sources-Interpretations-Renaissance/dp/0073513245/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254221546&sr=1-15 excerpt and text search]
* Spielvogel, Jackson J. ''Western Civilization'' (2008); widely used textbook; numerous editions
* Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. ''Early Modern Europe, 1450-1789'' (2006), stress on [[social history]] [http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Europe-1450-1789-Cambridge-History/dp/0521005213/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220635&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]
* Wasserstein, Bernard. ''Barbarism and civilization: a history of Europe in our time‎'' (2007) 901 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=_utII6-EarIC&dq=intitle:history+intitle:of+intitle:europe&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=1990&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=2009&num=30&as_brr=3 excerpt and text search]

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Continents]]
[[Category:European History]]

Europe

2009-12-13T02:36:23Z

DWiggins:

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|[[Image:Europe pol 2004.jpg|300px]]
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: maroon no-repeat scroll top left;"|Europe
|-
|-
| Area
| 4,066,281 square miles
|-
| Coastline
| 50,000 square miles
|-
| Highest point
| Mt. Elbrus, 18,481 feet
|-
| Lowest point
| Shoreline of Caspian Sea, 92 feet below sea level
|-
| Longest river
| Volga, 2,330 miles
|-
|}
'''Europe''' is the western part of the [[continent]]al landmass of Eurasia, consisting of the general area between the [[Ural Mountains]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The eastern boundary of the region is not strictly defined given that Europe is not a continent in the same sense as the others are, since in geological terms it is but a part of the larger Eurasian tectonic plate. With an area of 3,998,000 square miles it ranks as the second-smallest of the continents, but in terms of population (727,000,000 in 2007) it is the third-largest.

Long a center of culture, art, philosophy, warfare, invention and government, Europe was the birthplace of [[classical liberalism]]; the [[Renaissance]]; the springboard of the great age of exploration; and the beginnings of the industrial age. Several major empires inhabited the continent: [[Ancient Greece|Greece]], [[Roman Empire|Rome]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]], the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], the Austrian, the French, the German, and the British] each producing great achievements, as well as fighting huge wars which have shaped the world.

Politically, most countries are part of the [[European Union]] (EU), and (separately), most are part of the [[NATO]] military alliance. The EU is slowly becoming a power in its own right, especially in economic affairs. NATO has been the world's dominant military force, in large part because it is basically controlled by the United States.

In recent years conservative parties have dominated in Europe, as typified by President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] of France and chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] of Germany. Europe’s center-right parties have embraced many ideas associated with the left in the United States: generous welfare benefits, nationalized health care, sharp restrictions on carbon emissions, the ceding of some sovereignty to the European Union. But they have won elections by promising more efficiently than the left-wing parties, while working to lower taxes, improve financial regulation, and grapple with ageing populations. They have supported the United States in Afghanistan, participating heavily in the International Security Assistance Force. In general, labour unions are tied to the left in Europe and have the image of inefficiency and selfishness. "Green" parties, emphasizing environmentalism, have drained off much of the younger leftist.<ref>Steven Erlanger, "In Bad Times for Capitalism, Socialists in Europe Suffer," [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/europe/29socialism.html?ref=world ''New York Times'' Sept. 29, 2009]</ref> Europe is generally a highly secularized continent containing many of the most atheistic countries in the world.

==Land==
Geographers agree that Europe begins at the Ural Mountains, a chain running north-south in present-day Russia. The Caucasus, another mountain chain between the Black and Caspian Seas, forms the southern land boundary. Its remaining boundaries are coastlines; the Arctic Ocean, the North and Norwegian Seas, the Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. The northernmost point on the mainland is Cape Nordkinn, Norway; the southernmost in Spain at Punta de Tarifa.

===Climate===
Cool winters and mild summers are typical of the climate in northern Europe, the result of the warm currents brought by the Atlantic Ocean as well as prevailing westerly winds. The climate of southern Europe is Mediterranean, usually hot in summer, with most rainfall taking place in winter. A colder climate begins in central Poland eastward, typified by drier conditions and, especially in Russia, severely-cold winters.

===Drainage===
The major rivers in western Europe originate in the mountain ranges of central Europe. The Rhine, Rhone, Elbe, Seine and Vistula flow from the Alps and the Balkans northward, emptying into the English Channel, North and Baltic seas; the Po and Rubicon rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea, while the [[Danube]] flows into the Black Sea. Long a navigable river, the [[Danube]] is further connected via locks and canals to the Rhine, ensuring a centuries-long free flow of commerce from both sides of Europe into the interior. In eastern Europe the major rivers flow towards the south, emptying in the Black and Caspian seas; among them are the Dnepr, Donets, and Volga. With the exception of the Mediterranean rivers, all European rivers have an even rate of flow as a result of an even spread of yearly precipitation; the faster-flowing rivers, particularly in the mountain highlands and Scandinavia, also aid in the production of hydroelectric power for home and industry.

===Flora===
Forests covered a large part of Europe as late as the 19th century, but human activities have cleared a many areas for farming. Still, a large amount of forested land remains, as well as those acres that have been re-planted or re-grown after human abandonment.

A mixed coniferous-deciduous belt dominates a vegetation zone across the central portion of the continent from east to west, characterized by oak, elm and maple mingled with fir and pine. Spruce and pine dominate inland northern Europe as a result of cool, but mild temperatures. Tundra is characteristic of the Arctic land regions, consisting of shrubs, wild flowers, lichens and mosses. To the east is the European Plain, an expanse of prairie grass which gives way to the Ukrainian steppe and its short grasses of a drier climate.

===Fauna===
[[Image:Three-happy-bears.jpg|thumb|280px|Russian bears]]
The lakes and rivers support an abundance of fish, including trout and salmon, while the coastal areas and inland seas support tuna, sardines, sturgeon, cod, haddock, halibut, and many others. Birds are widespread as well, including eagles, storks, ravens, and seabirds.

Although there are many mammal species on the continent (deer, lemmings, beaver, etc), they have been hard hit as a result of man's long occupation in Europe. The once common brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is now restricted to isolated pockets of the Pyrenees and the far north of Scandinavia. The wisent (''Bison bonasus''), the largest mammal on the continent, has been over-hunted so extensively that only a few managed herds survive in central Poland, while a relative, the larger aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') was killed off by 1627.

===Mineral [[resources]]===

Coal is found extensively in Britain, Spain, France, the Ruhr of Germany, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine. Oil and natural gas deposits lie throughout Europe, with the two most important regions within Russia and the North Sea. Nickel, tin, bauxite, copper, lead, gypsum, manganese, lead, and iron ore have been mined extensively and traded. Marble, such as that from Carrera, Italy, is used in monumental architecture and statuary.

===Arable land===
Countries in Europe with the largest percentage of arable land include the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, and the Netherlands, all of which have large areas of plains despite also having a large amount of highlands (in addition, the Netherlands has much land re-claimed from the sea). In addition, nearly half of western Europe has arable land. Norway, Sweden, Finland, and northern Russia have limited amounts of arable land by comparison, due to a restricted growing season at high latitudes as well as extreme cold.

==People==
It is conjectured that the first humans migrated into Europe in several waves, either from Asia Minor across the Bosporus and into the Balkan region, or from Asia by way of the steppes. River barriers, mountains, and forested lands help to divide early Europeans into distinct groups, and by about 4000 B.C. humans were well-established.

===Ethnic groups===
A large number of diverse ethnic groups live on the continent, associated by common culture and language. Several of the European nations are composed of one predominant ethnic group, i.e. Greeks in Greece, Spanish in Spain. Several of these countries have a distinctive minority, such as the Laplanders of northern Norway and Finland.

===Languages===
The vast majority of the languages spoken on the European continent come from the [[Indo-European]] language family. Within this category, the three largest European branches are the [[Romance]] (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian); [[Germanic]] (German, English, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic); and [[Slavic]] (Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian). Other languages include Celtic (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton), Baltic (Latvian, Lithuanian), Greek and Albanian, as well as languages within the Finno-Ugric group (Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian). Turkish is spoken in the European portion of Turkey.

Several of the European languages were spread world-wide over the past five hundred years as a result of trade, colonization, or political/military power; as a result, French, English, Spanish, and German are second languages for many people.

===Religion===
[[Image:Caravaggio Ecce Homo.JPG|thumb|Cece Homo by [[Caravaggio]].]]
The dominant religion in Europe is Christianity, with the Roman Catholic Church as the largest single denomination, forming a major part of the lives of people in France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and Poland. The Protestants are several churches which originally broke away from the Catholic Church beginning of the 16th century, the first being the Lutheran Church. Members of Protestant denominations form the majority in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. The third major Christian group is Eastern Orthodoxy, mainly in eastern Europe, of which the Greek and Russian denominations are well known.

Europe is a very secularized and socialized continent.<ref>[http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/05/02/europe-the-dark-continent/ Europe: The Dark Continent]</ref>
====Muslims====
About 15 million Muslims now live in Europe, 3% of the population. They are highly diverse in terms of ethnicity and language; about half practice religion. About half are citizens of the countries in which they live. Economic poverty and limited opportunity is striking for the Muslims of France; they riot periodically. Those in Germany have better jobs. Islam is the dominant religion in the Balkan countries of Albania and Kosovo as well as the slice of Turkey in Europe.

===Culture and Education===
[[File:Liszt-1870.jpg|thumb|[[Franz Liszt]] in 1870.]]
The arts has a long period of tradition in Europe, which produced many outstanding works in painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, music, and literature; among the great masters are [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Michaelangelo]], [[Raphael]], [[Vincent Van Gogh]], Mozart, Brahms, Alexander Dumas, [[Charles Dickens]], and many others. [[Paris]], Vienna, [[London]], Rome, Madrid, [[Florence]], and other European capitals became havens where art flourished and expanded. Institutions of learning also grew, with several, such as Oxford and Cambridge, becoming well-known world-wide.

===Demography===
Migration and differential birth and death rates have resulted in a shifting in population distribution over periods of time. By 400 A.D. the bulk of the population was along the Mediterranean coastline; today the interior and north-central Europe has the majority of population density. The average life expectancy for Europeans is 75 years, despite a population decrease attributed to a low birth rate of 10.2 births per 1,000 people (2005).

==Economy and Commerce==
===Industry===
The Industrial Revolution began in Europe during the late 18th century, and since then Europe has become a leading exporter of manufactured goods. Textiles and clothing, ships, motor vehicles, aircraft, railroads, are among the items produced, and since World War II high-technology and electronic items were added. Manufacturing is particularly concentrated in the United Kingdom, central Europe, and in European Russia and Ukraine.

===Agriculture===
European farmers produce a mixed variety of crops yearly, with wheat producing the largest yield, especially within the Ukraine. Other crops include barley, oats, rye, corn, potatoes, beets, beans, peas, and sugar beets. Southern Europe is noted for the production of grapes for the wine industry, olives, pistachio nuts, and citrus fruits; the first two (grapes and olives) have become important to the identity as well as the economy of the countries which produce them. Animal production includes beef (especially in Spain), pigs, goats, and poultry.

===Forestry===
The main sources of wood for construction and other products come from the northern European forests of Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia; southern Europe, with less forested acreage, is known primarily as a producer of cork.

===Fishing===
Fishing is very important to northern European countries; access to the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans enable a large harvest of cod, char, herring and flatfish yearly. All coastal countries engage in commercial fishing to some degree, and two, Italy and Greece, have fishing traditions which date to ancient times.

===Transportation===
[[File:Tour Eiffel.jpg|thumb|220px|Tour Eiffel from underneath.]]
The first means of transportation were by water; the Vikings have traded extensively via the waterways and river systems of northern Europe, while in the south the Danube and Mediterranean was used. Today, large fleets of ships are maintained by several countries which import and export a great deal of goods, and have transformed many coastal cities into major sea ports.

Highways and roads are well-established and maintained; Germany's famous Autobahns providing the example, and in addition to trade via trucks a large number of Europeans own automobiles. Railways carrying passengers and freight crisscross the continent; France's TGV is among the fastest trains in the world, and the "Orient Express", made famous by an Agatha Christie novel, still makes its fabled run from Paris to [[Istanbul]].

All European countries have a national airline (KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, etc) that maintain routes world-wide. In addition, the Airbus Corporation competes with Boeing in the manufacture of large-bodied passenger aircraft.

===Trade===
International and intercontinental trade on a large scale is conducted by nearly all European countries, with the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom among the largest trading nations in the world.

==History==
====Early humans====
[[Image:Europe ref04.jpg|thumb|300 px|Shaded relief map of Europe]]
It was during the late Paleolithic that humans arrived on the continent, and although of a hunter-gatherer stock they left behind examples of their art, most notably the cave paintings in Spain and France with their highly-decorated murals of extinct animals. As these hunters settled down by the Neolithic period, they had learned to farm, and by roughly 6000 B.C. farming had spread across most of the continent. With farming came a more settled life, and towns were created, with the Starčevo and Danubian cultures in the Balkans, and Sesklo and Dimini in Thessaly. Trade in metals (copper, tin) resulted in the creation of bronze by about 4000 B.C.; amber marked its appearence as a precious stone in trade from the Baltic. Elaborate burials were becoming common, especially of aristocrats or royalty; during this time as well humans were organized into societies that resulted in the construction of the megaliths, of which [[Stonehenge]] is the best known example.

No clear definition exists for the origin of the Indo-European languages. Some scholars theorize that it came across the plains north of the Black Sea with a kurgan culture around 2500 B.C. According to the theory, the first such kurgan invasion was successful in the Balkans, where it spread to central Europe.

====First Civilizations====
The island of Crete in the Aegean was the first to have a major civilization in Europe. Named after King Minos of Greek mythology, the Minoan Civilization had its capital at Knossos; the ruins excavated in the early 20th century by British archaeologist Arthur Evans indicate a well-developed society, capable of extensive trade by sea, which effectively controlled the Aegean by 1600 B.C. By then the first tellings of the Mycenaean Civilization appeared on mainland Greece. These ancient Greeks may have been Indo-Europeans from the Balkans, and have been in conflict with the Minoans, who simply vanish from the historical record by 1400 B.C. (this may be due to the eruption of Thera, a volcano to the north of Crete, about 1450 B.C.; physical evidence on Crete indicates a massive, catastrophic explosion). By 1200 B.C. the Mycenaeans themselves were almost destroyed, by warfare and earthquakes. In the years following, the Greeks began to fashion new tools and weapons from iron.

== See also ==
*[[Europa]]
*[[Architecture]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/europe.htm Europe]
==Further reading==
===Reference===
* DeWald, Jonathan, ed. ''Europe 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World'' (6 vol. 2003), 3200pp; 1100 articles by experts.
* Merriman, John, and Jay Winter, eds. ''Europe 1789 to 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire'' (5 vol 2006).
* Merriman, John, and Jay Winter, eds. ''Europe - Since 1914 - Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction'' (5 vol 2005), 3100 pp. 920 articles by experts
===Guides===
* ''Europe'' (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by Dan Colwell (2003)[http://www.amazon.com/Europe-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides-Colwell/dp/0789497301/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226617&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* ''The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget'' (2008)[http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Europe-Budget-Travel-Guides/dp/1843539942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226617&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* ''Frommer's Eastern Europe'' by Dr. Ryan James et al. (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Eastern-Europe-Complete/dp/0470399082/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226617&sr=1-10 excerpt and text search]
* ''MTV Europe'' by Lauren Berger et al. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/MTV-Europe-Guides-Lauren-Berger/dp/0764584995/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226824&sr=1-19 excerpt and text search]
* '' Central Europe'' by Lisa Dunford et al. (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Central-Europe-Multi-Country-Guide/dp/1741049997/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226824&sr=1-20 excerpt and text search]
* ''Western Europe'' by Ryan ver Berkmoes (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Western-Europe-Multi-Country-Guide/dp/1741049172/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226824&sr=1-23 excerpt and text search]
* ''Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2010'' by Rick Steves (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Best-Europe-2010/dp/1598802828/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226975&sr=1-32 excerpt and text search]

===Surveys and textbooks===
* Beazley, Mitchell. ''From the Dark Ages to the Renaissance: 700 - 1599 AD'' (2003)
* Bispham, Edward. ''Roman Europe: 1000 BC - AD 400'' (Short Oxford History of Europe) (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Roman-Europe-Short-Oxford-History/dp/0199266018/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220635&sr=1-10 excerpt and text search]
* Buchanan, Tom. ''Europe's Troubled Peace: 1945 - 2000'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Europes-Troubled-Peace-Blackwell-History/dp/0631221638/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226547&sr=1-5 excerpt and text search]
* Davies, Norman. ''Europe - A History'' (1998). [http://www.amazon.com/Europe-History-Norman-Davies/dp/0060974680/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254227637&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Eichengreen, Barry. ''The European Economy since 1945: Coordinated Capitalism and Beyond'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/European-Economy-since-1945-Coordinated/dp/0691138486/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226547&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search], advanced economics
* Hollister, C. Warren, and Judith Bennett. ''Medieval Europe: A Short History'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Europe-History-C-Warren-Hollister/dp/0071244239/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220835&sr=1-23 excerpt and text search]
* Judt, Tony. '' Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945‎'' (2006) - 933 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=10oPnprPjcgC&dq=intitle:history+intitle:of+intitle:europe&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=2002&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=2009&num=30&as_brr=3 excerpt and text search]
* Kerr, Gordon. ''A Short History of Europe: From Charlemagne to the Treaty of Lisbon'' (2009), 160pp
* Kishlansky, Mark, et al. ''A Brief History of Western Civilization: The Unfinished Legacy'' (2 vol. 2006) , widely used textbook; numerous editions
* McEvedy, Colin, and David Woodroffe. ''The New Penguin Atlas of Recent History: Europe Since 1815'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/New-Penguin-Atlas-Recent-History/dp/0140515046/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220635&sr=1-7 excertp and text search]
* McKay, John P. et al. ''Western Society: A Brief History: (2 vol 2009), widely used textbook; numerous editions
* Mazower, Mark. ''Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Continent-Europes-Twentieth-Century/dp/067975704X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254226466&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Merriman, John. ''A History of Modern Europe, From the Renaissance to the Present'' (2nd ed. 2004) [http://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Europe-Second-One/dp/0393979105/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220931&sr=1-27 excerpt and text search]
* Milward, Alan S., and S. B. Saul. ''Development of the Economies of Continental Europe 1850-1914'' (1977)
* Sherman, Dennis. ''Western Civilization: Sources, Images, and Interpretations, from the Renaissance to the Present'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Western-Civilization-Sources-Interpretations-Renaissance/dp/0073513245/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254221546&sr=1-15 excerpt and text search]
* Spielvogel, Jackson J. ''Western Civilization'' (2008); widely used textbook; numerous editions
* Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. ''Early Modern Europe, 1450-1789'' (2006), stress on [[social history]] [http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Europe-1450-1789-Cambridge-History/dp/0521005213/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254220635&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]
* Wasserstein, Bernard. ''Barbarism and civilization: a history of Europe in our time‎'' (2007) 901 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=_utII6-EarIC&dq=intitle:history+intitle:of+intitle:europe&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=1990&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=2009&num=30&as_brr=3 excerpt and text search]

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Continents]]
[[Category:European History]]

Wigan Athletic F.C.

2009-12-12T02:04:52Z

DWiggins: /* Strikers */

[[Image:Wigan Athletic home strip.jpg|thumb|300px|Home kit for Wigan]]
'''[[Wigan Athletic F.C.]]''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team currently playing in the [[English Premier League]]. The club based in the northwestern town of Wigan, Lancashire (now part of [[Greater Manchester]]). The club's nickname is ''The Latics''. They are currently managed by Steve Bruce, and their sponsor is JJB Sports.<ref>http://www.premierleague.com/page/wigan-athletic</ref>

==History==
The club was founded in 1932 after several unsuccessful attempts to run a soccer club in a town where Rugby League is the most popular sport. After playing in the minor leagues for many years, Wigan gained entry to the old Fourth Division of the Football League in 1978 and promoted to the Third Division in 1982. In 1993 they were relegated to the lower league and were bought in 1995 by David Whelan, an ambitious local millionaire who had made his fortune selling sportswear. Two years later, in 1997, they were promoted back to third-tier football and within six years had secured a further step up the second tier. It took only a further two years for them to complete a remarkable progression from fourth-tier to top-tier, when they were promoted to the Premier League in 2005.

The club play at the JJB Stadium which they share with Rugby League club Wigan Warriors (also owned by Devid Whelan). The stadium was built in 1999 and named after Whelan's sportswear chain ''JJB Sports''. The club continues to struggle for support and its highest ever home attendance is 25,000 for visitors [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in February 2006. After raising ticket prices in 2006 Wigan had to cut them in response to falling attendances and have kept them low at a time when almost all other Premier League clubs were making significant increases. After a poor 2006-7 season in which they just managed to avoid relegation, their manager Paul Jewell resigned and was replaced by Chris Hutchings. Hutchings was sacked after a poor start to the 2007-8 season.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 Chris Kirkland
*12 Michael Pollitt
*22 Richard Kingson

===Defenders===
*3 Erik Edman
*7 Paul Scharner
*17 Emmerson Boyce
*19 Titus Bramble
*25 Mario Melchiot
*31 Maynor Figueroa

===Midfielders===
*4 Lee Cattermole
*5 Won-Hee Cho
*6 Antoine Sibierski
*8 Ben Watson
*10 [[Jason Koumas]]
*11 Michael Brown
*14 Charles N'Zogbia
*18 Daniel De Ridder
*21 Tomasz Cywka
*23 [[Oliver Kapo]]
*28 Tomasz Kupisz
*29 Lewis Montrose
*38 Jonathon Routledge
*40 Joe Holt

===Strikers===
*9 Mido
*13 Amr Zaki
*20 Hugo Rodallega
*26 Rachid Bouaouzan
*27 Henri Camara

==Notable Former Players==
*DF [[Andreas Granqvist]]

==References==
<References/>

==External links==

*[http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk Official site]
*[http://www.premierleague.com/page/wigan-athletic Premier League - Wigan Athletic]

{{nb_sl_english premier}}
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Wigan Athletic F.C.

2009-12-12T02:04:16Z

DWiggins: /* Midfielders */

[[Image:Wigan Athletic home strip.jpg|thumb|300px|Home kit for Wigan]]
'''[[Wigan Athletic F.C.]]''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team currently playing in the [[English Premier League]]. The club based in the northwestern town of Wigan, Lancashire (now part of [[Greater Manchester]]). The club's nickname is ''The Latics''. They are currently managed by Steve Bruce, and their sponsor is JJB Sports.<ref>http://www.premierleague.com/page/wigan-athletic</ref>

==History==
The club was founded in 1932 after several unsuccessful attempts to run a soccer club in a town where Rugby League is the most popular sport. After playing in the minor leagues for many years, Wigan gained entry to the old Fourth Division of the Football League in 1978 and promoted to the Third Division in 1982. In 1993 they were relegated to the lower league and were bought in 1995 by David Whelan, an ambitious local millionaire who had made his fortune selling sportswear. Two years later, in 1997, they were promoted back to third-tier football and within six years had secured a further step up the second tier. It took only a further two years for them to complete a remarkable progression from fourth-tier to top-tier, when they were promoted to the Premier League in 2005.

The club play at the JJB Stadium which they share with Rugby League club Wigan Warriors (also owned by Devid Whelan). The stadium was built in 1999 and named after Whelan's sportswear chain ''JJB Sports''. The club continues to struggle for support and its highest ever home attendance is 25,000 for visitors [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in February 2006. After raising ticket prices in 2006 Wigan had to cut them in response to falling attendances and have kept them low at a time when almost all other Premier League clubs were making significant increases. After a poor 2006-7 season in which they just managed to avoid relegation, their manager Paul Jewell resigned and was replaced by Chris Hutchings. Hutchings was sacked after a poor start to the 2007-8 season.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 Chris Kirkland
*12 Michael Pollitt
*22 Richard Kingson

===Defenders===
*3 Erik Edman
*7 Paul Scharner
*17 Emmerson Boyce
*19 Titus Bramble
*25 Mario Melchiot
*31 Maynor Figueroa

===Midfielders===
*4 Lee Cattermole
*5 Won-Hee Cho
*6 Antoine Sibierski
*8 Ben Watson
*10 [[Jason Koumas]]
*11 Michael Brown
*14 Charles N'Zogbia
*18 Daniel De Ridder
*21 Tomasz Cywka
*23 [[Oliver Kapo]]
*28 Tomasz Kupisz
*29 Lewis Montrose
*38 Jonathon Routledge
*40 Joe Holt

===Strikers===
*9 Mido
*13 Amr Zaki
*20 Hugo Rodallega
*26 Rachid Bouaouzan
*27 Henri Camara
*- Marlon King

==Notable Former Players==
*DF [[Andreas Granqvist]]

==References==
<References/>

==External links==

*[http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk Official site]
*[http://www.premierleague.com/page/wigan-athletic Premier League - Wigan Athletic]

{{nb_sl_english premier}}
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Portsmouth F.C.

2009-12-12T02:03:08Z

DWiggins: /* Strikers */

'''Portsmouth F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team currently playing in the [[English Premier League]]. The team is based in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. Known colloquially as 'Pompey', the club is owned by Alexandre Guydamak and managed by Paul Hart. Their uniform consists of either blue, black, or white shirts, with blue, black or white shorts. They are sponsored by OKI.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 David James
*21 Jamie Ashdown
*31 Asmir Begovic

===Defenders===
*2 Linvoy Primus
*3 Younes Kaboul
*4 [[Lauren]]
*7 Hermann Hreidarsson
*15 Sylvain Distin
*16 Noe Pamarot
*20 Martin Cranie
*30 Armand Traore
*32 Djimi Traore
*35 Marc Wilson
*39 Nadir Belhadj

===Midfielders===
*6 Hayden Mullins
*8 Papa Bouba Diop
*11 Jerome Thomas
*14 Jermaine Pennant
*18 Arnold Mvuemba
*22 Richard Hughes
*25 Glen Little
*26 Vitor Pele
*28 Sean Davis
*33 Angelos Basinas

===Strikers===
*10 David Nugent
*17 John Utaka
*27 [[Nwankwo Kanu]]
*29 Theofanis Gekas

==Notable Former Players==
*DF [[Noel Blake]]

{{Nb_sl_english_premier}}
[[Category:UK soccer]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Portsmouth F.C.

2009-12-12T02:02:57Z

DWiggins: /* Midfielders */

'''Portsmouth F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team currently playing in the [[English Premier League]]. The team is based in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. Known colloquially as 'Pompey', the club is owned by Alexandre Guydamak and managed by Paul Hart. Their uniform consists of either blue, black, or white shirts, with blue, black or white shorts. They are sponsored by OKI.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 David James
*21 Jamie Ashdown
*31 Asmir Begovic

===Defenders===
*2 Linvoy Primus
*3 Younes Kaboul
*4 [[Lauren]]
*7 Hermann Hreidarsson
*15 Sylvain Distin
*16 Noe Pamarot
*20 Martin Cranie
*30 Armand Traore
*32 Djimi Traore
*35 Marc Wilson
*39 Nadir Belhadj

===Midfielders===
*6 Hayden Mullins
*8 Papa Bouba Diop
*11 Jerome Thomas
*14 Jermaine Pennant
*18 Arnold Mvuemba
*22 Richard Hughes
*25 Glen Little
*26 Vitor Pele
*28 Sean Davis
*33 Angelos Basinas

===Strikers===
*9 Peter Crouch
*10 David Nugent
*17 John Utaka
*27 [[Nwankwo Kanu]]
*29 Theofanis Gekas

==Notable Former Players==
*DF [[Noel Blake]]

{{Nb_sl_english_premier}}
[[Category:UK soccer]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Portsmouth F.C.

2009-12-12T02:02:25Z

DWiggins: /* Defenders */

'''Portsmouth F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team currently playing in the [[English Premier League]]. The team is based in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. Known colloquially as 'Pompey', the club is owned by Alexandre Guydamak and managed by Paul Hart. Their uniform consists of either blue, black, or white shirts, with blue, black or white shorts. They are sponsored by OKI.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 David James
*21 Jamie Ashdown
*31 Asmir Begovic

===Defenders===
*2 Linvoy Primus
*3 Younes Kaboul
*4 [[Lauren]]
*7 Hermann Hreidarsson
*15 Sylvain Distin
*16 Noe Pamarot
*20 Martin Cranie
*30 Armand Traore
*32 Djimi Traore
*35 Marc Wilson
*39 Nadir Belhadj

===Midfielders===
*6 Hayden Mullins
*8 Papa Bouba Diop
*11 Jerome Thomas
*14 Jermaine Pennant
*18 Arnold Mvuemba
*19 Niko Kranjcar
*22 Richard Hughes
*25 Glen Little
*26 Vitor Pele
*28 Sean Davis
*33 Angelos Basinas

===Strikers===
*9 Peter Crouch
*10 David Nugent
*17 John Utaka
*27 [[Nwankwo Kanu]]
*29 Theofanis Gekas

==Notable Former Players==
*DF [[Noel Blake]]

{{Nb_sl_english_premier}}
[[Category:UK soccer]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Newcastle United F.C.

2009-12-12T02:01:48Z

DWiggins: /* Strikers */

'''Newcastle United F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team playing in the [[English Premier League]]. The current manager of Newcastle United is former player [[Alan Shearer]] <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/7975700.stm Shearer to become Newcastle manager] - [[BBC|BBC Sport]]</ref>, and they are sponsored by the [[Nationalisation|nationalised]] bank Northern Rock.

==History==
Newcastle was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End. The team currently plays at St James' Park in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]. Their club colors are black and white stripes with black shorts. Newcastle United are nicknamed 'the Magpies', or, more simply, 'Toon' (the local pronunciation of 'town'); its fans are the 'Toon Army'.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*13 Steve Harper
*33 Ole Soderberg
*34 Fraser Forster
*40 Tim Krule

===Defenders===
*2 Fabricio Coloccini
*3 Sanchez Jose Enrique
*6 Claudio Cacapa
*12 Sebastien Bassong
*16 Ryan Taylor
*21 Habib Beye
*27 Steven Taylor
*28 Tamas Kadar
*30 David Edgar
*35 Ben Tozer
*37 Callum Morris
*45 Darren Lough

===Midfielders===
*4 Kevin Nolan
*7 Joey Barton
*8 Danny Guthrie
*11 Damien Duff
*14 Charles N'Zogbia
*15 Nacho Gonzalez
*18 Jonas Gutierrez
*20 Geremi
*22 Nicky Butt
*32 Wesley Ngo Baheng
*38 Kazenga LuaLua
*41 Mark Doninger
*44 James Marwood
*47 Bradden Inman

===Strikers===
*17 Alan Smith
*19 Xisco
*23 Shola Ameobi
*24 Peter Lovenkrands
*29 Fabio Zamblera
*31 Frank Wiafe Danquah
*39 Andrew Carroll
*42 Ryan Donaldson
*43 Jonny Godsmark
*46 Nile Ranger

==Notable Former Players==
*GK [[Shay Given]]
*CF [[Jackie Milburn]]
*ST [[Alan Shearer]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Nb_sl_english_premier}}

[[Category:UK soccer]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Chelsea F.C.

2009-12-12T01:53:20Z

DWiggins:

[[Image:Chelsea-fc-logo200.jpg |thumb|300px|]]
'''Chelsea F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[football]] club playing in [[London]]. The team has a winning history in the [[English Premier League]], winning in 2004-05 and 2005-06. The team is known as one of the "Big Four" of the Premiership, along with [[Arsenal F.C.]], [[Liverpool F.C.]], and [[Manchester United]]. Chelsea has been considered the "[[New York Yankees|Yankees]] of British Football", meaning that you either love or hate them, there being no middle ground. The team is owned by Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich, is managed by Russia head coach Guus Hiddink, and is sponsored by [[Samsung]].

==History==
Chelsea was formed in 1905 and placed in the Second Division. However, their first trophy came exactly fifty years later, when they won the 1955 league title under the leadership of Ted Drake. Soon after their FA Cup win in 1970, however, the team fell to the Second Division. They climbed back up in 1984 for four years, but in 1989 they returned to Division One and have remained since. Some of the club's greatest successes, however, came under the leadership of [[Jose Mourinho]], now the manager of [[Seria A]]'s [[Inter Milan]], who won their two Premiership titles in 2005 and 2006.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 [[Petr Cech]]
*30 Rhys Taylor
*40 Henrique Hilario

===Defenders===
*2 Branislav Ivanovic
*3 [[Ashley Cole]]
*6 Ricardo Carvalho
*17 Jose Bosingwa
*19 Paulo Ferreira
*26 John Terry
*33 Alex
*35 Juliano Belletti
*42 Michael Mancienne

===Midfielders===
*5 Michael Essien
*8 Frank Lampard
*10 Joe Cole
*12 John Mikel Obi
*13 [[Michael Ballack]]
*15 Florent Malouda
*20 [[Deco]]
*27 Mineiro
*44 Michael Woods
*46 Jimmy Smith
*47 Lee Sawyer

===Strikers===
*9 Franco Di Santo
*11 [[Didier Drogba]]
*18 Ricardo Quaresma
*21 Salomon Kalou
*39 Nicolas Anelka
*43 Miroslav Stoch

==Notable Former Players==
*DF [[Gary Locke]]

==Sources==
http://www.premierleague.com/page/chelsea-fc

{{nb sl english premier}}
[[Category:Soccer teams]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Aston Villa F.C.

2009-12-12T01:32:30Z

DWiggins: /* Midfielders */

[[Image:Aston Villa FC.png |thumb|300px|Logo]]
'''Aston Villa F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] club playing in Aston, [[Birmingham]]. Formed in 1874,<ref>http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TimelineDetail/0,,10265~1096594,00.html</ref> Villa was one of the 12 founding members of the Football League. The team currently plays in the [[English Premier League]] and is one of the most successful clubs in English football, winning the League, F.A. Cup and League Cup several times and the European Cup once. The current manager is Martin O' Neill, and the team displays the logo of local charity Acorn's Children Hospise.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 [[Brad Friedel]]
*13 Stuart Taylor
*22 [[Bradley Guzan]]

===Defenders===
*2 Luke Young
*3 Wilfred Bouma
*15 Curtis Davies
*16 Zat Knight
*21 Nicky Shorey
*24 Carlos Cuellar
*29 Stephen O'Halloran
*43 Eric Lichaj
*46 Barry Bannon
*47 Ciaran Clark
*48 Nathan Baker

===Midfielders===
*4 Steve Sidwell
*7 Ashley Young
*8 James Milner
*17 Moustapha Salifou
*19 Stiliyan Petrov
*20 Nigel Reo-Coker
*26 Craig Gardner
*27 Isaiah Osbourne
*49 Chris Herd
*51 Shane Lowry

===Strikers===
*9 Marlon Harewood
*10 John Carew
*11 Gabriel Agbonlahor
*14 Nathan Delfouneso

==Notable Former Players==
*MF [[Gordon Cowans]]

==Honors==

'''League Champions - 7''' : 1893-1894, 1895-1896, 1896-1897, 1898-1899, 1899-1900, 1909-1910, 1980-1981

'''Football Association Cup Winners - 7''' : 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957

'''League Cup Winners - 5''' : 1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996

'''European Cup Winners - 1''' : 1982

'''European Super Cup Winners - 1''' : 1983

'''Inter-Toto CupWinners - 1''' : 2001

==References==
<References/>

{{nb sl english premier}}
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]
[[Category:Soccer]]

Aston Villa F.C.

2009-12-12T01:32:14Z

DWiggins: /* Defenders */

[[Image:Aston Villa FC.png |thumb|300px|Logo]]
'''Aston Villa F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] club playing in Aston, [[Birmingham]]. Formed in 1874,<ref>http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TimelineDetail/0,,10265~1096594,00.html</ref> Villa was one of the 12 founding members of the Football League. The team currently plays in the [[English Premier League]] and is one of the most successful clubs in English football, winning the League, F.A. Cup and League Cup several times and the European Cup once. The current manager is Martin O' Neill, and the team displays the logo of local charity Acorn's Children Hospise.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 [[Brad Friedel]]
*13 Stuart Taylor
*22 [[Bradley Guzan]]

===Defenders===
*2 Luke Young
*3 Wilfred Bouma
*15 Curtis Davies
*16 Zat Knight
*21 Nicky Shorey
*24 Carlos Cuellar
*29 Stephen O'Halloran
*43 Eric Lichaj
*46 Barry Bannon
*47 Ciaran Clark
*48 Nathan Baker

===Midfielders===
*4 Steve Sidwell
*6 Gareth Barry
*7 Ashley Young
*8 James Milner
*17 Moustapha Salifou
*19 Stiliyan Petrov
*20 Nigel Reo-Coker
*26 Craig Gardner
*27 Isaiah Osbourne
*49 Chris Herd
*51 Shane Lowry

===Strikers===
*9 Marlon Harewood
*10 John Carew
*11 Gabriel Agbonlahor
*14 Nathan Delfouneso

==Notable Former Players==
*MF [[Gordon Cowans]]

==Honors==

'''League Champions - 7''' : 1893-1894, 1895-1896, 1896-1897, 1898-1899, 1899-1900, 1909-1910, 1980-1981

'''Football Association Cup Winners - 7''' : 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957

'''League Cup Winners - 5''' : 1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996

'''European Cup Winners - 1''' : 1982

'''European Super Cup Winners - 1''' : 1983

'''Inter-Toto CupWinners - 1''' : 2001

==References==
<References/>

{{nb sl english premier}}
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]
[[Category:Soccer]]

Manchester City F.C.

2009-12-12T01:31:11Z

DWiggins: /* Defenders */

'''Manchester City F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team playing in the [[English Premier League]]. It is the smaller of two English Premier League teams in the city of Manchester, the other being [[Manchester United]]. Usually lying lower in the Premier League than their derby rivals, Manchester United, City is managed by Mark Hughes. The team plays at the City of Manchester Stadium, built as the main stadium for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The stadium hosted the UEFA Cup Final in 2008. Currently, the club is owned by [[UAE|UAE's]] [[Sheikh]] Mansour, and the chairman is Khaldoon Al-Mubarik. Because of Mansour's wealth, Manchester City have been nicknamed the richest club in the world. The club is sponsored by Emerati airline Etihad.

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 Shay Given
*12 Stuart Taylor
*16 Kasper Schmeichel
*-- Joe Hart

===Defenders===
*2 Micah Richards
*3 Wayne Bridge
*4 Nedum Onuoha
*5 Pablo Zabaleta
*15 Javier Garrido
*26 Tal Ben-Heim
*30 Shaleum Logan

===Midfielders===
*6 Michael Johnson
*7 Stephen Ireland
*8 Shaun Wright-Phillips
*11 Elano
*17 Martin Petrov
*18 Gareth Barry
*29 Kelvin Etuhu
*33 Vincent Kompany
*34 Nigel De Jong
*40 Vladimir Weiss

===Strikers===
*9 Valeri Bojinov
*10 [[Robinho]]
*14 Roque Santa Cruz
*20 Felipe Caicedo
*24 Ched Evans
*27 Benjani Mwaruari
*37 Carlos Tevez
*39 Craig Bellamy
*-- Jô

==Notable Former Players==
*MF [[Marc-Vivien Foé]]

{{Nb_sl_english_premier}}
[[Category:UK soccer]]
[[Category:Soccer teams]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Manchester United F.C.

2009-12-12T01:15:27Z

DWiggins:

'''Manchester United F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team playing in the [[English Premier League]]. Manchester United play in red shirts, white shorts and black socks. They were the first English club to win the European Cup, in 1968, winning again in 1999 and 2008. The club joined the Football League in 1892 under the name Newton Heath. Their official nickname is the "Red Devils" and the club badge features a small red devil holding a trident, which has led to calls for Christians to boycott them<ref>[http://www.joinmust.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33916 Devil a Logo Area for Reds] Join Must</ref>. They are known to their fans either as Man U, Man United or just United. In 2005 the club was taken over by the American billionaire, Malcolm Glazer. After two seasons with little success by their standards they won the Barclays Premier League again in 2007 and 2008. The club is noted for the exceptionally cosmopolitan nature of it's support, regularly drawing large numbers of fans from all over the the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. As a result it is consistently the most supported team in England, not to mention abroad. They have a prominent place in the Big Four of British Football, the other three being [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], and [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]. However, the Devils have been considered, along with Chelsea, the "[[New York Yankees|Yankees]]" of the Premiership, meaning that you either love or hate them. The club maintains bitter rivalries with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. The team is managed by Sir Alex Ferguson and is sponsored by [[AIG]].

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 [[Edwin Van Der Sar]]
*12 Ben Foster
*29 Tomasz Kuszczak
*38 Ron-Robert Zieler
*40 Ben Amos
*99 Tom Heaton

===Defenders===
*2 [[Gary Neville]]
*3 Patrice Evra
*5 Rio Ferdinand
*6 Wes Brown
*15 Nemanja Vidic
*20 Fabio
*21 Rafael
*22 John O'Shea
*23 Jonny Evans
*36 David Gray
*37 Craig Cathcart
*39 James Chester

===Midfielders===
*4 Owen Hargreaves
*11 [[Ryan Giggs]]
*13 Ji-Sung Park
*14 Zoran Tosic
*16 Michael Carrick
*17 Nani
*18 [[Paul Scholes]]
*24 Darren Fletcher
*25 Antonio Valencia
*26 Gabriel Obertan
*28 Darron Gibson
*33 Sam Hewson
*34 Rodrigo Possebon
*35 Tom Cleverley

===Strikers===
*8 Anderson
*9 Dimitar Berbatov
*10 [[Wayne Rooney]]
*19 Danny Welbeck
*26 Manucho
*41 Federico Macheda
*45 Febian Brandy

==Notable former players==
*GK [[Fabian Barthez]]
*MF [[David Beckham]]
*ST [[Ruud Van Nielstrooy]]
*ST [[Eric Cantona]]

==References==
<References/>

{{nb sl english premier}}
[[Category:UK soccer]]
[[Category:Soccer teams]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Manchester United F.C.

2009-12-12T01:13:57Z

DWiggins: have since left

'''Manchester United F.C.''' is a [[British]] [[soccer]] team playing in the [[English Premier League]]. Manchester United play in red shirts, white shorts and black socks. They were the first English club to win the European Cup, in 1968, winning again in 1999 and 2008. The club joined the Football League in 1892 under the name Newton Heath. Their official nickname is the "Red Devils" and the club badge features a small red devil holding a trident, which has led to calls for Christians to boycott them<ref>[http://www.joinmust.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33916 Devil a Logo Area for Reds] Join Must</ref>. They are known to their fans either as Man U, Man United or just United. In 2005 the club was taken over by the American billionaire, Malcolm Glazer. After two seasons with little success by their standards they won the Barclays Premier League again in 2007 and 2008. The club is noted for the exceptionally cosmopolitan nature of it's support, regularly drawing large numbers of fans from all over the the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. As a result it is consistently the most supported team in England, not to mention abroad. They have a prominent place in the Big Four of British Football, the other three being [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], and [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]. However, the Devils have been considered, along with Chelsea, the "[[New York Yankees|Yankees]]" of the Premiership, meaning that you either love or hate them. The Club maintains bitter rivalries with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. The team is managed by Sir Alex Ferguson and is sponsored by [[AIG]].

At present, the club currently possesses Christiano Ronaldo, who is acknowledged as the greatest player in the world at present.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6561341.stm</ref>

==Roster==
===Goalkeepers===
*1 [[Edwin Van Der Sar]]
*12 Ben Foster
*29 Tomasz Kuszczak
*38 Ron-Robert Zieler
*40 Ben Amos
*99 Tom Heaton

===Defenders===
*2 [[Gary Neville]]
*3 Patrice Evra
*5 Rio Ferdinand
*6 Wes Brown
*15 Nemanja Vidic
*20 Fabio
*21 Rafael
*22 John O'Shea
*23 Jonny Evans
*36 David Gray
*37 Craig Cathcart
*39 James Chester

===Midfielders===
*4 Owen Hargreaves
*11 [[Ryan Giggs]]
*13 Ji-Sung Park
*14 Zoran Tosic
*16 Michael Carrick
*17 Nani
*18 [[Paul Scholes]]
*24 Darren Fletcher
*28 Darron Gibson
*30 Lee Martin
*33 Sam Hewson
*34 Rodrigo Possebon
*35 Tom Cleverley

===Strikers===
*8 Anderson
*9 Dimitar Berbatov
*10 [[Wayne Rooney]]
*19 Danny Welbeck
*26 Manucho
*41 Federico Macheda
*45 Febian Brandy

==Notable former players==
*GK [[Fabian Barthez]]
*MF [[David Beckham]]
*ST [[Ruud Van Nielstrooy]]
*ST [[Eric Cantona]]

==References==
<References/>

{{nb sl english premier}}
[[Category:UK soccer]]
[[Category:Soccer teams]]
[[Category:Premier League Teams]]

Talk:Climategate

2009-12-10T23:02:38Z

DWiggins: /* Rush Limbaugh */

{{Articletalkheader}}

== Freedom of information ==

Just a brief point: The data in question was deleted in the 1980s according to the article referenced on the main page <ref>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6936328.ece</ref>. This was about two decades before the Freedom of Information Act came into force in the UK and so the act and the fine of £5000 which you mention are not relevant to the discarded data. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 07:34, 1 December 2009 (EST)
:I'll look into that part some more, you bring up an interesting point. But after reading [http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=893&filename=1212073451.txt this email] dated Thu May 29 11:04:11 2008, Phil Jones said this:
{{cquote|Mike,

Can you delete any emails you may have had with Keith re AR4?
Keith will do likewise. He's not in at the moment - minor family crisis.
Can you also email Gene and get him to do the same? I don't
have his new email address.
We will be getting Caspar to do likewise.
I see that CA claim they discovered the 1945 problem in the Nature paper!!
Cheers
Phil}}
Iain Murray from ''Pajamas Media'' explained the significance, here:
{{cquote|The context in the subject header is clearly the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI), while AR4 refers to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. What is most important to know here is that, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance in the UK, “at least one FOI request on exactly this correspondence had apparently been submitted by a David Holland on May 5th 2008.”

The Freedom of Information Act, however, explicitly forbids deletion of any material subject to a FOI request. The penalty for such a criminal act is a fine of up to £5,000. Presumably being found guilty of such an act, or even suggesting it, would also bring about significant disciplinary procedures at any reputable university. A complaint has been made to the British information commissioner.<ref name=3things>Iain Murray. [http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/three-things-you-absolutely-must-know-about-climategate/ Three Things You Absolutely Must Know About Climategate], ''Pajamas Media'', November 24, 2009.</ref>}}
[[Climategate]] is certainly very complex so I'm sure as time goes on we'll learn more, but I'm going to assume (Illegally obtained or not) the hacked emails can be used as evidence of fact, as I believe the data has been verified as authentic. If I'm missing something, please let me know. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 12:42, 1 December 2009 (EST)

== Article Image ==

[[Image:RobinsonWhatWarmsTheEarth.gif|right|frame]]
I'm not sure what the best image to use might be for the article about the [[Climategate|Climategate scandal]], however, would anyone have a disagreement with the use of this graph? [http://conservapedia.com/File:RobinsonWhatWarmsTheEarth.gif] [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 14:55, 1 December 2009 (EST)

:Not me. --[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 17:58, 1 December 2009 (EST)

== Google ==

I'm re-adding the Google section because I'm not convinced the issue has gone away quite yet. For example, here are the sources to be used:
* [http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/28/climategate-surpasses-global-warming-on-google-autosuggest-still-blocked/ “Climategate” surpasses “Global Warming” on Google]
* [http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100018263/climategate-googlegate/ Climategate: Googlegate?]
* [http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/02/google-trends-on-climategate-show-public-interest-increasing-but-troubling-questions-loom/ Google trends on “climategate” show public interest increasing – but troubling questions loom]
* [http://www.examiner.com/x-28973-Essex-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m11d29-Google-blocking-climategate-autosuggestion Google blocking 'climategate' autosuggestion]
* [http://briefingroom.typepad.com/the_briefing_room/2009/11/google-appears-to-be-censoring-climate-emails-searches.html Google appears to be censoring climate emails searches]
* [http://searchengineland.com/of-climategate-googlegate-when-stories-get-too-long-30755 Of Climategate, Googlegate & When Stories Get Too Long]
And now, currently, if you do a [http://www.google.com/search?q=Climategate&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a Google Search: Climategate] - despite 26,400,000 articles discussing the Climategate scandal, Google has restricted the search results to be limited to only 10 pages (9 actually, page 10 redirects to page 1). [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 18:48, 3 December 2009 (EST)
:''Update'': I removed the portion from the [[Climategate|Climate Gate]] page referencing Google's search engine only showing ten pages worth of results. It seems the problem was 'fixed' in one way or another. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 19:59, 3 December 2009 (EST)
::The whole thing seems to be fixed/changed now. Google is auto-suggesting "[http://www.google.com/search?q=climate-gate&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t climate-gate]", which seems to link to at least twenty-odd pages of results. (Click on p. 18 or so, and you'll see more.) I'm editing the section to say that Google ''was'' doing this on 3 December, but by 7 December it was fixed. --[[User:EvanW|EvanW]] 16:31, 7 December 2009 (EST)

== No need to exaggerate ==

I noticed this line in the article:

"In reality, the small 'fraction of research' is actually a worldwide scam to grab power and dictate new Leftist laws"

This seems rather dubious at best, since it involves an extreme extrapolation from one small group of people to many thousands spread throughout many research institutions across the globe. It is not logical to argue that because there are some serious issues with one group's research that there must therefore be similar issues with all other work of a similar nature (look up inductive reasoning). Just stick to the evidence available, which concerns only the site in East Anglia, there's no need to make extravagant claims. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 20:38, 3 December 2009 (EST)
:Good point. I'll remove it, however, Jpatt added it into the section so if he argues that it is important and he provides a reasonable need for it, it can be re-added to the article. I'd like to hear his argument for it if he has any objections. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 21:15, 3 December 2009 (EST)
::That's fine, likely true but unsourced.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 21:25, 3 December 2009 (EST)
:::That's what I was thinking, too; it very likely could be true. The Mainstream media cover-up of the entire climategate scandal as well the denial by the Obama administration, and the odd behavior from the major search engines surrounding this entire event just begs the question -- is this a worldwide scam to grab power and dictate new Leftist laws? When I get a chance I'll do some research on it and see what I can find. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 21:33, 3 December 2009 (EST)
::::Found it:
::::* [http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17361 Attention Lawyers! Make Millions Off Of Climategate Crooks!]
::::* [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2009/11/24/glenn-beck-cites-newsbusters-bash-tvs-climategate-boycott Glenn Beck Cites NewsBusters to Bash TV's ClimateGate Boycott]
::::* [http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/viscount-monckton-on-global-warminggate-they-are-criminals-pjm-exclusive/ Viscount Monckton on Climategate: ‘They Are Criminals’ (PJM Exclusive)]
::::The sources definitely seem credible enough for evidence to re-add the sentence, "In reality, the small 'fraction of research' is actually a worldwide scam to grab power and dictate new Leftist laws." Before I add it back into the article, are there any suggestions for re-wording it, so the statement doesn't appear dubious -- even though evidence points to it being more factual than fallacy. Based on the above three sources, the statement, I don't think, is minority of opinion but is indeed factual based on the evidence presented throughout this entire ordeal. Thoughts? [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 22:45, 3 December 2009 (EST)
From what I can see these articles go no further in providing evidence for such a claim. They remain simply opinions, the opinions of these authors. It wouldn't be too difficult to simply pull up some articles with completely opposing views. To date there is no factual basis to call this a worldwide conspiracy. A factual basis for example would be showing that all climate data for all studies was made up, which is not the case, and not simply some commentator criticising a certain policy. As such to me this statement looks out of place as some wacky conspiracy theory. We have actual evidence in the hacked documents, but only for this very specific case. To extrapolate from that to call it a global conspiracy detracts from the credibility of the article, a credibility it can retain if it simply sticks to what we actually know. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 11:58, 4 December 2009 (EST)
:I changed the wording from, "In reality, the small 'fraction of research' is actually a worldwide scam to grab power and dictate new Leftist laws," to, "The reality is that this small 'fraction of research' — the theory which is the foundation of anthropogenic global warming — the data used by CRU scientists, it is proven fraudulent. The theory which used to hold human beings responsible: it is nothing more than a Global warming scam, according to Jim O'Neill from the Canada Free Press. The scientists at the CRU, from the evidence found in the their e-mails and documents, show a criminal intent to defraud the public of massive amounts of money, and at the same time advance an ideological Leftist agenda." And I used sources from which the arguments were brought up. So the article page is no longer stating it's a worldwide theory, but merely pointing out what others have argued from the evidence released on November 19, 2009. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 13:04, 4 December 2009 (EST)

== Climategate media coverage ==

I moved a majority of the "Media Coverage" section to its own page: [[Climategate media coverage]]. The reason for it was due to it becoming a much larger section, which will likely which will likely grow even more as the scandal continues to be unraveled. I felt that, since the media coverage of the event isn't necessarily a top priority as some of the more meaningful takeaways from this scandal, at the time of moving the section it seemed like the right thing to do. But I can move it back if others feel like it's still a very important part of the unraveling Climategate scandal. If the new page does stay, then it also needs to be added to the [[Template:Climategate scandal]], which I cannot do because the page is locked. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 22:32, 6 December 2009 (EST)
:I opted not to do the move after all, my apologies! [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 01:08, 7 December 2009 (EST)

== Rush Limbaugh ==

Why are we quoting a radio commentator in order to present scientific facts? If what he was saying about the polar bears is true then find the original source. Quote him on politics by all means, but leave the science to the scientists. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 16:39, 10 December 2009 (EST)

:Because Rush Limbaugh was specifically addressing the article in question, and in relation to Climategate and the global warming hoax. I could have asked myself a similar question, "Why am I adding an opinion story from a journalist in the UK who wrote about a [[polar bear]] hoax?" I did so because the point is, in spite of Climategate, there are still those in the media pushing an environmental agenda and also ignoring the facts at the same time. Limbaugh's article works as an excellent counter argument to the false claims made by ''The Guardian''. With regards to the fact about polar bears (males eating their young), I think such a reference does need to be placed within the article about "Polar bears." But in the case of this article, it doesn't seem like citing proof of this fact is necessary here. I could see the argument that it is needed in the polar bear article though, so you bring up a good point. Also: on the topic of politics and climate science, I completely agree with you that it's a huge problem that climate science has shown to be (or become) a sub-branch of climate politics. It's an issue discussed in this article under the [[Climategate#Climategate_scandal|Climategate scandal]] section (see quote by Rex Murphy). [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 17:12, 10 December 2009 (EST)

::I think as far as possible we should avoid quoting non-experts in any articles like this. I don't expect that the reporter is an expert on polar bear behaviour and I'm pretty certain Rush Limbaugh isn't either, so whilst one or both may be making claims that are in fact true I don't think it's enough to simply take their word for it. It's not a question of conservatives OR liberals distorting science, politics distorts science full stop. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 18:02, 10 December 2009 (EST)

Talk:Climategate

2009-12-10T21:39:58Z

DWiggins: /* Rush Limbaugh */ new section

Talk:Climategate

2009-12-04T16:58:08Z

DWiggins: /* No need to exaggerate */

I do not have much, but I hope that someone will expand this article, as this whole thing has blown my mind about the reality of deceitful myths.

== Freedom of information ==

Just a brief point: The data in question was deleted in the 1980s according to the article referenced on the main page <ref>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6936328.ece</ref>. This was about two decades before the Freedom of Information Act came into force in the UK and so the act and the fine of £5000 which you mention are not relevant to the discarded data. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 07:34, 1 December 2009 (EST)
:I'll look into that part some more, you bring up an interesting point. But after reading [http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=893&filename=1212073451.txt this email] dated Thu May 29 11:04:11 2008, Phil Jones said this:
{{cquote|Mike,

Can you delete any emails you may have had with Keith re AR4?
Keith will do likewise. He's not in at the moment - minor family crisis.
Can you also email Gene and get him to do the same? I don't
have his new email address.
We will be getting Caspar to do likewise.
I see that CA claim they discovered the 1945 problem in the Nature paper!!
Cheers
Phil}}
Iain Murray from ''Pajamas Media'' explained the significance, here:
{{cquote|The context in the subject header is clearly the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI), while AR4 refers to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. What is most important to know here is that, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance in the UK, “at least one FOI request on exactly this correspondence had apparently been submitted by a David Holland on May 5th 2008.”

The Freedom of Information Act, however, explicitly forbids deletion of any material subject to a FOI request. The penalty for such a criminal act is a fine of up to £5,000. Presumably being found guilty of such an act, or even suggesting it, would also bring about significant disciplinary procedures at any reputable university. A complaint has been made to the British information commissioner.<ref name=3things>Iain Murray. [http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/three-things-you-absolutely-must-know-about-climategate/ Three Things You Absolutely Must Know About Climategate], ''Pajamas Media'', November 24, 2009.</ref>}}
[[Climategate]] is certainly very complex so I'm sure as time goes on we'll learn more, but I'm going to assume (Illegally obtained or not) the hacked emails can be used as evidence of fact, as I believe the data has been verified as authentic. If I'm missing something, please let me know. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 12:42, 1 December 2009 (EST)

== Article Image ==

[[Image:RobinsonWhatWarmsTheEarth.gif|right|frame]]
I'm not sure what the best image to use might be for the article about the [[Climategate|Climategate scandal]], however, would anyone have a disagreement with the use of this graph? [http://conservapedia.com/File:RobinsonWhatWarmsTheEarth.gif] [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 14:55, 1 December 2009 (EST)

:Not me. --[[User:TK|'''ṬK''']]/Admin[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]] 17:58, 1 December 2009 (EST)

== Google ==

I'm re-adding the Google section because I'm not convinced the issue has gone away quite yet. For example, here are the sources to be used:
* [http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/28/climategate-surpasses-global-warming-on-google-autosuggest-still-blocked/ “Climategate” surpasses “Global Warming” on Google]
* [http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100018263/climategate-googlegate/ Climategate: Googlegate?]
* [http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/02/google-trends-on-climategate-show-public-interest-increasing-but-troubling-questions-loom/ Google trends on “climategate” show public interest increasing – but troubling questions loom]
* [http://www.examiner.com/x-28973-Essex-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m11d29-Google-blocking-climategate-autosuggestion Google blocking 'climategate' autosuggestion]
* [http://briefingroom.typepad.com/the_briefing_room/2009/11/google-appears-to-be-censoring-climate-emails-searches.html Google appears to be censoring climate emails searches]
* [http://searchengineland.com/of-climategate-googlegate-when-stories-get-too-long-30755 Of Climategate, Googlegate & When Stories Get Too Long]
And now, currently, if you do a [http://www.google.com/search?q=Climategate&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a Google Search: Climategate] - despite 26,400,000 articles discussing the Climategate scandal, Google has restricted the search results to be limited to only 10 pages (9 actually, page 10 redirects to page 1). [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 18:48, 3 December 2009 (EST)
:''Update'': I removed the portion from the [[Climategate|Climate Gate]] page referencing Google's search engine only showing ten pages worth of results. It seems the problem was 'fixed' in one way or another. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 19:59, 3 December 2009 (EST)

== No need to exaggerate ==

I noticed this line in the article:

"In reality, the small 'fraction of research' is actually a worldwide scam to grab power and dictate new Leftist laws"

This seems rather dubious at best, since it involves an extreme extrapolation from one small group of people to many thousands spread throughout many research institutions across the globe. It is not logical to argue that because there are some serious issues with one group's research that there must therefore be similar issues with all other work of a similar nature (look up inductive reasoning). Just stick to the evidence available, which concerns only the site in East Anglia, there's no need to make extravagant claims. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 20:38, 3 December 2009 (EST)
:Good point. I'll remove it, however, Jpatt added it into the section so if he argues that it is important and he provides a reasonable need for it, it can be re-added to the article. I'd like to hear his argument for it if he has any objections. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 21:15, 3 December 2009 (EST)
::That's fine, likely true but unsourced.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 21:25, 3 December 2009 (EST)
:::That's what I was thinking, too; it very likely could be true. The Mainstream media cover-up of the entire climategate scandal as well the denial by the Obama administration, and the odd behavior from the major search engines surrounding this entire event just begs the question -- is this a worldwide scam to grab power and dictate new Leftist laws? When I get a chance I'll do some research on it and see what I can find. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 21:33, 3 December 2009 (EST)
::::Found it:
::::* [http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17361 Attention Lawyers! Make Millions Off Of Climategate Crooks!]
::::* [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2009/11/24/glenn-beck-cites-newsbusters-bash-tvs-climategate-boycott Glenn Beck Cites NewsBusters to Bash TV's ClimateGate Boycott]
::::* [http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/viscount-monckton-on-global-warminggate-they-are-criminals-pjm-exclusive/ Viscount Monckton on Climategate: ‘They Are Criminals’ (PJM Exclusive)]
::::The sources definitely seem credible enough for evidence to re-add the sentence, "In reality, the small 'fraction of research' is actually a worldwide scam to grab power and dictate new Leftist laws." Before I add it back into the article, are there any suggestions for re-wording it, so the statement doesn't appear dubious -- even though evidence points to it being more factual than fallacy. Based on the above three sources, the statement, I don't think, is minority of opinion but is indeed factual based on the evidence presented throughout this entire ordeal. Thoughts? [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 22:45, 3 December 2009 (EST)
From what I can see these articles go no further in providing evidence for such a claim. They remain simply opinions, the opinions of these authors. It wouldn't be too difficult to simply pull up some articles with completely opposing views. To date there is no factual basis to call this a worldwide conspiracy. A factual basis for example would be showing that all climate data for all studies was made up, which is not the case, and not simply some commentator criticising a certain policy. As such to me this statement looks out of place as some wacky conspiracy theory. We have actual evidence in the hacked documents, but only for this very specific case. To extrapolate from that to call it a global conspiracy detracts from the credibility of the article, a credibility it can retain if it simply sticks to what we actually know. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 11:58, 4 December 2009 (EST)

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2009-12-04T01:41:26Z

DWiggins: I think this section somehwat misses the irony, the so called 'religion' is not meant to be logical.

The '''Flying Spaghetti Monster''' is the "god" in "'''Pastafarianism'''", a [[parody]] [[religion]] that began as a critique of the Kansas Board of Education's decision to allow the teaching of [[intelligent design]] in public schools. Arguing that intelligent design was a thinly-veiled attempt to bring [[religion]] into the classroom, Bobby Henderson constructed "Pastafarianism" as a new theological system and argued that, if schools wished to "teach the controversy," they should teach "Pastafarianism" alongside evolution and intelligent design<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/27/AR2005082700019.html?nav=most_emailed Verbatim: Noodle This, Kansas - Washington Post]</ref>.

Since then, many [[atheist]]s and [[secularist]]s have claimed to be "Pastafarians", implicitly using its obvious shortcomings to criticize actual religions, especially [[Christianity]]. More prominent atheists have also mentioned it, such as [[Richard Dawkins]] in his book ''[[The God Delusion]]'' ''(sic)''.

==Teachings==
"Pastafarians" worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a flying pile of spaghetti and meatballs, by eating spaghetti and dressing in pirate regalia. "Pastafarianism" also holds pirates in high esteem, claiming that they were good men whose deeds were perverted by the media. They attribute [[global warming]] to the decrease of pirates, presenting graphs showing that global temperatures have risen over the past centuries in rough inverse correlation to the number of pirates.

According to the letter by Bobby Henderson to the Kansas Board of Education, the Flying Spaghetti Monster has the following powers:
*Flight
*Invisibility
*Can travel through solid matter
*Can create and alter anything
*Plants evidence and changes test results to confuse [[evolutionists]].

== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />

[[category:culture]]

Talk:Climategate

2009-12-04T01:38:53Z

DWiggins: /* No need to exaggerate */ new section

Harry Potter

2009-12-03T08:12:11Z

DWiggins: Undo revision 726274 by Rdkaster (Talk) there is no mention of that in the cited article.

[[Image:67486ruy.jpg|right|thumb|British edition of '''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'''.]]
The '''''Harry Potter''''' books are a hugely popular<ref> The author has sold 350 million books and counting, been translated into 65 languages and had her work made into highly successful movies. [http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3811481&page=1 ABC News] </ref> series of seven fantasy novels by [[J.K. Rowling]] about three students at a British boarding school for [[Witch|'witchcraft and wizardry']]: Harry, Ron and Hermione. The children grow from age 11 to 17 in the books, giving them appeal to a broad range of readers including children and teenagers, but also appealing to adults.
==Harry Potter==
'''Harry Potter''' is the [[protagonist]] and the plot of each book focuses on Harry's adolescence and fight against the [[antagonist]] wizard Lord Voldemort. The books combine elements of whimsy reminiscent of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'', the strange adult immaturity of ''[[Through the Looking Glass]]'', and the implacable good vs. evil fight of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

When Harry was a mere baby, his parents were murdered by the evil [[Voldemort]]. Harry didn't know that his parents were [[wizard (fiction)|wizard]]s until his 11th birthday; it came as a giant surprise. [[Hagrid]] took him to [[Diagon Alley]] for robes, books and wand; then on to [[Hogwarts]], a boarding school for wizards and witches. He had many adventures there learning [[magic]] and using it to fight the forces of the [[Voldemort|wizard]] who killed his [[parent]]s when he was an [[infant]]. Lord Voldemort seeks to become immortal by any means. Voldemort also leads forces of "Death Eaters" who follow Voldemort's ideology of a "pure-blood" (wizard who was born to wizard parents) society and persecute Muggles, non-magical folk. Along the way, Harry learns about life and [[death]] and grapples with questions of [[morality]] and [[friendship]].

The seven books in the series have been fabulously successful, selling 300 million copies, and ''[[Forbes]]'' estimates that they have made Rowling the first billion-dollar author in history.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/cx_jw_0226rowlingbill04.html J. K. Rowling And The Billion-Dollar Empire].</ref> To date, five of them have been made into movies, the sixth to begin filming September 2007.

The ''Harry Potter'' series of books are sizable volumes. The 870 pages of ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', even though printed in large type, contain 255,000 words—about twice as long as ''A Tale of Two Cities''. The "Lexile" measure of reading level puts the series between 880L and 950L,<ref>For comparison: ''Charlotte's Web'' 680L, ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' 890L, ''Moby Dick'' 1200L</ref> comparable to sixth-grade texts<ref>[http://www.lexile.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?view=fa&tabindex=4&tabid=22 The Lexile framework for reading].</ref>

== Popularizing the Occult? ==

Some [[Fundamentalists]] have attacked the books. Most mainline Protestant and Catholic leaders have taken a more favorable position. For example, the official organization of American Catholic bishops (the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has rated each film "A-II", --that is, suitable for adults and adolescents and was not found to be morally offensive.The episcopal conference even named the film adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" one of the ten best family films of 2004.

Dr. [[James Dobson]], head of the [[Focus on the Family]] organization, complains that:
:Magical characters — witches, wizards, ghosts, goblins, werewolves, poltergeists and so on — fill the Harry Potter stories, and given the trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology in the larger culture, it's difficult to ignore the effects such stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable minds.

Furthermore Fundamentalist critics have charged that the books have the potential of driving children away from Christian knowledge of good and evil toward the occult more than anything else in western society: "a generation of children is becoming desensitized to the occult. But with Hollywood's help, Harry Potter will likely surpass all these influences, potentially reaping some grave spiritual consequences"<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/harrypotter.html</ref>

Witchcraft is expressly forbidden by the Old Testament, but not by the New Testament.

Some Fundamentalists have praised the moral values of the books. For example, Scott Moore, philosophy professor at Baylor University, has found some remarkable Christian symbolism in the Potter series.

James L. Evans, pastor of Crosscreek Baptist Church, concludes, "Instead of condemning Harry, maybe we should learn courage from him to name as evil what apparently we are afraid to speak."<ref>Jim Evans, [http://www.ethicsdaily.com/news.php?viewStory=2737 "Harry Potter As Teacher Of Christian Values" ''EthicsDaily.com'' June 24, 2003]</ref>

Fundamentalists say the ''Harry Potter'' series is written in a way that embeds fantasy and wizardry into a real world setting. This could potentially lead to some children exploring witchcraft, Wicca, and paganism. Indeed, the Pagan Federation in Britain has received a flood of inquiries from young ''Harry Potter'' fans.<ref>About.com: Agnosticism/Atheism - [http://atheism.about.com/od/harrypotter/i/witchcraft_2.htm Does Harry Potter Promote Wicca or Witchcraft? Is Harry Potter a Pagan Book?] (page 2)</ref>

The children's fantasy genre and slick storytelling style may make the danger more severe, say Fundamentalists: "This is a true representation of witchcraft, and the black arts, and black magic. And yet we have people that say this is merely fantasy and harmless reading for our children. Actually, what makes this more dangerous is that it is couched in fantasy language, and children's literature, and made to be humorous, and beautifully written and extremely provocative reading. and it just opens up children to want to have the next one. This is what is so harmful."<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/harrypotter.html</ref>

==Criticisms==

The ''Harry Potter'' series is written in a way that embeds fantasy and wizardry into a real world setting. This could potentially lead to some children potentially exploring witchcraft, Wicca, and paganism. Indeed, the Pagan Federation in Britain has received a flood of inquiries from young ''Harry Potter'' fans.<ref>About.com: Agnosticism/Atheism - [http://atheism.about.com/od/harrypotter/i/witchcraft_2.htm Does Harry Potter Promote Wicca or Witchcraft? Is Harry Potter a Pagan Book?] (page 2)</ref>

Some expect children's literature to present characters that are role models and teach simple truths that will help children grow and know the difference between right and wrong. However, the world of ''Harry Potter'' is one in which adult authority figures are complex, imperfect, and occasionally ludicrous. Some teachers in the series are boring, or outright incompetent, while others are supportive and protective (like [[Dumbledore]] and [[Lupin]]). In the first book Harry disobeys the teachers and is successful and later praised, a questionable message for younger minds.

The books also present witches and wizards as being both normal people and abundant. This deceit causes children to likewise accept magic and witchcraft as normal, and they identify with the children in the books, again furthering their acceptance and witchcraft. The reality about magic - that witches are evil and, thankfully, not common - is not presented.

==Literary Criticisms==
{{spoiler}}

Throughout the series a constant theme is the almost criminal incompetence of the Ministry of Magic. We are told at various stages throughout the book that some of Voldemorts followers managed to escape justice by lying to the courts that they were controlled by the Imperius curse. However, in book four it is revealed that there is a potion which forces the victim to tell the truth. Why, therefore, didn't the Ministry use this potion on the defendants to find out if they were really controlled or not? This would have led to their imprisonment, preventing them from assisting Voldemort to return to full strength. The use of this potion would also have allowed the Ministry to find out about Peter Pettigrew's betrayal, perhaps leading to his arrest and preventing him from assisting Voldemort to regain his strength (Pettigrew was the man who found Voldemort and nursed him back to a state of health from which it was possible for him to prepare for his rise to power). It is possible that J K Rowling had not thought of this potion at the start of the series, causing her to introduce a near Deus-Ex-Machina miracle on behalf of the evil side.

==Notable Ban Attempts==

On the week of April 10, 2006, Georgia mother of four Laura Mallory filed an appeal with the Gwinnett Board of Education in an attempt to remove the ''Harry Potter'' series from Gwinnett schools. Ms. Mallory (who has only read excerpts of the books) stated on the appeal form that she wished the books removed due to their "evil themes, witchcraft, demonic activity, murder, evil blood sacrifice, spells and teaching children all of this."<ref>[http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=32&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=14074&change_well_id=2]</ref> The local board of education denied the request, as they felt the banning of ''Harry Potter'' would necessitate the banning of all books with reference to witches, including plays like ''[[Macbeth]]'' and even stories like [[Cinderella]].<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464/ Georgia mom seeks ban on Harry Potter]</ref> Ms. Mallory has since appealed the ruling twice to no avail.<ref>[http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5022462&nav=8fap]</ref> <ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16204853/from/]</ref> <ref>[http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/011807dnentpotterprotest.a89cec.html]</ref>

Similar concerns have been voiced by Christian cartoonist [[Jack Chick]], pastor and author [[Dave Hunt]], the British group [[Christian Voice]] and various others. None of these has resulted in any form of legal action.

==Series titles==
*''[[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]]'' (original title as published in England and all other English-speaking countries other than U.S.A: ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'')
*''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]''

Also, three companion books have been made to go along with the series: ''The Tale of the Beedle the Bard'', ''Quidditch Through the Ages'', and ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them''. ''Quidditch Through the Ages'' and ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' are both written under pen names, but all three are written by J.K. Rowling. <ref>www.jkrowling.org</ref>
==Further reading==
* Brown, Nancy Carpentier. ''The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Harry-Potter-Catholic-Family/dp/1592763987/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254259810&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]
* Cherrett, Lisa. "Harry Potter and the Bible" (2003) [http://www.harrypotterforseekers.com/articles/hpandthebible.php online version]
* Cockrell, Amanda. "Harry Potter and the Witch Hunters: a Social Context for the Attacks on 'Harry Potter'", ''Journal of American Culture'' 2006 29(1): 24-30, in [[EBSCO]]

* Granger, John. ''Looking for God in Harry Potter'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/How-Harry-Cast-His-Spell/dp/1414321880/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254259810&sr=1-3 excerpt and text search, 2nd edition under ''How Harry Cast His Spell'']

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Harry Potter Universe]]
[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Ghost Stories]]
[[category:Witchcraft]]

Microsoft Office

2009-12-01T16:28:31Z

DWiggins:

A suite of desktop software typically including a [[word processor]] ([[Microsoft Word]]), a [[spreadsheet]] ([[Excel]]), a slide generator ([[Powerpoint]]), and a [[relational database]] ([[Access]]).

Talk:Climategate

2009-12-01T12:34:22Z

DWiggins: /* Freedom of information */ new section

Stephen Colbert

2009-11-28T20:36:48Z

DWiggins: Undo revision 724479 by Gowron (Talk)

[[File:Stephencolbert2.jpg|thumb]]

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

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

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

==''The Colbert Report''==

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== See also ==

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

==References==
<references/>

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

Stephen Colbert

2009-11-28T20:36:32Z

DWiggins: Undo revision 724481 by JacobB (Talk)

[[File:Stephencolbert2.jpg|thumb]]

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

Colbert began his at [[Comedy Central]] in the year 2000 B.C.E at the creation of the universe. He later stayed and became a correspondent on ''[[The Daily Show|The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'', where he began his television career, where he would speak his truths to the [[universe|colbert nation]] on the ''The Colbert Report''. He was well-regarded on the show, and was occasionally guest-hosting when Stewart had to be elsewhere.

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

==''The Colbert Report''==

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== See also ==

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

==References==
<references/>

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

St Kilda

2009-11-25T00:35:15Z

DWiggins:

'''St Kilda''' is an [[archipelago]] in the North [[Atlantic]] [[Ocean]], and a part of [[Scotland]]. It lies 41 miles WNW of Griminish Point. In 1901 the St Kilda group had a population of around 150, but the last of these were evacuated in the 1930s. There is now an [[RAF]] missile tracking station on [[Hirta]] (also called St. Kilda), the largest island of the group. Other islands in the St Kilda group are Levenish, Hamalan, Dun, Soay, Am Plastair, Soay Stac, Boreray, Stac Lee and Stac an Armin. The islands are owned by the [[National Trust for Scotland]].

== St Kilda trivia ==

There was no Saint Kilda. The name derives from a mistaken transcription by a medieval clerk of the name Skilda.

St Kilda is also a suburb of [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]]

[[Category:Scottish Islands]]
[[Category:Australia]]

St Kilda

2009-11-25T00:33:36Z

DWiggins:

'''St Kilda''' is an [[archipelago]] in the North [[Atlantic]] [[Ocean]], and an part of [[Scotland]]. It lies 41 miles WNW of Griminish Point. In 1901 the St Kilda group had a population of around 150, but the last of these were evacuated in the 1930s. There is now an [[RAF]] missile tracking station on [[Hirta]] (also called St. Kilda), the largest island of the group. Other islands in the St Kilda group are Levenish, Hamalan, Dun, Soay, Am Plastair, Soay Stac, Boreray, Stac Lee and Stac an Armin. The islands are owned by the [[National Trust for Scotland]].

== St Kilda trivia ==

There was no Saint Kilda. The name derives from a mistaken transcription by a medieval clerk of the name Skilda.

St Kilda is also a suburb of [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]]

[[Category:Scottish Islands]]
[[Category:Australia]]

Cumbrae

2009-11-25T00:32:51Z

DWiggins:

'''Cumbrae''' is an island in the [[Clyde Estuary]] ([[Firth of Clyde]]) off the West Coast of [[Scotland]].

[[CalMac]] [[ferries]] sail between the island and [[Largs]], North [[Ayrshire]].

[[Category:Scottish Islands]]

Isle of Skye

2009-11-25T00:31:53Z

DWiggins:

The '''Isle of Skye''' is the largest of the Western Isles off the coast of [[Scotland]]. Skye is best known for its many world class distilleries producing fine peaty whiskies, its [[golf]] courses and the Cuillin [[mountain]] range with its unique [[geology]] offering the most challenging mountaineering to be found anywhere in [[Britain]].

In common with many of the Western Isles, Skye is a very traditional and deeply religious community.

[[Category:Islands]]
[[Category:Scotland]]
[[Category:Scottish Islands]]

Arran

2009-11-25T00:31:37Z

DWiggins:

{{merge|Isle of Arran}}

The '''Isle of Arran''' is an island in the [[Firth of Clyde]] off the West coast of [[Scotland]].

'''Brodick''' is the main ferry port where [[CalMac]] ferries sail to [[Ardrossan]], [[Ayrshire]]. [[Lochranza]], in the North-West of the island, has a smaller ferry which sails to [[Claonaig]], [[Kintyre]] in the summer and to Tarbert, also Kintyre, in the winter.

Tourism is the main source of income. Other industries include agriculture and the production of [[whisky]], [[beer]], toiletries, crafts and many other small cottage industries.

[ http://www.visitarran.com About Arran ]

[[Category:Scottish Islands]]

Talk:Vaccine

2009-11-25T00:29:46Z

DWiggins: /* NHS and vaccination */

I'm surprised. This is an acceptable article. [[User:Linus M.|Liπus the Turbogeek]]([[User talk:Linus M.|contact me]]) 13:37, 27 March 2007 (EDT)
:Yes. it is. It actually tells me something.--[[User:British_cons|British_cons]] [[User_talk:British_cons|(talk)]] 13:49, 5 April 2007 (EDT)

== Blaylock Wellness Report ==

Parts of the paragraph that used the Blaylock Wellness Report as a source is very questionable. The website itself is a promotion for subscribing to a paid newsletter; it has "points" that says why vaccine is bad - but no logical evidence to back it up. Discover "the truth behind Gulf War Syndrome"? A website like that shouldn't be trusted, let alone used as a source. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 15:12, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

== Gardasil ==
The source cited for the connection between Gardisil and deaths explicitly states that no connection has been proven. I'm going to remove this bullet. -- [[User:Aaronp|Aaronp]]

:The bullet has been restored. If you had read the article further down, you would have seen that the article writer was improperly accepting as two-plus-two-equals-four-level fact the boilerplate from the manufacturer and from the health authority, each of whom has an ax to grind. And you would have seen dissenting opinions, from a patient advocacy group and from a general practitioner who expressed grave doubts about the applicability to adolescent girls of a safety study conducted on adult women.

:The over-reliance on vaccination for the avoidance of diseases best avoided by other means will probably be the subject of an Essay someday. For now, the bullet stands, following a proper critical reading of the source.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 22:14, 22 May 2008 (EDT)

::Fletcher and Oakley - from the patient advocacy group, and a GP, respectively - simply stated that the effects of the vaccine on adolescents are '''unknown''' - meaning they themselves haven't established the link purported in this article. I'd like to see the actual report from Judicial Watch that the news article was referring to though; since the news article itself did not cite it, I find the entire Telegraph article suspect. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 12:36, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

:::Sorry, but you miss a vital element in the [[Hippocratic Oath]]: ''Never bring harm upon anyone.'' In latin, ''primum non nocere''. First of all, do no harm. By that standard, a physician who does ''anything'' to a patient without first verifying that that thing is safe is behaving in an irresponsible manner. But modern [[medicine]] has forgotten that lesson and in that manner has gone completely off the rails. And Gardasil is a prime example.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 14:00, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

::::This detracts from the point that I haven't seen what the "link" is - i.e. the cited article is a secondary source and therefore not strong enough to justify the statement in this article regarding vaccines.
::::The Oath also mentions not cutting out stones as well.
::::In all seriousness, it is simply impossible to verify the safety of any drugs completely before phase IV clinical trials - meaning after the drugs has been marketed. Unless you test the drug on every single person on earth and obtain a reading on it, no drug is "safe". Patient care is always riddled with uncertainty - and if physicians waits until he's 100% all the time, they'd actually do more harm to patients by their inaction. That's when professional judgment and experience comes in.
::::And to bring this back to our original discussion about _this_ article - all drugs have adverse reactions. Stating that Gardasil "has now been linked to a number of sudden deaths reported within days of its administration" from a news article (as opposed to a medical journal) is just a cheap, baseless way of attacking vaccines. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 15:08, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

:::::Would you give that drug to ''your'' daughter?

:::::I've read medical journals. They are not the platinum standard of scientific inquiry that you believe them to be. I have personally seen ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' duped big-time by someone—at [[Duke University]], no less—pulling a total dry-lab job. Imagine the mortification of the senior professor who signed off on that person's papers, and even put his name on them, when he found out ''years later'' what a puerile fraud his student had been, and had to issue retractions.

:::::And I have seen other things get into ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' from "investigators" who were all on drug-company payrolls. I cite [[RU-486]] as a prime example.

:::::And that's just one journal, a journal that I might add already had developed an unsavory reputation among teaching-hospital staffers, from the chairman level through the attending level and on down to the residents, for scholarship that was less than sterling. I cannot even repeat their toilet-humor pun on the journal's name—at least, not here I can't.

:::::Those who comment on, and especially those who make, public policy would be a lot more effective if they would just do a little bit of critical reading every now and then.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 15:19, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

::::::Again, I'm trying to improve the validity of this article by analyzing the references, not arguing for or against the efficacy or hazards of the vaccine. Why do you ask me whether I'd give the vaccine to my daughter? Unless my answer is going to be part of this article, it is absolutely irrelevant. (For your information, I do not have any children, and if I had a daughter I will not give her the shot before the age of 16. When she's reached that age she'll make her own decision regarding the shot.)
::::::If you cite a primary source, it'd remove any potential bias that inherently exists in secondary sources. All I've been trying to say is that you should read that news article with the same attitude as you should with medical journals - with a grain of salt. Especially given the gravity of the statement - that the deaths has been linked to the vaccine - I believe we need something a little more than a news article. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 22:29, 24 May 2008 (EDT)

:::::::The article gives some damaging evidence of a correlation. And while correlation does not equal causation, those quoted as denying the causal link would be motivated frankly to lie about the causal link. They include the manufacturer and a health-authority bureaucrat who wants to protect the justification of his mandate and budget.

:::::::I asked you whether you'd give your daughter the shot, if you had one, because I wanted to put the matter into a perspective that, all too often, public policymakers ignore. I appreciate your stepping up to the plate—though if you want the advice of one who once associated with the white smocks on a regular basis, I'd say that the time to safeguard any young woman from the hazards either of the shot or the thing that the shot is supposed (har-de-har-har) to protect against is about ten years ''earlier'' than any age of hypothetical "emancipation." This after-the-fact pilltaking and muscle-jabbing and mainlining that doctors recommend these days is doing nothing to treat the underlying causes of sickness and, in my opinion as an "expert emeritus," is making our society even sicker.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 23:00, 24 May 2008 (EDT)

== MMR ==

DouglasA. I am not 'pushing a socialist agenda' I am pointing out the facts. If THIS contradicts YOUR agenda then it is not my problem. The article originally cited makes no mention whatsoever of MMR which is exactly the topic under discussion in that section. That article may have in the NHS page but not here. To try and extend the point being made by the referenced article to MMR is purely speculation on your part and has no logical basis. However, it has been documented countless times that the decrease in MMR uptake is due to parents having opted out given the debunked claims over its links with autism. The reference I provided DOES actually mention MMR unlike the original. And as someone living in the UK I can tell you that there is no end of attempts by hte NHS to increase MMR uptake. You obviously don't approve of a socialized healthcare system, but to extend this to making purely speculative criticisms and claiming them as fact is uncalled for. There are valid criticisms of the NHS to be made, but this is not one of them. Is it so difficult to accept that even a system you so fundamentally disagree with has its advantages and is actually working to benefit people in this case? [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 12:30, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:DWiggins, if you please, can you find other sources that bolster your claim about no autism/vaccination link, such as papers from the scientific community? They would be better references than a single newspaper report. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 12:39, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::The link was long ago debunked as it says even on this very article! My point is not a question of whether the link is real, but that the supposed link is the reason why there has been a decrease in MMR uptake. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 12:41, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:::I think you better read this article [http://www.naturalnews.com/011764_mercury_thimerosal_vaccines.html], because there may not be an autism link within the vaccination's actual medical content, but there is a definate link between autism and [[thimerosal]], which contains 49% mercury. Remember the "Mad Hatter" from ''Alice in Wonderland''? Based on fact. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 12:47, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::::I took out the "now debunked" line. I think that it reads to nearly everyone's satisfaction now. Does the MMR vaccine contain thimerosal? --[[User:JLauttamus|Jeffrey W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 12:51, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::::According to this, it doesn't. [http://www.nfid.org/pdf/factsheets/thimerosal.pdf] --12:51, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:::::Well i'm afraid Karajou that the article you provided is by no means whatsoever an authoritative source. There is consensus in the scientific community that there is no link between thimerosal and autism. To quote but another news article is simply missing the point. In large part it was the media that was to blame in stirring up this nonsense, whereas the science gave them no reason to. Take for example these two (of countless) examples which give a pretty thorough overview of the science behind the issue:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10997

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17168158

Both dismiss a casual link between the chemical and autism, and show that there is no evidence in the scientific literature to support such a link. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 12:56, 5 November 2009 (EST)

DWiggins, the source I provided quotes from the pages of peer-reviewed papers from medical doctors, which means there is no consensus, as you claimed. Since you missed reading them, I have posted them here:

The experts speak on mercury, vaccines and thimerosal
Now all childhood vaccines have at least one mercury-free version, and I urge parents to ask for those versions if they choose to vaccinate their children. Injecting mercury into children, especially infants whose immune systems are still underdeveloped (hepatitis B shots are typically given at birth, before the immune system has developed), can be an assault to the immune system.
'''What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Autoimmune Disorders by Stephen B Edelson MD, page 65'''

In 1999 studies began to surface showing that multi-dose vial vaccines, such as the MMR and hepatitis B vaccines, contained enough thimerosal to expose vaccinated children to 62.5 ug of mercury per visit to the pediatrician. This is one hundred times the dose considered safe by the Federal Environmental Protection Guidelines for infants! Worse yet, some infants will receive doses even higher; because thimerosal tends to settle in the vial. If it is not shaken up before being drawn, the first dose will contain low concentrations of mercury and the last dose will contain enormously high concentrations. If your baby is the unlucky one that gets the last dose, serious brain injury can result…
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 166'''

Thousands of families say they can demonstrate with videotapes and photos that their children were normal prior to being vaccinated, reacted badly to the vaccines, and became autistic shortly thereafter. The number of vaccines given before age two has risen from 3 in 1940, when autism occurred in perhaps one case per 10,000 births, to 22 different vaccines given before the age of two in the year 2000.
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 104'''

We know that certain forms of mercury, such as methylmercury and phenylmercury, are highly lipid soluble, which makes the brain especially susceptible to mercury accumulation. These forms of mercury are found in vaccines as the preservative thimerosal. Once in the brain, it tends to attach itself to protein structures, especially to the cell membrane, where it can disrupt membrane functions.23 By binding to the cell membrane, mercury changes the membrane's fluid-like quality, making it stiffer and causing the cell to age faster.24 The brain is unique in that neurons depend on special microscopic tube-like structures within the cell, appropriately called neurotubules, for their function. These neurotubules are manufactured by the cell from a substance called tubulin. We know that mercury interacts with tubulin causing it to unravel. Studies in rats have shown that doses of mercury corresponding to those seen in humans can cause a 75 percent increase in tubulin inhibition.
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 53'''

In the case of the susceptible newborn infant and toddler, multiple exposures to mercury-containing and multiple antigen vaccines are highly suspect in the causation of multiple organ injury (Bernard et al. 2000). The GI tract, the liver, the pancreas, the kidneys, the immune system, and the brain are major sites of mercury absorption. Researchers have clearly shown a chronic inflammatory bowel disease due to vaccine strain measles in a subset of children with autism (Thompson et al. 1995; Wakefield et al. 1995, 1999, 2000a,b; Kawashima et al. 2000; Pardi et al. 2000; Uhlmann et al. 2002).
'''Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 153'''

Studies of autistic children have frequently shown very high levels of mercury, with no other source but vaccines found for the exposure. These levels are equal to those seen in adults during toxic industrial exposures. Several autism clinics have found dramatic improvements in the behavior and social interactions in children from whom the mercury was chelated. Results depended on how soon the mercury was removed following exposure, but permanent damage can be caused if the metal is not chelated soon enough. Still, even in cases of severe damage, because of the infant brain's tremendous reparative ability, improvements are possible. The problem of autism involves numerous body systems including the gastrointestinal, immune and nervous systems; as a result we see numerous infections and magnified effects of malnutrition. Intrepid workers in the shadows, that is outside the medial establishment, have worked many miracles with these children using a multidisciplinary scientific approach completely ignored by the orthodoxy. Some children have even experienced a return to complete physiological normalcy.
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 166'''

Mercury and autism mercury toxicity is a suspected cause of a steep rise—a tenfold increase between 1984 and 1994—in diagnosed cases of autism in children around the world, according to some scientists. Specifically, the culprit is thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used as a preservative in vaccines commonly administered to babies and infants. thimerosal-free vaccines are available. If you have a child who will be receiving vaccinations, ask for and make sure thimerosal-free vaccines are used. Kelp, with its essential minerals (especially calcium and magnesium), helps remove unwanted metal deposits.
'''Prescription For Dietary Wellness by Phyllis A Balch, page 198'''

The pertussis vaccine (DPT) may cause 45,000 cases of autism per year in America, affecting 15 cases out of 10,000 vaccinations; also caused by the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) that causes mental impairment, gastrointestinal damage, and increased mortality in 6-12 months from impaired immunity; 9 out of 10 cases were not breast-fed; eating dairy products caused parasites in the autistic (take Vermex; contact Dr. Nelson in Mexico for control of parasites in children with autism). There are now over 500,000 victims of autism residing in the United States, in 1994. The pertussis vaccination is not used in Sweden, which has virtually 0 cases of autism, as does Holland. This mental illness afflicts environmentally and socially non-reactive persons, ofwithdrawn personality; with inability to speak, violenttantrums, insomnia, actions such as bolting across aroad with no regard for the dire consequences. May be caused infant antibiotic use in ear infections with subsequent yeast overgrowth, by cumulative genetic Brain damage, Vitamin deficiencies, or milk and additives allergies. Immune disorders in autism include white blood cellneutrophil Myeloperoxidase enzyme deficiency for insufficient hypochlorite ions to kill yeast - genetic type from Chromosome 17 mutation or biotinidase deficiency, or acquired type from lead poisoning, Folic acid or B-l 2 deficiency, infection or leukemias…
'''Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 450'''

Multiple vaccinations, especially in newborns, are another major source of childhood mercury exposure because of the mercury-containing thimerosal preservative. Over twenty-two vaccinations are now recommended for children before the age of two!
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 64'''

In addition, there is some anecdotal evidence that autism may be tied to diet. One theory is that, in very rare cases, a child's immune system could be weakened by the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination (MMR), which is usually administered before a child turns 2. As a result of this weakening, the theory goes, the child's digestive system is unable to break down certain food proteins, leading to abnormal brain development. Proponents of this theory believe that putting the child on a diet that eliminates certain foods, such as wheat and dairy products, could in certain cases reverse the course of the disease. This theory remains speculative, however, and research needs to be done to determine its validity. In fact, a 2001 report issued by an Institute of Medicine committee examining studies about the health effects of the MMR vaccine in young children suggests that there is no proven link between the vaccine and autism. The committee recommends that there be no change in immunization practices that require children to be immunized during early childhood.
'''The Immune Advantage by Ellen Mazo and Keith Berndtson MD, page 292'''

Rather than calling for an all-out immediate ban on thimerosal-containing vaccines, they suggested that parents continue to have their children vaccinated with mercury-contaminated vaccines until new stocks of uncontaminated vaccine could be made available. Here are two doctors' unions that had to be beat over the head with an overwhelming amount of data that mercury-contaminated vaccines were harming children far worse than the actual diseases against which the vaccine was intended to protect them, only to have them suggest that parents continue to harm their children just to satisfy their vaccination obsession. Are you surprised to discover that recent investigations have found that several doctor-members of vaccine boards were either receiving grants from vaccine manufacturers or held stock in the companies? They were willing to sacrifice the health of millions of children just to fill their pockets with cash. These people should be looking through bars, not serving on boards.
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 167'''

Vaccines may afflict 45,000 cases of autism per year in America, which afflicts 15 victims in every 10.000 births: there are now 5 00,000 of these victims in the U.S. In Sweden not using the pertussis vaccine, there is virtually no autism (and likewise in Holland).
'''Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 600'''

Many symptoms of autism are similar to those of mercury poisoning. Immune dysfunction, visual disturbances, and motor dysfunction are seen in both. Treating autistic children for removal of mercury and other heavy metals has shown significant improvement in their autistic symptoms. Most autistic individuals have poor liver detoxification, low antioxidant levels, and low levels of glutathione. Vaccines are effective, but the production and use of vaccines should proceed more cautiously. Currently manufactured vaccines still contain harmful substances like mercury. The link between vaccines and autism is far stronger than the medical community is willing to admit, and more research in this area should be an urgent priority.
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 105'''

Studies indicate that autism may be the result of adverse reactions to childhood vaccinations. Dr. Alan Cohen, an environmental physician from Connecticut, notes that high levels of autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD) did not occur until the mandatory use of childhood vaccinations, and suggests that there may be a connection between certain vaccines and the onset of these conditions.
'''Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 46'''

Almost from the inception of vaccination programs, manufacturers added a mercury preservative called thimerosal to vaccines. The practice continued until recently, and was stopped only because of the outcry from thousands of concerned parents and numerous experts in the field. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practice did not warn parents or pediatricians that the mercury was dangerous until they were forced to. That mercury was toxic to cells had been known for over sixty years, but manufacturers apparently were more worried about lawsuits…
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 165'''

In fact, a 2001 report issued by an Institute of Medicine committee examining studies about the health effects of the MMR vaccine in young children suggests that there is no proven link between the vaccine and autism. The committee recommends that there be no change in immunization practices that require children to be immunized during early childhood. Another disorder affecting the brain, Alzheimer's disease, may also have an immune connection. Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease that slowly attacks nerve cells in the brain. It eventually results in the loss of all memory and mental functioning. Scientists are currently investigating the role that the immune system plays in producing an overabundance of the amino acid glutamate, a powerful nerve-cell killer. Another immune connection that researchers are investigating is the idea that Alzheimer's might be triggered, in part, by a virus.
'''The Immune Advantage by Ellen Mazo and Keith Berndtson MD, page 292'''

In the past 10 years, the number of autistic children has risen between 200 and 500 per cent in every state in the U.S. This sharp increase in autism followed the introduction of MMR vaccine in 1975. Representative Dan Burton's healthy grandson was given injections for 9 diseases in one day. These injections were followed by autism.
'''A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 267'''

"Probably 20% of American children, one in five, suffers from a "development disability'," according to Harris Coulter, Ph.D., Founder and Director of the Center for Empirical Medicine, in Washington, D.C. "This is a stupefying figure and we have inflicted it on ourselves. 'Development disabilities' are nearly always generated by encephalitis. And the primary cause of encephalitis in the U.S. and other industrialized countries is the childhood vaccination program. To be specific, a large proportion of the millions of U.S. children and adults suffering from autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia, and other branches of the hydra-headed entity called 'development disabilities' owe their disorders to one of the vaccines against childhood diseases."
'''Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 1101'''

Martin noted that the increased incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and other behavior-linked illnesses "may be an inadvertent consequence of stealth virus vaccine contaminants."
'''AIDS And Ebola by Leonard Horowitz, page 493'''

Just for perspective if we go back to 1971 up to 1980, we see that California consistently added 100 to 200 new cases a year; but in the year 2002, California added 3,577 new cases. Since 1980, the documented start of California's autism epidemic, the number of new cases has steadily increased. If we break down those statistics it means that from 1994 to 1995, California only added on average 2 new autistic children a day into its system. In 2001, it was a rate of 8 new autistic children added a day; in 2002, it jumped up to 10 children a day. mercury-containing vaccines are still in use today, including the most recently recommended addition to the childhood immunization schedule, 2 shots of flu vaccine for infants, bringing the total number of vaccines up to 41 in California that a child will receive before the age of two. It will take a few years to start seeing the effect of the phasing out of the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal from childhood vaccines on this autism epidemic. Many symptoms of autism are similar to those of mercury poisoning. Immune dysfunction, visual disturbances, and motor dysfunction are seen in both. Treating autistic children for removal of mercury and other heavy metals has shown significant improvement in their autistic symptoms. Most autistic individuals have poor liver detoxification, low antioxidant levels, and low levels of glutathione.
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 105'''

Since the 1990s, there has been a tenfold or 1000-percent increase in autism, an increase which has been linked by some researchers to the organic mercury preservative commonly found in baby vaccines. A greatly increased incidence of juvenile diabetes has been correlated to specific vaccination sequences and to the number of vaccines given. In some Australian Aboriginal communities, every second child died shortly after vaccination.
'''The Natural Way to Heal by Walter Last, page 309'''

The best current estimates are that autism occurs in 40 to 67 children per 10,000 live births. This means that the prevalence of autism has increased 1,000 percent in the last decade. According to the latest figures just released in January 2003 by the California Department of Developmental Services, California experienced an astounding 31 percent increase in the number of new children…
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 104'''

== NHS and vaccination ==

Douglas, the article you cite has nothing to do with vaccination. The increase in measles '''is''' due to to parents opting out of the vaccine, as was shown by DWiggins citation. I'm not here to argue whether the NHS is good or bad, but the article you cite does not support the claim you are making when dealing directly with vaccination. -- [[User:JLauttamus|Jeffrey W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 13:13, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:I didn't make the claim. You may not realize this, but wiki articles are made by many contributors. However, DWiggins' citation shows nothing but throwing blame on a public miseducated by the NHS. [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 13:26, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::I understand how wikis are made. I think I've been here for almost a year and a half, if memory serves. I re-added the first part of DWiggins' edit. I believe this is a compromise that shows why measles are becoming more prominent in Britain, while not patting the NHS on the back. -- [[User:JLauttamus|Jeffrey W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 13:49, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:::DouglasA by rejecting my edit and reinstating the original you were making such a claim. And the miseducation is not caused BY the NHS. The NHS has consistently rejected the claims about a link between autism and MMR. Again, just because you disagree with the concept of the NHS does not mean everything they do is bad wrong. I do not think anyone who knows anything about the NHS could ever argue they have not consistently tried to increase MMR uptake. By all means add that original article about costs and medicines, but you cannot simply link that to this MMR issue when there is nothing in that article to support this leap between two separate issues, and when in fact the evidence contradicts it in the case of MMR. By all means take out the bit about the promotion of the vaccine by the NHS, I put it in to counter the original false claims that the decrease in uptake was entirely the fault of the NHS.

:::In regards to the above section, you seem to misunderstand the meaning of 'consensus'. Consensus is rarely unanimous, especially in fields so large as medicine. Consensus is the vast majority accepting something, and that is the case with the MMR vaccine and the supposed links to autism, which have been thoroughly rejected. Of course there will always be some who disagree, and unfortunately in a few cases, as with Dr. Wakefield, this disagreement is not all that it seems on the surface.

:::Let's be clear about this. All the reviews of the scientific literature come out with the same conclusion. There is NO evidence to support a casual link between either thiomersal and autism, nor the MMR vaccine and autism. May I also request that you do not try and mix two separate issues together. The article cited originally concerning costs and medicine provision is not related to the MMR issue or any vaccine issue. It has no place in ''this'' article, though it may do elsewhere. I think that is the fundamental issue here, the issue of the links with autism is already discussed in the article itself where it is stated that there is no evidence.[[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 15:03, 5 November 2009 (EST)

::::DWiggins, a vast majority agreeing on something - a ''consensus'' - still doesn't make their position ''right'' as opposed to ''wrong''. A vast ''consensus'' of people in the United States viewed slavery as ''right'' at one time in our history; were they correct in believing so? No. So how can a consensus of doctors be correct in viewing that there's no vaccination link to autism, when it's been demonstrated time and time again that mercury in a human body (as in thimerosal) does bad things? [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 16:48, 5 November 2009 (EST)

:::::I never said it 'makes their position right'. And in using the slavery example you are mixing up science and ethics. What is 'right' from a scientific point of view is something that has not yet been falsified, so it is perhaps better to say 'provisionally accepted' (please see my post on the Noah's Ark page I have recently made concerning the scientific method). The slavery example is a question of whether someone views slavery as morally 'right'. Of course to virtually everyone today the answer seems obvious, it is not. But as you say in the past this was not so simple, and many people saw it the opposite way. Our judgement of these people and their actions is retrospective, of course we view them as wrong, but they evidently believed they were right. Anyway, that is just an aside, since it is not relevant to the question of scientific proof.

:::::It has been shown time and time again, through application of the scientific method that there is no casual link between MMR or thiomersal and autism. All claims otherwise have since been falsified, as such, the only logical conclusion that can currently be reached is that there is no such link. And you are also getting mixed up with your biochemistry. Yes, mercury is toxic. But thiomersal is not mercury, it is a compound containing the element. The pseudoscience behind the supposed link is that it has mercury, therefore it must be toxic, as if the mercury component jsut spontaneously separates from the rest of the compound in the human body. There is NO evidence to support a link between thiomersal and autism. I don't know how many more times it needs to be stated, by either me, or those men and women wearing the white coats who have investigated this time and time again. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 16:58, 5 November 2009 (EST)

::::::Another aside: So there's no connection or relevence between scientific proof, the scientific method, and morality? Thanks for clearing that up. The Nazi Doctors must've had, as you say, provisionally accepted truth. [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 06:52, 22 November 2009 (EST)

Well now that I'm back I can address that point. You appear to have muddled the issues up a bit. I was not passing moral judgement on scientific discoveries, I was simply saying that a scientific 'truth' is not the same as a moral 'truth'. What the Nazi 'doctors' were doing was not even science, it was just butchery with the name science applied to it. Science can tell us what something is/how something works. It cannot tell us whether we should do something, though it can form a platform from which to make such decisions. Of course there's a connection between science and morality, but the scientific method is not a method of judging whether something is morally right or wrong, morality comes in when deciding how to use the results of scientific enquiry. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 19:28, 24 November 2009 (EST)

==Vaccines and sexually transmitted disease==

Let's explore the connection between vaccines and STDs.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STD. [http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/HPVSupplement99.pdf]
HPV causes 99.7 percent of cervical cancer. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10451482]

So what would be the motivation of giving young teenage girls a vaccine against HPV? Aren't we telling our daughters that it's okay to abandon God's plan (of chastity before marriage) and indulge in a little experimental fornication? "Hey, we're protecting you so nothing bad will happen." --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 23:21, 21 November 2009 (EST)

:And when they say 'teenage' girls they don't mean 19 year old young adults, they mean 13 year old CHILDREN! When such young people see what they see as authority figures (ie doctors) giving them the green light to indulge in promiscuous, dangerous behaviour, what are they going to think? [[User:TrondE|TrondE]] 13:39, 22 November 2009 (EST)

Talk:Vaccine

2009-11-25T00:28:38Z

DWiggins:

I'm surprised. This is an acceptable article. [[User:Linus M.|Liπus the Turbogeek]]([[User talk:Linus M.|contact me]]) 13:37, 27 March 2007 (EDT)
:Yes. it is. It actually tells me something.--[[User:British_cons|British_cons]] [[User_talk:British_cons|(talk)]] 13:49, 5 April 2007 (EDT)

== Blaylock Wellness Report ==

Parts of the paragraph that used the Blaylock Wellness Report as a source is very questionable. The website itself is a promotion for subscribing to a paid newsletter; it has "points" that says why vaccine is bad - but no logical evidence to back it up. Discover "the truth behind Gulf War Syndrome"? A website like that shouldn't be trusted, let alone used as a source. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 15:12, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

== Gardasil ==
The source cited for the connection between Gardisil and deaths explicitly states that no connection has been proven. I'm going to remove this bullet. -- [[User:Aaronp|Aaronp]]

:The bullet has been restored. If you had read the article further down, you would have seen that the article writer was improperly accepting as two-plus-two-equals-four-level fact the boilerplate from the manufacturer and from the health authority, each of whom has an ax to grind. And you would have seen dissenting opinions, from a patient advocacy group and from a general practitioner who expressed grave doubts about the applicability to adolescent girls of a safety study conducted on adult women.

:The over-reliance on vaccination for the avoidance of diseases best avoided by other means will probably be the subject of an Essay someday. For now, the bullet stands, following a proper critical reading of the source.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 22:14, 22 May 2008 (EDT)

::Fletcher and Oakley - from the patient advocacy group, and a GP, respectively - simply stated that the effects of the vaccine on adolescents are '''unknown''' - meaning they themselves haven't established the link purported in this article. I'd like to see the actual report from Judicial Watch that the news article was referring to though; since the news article itself did not cite it, I find the entire Telegraph article suspect. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 12:36, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

:::Sorry, but you miss a vital element in the [[Hippocratic Oath]]: ''Never bring harm upon anyone.'' In latin, ''primum non nocere''. First of all, do no harm. By that standard, a physician who does ''anything'' to a patient without first verifying that that thing is safe is behaving in an irresponsible manner. But modern [[medicine]] has forgotten that lesson and in that manner has gone completely off the rails. And Gardasil is a prime example.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 14:00, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

::::This detracts from the point that I haven't seen what the "link" is - i.e. the cited article is a secondary source and therefore not strong enough to justify the statement in this article regarding vaccines.
::::The Oath also mentions not cutting out stones as well.
::::In all seriousness, it is simply impossible to verify the safety of any drugs completely before phase IV clinical trials - meaning after the drugs has been marketed. Unless you test the drug on every single person on earth and obtain a reading on it, no drug is "safe". Patient care is always riddled with uncertainty - and if physicians waits until he's 100% all the time, they'd actually do more harm to patients by their inaction. That's when professional judgment and experience comes in.
::::And to bring this back to our original discussion about _this_ article - all drugs have adverse reactions. Stating that Gardasil "has now been linked to a number of sudden deaths reported within days of its administration" from a news article (as opposed to a medical journal) is just a cheap, baseless way of attacking vaccines. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 15:08, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

:::::Would you give that drug to ''your'' daughter?

:::::I've read medical journals. They are not the platinum standard of scientific inquiry that you believe them to be. I have personally seen ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' duped big-time by someone—at [[Duke University]], no less—pulling a total dry-lab job. Imagine the mortification of the senior professor who signed off on that person's papers, and even put his name on them, when he found out ''years later'' what a puerile fraud his student had been, and had to issue retractions.

:::::And I have seen other things get into ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' from "investigators" who were all on drug-company payrolls. I cite [[RU-486]] as a prime example.

:::::And that's just one journal, a journal that I might add already had developed an unsavory reputation among teaching-hospital staffers, from the chairman level through the attending level and on down to the residents, for scholarship that was less than sterling. I cannot even repeat their toilet-humor pun on the journal's name—at least, not here I can't.

:::::Those who comment on, and especially those who make, public policy would be a lot more effective if they would just do a little bit of critical reading every now and then.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 15:19, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

::::::Again, I'm trying to improve the validity of this article by analyzing the references, not arguing for or against the efficacy or hazards of the vaccine. Why do you ask me whether I'd give the vaccine to my daughter? Unless my answer is going to be part of this article, it is absolutely irrelevant. (For your information, I do not have any children, and if I had a daughter I will not give her the shot before the age of 16. When she's reached that age she'll make her own decision regarding the shot.)
::::::If you cite a primary source, it'd remove any potential bias that inherently exists in secondary sources. All I've been trying to say is that you should read that news article with the same attitude as you should with medical journals - with a grain of salt. Especially given the gravity of the statement - that the deaths has been linked to the vaccine - I believe we need something a little more than a news article. [[User:ATang|ATang]] 22:29, 24 May 2008 (EDT)

:::::::The article gives some damaging evidence of a correlation. And while correlation does not equal causation, those quoted as denying the causal link would be motivated frankly to lie about the causal link. They include the manufacturer and a health-authority bureaucrat who wants to protect the justification of his mandate and budget.

:::::::I asked you whether you'd give your daughter the shot, if you had one, because I wanted to put the matter into a perspective that, all too often, public policymakers ignore. I appreciate your stepping up to the plate—though if you want the advice of one who once associated with the white smocks on a regular basis, I'd say that the time to safeguard any young woman from the hazards either of the shot or the thing that the shot is supposed (har-de-har-har) to protect against is about ten years ''earlier'' than any age of hypothetical "emancipation." This after-the-fact pilltaking and muscle-jabbing and mainlining that doctors recommend these days is doing nothing to treat the underlying causes of sickness and, in my opinion as an "expert emeritus," is making our society even sicker.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]][[User talk:TerryH|Talk]] 23:00, 24 May 2008 (EDT)

== MMR ==

DouglasA. I am not 'pushing a socialist agenda' I am pointing out the facts. If THIS contradicts YOUR agenda then it is not my problem. The article originally cited makes no mention whatsoever of MMR which is exactly the topic under discussion in that section. That article may have in the NHS page but not here. To try and extend the point being made by the referenced article to MMR is purely speculation on your part and has no logical basis. However, it has been documented countless times that the decrease in MMR uptake is due to parents having opted out given the debunked claims over its links with autism. The reference I provided DOES actually mention MMR unlike the original. And as someone living in the UK I can tell you that there is no end of attempts by hte NHS to increase MMR uptake. You obviously don't approve of a socialized healthcare system, but to extend this to making purely speculative criticisms and claiming them as fact is uncalled for. There are valid criticisms of the NHS to be made, but this is not one of them. Is it so difficult to accept that even a system you so fundamentally disagree with has its advantages and is actually working to benefit people in this case? [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 12:30, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:DWiggins, if you please, can you find other sources that bolster your claim about no autism/vaccination link, such as papers from the scientific community? They would be better references than a single newspaper report. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 12:39, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::The link was long ago debunked as it says even on this very article! My point is not a question of whether the link is real, but that the supposed link is the reason why there has been a decrease in MMR uptake. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 12:41, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:::I think you better read this article [http://www.naturalnews.com/011764_mercury_thimerosal_vaccines.html], because there may not be an autism link within the vaccination's actual medical content, but there is a definate link between autism and [[thimerosal]], which contains 49% mercury. Remember the "Mad Hatter" from ''Alice in Wonderland''? Based on fact. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 12:47, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::::I took out the "now debunked" line. I think that it reads to nearly everyone's satisfaction now. Does the MMR vaccine contain thimerosal? --[[User:JLauttamus|Jeffrey W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 12:51, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::::According to this, it doesn't. [http://www.nfid.org/pdf/factsheets/thimerosal.pdf] --12:51, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:::::Well i'm afraid Karajou that the article you provided is by no means whatsoever an authoritative source. There is consensus in the scientific community that there is no link between thimerosal and autism. To quote but another news article is simply missing the point. In large part it was the media that was to blame in stirring up this nonsense, whereas the science gave them no reason to. Take for example these two (of countless) examples which give a pretty thorough overview of the science behind the issue:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10997

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17168158

Both dismiss a casual link between the chemical and autism, and show that there is no evidence in the scientific literature to support such a link. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 12:56, 5 November 2009 (EST)

DWiggins, the source I provided quotes from the pages of peer-reviewed papers from medical doctors, which means there is no consensus, as you claimed. Since you missed reading them, I have posted them here:

The experts speak on mercury, vaccines and thimerosal
Now all childhood vaccines have at least one mercury-free version, and I urge parents to ask for those versions if they choose to vaccinate their children. Injecting mercury into children, especially infants whose immune systems are still underdeveloped (hepatitis B shots are typically given at birth, before the immune system has developed), can be an assault to the immune system.
'''What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Autoimmune Disorders by Stephen B Edelson MD, page 65'''

In 1999 studies began to surface showing that multi-dose vial vaccines, such as the MMR and hepatitis B vaccines, contained enough thimerosal to expose vaccinated children to 62.5 ug of mercury per visit to the pediatrician. This is one hundred times the dose considered safe by the Federal Environmental Protection Guidelines for infants! Worse yet, some infants will receive doses even higher; because thimerosal tends to settle in the vial. If it is not shaken up before being drawn, the first dose will contain low concentrations of mercury and the last dose will contain enormously high concentrations. If your baby is the unlucky one that gets the last dose, serious brain injury can result…
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 166'''

Thousands of families say they can demonstrate with videotapes and photos that their children were normal prior to being vaccinated, reacted badly to the vaccines, and became autistic shortly thereafter. The number of vaccines given before age two has risen from 3 in 1940, when autism occurred in perhaps one case per 10,000 births, to 22 different vaccines given before the age of two in the year 2000.
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 104'''

We know that certain forms of mercury, such as methylmercury and phenylmercury, are highly lipid soluble, which makes the brain especially susceptible to mercury accumulation. These forms of mercury are found in vaccines as the preservative thimerosal. Once in the brain, it tends to attach itself to protein structures, especially to the cell membrane, where it can disrupt membrane functions.23 By binding to the cell membrane, mercury changes the membrane's fluid-like quality, making it stiffer and causing the cell to age faster.24 The brain is unique in that neurons depend on special microscopic tube-like structures within the cell, appropriately called neurotubules, for their function. These neurotubules are manufactured by the cell from a substance called tubulin. We know that mercury interacts with tubulin causing it to unravel. Studies in rats have shown that doses of mercury corresponding to those seen in humans can cause a 75 percent increase in tubulin inhibition.
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 53'''

In the case of the susceptible newborn infant and toddler, multiple exposures to mercury-containing and multiple antigen vaccines are highly suspect in the causation of multiple organ injury (Bernard et al. 2000). The GI tract, the liver, the pancreas, the kidneys, the immune system, and the brain are major sites of mercury absorption. Researchers have clearly shown a chronic inflammatory bowel disease due to vaccine strain measles in a subset of children with autism (Thompson et al. 1995; Wakefield et al. 1995, 1999, 2000a,b; Kawashima et al. 2000; Pardi et al. 2000; Uhlmann et al. 2002).
'''Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 153'''

Studies of autistic children have frequently shown very high levels of mercury, with no other source but vaccines found for the exposure. These levels are equal to those seen in adults during toxic industrial exposures. Several autism clinics have found dramatic improvements in the behavior and social interactions in children from whom the mercury was chelated. Results depended on how soon the mercury was removed following exposure, but permanent damage can be caused if the metal is not chelated soon enough. Still, even in cases of severe damage, because of the infant brain's tremendous reparative ability, improvements are possible. The problem of autism involves numerous body systems including the gastrointestinal, immune and nervous systems; as a result we see numerous infections and magnified effects of malnutrition. Intrepid workers in the shadows, that is outside the medial establishment, have worked many miracles with these children using a multidisciplinary scientific approach completely ignored by the orthodoxy. Some children have even experienced a return to complete physiological normalcy.
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 166'''

Mercury and autism mercury toxicity is a suspected cause of a steep rise—a tenfold increase between 1984 and 1994—in diagnosed cases of autism in children around the world, according to some scientists. Specifically, the culprit is thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used as a preservative in vaccines commonly administered to babies and infants. thimerosal-free vaccines are available. If you have a child who will be receiving vaccinations, ask for and make sure thimerosal-free vaccines are used. Kelp, with its essential minerals (especially calcium and magnesium), helps remove unwanted metal deposits.
'''Prescription For Dietary Wellness by Phyllis A Balch, page 198'''

The pertussis vaccine (DPT) may cause 45,000 cases of autism per year in America, affecting 15 cases out of 10,000 vaccinations; also caused by the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) that causes mental impairment, gastrointestinal damage, and increased mortality in 6-12 months from impaired immunity; 9 out of 10 cases were not breast-fed; eating dairy products caused parasites in the autistic (take Vermex; contact Dr. Nelson in Mexico for control of parasites in children with autism). There are now over 500,000 victims of autism residing in the United States, in 1994. The pertussis vaccination is not used in Sweden, which has virtually 0 cases of autism, as does Holland. This mental illness afflicts environmentally and socially non-reactive persons, ofwithdrawn personality; with inability to speak, violenttantrums, insomnia, actions such as bolting across aroad with no regard for the dire consequences. May be caused infant antibiotic use in ear infections with subsequent yeast overgrowth, by cumulative genetic Brain damage, Vitamin deficiencies, or milk and additives allergies. Immune disorders in autism include white blood cellneutrophil Myeloperoxidase enzyme deficiency for insufficient hypochlorite ions to kill yeast - genetic type from Chromosome 17 mutation or biotinidase deficiency, or acquired type from lead poisoning, Folic acid or B-l 2 deficiency, infection or leukemias…
'''Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 450'''

Multiple vaccinations, especially in newborns, are another major source of childhood mercury exposure because of the mercury-containing thimerosal preservative. Over twenty-two vaccinations are now recommended for children before the age of two!
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 64'''

In addition, there is some anecdotal evidence that autism may be tied to diet. One theory is that, in very rare cases, a child's immune system could be weakened by the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination (MMR), which is usually administered before a child turns 2. As a result of this weakening, the theory goes, the child's digestive system is unable to break down certain food proteins, leading to abnormal brain development. Proponents of this theory believe that putting the child on a diet that eliminates certain foods, such as wheat and dairy products, could in certain cases reverse the course of the disease. This theory remains speculative, however, and research needs to be done to determine its validity. In fact, a 2001 report issued by an Institute of Medicine committee examining studies about the health effects of the MMR vaccine in young children suggests that there is no proven link between the vaccine and autism. The committee recommends that there be no change in immunization practices that require children to be immunized during early childhood.
'''The Immune Advantage by Ellen Mazo and Keith Berndtson MD, page 292'''

Rather than calling for an all-out immediate ban on thimerosal-containing vaccines, they suggested that parents continue to have their children vaccinated with mercury-contaminated vaccines until new stocks of uncontaminated vaccine could be made available. Here are two doctors' unions that had to be beat over the head with an overwhelming amount of data that mercury-contaminated vaccines were harming children far worse than the actual diseases against which the vaccine was intended to protect them, only to have them suggest that parents continue to harm their children just to satisfy their vaccination obsession. Are you surprised to discover that recent investigations have found that several doctor-members of vaccine boards were either receiving grants from vaccine manufacturers or held stock in the companies? They were willing to sacrifice the health of millions of children just to fill their pockets with cash. These people should be looking through bars, not serving on boards.
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 167'''

Vaccines may afflict 45,000 cases of autism per year in America, which afflicts 15 victims in every 10.000 births: there are now 5 00,000 of these victims in the U.S. In Sweden not using the pertussis vaccine, there is virtually no autism (and likewise in Holland).
'''Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 600'''

Many symptoms of autism are similar to those of mercury poisoning. Immune dysfunction, visual disturbances, and motor dysfunction are seen in both. Treating autistic children for removal of mercury and other heavy metals has shown significant improvement in their autistic symptoms. Most autistic individuals have poor liver detoxification, low antioxidant levels, and low levels of glutathione. Vaccines are effective, but the production and use of vaccines should proceed more cautiously. Currently manufactured vaccines still contain harmful substances like mercury. The link between vaccines and autism is far stronger than the medical community is willing to admit, and more research in this area should be an urgent priority.
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 105'''

Studies indicate that autism may be the result of adverse reactions to childhood vaccinations. Dr. Alan Cohen, an environmental physician from Connecticut, notes that high levels of autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD) did not occur until the mandatory use of childhood vaccinations, and suggests that there may be a connection between certain vaccines and the onset of these conditions.
'''Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 46'''

Almost from the inception of vaccination programs, manufacturers added a mercury preservative called thimerosal to vaccines. The practice continued until recently, and was stopped only because of the outcry from thousands of concerned parents and numerous experts in the field. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practice did not warn parents or pediatricians that the mercury was dangerous until they were forced to. That mercury was toxic to cells had been known for over sixty years, but manufacturers apparently were more worried about lawsuits…
'''Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 165'''

In fact, a 2001 report issued by an Institute of Medicine committee examining studies about the health effects of the MMR vaccine in young children suggests that there is no proven link between the vaccine and autism. The committee recommends that there be no change in immunization practices that require children to be immunized during early childhood. Another disorder affecting the brain, Alzheimer's disease, may also have an immune connection. Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease that slowly attacks nerve cells in the brain. It eventually results in the loss of all memory and mental functioning. Scientists are currently investigating the role that the immune system plays in producing an overabundance of the amino acid glutamate, a powerful nerve-cell killer. Another immune connection that researchers are investigating is the idea that Alzheimer's might be triggered, in part, by a virus.
'''The Immune Advantage by Ellen Mazo and Keith Berndtson MD, page 292'''

In the past 10 years, the number of autistic children has risen between 200 and 500 per cent in every state in the U.S. This sharp increase in autism followed the introduction of MMR vaccine in 1975. Representative Dan Burton's healthy grandson was given injections for 9 diseases in one day. These injections were followed by autism.
'''A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 267'''

"Probably 20% of American children, one in five, suffers from a "development disability'," according to Harris Coulter, Ph.D., Founder and Director of the Center for Empirical Medicine, in Washington, D.C. "This is a stupefying figure and we have inflicted it on ourselves. 'Development disabilities' are nearly always generated by encephalitis. And the primary cause of encephalitis in the U.S. and other industrialized countries is the childhood vaccination program. To be specific, a large proportion of the millions of U.S. children and adults suffering from autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia, and other branches of the hydra-headed entity called 'development disabilities' owe their disorders to one of the vaccines against childhood diseases."
'''Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 1101'''

Martin noted that the increased incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and other behavior-linked illnesses "may be an inadvertent consequence of stealth virus vaccine contaminants."
'''AIDS And Ebola by Leonard Horowitz, page 493'''

Just for perspective if we go back to 1971 up to 1980, we see that California consistently added 100 to 200 new cases a year; but in the year 2002, California added 3,577 new cases. Since 1980, the documented start of California's autism epidemic, the number of new cases has steadily increased. If we break down those statistics it means that from 1994 to 1995, California only added on average 2 new autistic children a day into its system. In 2001, it was a rate of 8 new autistic children added a day; in 2002, it jumped up to 10 children a day. mercury-containing vaccines are still in use today, including the most recently recommended addition to the childhood immunization schedule, 2 shots of flu vaccine for infants, bringing the total number of vaccines up to 41 in California that a child will receive before the age of two. It will take a few years to start seeing the effect of the phasing out of the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal from childhood vaccines on this autism epidemic. Many symptoms of autism are similar to those of mercury poisoning. Immune dysfunction, visual disturbances, and motor dysfunction are seen in both. Treating autistic children for removal of mercury and other heavy metals has shown significant improvement in their autistic symptoms. Most autistic individuals have poor liver detoxification, low antioxidant levels, and low levels of glutathione.
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 105'''

Since the 1990s, there has been a tenfold or 1000-percent increase in autism, an increase which has been linked by some researchers to the organic mercury preservative commonly found in baby vaccines. A greatly increased incidence of juvenile diabetes has been correlated to specific vaccination sequences and to the number of vaccines given. In some Australian Aboriginal communities, every second child died shortly after vaccination.
'''The Natural Way to Heal by Walter Last, page 309'''

The best current estimates are that autism occurs in 40 to 67 children per 10,000 live births. This means that the prevalence of autism has increased 1,000 percent in the last decade. According to the latest figures just released in January 2003 by the California Department of Developmental Services, California experienced an astounding 31 percent increase in the number of new children…
'''Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 104'''

== NHS and vaccination ==

Douglas, the article you cite has nothing to do with vaccination. The increase in measles '''is''' due to to parents opting out of the vaccine, as was shown by DWiggins citation. I'm not here to argue whether the NHS is good or bad, but the article you cite does not support the claim you are making when dealing directly with vaccination. -- [[User:JLauttamus|Jeffrey W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 13:13, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:I didn't make the claim. You may not realize this, but wiki articles are made by many contributors. However, DWiggins' citation shows nothing but throwing blame on a public miseducated by the NHS. [[User:DouglasA|DouglasA]] 13:26, 5 November 2009 (EST)
::I understand how wikis are made. I think I've been here for almost a year and a half, if memory serves. I re-added the first part of DWiggins' edit. I believe this is a compromise that shows why measles are becoming more prominent in Britain, while not patting the NHS on the back. -- [[User:JLauttamus|Jeffrey W. Lauttamus]][[User_talk:JLauttamus|Discussion]] 13:49, 5 November 2009 (EST)
:::DouglasA by rejecting my edit and reinstating the original you were making such a claim. And the miseducation is not caused BY the NHS. The NHS has consistently rejected the claims about a link between autism and MMR. Again, just because you disagree with the concept of the NHS does not mean everything they do is bad wrong. I do not think anyone who knows anything about the NHS could ever argue they have not consistently tried to increase MMR uptake. By all means add that original article about costs and medicines, but you cannot simply link that to this MMR issue when there is nothing in that article to support this leap between two separate issues, and when in fact the evidence contradicts it in the case of MMR. By all means take out the bit about the promotion of the vaccine by the NHS, I put it in to counter the original false claims that the decrease in uptake was entirely the fault of the NHS.

:::In regards to the above section, you seem to misunderstand the meaning of 'consensus'. Consensus is rarely unanimous, especially in fields so large as medicine. Consensus is the vast majority accepting something, and that is the case with the MMR vaccine and the supposed links to autism, which have been thoroughly rejected. Of course there will always be some who disagree, and unfortunately in a few cases, as with Dr. Wakefield, this disagreement is not all that it seems on the surface.

:::Let's be clear about this. All the reviews of the scientific literature come out with the same conclusion. There is NO evidence to support a casual link between either thiomersal and autism, nor the MMR vaccine and autism. May I also request that you do not try and mix two separate issues together. The article cited originally concerning costs and medicine provision is not related to the MMR issue or any vaccine issue. It has no place in ''this'' article, though it may do elsewhere. I think that is the fundamental issue here, the issue of the links with autism is already discussed in the article itself where it is stated that there is no evidence.[[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 15:03, 5 November 2009 (EST)

::::DWiggins, a vast majority agreeing on something - a ''consensus'' - still doesn't make their position ''right'' as opposed to ''wrong''. A vast ''consensus'' of people in the United States viewed slavery as ''right'' at one time in our history; were they correct in believing so? No. So how can a consensus of doctors be correct in viewing that there's no vaccination link to autism, when it's been demonstrated time and time again that mercury in a human body (as in thimerosal) does bad things? [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 16:48, 5 November 2009 (EST)

:::::I never said it 'makes their position right'. And in using the slavery example you are mixing up science and ethics. What is 'right' from a scientific point of view is something that has not yet been falsified, so it is perhaps better to say 'provisionally accepted' (please see my post on the Noah's Ark page I have recently made concerning the scientific method). The slavery example is a question of whether someone views slavery as morally 'right'. Of course to virtually everyone today the answer seems obvious, it is not. But as you say in the past this was not so simple, and many people saw it the opposite way. Our judgement of these people and their actions is retrospective, of course we view them as wrong, but they evidently believed they were right. Anyway, that is just an aside, since it is not relevant to the question of scientific proof.

:::::It has been shown time and time again, through application of the scientific method that there is no casual link between MMR or thiomersal and autism. All claims otherwise have since been falsified, as such, the only logical conclusion that can currently be reached is that there is no such link. And you are also getting mixed up with your biochemistry. Yes, mercury is toxic. But thiomersal is not mercury, it is a compound containing the element. The pseudoscience behind the supposed link is that it has mercury, therefore it must be toxic, as if the mercury component jsut spontaneously separates from the rest of the compound in the human body. There is NO evidence to support a link between thiomersal and autism. I don't know how many more times it needs to be stated, by either me, or those men and women wearing the white coats who have investigated this time and time again. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 16:58, 5 November 2009 (EST)

::::::Another aside: So there's no connection or relevence between scientific proof, the scientific method, and morality? Thanks for clearing that up. The Nazi Doctors must've had, as you say, provisionally accepted truth. [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 06:52, 22 November 2009 (EST)

Well now that I'm back I can address that point. You appear to have muddled the issues up a bit. I was not passing moral judgement on scientific discoveries, I was simply saying that a scientific 'truth' is not the same as a moral 'truth'. What the Nazi 'doctors' were doing was not even science, it was just butchery with the name science applied to it. With the issue of slavery, science can tell us that what something is/how something works. It cannot tell us whether we should do something. Of course there's a connection between science and morality, but the scientific method is not a method of judging whether something is morally right or wrong, morality comes in when deciding how to use the results of scientific enquiry. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 19:28, 24 November 2009 (EST)

==Vaccines and sexually transmitted disease==

Let's explore the connection between vaccines and STDs.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STD. [http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/HPVSupplement99.pdf]
HPV causes 99.7 percent of cervical cancer. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10451482]

So what would be the motivation of giving young teenage girls a vaccine against HPV? Aren't we telling our daughters that it's okay to abandon God's plan (of chastity before marriage) and indulge in a little experimental fornication? "Hey, we're protecting you so nothing bad will happen." --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 23:21, 21 November 2009 (EST)

:And when they say 'teenage' girls they don't mean 19 year old young adults, they mean 13 year old CHILDREN! When such young people see what they see as authority figures (ie doctors) giving them the green light to indulge in promiscuous, dangerous behaviour, what are they going to think? [[User:TrondE|TrondE]] 13:39, 22 November 2009 (EST)

Boy Scouts of America

2009-11-18T01:50:30Z

DWiggins:

The '''Boy Scouts of America''' was founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1910 by W. D. Boyce.<ref>[http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/Founders.aspx Founders], scouting.org.</ref> He patterned it after [[Boy Scouts|the British organization]] founded two years earlier by [[Sir Robert Baden-Powell]].

A similar but entirely separate group is the Girl Scouts, founded in 1912 by [[Juliette Gordon Lowe]].

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. It promotes fun, educational skills and activities identified with manliness. <ref>[http://www.scouting.org/About.aspx About the BSA]</ref> The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the [[#The Scout Oath & Law|Scout Oath and Law]].<ref name=overview>[http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/OverviewofBSA.aspx Overview of Boy Scouts of America]</ref>. National headquarters is in Irving, Texas.[[File:Scouts1911.jpg|thumb|250px]]
==History==

The first Boy Scout troop in the United States was founded in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in May 1909, by Anglican priest John Forbes Mitchell while on assignment for the [[Church of England]]. It was the first international charter of the British [[Boy Scouts]]. William Dickson Boyce (1859-1929) incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.<ref>http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/BSA_History.aspx</ref>

The programs were largely copied from the British models set out by [[Sir Robert Baden-Powell]], who began both the non-competitive merit badge system to encourage development in diverse skills, and the rank advancement system to encourage core skills. Even more important was the [[Social Gospel]] influence of "muscular Christianity" promulgated by the [[YMCA]] in the Era of the [[Third Great Awakening]], 1910-30.<ref>Clifford Putney, ''Muscular Christianity: Manhood and Sports in Protestant America, 1880-1920'' (2001) </ref>

The new Boy Scouts of America quickly merged with the Woodcraft Indians, founded by Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946); and the Sons of Daniel Boone, led by Daniel Carter Beard (1850-1941). Seton became the BSA's first Chief Scout (1910-1915), and Beard the National Scout Commissioner of the United States.

Beginning in 1913, the National Office organized troops into local councils, to coordinate activities, administration, and growth. Growth was rapid. By 1921 there were 400,000 boy scouts and 17,000 scoutmasters.

The Boy Scouts of America helped the country significantly during both world wars, by selling war bonds and aiding in conservation projects.

===Masculinity===
Scouting is not just for the benefit of the boys. It is also an opportunity for adult men to mentor youth and themselves practice outdoor skills. The success of the Scouts resulted in part from increased concern over the maintenance of masculinity in a world of cities and office buildings. [[Theodore Roosevelt]] often sounded the tocsin. Adult men in the 1900-1930 era believed that the opportunities for the development and expression of masculinity were being restricted. Scouting was a means to counteract perceived forces of feminization in the world of adolescents. The Scouting movement provided adult men, denied by their occupations, an opportunity to validate the traditional image of masculinity.

==Programs==
There are five programs in the Boy Scouts of America. Cub Scouting programs are for boys in first grade through fifth grade (or seven through 10 years of age); the motto for Cub Scouts is to, "Do Your Best." Ninety five percent of all Boy Scouts have participated in Cub Scouts at some time. For boys who are 11 through 17 years of age, or have earned the Cub Scouting [[Arrow of Light]] award and are at least 10 years old, or have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10 years old, they can take part in the Boy Scouts of America program. The Boy Scouts motto is to, "Be Prepared," and the slogan is to, "Do a Good Turn Daily."<ref name=overview/> The three other possible programs is Varsity Scouting, Venturing, and Order of the Arrow.
{|class="wikitable"
!Program!!Age Range
|-
|[[Cub Scouting]]||7-11
|-
|Boy Scouts||11<ref>Those who have earned the [[Arrow of Light]] may cross over at 10</ref>-18<ref>Exceptions are made to the upper age limit for those with disabilities</ref>
|-
|[[Varsity Scouting]]||14-18
|-
|[[Venturing]]||14-21
|-
|[[Order of the Arrow]]||N/A
|}

===Defining America's greatness===
Many presidents have praised and addressed the Boy Scouts over the years. President [[Calvin Coolidge]] said this to a group of Boy Scouts in 1924:
{{Cquote|The three fundamentals of scouthood are reverence for nature ... reverence for law ... and reverence for God. It is hard to see how a great man can be an atheist. Doubters do not achieve. ... No man realizes his full possibilities unless he has the deep conviction that life is eternally important, and that his work, well done, is part of an unending plan.}}

[[Rush Limbaugh]] said this during an awards ceremony for the BSA:
{{Cquote|The values, the love of country ... our rights, our freedom, our essence, our yearning to be free come from our creator, from God, is what has made this country great. And the Boy Scouts of America... the traditions, institutions, and values that have defined this country's greatness are what make the Boy Scouts of America.<ref>Rush Limbaugh. [http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_111309/content/01125106.guest.html Rush and Roger Ailes Speak at Boy Scouts Awards Dinner], RushLimbaugh.com, November 11, 2009.</ref>}}

==The Scout Oath & Law==
The Scout Oath & Law are the guiding principles of Scouting, and are generally recited at the beginning or end of a Troop meeting.
'''Scout Law:'''<blockquote>
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, kind, courteous, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
</blockquote>
'''Scout Oath:'''<blockquote>On my honor, I will do my best: To do my duty to God and my
country, and to obey the Scout Law, To help other people at all
times. To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally
straight.</blockquote>

==Ranks==
The requirements and order of the BSA ranks have changed over the years, although the names have only changed little. The current order is as follows:
* Scout
* Tenderfoot
* Second Class
* First Class
* Star Scout
* Life Scout
* [[Eagle Scout]]

===Rank of Eagle Scout===
The highest rank that may be attained by a Boy Scout is that of [[Eagle Scout]], which 2% of Scouts nationwide earn. <ref>http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0410/d-news.html</ref> One of the requirements for this rank is leading a service project to benefit either the [[community]] at large, or a specific non-profit organization, such as a school or a church. Other requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges (including 12 predetermined ones), being active in the troop for a minimum amount of time, holding a position of leadership within one's troop, and appearing before a Board of Review. All of the requirements for an Eagle Board of Review must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday (although exceptions may be made for Scouts with mental disabilities), although the Board of Review may occur after this date. Some notable Eagle Scouts include:<ref>[http://www.nesa.org/PDF/NotableEagleScouts.pdf Notable Eagle Scouts (PDF)], nesa.org.</ref>
{|background="none" width="100%" border="1"
|-
!A-F
!G-L
!M-R
!S-Z
|-
|valign="top"|
*[[Neil Armstrong]], first man on the moon.
*[[Willie Banks]], Olympic athlete, former world-record holder in triple jump and long jump.
*[[Lloyd Bentsen]]
*[[Michael Bloomberg]], Mayor of New York city.
*[[Bill Bradley]], former professional basketball player, U.S. senator, and presidential candidate.
*[[Stephen Breyer]], Associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
*[[Mike Crapo]], U.S. senator from Idaho.
*[[Michael Dukakis]], former governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate.
*[[Mike Enzi]], U.S. senator from Wyoming.
*[[Thomas Foley]], former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and ambassador to Japan.
*[[Gerald Ford]], 38th president of the United States.

|valign="top"|
*[[John Garamendi]], Lieutenant governor of California.
*[[Bill Gates Sr.]], CEO of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; father of [[Bill Gates]].
*[[Robert Gates]], U.S. secretary of defense and former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
*[[James A. Lovell Jr.]], former U.S. Navy officer and Apollo 13 commander.
*[[Gary Locke]], former governor of Washington; first Chinese American governor in the United States.
*[[Richard Lugar]], U.S. senator from Indiana.

|valign="top"|
*[[J. Willard Marriott Jr.]], Chairman and CEO of Marriot International.
*[[George Meyer]], writer and producer of ''The Simpsons''.
*[[Ben Nelson]], U.S. senator from Nebraska.
*[[Ross Perot]], founder of EDS and Perot Systems; former presidential candidate.
*[[Rick Perry]], Governor of Texas.
*[[Donald Rumsfeld]], former U.S. secretary of defense.

|valign="top"|
*[[Jefferson Sessions]], U.S. senator from Alabama.
*[[William S. Sessions]], former federal judge and director of the FBI.
*[[Gordon Smith]]
*[[Steven Spielberg]]
*[[Sam Walton]]
*[[Togo West]], former U.S. secretary of veterans affairs and secretary of the Army.

|}

==Controversy==
The Boy Scouts of America have come under criticism for their policy regarding [[homosexuals]]. As stated in a press release from the organization:<ref>http://www.scouting.org/media/press/2002/020206/index.html</ref>

::The BSA reaffirmed its view that an avowed homosexual cannot serve as a role model for the traditional moral values espoused in the Scout Oath and Law and that these values cannot be subject to local option choices.

Starting in the late 1990s this led to several high profile lawsuits, such as the one brought by the [[ACLU]] of San Diego<ref>http://www.aclusandiego.org/boy_scouts/boy_scouts_082800.html</ref>, which proposes that the discriminatory practices of the organization should make them ineligible for the use of public funds or public lands.

The homosexual cases culminated in the Supreme Court's Dale decision in 2000, which ruled that as a private organization, the Scouts were entitled to choose their own members. The ACLU lost, but as noted by Robert Bork Jr., spokesman for the BSA and son of the former Supreme Court nominee, the ACLUS "has been trying ever since to have the Scouts expelled from the public square." Gay-rights advocates in dozens of cities have persuaded United Way to stop supporting the Scouts.

Prohibition of homosexual scout leaders is not universal within the BSA, however. The Massachusetts Minuteman Council, for example, adopted a bylaw in 2001 barring exclusion of anyone on the basis of race, religion, or [[sexual orientation]]. The bylaw, which resembles the U. S. Military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, permits homosexuals to lead troops so long as they do not discuss their sexual orientation. A few other councils have similar policies.<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20010802/ai_n13920546 Mass. Scouts permit gay leaders], Chicago Sun-Times, Aug 2, 2001</ref>

Atheist Scouts have also been removed from the organization on the basis of the twelfth point of the Scout Law being "reverent". <ref>http://www.beliefnet.com/story/116/story_11619_1.html</ref>
==See also==
* [[Boy Scouts]], for international perspective
==Further reading==
* Dean, John Isaac. ''Scouting in America, 1910-1990,'' PhD dissertation U. of South Carolina. '' Dissertation Abstracts International'' 1993 53(8): 2713-A. DA9239032, 448p.
* Macleod, David. "Act Your Age: Boyhood, Adolescence, and the Rise of the Boy Scouts of America," ''Journal of Social History'' 1983 16(2): 3-20, [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3787184 in JSTOR]
* Macleod, David. ''Building Character in the American Boy: The Boy Scouts, YMCA, and Their Forerunners, 1870-1920'' (2004), standard scholarly history [http://books.google.com/books?id=fo2pyMMOejIC&pg=PA175&dq=intitle:boy+intitle:scouts&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=3 excerpt and text search]
* Mechling, Jay. ''On My Honor: Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth.'' (2001) 323 pp. accounts of how the Scouts work in practice, with much attention to songs, rituals, and games [http://books.google.com/books?id=643AsqUC7s0C&dq=intitle:boy+intitle:scouts&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=3 excerpt and text search]
* Tucker, William. "Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Persecuted: Across the Country, the Boy Scouts Are under Attack," ''National Review'' Volume: 60. Issue: 17. September 15, 2008. pp 32+ [http://www.questia.com/read/5029028796?title=Thrifty%2c%20Brave%2c%20Clean%2c%20and%20Persecuted%3a%20Across%20the%20Country%2c%20the%20Boy%20Scouts%20Are%20under%20Attack online edition]
* Wills, Chuck. ''Boy Scouts of America: A Centennial History'' (2009), popular
===Primary sources===
* Boy Scouts of America. ''Handbook for scout masters'' (1914) 352 pages [http://books.google.com/books?id=pEcqAAAAYAAJ&dq=intitle:boy+intitle:scouts&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=3 online edition]

==External Links==
* [http://www.scouting.org/scouting.aspx Boy Scouts of America] - Home
* [http://www.scouting.org/About/Research/ValuesofAmericans.aspx Values of Americans] - BSA
* [http://www.bsajamboree.org/ National Jamboree]
==References==
<references/>

[[Category: Service Organizations]]
[[category: United States Government Chartered Organizations]]
[[Category: Organizations]]
[[Category: Youth Groups]]
[[Category: Progressive Era]]

Virgin birth

2009-11-18T01:45:46Z

DWiggins:

The '''Virgin birth''' of [[Jesus Christ]] is a miracle recorded in the Bible, revealing that Jesus was born of the [[Virgin Mary]], having been conceived by the [[Holy Spirit]], and not by relations with any man. This belief has been a primary tenet of the historical faith of [[Christianity]], and continues to be held by most Catholics and Protestants.<ref>[http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/88-americans-express-their-views-of-the-virgin-birth-of-christ Americans Express Their Views of the Virgin Birth of Christ] Barna research, December 17, 2007</ref> However, this doctrine is not considered essential by many within [[liberal Christianity]].<ref>Roger E. Olson, ''The Westminster handbook to evangelical theology'', p. 281</ref><ref>Robert Paul Lightner, ''Handbook of evangelical theology: a historical, Biblical, and contemporary'', pp. 79,80</ref>

==Luke 1:26-38==

The Angel Gabriel went to Mary and said,

''"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."''

Mary responds,

''"How will this be since I am a virgin?"''

The Angel answered,

''"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."''

Mary proclaims,

''"I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."''

==History==
The doctrine was well established by the 2nd century, but theologians were always puzzled that Paul never mentioned it, though some commentators believe the wording of Galatians 4:4 alludes to the virgin birth.<ref>Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible; John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible; Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown; Robertson's word pictures in the New Testament</ref>

Roman Catholicism also holds that Mary remained a virgin even after her marriage to Joseph, which doctrine most [[Evangelical]] [[Protestants]] disagree with, due to the wording of Matthew 1:25, and the basic description of marriage, (Mt. 19:4,5; 1Cor. 7:2-5) and the absence of any discussion of Mary's perpetual virginity in the canonical gospels, and references indicating Mary had children. (Ps. 69:8; Mt. 12:46; 13:55; Jn. 2:12; 7:3,5,10; Acts 1:14; 1Cor. 9:5; Gal. 1:19) <ref>[http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/M/MARY International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ''Mary'']</ref><ref>http://www.letusreason.org/RC8.htm</ref> Roman Catholic apologists believe these texts refer to close kin outside the immediate family, and otherwise dispute the Protestant conclusions. <ref>Dwight Longenecker, David Gustafson, ''Mary: A Catholic Evangelical Debate'', p. 93-78</ref>

In 21st century mainstream Protestant denominations, belief in the Virgin Mary is considered optional.<ref>See for example Donald K. McKim, ''Presbyterian questions, Presbyterian answers: exploring Christian faith'' (2003) [http://books.google.com/books?id=54f0oX23u5EC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=presbyterian+%22virgin+birth%22&source=bl&ots=4ACahhqEHy&sig=5fDWvz5HKAHiFC4peLscgZp4UmE&hl=en&ei=fiGYSv-dFJOesgPl_9W1Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7#v=onepage&q=&f=false online pp. 31-2 ]</ref>

==Worldview==
Many people mistakenly identify others as worshippers of Mary. Mary's role was heavenly designed and unique as the Virgin birth or the Assumption adoration. True Christians love Mary but they only worship God.

The Islamic [[Koran]] contains references to Jesus and Mary, but this much later work by [[Muhammad]] is critically different. While Jesus is presented as a perfect man, and Mary is portrayed as an extraordinary mother of a great prophet, Muhammad denied the Divinity of Jesus, and that He was conceived from a virgin mother. In addition, he mistakenly understood that the Christian Trinity consisted of God, Jesus and Mary. (Sura 5:116-117) <ref>http://answering-islam.org/Why-not/13trinity.html</ref> None of the thousands of extant biblical manuscripts support the Islamic contradictions of the Bible, though it requires its support. {{Main|Qur'an}}

==Further reading==
* Mary F. Foskett, ''A Virgin Conceived: Mary and Classical Representations of Virginity'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Virgin-Conceived-Classical-Representations-Virginity/dp/0253340551/ref=sid_dp_dp excerpt and text search]. looks at the many complex meanings of Virgin Birth in the first two centuries
* Robert Gromacki, ''The Virgin Birth: A Biblical Study of the Deity of Jesus Christ'' (2nd ed. 2002), Evangelical perspective. [http://www.amazon.com/Virgin-Birth-Biblical-Study-Christ/dp/0825427460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251484794&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]

====references====
<references/>

[[Category:Biblical Women]]
[[Category:Catholic Church]]
[[Category:Christianity]]

Uig

2009-11-18T01:41:51Z

DWiggins: a rather odd term to have used there

'''Uig''' is a very small ferry port at the northern end of the Isle of Skye in [[Scotland]], with services to the Isles of Harris (Tarbert) & North Uist (Lochmaddy) known as the Uig Triangle. Uig has a very heavy annual [[rain]]fall.
[[Category: Scottish Cities and Towns]]

Skye

2009-11-18T01:38:56Z

DWiggins: the articles are about exactly the same place, no need for this one.

{{merge|Isle of Skye}}

The '''Isle of Skye''', situated off the west coast of mainland [[Scotland]], is the largest and best known of the [[Inner Hebrides]].[http://www.isleofskye.com/about/]

Sometimes referred to in [[Gaelic]] poetry and song as Eilean a' Cheò (The Misty Isle), Skye is renowned for its natural beauty, history and wildlife.

The spectacular and rugged Cuillin Hills of the island are the highest British mountains not on the mainland.
[[Category:Scottish Islands]]

Skye

2009-11-18T01:35:30Z

DWiggins:

The '''Isle of Skye''', situated off the west coast of mainland [[Scotland]], is the largest and best known of the [[Inner Hebrides]].[http://www.isleofskye.com/about/]

Sometimes referred to in [[Gaelic]] poetry and song as Eilean a' Cheò (The Misty Isle), Skye is renowned for its natural beauty, history and wildlife.

The spectacular and rugged Cuillin Hills of the island are the highest British mountains not on the mainland.
[[Category:Scottish Islands]]

Birth defect

2009-11-18T00:58:56Z

DWiggins:

A '''birth defect''' is a structural, functional, or metabolic abnormality present at birth that results in physical or mental disability or death. There are more than 4,000 known birth defects, which may be caused by [[gene|genetic]] or [[environment|environmental]] factors. In the US, About 150,000 babies are born each year with birth defects.

Some birth defects can be corrected by surgery after birth. Some examples are cleft palate, extra fingers or toes, webbed feet, club foot and 'hole in the heart'.

Birth defects may be caused by nutritional deficiencies of the mother and can be avoided by ensuring a good diet with supplemental vitamins and minerals and also by avoiding [[alcohol]] and [[tobacco]]. [[Folic acid]] is a common supplement.

There are potential birth defects that are genetic, and tests may be available to detect the condition in the womb or to test the parents and predict a potential risk if conception occurs. The parents can then assess the risk factors and decide to plan or avoid a pregnancy.

In the 1960's many birth defects were also caused by the usage of Thalidomide, a hypnotic drug administered to mothers to ease their pain during birth.The usage of this drug caused various defects, the majority of cases being deformities of the arms and legs.
== References ==
* http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/birth_defects.html
McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

[[Category:Genetics]]

Elective abortion

2009-11-18T00:57:28Z

DWiggins:

{{merge|abortion}}

An '''elective abortion''' is a [[abortion|termination of a pregnancy]] by choice, rather than by necessity. This may be a result of medical advice due to potential or diagnosed [[birth defect]]s or a choice that the baby would be unwanted or could not be supported.

{{Stub}}
[[Category:Abortion]]

Britain's Got Talent

2009-11-18T00:54:22Z

DWiggins:

'''Britain's Got Talent''' is a [[television]] show broadcast on the [[ITV]] network in the [[United Kingdom]]. The show showcases amateur talent by encouraging people to audition for the show. It is part of the "Got Talent" series created by [[Simon Cowell]]. The show debuted in 2007, with each season culminating in a semi-final and final round.

==Famous contestants==
In 2007, [[opera]] singer [[Paul Potts]] won the final round. Potts has since gone on to additional fame as a concert performer and his debut album, ''One Chance'' hit the #1 spot on the U.K. album charts.

The 2008 season was won by 14 year old dancer George Sampson.

During the debut show of the 2009 season on April 11, the performance of singer Susan Boyle became a sensation around the world, including the clip of her performance widely viewed over [[YouTube]] and shown on evening TV newscasts. Boyle's vocal talent caught the judges and audience off guard, who were initially skeptical because of her plain appearance and dress. Initially met with snickers when she appeared on stage, the audience gave her a standing ovation soon after she began performing her rendition of "I Dream a Dream" from ''[[Les Miserables]]''. Her backstory contributed some to her fame, as a 47 year old woman from [[Scotland]] whose mother had recently passed away, and who had, in her words, wanted to be a professional singer but had never been given a chance. Susan Boyle is a devout [[Roman Catholic]] and a church volunteer. She also received a standing ovation the next morning when she appeared in church on [[Easter]] Sunday.

The 2009 season winner was a dance group called Diversity, who beat Susan Boyle in the final round.

==See Also==
*[[America's Got Talent]]

[[Category:Television Shows]]

Scientific truth

2009-11-18T00:52:30Z

DWiggins:

{{merge|Scientific method}}

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up familiar with it.<ref> [[Max Planck]], [http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=072204D How Could the Consensus of Experts Be Wrong? - TCS Daily]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{stub}}

Scientific truth

2009-11-18T00:43:33Z

DWiggins:

Talk:Scientific truth

2009-11-17T23:25:02Z

DWiggins: Created page with 'I'd suggest that this person's opinion concerning scientific truth can simply be incorporated into another article, e.g. the scientific method, rather than being one in its own r...'

I'd suggest that this person's opinion concerning scientific truth can simply be incorporated into another article, e.g. the scientific method, rather than being one in its own right. [[User:DWiggins|DWiggins]] 18:25, 17 November 2009 (EST)

Scientific truth

2009-11-17T23:23:36Z

DWiggins:

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up familiar with it.<ref> [[Max Planck]], [http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=072204D How Could the Consensus of Experts Be Wrong? - TCS Daily]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

Manchester

2009-11-17T20:05:19Z

DWiggins:

'''Manchester''' is a major industrial city in the North West of [[England]], in the metropolitan [[county]] of [[Greater Manchester]], and formerly a part of [[Lancashire]]. It is the seventh largest city in England. Despite this, given its importance it is often considered to be the UKs 'third city'. More recently it has even laid claim to be the UKs 'second city', a source of ongoing debate, particularly between Manchester and [[Birmingham]]. It was formerly an important inland port, served by the [[Manchester Ship Canal]] beside the [[River Mersey]].

== History ==

Originally a Roman military settlement named ''Mamcumium'', and later of a tenth century [[burh]] (Anglo-Saxon fortified place), Manchester was of only regional importance until the [[Industrial Revolution]], when it became a major centre of the [[cotton]] industry and renowned as a "shock city", a place where new urban and social developments were undertaken. Manchester and its environs saw the first large-scale application of factory technology and organisation; Manchester was the first city to experience full-scale suburbanisation; it was (with Liverpool) the first city to have a fully locomotive-hauled public railway, in 1830. It also experienced in full measure the negative aspects of this headlong rush to modernise and urbanise in its terrible slums, described in a dramatic piece of reportage by [[Friedrich Engels]], ''The Condition of the Working Class in England'' (1844-45; first published in English 1892). In recent years the city centre has seen large scale renovation, including that of a quarter damaged by an [[IRA]] [[terrorist]] bomb in 1996. The city is home to the [[University of Manchester]] and [[Manchester Metropolitan University]].

Manchester is world-renowned not only for its position as one of the most important cities during the industrial revolution, but also for the scientific progress made during the 20th century. Below are some of the most notable scientists:

* [[Ernest Rutherford]] (1871-1937) - First to successfully split the atom. Nobel Prize winner.
* [[John Dalton]] (1766-1844) - Pioneered atomic theory.
* [[Alan Turing]] (1912-1954) - Father of modern computer science and Cryptanalysis.
* [[James Joule|James Prescott Joule]] (1818-1889) - Converting work into heat.

== Culture ==

Manchester has a number of major museums and is also home to the John Rylands Library, now part of the University of Manchester, which has in its collection the earliest fragment of the [[New Testament]] known to exist.

A number of significant bands have come from Manchester, including:

* [[The Hollies]]
* [[Freddie and the Dreamers]]
* [[The Buzzcocks]]
* [[The Fall (band)]]
* [[Joy Division]]
* [[The Smiths]]
* [[The Happy Mondays]]
* [[The Stone Roses]]
* [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]
* [[The Chemical Brothers]]
* [[Mr Scruff]]
* [[The Doves]]
* [[808 State]]
* [[Oceansize]]

== Sport ==

*In 2002 Manchester hosted the [[Commonwealth Games]].

*It is the home of two major football teams, [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]].

*Lancashire County [[Cricket (game)|Cricket]] Club play many of their matches at Old Trafford, which has also been the venue of many test matches.

[[Category:United Kingdom Cities and Towns]]