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Harry Potter

2007-03-11T23:22:42Z

Nwilkie:

'''Harry Potter''' is the hero of a series of novels written by [[J. K. Rowling]]. Harry is an orphan child who finds that he is a wizard. Potter then goes to Hogwarts, a boarding school for young wizards, and has many adventures there learning magic and using it to fight the forces of the evil Lord Voldemort who killed Potter's parents when he was an infant. Along the way, Potter learns about life and death and grapples with questions of morality and friendship. As of 2007, the series is projected to consist of seven novels, of which six have been published, with the seventh to be released in July of 2007.

The books have been fabulously successful, selling three hundred million copies, and Forbes estimates that they have made Rowling a billionnaire, the first billion-dollar author in history.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/cx_jw_0226rowlingbill04.html J. K. Rowling And The Billion-Dollar Empire].</ref> To date, five of them have been adapted for the movies.

The English "public" schools Hogwarts resembles are Protestant institutions; but at Hogwarts, chapel is conspicuously absent. A failure to mention Christianity, combined with the presence of wizardry, have led some to wonder whether Rowling is substituting paganism for Christianity. The books have even been accused of promoting witchcraft.[http://www.chick.com/catalog/videos/potter.asp] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/1735623.stm] [http://www.chick.com/catalog/videos/0127.asp] [http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_06.htm] Some evangelical Christians have attempted to ban the books in public schools[http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=32&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=14074&change_well_id=2].

In 2003, a [[Vatican]] representative said the books "aren't serving as the banner for an anti-Christian theology.... I don't think there's anyone in this room who grew up without fairies, magic, and God in their imaginary world."<ref>Sink, Mindy (2003), "The Split Verdict on Harry Potter,"
''The New York Times,'' March 8, 2003, p. B6; representative quoted is Rev. Don Peter Fleetwood, who "helped draft a Vatican document on New Age phenomena."</ref>

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

Some expect childrens' literature to present characters that are idealized role models, and to teach simple, explicit life lessons. However, like other classics of children's literature, the world of Harry Potter is one in which adult authority figures are complex, imperfect, and occasionally ludicrous (as they are in ''Alice in Wonderland.'') Harry himself, while basically a "good" person, is sometimes petty-minded, jealous, or just plain mischievous (like Tom Sawyer, or Holden Caulfield). Although the students at Hogwarts take their studies seriously, they are not above cheating or goofing off, and some of their teachers are boring or outright incompetent.

On July 20, 2005, at [[Prime Minister's Questions], the Right Honourable [[Tony Blair]], Prime Minister at the time, joined the [[House of Commons]] in lauding [[J.K. Rowling]] for her contribution to the education of British young minds.

On October 3rd, 2006, [[Georgia]] mom Laura Mallory attempted to get the books banned from schools because they promote witchcraft.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464/ Georgia mom seeks ban on Harry Potter]</ref>

==Series titles==
*Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (original title as published in England: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
*Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (announced)

==References==
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Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

2007-03-11T23:21:02Z

Nwilkie:

'''Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome''' (usually referred to as '''AIDS''') is a series of infections and other complications arising from problems caused by [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] (HIV). The series of infections, complications, and diseases are known as HIV/AIDS. Until 1982, AIDS was called Gay-related immune deficiency, or GRID. Other GRIDs include Gonorrhea, Plasmodium Falciparum, and Aurora Borealis.

AIDS cannot be acquired directly, but is rather a progression of HIV. HIV is contracted through contact with body fluids from an infected individual. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS.

Dinosaur

2007-03-11T23:16:16Z

Nwilkie:

The word '''dinosaur''' was coined in 1841 by Richard Owen<ref>http://www.trueauthority.com/dinosaurs/about.htm</ref>, from the [[Latin]] for "terrible lizard". Dinosaurs were a group of large [[lizards]] that previously lived in abundance on Earth.

Most scientists believe that dinosaurs lived from 230 million until 65 million years ago and that they are all currently extinct (however [[birds]] are considered by scientists to be descended from early [[therapod]] dinosaurs). They claim the [[fossil]] evidence supports this theory, although many Creationists dispute this, and claim that the dating methods used to judge the age of the fossils are not always precise and that there are gaps within the fossil records themselves.

==Dinosaurs, Evolution and Creation==
===Humans and Dinosaurs Coexisting===

Some claim there are a number of lines of evidence that point to dinosaurs and man coexisting. <ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/dinosaurs.asp</ref> <ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3061/</ref> For example, trained scientists have reported seeing a live dinosaur. However, it is unclear what discipline these scientists were trained in and, judging by their reports, it is most likely they were 17th century alchemists or sports scientists.<ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i4/dinosaurs.asp</ref> A thousand people reported seeing a dinosaur-like monster in two sightings around Sayram Lake in Xinjiang according to the Chinese publication, China Today. <ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i4/dinosaurs.asp</ref> This reported sighting coincided with the region's tourism promotion drive, aimed at Dungeons and Dragons fans worldwide. An expedition which included Charles W. Gilmore, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology with the United States National Museum, examined an ancient pictograph which is claimed to point to dinosaurs and man existing <ref>http://www.creationism.org/swift/DohenyExpedition/Doheny01Main.htm</ref><ref> http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/read/the_hava_supai_dinosaur_carving</ref> Since it is a pictorial representation produced by human beings, it has no validity as proof whatsoever, much like the [[Bible]]. The World Book Encyclopedia states that: "The dragons of legend are strangely like actual creatures that have lived in the past. They are much like the great reptiles [dinosaurs] which inhabited the earth long before man is supposed to have appeared on earth. Dragons were generally evil and destructive. Every country had them in its mythology." <ref>http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ25.html</ref> How this is relevant to this article is a matter of some mystery, but it has been included because it is a good read. The Nile Mosaic of Palestrina, a second century piece of art, is said to appear to be a piece of artwork that shows a dinosaur and man coexisting. <ref>http://www.s8int.com/dinolit2.html</ref> This is quite hard evidence.

Since 565 A.D. there are reports about the Loch Ness Monster (Nessie), a large Monster living in Loch Ness, near Inverness, Scotland, where one of the best curry restaurants in the area can be found. People who saw Nessie described the Monster as it would look similar to a dinosaur. This information, along with a hazy picture of a black shadow, was released as a joint venture with the Xinjiang department of tourism's dinosaur-like monster reported sightings. Early accounts describe St Columba driving away the dinosaur through prayer, lending even more credibility to the report. There are suggestions that Dinosaurs may have had a diabolical origin, indeed, their large teeth and frightening appearance would seem to support this theory, as evidenced by fossils found by paleontologists. There are claims they planted this evidence, though, since they were unemployed at the time. Evidence from China indicates that dinosaurs may have lived communally suggesting they were left wing, and thus ungodly. It is likely that the current population of China evolved from these dinosaurs, given their current political inclination.

It should be noted, however, that none of these claims have been verified and neither has the information provided in this article.

An alternate theory for the inclusion of dinosaurs within many cultures is the existance of fossils. Ancient people, unaware that the ancient fossils uncovered by eroision were of extinct animals, attributed the bones to living, magical creatures. This would explain the importance of dragons in Chinese culture - there are a large number of dinosaurs fossils to be found in China. I am high.

===Dinosaurs and Birds===

As a number of feathered dinosaur fossils have been discovered, and the similiarity in the bone structure between birds and dinosaurs, scientists contend that modern birds are a descendant of dinosaurs. While some scientists are a cog in the machine of liberal propaganda and not to believed (evolutionary biologists including such as Ruth Corrigan, paleontologists such as Tokunbo Oyebode, archaeologists such as Nicholas Wilkie, to name but a few) creationists of course believe these, since they support the theories they believe in. One has merely to look at a pigeon in the street for the evidence to be quite clear.

===Dinosaurs and Creationism===

Some [[Christians]] reject the [[Theory of Evolution]] and the current science community consensus of the age of the earth. Of those Christians who reject evolution, the [[Creationism | Young Earth Creationists]] believe, based primarily on Biblical [[sources]], but also drawing on [[archeological]] and fossil evidence, that dinosaurs were created on the 6th day of the [[Creation Week]]<ref>''Genesis'', 1:25</ref> as a final addendum to the wonders God created, approximately 6,000 years ago; that they lived in the [[Garden of Eden]] in harmony with other animals, eating only plants<ref>''Genesis'' 1:29-30</ref>; that pairs of various dinosaurs were taken onto [[Noah's Ark]] during the [[Great Flood]] and were preserved from drowning<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2001/dinos_on_ark.asp "Were dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark?"], ''Answers in Genesis''</ref>; that fossilized dinosaur bones originated during the mass killing of the Flood<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i1/dinosaurbones.asp "Dinosaur bones—just how old are they really?"], ''Creation'' 21(1):54–55, December 1998</ref>; and that some descendants of those dinosaurs taken aboard the Ark still roam the earth today<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i4/dinosaurs.asp "Are dinosaurs alive today?"], ''Creation'' 15(4):12–15, September 1993</ref>, even though none of the six billion people currently residing on the planet have seen them, except for some bored housewives in Arizona whose plastic surgeons refuse to inject more silicone into their lips, thus forcing them to find alternate ways of seeking attention and passing the time.

Because the term only came into use in the 19th century, the [[Bible]] obviously does not use the word "dinosaur." However, they are alleged to be mentioned in numerous places throughout the biblical account. For example, the '''behemoth''' in [[Job]] and the '''leviathan''' in [[Isaiah]] are sometimes said to be references to dinosaurs, although they could have been references to anything large, such as the Egyptian pyramids, Jesus' ego, a huge hailstone that still has not melted despite having fallen in one of the hottest places on Earth, or a squid caught by Yemeni fishermen while illegally fishing off the coast of Bahrain. <ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i2/behemoth.asp "Could Behemoth have been a dinosaur?"], ''TJ'' 15(2):42–45, August 2001</ref> Other biblical scholars who are not reported to enjoy recreational drugs contend that the terms respectively refer to hippopotomi and crocodiles <ref>http://www.answersincreation.org/job4041a.htm</ref>.
==References==
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