Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:Christopher Columbus

2011-04-08T09:13:00Z

Mikebravo:

The picture of the ship in the section marked Third Voyage is that of the Santa Maria, not of the Isabella. Please follow the link through to the original page from where the picture was taken [[User:SharonW|SharonW]]SharonW

------

Columbus sailed from Spain on August 3 1492, and after sailing in unkown waters and not sighting land for three weeks, the sailors began to talk of mutiny. On October 10, Columbus promised that if they did not find land in three days they would turn back. On October 12, they reached an island that Columbus named San Salvador. Columbus did not reach his original destination but he did set the stage for Europian exploration of the New World.

Citations?
Sentence/Paragraph Structure?
Proper Grammar?

Ouch! Reading this article killed brain cells.

== He was liberal ==
It
Chrisopher Columbus was a liberal whe tried to find new ways. He could also be called a scientist in geography and navigation.
He did not believe in what the conservative world was thinking (the world is flat and that he will fall down its surface at the end of the world).

This should be mentioned in the article. --[[User:Itsjustme|Itsjustme]] 16:33, 12 May 2007 (EDT)

==Factually Incorrect==
He was not "the second European sailor to reach the Americas." Ericson's voyage prompted many more trips to the America's, and Columbus arrived with more men than just himself. Perhaps a better way to phrase this would be "headed the first expedition from the European mainland to reach the Americas."

He didn't die poor. I took the liberty of correcting that. Also a section should be added discussing the accusations of genocide against the native populations committed by Columbus.

:Do you have a source on his dying wealthy? I am one of the people who heard his later years/voyages were not financially fulfilling. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 18:51, 29 February 2008 (EST)

Just to inform everyone it has never been conclusively proven that Columbus was in fact born in Genoa. It most likely was Genoa but it has not been proven.

Well, you should know that the entire population believing that the world was flat at the time of Columbus is just a myth. In fact there was even a globe at this time, and the globe, sure enough, was not flat.

I wanted to put something in about Columbus Day, and the controversy over Columbus. If you can do a better job of it, feel free to edit what I have written.

I don't think this page should become a rant about liberalism. I think we should be present a balanced view, based on present (widely accepted) knowledge, but keeping in mind the context of history. I don't know what to do with some added material on liberalism. I think it veers off topic, but for now it has its own section.

==Columbus holiday==
There is a cite needed describing the holiday put forth was on the insistence of Catholics and Italian Americans. I am sure they were big supporters of the idea but their voice wasn't the defining factor. Catholics and Italians were not the authority over policy in that era. In the spirit of Nationalism, Columbus represents the first chapter of America, Columbus is America's adopted son. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 18:34, 1 June 2009 (EDT)
::I relied on this article, which makes the point that Italians began the celebration in the US:
:::''Gerald McKevitt, "Christopher Columbus as a Civic Saint: Angelo Noce and Italian American Assimilation" in ''California History'' 1992-93 71(4): 516-533. It traces the transformation of the observance of 12 October, Columbus Day or Discovery Day, from a holiday celebrated by Italian Americans commemorating their ethnic roots to an American event for everyone. Prominent among the promoters of Columbus Day was Angelo Noce (1847-1922), who organized celebrations in 1876 and 1877. He later moved from San Francisco to Colorado, where for many years he urged adoption of Columbus Day as a state holiday. As Italian Americans grew in number and gained political power, the celebration came to be seen as an occasion for all Americans as symbolic of unity and assimilation.'' [[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 19:13, 1 June 2009 (EDT)
:::: RJJensen thanks for the answer. I now feel the day was adopted instead of arm-twisted, regardless of none-so-mentioned 'prominent promoters'. The Italian Catholics would celebrate that day with or without a national holiday. Good re --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 20:28, 1 June 2009 (EDT)

Americas

2011-04-08T09:06:29Z

Mikebravo: Fixed a incorrect statement

[[Image:America map.jpg|thumb|right|375px|The Americas]]
The '''Americas''' are a pair of continents in the Western Hemisphere, including the entire [[North America|North American]] continent and the entire [[South America|South American]] continent. They cover over 8.3% of the Earth's total surface and constitute 28.4% of its total landmass. 14% of the human population lives in the Americas.

The word "America" is often incorrectly used in US to refer particularly to the [[United States of America]].

'''''[[America (continent)| The Americas]] ''''' is a general term usually meaning North, Central and South America collectively.
[[File:The Americas satellite map.jpg|left|280px|The Americas satellite map.]]
{{Clear}}
''The most common origin given for the name America is derived from that of the Italian merchant and navigator [[Amerigo Vespucci]], one of the earliest European explorers of the New World. However, a competing theory has been put forward by Dr. Basil Cottle that America may have been named after a senior collector of Customs at Bristol, Richard Amerik, who was also one of the chief investors in the second transatlantic voyage of John Cabot (the first recorded European to set foot on American soil in May 1497),<ref> [http://www.britannia.com/celtic/wales/facts/facts1.html#americaname] </ref>. How reliable each theory is is open to question as there are no contempory documents of the time that detail how the name America was arrived at.''

''The climatic zones of the two continents are quite different. In North America, subarctic climate prevails in the north, gradually warming southward and finally becoming tropical near the southern isthmus. In South America, the climate in the north is tropical, becoming cooler southward, and finally becoming a cold, marine climate'' [http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-20369/Americas America] Encyclopædia Britannica.
[[File:Caribbean Islands.png|right|400px|Caribbean Islands.]]
America is also understood as one of the five continents of the globe, with an area of 16,000,000 square miles, and been larger than Europe and Africa together. Its length from the northern limit of Alaska to the southern limit of Chile is 8,700 miles.

Throughout history eight Europeans countries have controlled different parts of the Americas, they are [[Denmark]], which still controls [[Greenland]], [[France]], which has in the past controlled, [[Canada]], [[Haiti]], [[Louisiana]] and other places, [[Netherlands]], which founded a colony in North America called [[New Netherlands]], which contained parts of what is now [[Delaware]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], and [[Connecticut]], [[Portugal]] in the past controlled [[Brazil]], [[Russia]], used to own [[Alaska]], which Russia later sold to the [[United States of America]], [[Spain]] in the past controlled most of what is now [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Cuba]], [[Dominican republic|Dominican Republic]], and large parts of the Southern part of [[North America]], including [[Mexico]], and much of the Southern half of the [[United States]], including [[California]], [[Florida]], which Spain ceded to the [[United States of America]] in 1819, [[Nevada]], [[Texas]], [[Utah]], and parts of what is now, [[Arizona]], [[Colorado]], [[Kansas]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oklahoma]] and [[Wyoming]]. Sweden in the past founded a colony in North America, called [[New Sweden]], which contained parts of what are now [[Delaware]], [[New Jersey]], and [[Pennsylvania]], the [[United Kingdom]] in the past controlled the [[thirteen colonies]], which would later become the [[United States of America]], and also controlled [[Canada]], [[Jamaica]], [[Belize]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Barbados]] and other places in the Americas.

== External links ==

*[http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/flags_of_the_americas.htm National Flags of the Americas and the Caribbean.]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Continents]]

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

2011-04-08T08:55:24Z

Mikebravo:

The '''Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints''' is an offshoot from the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].
The church claims that the revelation to the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|mainline church]] to stop practicing [[polygamy]] was false.

As the name implies they are far more radical than other Mormon churches. The '''Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints''' believes everything in the book of mormon and are strongly opposed to homosexual rights, women's rights, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Despite the strict rules and teachings the '''Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints''' bares a striking resemblance to catholiscism.

They still practice polygamy today, but prosecution is very difficult because the wives won't testify. A notable exception was the arrest of conviction in 2007 of president Warren Jeffs (b. 1955), a former fugitive on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

They locate in remote small towns where they escape surveillance. They resemble groups of Mormons that left the U.S. for Canada and Mexico about 1900. The Canadian colony known as Bountiful, British Columbia is still active.

[[Category:LDS Church]]

Finland

2011-04-08T08:37:19Z

Mikebravo: Undo revision 860585 by ManShark (talk)

{{Country
|name =''Suomi'' <br /> ''Finland''
|map =Finland rel96.jpg
|map2 =Finland location.png
|flag =Flag of Finland.png
|arms =Arms of Finland.png
|capital =Helsinki
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary Democracy
|government-raw =
|language =Finnish, Swedish
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Tarja Halonen
|president-raw =
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|pm =Mari Kiviniemi
|pm-raw =
|area =130,558 sq mi
|pop =5,296,128 (2007)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =
|gdp-year =$193.491 billion (2005)
|gdp-pc =$40,197 (2005)
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'''Republic of Finland''' (''Suomi'' or ''Suomen tasavalta'' in Finnish, ''Republiken Finland'' in Swedish) is a country of northern [[Europe]] known for its largely [[social democracy|social democratic]] economic system. The Finnish [[conservative]] party, the [[National Coalition]] led by [[Jyrki Katainen]], is its principal conservative organization.

The state capital is [[Helsinki]] and the principal exports are machines, electronics (for example cellphones) and forestry products. [[Finnish]] is the principal language spoken, a [[Finno-Ugric]] language. Like many nations that do international business, or have a strong tourist trade, many Finns speak English to facilitate communication with other countries. The second official language is Swedish, which has the same status as Finnish in the country. Finland is known as "the land of lakes".

==Geography==
[[File:Mantyluoto, Pori, Finland..jpg|thumb|left|Mäntyluoto, Pori.]]
The area of Finland is approximately 338 000 square kilometers, with a north-south axis of 890 kilometers. Most of the landscape is covered with lakes and forests. Finland is often called the "Land of Thousands of Lakes", which is true, because the number of lakes in the country exceeds 188 000, of which about 56 000 have an area of one hectare or more. In the sea there are more than 3 000 islands. Cultivated land and habitation only account for 17% of the land area, rest being mainly [[Norway spruce]] forests.

Finland is bound by [[Sweden]] in the Northwest, [[Norway]] in the North, [[Russia]] in the East, the [[Gulf of Finland]] in the South and the [[Gulf of Bothnia]] in the West.

==People==
*Population (September 2007): 5.29 million.
*Population growth rate (2006): 0.4%.
*Ethnic groups: Finns, Swedes, Lapps, Sami, Roma, Tatars.
*Religions: Lutheran 82.5%, Orthodox 1.1%.
*Languages: Finnish 91.5%, Swedish 5.5% (both official); small Lapp- (0.03%) and Russian-speaking (0.8%) minorities.
*Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance--almost 100%. Literacy--almost 100%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate--2.8/1,000 (2006). Life expectancy--males 75.8 yrs., females 82.8 yrs.
*Work force (2.65 million; of which 2.44 million are employed): Public services--32.8%; industry--19%; commerce--15.6%; finance, insurance, and business services--13.8%; agriculture and forestry--4.7%; transport and communications--7.4%; construction--6.7%.

===Culture===

[[File:Yyteri beach during Yyteri Beachfutis Finland.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Yyteri beach during Yyteri Beachfutis.]]
Finnish people (Finns) are known for their love of nature. Nature is prominent in the works of Finnish artists, such as [[Jean Sibelius]], [[Aki Kaurismäki]], [[Alvar Aalto]].

The great masters of Finnish literature include [[Mika Waltari]], [[Väinö Linna]], [[Johan Ludvig Runeberg]]. Finland is a bi-lingual country and has produced its literary heritage in both Finnish and Swedish. The beloved Moomintrolls were created by the writer and graphic artist Tove Jansson.

Another important facet of traditional Finnish culture is the love of the Finnish [[sauna]].
<div style="font-size: 80%">
{|class="wikitable" align=right border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 10pt; margin-right: 1pt"
!colspan=4|Population of Finland, 1750–2000<ref>{{cite book | last=Aunesluoma | first=Juhana | coauthors=Heikkonen, Esko; Ojakoski, Matti | title=Lukiolaisen yhteiskuntatieto | language=Finnish | publisher=SanomaWSOY|WSOY | date=2006}}</ref>
|-
!Year!!Population!!Year!!Population
|-
||1750||align=right|421,000||1880||align=right|2,060,800
|-
||1760||align=right|491,000||1890||align=right|2,380,100
|-
||1770||align=right|561,000||1900||align=right|2,655,900
|-
||1780||align=right|663,000||1910||align=right|2,943,400
|-
||1790||align=right|705,600||1920||align=right|3,147,600
|-
||1800||align=right|832,700||1930||align=right|3,462,700
|-
||1810||align=right|863,300||1940||align=right|3,695,617
|-
||1820||align=right|1,177,500||1950||align=right|4,029,803
|-
||1830||align=right|1,372,100||1960||align=right|4,446,222
|-
||1840||align=right|1,445,600||1970||align=right|4,598,336
|-
||1850||align=right|1,636,900||1980||align=right|4,787,778
|-
||1860||align=right|1,746,700||1990||align=right|4,998,478
|-
||1870||align=right|1,768,800||2000||align=right|5,181,000
|}
</div>

<br>

===Population===
Finland currently numbers 5,302,778 inhabitants and has an average population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometer. This makes it, after Norway and Iceland, the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon even more pronounced after 20th century urbanization.

The share of foreign citizens in Finland is 2.5 percent being among the lowest of the European Union countries. Most of them are from Russia, Estonia and Sweden.

===Religion===
[[File:Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral Finland.jpg|thumb|left|Helsinki, Lutheran Cathedral.]]
Most Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (81.7 percent). With approximately 4.6 million members, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world. A minority belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1 percent; see [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]). Other Protestantism denominations and the Roman Catholic Church in Finland are significantly.

The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are constitutional national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools. A university degree in theology is compulsory for Lutheran priests. Representatives at Lutheran Church assemblies are selected in church elections every four years.

Even though the membership in main Lutheran church is high, the population is not highly religious. Polls suggest that 28-60% of the population to be either agnostics or atheists. <ref>http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html</ref>

===Government===
====President and cabinet====
Elected for a 6-year term, the president:
*Handles foreign policy, except for certain international agreements and decisions of peace or war, which must be submitted to parliament, and EU relations, which are handled by the prime minister;
*Is commander in chief of the armed forces and has wide decree and appointive powers;
*May initiate legislation, block legislation by pocket veto, and call extraordinary parliamentary sessions; and
*Appoints the prime minister and the rest of the cabinet (Council of State). The Council of State is made up of the prime minister and ministers for the various departments of the central government as well as an ex officio member, the Chancellor of Justice. Ministers are not obliged to be members of the Eduskunta and need not be formally identified with any political party.
The president may, upon proposal of the prime minister and after having heard the parliamentary groups, order parliament to be dissolved, and a new election held.

====Parliament====
Constitutionally, the 200-member, unicameral Eduskunta is the supreme authority in Finland. It may alter the constitution, bring about the resignation of the Council of State, and override presidential vetoes; its acts are not subject to judicial review. Legislation may be initiated by the president, the Council of State, or one of the Eduskunta members.

The Eduskunta is elected on the basis of proportional representation. All persons 18 or older, except military personnel on active duty and a few high judicial officials, are eligible for election. The regular parliamentary term is 4 years; however, the president may dissolve the Eduskunta and order new elections at the request of the prime minister and after consulting the speaker of parliament.

====Judicial system====
The judicial system is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and special courts, with responsibility for litigation between the public and the administrative organs of the state. Finnish law is codified. Although there is no writ of habeas corpus or bail, the maximum period of pretrial detention has been reduced to 4 days. The Finnish court system consists of local courts, regional appellate courts, a Supreme Court, and a Supreme Administrative Court.

====Administrative divisions====
[[File:Gulf of finland.jpg|thumb|Gulf of Finland.]]
Finland consists of five provinces and the self-ruled province of the Aland Islands. Below the provincial level, the country is divided into cities, townships, and communes administered by municipal and communal councils elected by proportional representation once every 4 years. At the provincial level, the five mainland provinces are administered by provincial boards composed of civil servants, each headed by a governor. The boards are responsible to the Ministry of the Interior and play a supervisory and coordinating role within the provinces.

The island province of Aland is located near the 60th parallel between Sweden and Finland. It enjoys local autonomy and demilitarized status by virtue of an international convention of 1921, implemented most recently by the Act on Aland Self-Government of 1951. The islands are further distinguished by the fact that they are entirely Swedish-speaking. Government is vested in the provincial council, which consists of 30 delegates elected directly by Aland's citizens.

====Military====
Finland's defense forces consist of 35,000 persons in uniform (26,000 army; 5,000 navy; and 4,000 air force). The country's defense budget equals about 1.3% of GDP. There is universal male conscription under which all men serve from six to 12 months. As of 1995, women were permitted to serve as volunteers. A reserve force ensures that Finland can field 490,000 trained military personnel in case of need.

====Political parties====
Finland's proportional representation system encourages a multitude of political parties and has resulted in many coalition governments. Political activity by communists was legalized in 1944, and although four major parties have dominated the postwar political arena, none now has a majority position. In elections held in 2007, the Center Party (Keskusta), traditionally representing rural interests, kept its position as the biggest party. The then-opposition Conservative Party, however, came away as the biggest winner, gaining 10 seats and becoming the second-largest political party in the country. The Center then formed a four-party governing coalition with the Conservatives and the Swedish People's Party and the Greens. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) suffered a defeat in these elections and fell to the third position among the big parties. Of the other parties, the True Finns, the Green League, and the Swedish People’s Party were able to gain seats in parliament. The Conservative Party received the portfolios of foreign minister, finance minister, and defense minister, among others, and became an important player after a long interval.

===Principal Government Officials===
[[File:Tarja Halonen 2003.jpg|thumb|Tarja Halonen, 2003.]]
*President--[[Tarja Halonen]]
*Prime Minister--Mari Kiviniemi
*Foreign Minister--Alexander Stubb
*Ambassador to the United States--Pekka Lintu
*Ambassador to the United Nations--Kirsti Lintonen

{{Clear}}

===Foreign Relations===
Finland's basic foreign policy goal from the end of the Continuation War with the U.S.S.R. in 1944 until 1991 was to avoid great-power conflicts and to build mutual confidence with the Soviet Union. Although the country was culturally, socially, and politically Western, Finns realized they must live in peace with the U.S.S.R. and take no action that might be interpreted as a security threat. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 opened up dramatic new possibilities for Finland and has resulted in the Finns actively seeking greater participation in Western political and economic structures. Finland joined the European Union in 1995.

====Previous relations with the Soviet Union, and today with Russia====
[[File:Uspenski cathedral Helsinki.jpg|thumb|The Uspenski cathedral of Helsinki; with its golden cumpolas and redbrick façade, the cathedral is one of the clearest symbol of the Russian impact on Finnish history.]]
The principal architect of the post-1944 foreign policy of neutrality was J.K. Paasikivi, who was President from 1946 to 1956. Urho Kekkonen, President from 1956 until 1981, further developed this policy, stressing that Finland should be an active rather than a passive neutral. This policy is now popularly known as the "Paasikivi-Kekkonen Line."

Finland and the U.S.S.R. signed a peace treaty at Paris in February 1947 limiting the size of Finland's defense forces and providing for the cession to the Soviet Union of the Petsamo area on the Arctic coast, the Karelian Isthmus in southeastern Finland, and other territory along the former eastern border. Another provision, terminated in 1956, leased the Porkkala area near Helsinki to the U.S.S.R. for use as a naval base and gave free access to this area across Finnish territory.

The 1947 treaty also called for Finland to pay to the Soviet Union reparations of 300 million gold dollars (amounting to an estimated $570 million in 1952, the year the payments ended). Although an ally of the Soviet Union in World War II, the United States was not a signatory to this treaty because it had not been at war with Finland.

In April 1948, Finland signed an Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance with the Soviet Union. Under this mutual assistance pact, Finland was obligated--with the aid of the Soviet Union, if necessary--to resist armed attacks by Germany or its allies against Finland or against the U.S.S.R. through Finland. At the same time, the agreement recognized Finland's desire to remain outside great-power conflicts. This agreement was renewed for 20 years in 1955, in 1970, and again in 1983 to the year 2003, although the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union led to the agreement's abrogation.

The Finns responded cautiously in 1990-91 to the decline of Soviet power and the U.S.S.R.'s subsequent dissolution. They unilaterally abrogated restrictions imposed by the 1947 and 1948 treaties, joined in voicing Nordic concern over the coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and gave increasing unofficial encouragement to Baltic independence.

At the same time, by replacing the Soviet-Finnish mutual assistance pact with treaties on general cooperation and trade, Finns put themselves on an equal footing while retaining a friendly bilateral relationship. Finland now is boosting cross-border commercial ties and touting its potential as a commercial gateway to Russia. It has reassured Russia that it will not raise claims for Finnish territory seized by the U.S.S.R. and continues to reaffirm the importance of good bilateral relations.

====Multilateral Relations====
Finnish foreign policy emphasizes its participation in multilateral organizations. Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and the EU in 1995. As noted, the country also is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace as well as a member in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. As a NATO partner, Finland had 100 troops in Afghanistan as of September 2007.

Finland is well represented in the UN civil service in proportion to its population and belongs to several of its specialized and related agencies. Finnish troops have participated in UN peacekeeping activities since 1956, and the Finns continue to be one of the largest per capita contributors of peacekeepers in the world. Finland is an active participant in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and in early 1995 assumed the co-chairmanship of the OSCE's Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Cooperation with the other Scandinavian countries also is important to Finland, and it has been a member of the Nordic Council since 1955. Under the council's auspices, the Nordic countries have created a common labor market and have abolished immigration controls among themselves. The council also serves to coordinate social and cultural policies of the participating countries and has promoted increased cooperation in many fields.

In addition to the organizations already mentioned, Finland became a member of the following organizations: Bank for International Settlements, 1930; International Monetary Fund, 1948; International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 1948; General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), 1950; International Finance Corporation, 1956; International Development Association, 1960; European Free Trade Association, 1961; Asian Development Bank, 1966; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 1969; Inter-American Development Bank, 1977; African Development Bank, 1982; Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, 1988; the Council of Europe, 1989; European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Central and Eastern Europe, 1991; World Trade Organization, 1995; and INTELSAT, 1999. Finland entered Stage Three of EMU (the European Monetary Union) in 1999. All the Nordic countries, including Finland, joined the Schengen area in March 2001.

==Economy==
[[File:Logs in Yyteri 2009.JPG|thumb|left|300px|Logs in Yyteri.]]
Finland has an industrial economy based on abundant forest resources, capital investments, and high technology.

The Finnish economy has made enormous strides since the severe recession of the early 1990s. Finland successfully joined the euro zone and has outperformed euro-area partners in terms of economic growth and public finance. In the last few years, the Finnish economy has performed reasonably well. Total output was 5% higher in 2006 than in 2005, but economic activity leveled off in the latter half of the year. GDP is predicted to grow by 4.4% in 2007, while 2008 is likely to show a slower rate of growth, estimated at 3.3%. Despite the current favorable outlook, there is a degree of uncertainty in the Finnish economy caused by the large fluctuations in electronics industry production, together with resource constraints. Cost and price pressures have increased, and there is a threat of industry’s price competitiveness starting to weaken.

Unemployment decreased significantly from 1994 to 7.7% in 2006 and is expected to drop to 6.7% in 2007. A relatively inflexible labor market and high employer-paid social security taxes hamper growth in employment. Labor bottlenecks are becoming more common in certain sectors, and this will increasingly restrict growth in output in the future. The main constraint to medium-term economic growth will be the drop in the population of working age once the post-war baby boomers reach retirement age.
[[File:Headquarters of Nokia Keilaniemi Finland..jpg|thumb|The headquarters of Nokia Corporation in Keilaniemi, Espoo, 2005.]]
Exports of goods and services contribute 32% of Finland's GDP. Metals and engineering (including electronics) and timber (including pulp and paper) are Finland's main industries. The United States is Finland's third most important trading partner outside of Europe. With a 3.8% share of imports in 2006, the United States was Finland's seventh-largest supplier. The total value of U.S. exports to Finland in 2006 was $2.6 billion. Major exports from the United States to Finland continue to be machinery, telecommunications equipment and parts, aircraft and aircraft parts, computers, peripherals and software, electronic components, chemicals, medical equipment, and some agricultural products. The primary competition for American companies comes from Russia, Germany, Sweden, and China. The main export items from Finland to the United States are electronics, machinery, ships and boats, paper and paperboard, refined petroleum products, telecommunications equipment and parts. In 2006, the United States was Finland's fourth-largest customer after Germany (11.3%), Sweden (10.5%), and Russia (10.1%), with an export share of 6.5%, or $5 billion. However, trade is only part of the totality: the 10 biggest Finnish companies in the United States have a combined turnover that is three times the value of Finland's total exports to the United States. About 2.3% of the Finnish GDP comes from exports to the United States.

Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some components for its manufactured products. Farms tend to be small, but farmers own sizable timber stands that are harvested for supplementary income in winter. The country's main agricultural products are dairy, meat, and grains. Finland's EU accession has accelerated the process of restructuring and downsizing of this sector.
*GDP: $210.8 billion (EUR 167.9 billion).
*GDP growth rate: 5%.
*Per capita income: $40,036 (EUR 31,886).
*Inflation rate: 1.6% (2006 average); 2.6% (September 2007).
*Natural resources: Forests, minerals (copper, zinc, iron), farmland.
*Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (2.9% of GDP): Products--meat (pork and beef), grain (wheat, rye, barley, oats), dairy products, potatoes, rapeseed.
*Industry (30.1% of GDP): Types--metal (including electronics and electrical equipment) and engineering, forest products, chemicals, shipbuilding, foodstuffs, textiles.
*Trade: Exports--$77.08 billion. Major markets--EU 56.9%, Russia 10.1%, U.S. 6.5%, China 3.2%. Imports--$68.9 billion. Major suppliers--EU 55.3%, Russia 14.1%, China 7.5%, U.S. 3.8%.

==History==
[[File:Johan Ludvig Runeberg statue Finland.jpg|thumb|left|Johan Ludvig Runeberg statue.]]
The origins of the Finnish people are still a matter of conjecture, although many scholars argue that their original home was in what is now west-central [[Siberia]]. The Finns arrived in their present territory thousands of years ago, pushing the indigenous Lapps into the more remote northern regions. Finnish and Lappish--the language of Finland's small Lapp minority--both are Finno-Ugric languages and are in the Uralic rather than the Indo-European family.

Finland's nearly 700-year association with the Kingdom of [[Sweden]] began in 1154 with the introduction of Christianity by Sweden's King Eric. During the ensuing centuries, Finland played an important role in the political life of the Swedish-Finnish realm, and Finnish soldiers often predominated in Swedish armies. Finns also formed a significant proportion of the first "Swedish" settlers in 17th-century America.

Following Finland's incorporation into Sweden in the 12th century, Swedish became the dominant language, although Finnish recovered its predominance after a 19th-century resurgence of Finnish nationalism. Publication in 1835 of the Finnish national epic, The Kalevala--a collection of traditional myths and legends--first stirred the nationalism that later led to Finland's independence from Russia.

In 1809, Finland was conquered by the armies of Czar Alexander I and thereafter remained an autonomous grand duchy connected with the Russian Empire until the end of 1917. On December 6, 1917, shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Finland declared its independence. In 1918, the country experienced a brief but bitter civil war that colored domestic politics for many years. During [[World War II]], Finland fought the [[Soviet Union]] twice--in the [[Winter War]] of 1939-40 and again in the [[Continuation War]] of 1941-44. This was followed by the [[Lapland War]] of 1944-45, when Finland fought against the Germans as they withdrew their forces from northern Finland.

During the Continuation War (1941-1944) Finland was a co-belligerent with [[Germany]]. However, Finnish Jews were not persecuted. Of the approximately 500 Jewish refugees who arrived in Finland, eight were handed over to the Germans, for which Finland submitted an official apology in 2000.<ref>[http://www.uta.fi/~tuulikki.vuonokari/fin-1.html Jews in Finland During World War II]</ref> Also during the war, approximately 2,600 Soviet prisoners of war were exchanged for 2,100 Finnish prisoners of war from Germany. In 2003, the Simon Wiesenthal Center submitted an official request for a full-scale investigation by the Finnish authorities of the prisoner exchange. It was established there were about 70 Jews among the extradited prisoners but none was extradited as a result of ethnic background or religious belief.

Treaties signed in 1947 and 1948 with the Soviet Union included obligations and restraints on Finland vis-a-vis the U.S.S.R. as well as territorial concessions by Finland; both have been abrogated by Finland since the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.

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==References==
<references />

[[Category:Finland]]
[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:EU Members]]
[[Category:Nordic Countries]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]

2011 Canadian parliamentary elections

2011-04-08T07:21:12Z

Mikebravo: Created page with "The 2011 Canadian parliamentary election is an upcoming election for the house of commons of Canada and for the prime minister of Canada. Going in to the election the inc..."

The 2011 Canadian parliamentary election is an upcoming election for the [[house of commons of Canada]] and for the [[prime minister of Canada]]. Going in to the election the incumbent prime minister was [[Stephen Harper]] of the [[Conservative Party of Canada]].
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Candidate
! Party
! Platform
! Website
|-
| [[Stephen Harper]]
| [[Conservative Party of Canada]]
| Lower taxes, oil sands mining, new aircraft for armed forces, stronger economy, better [[US-Canada relations]], and better relationships between the Harper Government and ethnic peoples
| http://www.conservative.ca/
|-
| [[Michael Ignatieff]]
| [[Liberal Party of Canada]]
| Higher taxes, coalition government, reduction in military funding
| http://www.liberal.ca/
|-
| [[Gilles Duceppe]]
| [[Bloc Quebecois]]
| Establishment of Quebec as a sovereign state, Quebec first policies, Francophone superiority, assimilation of Anglo-American culture in eastern Canada
| http://www.blocquebecois.org/ (French website)
|-
| [[Jack Layton]]
| [[New Democratic Party]]
| [[Socialism]], higher taxes, reduced funding for armed forces, elimination of corporate tax credits, increasing funding to subsidized healthcare, and tax credits for families
| http://www.ndp.ca/
|}

Jack Layton

2011-04-08T06:36:58Z

Mikebravo:

[[File:Jack Layton.jpg|thumb|Jack Layton<br>Photo by Joshua Sherurcij]]

'''John Gilbert "Jack" Layton''' (born July 18, 1950) is a [[social democrat]] and current leader of Canada's [[New Democratic Party]].

In 2006, he called for the return of Canadian troops from [[Afghanistan]]. In January 2007, Jack Layton called for a federal ban on [[ATM]] fees. In 2008 after the Conservatives when re-elected to a minority government. Layton was active in an attempt with [[Michael Ignatieff]] and Gilles Ducceppe to force the creation of a unpopular coalition government with the Liberal and Bloc parties. However, in the end, this attempt was unsuccessful.

In the [[2011 Canadian parliamentary elections]] Jack Layton ran as head of the NDP yet again. He has promised to increase funding for expensive, ineffective healthcare plans and to raise corporate taxes.

[[Category:Canadian Political People]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Layton, Jack}}

Jack Layton

2011-04-08T06:32:44Z

Mikebravo:

[[File:Jack Layton.jpg|thumb|Jack Layton<br>Photo by Joshua Sherurcij]]

'''John Gilbert "Jack" Layton''' (born July 18, 1950) is a [[social democrat]] and current leader of Canada's [[New Democratic Party]].

In 2006, he called for the return of Canadian troops from [[Afghanistan]]. In January 2007, Jack Layton called for a federal ban on [[ATM]] fees. In 2008 after the Conservatives when re-elected to a minority government. Layton was active in an attempt with [[Michael Ignatieff]] and Gilles Ducceppe to force the creation of a unpopular coalition government with the Liberal and Bloc parties. However, in the end, this attempt was unsuccessful.

[[Category:Canadian Political People]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Layton, Jack}}