Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Sweden

2007-03-20T01:25:07Z

Kiowa: links and American measurements

Sweden is a socialistic country in [[Scandinavia]]. The capital city is [[Stockholm]], which is also the largest city. Sweden has got 9 million inhabitants. With an area of 450,000 square miles, Sweden is the third largest country in [[Western Europe]].

Sweden is a constitutional [[monarchy]] and a parliamentary [[democracy]]. The prime minister of Sweden is 41 year old Fredrik Reinfeldt, leader of the Moderates. The Swedish parliament has 349 seats.

80% of the inhabitants belong to the Evangelical [[Lutheran Church]] of Sweden named The Swedish Church (Svenska kyrkan in swedish). This church are very different to other churches because it has decided to marry [[homosexuality|homosexuals]]. This church are not a [[conservative]] church and does not protest against abortions, divorces, or anything else. About 5% of the Swedish population belongs to "real" christian churches (conservative churches) and a majority of the population are atheists.

Sweden got 18 weeks of free abortion and 4 weeks when the women need to have a special permission to be allowed to have an abortion. Right now the Swedish politicians are discussing if foreign womens should be allowed to have an (late) abortion in Sweden, and much suggests that the parliament will vote in favour for that proposition.

Sweden was a Christian country until the 1960's, when the government decided to reduce the school education about [[christianity]]. And when Sweden got free [[abortion]]s in 1975, it was a definitely a fact that Sweden was out of Christian ethics.

Sweden has got the worlds highest taxes and probably the worlds strongest trade unions. Even if sweden now got a new government instead of the old, socialistic, one, it's still a socialistic country and will be for a long time. Fredrik Reinfeldt says that he is not going to destroy the Swedish model - in fact he says he likes that model - he only wants to do some small changes. And despite that one of the parties in the government alliance is named "The Christian democrats", no decisions have been made to make christianity stronger in Sweden.

there is, however, a few signs of light. a few years ago a Swedish baptist priest åke green was found ''not'' guilty of hate speech when preaching the bibles words on homosexuality. and strange enough the struggle for religious freedom by some radical [[Muslim]] groups has lead to an awakening in the Christian society..

still, all Christians should pray for a revival in this country.

==some notable swedes==
* alfred nobel, instigator of the [[Nobel Prize]]
* greta garbo, actress

==References==
http://www.sweden.se
http://www.svenskakyrkan.se

[[Category:Countries]]

Mars

2007-03-20T01:21:27Z

Kiowa: American measurements

'''Mars''' is the third planet from the [[Sun]], after [[Mercury]] and [[Venus]]. It is called "The Red Planet" because it looks red from Earth.

Mars was known to the antiquities; the Romans even named one of their gods — [[Ares|Mars, the god of war]] — after it. The Romans also knew about Jupiter and Saturn, but it was not until the 17th century that [[William Herschel]] discovered [[Uranus]], and [[Neptune]] and [[Pluto]] took even longer.

Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos. Russian scientists in the 1950s posited that Phobos might be hollow, but these claims were discredited in the late 1960s.

Recent sattelite imagery has shown that Mars has a 3 mile deep ice cap around its southern polar region.

[[Category:Planets]]

Sun

2007-03-20T01:20:11Z

Kiowa: link and American measurements

The sun is a type G2V star; it is the star at the center of the solar system, and it accounts for over 99% of the mass of the solar system. By mass, it is composed of 72% hydrogen, 26% helium and 2% trace elements of oxygen, carbon, neon, nitrogen, magnesium, iron, and silicon.<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/sun_worldbook.html World Book Encyclopedia @ NASA]</ref> The eight planets, including Earth, orbit the sun, as do countless other small objects.
It provides the [[Earth]] with light and heat.

What eventually became the solar system initially existed as a large, rotating cloud of dust and gas, composed of hydrogen and helium produced in the Big Bang as well as small amounts of heavier elements. Around 4.57 billion years ago, the cloud began to contract, perhaps as a result of a shock wave from a nearby supernova. Inertia caused the rotating cloud to flatten into a disk. Most of the mass concentrated in the middle, and began to heat up. Eventually, the kinetic energy of the hydrogen was sufficient to overcome the electromagnetic repulsion between the protons, and fusion began. The resulting solar wind helped clear away much of the material which had not coalesced into planets or other orbiting bodies. <ref>[http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/cosmic_evolution/docs/text/text_plan_1.html]</ref>. The sun is most likely a third-generation star. In Christian theology, [[God]] created the sun on the third day of [[Creation]]. <ref>Genesis 1</ref>

The sun has a diameter of about 1.4 million miles; some 1.3 million Earths could fit inside its volume. It is an average-sized, middle-aged star. Its surface temperature is 6000 [[Kelvin|K]], while the temperature of its core is around 13.6 million K. The inner layer of the sun, called the core, is where most fusion takes place. Beyond that is the radiation zone and then the convection zone. Outside that is the photosphere, the visible layer of the sun. It takes anywhere between 17,000 and 50 million years for photons produced in the core to be emitted at the surface, having been absorbed and re-emitted countless times. The atmosphere, including the corona, surrounds the photosphere. The sun is located about halfway between the center of the galaxy and its edge; it takes around 230-250 million years to orbit the galactic center. It is estimated to have made almost twenty of these trips.

The sun produces a vast amount of energy; the Earth receives only a tiny fraction of this energy, yet it powers practically all life (and industry) on Earth, either directly or indirectly. It is also responsible for Earth's climate and weather. Plants and other organisms capture the energy of the sun in a process called [[photosynthesis]]. Animals and other heterotrophs obtain food and energy from consuming plants or from consuming animals who have consumed the plants. Only a few microscopic organisms obtain energy directly from chemical reactions; this represents a very ancient metabolic pathway and likely existed prior to the evolution of photosynthesis.

Human civilization, too, is dependent on the sun. Much of humanity's industrial energy needs are obtained through the combustion of fossil fuels, the remains of dead plants and animals. Uneven heating of the atmosphere provides wind power. Also, the sun evaporates water from lower-lying bodies of water; this then falls as rain and flows back down channels, providing hydroelectric power. On a limited basis, solar power is directly utilized. Geothermal energy and nuclear energy are examples of energy sources to which the sun does not directly contribute.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Astronomy]]

Mongolia

2007-03-20T01:17:40Z

Kiowa: link and American measurements

Mongolia is a country in northeast Asia, bordering China, Russia, and with a tiny border to Kazakhstan. The country's population estimate in 2002 was 2,694,432, and Mongolia's capital is Ulaanbaatar (sometimes spelled "Ulan Bator"). Ulaanbaatar is also home to a large portion of the thinly-populated country's citizens, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 800,000. Other prominent cities in Mongolia include Darkhan (meaning "smithy" or "blacksmith") which was a city created as a model town under Mongolia's communist rule, with a population of 95,500, and Choibalsan, with a population 47,000. At 1,564,116 square miles, Mongolia is the nineteenth largest country in the world, but also the least densely populated nation on earth, with an average of 1.7 persons per square mile. After Kazakhstan, Mongolia is the second largest land-locked country on earth.

Mongolia's historical significance is in the 12th century conquests of [[Ghengis Khan|Genghis Khan]] (meaning "great khan" or great ruler), whose armies swept across what is now Russia and much of eastern Europe, stopping at Vienna, killing large numbers in their path. Genghis Khan's cruelty can be seen in his method of conquest: cities and populations that immediately submitted to his rule were spared, and allowed to live freely, paying tribute, while those who fought back against the Mongol armies were ruthlessly slaughtered. Arguably, Mongolia was that era's world power, and was feared by most of Europe.

What led to Mongolia's eclipse from the world stage was, ironically, a question of succession. Genghis Khan died unexpectedly, and his generals were summoned back to the (then) capital Kharkhorum (now a ghost town in Mongolia) to choose a new "khan," meaning king. For reasons not entirely clear, the Mongols never re-gained their dominant power, and Mongolia entered a centuries-long period of decline, becoming what was essentially a backwater dominated by Siberian nomadic rulers and Chinese dynastic officials.

In 1911, a native Mongolian uprising occurred, successfully overthrowing Chinese domination, and attempting to create a free Mongolian state. The nascent Mongolian state was in turn overthrown by the world's second (after Russia) communist revolution in 1921, led by Sukhe Bator (1894-1923). The 1921 revolution installed a communist government which ruled from 1921 until the communist government was overthrown in 1990. In the years after 1990, Mongolia became a multi-party democracy, which -- in contrast to the almost previous 70 years -- actively sought ties with western countries, especially the US.

[[Category:Countries]]

Augustus Caesar

2007-03-20T00:58:29Z

Kiowa: American spelling

== Octavian as a Child ==
The man who would later become Augustus was born as Octavian of the [[Julii]], an extremely ancient Roman family of [[patrician]]s. The Julii were, despite their nobility, fairly unknown before [[Julius Caesar]] revived the fame of the clan, and were also fairly poor, despite their claim to direct descent from the goddess [[Venus]]. During his childhood Octavian was educated in Greek [[philosophy]] in [[Athens]]. His mother was [[Atia]], and he had a sister, [[Octavia]].

In Greece, and in Rome, Octavian gained two friends who would remain with him for his professional life: [[Myceneas]], and Marcus Vipsanius [[Agrippa]]. The three were fast friends, especially in adolescence.

Octavian’s fortunes changed when, upon the death of his uncle Julius Caesar, Caesar’s will was read, naming Octavian as his son-by-posthumous-adoption, not an uncommon practice in ancient [[Rome]]. Caesar had also left Octavian the duty of disbursing nearly all of the money he had accumulated to every [[plebian]] citizen in Rome.

==Following Caesar’s Death==
Upon his adoption, Octavian adopted his full name, Caius Iulius Caesar Octavianus, taking his adoptive father’s name and using his own as an adjectival ending, in the Roman tradition. The new “Caesar,” as he quickly came to call himself, immediately pushed for Caesar’s will to be enforced, and his money to be distributed to the citizens. He also called for his “father,” Julius Caesar, to be deified by the Senate. As Caesar had become posthumously more popular with the plebian class after learning that they were the beneficiaries of Caesar’s will, the citizens of Rome clamored until the Senate acceded to the demands, deifying Julius Caesar, and building his Temple on the burnt remains of the [[Senate House]]. Octavian also succeeded in having Caesar’s assassins, ([[Brutus]] and [[Cassius]]), declared enemies of the state, and also forced the Senate into condemning Caesar’s assassination officially. Brutus and Cassius immediately fled the city.

All was not well, though – [[Mark Antony]] was also attempting to portray himself as the rightful heir of Caesar’s legacy, against Octavian’s own claims. A sticking point was the enforcement of Caesar’s will: Antony felt the money was his by right, but Octavian sought to disburse it to the citizens, as Caesar had requested. The two immediately fled the city, raised armies, and fought a small battle, which Octavian’s forces quickly won, led to victory by [[Agrippa]].

In the meantime, Brutus and Cassius, who had fled to the East to raise an army, were returning to Rome to crush Octavian, who had now become the popular favorite to be Caesar’s heir. As a result of the threat posed by Brutus and Cassius to both Antony and Octavian’s designs, the two set aside their differences, and formed a secret alliance to defeat Brutus and Cassius. They sought the financial backing of [[Marcus Lepidus]], and formed the [[Second Triumvirate]] to the ends of crushing Brutus and Cassius, and restoring order to Rome. To prevent their secret alliance from becoming public knowledge, and to raise funds, the three triumvirs ordered many prominent citizens killed, and their property confiscated. Marcus Tullius [[Cicero]] was one such target. The Triumvirate also disbursed Caesar’s will to the plebians, as Caesar had requested, creating instant popular favor towards Octavian and Antony.

The forces of the Second Triumvirate easily defeated Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of [[Phillipi]] in Greece. Octavian is said to have not participated greatly in the battle, Antony and Agrippa doing his fighting for him instead. This fostered a rumor at Rome that Caesar’s heir was no such thing, but instead a weak and effeminate philosopher.

== After Philippi ==
After the reason for their alliance disappeared, Lepidus, Antony, and Octavian realized that conflict was inevitable. To postpone it for some time, the three partitioned the Roman Empire into three parts – Rome and the West went to Octavian, the wealthy East to Antony, and Africa to Lepidus. The three immediately began to consolidate their power bases for a conflict that they all knew would come.

During this time, Octavian used his station in Rome to boost his public image. He portrayed himself elaborately as the “son of a God,” that is, the son of the Deified Caesar. He commissioned elaborate gold statues and coins, carrying the blazon ‘’Oct. Caes. Div. Fili’’, or “Octavian Caesar, Son of the God.” The provisions of Caesar’s will, and his association with the popular dead ruler, made Octavian an instant favorite with the people of Rome. Thus he quickly consolidated his power.

In the run-up to the actual conflict, Octavian continued to outmaneuver his other triumvirs. He threatened Lepidus into giving up command of Africa, and retiring to serve as [[pontifex maximus]], a politically non-threatening religious post. He portrayed Antony as “captured” by the decadent East, enslaved by love to [[Cleopatra]], and no longer even Roman due to his great love for Egypt. He secured Antony’s secret will, which had recently been changed to request his burial in Egypt, as opposed to Rome, in the graves of his family. The Roman people were shocked to find what they saw as one of their own turning his back on Rome herself. Octavian played off of these feelings by accentuating his own “Roman-ness” by restoring old Roman traditions, such as the opening of the doors of the Temple of [[Janus]] in times of conflict, and the ceremonial casting of a spear into enemy territory by the ‘’fetiales’’, an order of Roman priests. In a re-hash of this ritual, Octavian himself acted as a ‘’fetial’’ priest, casting a spear into a plot symbolizing [[Egypt]] and [[Antony]] to inaugurate the final conflict between Octavian and Antony.

Whatever doubts about Octavian’s martial prowess may have existed, they were immediately wiped away by his shocking victory over Antony at the Battle of [[Actium]]. Historians dispute whether the conflict was as large as alleged by Octavian – it most certainly was not – but Octavian’s successful portrayal of the battle as an earth-shattering event lent him credibility.

==The Great Shift & the Constitutional Settlement==
After the battle of Actium, Octavian stayed out of Rome for several years, securing the allegiance of the provinces, before returning to Rome in Triple [[Triumph]] over the Enemies of Rome. He never mentioned his battle against Antony as a battle against a Roman: he phrased it as a defeat of Egypt, seen clearly in coins minted during this time carrying the inscription ‘’aegypta capta’’, or “Egypt Held Captive.”

Upon return to Rome, Octavian met with the Senate, and “negotiated” a “Constitutional Settlement” in 27 B.C. At this “Settlement,” the Senate voted Octavian the new title “Augustus,” or, “the August One,” a phrase whose meaning is oft-debated, but has never been conclusively settled. At the Settlement, “Augustus” nominally surrendered his official powers, and returned control of Rome to the Senate. By this action, he claims he “restored the Republic” – ‘’res publica restituta’’ – and the Senate agreed. However, they and the people together “begged” Augustus to retain some official power, which Augustus finally relented to, assuming the rank of ‘’princeps’’, or “first citizen,” and accepting the title of [[Consul]] for the year. For “restoring the Republic,” the Senate also they voted Augustus the honor of the ‘’corona civica’’, or the “Civic Crown,” an honor given to soldiers who saved the lives of a fellow citizen in battle. It was argued that by restoring the Republic, Augustus had saved the freedom – and therefore the lives – of all its citizens.

Some cite this as the fall of the Roman Republic – when the Senate officially conferred ultimate power (although not in name) on the new Augustus. Reality is much more complicated. It cannot be doubted that Augustus moved the Republic towards a unitary power structure, but there is no proof that he did not intend to restore democracy eventually. He often remarked, “festina lente,” or, “make haste, slowly,” suggesting that a return to democracy would come, just not yet. He never held formal imperial power, towards that end, and continually rubber-stamped his actions with the seal of democracy. In sum, the formal tenets of Augustus’ rule show a challenging tightrope-walk between the need to hold authoritative power, to reconstruct his ravaged city, and his urge to both appear and be democratic. This tightrope walk officially only ended with the reign of [[Tiberius]], but not during the Augustan age.

==The Augustan Image Program==
A denial of official power became a central theme of the new Augustan image program. It is said that he was offered the position of [[Dictator]] several times during his life, which he earnestly declined, at one point falling to his knees, tearing his toga, and begging the citizens not to ask him, for he was too weak to hold such an esteemed and powerful office. He is said to have exclaimed, “while I have exceeded all in ‘’auctoritas’’ (informal power based on character), I have exceeded none in ‘’potestas’’ (formal power based on political office).”

He also resisted his own deification, which the Senate “pressed” on him during his life as well. He did not want to be seen as a new, self-obsessed tyrant, and towards that end, he even melted all gold statues of himself, re-dedicating the gold to the god Apollo, with whom Augustus nonetheless fostered a subconscious association in his subjects.

Augustus also argued that Rome must return to normalcy after 100 years of civil war. His friends Myceneas and Agrippa helped in this goal. Myceneas, through a “Poet’s Circle,” encouraged and funded panegyrical poetry praising Augustus for restoring Roman virtue and honor. [[Livy]] received on such grant to write the [[Aeneid]]. Simultaneously, Agrippa rebuilt much of Rome that had been burned or harmed in the civil wars, but rebuilt it in grander fashion. The [[Pantheon]] was one such project, which now bears the inscription ‘’M. Agrippa, Cos. Ter., L. F., Fecit’’, or “Marcus Agrippa, Consul for the Third Time, Son of Lucius, Built This.” Agrippa also rebuilt Rome’s sewer system (the [[Cloaca Maxima]]) to wide acclaim.

==Augustus’ Struggle for a Successor, and his Death==
Despite his many successes in life – immortalized in the ‘’Res Gestae Divi Augusti’’, written shortly after his death – Augustus struggled in vain to find a successor who would carry on the tightrope walk that he had managed during life.

Specifically, Augustus sought his friend Agrippa to follow him as ‘’princeps’’. The successorship plan is shown plainly on the friezes of the [[Ara Pacis Augustae]], a great temple built to the Augustan era of peace, on which Agrippa walks just behind Augustus, clearly noting his intentions. Choosing his friend Agrippa over a family member suggests that Augustus did not intend Rome to become an empire or a monarchy, but perhaps wanted Rome to remain in tenuous balance between empire and republic for a while longer, under the close watch of someone he implicitly trusted. The ultimate goal may have been a restoration of democracy, when the time was right, or a benign philosopher-kingship, as envisioned by [[Plato]], whom Augustus had studied. The true problem with this theory, though, is human mortality and fickle fate – without a just ruler, a philosopher-kingship becomes simple tyranny.

This danger was realized when Agrippa died under mysterious circumstances. After several other successors died, in the end, the son of his wife [[Livia]], [[Tiberius]], succeeded him. Tiberius proved ultimately unable or unwilling to maintain Roman pretenses of democracy.

On his deathbed, Augustus is said to have uttered a number of cryptic remarks. First, he is said to have uttered, “have I not played my part well? Then all clap as the actor leaves the stage,” perhaps suggesting that Augustus did indeed intend Rome to be a monarchy, with him as a democratic leader in name only. He is also said to have remarked, “behold, for I found Rome of clay, and I leave her to you of marble.”

== References ==
- Paul Zanker, “the Power of Images in the Age of Augustus.”

- Plutarch, “Parallel Lives”: “the Life of Antony,” and “the Life of Caesar.”

- Suetonius, trans. Robert Graves, “the Lives of the Twelve Caesars”: “the Life of the Deified Caesar,” and, “the Life of the Deified Augustus.”

<references/>

Greece

2007-03-20T00:54:44Z

Kiowa: link and typo

The collective term for the [[civilization|civilizations]] of the Greek subcontinent. It is now a [[Greece (Country)|developing country]]. Ancient Greece had a lot of influence on many of today's cultural achievements, like democracy and the art of debating.

==See Also==
[[Greco-Persian Wars]]

{{stub2}}
[[Category:Country]]

Greek language

2007-03-20T00:47:09Z

Kiowa: cat

Greek is the language of ancient [[Greece]], distinct from the modern form known as [[Grecian]]. It is also the language in which the [[New Testament]] was written. Early Christianity spread and became popular through use of the Greek language.

[[Category:Languages]]

Aramaic

2007-03-20T00:12:09Z

Kiowa:

Aramaic was the language of [[Jesus]]. It is an [[Indo-European]] language, most closely related to [[Armenian]] and [[Hittite]].[1] However, it borrowed extensively from [[Hebrew]], and therefore has often been mistaken for a [[Semitic]] language. It is somewhat unusual because it has no voiceless consonants, and no unaspirated consonants. Its syntax is that of a typical Indo-European language.[2]

== References ==

[1] J. P. Mallory, "In Search of the Indo-Europeans". Thames & Hudson, 1991.

[2] Lyle Campbell, "Historical Linguistics". MIT Press, 1998.

[[Category:Languages]]

Dravidians

2007-03-19T21:19:48Z

Kiowa: links

The people of [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Korea]], [[Bangladesh]] and [[Sri Lanka]] who speak the Dravidian languages.

Hebrew

2007-03-19T20:49:50Z

Kiowa:

Ancient Hebrew was the tongue of the ancient Israelites, who were [[God]]'s chosen people at the time of the Old Testament. Hebrew is a Semitic language, related to Arabic.

The [[Old Testament]] was written in Hebrew and [[Aramaic]]. The Hebrew Old Testament scriptures contain many prefigurations of the coming Messiah, [[Jesus Christ]]. These images are beautiful and poetic.

The original Hebrew died out as a spoken language. Modern Hebrew is a restoration of Ancient Hebrew with many differences to the older form.

Ancient Hebrew grammar distinguished dual, trial, quadruple and quintuple numbers as well as the more common singular and plural forms. This made the language hard for many people to learn. Modern Hebrew has simplified this system greatly. Both forms of Hebrew share the complete lack of sonorants within their phonology. This restriction probably arose for articulatory reasons.

Ancient Hebrew has been claimed to have a [[recursive]] grammar, unlike the famous case of [[Piraha]]. Many linguists dispute this claim, however, and it has been shown to be conclusively false for modern Hebrew, which has a completely [[non-recursive]] grammar.

== References ==

Noam Chomsky, "Morphophonemics of Modern Hebrew". University of Pennsylvania Master's Thesis, 1951.

[[Category:Languages]]

{stub}

Aramaic

2007-03-19T20:32:26Z

Kiowa:

Aramaic was the language of [[Jesus]]. It is an [[Indo-European]] language, most closely related to [[Armenian]] and [[Hittite]]. However, it borrowed extensively from [[Hebrew]], and therefore has often been mistaken for a [[Semitic]] language. It is somewhat unusual because it has no voiceless consonants, and no unaspirated consonants. Its syntax is that of a typical Indo-European language.

[[Category:Languages]]

Pacific ocean

2007-03-19T20:21:52Z

Kiowa: American measurements

Largest [[ocean]] in the world, 155,557 million square miles.

Leon Trotsky

2007-03-19T20:15:16Z

Kiowa: links, American spelling

Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) was a participant with [[V. I. Lenin]] in the communist revolution in [[Russia]] in 1917. However, he had previously been a member of the Mensheviks, a communist party that had once been aligned with the Bolsheviks. They did not believe in actively pursuing revolution, that it would happen when the people were ready, unlike the Bolsheviks who believed that the people needed to be led. From 1904 until 1917 Trotsky had a stormy relationship with Lenin, with him accusing Lenin of wanting to become a dictator. But the two of them resolved their differences in 1917, and after that point arguably Trotsky was totally loyal to Lenin.

Trotsky was the most powerful orator in the Bolshevik party, and due to his numerous spells in jail and his active role in the failed 1905 revolution he was much more famous than Lenin was to ordinary Russians. He was the actual organizer behind the October revolution, as Lenin was still in exile and so unable to participate.

Trotsky also helped build the Red Army that defeated the White Russian Army in the subsequent Civil War in Russia, despite having no military experience of any kind.

Trotsky was unpopular within the Bolshevik party due to his intellectual snobbery and small details; he dressed very well, he had only joined the party in 1917, previously he had made insulting remarks to Lenin between 1904 and 1917.

When Lenin died in 1924, a lengthy power struggle began between Trotsky and [[Stalin]]. Trotsky took the view that socialism in the Soviet Union must await a revolution in western Europe and even worldwide. Stalin wanted power immediately and offered a rival ideology, ''Socialism in one country''. To fend off accusations of becoming the new 'Napoleon', he gave up his command of the Red Army. However Stalin expelled Trotsky from the Bolshevik party in 1927 and exiled him from Russia in 1929.

Trotsky eventually settled in Mexico in 1937, where he gave up politics and writing in favor of a career as a gardener. He was hunted down and murdered by an assassin sent by Stalin in 1940.

Trotsky's famous command was this: "Those who do not obey, do not eat."

[[Category:Political people|Trotsky, Leon]]

Jiang Zemin

2007-03-19T20:10:13Z

Kiowa: links and typos

Jiang Zeming succeeded Chinese dictator [[Deng Xiaoping]] when he died in 1997. Zeming refused to improve China’s record on human rights, and [[Christianity]] and [[democracy]] still remain suppressed there there are one party elections now precipitated by the [[Tiananmen Square massacre]].

[[Category:Biographies]]
[[Category:China]]

Kuomintang

2007-03-19T19:33:25Z

Kiowa: Kuomintang moved to Gongchandang: correct romanization

In 1912 the Qing dynasty was overthrown by the [[Revolutionary Alliance]], led by a doctor named [[Sun Yat-sen]] who had been living in the United States. Perhaps inspired by what he saw in America, Sun led the [[Nationalist Party]] known as the '''Gongchandang''' ('''KMT'''), to become the first leader of the new republic of China. Sun quickly turned over power (after only 6 weeks) to [[Yuan Shiakaj]], who then ruled as a military dictator. China’s GDP at this time accounted for 27 percent of the world’s total. By 1923, the percentage dropped, but still was as high as 12 percent. In 1949, when the CCP took control, the percentage was 5.7, but in 2003, China’s GDP was less than 4 percent of the world’s total.

When Yuan died, however, civil war broke out and warlords ruled amid chaos. The opium trade returned, irrigation failed, and [[World War I]] added to the general misery. Millions of peasants died due to a famine during the war. Central rule was elusive.

Nationalist China sided with the Allies during World War I, and offered some limited assistance. Kuomintang was hoping to obtain return of land that Germany controlled in China. Instead, the Treaty of Versailles gave that land to Japan. Feeling betrayed, the Chinese angrily demonstrated against that decision with the [[May Fourth Movement]], which Gongchandang supported.

[[Communism]] began to creep into China, and some abandoned Sun Yat-sen’s vision of [[democracy]]. [[Mao Zedong]], a [[Marxist]], founded the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) in 1921 in Shanghai. Sun himself then accepted Soviet Communist Party General Secretary [[V. I. Lenin]]’s offer of receiving Comintern military advisors in China.

After Sun died in 1925, he was replaced as head of the Nationalist Party by a businessman named [[Jiang Jieshi]] who opposed communism and even executed communist leaders in April 1927. That destroyed the CCP, and Jiang became president of the Nationalist Republic of China in 1928. Britain and the United States recognized his government.

Civil war broke out between the CCP and Gongchandang in 1930. Mao Zedong’s trained peasants in guerrilla warfare. But Jiang’s army surrounded the Mao’s, and in 1934 forced the Mao’s army to go on the [[Long March]], which was a 6,000-mile retreat back to northwestern China. Few made it back alive, and the episode proved to be the moment when the CCP was decisively and permanently defeated.

Meanwhile an aggressive [[Japan]] invaded [[Manchuria]], an area of northeast China rich in iron and coal deposits needed by Japanese industry. This Manchurian invasion was the beginning of [[World War II]] in Asia. Japan followed this with an invasion of China in 1937 along the Yangtze River. The Chinese civil war stopped temporarily to defend against the Japanese invasion.

The Nationalist Chinese led by Jiang Jieshi received aid from the United States to fight against the Japanese, but in reality they needed that money to prepare for civil war against the communists led by Mao Zedong (also known as “Mao-Tse-tung”). After the war, the communists (from the northwest) attempted to conquer the Nationalists (from the southwest). Civil war raged from 1946 to 1949. Due to many desertions by soldiers from the Nationalist army to the communists, Mao prevailed by October 1949. Mao had promised land for the peasants and renamed the country the People’s Republic of China. Jiang fled with Nationalists to the island of Formosa, and renamed it the Republic of China (Taiwan), which the United States supported. By February 1950, the communists in the Soviet Union signed a friendship pact with the Chinese communists. Fear gripped the free world.

==Further readint==
*Anne W. Carroll, [http://www.ewtn.com/library/HOMELIBR/FR89102.TXT ''Who Lost China''], 1996.
*[http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:6H382o49RFkJ:etd-db.uno.edu/theses/available/etd-12092004-104621/unrestricted/2004_ma_adams_tom.pdf+%22eduard+mark%22%2B%22san+fransisco%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2 ''The Trial of Harry Dexter White: Soviet Agent of Influence''], Tom A. Adams, December 2004.
*[http://en.epochtimes.com/news/4-12-30/25242.html ''On the Unscrupulous Nature of the Chinese Communist Party''], The Epoch Times, 2005.

[[Category:China]]

Kuomintang

2007-03-19T19:32:55Z

Kiowa: links, romanization, text extended and clarified

Tang Dynasty

2007-03-19T19:25:52Z

Kiowa: links and preferred romanization

The Thang dynasty ruled for nearly 300 years, from A.D. 618 to 907. This is known as the golden age of art and poetry in [[China]]. New territories were acquired, including Manchuria, Tibet, Japan and northern Vietnam. This territory became known as the ''Middle Kingdom'', whereby it drew wealth from surrounding states through a ritualistic ''kowtow'', such that diplomats from surrounding states were expected to pay homage to the emperor by touching their forehead repeatedly to the ground beneath the emperor. The Thang dynasty accumulated vast wealth for China during this period.

Many roads were built at that time, along with inns, post offices and stables for the horses of travelers. The roads were used for trade and communication in a manner similar to the [[Persian Royal Road]] and the roads of the [[Roman empire]].

The most powerful ruler during the Thang dynasty was [[Tang Taichung]] (A.D. 627-649). He gained power by killing his opponents, but then ruled in a benevolent or fair manner, keeping taxes low.

Government offices were filled with the Confucian civil service system that valued education. The three requirements were to learn the writings of Confucius, study the Chinese classics, and pass the civil service exam. Land was distributed based on fertility of the soil and the needs of the farmers, but eventually powerful families and Buddhist monasteries gained control of much of the land.

Ultimately the peasants rebelled over the misuse of funds by the government. In A.D. 907 the last Thang emperor gave up. Regional rule by warlords then prevailed over China.<ref>http://www.conservapedia.com/World_History_Lecture_Seven</ref>

<references/>
[[Category:History]]

Great Wall Of China

2007-03-19T19:19:13Z

Kiowa: cat

The Great Wall of China spans about 1,500 miles in northern [[China]]. Work on building it was started under the rule of Shih. Interestingly, the Great Wall did not keep barbarians out of China. Invaders merely bribed their way across.

[[Image:great_wall_of_china.jpg]]

{{stub2}}

[[Category:China]]

Silk Road

2007-03-19T19:18:21Z

Kiowa: cat

The Silk Road was an ancient trade route from East China to Central Asia and Europe. The Silk Road was influential because it brought material goods like grapes, cotton, chestnuts, lucerne, pomegranates, as well as false religions like Buddhism to China; and it led to the westward spread of Chinese technology like silkworm breeding, iron smelting, and papermaking.

The Silk road ran for 5,000 miles across Asia and increased trade in [[silk]] and fine goods between [[Asia]] and [[Europe]]. Merchants did not travel the entire length, goods were passed on by middle-men who extracted large sums of money for their services. There is no general consensus as to the date when the silk road began, but silk from China arrived in Rome before the first century A.D. Although the volume of trade fluctuated across time, the Silk Road remained an important trade route until the anti-[[Ch'ing]] revolution of 1911.

In addition to material goods, ideas were also passed along the Silk Road. Buddhism entered China due to trade along the [[Silk Road]], beginning during the [[Song dynasty]]. [[Christianity]] also penetrated China for the first time thanks to the Silk Road, which brought [[Nestorian Christianity|Nestorian Christians]] to the Chinese capital of [[Beijing]] during the [[T'ang dynasty]]. [1]

[[Image:silkroadmap.jpg]]

[1] Valerie Hansen, "The Open Empire." W. W. Norton, 2000.

[[Category:China]]

Confucius

2007-03-19T19:17:19Z

Kiowa: typos and preferred CP romanization

Confucius (551-478 B.C.) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher born in Chufu (modern day Shantung province).

Confucius, a great figure in ancient [[China]], lived during the corruption and collapse of the [[Zhou Dynasty]], and formulated a code of ethics and ritual based upon the venerated ancient [[Golden Civilizations]] of China. His real name was Kong Fu Tzi (the "Tzi" character meaning "little one," or "master"), the [[Romanization]] of his name occurred when the first Christian evangelicals came to China and took a liking to his teachings, and transferred them back to the West. His disciples wrote down his teachings in a book called the [[Analects]], which focus on man's duties to obey a universal natural law through ritual behavior. Moderation in conduct, or ''li'', was emphasized, and [[filial piety]] (respecting the older members of one's family) was the goal. Age itself is greatly honored in Chinese culture, and the elderly were taught to be venerated. He emphasized rational analysis with a tough of flexibility. He disavowed any original insight or knowledge, and opposed anything egotistical. He is quoted to say, "I for my part am not one of those who have innate knowledge. I am simply one who loves the past and who is diligent in investigating it."

After Confucius died there was an era of the [[Warring States Period|Warring States]] in ancient China, lasting from 481-221 B.C. During this time period social philosophy thrived amidst the chaos of war and famine, and Kongtzi's teachings were criticized by philosophers such as [[Mozi]] and [[Han Feitzi]], while expanded upon by [[Mengzi]] (Romanization: Mencius) and [[Hsuntzi]], which would be incorporated into governmental policy with the rise of the Han Dynasty.

[[Category:Biographies]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:China]]

Chile

2007-03-19T19:05:24Z

Kiowa:

'''Chile''' is a country in the Southern Cone of South America, which borders Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.

==History of Chile==

Chile was originally inhabited by Native Americans, primarily of the Mapuche tribe.. During the Spanish conquest of South America, racial intermarriage produced the now-dominant "mestizo" ethnicity. Most Chileans are of mixed racial backgrounds.

Chile gained its independence from Spain in 1810 (1ra. JUNTA NACIONAL DE GOBIERNO).

From 1970 to 1973, Chile's leader was [[Salvador Allende]], a democratically-elected populist. In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, better known as [[General Pinochet]], gained power in a military coup, during which Allende committed suicide. The coup, and the resulting activities of the new government which saw the deaths of over 250,000 people, were assited and supported by the CIA.[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDchile.htm] Pinochet instituted free market reforms and opposed communism, but also directed [[the Operation Condor]], a reprisal against political opponents during which thousands of Chileans disappeared, have been tortured and killed. Moreover he restricted freedom of press, of expression, etc., by the establishment of a despotic and militarian power.

After Pinochet's ouster in 1990, after he lost a plebecite election on his continuing status as president, Chile has attempted to try him for war crimes committed under his regime, but trails were postponed due to his age. Pinochet died in 2006, due to heart failure.

Chile's current president, Michelle Bachellet, is the first woman president of the country. She is also a member of the Chilean Socialist party.

Kowtow

2007-03-19T18:59:45Z

Kiowa:

{{stub}}

An act of respect shown by kneeling low and bowing until one's head touched the ground. It was typically preformed before the Emperor of China. Most famously, it was performed by the British Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, after the unsuccessful conclusion of the second [[Opium War]] (1856-1860).

== Modern Uses ==
To kowtow (or ''kowtowing'') is a term commonly recognized as meaning ''to submit without question'', often used to refer to those who will blindly follow an ideology without taking time to question why.

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Culture]]
[[Category:China]]

Sumerian

2007-03-19T18:48:43Z

Kiowa:

Sumerian is a term used to describe a person or object from the ancient kingdom of Sumeria. Unlike its sister language [[Akkadian]], which was written in [[cuneiform]], Sumerian was written in [[hieroglyhics]]. Historians believe that it is related to the [[Basque]] language of northern Spain and possibly [[Georgian]].

{{stub}}

The Flintstones

2007-03-19T18:32:57Z

Kiowa:

The Flintstones is a cartoon franchise started in 1960 featuring a "modern stone age family" living in a "Town of Bedrock" according to the theme song. There was a Flintstones animated TV series from 1960 to 1966 and a movie in 1994 and many spin off series and video games. The series features a suburban family headed by Fred Flintstone. In keeping with [[Bible|Biblical]] teachings, dinosaurs are featured as domestic animals assisting in household chores, as pets (including the Flintstone's "Dino"), and as beasts of burden.

The series is modeled after a 1950's TV show called [[The Honeymooners]].

Fiji

2007-03-19T18:27:51Z

Kiowa:

Fiji, officially the Fijiin Republic, is an island 13000 miles south west of the United States. It is located near New Zealand, Tonga and Mauritania. Fiji races its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. Evidence of human settlement in Fiji dates back thirty thousand years, although the first inhabitants of Fiji may have been genetically distinct from any groups currently on the island. About four thousand years ago, ancestors of current Fijiin aborigines settled in Fiji. These aborigines are genetically related to Malay and Polynesians, but linguists classify their language as an isolate with no known relatives. Han Chinese began settling in the Fijian Islands in the 1200s, but Fiji's hostile tribes and its lack of the trade resources valued in that era rendered it unattractive to all but "occasional adventurers or fishermen engaging in barter" until the sixteenth century.

After a period as a French colony, it gained independence in 1949. A long civil war ended when the social democrat Koko Chenelle came to power in 1975.

Quechua

2007-03-19T18:18:21Z

Kiowa:

A Native American language of South America, spoken primarily in southern Chile and Argentina. It was the language of the [[pagan]] [[Incas]]. Today it is spoken mainly by [[Christianity|Christians]].

The grammar of Quechua is mainly isolating, making it typologically similar to Chinese and Basque. The exception is for mood and aspect, which are typically marked by adjectival inflection. The language also includes question particles, which is a significant anomaly, especially in languages of this type.

Phonologically, Quechua has a typical two-vowel system. The consonants are distinguished by the presence of a fuller set of labial sounds than coronals and velars combined. Because the language is syntactically isolating, there are no important prosodic or intonational phenomena.

[[Category:Languages]]

{{stub2}}

Zheng He

2007-03-19T18:09:09Z

Kiowa:

Zheng He (1405–1433) was a [[Muslim]] admiral to the Ming dynasty of China. He took trips from [[China]] to [[India]] and the [[Middle East]]. Some have claimed that he even traveled to [[Africa]] on his voyages. However, historians more commonly give credit to the idea that Zheng's fleet reached the Americas rather than Africa.

== References ==

Gavin Menzies, "1421: The Year China Discovered America". Harper Perennial, 2004.

[[Category:China]]

Age of Exploration

2007-03-19T18:05:22Z

Kiowa:

The Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century, during which European ships traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners to feed burgeoning [[capitalism]] in Europe.They also were in search for trading goods like gold and silver. In the process, Europeans encountered peoples and mapped lands previously unknown to them. Among the most famous explorers of the period were [[Christopher Columbus]], [[Vasco da Gama]], [[Pedro Álvares Cabral]], [[John Cabot]], [[Yermak, Juan Ponce de León]], [[Bartholomew Diaz]], [[Ferdinand Magellan]], [[Willem Barents]], [[Abel Tasman]], [[Jacques Cartier]], [[Samuel de Champlain]], [[Willem Jansz]] and [[Captain James Cook]].

The Age of Exploration was rooted in new technologies and ideas growing out of the Renaissance. These included advances in cartography, navigation, firepower and shipbuilding. Many people wanted to find a route to [[Asia]] through the west of [[Europe]]. The most important development was the invention of first the carrack and then [[caravel]] in Iberia. These vessels evolved from medieval European designs with a fruitful combination of Mediterranean and North Sea innovations and the addition of some Arabic elements. They were the first ships that could leave the relatively passive Mediterranean and sail safely on the open Atlantic.

The prelude to the Age of Exploration was a series of European expeditions crossing Eurasia by land in the late [[Middle Ages]]. While the [[Mongols]] had threatened [[Europe]] with pillage and destruction they also unified much of Eurasia creating trade routes and communication lines stretching from the Middle East to [[China]]. A series of Europeans took advantage of these to explore eastwards. These were almost all Italians as the trade between Europe and the Middle East was almost completely controlled by traders from the Italian city states. Their close links to the Levant created great curiosity and commercial interest in what lay further east. The Papacy also launched expeditions in hopes of finding converts, or the fabled Prester John.

The first of these travelers was Giovanni de Plano Carpini who journeyed to Mongolia and back from 1244–1247. The most famous voyage, however, was that of Marco Polo who traveled throughout the Orient from 1271 to 1295. His journey was written up as Travels and the work was read throughout Europe.

These voyages had little immediate effect, however; the Mongol Empire collapsed almost as quickly as it formed and soon the route to the east became far more difficult and dangerous. The Black Death of the fourteenth century also blocked travel and trade. The land route to the East was always to be too long and difficult for profitable trade and it was also controlled by Islamic empires that had long battled the Europeans. The rise of the aggressive and expansionist Ottoman Empire further limited the possibilities for Europeans.

In China, from 1405 to 1433 a large fleet of [[Zheng He]] travelled to the Western Ocean (the Chinese name for the Indian Ocean) seven times. But this attempt did not lead China to global expansion.

The “Age of Exploration” consisted of [[Christian]]s from [[Europe]] searching the rest of our globe to spread the faith and seek wealth, particularly between 1450 and 1650.

Hindi

2007-03-19T17:59:51Z

Kiowa:

Hindi is one official language of the union government of India. It is an [[Indo-European]] language that is spoken mainly in northern and central India.

Hindi syntax is distinctive because it relies on ''incorporation'', a process in which verbs and direct objects fuse into a single unit. This structure is common to almost all of the world's languages; however, it is very rare in the Indo-European family. Its presence in Hindi is probably due to the influence of neighboring Dravidian languages.

Hindi phonology is more typical for Indo-European languages. The most distinctive characteristics for English speakers are the presence of aspirated voiced stops (''bh'', ''dh'', ''gh'') and contrastive lexical tones.

{{stub2}}

[[Category:Languages]]

Swahili

2007-03-19T17:44:39Z

Kiowa:

{{stub}}
A [[Bantu]] language widely spoken in East Africa. Swahili served as a trade language across Africa, and therefore is known today by millions of people in many countries.

Like most African languages, Swahili phonology is distinguished by the presence of many tones and so-called ''click'' consonants. Syntactically, Swahili is a largely isolating OSV language, although in certain tenses it manifests a split-ergative case system.

[[Category:Languages]]

Swahili

2007-03-19T04:18:24Z

Kiowa:

Latin

2007-03-19T04:08:02Z

Kiowa:

An [[Indo-European]] language of the Italic family; its closest relatives were [[Umbric]] and [[Etruscan]], which are both extinct now. Latin was the language of the Roman Empire, from which all the Romance languages are derived. These languages include Spanish, Romanian, Portugese, and Italian.

Latin grammar is marked by an extensive system of noun cases and verbal inflection. Noun cases are organized along nominative-accusative lines, with several other oblique cases also used. Verbal morphology distinguishes both case and aspect. Phonologically, Latin is generally similar to other western languages of the Indo-European family. However, Latin was innovative because it had a whole series of ejective stops. Interestingly, these consonants neither existed in Italic nor survived into the Romance daughter languages.

[[Category:Languages]]

Romanization

2007-03-19T03:56:04Z

Kiowa:

'''Romanization''' refers to the transliteration or transcription of a non-Latin word into Latin letters. This may be done so that speakers familiar with the Roman alphabet may pronounce a word, or so that the word may be typed into certain computer systems (in some cases, email addresses and world-wide web URLs must be typed in [[ASCII]]).

For Japanese words, this process is called [[romaji]]. The primary systems of romanization include Hepburn, Nihon-shiki, and Kunrei-shiki.

For Chinese words, there are several proposed romanization systems. The system used by the Communist leadership of the [[People's Republic of China]] is called [[pinyin]]. However, the Chinese government based in [[Taiwan]] and traditional American usage both prefer the [[Wade-Giles romanization]] system.

Warring States Period

2007-03-19T03:53:24Z

Kiowa:

After lengthy fighting among seven states in China 480 BC-221 BC, [[Ch'in dynasty|Ch'in]] won control of China.

This period is remembered not only for the violent political struggles, but also for the philosophical schools which flourished and competed during this time. In fact, it was during this era when Confucius said: "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend." In addition to [[Confucianism]] itself, the important philosophical schools of this period included [[Legalism]], [[Moism]] (named after the philosopher, Mozi), [[Nihilism]], and various varieties of [[Daoism]].

Art and culture also flourished in some areas of China during this period. Porcelain produced during this period (the namesake and model for later Ming vases) were of high quality and are still highly valued today. Bronze work also reached a great technological height during this period, producing some of the finest practical and ornamental bronzes of ancient China.
{{stub2}}

[[Category:China]]

Mao Zedong

2007-03-19T03:41:03Z

Kiowa:

Mao Zedong (correctly transliterated as ''Mao Tse-Tung'') lived from December 26, 1893 to Semptember 9, 1976. He was a [[Marxism|Marxist]] and [[Trotskyism|Trotskyist]], and a founding member of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] in 1921.

Mao was the author of ''Quotations from Chairman Mao,'' published in 1966, informally known as "the little red book." During his lifetime, almost everyone in the People's Republic of China was expected to have a copy.

Although his family name ''Mao'' is the Chinese word for ''cat'', Mao Zedong did not like pets of any kind. However, his wife Jiang Qing -- who was generally considered responsible for the [[Cultural Revolution]] of 1966-1969 and the [[Right Economist Wind]] movement of 1970 -- insisted on keeping cats in their state residence in [[Beijing]], perhaps for superstitious reasons.

[[Category:China]]
[[Category:Political people|Zedong, Mao]]

Mandate of Heaven

2007-03-19T03:36:11Z

Kiowa:

The Mandate of Heaven was issued in 1027 BC in [[China]]. It taught that (false) gods blessed good rulers and overthrew bad ones. The [[Zhou dynasty]] used this to justify overthrowing the [[Shang dynasty]]. However, the Mandate was misplaced during the later years of the Zhou dynasty, or perhaps looted when their capital was sacked in 306 BC. It was never seen again after the end of their dynasty.

[[Category:China]]

May Fourth Movement

2007-03-19T03:28:33Z

Kiowa:

The May Fourth Movement was a reform movement which occurred annually in [[China]] from 1917 to 1921. When the [[Treaty of Versailles]] gave the land that Germany had taken from China to Japan, the Chinese demonstrated against the decision. The Movement was supported by the [[Nationalist Party]] and important intellectuals, such as [[Hu Feng]], [[Hu Shi]] and [[Ouyang Xiu]]. Its goal was to reach national independence and freedom for everyone.

[[Category:China]]

Warring States Period

2007-03-19T03:22:09Z

Kiowa:

After lengthy fighting among seven states in China 480 BC-221 BC, [[Ch'in dynasty|Ch'in]] won control of China.

This period is remembered not only for the violent political struggles, but also for the philosophical schools which flourished and competed during this time. In fact, it was during this era when Confucius said: "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend." In addition to [[Confucianism]] itself, the important philosophical schools of this period included [[Legalism]], [[Moism]] (named after the main thinker, Mozi), [[Nihilism]], and various varieties of [[Daoism]].

Art and culture also flourished in some areas of China during this period. The famous Ming vases produced during this period were of high quality and are still highly valued today.

{{stub2}}

[[Category:China]]

Antonius Pius

2007-03-19T03:14:00Z

Kiowa: American spelling

'''Antonius Pious''' (86 AD to 161 AD) was the fourth of the [[Five Good Emperors]]. He was preceded by [[Hadrian]] and was succeeded by [[Marcus Aurelius]]. He served as emperor from A.D. 138 to A.D. 161. He was born in Lanuvium, an old Latin city southeast of Rome. During his reign as emperor he finished some public works that Hadrian had started and oversaw the completion of some additional public works.

[[Category:Biographies]]

Jose de San Martin

2007-03-19T03:00:56Z

Kiowa:

Jose de San Martin was a general who led Venezuela, El Salvador, and Argentina to independence during the revolutions in the Spanish Colonies.

[[Category:Biographies]]

Shang Dynasty

2007-03-19T02:47:58Z

Kiowa:

The Shang dynasty was a major ancient Chinese dynasty from about 1766 to 1122 BC.

The Shang dynasty built cities in northern China along the [[Yellow River]] and is sometimes called the Yellow River Civilization. The Shang empire consisted of [[city-states]] which were often at war with one another, and the capital city shifted as power changed hands.

The Shang dynasty had writing in the form of [[oracle bones]], questions and answers inscribed on a bone. They used a pictographic form of writing from which modern Chinese writing is descended. In the later part of the dynasty, early printing presses were used more widely than oracle bones for record keeping, although oracle bones were still used for religious purposes.

The wheel was perfected by the Shang dynasty and used in chariots.

The Shang dynasty ended in 1122 BC and was replaced by the [[Zhou dynasty]].

[[Category:History]]

Oracle bones

2007-03-19T02:46:24Z

Kiowa:

Oracle bones were bones inscribed with questions and answers. They were a major part of pre-Zen [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] religion in [[China]], although they are not commonly used now. Early oracle bones provided the first [[archaeology|archaeological]] evidence of the [[Shang dynasty]].

Long March

2007-03-19T02:42:49Z

Kiowa:

The Long March was a 6,000 mile retreat of the Chinese [[Communist]] Army back to northwest [[China]]. Following soon after the rout of the Communist Party in 1927-1928, this completed the destruction of the Communists as a viable political or military force. They never recovered from this defeat.

[[Category:History]]

Francis Drake

2007-03-19T02:37:59Z

Kiowa:

Francis Drake was the second to sail around the world (after [[Magellan]]. Francis Drake's boat was the English ''Salty Dog''.

[[Category:Biographies]]

Curium

2007-03-19T02:33:08Z

Kiowa:

{{Element | name=Curium | symbol=Cm | anumber=96 | amass=247 amu | noe=96 | class=Inner Transition metal | cstructure=Unknown | color=Unknown | date=1944 | discname=[[G. T. Seaborg]]| origname=Curium is named after [[Marie and Pierre Curie]]. | uses=Curium has no known uses. | obtained=Curium is Man-made. }}

Klemens von Metternich

2007-03-19T02:24:53Z

Kiowa:

Klemens von Metternich, an Austrian nobleman, is considered by many to be the most important diplomat of all time. He played a large role in the treaties of Tordesillas and Utrecht, was important in convening the Congress of Vienna, and refused to make peace with [[Prussia]] on the terms offered by [[Otto von Bismarck]]. He is also remembered today as an author and theorist in the area of military science.

Nationalist Party

2007-03-19T02:05:58Z

Kiowa:

The political party which ruled [[China]] from 1928 to 1949. Its Chinese name is ''gong chan dang'', which is abbreviated in English as KMT.

Greek language

2007-03-19T02:03:51Z

Kiowa:

Greek is the language of ancient [[Greece]], distinct from the modern form known as [[Grecian]]. It is also the language in which the four [[Gospels]] were written (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Early Christianity spread and became popular through use of the Greek language. Greek is also a style of [[wrestling]], and of [[love]].

George H. W. Bush

2007-03-19T02:00:38Z

Kiowa: /* Family */

'''George H. W. (Herbert Walker) Bush''', [[Republican]], was the 41st [[President of the United States of America]], serving from 1989 to 1993.

Before his presidency, Bush was the 43rd Vice President of the United States in the administration of [[Ronald Reagan]]. He has also served as the member of the United States House of Representatives for the 7th district of Texas (1967–1971), the United States Ambassador to the United Nations (1971–1973), Chairman of the Republican National Committee (1973–1974), Chief of the United States Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China (1974–1976), and Director of Central Intelligence (1976–1977). He is father of the current president [[George W. Bush]].

Perhaps more importantly than his tenure as president, Bush served in World War II as a naval fighter pilot (the youngest Navy fighter in WWII), where he earned three Silver Stars and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Immediately after the end of the war, General [[Dwight Eisenhower]] delivered a famous speech in which he mentioned Bush by name and called him "unquestionably the finest example of a young man that America has today."

His presidency was defined primarily with the 1990 [[Gulf War]] He faced a strong challenge from [[Pat Robertson]] in 1988 primary due to charges that he was too liberal, and some claim that he lost the presidency in 1992 due to many Republicans defecting to the [[Ross Perot]] camp. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest presidents, and in fact was named the best president of the second half of the 20th century in a 1998 poll of major historians.

== Family ==

Upon his return from the war, George Bush married Barbara Pierce. Their marriage later produced six children: George Walker Bush, Pauline Robinson Bush, John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, Neil Mallon Bush, Marvin Bush, and Dorothy Bush Koch.

On Dec. 5, 2006 President George H. W. Bush, addressing Florida lawmakers and others, broke down in tears as he cited his son, Gov. Jeb Bush, as an example of leadership.[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16053170/]

The Bush dynasty is generally considered to be one of the greatest american political families, along with the Adams. This is in contrast to the irresponsible and reckless Kennedy family.

[[Category:Biographies]]
[[Category:Presidents of the United States|Bush, George H. W.]]
[[Category:Vice Presidents of the United States|Bush, George H. W.]]

Americium

2007-03-19T01:56:12Z

Kiowa:

{{Element | name=Americium | symbol=Am | anumber=95 | amass=243.0 amu | noe=95 | class=Inner Transitional Metal | cstructure=Hexagonal | color=Unknown | date=1945 | discname=[[G. T. Seaborg]] | origname=Americium is named after [[America]]. | uses=In candy corn | obtained=Man-made }}