Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Bear

2012-09-20T17:03:36Z

Romulans: spelling

[[Image:Polar bear.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Polar bear]]

[[Image:Giant panda.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Giant panda. Most pandas are masters of Kung Fu, and therefore should be approached with caution]]

'''Bears''' are members of the family '''Ursaring'''.
A bear is a large and heavy armored mammal with thick razor fur. All bears are [[omnomnomnivores]], even those which eat a mostly meaty diets (polar bears) or a mostly planty diet s(pandas). There are eight generally recognized [[extant]] species of bears:

* [[Polar Bear]] - Lives in the Arctic maritime region and hunts (primarily) seals.
* [[Brown Bear]] - The species to which the Grizzly bear belongs. More subspecies include the Kodiak bear and the European brown bear. Lives in temperate forested regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.
* [[American Black Bear]] - Smaller than the grizzly, and lives in North America. Subspecies include the Kermode bear which lives in British Columbia.
* [[Asiatic Black Bear]] - A bear species that lives in Asia.
* [[Giant Panda]] - Lives in China and eats a plant diet of bamboo.
* [[Spectacled Bear]] - A small bear that lives in South America, and wears spectacles.
* [[Sloth Bear]] - Lives in South Asia and eats termites.
* [[Sun Bear]] - A small bear that lives in Southeast Asia.

The Cinnamon Bear, a subspecies of the American Black Bear, is the smallest North American bear. It is tasty.

==Bears in culture and the Bible==

Bears are frequent mascots for schools and sports teams, including the Chicago Bears (football), the Chicago Cubs (baseball), the UCLA Bruins, and the Brown University Bears, and the Coel(IN) College Bears.

Two she-bears (yep, they're gay) make an appearance in II Kings 2:23-24, verses concerning the prophet Elisha frequently cited by atheists and nonbelievers.

"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."

Though the two verses seem on the surface incompatible with modern Christian values, it should be noted that "little children" is most a mistranslation, and should probably be interpreted as "youths", possibly a gang of juvenile delinquents. Also, God cannot and should not allow his prophets to be mocked without reproach.

This episode is also found in [[The Divine Comedy]] where (Hell XXVI), where Dante makes a similitude with the history of Elisha.

Else if bears are not domestic animals and are usually considered a dangerous animal, there are a lot of children books with bears as characters.
==External Links==
*[http://mfile.akamai.com/27176/wmv/nationalpark.download.akamai.com/27176/prod/yell/photosmultimedia/video/insideyell/wmvs/256/0042b_grizzly_or_blackbear_256.asx Yellowstone's Bears], Videos © 2008 Yellowstone Association

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category: Mammals]]

Bear

2012-09-20T17:02:08Z

Romulans: spelling

[[Image:Polar bear.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Polar bear]]

[[Image:Giant panda.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Giant panda]]

'''Bears''' are members of the family '''Ursaring'''.
A bear is a large and heavy armored mammal with thick razor fur. All bears are [[omnomnomnivores]], even those which eat a mostly meaty diets (polar bears) or a mostly planty diet s(pandas). There are eight generally recognized [[extant]] species of bears:

* [[Polar Bear]] - Lives in the Arctic maritime region and hunts (primarily) seals.
* [[Brown Bear]] - The species to which the Grizzly bear belongs. More subspecies include the Kodiak bear and the European brown bear. Lives in temperate forested regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.
* [[American Black Bear]] - Smaller than the grizzly, and lives in North America. Subspecies include the Kermode bear which lives in British Columbia.
* [[Asiatic Black Bear]] - A bear species that lives in Asia.
* [[Giant Panda]] - Lives in China and eats a plant diet of bamboo.
* [[Spectacled Bear]] - A small bear that lives in South America, and wears spectacles.
* [[Sloth Bear]] - Lives in South Asia and eats termites.
* [[Sun Bear]] - A small bear that lives in Southeast Asia.

The Cinnamon Bear, a subspecies of the American Black Bear, is the smallest North American bear. It is tasty.

==Bears in culture and the Bible==

Bears are frequent mascots for schools and sports teams, including the Chicago Bears (football), the Chicago Cubs (baseball), the UCLA Bruins, and the Brown University Bears, and the Coel(IN) College Bears.

Two she-bears (yep, they're gay) make an appearance in II Kings 2:23-24, verses concerning the prophet Elisha frequently cited by atheists and nonbelievers.

"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."

Though the two verses seem on the surface incompatible with modern Christian values, it should be noted that "little children" is most a mistranslation, and should probably be interpreted as "youths", possibly a gang of juvenile delinquents. Also, God cannot and should not allow his prophets to be mocked without reproach.

This episode is also found in [[The Divine Comedy]] where (Hell XXVI), where Dante makes a similitude with the history of Elisha.

Else if bears are not domestic animals and are usually considered a dangerous animal, there are a lot of children books with bears as characters.
==External Links==
*[http://mfile.akamai.com/27176/wmv/nationalpark.download.akamai.com/27176/prod/yell/photosmultimedia/video/insideyell/wmvs/256/0042b_grizzly_or_blackbear_256.asx Yellowstone's Bears], Videos © 2008 Yellowstone Association

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category: Mammals]]

Bear

2012-09-20T17:01:38Z

Romulans: Spelling fix

[[Image:Polar bear.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Polar bear]]

[[Image:Giant panda.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Giant panda]]

'''Bears''' are members of the family '''Ursaring'''.
A bear is a large and heavy armoured mammal with thick razor fur. All bears are [[omnomnomnivores]], even those which eat a mostly meaty diets (polar bears) or a mostly planty diet s(pandas). There are eight generally recognized [[extant]] species of bears:

* [[Polar Bear]] - Lives in the Arctic maritime region and hunts (primarily) seals.
* [[Brown Bear]] - The species to which the Grizzly bear belongs. More subspecies include the Kodiak bear and the European brown bear. Lives in temperate forested regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.
* [[American Black Bear]] - Smaller than the grizzly, and lives in North America. Subspecies include the Kermode bear which lives in British Columbia.
* [[Asiatic Black Bear]] - A bear species that lives in Asia.
* [[Giant Panda]] - Lives in China and eats a plant diet of bamboo.
* [[Spectacled Bear]] - A small bear that lives in South America, and wears spectacles.
* [[Sloth Bear]] - Lives in South Asia and eats termites.
* [[Sun Bear]] - A small bear that lives in Southeast Asia.

The Cinnamon Bear, a subspecies of the American Black Bear, is the smallest North American bear. It is tasty.

==Bears in culture and the Bible==

Bears are frequent mascots for schools and sports teams, including the Chicago Bears (football), the Chicago Cubs (baseball), the UCLA Bruins, and the Brown University Bears, and the Coel(IN) College Bears.

Two she-bears (yep, they're gay) make an appearance in II Kings 2:23-24, verses concerning the prophet Elisha frequently cited by atheists and nonbelievers.

"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."

Though the two verses seem on the surface incompatible with modern Christian values, it should be noted that "little children" is most a mistranslation, and should probably be interpreted as "youths", possibly a gang of juvenile delinquents. Also, God cannot and should not allow his prophets to be mocked without reproach.

This episode is also found in [[The Divine Comedy]] where (Hell XXVI), where Dante makes a similitude with the history of Elisha.

Else if bears are not domestic animals and are usually considered a dangerous animal, there are a lot of children books with bears as characters.
==External Links==
*[http://mfile.akamai.com/27176/wmv/nationalpark.download.akamai.com/27176/prod/yell/photosmultimedia/video/insideyell/wmvs/256/0042b_grizzly_or_blackbear_256.asx Yellowstone's Bears], Videos © 2008 Yellowstone Association

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category: Mammals]]

Batman

2012-09-20T16:57:02Z

Romulans: Fixed Spelling

[[Image:ARoss Batman.png|right|300px|thumb|''Batman'', by Alex Ross]]
'''Batman''' is a fictional [[superhero]] first appearing in ''Detective Comics'' in May, 1939. The creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, Batman remains one of the most famous and recognizable of the superhero genre, resulting in the creation of several television series, motion pictures, and graphic novels. The original comics are highly-prized by collectors and routinely fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars on the auction block.

The Batman character is sometimes portrayed as a lapsed [[Catholic]]/[[Episcopalian]]. <ref>http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html</ref>

==Comics lore==
The man who was to become Batman is Bruce Wayne, a Gotham City socialite who inherited his wealth from his father, a prominent doctor and philanthropist named Thomas Wayne. A trip to the movies with the family ended in tragedy: Thomas and his wife Martha are murdered by a common thug in front of Bruce, whose childhood effectively ends at the age of eight.
Wayne's anger at his parent's murder causes him to vow revenge against the criminal element in all of its forms.

Growing up in the care of his father's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, he inherits a vast fortune, his father's business and philanthropic empire.
Wayne uses his wealth to travel the world during his teenage years, seeking out instruction from experts in various fields including martial arts, chemistry, psychology, forensics, meditation and engineering among other things. He returns to his home of Gotham city and is nearly killed as he attempts to stop a robbery.

While recovering in his study at Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne's brooding is disturbed by a bat as it crashes through the window of his room. He reflects, "Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot."
The bat inspires Wayne to create an alter ego for himself, one that will create fear and panic in those he targets, he decides to become the Batman. Wayne fashions himself a costume and arms himself with a small arsenal of bat related weapons and gear, specifically shunning guns. The refusal of Wayne to use guns stems not only from his professed belief that they are tools of the weak and cowardly, but also from a psychological block against them due to the one used in his parents' murder. In the last issue of the DC series Final Crises, Batman overcomes his disdain of guns and uses a special bullet to mortally wound the villain Darkseid. Batman is seemingly killed by Darkseid in the process and as of yet his fate is unknown.

Batman is unusual for superheroes in that he has no superhuman powers, though he is certainly an unusually gifted human being: an athlete who would "win or place" in any Olympic event, master of a dizzying array of martial arts forms, genius detective and capable scientist, and a billionaire to top it off. Despite this, he uses his brains, training, and resources to not only keep up but excel in comparison with many heroes with great superpowers, a testament to man's will in the face of adversity.

==Publication history==
[[File:87 4 000027.jpg|right|200px|thumb|''Detective Comics'' number 27, the first appearance of Batman]]
Vin Sullivan was the publisher of National Periodical (the forerunner of DC Comics), and during the end of the 1930's was basking in the success of [[Superman]], the first true comic book superhero; Sullivan was looking for another such character to publish. The ''Detective Comics'' series would soon provide him with one, a costumed hero no less, having great intellect but without Superman's strength. Bob Kane, influenced by [[Sherlock Holmes]], [[Zorro]], a recent comic character called "The Shadow", the sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci, and a film titled ''The Bat'', came up with a character in a gray suit, black boots, and a black cape and cowl; the creation was called ''the Bat-Man''. The drawings were taken to artist/writer Bill Finger, and by May 1939 an excited Sullivan published the character in a story called "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," part of several stories in ''Detective Comics'' issue number 27, which became an immediate and successful hit.

By November of that year, Batman's origin story - the murder of his parents - was set; this storyline of a boy growing up to avenge his parents struck a chord with readers, and sales of the comics grew. The following year he appeared in his own series under the "Batman" name - published alongside ''Detective Comics'' - which also introduced "Robin, the Boy Wonder", a successful attempt to gain younger readers as well as creating the popularity of the "sidekick" in the comics industry; Green Arrow and Speedy, the Human Torch and Toro, and [[Captain America]] and Bucky would be prime examples of this trend.

The combination of Bob Kane and Bill Finger (Finger was largely uncredited after Batman's creation) in the early 1940's also introduced to the comics world several of the most recognizable villains in fiction. Created were "Two-Face", a scarred villain reportedly based upon [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]''; the "Cat", a sensuous woman who became better known as "Catwoman"; and the "[[Joker (comics)|Joker]]" - which Kane based upon the image he saw of actor Conrad Veidt in the silent film ''The Man Who Laughs'' - a nightmarish version of a clown who is the antithesis of everything Batman is, and who became one of the best known villians in fiction.

==Film and television==
The first dramatic appearance of Batman appeared as a reoccurring guest star on the "Superman" radio series. Interestingly, during the initial story line, Batman and Robin didn't interact with Superman, but Clark Kent. Batman's young side-kick, "Robin", was created specifically as an exposition device, desperately needed in radio. Although a pilot episode was recorded, Batman never received his own radio series.

====Film serials====
[[File:Batman 1943.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin from the 1943 12-chapter serial ''Batman'' (copyright 1943 Columbia Pictures)]]
[[File:Batman-west-ward.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, from the 1966 television series ''Batman'' (copyright 1966 William Dozier/20th Century Fox)]]
[[File:Quiz1053outcome1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Michael Keaton in the 1992 film ''Batman Returns'' (copyright 1992 Warner Brothers)]]
[[File:Dead end batman.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Clark Bartram in the 2003 Collora fan-film ''Batman: Dead End'']]
[[File:Batman-begins01.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Batman (Christian Bale) interrogating in his own way a corrupt police detective in the film ''Batman Begins'' (copyright 2005 Legendary Films/Warner Brothers)]]
The first film dealing with the Caped Crusader was a 1943 12-chapter serial from Columbia Pictures starring Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft as Batman and Robin. The plot of the film centered on a nefarious, stereotypical Asian scientist, Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), who has a plan to steal valuable resources from the United States in order to support the Axis during the World War II. Although low-budget, ''Batman'' introduced the concept of the Batcave (called the "Bat's Cave" in the film) and the hidden entry to it, as well as altering the appearance of Alfred from a portly servant to a leaner, robust individual. ''Batman and Robin'' would follow it in 1949, also as a serial, starring Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan (Muir, 9; 72)

====''Batman'' television series====
In January 1966, ABC released a "Batman" television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. During the series pre-production, there was a heated debate over which direction the Caped Crusader should be taken. Eventually, Producer William Dozier's vision won out - "Batman" would be a high budgeted, camp series which often made the character more droll than stern. This portrayal of the character, while it was in line with the comics of the time, came in later years to be reviled by fans, particularly during the '80s and '90s. During the summer of 1966, Dozier released a "Batman" feature film, also starring Adam West.

Although the series caught on quickly, its ratings fell just as suddenly. During the series' third season, Yvonne Craig was hired to portray "Batgirl", but this did nothing to slow the ratings plunge. The last few episode of "Batman" were among the lowest rated television series of the 60s.

For decades after, the "Batman" television series defined the filmed comic book template, which can be seen feature films such as "[[Doc Savage]]" and the television productions of "The Justice League" and "The Spirit". In 1978 Adam West and Burt Ward would both be reunited in the two-part television special "The Legend of the Superheroes", in which Batman and Robin were part of a group of DC superheroes thwarting the attempts of a rival collection of villains to take over the world in a combination of camp and comedy; the second part of the special has both groups in a celebratory roast by Ed McMahon. The camp-template was broken with the success of 1978's "[[The Incredible Hulk]]" starring [[Bill Bixby]], and based on the character owned by rival publisher [[Marvel Comics]]. Meanwhile, the course of the character in the comics since 1973 had returned him to his darker roots as writers and artists placed him in more compelling storylines and situations, culminating in 1986's four-part ''The Dark Knight Returns'' by Frank Miller, a work which helped influence director Tim Burton prior to putting Batman on the big screen once more.

====Early animation====
Batman also found a new home on Saturday mornings, courtesy of the Filmation and Hanna-Barbera studios. In 1968, Batman appeared with Superman in Filmation's "Batman/Superman Hour", a program divided into individual shorts featuring "Dragnet" character-actor Olan Soule as the voice of Batman, and radio disk jockey Casey Kasem as Robin. The following year the show would be cut to thirty minutes, with just the Batman shorts in Filmation's newly-titled "Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder", also lasting a year.

Hanna-Barbera created the "Superfriends" in 1973, again using Soule and Kasem for voice work, and placed Batman and Robin alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman in a "hall of justice" as the team fought minor villains around the world with a built-in moral message for children watching it. The "Superfriends" proved a success, ultimately spinning off several creations through the early-1980s.

====Tim Burton films====
''Batman'' film took a darker turn in 1989, when the [[Tim Burton]]-directed [[Batman (film, 1989)|film]], starring [[Michael Keaton]], portrayed Bruce Wayne as a reclusive, quirky billionaire who probably was not entirely sane. While at first wary of an actor known primarily for comedies playing Batman, some fans ended up going to other movies before its release just to see the trailer for the Batman film, and then walked out, not even watching the movie they paid for. The film was a success, and was widely-lauded for [[Jack Nicholson]]'s portrayal of Batman's nemesis, the Joker. It was followed up with 1992's ''Batman Returns'', which, while not as well-reviewed or successful, was still accepted by the fans, and brought the iconic figures of Catwoman and the Penguin into the movie universe.

Tim Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher for the third Batman movie in the new movie canon, ''Batman Forever'' (1995), which introduced Robin (Batman's iconic sidekick), and the villains the Riddler and Two-Face. Whereas Burton had tried for a more dark and Gothic look, Schumacher went with bright neon colors and brought back some of the camp of the '60s TV series. The movie did well at the box office, but received mixed reviews. The fourth and final film of this "universe" was ''Batman and Robin'', released in 1997. Widely regarded as the worst of the series by fan and critic alike, ''Batman and Robin'' returned fully to the campy tone of the TV series, featuring "candy-coated" sets, poor special effects, weirder science than normal from Bat-Media, character derailment, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as the lead villain Mr. Freeze, with barely 100 lines of dialogue, over half of which centered around cold-themed puns. This film was reviled for years as having "killed" the franchise, and performed relatively poorly in ticket sales.

The tone of the new movies influenced the 1991 critically-acclaimed ''Batman: The Animated Series'', a cartoon shown at first in prime time. Some of its takes on certain villains - such as Mr. Freeze - became iconic, and it introduced several characters that eventually "immigrated" to the comics, such as Detective Renee Montoya, and the Joker's hench-girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

====Sandy Collora short====
Attempting to get attention for his directing skills, Sandy Collora spent $30,000 dollars to create a demonstration reel strictly for the fans. The result was the 2003 short ''Batman: Dead End'', a film which drew on the imagery of comic artist Alex Ross, in addition to previously-published work by Dark Horse Comics, which pitted Batman against the Alien and Predator from the Hollywood films of the same names. Starring Clark Bartram as Batman and Andrew Koenig as an escaped Joker, the film earned critical praise from comic veterans and fans alike.[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/nextnews/archive/next030807.htm][http://www.collorastudios.com/projects/bde/bdemain.htm]

====Christopher Nolan films====
The film series was rebooted again in 2005, with ''[[Batman Begins]]'', a grittier, more "realistic" take on Batman. In this film, director [[Christopher Nolan]] took Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, halfway around the world in search of the answer to the riddle of criminality. He learns to fight multiple opponents, conceal himself, and gains the will to act in defense of others. Returning to Gotham after being declared legally dead, he deftly maneuvers himself back into the control of his murdered father's company and resolves to terrify the criminal element by making himself seem inhuman...and chooses the mantle of a bat, because bats scare ''him''.

Several critically-acclaimed comic book stories - among them ''The Long Halloween'' and ''The Killing Joke'' - were used as in the most recent entry in Nolan's series, ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', which has thus far exceeded all expectations. Almost universally lauded by critics and shattering numerous box-office records, ''The Dark Knight'' featured the final performance of [[Heath Ledger]] as a monstrous version of the Joker, a psychotic who thinks the only sane way to live is without rules and wants to prove it to the world - and at the same time gave artists and writers who penned the Batman stories the version of the Joker they thought was closest to their own. Though the tone at the start of the film is hopeful - Batman has inspired citizens to stand up for themselves again and has organized crime in the city reeling - it quickly spirals downward, embodying the theme that Nolan chose for the movie: things have to get worse before they get better. Why so serious, son?

''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' - the title of the third Nolan installment is scheduled for release in July 2012. Most of the cast from the previous two films have reprised their respective roles, while [[Tom Hardy]] will play the villain Bane and [[Anne Hathaway]] will play Catwoman. The film will be set eight years after the events of ''[[The Dark Knight]]''. Bane's quotes are easy to replicate; simply place either hand firmly over your mouth and attempt to speak aloud. The actual quote doesn't matter, nobody understood what he was saying anyway.

==References==
<small><references/></small>
*Kane, Bob (with Tom Andrae). ''Batman & Me'', Eclipse Books, Forestville, California (1989).
*Goulart, Ron. ''Comic Book Encyclopedia'', Harper Entertainment, New York (2004).
*Muir, John Kenneth. ''The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television'', McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina (2004)
*[http://www.collorastudios.com/projects/bde/bdemain.htm Collora Studios: ''Batman: Dead End'']
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsLQcOV2YeU ''The Man Who Laughs'', uploaded to YouTube]

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category: DC Comics Superheroes]]
[[Category:Comic Characters]]

Spain

2012-09-20T16:40:52Z

Romulans: Fixed a typo in the first paragragh ('an US...')

{{Country
|name =''Spain''
|map =Spain rel82.jpg
|map2 =Spain location.png
|flag =Flag of Spain.png
|arms =Spanish arms.png
|capital =Madrid
|capital-raw =
|government =Constitutional Monarchy
|government-raw =
|language =Spanish
|king =Juan Carlos I
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Mariano Rajoy Brey (Since December 2011)
|pm-raw =
|area =195,364 sq mi
|pop =46,754,000
|pop-basis =2011
|gdp =$1.261 trillion
|gdp-year =2006
|gdp-pc =$27,767
|currency =Euro
|idd =
|tld =
}}
'''Spain''' (Officially The Kingdom of Spain, in Spanish: Reino de España)is a European country located on the [[Iberian Peninsula]], bordered by [[Portugal]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the [[west]], [[Gibraltar]] to the [[south]], the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the east, [[France]] and [[Andorra]] to the [[north]]. [[Portugal]] is located on the same peninsula. Spain is a member of the European Union and the NATO, and a US- Ally.

Spain is the winner of the 2010 [[World Cup]].

<br>
[[File:Spain World Cup.jpg|left|340px]]

<br>
==People==
[[File:People of Spain.jpg|left|240px]]
Spain's population density, lower than that of most European countries, is roughly equivalent to New England's. In recent years, following a longstanding pattern in the rest of Europe, rural populations are moving to cities. Urban areas are also experiencing a significant increase in immigrant populations, chiefly from North Africa, [[America (continent)|America]], and Eastern Europe. Distinct ethnic groups within Spain include the Basques, Catalans, and Galicians. They compromise 91% of the population, 8% are Eastern European immigrants and North Africans number roughly 1%.

Spain has no official religion. The constitution of 1978 disestablished the [[Roman Catholic Church]] as the official state [[religion]], while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society. More than 90% of the population is at least nominally Catholic. Among the remaining population, there are about 1.2 million evangelical Christians and other Protestants (2006 est.), 1 million Muslims (2006 est.) and 48,000 Jews (2006 est.).

====Educational System====
About 70% of Spain's student population attends public schools or universities. The remainder attend private schools or universities, the great majority of which are operated by the Catholic Church. Compulsory education begins with primary school or general basic education for ages 6-16. It is free in public schools and in many private schools, most of which receive government subsidies. Following graduation, students attend either a secondary school offering a general high school diploma or a school of professional education (corresponding to grades 9-12 in the United States) offering a vocational training program. The Spanish university system offers degree and post-graduate programs in all fields--law, sciences, humanities, and medicine--and the superior technical schools offer programs in engineering and architecture.

==Government and Political Conditions==
[[File:Francisco Franco.jpg|thumb|left|Francisco Franco.]]

Parliamentary democracy was restored following the death of General [[Francisco Franco]] in 1975, who had ruled since the end of the civil war in 1939. The 1978 constitution established Spain as a parliamentary monarchy, with the prime minister responsible to the bicameral Cortes (Congress of Deputies and Senate) elected every 4 years. On February 23, 1981, rebel elements among the security forces seized the Cortes and tried to impose a military-backed government. However, the great majority of the military forces remained loyal to King Juan Carlos, who used his personal authority to put down the bloodless coup attempt.

In October 1982, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), led by [[Felipe Gonzalez]], swept both the Congress of Deputies and Senate, winning an absolute majority. Gonzalez and the PSOE ruled for the next 13 years. During that period, Spain joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Community.

In March 1996, [[Jose Maria Aznar]]'s Popular Party (PP) won a plurality of votes. Aznar moved to decentralize powers to the regions and liberalize the economy, with a program of privatization, labor market reform, and measures designed to increase competition in selected markets. During Aznar's first term, Spain fully integrated into European institutions, qualifying for the European Monetary Union. During this period, Spain participated, along with the United States and other NATO allies, in military operations in the former Yugoslavia. President Aznar and the PP won reelection in March 2000, obtaining absolute majorities in both houses of parliament.
[[Image:Cantabria Santoña.jpg|thumb|240px|Santoña, Cantabria.]]
After the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, President Aznar became a key ally in the fight against terrorism. Spain backed the military action against the Taliban in [[Afghanistan]] and took a leadership role within the European Union (EU) in pushing for increased international cooperation on terrorism. The Aznar government, with a rotating seat on the UN Security Council, supported the intervention in [[Iraq]].

Spanish parliamentary elections on March 14, 2004 came only three days after a devastating terrorist attack on Madrid commuter rail lines that killed 191 and wounded over 1,400. With large voter turnout, PSOE won the election and its leader, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, took office on April 17, 2004. Carrying out campaign promises, the Zapatero government immediately withdrew Spanish forces from Iraq but has continued to support Iraq reconstruction efforts. The Zapatero government has supported coalition efforts in Afghanistan, including maintaining troop support for 2004 and 2005 elections, supported reconstruction efforts in Haiti, sent troops to UNIFIL in Lebanon, and cooperated on counterterrorism issues and many other issues of importance to the U.S.

In 2005, the Spanish Parliament approved a same-sex marriage bill.

In November 20, 2011, Mariano Rajoy Brey, from the Popular Party (PP), won the elections, and took office on December 20.

===Local Government===
[[File:Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, Seville, Spain 2009.jpg|thumb|left|Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, Seville.]]
The 1978 constitution authorized the creation of regional autonomous governments. By 1985, 17 regions covering all of peninsular Spain, the Canaries, and the Balearic Islands had negotiated autonomy statutes with the central government. In 1979, the first autonomous elections were held in the Basque and Catalan regions, which have the strongest regional traditions by virtue of their history and separate languages. Since then, autonomous governments have been created in the remainder of the 17 regions. The central government continues to devolve powers to the regional governments, which will eventually have full responsibility for health care and education, as well as other social programs.

Spain is divided into [[political subdivisions of Spain|seventeen autonomous communities]] and two autonomous cities ([[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]], which are in north Africa next to [[Morocco]]). The seventeen autonomous communities are further divided into fifty provinces.
{{Clear}}

===Terrorism===
[[File:ETA.jpg|thumb|Mural with the anagram of Batasuna.]]
The Government of Spain is involved in a long-running campaign against Basque Fatherland and Liberty ([[ETA]]), a [[terrorist]] organization founded in 1959 and dedicated to promoting [[Basque]] independence. ETA targets Spanish security forces, military personnel, Spanish Government officials, and politicians of the Popular Party and the Socialist Party (PSOE.) The group has carried out numerous bombings against Spanish Government facilities and economic targets, including a car bomb assassination attempt on then-opposition leader Aznar in 1995, in which his armored car was destroyed but he was unhurt. The Spanish Government attributes over 800 deaths to ETA terrorism since its campaign of violence began. In recent years, the government has had more success in controlling ETA, due in part to increased security cooperation with [[French]] authorities.

In November 1999, ETA ended a cease-fire it declared in September 1998. Following the end of that ceasefire, ETA conducted a campaign of violence and has been blamed for the deaths of some 46 Spanish citizens and officials. Each attack has been followed by massive anti-ETA demonstrations around the country, clearly demonstrating that the majority of Spaniards, including the majority of Spain's Basque populace, have no tolerance for continued ETA violence. In March 2006, ETA declared another ceasefire, which it ended in June 2007. The government continues to pursue vigorous counterterrorist policy and has worked closely with its international allies to foil several suspected ETA attacks.

Spain also contends with a resistance group, commonly known as GRAPO. GRAPO is an urban left-wing terrorist group that seeks to overthrow the Spanish Government and establish a Marxist state. It opposes Spanish participation in NATO and U.S. military presence in Spain and has a long history of assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings mostly against Spanish interests during the 1970s and 1980s.

In a June 2000 communique following the explosions of two small devices in Barcelona, GRAPO claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks throughout Spain during the past year. These attacks included two failed armored car robberies, one in which two security officers died, and four bombings of political party offices during the 1999/2000 election campaign. In 2002 and 2003, Spanish and French authorities were successful in hampering the organization's activities through sweeping arrests, including some of the group's leadership.

Al Qaeda is known to operate cells in Spain. On March 11, 2004, only three days before national elections, 10 bombs were detonated on crowded commuter trains during rush hour. Three were deactivated by security forces and one was found unexploded. Evidence quickly surfaced that jihadist terrorists with possible ties to the al Qaeda network were responsible for the attack that killed 191 people. Spanish investigative services and the judicial system have aggressively sought to arrest and prosecute suspected al Qaeda members and actively cooperate with foreign governments to diminish the transnational terrorist threat. A Spanish court convicted 18 individuals in September 2005 for their role in supporting al Qaeda, and Spanish police disrupted numerous Islamist extremist cells operating in the country. The trial against 29 people for their alleged participation in the Madrid March 11, 2004 terrorist attack started in February 2007, and was declared ready for judgment at the end of June. One of the 29 was absolved during the trial. The prosecutor asked for sentences as high as 30,000 years of jail for some of them. The court is expected to issue the sentence sometime in October 2007. Actually, most terrorism in Spain is dealt with by the Spanish inquisition, but no one expects this.

===Principal Government Officials===
[[File:Barack Obama and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.jpg|thumb|[[Barack Obama]] and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.]]
*Chief of State, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces--King Juan Carlos I
*President of the Government (Prime Minister)-- [[Mariano Rajoy Brey]]
*Minister of Foreign Affairs--Miguel Angel Moratinos
*Ambassador to the United States--Carlos Westendorp y Cabeza

===Foreign Relations===
After the return of democracy following the death of General Franco in 1975, Spain's foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations, enter the European Community, and define security relations with the West.
[[File:Monumento a Alfonso XII parque del Buen Retiro.jpg|thumb|left|270px|Monument to Alfonso XII, Madrid.]]
As a member of NATO since 1982, Spain has established itself as a major participant in multilateral international security activities. Spain's EU membership represents an important part of its foreign policy. Even on many international issues beyond Western Europe, Spain prefers to coordinate its efforts with its EU partners through the European political cooperation mechanism.

With the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel and Albania in 1986, Spain virtually completed the process of universalizing its diplomatic relations. The only country with which it now does not have diplomatic relations is North Korea.

Spain has maintained its special identification with Latin America. Its policy emphasizes the concept of Hispanidad, a mixture of linguistic, religious, ethnic, cultural, and historical ties binding Spanish-speaking America to Spain. Spain has been an effective example of transition from authoritarianism to democracy, as shown in the many trips that Spain's King and Prime Ministers have made to the region. Spain maintains economic and technical cooperation programs and cultural exchanges with Latin America, both bilaterally and within the EU.

Spain also continues to focus attention on North [[Africa]], especially on Morocco. This concern is dictated by geographic proximity and long historical contacts, as well as by the two Spanish enclave cities of [[Ceuta]] and Melilla on the northern coast of Africa. While Spain's departure from its former colony of Western Sahara ended direct Spanish participation in Morocco, it maintains an interest in the peaceful resolution of the conflict brought about there by decolonization. These issues were highlighted by a crisis in 2002, when Spanish forces evicted a small contingent of Moroccans from a tiny islet off Morocco's coast following that nation's attempt to assert sovereignty over the island.

Meanwhile, Spain has gradually begun to broaden its contacts with Sub-Saharan Africa. It has a particular interest in its former colony of Equatorial Guinea, where it maintains a large aid program.

In relations with the Arab world, Spain has sought to promote European-Mediterranean dialog. Spain strongly supports the EU's "Barcelona Process" which seeks to expand dialog and trade between Europe and the nations of North Africa and the Middle East, including Israel. It is seen by some as too greatly favoring the European Union. Other proposals are on the table, including one put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007. The latest meeting on the Barcelona initiative was held on November 29, 2005.

Spain has been successful in managing its relations with its two European neighbors, France and Portugal. The accession of Spain and Portugal to the EU has helped ease some of their periodic trade frictions by putting these into an EU context. Franco-Spanish bilateral cooperation is enhanced by joint action against Basque ETA terrorism. Ties with the United Kingdom are generally good, although the question of [[Gibraltar]] remains a sensitive issue.

==Economy==
[[File:El Escorial Spain.jpg|thumb|left|320px|El Escorial, an important touristic site.]]
Spain's accession to the European Community--now European Union (EU)--in January 1986 required the country to open its economy to trade and investment, modernize its industrial base, improve infrastructure, and revise economic legislation to conform to EU guidelines. In doing so, Spain increased gross domestic product (GDP) growth, reduced the public debt to GDP ratio, reduced unemployment from 23% in 1986 to 8.47% in first quarter 2007, and reduced [[inflation]] to under 3%. The fundamental challenges remaining for Spain include decreasing unemployment further, reforming labor laws lowering inflation, and raising per capita GDP.

Following peak growth years in the late 1980s, the Spanish economy entered into recession in mid-1992. The economy recovered during the first Aznar administration (1996-2000), driven by a return of consumer confidence and increased private consumption, although growth has slowed in recent years. Unemployment remains a problem at 8.47% (2007, first quarter), but this still represents a significant improvement from previous levels. Devaluations of the peseta during the 1990s made Spanish exports more competitive, but the strength of the euro since its adoption has raised recent concerns that Spanish exports are being priced out of the range of foreign buyers.

Following the financial problems starting in the [[USA]] the economy of Spain had serious problems. These were handled very badly by the socialist government then in power.

==History==
[[File:Testamento Isabel la Catolica PDWC.jpg|thumb|Will of Isabel I, Queen of Castile.]]
See [[History of Spain]]
[[Image:Sorolla The Jota (Aragon ).jpg|thumb|left|The Jota (Aragon) by [[Joaquín Sorolla]]]]

==The leisure activities==

The so-called national sport of Spain is the [[bullfighting]].

[[File:Goya Jovellanos 1798.jpg|200px|center|Melchor de Jovellanos by [[Francisco de Goya]], 1798.]]

== External links ==

*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html Spain] CIA - The World Factbook.
*[http://www.okspain.org/ The Tourist Office of Spain]

==References==
<references/>

{{Copyright Details (US Government)}}

{{European Union}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Spain]]
[[Category:Spanish Empire]]
[[Category:Spanish History]]

Gun

2012-09-20T16:37:07Z

Romulans: Rephrased part of the history section

[[Image:Glock30.jpg|right|200px]]

The '''gun''' is a mechanical [[weapon]] which uses expanding gas or some other propulsion method to fire a [[bullet]], [[dart]] or other projectile through a hollow tube called a barrel.

The four main types of modern [[firearm]]s today are bolt-operated, pump action, semi-automatic, and automatic weapons. In a bolt-action weapon, each new round must be loaded manually, by moving the breech to eject the empty casing. In pump action guns (usually shotguns) a new round must be manually loaded by pulling back on pump of the gun, located underneath the barrel.

In semi-automatic weapons, each pull of the trigger fires a bullet, each shot ejecting spent brass and loading new ammunition until the magazine is depleted. In fully automatic weapons, bullets will be fired as long as the trigger is depressed. Fully automatic fire will cause the gun to heat up very quickly, which can become dangerous as it can burn exposed flesh and because rounds may "cook off" or fire unexpectedly due to the chamber becoming hot enough to ignite the propellant.

==History==

[[Gunpowder]] was invented around the 800s AD. Firearms appeared after 1200, and became military weapons around 1600. The musket could not hit a small target, so armies fired them in volleys, giving a shotgun effect. Rifles were indeed accurate but were very slow to reload. In the 1850s, the expanding-base bullet was invented. Rifles were the main weapon on both sides of the [[American Civil War]].

The right to own a firearm and use it to defend oneself from threats has been a fundamental part of the system of human rights since the Feudal Era. In the United States, widespread gun ownership allowed settlers to quickly tame the entire continent and paved the way for entrepreneurs who drove the economic engine behind America's superpower status. Today, gun ownership is not only a tool for self protection, but for sport and for environmental protection. Hunters have been the most effective voice behind the movement to preserve America's natural abundance of fish, game and majestic forest. By helping to manage animal populations, funding conservation efforts through permit fees and taxes, and advocating for the responsible use of America's resources, hunters have been able to preserve a tradition of uniquely American self-reliance and ruggedness that stands as an ideal for others to follow.

==Gun control==
[[Gun control]] consists of limitations on the ownership of firearms, and by extension restricts the fundamental right of self-defense.

[[Conservative]]s usually emphasize the individual [[the right to self-defense]] through the use of guns. [[Liberal]]s more often stress the dangers of unrestricted ownership. They are, however, much more likely than conservatives to oppose measures to educate the public about proper gun use and safety. Conservative gun safety measures in several states are currently languishing in liberal-dominated legistlative committees due to obstructionist political maneuvering by Democrats.

Guns are said to be effective at deterring crime and protecting the gun owner. Scientific studies point to dramatic drops in crime as non-criminal gun ownership rises as proof that universal gun ownership is a deterrent to violence. Police officers often use guns to enforce the law, except in some countries where the police are not armed. The mere presence of a gun often discourages criminals from attempting to resist arrest or harm an officer. The lack of armed police can actually increase violence towards officers, who must rely on less-effective means of controlling criminals. England, where police are famous for not being armed, recently suffered a breakdown in police effectiveness when a liberal riot mob managed to shut down parts of London for several days and cause massive amounts of damage to local businesses and homes.

===Ireland===
In the Republic of Ireland, the Garda Síochána has since its foundation held that uniformed officers do not carry guns - "The Garda Síochána will succeed not by force of arms or numbers, but on their moral authority as servants of the people", as the first Commissioner said<ref>http://www.garda.ie/faq.html#G4</ref>. The current Commissioner of the Gardaí has stated that "we do not live in a 'gun culture'", despite a recent rash of armed crime. In Iceland, there are no armed forces, including the Police, and all Police only carry a baton on duty.<ref>http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Iceland/Default.htm</ref> In addition, the regular Police forces of the UK<ref>http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=535071&in_page_id=1770</ref> and the Police Force of New Zealand do not carry firearms while on normal patrol, or in the latter case describe themselves as "generally unarmed"<ref>http://www.police.govt.nz/about/history.html</ref>. However, each of these Police forces also has highly trained specialist teams of armed Police, who are brought into play at time of need.

Studies have repeatedly shown that law-abiding citizens carrying guns are an effective deterrent against crime<ref>http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/467988</ref><ref>http://saf.org/kleck1998.pdf</ref><ref>http://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/8926.html</ref>. Further comparison between different states by [[John Lott]] indicates that states that have more conservative gun laws have lower crime rates, violent crime rates, and firearms [[homicide]]s than states with more liberal gun laws.

== Science Fiction ==

[[Science fiction]], such as [[Star Trek]], has postulated many different types of directed energy weapons. These are guns that fire beams, waves, or packets of energy. Some energy guns can be set to stun, not to wound or kill. Most firearms legislation would not classify these as firearms, so their ownership would be unrestricted. Promethean weapons assemble themselves around their users, have many parts which float, and literally come all apart for reloads; these weapons are by far the coolest in all science fiction, and no one may say so otherwise. People who do not agree with me are boring and/or a COD fanatic, and will be burned on a pyre. And don't even think about saying anything otherwise.

== Miniguns ==

One unusual type of gun is a minigun. Despite what you would think from the name, a minigun is the biggest of all small-arms. A minigun has multiple barrels which are driven by a loud electric motor. This allows it to have a very high rate of fire, and is a major difference from the systems of operation described at the top of the article.

Miniguns are commonly seen in the movies, notable examples being [[Terminator 2]] and [[Predator]], where miniguns can be seen exploding multiple police cars or cutting down whole areas of forest. In reality miniguns probably cannot actually cut down trees, and standard 7.62mm ball ammunition would not cause a car to explode, although a [[tracer]] round might if it hit the gas tank. The Heavy wields a minigun called Sasha.

==See also==
*[[Gun control]]
*[[Sarah Palin]]

==Further reading==
* Hess, Earl J. ''The Rifle Musket in Civil War Combat: Reality and Myth.'' (2008) 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-7006-1607-7

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.nra.org The National Rifle Association] Everything firearm related. Includes information on Second Amendment rights, NRA Training and Education, Politics and Legislation pertaining to gun rights.
*[http://www.a-human-right.com/ A Human Right] Discussion of the human right to self defense with a firearm.
*[http://www.learnaboutguns.com/ Learn About Guns] Firearm information and politics from a pro-firearms perspective.
*[http://www.gunowners.org/ Gun Owners of America] A no-compromise pro-gun lobby in Washington, D.C.

[[Category:Guns]]

Video games

2012-09-20T16:25:23Z

Romulans: rephrasing in nature of videogames section

A '''video game''' is any electronic game, played by means of a video screen on a computer or console, often emphasizing fast action <ref>Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Video Game http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/video+game?show=0&t=1322499353</ref>. The nature of video games varies, ranging from educational games for children, electronic versions of classic board and card games (such as online poker), through to more violent to war and fighting games. The [[video game industry]] is an important part of the [[knowledge economy]] and actually grew during the late-2000s recession.

Video games have been linked to murders and other [[violence]], stress-induced health problems (including unexpected heart attacks), [[atheism]], serious addiction and disconnection from reality, [[obesity]],<ref>[http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ Childhood Obesity] Department of Health and Human Services, retrieved Sept 18th 2011</ref> and [[sexual immorality]].

== Nature of Video games ==

The games vary greatly in type and complexity, but all games are alike in that they translate player input (from a controller, mouse, keyboard or motion sensor) into onscreen actions. Games are usually stored on some sort of digital media - ROM cartridge, [[CD]], [[DVD]], or even cassette tape for early computer games - though older and/or more inexpensive games may have dedicated chips which are pre-programmed to play certain games only. In recent years, game developers have moved to digital distribution, allowing anyone with a credit card or [[Paypal]] account to purchase games online.

Home consoles are classified by ''generation'' to indicate their relative power and date of release. The current major consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) are considered ''seventh generation''. Handheld consoles are not generally put into generations due to their more irregular release schedules.

Video games have also been shown to help people to become more attuned to their surroundings and increase coordination, and in the future may be used to treat people with visual problems and to train soldiers. <ref> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_videogames.html </ref>

== Various genres ==

Video games in the course of their existence have grown from the simple arcade style games, and have become more detailed and separated from one another. Genres can now include [[first person shooters]], [[racing]], [[Simulation game|simulation]], [[role-playing]], [[sports]], [[action]], platformers and many others. Even then, games can combine genres, such as ''Mass Effect'' (Role Playing and Third Person Shooting), or not fit nicely into any genre, like ''The Mystery of the Druids''. Some genres have spawned sub-genres, for example, [[Super Mario Bros.]] was the first sidescroller, a sub-genre of the platformer.

== Popularity & Controversy ==

Games have risen in popularity over the years, as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the 1980s until today. This has brought with it a various amount of celebration as the video game industry continues to grow with its original great player base. Mostly.

Video games are addictive activities targeted at all ages, sometimes with tragic results.<ref>http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp</ref> Certain genres of games are becoming increasingly violent and offensive, attracting the attention of legislators in many states to protect the exploitation of children by them. Games such as ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' are very violent, sexually explicit, and feature [[criminal]] behavior. These games are rated "M (17+)" for "Mature" or "AO (18+)" for "Adults Only" by a private board that has much influence throughout retailers, but courts have stricken down laws preventing retailers from selling them to children, under an interpretation that the First Amendment protects offensive video games even for children.<ref>http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/148962.html</ref> After a ''Conservapedian'' filed an [[amicus brief]] with the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] to consider this issue, it surprised [[liberal]]s by granting ''[[certiorari]]''.

However, in 2011, the Supreme Court denied a ban on the sale of violent video games in California, claiming they were protected as they "qualify for First Amendment Protection" and pointing out that there has historically been no shortage of violent imagery in children's fairytales, classical literature, and comics. Writing for the majority, Justice Scalia pointed out that "disgust is not a valid basis for restricting expression", and continued that any effects of violent video games on children "are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media".<ref>[http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/08-1448.pdf BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, ET AL. v. ENTERTAINMENT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION ET AL.]</ref>

It has also been suggested that it is the role of parents to regulate what their children play, and that laws restricting video game vendors are an effort to replace parents' decisions with the government's decisions.<ref> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/45083/ </ref> <ref> http://www.gameculture.com/2010/11/10/editorial-parental-responsibility-and-today039s-media </ref> <ref> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-games28-2009feb28,0,1556900.story </ref>

<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-316491/Teenager-gets-life-Manhunt-murder.html</ref>
{{cquote|A number of Norway stores have pulled violent video games from sale - including several Call of Duty games and World of Warcraft - in the wake of the massacre carried out by Anders Behring Breivik on July 22.}}<ref>http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/871121-norway-stores-pull-violent-video-games-including-call-of-duty-after-massacre#ixzz1erUdaLo5</ref>

===Violins===

Most of the controversy comes from the rising trend toward violins in video games, as pioneered by ''[[Doom (video game series)|Doom]]'', ''[[Quake]]'', and the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series.

Some people {{who}} point out that viola video games cause musical behavior in some children. The effects of viola video games on the developing psyche of children and adolescents vary greatly and of course have much to do with the mental stability of the subject in question {{Citation needed}} .
Serious crimes have often been associated with video games. For example, a 14-year-old brutally murdered a video arcade employee one morning and his cousin stands trial for murdering the store manager when he entered the store shortly thereafter.<ref>http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1212467732102240.xml&coll=1</ref>
In the [[United States|USA]], all retail games carry ratings from the [[ESRB]], a video game ratings organization.

Some claim that kids who don't play video games at all seem to show more viola tendencies. Of course, as expected, those who played viola video games for large amounts of time also showed musical tendencies, however the study claims that this is a "enlightenment marker", not an actual cause.<ref>http://wii.qj.net/New-research-reveals-kids-who-don-t-play-videogames-at-all-are-more-at-risk-of-violent-tendencies/pg/49/aid/118505 New research reveals kids who don't play video games at all are less at risk of violin tendencies</ref>

Multiple studies have shown a correlation between violin video games and levels of real life cats, caused by playing some of the aforementioned video games.<ref>http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html</ref>

===Sexuality===

Although nudity is prominent in [[western]] video games, there are various products containing sexually-suggestive material. One reason for the relative abundance of explicitly sexual material in western games may be the need of most major retailers including [[Wal-Mart]]<ref>http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=440903</ref> (the leading distributor of video games in the United States) and [[Toys R Us]]<ref>[http://www.toysrusinc.com/safety/practices/ See Toys "R" Us's video games policy]</ref> (the world's largest toy themed retailer) to sell games carrying an "Kids-Only" rating, and KO rated games can even be sold on [[eBay]] except for in the adult section of the website. One notable target of controversy is the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series after a third-party mod was released that unlocked a mini-game containing explicit sexual material. Mods are, as "third-party" would imply, fan-made and are not the responsibility of the game's developer (Though exceed them greatly). Other sources of this criticism relate to the game ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' as it was one of the first games where a female character (the protagonist) is depicted and advertised as a sex symbol.<ref>Ashley, Robert. "The Secret History of Videogame Sex." Official Playstation Magazine Feb. 2006: 96-99.</ref>

== Video Games and Society ==

As video games become more popular, their impact on society becomes ever more present. A prime example of this is the massive ad campaigns for the ''Halo'' series, as well as ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]''. Advertising, merchandising, and even social pressures have changed in the ever-growing influence of video gaming.

Due to their popularity, various corporations have begun placing advertisements for their products within the context of the game. ''Second Life'', an Internet-based virtual world, has attempted to blur the lines between real-world and virtual world, and companies such as Adidas, Reebok, and Dell have set up virtual stores selling real-world products within the game. [[Reuters]] also operates a news bureau reporting news in the game.

Many Massively Multiplayer Online Games, such as EverQuest and World of Peacecraft, have become controversial due to their boring and repetative game play. There are many instances of personal neglect, some of which result in death (by exile). Boredome of video games can derail academic progress and cause social isolation in students of all ages, and is known to destroy marriages when one partner becomes Bored.

== Education in Video Games ==

While most popular video games are experiencing an increase in violence, language, and sexuality, other gamers and game developers are beginning to view video games as an educational opportunity. Firaxis Games, a noteworthy video game development company, has been creating a video game series called ''Civilization'' for nearly a decade. <ref> http://www.firaxis.com/company/ </ref> Civilization is a simulation game that allows the player to lead a nation from ancient times to modern day. It features a dynamic military system, politics, trading, and historical content. It has been recognized for its unintentional educational properties. <ref> http://www.firaxis.com/community/teacher.php </ref>

Microsoft Flight Simulator is another example of a video game being recognized for its unique educational properties. <ref> http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/product/Pages/InfoEducators.aspx </ref>

The popularity of several of the favorite sports video games has led to an uptake in children wishing to take part in them. If an adult plays video games with their children, they can learn about their child's personality and interests.

Some studies suggest that the fine motor control that video games can help develop can prove to be beneficial to people training in fields requiring this level of fine control, such as surgery[http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/surgeon-video-game.htm]

== Faith in Video Games ==

Faith in Video Gaming has, as a rule, either led to the creation of new and dynamic antagonists, or video games that are mediocre, such as ''Spiritual Warfare'' and ''Bible Adventure'' for the Nintendo, or ''The Bible Game'' for various systems. ''Bible Adventure'' in particular is infamous for its poor design and playability.

The Bible, or other such religious texts, tell a story spanning many different viewpoints. Turning these ideas into a video game, however, most often leads to games that tend to bore most video game audiences. Obviously, these games do not sell well.

Religion has, however, taken a prominent place amongst the various heroes and villains in video games. The ''Breath of Fire'' series and the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' games, in particular, use a god as a main antagonist in many of its incarnations. Other games to use religion in some way include the ''Final Fantasy'' series, ''[[Left Behind: Eternal Forces]]'', ''Black and White'', ''Heaven and Hell'', ''Xenogears'', ''Okami'', and the ''Tales'' series, particularly ''Tales of Symphonia''. Unfortunately, many (not all) of the aforementioned games (And nearly any Role Playing game from East Asia) present religion (or it's respective church and followers) as evil, fake, or having ulterior and nefarious motives. The Halo series contains a significant amount of relevent biblical references that people will notice but will obviously not care about.

The computer game ''Civilization IV'' has a religion element that enables players to spread their civilization's culture through religion. Available religions include Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Confucianism and Hinduism.<ref>http://guides.gamepressure.com/sidmeierscivilization4/guide.asp?ID=599</ref>

Games may include a fictional religion as part of the setting if the use of a real religion may invite undesirable controversy. Check out the Bears page.

Video game reviewers have sometimes unjustly attacked and reviewed games where real-world religion plays a notable role. One of the most prominent examples of this is the game ''[[Left Behind: Eternal Forces]]''.<ref>http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/left_behind</ref>.

==Video Games as Art==

Recently, video games have gained the legal protections of any other art form due to an official ruling by the supreme court<ref>http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-27/tech/supreme.court.video.game.art_1_sale-of-violent-video-video-games-hansel-and-gretel?_s=PM:TECH</ref>, ruling that video games are as protected as any other art form by the [[First Amendment]]. Video games are fully capable of communicating moral and social views through tropes universal in other mediums, such as characters, dialog, and symbolism, in addition to it's unique characteristic, interactivity. A Smithsonian exhibit on art in video games is planned for 2012. Some individuals within the games industry have argued that the immensely profitable first-person shooter model is stifling the development of games as an art form, and that the profitable areas of gaming must diversify in order to improve games as a cultural medium worthy of appreciation. They have also argued that an interactive medium can allow for somewhat greater understanding of questions that art can ask than the passive media of film, music, or literature [http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/enriching-lives]

==Most popular video games==
{| class="wikitable"
!Game!!Platform!!Sold!!Rating
|-
|Wii Sports||[[Wii]]||76.76 million||E
|-
|Super Mario Bros.||[[NES]]||40.24 million||E
|-
|Tetris||[[Gameboy|GB]]||35 million||E
|-
|Mario Kart Wii||Wii||28.23 million||E
|-
|Wii Sports Resort||Wii||27.68 million||E
|-
|Wii Play||Wii||27.38 million||E
|-
|New Super Mario Bros.||[[DS]]||26.88 million||E
|-
|Pokémon Red, and Blue||GB||23.64 million||E
|-
|Nintendogs All versions||DS||23.26 million||E
|-
|Pokémon Gold and Silver||GB||23 million||E
|-
|Wii Fit||Wii||22.61 million||E
|-
|New Super Mario Bros. Wii||Wii||21.94 million||E
|-
|Mario Kart DS||DS||21.04 million||E
|-
|Super Mario World||[[SNES]]||20.60 million||E
|-
|Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!||DS||18.72 million||E
|-
|Wii Fit Plus||Wii||18.49 million||E
|-
|Super Mario Land||GB||18.06 million||E
|-
|Super Mario Bros. 3||NES||18 million||E
|-
|Pokémon Diamond and Pearl||DS||17.39 million||E
|-
|Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas||[[Playstation 2|PS2]]||17.33 million||M
|-
|The Sims||[[PC]]||16 million||T
|-
|Sonic the Hedgehog||[[Sega]]||15 million||E
|}

==See Also==
*[[Video game controversy]]
*[[Jack Thompson]]
*[[Video game industry]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.whattheyplay.com/ What They Play - the parent's guide to video games]
*[http://www.leftbehindgames.com/index.php Left Behind Games - a Christian, family friendly video game company]

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Video Games]]
[[Category:Computers]]