text:
Talk:Religion in Japan

Year in article
The following section comes from the Christianity paragraph: " Portuguese traders were already active in Kagoshima since 1943,[53] welcomed by local daimyo because they imported gunpowder. Anijirō, a Japanese convert, helped the Jesuits understanding Japanese culture and translating the first Japanese catechism.[54]

These missionaries were successful in converting large numbers of people in Kyushu, including paesants, former Buddhist monks, and members of the warrior class.[55] In 1559, a mission to the capital, Kyoto, was started.[56] By the following year there were already nine churches, and the Christian community grew steadily in the 1560s"

So should the 1943 be changed to 1493? - Bramvr (talk) 09:46, 1 February 2015 (UTC)

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Request change, source 1 census is listed as being in 2006, but there is reason to believe it is in 2000
I do not speak Japanese, so forgive me if I am wrong, but I noticed that the pie chart's date seems to be wrong. I journied over to the source, because I wanted to see it for myself for a paper I'm working on, and I noticed that there is a contradiction. The top of the census says: "2000年," and at the very bottom of the page, however, it says "Added... 2006." I could be mistaken, but to the best I could tell, the census is from 2000, but the person added the information was uploaded to the source by a third party in the year of 2006. Forgive me if I am wrong.

MrRichBOB (talk) 05:08, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

Problem with the kami
The kami are not the one centralized god-creator of the Universe, neither their personhood is as partonizing as for example the Abrahamic god. (personhood is important to mention here, because personhood is about the definition of the person; not personality which focuses mainly on the particularities of the individual - we should study deeple the "personhood of kami" or the "degree of personhood" but degree of personhood is a different subject) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:587:410C:8900:D48A:A93:3E21:696F (talk) 22:53, 14 March 2019 (UTC) Thus many Japanese who are irreligious don't have enough motivation to be declared antispiritualists. We have to mention that. Some (but not all) Japanese are conceited. They focus on the blurriness of some Shinto texts, on the fact that kami is not the one universal creator, and on the fact that kami aren't as partonizing as the Islamic, Christian or other gods. This isn't a metalogically deep reason to avoid strong atheism if your reasoning leads you there. The Japanese don't show proper respect to pure nothingness and stict antimathematicality/antispirituality. Not all Japanese have a single opinion. Few are true atheists. As a society they don't show respect towards pure nothingness and pure atheism. That's a problem of their own. They should stop blaming the non patronizing weakness and non universal centrality of the kami. Respecting something doesn't mean you have to agree. They (as a society) don't show respect towards pure nothingness and pure atheism. Not all Japanese are male, old or artists. Many different characters exist. We shouldn't blame individuals, instead the Japanese society.

 * don't delete that; it's a subtle social problem (it will be solved, because new immigrants aren't inhabited in conduct and speak out their minds) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:587:410C:8900:D48A:A93:3E21:696F (talk) 22:51, 14 March 2019 (UTC)

Japanese Buddhism
I would like to eventually explain Pure land Buddhism is different from JodoShu(Pure land Buddhism is called Jodo-Kyo here in Japan),When I find an English source.(I know an American Buddhist who believes pure land Buddhism,who's texts are not available Hard to find unlike common Buddhism text in Japan)Give me some time until I find them.Paperworkorange (talk) 15:48, 15 October 2021 (UTC)

Inconsistent Figures
The figures showing the breakdown of religious practice in Japan flatly contradict each other. The NHK data seems to be at odds with the other sources stated at the top. If it's an outlier it should but be placed so prominently or, if not, they're should at least be an mention of the divergence of the graphs in their captions. 24.185.137.174 (talk) 00:01, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

 * It depends on what the original NHK source says. The CIA factbook source which is unknown allowed people to identify more than one religion (which goes with Japanese society allowing the possibility of following both Shinto and Buddhist practices).  The NHK source is in Japanese so I can't read it but does not seem to allow overlap (or else the person creating the pie chart chose data to fit a pre-conceived notion that a person could only be one religion at a given time).  Given the overlap existing, the pie chart should go even though on the whole I prefer to avoid the CIA Factbook data because it does not list its sources. Erp (talk) 16:06, 27 August 2022 (UTC)

Data outdated
The data for the percentages of adherents of different faiths is outdated Stormplatter (talk) 05:45, 18 August 2022 (UTC)

Ucsp about beliefs in japan.
Beliefs in Japan 175.176.77.169 (talk) 07:34, 27 August 2022 (UTC)

Percentage in Japanese religion Pie chart
Hello, can you please fix the pie chart of the percentage of shinto its percentage is more higher than 3%. Can you help fix it to its proper percentage please ok. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.150.13.206 (talk) 01:53, 11 November 2022 (UTC)

Inaccurate Graphic
The pie chart at the start of the article seems wildly inaccurate - it shows the percentage of people practising Shinto as 3%..? ElleBlair (talk) 21:28, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Perhaps this is 3% membership in Shinto organizations.JimRenge (talk) 21:51, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
 * The two graphs currently in the article are wildly different from each other. Frankly, the NHK study seems ridiculous or completely misinterpreted. Dialmayo 15:22, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I've removed the two pie charts. These type of charts assume that people associated with only one religion which is manifestly untrue in Japan. I've also revamped the opening paragraph in the Demographics section.  The previous version had a reasonably good source but used only one fact from it and perhaps the least interesting fact in the source. Erp (talk) 18:51, 27 May 2024 (UTC)
 * @Erp: Perhaps a note explaining why the percentages don't add up to 100% would be useful to readers. Dialmayo 18:55, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

NHK Research at top of article
Surely it is misleading to have research with such a small sample size at the start of the article. Most estimates conclude that Shintoism and Buddhism are the dominant religions. I do believe that the research should be mentioned at some point in the article however having research that conflicts with most other research at the very top of the article is very misleading - 🇮🇪 Signed, Nintentoad125 👻 (Talk to me! 🗣) 07:15, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Religion in Japan


text:
Vasaloppet

Vasaloppet (Swedish for 'the Vasa race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The 90 km course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in the central part of the province. It is the oldest cross-country ski race in the world, as well as the one with the highest number of participants.

The race was inspired by a notable journey King Gustav Vasa made from Mora to Sälen when he was fleeing from Christian II's soldiers during the winter of 1520–1521 in the beginning of the Swedish War of Liberation. According to legend, he fled on skis. The modern competition started in 1922 and it has been a part of the Worldloppet events since 1979.

Origin
In 1520, the young nobleman Gustav Ericsson Vasa was fleeing from the troops of Christian II, king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway (the Kalmar Union). Much of the Swedish nobility was in opposition to the king, and had nicknamed him Christian the Tyrant. In a move to silence the opposition, Christian invited the Swedish aristocracy to a reconciliation party in Stockholm, only to have them, including Gustav's parents, massacred in what came to be known as the Stockholm Bloodbath.

Gustav fled through Dalarna, fearing for his life if he were discovered by the king's troops. He spoke to the men of Mora at a gathering and tried to convince them to raise a levy and start a rebellion against King Christian. The men refused to join the rebellion, and Gustav started out west, toward Norway to seek refuge. However, the men in Mora changed their minds after hearing that the Danish rulers had decided to raise taxes, and now they wanted to join the rebellion with Gustav as their leader. They sent out the two best skiers in the county, two brothers from Mora, Lars and Engelbrekt, to search for him and they caught up with him at Sälen. On 6June 1523, Gustav Vasa was crowned King of Sweden, after having defeated the Danish king Christian and dissolved the Kalmar Union. Since that day, Sweden has been an independent nation.

While Gustav traveled from Mora to Sälen, the modern race is run the opposite way, finishing in Mora.

History
The idea for the race was published in Westmanlands Läns Tidning on 10February 1922 by Anders Pers from Mora. On 5March 1922, the board of IFK Mora decided to organize a trial race. Newspaper Dagens Nyheter sponsored the race with SEK 1,000 and with finances secured the first race was held on 19March 1922. 136 participants registered for the race and 119 started. The winner was 22-year-old Ernst Alm from Norsjö Sports Club in 7:32:49. He is also the youngest ever winner of the race.

In the 80th race, held on 7March 2004, about 15,500 skiers competed in the main event. More than 40,000 participated in one of the seven different races held during the first week of March. Vasaloppet is one of the races in the long distance cup Ski Classics.

When Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated just two days before the race in 1986, a cancellation of that year's race was considered. However, the race proceeded as planned with the 10,000 participants observing a moment of silence before the start.

Women's participation
Women winners in Vasaloppet have received awards since 1997. Before that, in 1922–23 and 1981–96, women were allowed to race, but did not receive awards. The first woman to participate was Margit Nordin from Grängesberg in 1923, at 10:09:42. Falu Kuriren wrote about the event: "... an incredible ovation greeted the only lady competitor, Miss Margit Nordin. Miss Nordin was lifted high on strong arms and she received flowers and cheers".

Through the years following the first race, there were many heated debates about women's participation. A majority of officials, mostly male, within sports organizations as well as in society in general, were opposed to women in the race. This led to women being banned from the race from 1924 until 1980. The ban was introduced because it was considered bad for women's health to participate in such a competition. The ban was criticized, especially after 1960. Some defended the ban saying that allowing women would diminish the race's reputation as a tough challenge. Several women did nevertheless participate during the ban, disguised as men. Two of the women who disguised themselves in 1978, Birgitta Westhed and Britt Dohsé, were assisted by professional make-up artist from the Gothenburg City Theatre, who changed their looks using wigs, moustache and a full beard. Westhed was interviewed by TV during the race, which put women's participation higher on the media agenda.

Motto
The motto of Vasaloppet I fäders spår för framtids segrar ('In [our] fathers' tracks for future victories') is written on a portal erected over the finish line in Mora. At the first race, the finish line was simply marked with white board between two flag poles with the word Mål ('Finish') on it. The second year a more stately portal with the motto was fashioned. In 1986, the portal was made permanent and has since become a significant landmark in Mora.

Kranskulla and kransmas
A tradition connected to the race is the custom to choose a kranskulla. This is a woman who is given the honor of hanging a laurel victory wreath around the neck of the winner of the race as he crosses the finish line. She is dressed in the traditional folk costume of Dalarna. With the introduction of the women's race, Tjejvasan in 1988, a male kransmas is also appointed. During the year, those who have been appointed as kranskulla and kransmas serve as ambassadors for the race.

Organization
The race is organized by the non-profit organization Vasaloppsföreningen Sälen-Mora that was registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office in 1992 and is owned by two local sports clubs, IFK Mora and Sälens IF. The organization has approximately 35-year-round employees who work with planning, preparing and developing the events.

Stations
Traditionally since 1958, blåbärssoppa ('bilberry-soup') made by Ekströms food company, is served at the stations along the course. The Swedish word for bilberry, blåbär, literally means 'blueberry'. About 50,000 liters are served during the Vasaloppet week. In addition, sports drinks and "Vasaloppet buns" are also served. Coffee is served at the Eldris station.

For a number of years, Ekströms had the logo for their blåbärssoppa printed on the number tags worn by the participants in the race. The word blåbär was printed in large bold letters, which resulted in the participants being called blåbär — a double meaning and pun since the word is also used to describe a "rookie".

Vasaloppet stations
 * Berga by, 0 km
 * Smågan, 11 km
 * Mångsbodarna, 24 km
 * Risberg, 35 km
 * Evertsberg, 47 km
 * Oxberg, 62 km
 * Hökberg, 71 km
 * Eldris, 81 km
 * Mora, 90 km

The Rope
The Rope, also referred to as "The Dreaded Rope", is a series of ropes drawn across the track at certain times to prevent participants, who have no chance of reaching the finish line in Mora before the area is closed, to continue. The ropes in Vasaloppet are drawn at seven of the stations: Smågan, Mångsbodarna, Risberg, Evertsberg, Oxberg, Hökberg and Eldris. The race starts at 8:00 a.m. and the finish area is closed at 8:15 p.m. just before the prize ceremony. There is artificial light from Eldris, but skiers should not go in darkness before that place, which also sets a limit for the rope times.

World cup race
Since 1978, Vasaloppet is included in the Worldloppet Ski Federation, a series of long-distance cross-country skiing races. In 2006, the Vasaloppet was included in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup; a large complement of World Cup racers joined the men's field for the full 90 km distance. Owing to the distance—40 km longer than the longest race usually skied in the World Cup—as well as the proximity to the just-concluded Olympic Games in Turin, the race was again dominated by long-distance specialists rather than World Cup racers. Daniel Tynell won the race, just ahead of Jerry Ahrlin, while Anders Aukland – who has skied on both the Norwegian national World Cup team and in marathons like the Vasaloppet – finished third. The women's World Cup Vasaloppet was held over 45 km the previous day, rather than being integrated with the full Vasaloppet. Marit Bjørgen from Norway won, though the field included only World Cup racers, since the marathon specialists chose to race in the full-distance event the next day.

Vasaloppet week
The week preceding Vasaloppet is known as Vasaloppet week. Races held during this week include:
 * Kortvasan (short – 30 km)
 * Tjejvasan (ladies – 30 km)
 * Halvvasan (half – 45 km)
 * Ungdomsvasan (9–16 years old – 3 - 9 km)
 * Öppet spår (non-competitive – 90 km)
 * Stafettvasan (relay – 90 km)
 * Nattvasan (two-person teams make the original race at night in darkness – 90 km)
 * Vasaloppet (original – 90 km)

Multiple winners
Men

Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson has the most titles, with 9. Janne Stefansson (7), Jan Ottosson (4), Arthur Häggblad (4), Bengt Hassis (3), Oskar Svärd (3), Daniel Tynell, Jörgen Brink (3) and John Kristian Dahl (3) are the only other racers with more than two titles. Six men have two titles.

Women

Sofia Lind has the most titles, with 4. Four women have two titles.

Time
The average winning time is 5:11:38 (a per-kilometer average of 3:28). The record winning time is 3:28:18 (2:19 per kilometer), set by Tord Asle Gjerdalen of Norway in 2021. Only 11 winners have finished in less than four hours.

Konrad Hallenbarter from Switzerland, is the first to win a Vasaloppet under four hours,3:58:08, in 1983.

The ten fastest times include six Swedes and four Norwegians; Jörgen Brink, Sweden appear twice in the list of the ten fastest times. Of the ten fastest times, one occurred in the 1980s, one in the 1990s, two in the 2000s, three in the 2010s and three in the 2020s.

In 2021 course records were set for both men and women. Before that the fastest year was 2012, also with course records for both men and women.

Ten fastest times
 * 1) 2021: Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR) – 3:28:18
 * 2) 2022: Andreas Nygaard (cross-country skier) (NOR) - 3:32:18
 * 3) 2023: Emil Persson (SWE) – 3:37:43
 * 4) 2012: Jörgen Brink (SWE) – 3:38:41
 * 5) 1998: Peter Göransson (SWE) – 3:38:57
 * 6) 2004: Anders Aukland (NOR) – 3:48:42
 * 7) 1986: Bengt Hassis (SWE) – 3:48:55
 * 8) 2013: Jørgen Aukland (NOR) – 3:50:49
 * 9) 2005: Oskar Svärd (SWE) – 3:51:47
 * 10) 2011: Jörgen Brink (SWE) – 3:51:51

Average times
Average times per decade have declined in each ten-year span, with the sharpest drop between decade averages occurring in the 1960s, for which the average winning time was 31:45 faster than the average winning time of the 1950s. The average winning time in the 1970s was 16:07 faster than the 1960s, the 1980s average was 24:09 faster than the 1970s, and the 1990s average was 13:06 faster than the 1980s. The average winning time in the 2000s is only 2:18 faster than the 1990s, however. As of 2011 the average winning time so far in the 2010s is 12:12 faster than the 2000s.

Winners' nationalities
Sweden is the most prolific producer of winners, with 74 titles (including two all-Sweden ties, in 1928 and 1988), or 90% of the 82 contested races. (The race was canceled in 1932, 1934, and 1990). Norway has produced seven winners: Ole Ellefsæter, 1971; Anders Aukland, 2004; Jørgen Aukland, 2008 and 2013; John Kristian Dahl, 2014, 2016 and 2017, Petter Eliassen, 2015, Andreas Nygaard, 2018,Tore Björseth Berdal, 2019. Two countries have produced two winners: Finland (Pekka Kuvaja, 1954; Pauli Siitonen, 1973) and Austria (Walter Mayer, 1980; Mikhail Botvinov, 1997). Five countries have produced one winner: East Germany (Gert-Dietmar Klause, 1975), the Soviet Union (Ivan Garanin, 1977), France (Jean-Paul Pierrat, 1978), Switzerland (Konrad Hallenbarter, 1983), and Estonia (Raul Olle, 2000).

Sweden won every race until 1954, when Pekka Kuvaja of Finland won the race. The next non-Swede to win was Ole Ellefsæter of Norway (1971), who kicked off a decade in which Sweden won just five titles and racers from five other countries won the five other titles. Sweden won 8 of the titles in the 1980s (Austria [Mayer, 1980] and Switzerland [Hallenbarter, 1983] each won one title in that decade), and 8 more in the 1990s (Austria won one more title in that decade [Botvinov, 1997], and the race was canceled once [1990]). In the 2000s, Sweden won seven races, Norway won twice (Anders Aukland, 2004; Jørgen Aukland, 2008), and Estonia won once (Olle, 2000).

Sister races

 * Vasaloppet USA, held annually on the second Saturday of February in Mora, Minnesota, USA (prior to 2015, the race occurred annually on the second Sunday of February)
 * Vasaloppet Japan, held in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, since 1981
 * Chinese Vasaloppet, held in Changchun since 2003
 * Botniavasan, Finland, since 2006
 * Vasaloppet de la Sergerie, Jonquière, Quebec, Canada, since 2007
 * Cykelvasan, summer cycling race using the Vasaloppet course.

Notable participants

Vasaloppet has been called a rite of passage for Swedes. Aside from the winners, some of the noted people who have completed the race are:

• Alice Bah Kuhnke, former minister of culture

• Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden (3 times)

• Carl Philip, Prince of Sweden

• Magdalena Forsberg, former biathlon champion

• Peter Forsberg, ice hockey player

• Frederik X, King of Denmark

• Marcus Grönholm, rally driver

• Mark Levengood, journalist, writer

• Ueli Maurer, Swiss defence minister

• Pippa Middleton, socialite

• James William Middleton, businessman

• Arild Monsen, cross-country skier

• Rickard Olsson, television and radio presenter

• Anja Pärson, alpine skier

• Åsa Romson, politician

• Olaf Tufte, competition rower

• Frida Wallberg, boxer

• Måns Zelmerlöw, Eurovision winner

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Vasaloppet


text:
Gil Gutknecht

Gilbert William Gutknecht Jr. (born March 20, 1951) is an American politician. Gutknecht was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives first elected in 1994 to represent Minnesota's 1st congressional district. Gutknecht lost his 2006 reelection bid to DFL candidate Tim Walz, and his term ended in January 2007.

Background
Gutknecht was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He graduated from high school in 1969 and was the first member of his extended family to attend college, graduating with a degree in business from the University of Northern Iowa in 1973.

After college, Gutknecht was a school supplies salesman for 10 years. He went to auction college in 1978 and conducted his first real estate auction in 1979.

Gutknecht is married to Mary Catherine Keefe. The couple has three grown children and has lived in Rochester, Minnesota for more than 30 years, where they are members of Pax Christi Catholic Church.

Minnesota Legislature
In 1983, Gutknecht was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he served until 1994. He was the Republican floor leader for three years.

U.S. House of Representatives
Gutknecht was elected to the U.S. House in 1994, running for a seat left open when six-term Representative Tim Penny (DFL) retired. He served six terms, in the 104th, 105th, 106th, 107th, 108th, and 109th congresses, but in the November 2006 election lost his attempt to continue for a seventh.

During his tenure in Congress, Gutknecht served as chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Operations Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry, vice chair of the Science Committee, and as a member of the Government Reform Committee.

In April 1995, The journal Science quoted Gutknecht's legislative aide Brian Harte as saying the federal effort to study AIDS based on the HIV/AIDS link "will be seen as the greatest scandal in American history and will make Watergate look like a no-fault divorce."

In August 2002, Gutknecht voiced his support for expansion plans by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, despite opposition from many constituents in Mankato and Rochester who were concerned about noise and traffic problems.

He was the only Minnesota Republican to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement. He cited the sugar beet growers in his district as one reason to oppose the trade bill, which ultimately passed by a vote of 217–215.

He also sponsored legislation that would have legalized drug imports from other countries, despite opposition from the Food and Drug Administration. It passed the House but the provision fell from the final version, largely based on White House opposition and an administration report critical of imports.

In January 2006, Gutknecht also opposed his party's leadership when he called for new elections for all leadership posts except the speaker. He said Republicans needed to win back the trust of the American people in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal.

In mid-2006, after returning from Iraq, Gutknecht said that the U.S. should partially withdraw troops from that country, again deviating from the Republican administration's stance.

Gutknecht was considered to be the third most conservative member of the Minnesota delegation in the 109th Congress, scoring 92% conservative by a conservative group and 7% progressive by a liberal group.

Events of 2006 and election defeat
Gutknecht ran for re-election in 2006. During the 1994 campaign, he had signed the Contract with America, which called for a Constitutional Amendment to limit congressional terms to 12 years. The "contract" called for a vote on this amendment. "If we ever break this contract, throw us out." In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton that congressional term limit laws are unconstitutional, so a constitutional amendment is the only way to implement term limits. Gutknecht voted for such a proposed amendment in 1995, which failed to muster the two-thirds vote for it to move on to the Senate. After Gutknecht was elected in November 1994, he pledged to serve no more than 12 years. In March 1995 he drafted a bill that would bar House members from accruing additional pension benefits after they have served for six terms. "The purpose is to provide one more incentive for people to stay no longer than 12 years," he said.

In November 1999, Gutknecht said he was not sure he would abide by his past recommendation that legislators serve no more than 12 years. He said he still liked term limits in principle, but he noted that the topic was no longer a front-burner issue in the public mind. According to the Associated Press, he "backtracked" from his 1995 term-limit pledge in May 2004, stating that the voters should be the ones making the decision. In March 2005 he announced he was running for a seventh term.

In March 2006, Gutknecht told a group of Minnesota State University, Mankato College Republicans and other students that the role they would take on in the elections in 2006 would be just as pivotal as the part played by Minnesota's 1st Regiment to hold the line at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. "We're asked to stand in that gap and there are big stakes in this election," Gutknecht said. "And remember, had we lost the Battle of Gettysburg, we might have lost the war."

Gutknecht had always chosen to submit filing petitions when running for Congress instead of paying the $300 election filing fee, calling this a more fiscally conservative approach. Gutknecht was the only major party candidate in Minnesota to submit filing petitions in 2006. In August 2006, Louis Reiter of Elgin, Minnesota filed papers with the Minnesota Supreme Court seeking to disqualify Gutknecht from having his name appear on the September 12, 2006 primary ballot. The filing was prepared by DFL election attorney Alan Weinblatt, and argued that all candidates are subject to a time limit for petitions, and that most of the petition signatures were gathered before the July 4–18, 2006 period which the lawsuit claimed was applicable. Gutknecht filed the petitions on July 5, 2006, the first day possible for such filings. He had never previously been challenged on this point. The state Supreme Court heard the case on August 22, 2006, and denied the attempt to disqualify Gutknecht the same day.

On August 17, 2006, WCCO-TV News in Minneapolis reported that members of Gutknecht's campaign made edits to his Wikipedia article. They replaced part of the page with his official congressional biography, removing references to his term-limit pledges. Gutknecht's office used the account "Gutknecht01" to attempt previous edits on July 24; that account was then notified (via its talk page) of Wikipedia policies against self-editing.

Gutknecht defeated Gregory Mikkelson in the Republican primary on September 12, 2006, 87%–13%. Gutknecht was unsuccessful in his bid for a seventh term, losing to DFLer Tim Walz. After the election, Gutknecht was asked about a possible return to politics. He replied "That's a little like asking a woman who's just come out of a 38-hour labor and delivered a 12-pound baby, 'Well, don't you want to get pregnant again?' Not today."

Electoral history

 * 1996 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – 1st District
 * Gil Gutknecht (R) (inc.), 53%
 * Mary Rieder (DFL), 47%
 * 1998 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – 1st District
 * Gil Gutknecht (R) (inc.), 55%
 * Tracy Beckman (DFL), 45%
 * 2000 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – 1st District
 * Gil Gutknecht (R) (inc.), 57%
 * Mary Rieder (DFL), 42%
 * 2002 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – 1st District
 * Gil Gutknecht (R) (inc.), 61%
 * Steve Andreasen (DFL), 35%
 * Gregg Mikkelson (G), 4%
 * 2004 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – 1st District
 * Gil Gutknecht (R) (inc.), 60%
 * Leigh Pomeroy (DFL), 35%
 * Greg Mikkelson (I), 5%
 * 2006 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – 1st District
 * Tim Walz (DFL), 53%
 * Gil Gutknecht (R) (inc.), 47%

title: Gil Gutknecht


text:
Burger

Burger or Burgers may refer to:

Foods

 * Hamburger, a food consisting of one or more cooked beef patties, placed inside a sliced bread roll or bun roll.
 * Cheeseburger, a hamburger with added cheese(s)
 * Ground beef, minced beef used to make hamburgers
 * Patty, a portion of ground meat, often round, used to make burgers
 * Rice burger, uses compressed rice cakes instead of hamburger buns
 * Veggie burger, a burger made with plant-based meat substitute
 * Afghani burger, an Afghan fast food wrap consisting of a piece of Afghan bread rolled around french fries, along with chutney and other condiments, vegetables, and often sausages or other meat.

Drinks

 * Burger (grape), a Californian wine grape
 * Gouais blanc, a French wine grape that is also known as Burger
 * Elbling, a German wine grape that is also known as Burger

People

 * Burger (surname)
 * Burgers (surname)
 * Bürger, a surname
 * Berger, a surname
 * Burger Lambrechts (born 1973), South African shot putter

Arts and media

 * Die Burger, a South African newspaper
 * Hamilton Burger, a fictional district attorney
 * "Burger", a song by Tyler, the Creator from the album Goblin
 * Burgers (album), a 1972 album by the American band Hot Tuna

Other uses

 * Burger Boat Company, a Wisconsin-based company
 * Burger Branch, a stream in Tennessee
 * Burger Point, a cap in Alaska
 * R.E. Burger Power Station, a former coal-fired power plant in Ohio

title: Burger


text:
Beret

A beret (, ; béret ; txapel; boina) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.

Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in the south of France and the north of Spain, where they were already common headwear, and the beret remains associated with these countries, particularly France. Berets are worn as part of the uniform of many military and police units worldwide, as well as by other organizations.

History
Archaeology and art history indicate that headwear similar to the modern beret has been worn since the Bronze Age across Northern Europe and as far south as ancient Crete and Italy, where it was worn by the Minoans, Etruscans and Romans. Such headgear has been popular among the nobility and artists across Europe throughout modern history.

The Basque-style beret was the traditional headwear of Aragonese and Navarrian shepherds from the Ansó and Roncal valleys of the Pyrenees, a mountain range that divides southern France from northern Spain. The commercial production of Basque-style berets began in the 17th century in the Oloron-Sainte-Marie area of southern France. Originally a local craft, beret-making became industrialised in the 19th century. The first factory, Beatex-Laulhere, claims production records dating back to 1810. By the 1920s, berets were associated with the working classes in a part of France and Spain and by 1928 more than 20 French factories and some Spanish and Italian factories produced millions of berets.

In Western fashion, men and women have worn the beret since the 1920s as sportswear and later as a fashion statement.

Military berets were first adopted by the French Chasseurs Alpins in 1889. After seeing these during the First World War, British General Hugh Elles proposed the beret for use by the newly formed Royal Tank Regiment, which needed headgear that would stay on while climbing in and out of the small hatches of tanks. They were approved for use by King George V in 1924. Another possible origin of the RTR beret is that it was suggested to Alec Gatehouse by Eric Dorman-Smith. While the two officers were serving at Sandhurst in 1924, Gatehouse, who had transferred to the Royal Tank Corps, had been given the task of designing a practical headgear for the new corps. Dorman-Smith had toured Spain, including the Basque region, with his friend Ernest Hemingway during the past few years, and had acquired a black Basque beret during his travels.

"The specifications were that it had to protect men's hair from the oil in a tank but not take up space in the cramped interior, and he led Gatehouse straight to his room. Hanging on the wall was his Basque beret from Pamplona. He tossed it across, and Gatehouse gingerly tried it on. The beret design was adopted..."

The black RTR beret was made famous by Field Marshal Montgomery in the Second World War.

Wear
The beret fits snugly around the head, and can be "shaped" in a variety of ways – in the Americas it is commonly worn pushed to one side. In Central and South America, local custom usually prescribes the manner of wearing the beret; there is no universal rule and older gentlemen usually wear it squared on the head, jutting forward. It can be worn by both men and women.

Military uniform berets feature a headband or sweatband attached to the wool, made either from leather, silk or cotton ribbon, sometimes with a drawstring allowing the wearer to tighten the cap. The drawstrings are, according to custom, either tied and cut off or tucked in or else left to dangle. The beret is often adorned with a cap badge, either in cloth or metal. Some berets have a piece of buckram or other stiffener in the position where the badge is intended to be worn.

Berets are not usually lined, but many are partially lined with silk or satin. In military berets, the headband is worn on the outside; military berets often have external sweatbands of leather, pleather or ribbon. The traditional beret (also worn by selected military units, such as the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais or the French Chasseurs Alpins), usually has the "sweatband" folded inwardly. In such a case, these berets have only an additional inch or so of the same woollen material designed to be folded inwardly.

Newer beret styles made of Polar fleece are also popular.

Basque Country
Berets came to be popularised across Europe and other parts of the world as typical Basque headgear, as reflected in their name in several languages (e.g. béret basque in French; Baskenmütze in German; Basco in Italian; Tascu/Birritta in Sicilian; or baskeri in Finnish), while the Basques themselves use the words txapela or boneta. They are very popular and common in the Basque Country. The colours adopted for folk costumes varied by region and purpose: black and blue are worn more frequently than red and white, which are usually used at local festivities. The people of Aragon and the Basque country adopted red berets while the black beret became the common headgear of workers in both Spain and France.

A big commemorative black beret is the usual trophy in sport or bertso competitions, including Basque rural sports, the Basque portions of the Tour de France, and the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco. It may bear sewn ornamental references to the achievement or contest.

France

The black beret was once considered the national cap of France in Anglo-Saxon countries and is part of the stereotypical image of the Onion Johnny. It is no longer as widely worn as it once was, but it remains a strong sign of local identity in the southwest of France. When French people want to picture themselves as "the typical average Frenchman" in France or in a foreign country, they often use this stereotype from Anglo-Saxon countries. There are today, three manufacturers in France. Laulhère (who acquired the formerly oldest manufacturer, Blancq-Olibet, in February 2014 ) has been making bérets since 1840. The beret still remains a strong symbol of the unique identity of southwestern France and is worn while celebrating traditional events.

Spain
In Spain, the beret is usually known as the boina, sometimes also as bilbaína or bilba. They were once common men's headwear  across the north and central areas of the country. The first areas to wear it were the Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon and Castile, but its use spread over rest of Spain during the 19th century.

In the 20th century, the beret became part of a common stereotype of rural people, often with negative connotations of boorishness and uncouthness, found in expressions such as "paleto de boina a rosca" ("a hick wearing a screwed-on beret"), which has greatly reduced the popularity of the beret in Spain.

Scotland
There are several traditional Scottish variants of the beret, notably the Scottish bonnet or Bluebonnet (originally bonaid in Gaelic), whose ribbon cockade and feathers identify the wearer's clan and rank. Other Scottish types include the tam-o'-shanter (named after a Robert Burns' character in one of his poems) and the striped Kilmarnock cap, both of which feature a large pompom in the centre.

As uniform headwear
The beret's practicality has long made it an item of military, police and other uniform clothing.

Among a few well-known historic examples are the Scottish soldiers, who wore the blue bonnet in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Volontaires Cantabres, a French force raised in the Basque country in the 1740s to the 1760s, who also wore a blue beret, and the Carlist rebels, with their red berets, in 1830s Spain.

The French Chasseurs alpins, a corps of mountain troops created in 1888, were the first permanently established military force to wear the military beret as a standard headgear. As retained until the present day the chasseur beret is a large and somewhat floppy headdress.

In the 20th century, royal approval was given for the Royal Tank Corps to adopt the black beret in 1924, with the 11th Hussars adopting a brown beret in 1928. In World War II, the Royal Dragoons adopted the grey beret at the end of 1939, with other mechanised units of the British Army, such as the Royal Armoured Corps and the Guards Armoured Division, adopting the black beret in 1941. British officer Bernard Montgomery ("Monty") took to wearing a black beret given to him by the driver of his command vehicle in 1942, and it became his trademark.

The maroon beret (not to be confused with the red beret), was officially introduced in July 1942 at the direction of Major-General Frederick Browning, commander of the British 1st Airborne Division, and soon became an international symbol of airborne forces. In the 1950s the U.S. Army's newly conceived Special Forces units began to wear a green beret as headgear, following the custom of the British Royal Marines, which was officially adopted in 1961 with such units becoming known as the "Green Berets", and additional specialized forces in the Army, U.S. Air Force and other services also adopted berets as distinctive headgear.

In fashion and culture
The beret is part of the long-standing stereotype of the intellectual, film director, artist, "hipster", poet, bohemian and beatnik. The painter Rembrandt and the composer Richard Wagner, among others, wore berets. In the United States and Britain, the middle of the 20th century saw an explosion of berets in women's fashion. In the latter part of the 20th century, the beret was adopted by the Chinese both as a fashion statement and for its political undertones. Berets were also worn by bebop and jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Krupa, Wardell Gray and Thelonious Monk.

As a revolutionary symbol
Guerrillero Heroico, an iconic photograph of the Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara, shows him wearing a black beret with a brass star.

In the 1960s several activist groups adopted the black beret. These include the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), the ETA (who wore black berets over hoods in public appearances), the Black Panther Party of the United States, formed in 1966, and the "Black Beret Cadre" (a similar Black Power organisation in Bermuda). In addition, the Brown Berets were a Chicano organisation formed in 1967.

The Young Lords Party, a Latino revolutionary organisation in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, also wore berets, as did the Guardian Angels unarmed anti-crime citizen patrol units originated by Curtis Sliwa in New York City in the 1970s to patrol the streets and subways to discourage crime (red berets and matching shirts).

Rastafarians
Adherents of the Rastafari movement often wear a very large knitted or crocheted black beret with red, gold and green circles atop their dreadlocks. The style is often erroneously called a kufi, after the skullcap known as kufune. They consider the beret and dreadlocks to be symbols of the biblical covenant of God with his chosen people, the "black Israelites". This style of hat is also known as a Rastacap.

title: Beret


text:
Talk:Atman

Talk:Atman/Archive01

''Atman is the true Self (notice the capitalization)that lies beneath the ego. Under the ego lies the transpersonal absolute, Brahman. Atman is hidden by the ego, but once one can rid himself of his ego he can realize the Atman within him and understand that he is God, for God is everything according to hinduism.''

This article is a disambiguation article, whereas the paragraph above is a doctrinal statement that belongs to Atman (Hinduism), if it belongs anywhere on Wikipedia. I am not an expert in Hinduism, but I doubt that the paragraph above begins to reflect the views of all Hindus. I leave that to the author of said paragraph and the editors of Atman (Hinduism). (20040302)

the pages should be merged again. The Hindu and Buddhist concepts are clearly related. Disambiguation pages are for unrelated concepts that just happen to be spelled the same. Of course there are differences, and these can be addressed in separate Hindu and Buddhist sections, or even sub-articles. dab (ᛏ) 10:24, 26 July 2006 (UTC)
 * There is a clear enough difference in explanation of the self. For Hindus, it's the immortal self, that goes into reincarnation. For buddhist, it's made up of skandhas. And does not get into reborn. Keep it as it is. The merging would only fuel the confusion of the term. Monkey Brain(untalk) 16:06, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

title: Talk:Atman


text:
Mureș (river)

The Mureș or Maros (German: Mieresch, Мориш) is a 789 km river in Eastern Europe. Its drainage basin covers an area of 30332 km2. It originates in the Hășmașu Mare Range in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, Romania, rising close to the headwaters of the river Olt, and joins the Tisza at Szeged in southeastern Hungary. In Romania, its length is 761 km and its basin size is 27890 km2.

The Mureș River flows through the Romanian counties Harghita, Mureș, Alba, Hunedoara, Arad and Timiș, and the Hungarian county Csongrád. The largest cities on the Mureș/Maros are Târgu Mureș, Alba Iulia, Deva and Arad in Romania as well as Makó and Szeged in Hungary.

The Hungarian reaches of the Mureș/Maros are 73 km long as the state border. Some 28.5 km2 on the northern side of the river are protected as part of the Körös-Maros National Park. The Maros Floodplain Protected Area consists of gallery forests, floodplain meadows and 0.6 km2 of forest reserve near Szeged.

Salt used to be traded in medieval times on the river on large rafts.

Name
The river is known to be first mentioned by Herodotus in 485 BC bearing the name Maris (Μάρις). Strabo calls it Marisos (Μάρισος). It was known in Latin as the Marisus; the Mureș is also mentioned, as Moreses (Μορήσης), in a document of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII, in 948 AD.

It was also known in German variously as the Mieresch, Marosch or Muresch, owing to Transylvanian Saxon settlements and prior Habsburg rule. It was known in Turkish as the Maroş or Muriş under the Ottomans.

Towns and villages
The following towns are situated along the river Mureș, from source to mouth: Toplița, Reghin, Târgu Mureș, Luduș, Ocna Mureș, Aiud, Teiuș, Alba Iulia, Geoagiu, Orăștie, Simeria, Deva, Lipova, Arad, Nădlac (all in Romania), Makó, Szeged (both in Hungary).

The Mureș flows through the following communes (grouped by counties, from source to mouth):
 * Harghita County: Voșlăbeni, Suseni, Joseni, Remetea, Subcetate, Sărmaș, Gălăuțaș, Toplița
 * Mureș County: Stânceni, Lunca Bradului, Răstolița, Deda, Rușii-Munți, Aluniș, Brâncovenești, Ideciu de Jos, Suseni, Reghin, Petelea, Gornești, Glodeni, Ernei, Sântana de Mureș, Sângeorgiu de Mureș, Târgu Mureș, Sâncraiu de Mureș, Cristești, Pănet, Ungheni, Sânpaul, Iernut, Cuci, Bogata, Luduș, Chețani
 * Alba County: Noșlac, Lunca Mureșului, Ocna Mureș, Unirea, Mirăslău, Aiud, Rădești, Teiuș, Sântimbru, Ciugud, Alba Iulia, Vințu de Jos, Blandiana, Săliștea, Șibot
 * Hunedoara County: Geoagiu, Orăștie, Turdaș, Rapoltu Mare, Simeria, Hărău, Deva, Șoimuș, Vețel, Brănișca, Ilia, Gurasada, Dobra, Burjuc, Zam
 * Arad County: Petriș, Săvârșin, Birchiș, Vărădia de Mureș, Bata, Bârzava, Conop, Ususău, Lipova, Păuliș, Frumușeni, Fântânele, Vladimirescu, Arad, Zădăreni, Felnac, Pecica, Secusigiu, Semlac, Șeitin, Nădlac
 * Timiș County: Periam, Sânpetru Mare, Sânnicolau Mare, Cenad
 * Csongrád County: Nagylak, Magyarcsanád, Apátfalva, Makó, Kiszombor, Ferencszállás, Maroslele, Klárafalva, Deszk, Szeged

Tributaries
The following rivers are tributaries to the river Mureș (from source to mouth):

Left: Cărbunele Negru, Senetea, Fierăstrăul, Șumuleul Mare, Borzontul Mare, Borzontul Mic, Pietrosul, Bacta, Limbuș, Piatra, Eseniu, Martonca, Calnaci, Muscă, Gălăuțaș, Zăpodea, Măgheruș, Mărșinețul de Sus, Gudea Mare, Sălard, Iod, Borzia, Sebeș, Fițcău, Idicel, Deleni, Gurghiu, Mocear, Beica, Habic, Petrilaca, Valea cu Nuci, Terebici, Pocloș, Budiu, Niraj, Pârâul Mare, Lăscud, Sărata, Șeulia, Valea Luncilor, Ațintiș, Găbud, Fărău, Ciunga, Pusta Băgăului, Rât, Târnava, Hăpria, Sebeș, Pianul, Cioara, Cugir, Vaidei, Romos, Orăștie, Turdaș, Strei, Tâmpa, Cerna, Herepeia, Căoi, Vulcez, Leșnic, Săcămaș, Plai, Dobra, Abucea, Valea Mare, Sălciva, Peștiș, Căpriorișca, Somonița, Birchiș, Izvor, Corbul, Fiac, Suliniș, Lalașinț, Chelmac, Pârâul Mare, Șiștarovăț, Țârnobara, Sinicoț, Valea Fânețelor de Jos, Zădărlac, and Zădăreni

Right: Chindeni, Arinul Scurt, Chirtoegher, Strâmba, Pârâul Noroios, Belcina, Lăzarea, Ghiduț, Ditrău, Faier, Jolotca, Filipea, Sărmaș, Ciucic, Toplița, Călimănel, Mermezeu, Zebrac, Neagra, Ilva, Obcina Ferigerilor, Răstolița, Gălăoaia, Bistra, Pietriș, Dumbrava, Râpa, Agriș, Lueriu, Luț, Șar, Voiniceni, Cuieșd, Valea Fânațelor, Șăușa, Valea din Jos, Lechința, Ranta, Pârâul de Câmpie, Grindeni, Arieș, Unirea, Ciugud, Ormeniș, Mirăslău, Lopadea, Aiud, Gârbova, Geoagiu (Alba), Galda, Ampoi, Pâclișa, Valea Vințului, Blandiana, Stânișoara, Băcăinți, Homorod, Geoagiu (Hunedoara), Boiul, Bobâlna, Valea lui Sânpetru, Lazu, Vărmaga, Certej, Boholt, Căian, Bejan, Boz, Sârbi, Băcișoara, Gurasada, Zam, Almaș, Petriș, Crăciuneasca, Troaș, Vinești, Stejar, Julița, Valea Mare, Grosul, Monoroștia, Bârzava, Nadăș, Conop, Cornic, Milova, Jernova, Șoimoș, Radna, Cladova, Crac, and Száraz-ér

title: Mureș (river)


text:
Tepal

A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very similar appearance), as in Magnolia, or because, although it is possible to distinguish an outer whorl of sepals from an inner whorl of petals, the sepals and petals have similar appearance to one another (as in Lilium). The term was first proposed by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1827 and was constructed by analogy with the terms "petal" and "sepal". (De Candolle used the term perigonium or perigone for the tepals collectively; today, this term is used as a synonym for perianth.)

Origin
Undifferentiated tepals are believed to be the ancestral condition in flowering plants. For example, Amborella, which is thought to have separated earliest in the evolution of flowering plants, has flowers with undifferentiated tepals. Distinct petals and sepals would therefore have arisen by differentiation, probably in response to animal pollination. In typical modern flowers, the outer or enclosing whorl of organs forms sepals, specialised for protection of the flower bud as it develops, while the inner whorl forms petals, which attract pollinators.

Tepals formed by similar sepals and petals are common in monocotyledons, particularly the "lilioid monocots". In tulips, for example, the first and second whorls both contain structures that look like petals. These are fused at the base to form one large, showy, six-parted structure (the perianth). In lilies the organs in the first whorl are separate from the second, but all look similar, thus all the showy parts are often called tepals. Where sepals and petals can in principle be distinguished, usage of the term "tepal" is not always consistent – some authors will refer to "sepals and petals" where others use "tepals" in the same context.

In some plants the flowers have no petals, and all the tepals are sepals modified to look like petals. These organs are described as petaloid, for example, the sepals of hellebores. When the undifferentiated tepals resemble petals, they are also referred to as "petaloid", as in petaloid monocots, orders of monocots with brightly coloured tepals. Since they include Liliales, an alternative name is lilioid monocots.

Properties and shape
Terms used in the description of tepals include pubescent (with dense fine, short, soft hairs, downy), puberulent (minutely pubescent, hairs barely visible to the naked eye) and puberulous (dense covering of very short soft hairs). Tepal shape is described in similar terms to those used for leaves (see Glossary of leaf morphology).

title: Tepal


text:
Aryan Republican Army

The Aryan Republican Army (ARA), also dubbed "The Midwest Bank bandits" by the FBI and law-enforcement, was a white nationalist terrorist gang which robbed 22 banks in the Midwest from 1994 to 1996. The bank robberies were spearheaded by Donna Langan. The gang, who had links to Neo-Nazism and white supremacism, were alleged to have conspired with convicted terrorist Timothy McVeigh in the months before the Oklahoma City bombing terrorist attack. Although it has never been proven, many theorists believe the ARA funneled robbery money to help fund the bombing as a direct response to the Waco and Ruby Ridge sieges.

Inspired to rob banks in order to support white supremacist movements by Mark Thomas, the ARA, founded in 1992 by Langan and her best friend from school Richard Lee Guthrie Jr., considered itself a leaderless organization. Although the group was mainly a criminal enterprise, its agenda was terrorist like. After filming and producing right-wing propaganda videos, the group grew and recruited bank robber affiliates: Michael Brescia, Shawn Kenny, Kevin McCarthy, and Scott Stedeford. With the bank heist money, the gang began to stockpile weapons and ammunition in preparation for a future race war. At bank after bank, the bandits became infamous due to the fact that they left their signature decoy grenades and their pipe bombs as calling cards, a strategy which was implemented to help the gang escape and delay the FBI's pursuit. The bandits used a strict time keeper who called out at elapsed intervals and made sure that they were in and out of the heists within 90 seconds. The time keeping, along with the members wearing of presidential masks, were moves which were believed to be lifted directly from the Kathryn Bigelow film Point Break. In addition to wearing Nixon, Reagan and Clinton masks, the ARA also wore jackets and hats emblazoned with "FBI," "ATF" or other law-enforcement acronyms.

The FBI was unaware of the existence of the ARA until one of its members was apprehended. In early 1996, the group began to fall apart as its members were arrested after former members of the group became informants as part of a plea bargain. Guthrie was arrested in Cincinnati on January 15, 1996, concluding a 2-hour chase by FBI agents. Soon after, Guthrie gave up his counterpart Langan. Three days later on January 18, 1996, the FBI arrested Langan after a 50-round shoot out near a safe house in Columbus, Ohio.

Activities
Members of the Aryan Republican Army were responsible for a series of 22 bank robberies in the American Midwest. They reportedly targeted banks in the Midwest due to their belief that the security measures which were taken there would be less thorough. The group often left fake explosive devices at the banks which they robbed in order to divert law enforcement officials who could potentially chase them. Known members of the ARA include Langan, Guthrie, Michael William Brescia, Mark William Thomas, Shawn Kenny, Kevin McCarthy, and Scott Stedeford. Subsequent to their arrest, Guthrie, Langan, McCarthy and Thomas became witnesses for the prosecution. Guthrie was found hanged while in custody, a day before he was to give a television interview about an alleged cover-up which was related to the death of Kenneth Michael Trentadue, who was also found hanged while he was in custody. Otherwise, all of the gang's members received prison sentences of varying lengths, on an array of state and/or federal charges.

Connections to the Oklahoma City bombing
Several accounts have linked the ARA with Timothy McVeigh, convicted of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 and injured hundreds more.

Brescia and Guthrie both resided for a time at Elohim City, Oklahoma, a private community made up of followers of the late Christian Identity pastor Robert G. Millar, and other persons associated with right-wing extremist and white nationalist-style views. Other ARA members were known to frequent Elohim City as well. Elohim City security director Andreas Strassmeir was a known associate of Timothy McVeigh (having met him at a Tulsa gun show), and federal investigators determined that McVeigh had made a phone call to Elohim City on April 5, 1995, just two weeks prior to the Oklahoma City bombing (although no one at Elohim City claims to have spoken with him).

Additionally, five separate women from a nightclub in Tulsa have each identified Brescia as the man who was paying for McVeigh's drinks on April 8, 1995, just three days after McVeigh's suspicious phone call. Two more women in Kansas reported that McVeigh and Brescia were frequent associates, while Guthrie bore a distinct physical resemblance to "John Doe Number Two". McVeigh's sister, Jennifer, also claimed that he had been one of the participants in several, unspecified bank robberies.

David Paul Hammer, a convicted murderer who was imprisoned with McVeigh at the United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, has alleged that McVeigh told him details of the Oklahoma City bombing that contradict the account related in court. According to Hammer, McVeigh claimed to have been working as a deep cover operative for the US Department of Defense, having infiltrated ARA and participated in several of the group's bank robberies. McVeigh is further alleged to have indicated Strassmeir and several others at Elohim City were similarly government agents involved in surveillance of extremist elements of the American far-right.

Donna Langan
Langan was born Peter Kevin Langan in 1958 on Saipan in the South Pacific Islands. She grew up in Vietnam, where her father served in the military and CIA, before moving to the United States when Langan was 6 years old. In 1974, at age 16, Langan was sentenced to up to 20 years for robbing a man of $78 and fleeing police. Langan moved to Ohio in 1988, where she converted to Mormonism and became an ordained minister at what authorities describe as a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated church. During the early 1990s, Langan and her childhood friend Richard Guthrie formed the Aryan Republic Army, a white supremacist group with motives to overthrow the US government. The group turned to robbing banks in order to fund their movement. On January 18, 1996, the FBI arrested Langan. Langan, a transgender woman, who publicly renounced her political and racist views, served 18 years in a male prison before being transferred to a female penitentiary after a legal fight in 2014 during the Obama administration. In 2017, Langan and 435 other transgender inmates from federal prisons led an LGBT activist group in an effort to challenge the Trump administration's positions regarding transgender prisoners.

Richard Lee Guthrie Jr.
Nicknamed "Wild Bill", Richard Lee Guthrie Jr. grew up within blocks of Langan in Wheaton, Maryland although they didn't become close until years later. After getting kicked out of the Navy in 1983 for painting a swastika on the side of a ship and threatening superiors, Guthrie attended gatherings of the Aryan Nations and traveled the country distributing Christian Identity propaganda.

Guthrie pled guilty in 1996 to three bank robberies in Ohio, and to 16 more in seven states, as well as to weapons charges and credit card fraud. Following a plea agreement, he was to provide authorities with information about terrorist organizations similar to the Aryan Republican Army. On July 12 of that same year, prison officials found Guthrie hanging in his cell, an apparent suicide.

Michael William Brescia
A resident of Elohim City and a former student at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Michael William Brescia was recruited for the ARA by Aryan Nations Pennsylvania state leader, Mark W. Thomas. Brescia was named in a lawsuit filed by the grandparents of a victim of the bombing as being "John Doe 2" seen with McVeigh in the days prior to the bombing. A female friend of McVeigh also identified Brescia as a friend of McVeigh's then known only as "Mike".

Shawn Kenny
A 1991 Oak Hills High School graduate and one-time Aryan Nations member from Cincinnati, Shawn Kenny already had a racist background prior to being befriended by Langan at a law seminar. Kenny, himself, says he had discussed recruiting robbers with Thomas in 1994.

Despite his criminal history and alleged relationship with Timothy McVeigh, he joined the U.S. Army sometime after the ARA was dissolved and an investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing had taken place.

Scott Anthony Stedeford
Growing up in a middle-class town in Pennsylvania, Stedeford was introduced to the Christian Identity Doctrine and then fell in with the revolutionary movement. During this time, he was also the founding member and frontman of the RAC band, Day of the Sword. Guthrie says to have met Stedeford through Berks County right-wing leader, Mark Thomas.

Mark William Thomas
A member of both the Aryan Nations and Ku Klux Klan, Thomas was ordained an Identity Minister during a stay at Aryan Nations' Idaho headquarters in 1990.

After being indicted in January 1997, Thomas told reporters that at least one gang member was involved in the Oklahoma bombing, according to a newspaper clip in FBI files.

Kevin McCarthy
A native Pennsylvanian, Kevin "Blondie" McCarthy spent his adolescence experimenting with drugs before eventually becoming a resident of the Elohim City compound in the fall of 1994. McCarthy was also the bass player for Stedeford's group, Day of the Sword.

Under a plea agreement, McCarthy became a government witness and testified in a pre-trial hearing against Langan in Columbus, Ohio. McCarthy received a lengthy prison term for bank robbery, and was released from prison in 2007.

Chevie Kehoe
A fellow white supremacist and resident of the Elohim City compound, Chevie Kehoe was contracted by the Aryan Republican Army to assassinate the Mueller family. The Mueller family were brief residents of Elohim City that had been privy to information dealing with the alleged connection of the Aryan Republican Army to the Oklahoma City bombing. Prior to murdering the Mueller family (with his accomplice Daniel Lewis Lee), Chevie had sold guns to the ARA.

Dennis Mahon
While his exact connection to group has not been revealed, white supremacist Dennis Mahon is known to have been close friends with members of the Aryan Republican Army during his stay at Elohim City.

A handful of videos were taken which depict Dennis Mahon engaging in paramilitary training alongside Andreas Strassmeir and Carol Howe, as well as a few other individuals which have not been identified. The unidentified militants in the footage may be some members of the Aryan Republican Army, since they lived at Elohim City around the same time that the video was recorded. In addition to this, the anonymous persons are seen wearing balaclavas in some videos, while in others, they either sport camouflage face paint or are simply too far away from the camera for them to be seen in detail.

Popular culture
In 2010, the Aryan Republican Army was the subject of episode 82 of the television series Gangland.

title: Aryan Republican Army


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Banteay Meanchey province

Banteay Meanchey (បន្ទាយមានជ័យ,, lit. 'The Fortress of Victory') is a province of Cambodia located in the far northwest. It borders the provinces of Oddar Meanchey to the north, Siem Reap to the east, Battambang to the south, and shares an international border with Thailand to the west. Its capital and largest city is Serei Saophoan.

Banteay Meanchey is the 13th largest province in Cambodia. With a population of 861,883, it ranks as the ninth most populous in the nation. The city of Poipet in the western part of the province is an international border crossing into Thailand. Banteay Meanchey is one of the nine provinces that are part of the Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve.

Etymology
Banteay Meanchey means "Victorious Fortress" in Khmer. The word chey (ជ័យ) is derived from the Sanskrit word jaya (जय) meaning "victory" with mean (មាន) means to have, so the combination of both literally means to have victory and banteay (បន្ទាយ) is a Khmer word meaning "fortress" or "castle".

History
The area was part of the extensive Khmer Empire. Its most notable remains is the Banteay Chhmar temple in the north of the province, built in 12th century towards the 13th century. Other lesser known temples are the Banteay Neang and Banteay Torp temples.

In the 1795 Siam took control over Western Cambodia, and made the area into Siamese province of Inner Cambodia with the administration capital in Phra Tabong (Battambang). This province lasted until 1907 when Siam traded Inner Cambodia for the return of Trat and Dan Sai. In the same year, King Sisowath decided to split the return Inner Cambodian province into Battambang province (which included Sisophon) and Siem Reap province. When Thailand re annexed western Cambodia 1941, Sisophon was split off Battambang province and was an administration capital of Phibunsongkram province which lasted until 1946 when the whole region was return to the French control.

In 1988 the province Banteay Meanchey was split off from Battambang, originally consisting of the five districts Mongkol Borei, Thmar Puok, Serei Saophoan, Preah Net Preah and Phnom Srok.

During the Cambodian Civil Wars of the 1970s and 1980s Banteay Meanchey province was on the frontlines of much of fighting and as a result it is one of the three most heavily mined provinces in Cambodia along with Pailin and Battambang.

Geography
Banteay Meanchey is mostly covered by extensive lowlands, with a few uplands to the north and east. The main rivers are the Mongkol Borei and the Sisophon Rivers. The province is bordered with Battambang to the south, Siem Reap to the East, Odar Meanchey to the North and Thailand to the West and North.

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 99.3% of the people in Banteay Meanchey province are Buddhists. About 0.4% population of Banteay Meanchey province follow Islam followed by Chams. Christianity is followed by 0.2% in the province.

Poipet International Border Checkpoint
Banteay Meanchey has one of Cambodia's busiest checkpoints, Poipet International Border Checkpoint, for both people and goods. The checkpoint oversees approximately 2,000 tourists (50,000 tourists or 14% of nation's tourists annually in 2015) and 300 trucks carrying goods every day. In response to the increase of trade between Cambodia and Thailand, a new border checkpoint, Stueng Bot which is only 7 km from Poipet Checkpoint, is being constructed and slated to be completed by 2018. The new checkpoint will focus on trade while leaving Poipet Checkpoint for tourists.

Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Industry
O'Neang Special Economic Zone was officially approved in 2006. In 2014, the zone hosted 5 factories includings CAMPAC Co. Ltd, a Thai company which produces package for jewellery, Hi-Tech Apparel (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., ML Intermate Apparel (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., SIMMER Inter Co., Ltd., and Wireform Precision Parts Co., Ltd. O'Neang employed 1,200 workers. In recent years, Japanese and Cambodian investors jointly established a new Special Economic Zone, Sanco. The 66.5 hectare zone has already attracted NHK Spring, a Japanese car-seat manufacturer and Toyota supplier. In March 2015, Toyota Tsusho Corporation (Toyota Tsusho) announced that it will establish Techno Park Poipet Pvt. Co., Ltd. to optimize its regional supply chains. The park will provide subcontracted auto part service and plans to service 10 or more companies by 2020. Thanks to its cheap labour cost, cheaper and stable electricity supply from Thailand ( $0.16 per kilowatt), its proximity to Bangkok and favorable investment policy, Poipet is seen as a future industrial city of the Northwestern part of Cambodia.

Transportation
Banteay Meanchey sits on a strategic cross point that directs to Thailand, Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) and Battambang (gateway to Phnom Penh and Vietnam). As of 2018, infrastructure such as national roads, provincial roads and railway have been improved significantly. The historical re-operation of Royal Railway that links Thailand to Phnom Penh and Cambodia's seaport city started in April 2018. In this first phase, people can travel by train from Poi Pet to Sereisophorn and Battambang. Links from Battambang to Pursat, Kampong Chhnang and Phnom Penh will soon be completed. The national road number 5 is being upgraded to meet international standard. The project is funded by Japanese government in a broader plan to connect Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Agriculture
Agriculture, particularly rice paddy, plays very important role in the province's economy.

Administration
The province is subdivided into 7 districts (srok) and 2 municipalities (krong), which are further subdivided into 55 communes (khum) and 10 quarters (sangkat), and 654 villages (phum).

Banteay Chhmar
Prasat Banteay Chhmar (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយឆ្មារ) is one of the masterpieces of the great king Jayavarman VII built between the 12th-13th century. Despite its magnificent architecture, the temples are lesser known to tourists and the world. Unlike other Angkorean temples, Banteay Chhmar is not well-conserved. The damages caused by war, looters and nature are very apparent. The temple is being on Cambodia's tentative list for UNESCO's world heritage in order to increase conservation and awareness.

Notable people

 * Khim Bora, Cambodian boxer
 * Khim Dima, Cambodian boxer
 * Sok Thy, Cambodian boxer

title: Banteay Meanchey province


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The World According to Gessle

The World According to Gessle is the third solo album by Swedish pop singer Per Gessle, released on 2 May 1997. It was his first solo album in English. The title is a paraphrase of "The World According to Garp" - the novel by John Irving. The album topped the Swedish Album Chart.

"Do You Wanna Be My Baby?", "Kix" and "I Want You to Know" were released as singles. The videos for the singles were all directed by Jonas Åkerlund. At the end of the "Lay Down Your Arms" track, there is a hidden track. The track, an alternate version of "Kix" is called Cha-cha-cha, sung like Elvis Presley. The Japanese release of this album features the ballad "Love doesn't live here", the song was also recorded by Belinda Carlisle, featured on her album A Woman and a Man.

Gessle used Brainpool and Gyllene Tider as backing musicians for the album.

Re-releases
The World According to Gessle was re-released on 22 2003 as a low budget edition in a cardboard sleeve, and again re-released on 14 May 2008 as an anniversary edition. This time it was a double CD, with 26 bonus tracks.

Track listing
Original release

2008 remastered re-release

Credits

 * Per Gessle - Words & Music, Vocals, Electric & Acoustic guitars, Harmonica, Tambourine, Vox Jaguar
 * Christoffer Lundquist - Bass guitar, Zither, Flute, Electric guitar, Backing vocals, Minimoog
 * Clarence Öfwerman - Piano, Mellotron, Vox jaguar, Organ, Synthesizers, Vocoder, Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals
 * Michael Ilbert - Programming & percussion
 * Mats M.P Persson - Electric & acoustic guitars
 * Anders Herrlin - Bass guitar
 * Micke "Syd" Andersson - Drums & percussion
 * Jonas Isacsson - Electric guitars & E-bow
 * Marie Fredriksson - Additional vocals on "I'll Be Alright"
 * Micke "Nord" Andersson - Acoustic guitars
 * David Birde - Electric & acoustic guitars
 * Christer Jansson - Drums & percussion
 * Jens Jansson - Drums & percussion
 * Jalle Lorensson - Harmonica
 * Pelle Siren - Acoustic guitar
 * Jackie Öfwerman - Additional vocals on "Elvis in Germany"
 * Erik Hausler - Baritone saxophone
 * Wojtek Goral - Tenor saxophone
 * Strings by S.N.Y.K.O - Conducted by Mats Holmquist. Arranged by Gessle, Ilbert & Öfwerman

title: The World According to Gessle


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Battambang province

Battambang (បាត់ដំបង, Bătdâmbâng, lit. 'The Lost Stick') is a province of Cambodia in the far northwest of the country. Bordering provinces are Banteay Meanchey to the north, Pursat to the east and south, Siem Reap to the northeast, and Pailin to the west. The northern and southern extremes of the province's western boundaries form part of the international border with Thailand. In addition, Tonlé Sap forms part of the northeastern boundary between Siem Reap and Pursat. Its capital and largest city is Battambang.

It is the fifth most populous province in Cambodia. In land area, Battambang is the fifth largest province of Cambodia. Battambang is one of the provinces included in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. The province's fertile rice fields have led to a mostly agricultural economy giving rise to the moniker "the rice bowl of Cambodia". The province features a range of cultures as well as natural resources. Seventy five percent of the area is jungles and mountains. The area has a tropical climate.

Etymology
Battambang literally means 'loss of magical stick' in Khmer, referring to the local legend of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung. No stone inscriptions from the pre-Angkorian and Angkorian eras have yet been discovered containing mention of any contemporary villages or districts called "Battambang", but according to the document Mohachun Khmer, Srok Battambang (Battambang District) was used during the Angkor and post-Angkor eras. In Thai, the province is called Phra Tabong.

History
Battambang was annexed by both Siam and Cambodia from time to time because its location is in between both kingdoms. A majority of the local population is of Khonpor or Chong ethnicity, a part of the Austro-Asiatic family.

In 1769, Battambang and Siem Reap were conquered by King Taksin of Siam. On March 23, 1907, Battambang, with Siem Reap and Koh Kong, were annexed to French Indochina. During World War II it was annexed to Imperial Japan before being handed over to Thailand. After the war ended, it was returned to an independent Cambodia.

Governors
-Annexed to Siam (1795-1907)

1 Baen (បែន) 1795-1809

2 Pen (ប៉ែន) 1809-1816

3 Rous (រស់) 1816-1835

4 Norng (នង) 1835-?

5 Yea (Nhonh) យារ (ញ៉ុញ) ?-1894

6 Chhum (ឈុំ) 1894-1907

-Returned to Cambodia by France (1907-1941)

7 Aem Arun (អែម អរុណ) 1907-1922

8 Chea (ជា) 1922-1927

9 Noun (នួន) 1927-1934

10 Chong Toun (ចុង ទួន) 1934-1939

11 Meas Nal (មាស ណាល់) 1939-1941

-Recaptured by Siam during Japanese Occupation (1941-1946)

12. Phromyothi (ព្រហ្មយោធី) 1941-1946

-Returned to Cambodia and independent from France

13 Lon Nol (លន់ នល់) 1946-1947

14 Sin Chhoy (ស៊ីន ឆយ) 1947-1948

13 Lon Nol (លន់ នល់) 1948-1949 (2nd term)

15 Tep Phan (ទេព ផន) 1949-1951

16 Pho Preung (ផូ ព្រឿង) 1951-1954

17 Chay Thol (ចាយ ធុល) 1954-1956

15 Tep Phan (ទេព ផន) 1956-1959 (2nd term)

18 Tim Ngoun (ទឹម ងួន) 1959-1966

19 Yem Monitoth (យ៉ែម មុនីរ័ត្ន) 1966-1967

20 In Tam (អ៊ិន តាំ) 1967-1968

18 Tim Ngoun (ទឹម ងួន) April-October 1968 (2nd term)

21 Sek Somoeut (សេក សំអៀត) 1968-1974

22 Sar Hor (សារ ហោ) 1974-January 1975

21 Sek Somoeut (សេក សំអៀត) January -April 1975 (2nd term)

-Khmer Rouge (1975-1979)

22 Rous Nhim (រស់ ញឹម) 1975-1978

23 Ta Mok (តាម៉ុក) 1978-1979

-Kampuchea (People’s Republic)

24 Keo Thy (កែវ ធី) 1979-1980

25 Lay Samon (ឡាយ សាម៉ុន) 1980-1982

26 Sum Sat (ស៊ុំ សាត) 1982-1984

27 Ke Kim Yan (កែ គឹមយ៉ាន) 1984-1986

28 Sok Saran (សុក សារ៉ាន់) 1986-1991

-Kingdom of Cambodia

29 Ong Sami (អ៊ុង សាមី) 1991-1999

30 Nov Sam (នៅ សំ) 1999-2001

31 Brach Chan (ប្រាជ្ញ ចន្ទ) 2001-2014

32 Chan Sophal (ច័ន្ទ សុផល) 2014-2017

33 Ngoun Ratanak (ងួន រតនៈ) 2017-2021

34 Sok Lou (សុខ លូ) 2021-incumbent

Administrative divisions
Battambang is divided into 13 districts and one municipality which are further subdivided into 92 communes (ឃុំ, khum), 10 quarters (សង្កាត់) and 810 villages (ភូមិ, phum).

Local government entities within the province include the two towns and 12 subdistrict municipalities.

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 98.3% of the people in Battambang are Buddhists. Chams have been practicing Islam for hundreds of years. A small percentage follow Christianity.

Wat Ek Phnom
Wat Ek Phnom (វត្តឯកភ្នំ) is a partly collapsed 11th century temple 11 km north of Battambang city. The temple measures 52 m by 49 m and is surrounded by the remains of a laterite wall and an ancient baray (reservoir). A lintel depicting the Churning of the Ocean of Milk is above the east entrance to the central temple, the upper flanks of which hold some finely carved bas-reliefs. Construction of an oversized Buddha statue began by locals next to the temple has been stopped by the government because, they say, it mars the site's historical provenance and "timeless beauty".

Wat Banan
Wat Banan (ភ្នំបាណន់), some 25 km south of Battambang city, has been likened to a smaller version of the more imposing Angkor Wat. The 11th century Angkorian mountain ruin of Phnom Banan is one of the best preserved Angkorian Khmer temples around Battambang province. As you approach you will see the distance five tower pointing skyward, Like a small version of Angkor Wat. At the base of the mountain you can faced with a step laterite staircase flanked by nagas. After climbing the 350+ steps you are treated to a wonderfully peaceful setting.

Transportation
Battambang is accessible by road, and by boat via the Sangkae River. National Highway 5 runs straight through the province. Both the airport and railway line are not in use. Buses make 5-6 hour journey from Phnom Penh and the 3-4 hour journey from Siem Reap almost hourly.

title: Battambang province


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Kampong Cham province

Kampong Cham (កំពង់ចាម, UNGEGN: ; lit. 'The Waiting Port') is a province of Cambodia located on the central lowlands of the Mekong River. It borders the provinces of Kampong Chhnang to the west, Kampong Thom and Kratié to the north, Tboung Khmum to the east, and Prey Veng and Kandal to the south. Kampong Cham was officially divided into two provinces on 31 December 2013 in what was seen by many as a political move by the ruling party. All land west of the Mekong remained Kampong Cham while land east of the river became Tbong Khmum province. Prior to this division, Kampong Cham extended eastward to the international border with Vietnam, was the eleventh largest province in Cambodia, and with a population of 1,680,694, was the most populous province in Cambodia. Its capital and largest city is Kampong Cham.

Etymology
Kampong Cham is the corrupted word of "Kampong Rong Chamm" means "The Waiting Port" then shorten as "Kampong Chamm", Later, the sound changed to "Kampong Cham" in Khmer. Kampong means port or harbor. Chamm refers to the "Waiting". A symbol the province is known for is two snakes sinuously wrapped around each other, which is located at the capital city bridge, Kampong Cham.

Geography
Kampong Cham is primarily lowlands. The main river is the Mekong River, which forms the eastern border of the province, separating it from Tbong Khmum province.

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 97.6% of the people in Kampong Cham province are Buddhists. About 2.3% population of Kampong Cham province follow Islam followed by Chams. Christianity is followed by 0.1% in the province.

Administration
Kampong Cham is subdivided into 9 districts and 1 municipality which in turn are subdivided into communes (khum) which are further divided into villages (phum). The province formerly consisted of 16 districts, however a request by Hun Sen's government to split the province in two was made after his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) lost the province to the opposition in the July 2013 elections. The CPP won only eight of the available 18 National Assembly seats in Hun Sen's home province. The request, which was ostensibly made in order to improve administrative efficiency in the large province, was approved by King Sihamoni on 31 December 2013. The 10 districts that remain in Kampong Cham province overwhelmingly voted for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, led by Sam Rainsy, while five of the six districts cut out from Kampong Cham to form Tboung Khmum province were won solidly by the CPP.

2 districts in south Mekong river are Koh Sotin and Steung Trang

Politics
Kampong Cham is allocated 10 seats in the National Assembly, down from 18. It had been the largest constituency until 2018.

Notable people

 * Bun Rany, President of Cambodian Red Cross
 * Hang Thun Hak, former Prime Minister
 * Hem Heng, diplomat
 * Heng Samrin, Speaker of the National Assembly
 * Hun Manet, son of Hun Sen
 * Hun Neang, father of Hun Sen
 * Hun Sen, Prime Minister
 * In Tam, former Prime Minister
 * Keng Vannsak, author
 * Kong Korm, Senator
 * Say Chhum, President of the Senate
 * Sim Var, former Prime Minister

title: Kampong Cham province


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Kampong Chhnang province

Kampong Chhnang (ខេត្តកំពង់ឆ្នាំង ; meaning 'Port of Pottery') is one of the central provinces (khaet) of Cambodia. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham, Kandal, Kampong Speu, and Pursat. The provincial capital is the city of Kampong Chhnang.

Etymology
Kampong Chhnang consists of two Khmer words, kampong (កំពង់ kâmpóng) means "port" or "harbor" and chhnang (ឆ្នាំង chhnăng) means "pottery". Both words combine together meaning "Port of Pottery" or "Pottery Harbor".

Geography

Kampong Chhnang is a small province 91 km from Phnom Penh. It is in the alluvial plain of central Cambodia and is drained by the Tonle Sap, a tributary of the Mekong river. The capital city of Phnom Penh has grown until it actually encompasses the provincial border of Kampong Chhnang.

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 93.1% of the people in Kampong Chhnang province are Buddhists. About 5.8% population of Kampong Chhnang province follow Islam followed by Chams. Christianity is followed by 0.3% in the province, then animism or other religions followed by 0.9%.

Kampong Chhnang is the main center for the Kan Imam San religious community, a type of Islam practiced exclusively by some Chams in isolated communities in Cambodia. There are 16 Kan Imam San villages in Kampong Chhnang province. The leaders of the community live and pray near Kampong Tralech.

History
The name translates from Khmer literally to Port of Pottery. Archaeological remains from the area have revealed among many other findings artifacts from Dvaravati, a former kingdom in present-day Thailand, dating to the 6th through 11th centuries.

Kampong Chhnang province centuries ago was a coastal city on the route between China and India; due to sedimentation from the Mekong river, the coast line moved much farther to sea. When the Tonle Sap river changed its course, the city lost its main water source and thus was deserted, the population moving to a city called Kampong Tralach. A city gradually formed around it, bring new life to Kampong Chhnang. A museum presents the archaeological record of the city's history.

Symbols
The provincial tree is Diospyros decandra. The provincial slogan is sweet pomelos, delicious rice, beautiful young ladies.

Administrative divisions
The province is subdivided into 7 districts and 1 municipality. The districts are further subdivided into 65 communes (khum) and 478 villages (phum). There is one city and 14 townships. There are also 102 khum administrative organizations (KAO).

title: Kampong Chhnang province


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Kampong Speu province

Kampong Speu (កំពង់ស្ពឺ, Kâmpóng Spœ ; lit. 'Port of Starfruit') is a province of Cambodia. It borders the provinces of Pursat and Kampong Chhnang to the north, Kandal to the east, Takéo to the southeast, Kampot to the south and Koh Kong to the west. Its capital is the town of Chbar Mon.

Etymology
Kampong Speu in Khmer means "starfruit port" or "starfruit harbor". In Khmer, kampong is a place-name element, meaning "port" or "harbor". It derives from the Austronesian language, Malay, in which it means "village". Speu in the Khmer language means "starfruit".

Administrative divisions
The province is subdivided into 7 districts and 1 municipality, further divided into 87 communes.

Economy
The Wing Star Shoes factory in Kampong Speu province manufactures Asics sports shoes. It collapsed in 2013. Three people were killed. Workers struck at the Wing Star Shoes Factory in 2014, blocking National Route 3, and demanding a $5 raise in bonuses and enforcement of labor laws. In 2016 and 2018, mass faintings of workers were reported. The cause in 2016, initially attributed to a worker having been possessed by a "spirit," was later revised to "poor health and imagination." 2018, police reported that after a worker had a seizure, her "scream caused a mass panic, prompting workers to run, feel dizzy and faint."

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 99.8% of the people in Kampong Speu are Buddhists, It's the most Buddhist province of the country. Chams have been practicing Islam for hundreds of years. A small percentage follow Christianity.

Phnom Aural
Phnom Aural is the tallest peak in Cambodia. It is 1,813 meters tall (other sources give elevations between 1,771 and 1,667 meters). It is in the eastern part of the Cardamom Mountains. To protect the biodiversity of the mountains, Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary was established. This mountain located in Aoral District, Kampong Speu province.

Oudong
Located at the foothill of the mountain Phnom Oudong, about 40 km northwest of the modern capital Phnom Penh, Oudong was royal residence and Cambodia's capital for more than 250 years until 1866. A monumental royal necropolis of sovereigns of several centuries is scattered on top the prominent bisected mountain, which runs from the southeast to the northeast.

title: Kampong Speu province


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Kampong Thom province

Kampong Thom (កំពង់ធំ, UNGEGN: ; lit. 'Great Port') is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. It borders the provinces of Siem Reap to the northwest, Preah Vihear to the north, Stung Treng to the northeast, Kratie to the east, Kampong Cham and Kampong Chhnang to the south, and the Tonle Sap to the west.

The provincial capital is Stung Saen, a town of approximately 30,000 people on the banks of the Stung Sen River.

Kampong Thom is Cambodia's second largest province by area. There are a number of significant Angkorian sites in the area, including Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk and Prasat Andet temples. As one of the nine provinces bordering Tonle Sap Lake, Kampong Thom is part of the Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve.

Etymology
Kampong Thom in Khmer means 'great port' or 'great harbor'. Kampong in Khmer translates as 'port' or 'harbor'. The word Kampong is shared in other Asian languages, the Malay and Indonesian, both meaning 'village'. Thom in the Khmer language means 'big', 'grand', or 'large'.

Administration
The province is divided into eight districts and one municipality, further divided into 81 communes.

History
The previous name of the province was Kampong Pous Thom ('Port', 'City of the Great Snakes'). According to local legend, at a lakeside dock near the Sen River, a pair of large snakes inhabited a nearby cave. On every Buddhist holiday, the snakes would make appearances to the people nearby who then began to refer to the area as Kampong Pous Thom. Eventually the snakes disappeared and the name was shortened to Kampong Thom. During the Colonial Cambodia period, the French divided Cambodian territory into provinces and named most of them according to the local popular names for the respective areas.

Kampong Thom was a powerful capital in Southeast Asia during the Funan period. Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk, dating from the Chenla era, is in Kampong Thom province.

Geography
Two of the three core areas in Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve lie in Kampong Thom.
 * Boeng Chhmar (14,560 hectares), and
 * Stung Saen (6,355 hectares).

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 98.6% of the people in Kampong Thom are Buddhists. Chams have been practicing Islam for hundreds of years. A small percentage follow Christianity.

Economy
Much of Kampong Thom is on the floodplain of the Tonlé Sap lake. In 2003–2004, it was a significant producer of wild fish (18,800 tons) and the fourth largest producer of fish through aquaculture in Cambodia (1,800 tons). Most of the fish-raising is done by home production, with a growing segment devoted to rice field aquaculture.

Kampong Thom is also one of the largest producers of cashew nuts in Cambodia, with 6,371 hectares under production in 2003–2004.

Notable people

 * Chhoeung Lvai, Khmer boxer
 * Eng Chhai Eang, politician
 * Kang Kek Iew, former Khmer Rouge personnel
 * Ke Pauk, former Khmer Rouge personnel
 * Kouch Sokumpheak, footballer
 * Nguon Nhel, politician
 * Pol Pot, former Khmer Rouge dictator and Prime Minister

title: Kampong Thom province


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Kampot province

Kampot (កំពត, lit. 'The Kampot's Fish') is a province in southwestern Cambodia. It borders the provinces of Koh Kong and Kampong Speu to the north, Takéo to the east, Kep and the country of Vietnam (Kiên Giang) to the south, and Sihanoukville to the west. To its south it has a coastline of around 45 km on the Gulf of Thailand. It is rich in low arable lands and has abundant natural resources. Its capital is the city of Kampot.

Kampot Province had a population of 627,884 in 2010 and consist of eight districts divided into 92 communes with a total of 477 villages. Touk Meas City is located in the province.

History
In the 19th century, during the French Indochina period, Kampot became a regional administrative center with the status of a state border district as a result of the delimitation of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The Circonscription Résidentielle de Kampot contained the arrondissements of Kampot, Kompong-Som, Trang and Kong-Pisey.

In 1889, French colonial census reports a multi-ethnic community: Kampot town consisted of "Cambodian Kampot" on the Prek-Kampot River and "Chinese Kampot" on the right riverbank of the west branch of the Prek-Thom River. Nearby was also a Vietnamese village, called Tien-Thanh and another Vietnamese village on Traeuy Koh Island. A Malay also existed on Traeuy Koh Island. Additional villages of mixed ethnicity are listed.

Khmer Rouge era
Destruction and mass murder happened throughout the whole area of Kampot province, as the Cambodian genocide and bloody massacres engulfed Kampot province under the terror of Khmer Rouge rule. A total 90,450 persons were massacred throughout the province. Ta Mok himself massacred 30,000 people in the Angkor Chey District of Kampot.

Agriculture

 * Kampot pepper is a specialized product, protected by GI law, totaling 13 ha and a harvesting area of 10.50 ha located in Domnak Kantoul, Kang Tboung Commune, Kompong Trach District.
 * Durian, another specialized product totaling 537 ha and yielding 10,657 tons located in Makbrang Commune, Tek Chhou district.
 * Rubber, plantation area: 20 ha
 * Kampot sea salt is extracted from the seawater through salt evaporation ponds in the coastal areas of Kampot and Kep provinces.

Forestry and mining

 * Forestry area: 227,154 ha
 * 48 Mineral production and mining areas

Tourism

 * Historical/cultural areas: 4 places
 * Wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas: Preah Monivong National Park at 140,000 hectares

Districts
The province is subdivided into 7 districts and 1 municipality.

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 96.9% of the people in Kampot are Buddhists. Chams have been practicing Islam for hundreds of years. A small percentage follow Christianity.

title: Kampot province


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Kandal province

Kandal (កណ្ដាល, Kândal ; lit. 'Middle') is a province of Cambodia located in the southeast portion of the country. It completely surrounds the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh and borders the provinces of Kampong Speu and Takéo to the west, Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Cham to the north, Prey Veng to the east, and shares an international border with Vietnam (An Giang and Đồng Tháp) to the south. It is the second most populous province in Cambodia after the capital Phnom Penh. Its capital and largest city is Ta Khmau, which is approximately 8 km south of central Phnom Penh. Kandal is one of the wealthier provinces in the country.

Physical
Kandal province completely surrounds the capital Phnom Penh. The province is also a part of the greater Phnom Penh Metropolitan Area with more than a million people living in and around the province. While traveling out of Phnom Penh, the boundary between the two provinces is nearly unrecognizable.

The province consists of the typical plain wet area, covering rice fields and other agricultural plantations. The average altitude of the province is no more than 10 meters above sea level. The province also features two of the biggest rivers in the country, the Bassac and Mekong Rivers.

Climate
The province has a warm and humid tropical climate. The monsoon season normally begins in May and runs through October, while the rest of the year is the dry season. The warmest period of the year occurs between March and May, while the coolest period is from November through March.

Economy
Kandal province serves as an economic belt of the capital Phnom Penh. Farming and fishing are the two main industries of the province. Major products include palm oil, peanuts, rice, and pepper. In addition to farming and fishing, the province also supports thriving cottage industries that specialize in wood carving, silk, and handicrafts.

Many garment factories are located in Kandal province, which hires more than 500,000 workers.

Administrative divisions
The province is subdivided into 10 districts and 2 municipality. The districts are further subdivided into 146 communes (khum) and 1087 villages.

2 districts Khsach Kandal and Lvea Aem in east Mekong river

Religion
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 98.3% of the people in Kandal are Buddhists. Chams have been practicing Islam for hundreds of years. A small percentage follow Christianity.

title: Kandal province


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Koh Kong province

Koh Kong (កោះកុង, Kaôh Kŏng, lit. 'The Curved Island') is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. Its capital is Khemarak Phoumin (Koh Kong).

Geography
The most southwestern province of Cambodia, Koh Kong has a long undeveloped coastline and a mountainous, forested, and largely inaccessible interior which includes part of the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia's largest national park (Botum Sakor National Park), and a section of Kirirom National Park.

History
From 1795 to 1904 the area was under Siamese administration with the local name of "Koh Kong". During the reign of King Mongkut the name Patchan Khiri Khet was given to the city as a counterpart to Prachuap Khiri Khan, a city on the same latitude which also had its name changed during the same year. In 1904, the region and the city of Trat was ceded to French Indochina in exchange of French troop evacuation from Chanthaburi. In 1907 Trat was returned to Siam in exchange for the Siamese province of Inner Cambodia while Koh Kong remained part of French Cambodia.

After Cambodia's liberation from the Khmer Rouge in 1979, Koh Kong province was quite under-populated. After the national government encouraged people to live in Koh Kong, there has been a net influx of people. It is estimated that the average annual growth rate in Koh Kong is 16%, which has put pressure on the mangrove resources in the province. Koh Kong's towns have developed rapidly partially in response to market pressures from Thailand and because of immigration from other parts of Cambodia.

Economy
The province has been the site of a Sino-Cambodian port development project in Dara Sakor. The project is planned to spread over 45,000 hectares, to include casinos, golf courses, and resorts. A 20 kilometre stretch of coastline will be turned into a deep-water port to accommodate cruise ships as well as freight. Near the port, an airfield with a runway 3,400 metres is longer than needed for commercial flights, while its turning bays are too small for civilian aircraft. Therefore, analysts suspect that the port project is a Cambodian-Chinese civil-military collaboration that will permit the Chinese navy to use the facilities as a forward operating base. Responding to US concerns, Prime Minister Hun Sen has denied the charge, pointing out that the Cambodian constitution "...has no provision for accommodating foreign military bases on its soil."

Districts
The province is divided into six districts and one municipality:

Border crossing

The province is an increasingly popular gateway to Cambodia from Hat Lek in eastern Thailand (Trat), in part due to the reasonably direct access to the port and beach resort town of Sihanoukville. The border is at Cham Yeam, about 14 km from Koh Kong.

Traveling to Koh Kong has been made easier, as bridges have been built, the first in 2002. The landmark Koh Kong Bridge was built by L.Y.P. Group. It is the second longest bridge in Cambodia (Neak Loeung Bridge took the number one spot in 2015). The 1,900-meter crossing can be seen connecting provincial town of Koh Kong to Koh Kong Resort and the Thai border. In 2007 a new sealed road (National Route 48) was completed from the town to Sre Ambel on the Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville highway, including four new bridges donated by the Thai government. They opened in May 2008.

title: Koh Kong province


text:
User talk:Roy H Huddleston

Hello "Roy H Huddleston" and welcome to Wikipedia. A few tips for you:

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I wonder why you blanked the text at Ratcliffe. Were you the unlogged in user who originally submitted that text? -- Infrogmation 17:38, 28 Feb 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Roy H Huddleston