Ban (law) and La Serena, Chile: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Faro de La Serena.jpg|thumb|258px|Faro of The City]]

A '''ban''' is, generally, any [[decree]] that [[Prohibition|prohibit]]s something.

[[Image:La Serena-Coquimbo-02.jpg|thumb|258px|The city of La Serena with the port city of [[Coquimbo, Chile|Coquimbo]] in the background]]

[[Image:Plaza de Armas - La Serena.jpg|thumb|250px|Plaza de Armas]]

'''La Serena''' ("the serene one") is the second oldest city in [[Chile]]. The city, located 471 km north of [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]], has a population of 147,815, according to the 2002 census. There are also 12,333 inhabitants of the immediately surrounding countryside. It is one of the fastest-growing areas of Chile, witnessing a population increase of 32.6% between [[1992]] and [[2002]].

Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some see this as a negative [[ordinance|act]] (equating it to a form of [[censorship]] or [[discrimination]]) and others see it as maintaining the "''[[status quo]]''". Bans in commerce are referred to as [[embargo]]s.

It was first founded by Spaniard Captain [[Juan Bohón]] in [[September 4]] [[1544]] on the orders of [[Pedro de Valdivia]] in order to provide a sea link between Santiago and [[Lima]]. In [[1549]] the town was totally destroyed by local Indians and re-founded the same year by Captain Francisco de Aguirre in a safer ___location. The town has retained its historic architecture and this, along with a selection of beaches (known as Avenida del Mar, "Sea Avenue"), has caused the city to become a significant tourist centre, attracting many foreigners (most of them Argentines from San Juan and Mendoza provinces) during January, and later Santiago residents fleeing February heat.

== Banning marriages ==

Its traditional architecture consists of a series of housing and public buildings, of late 19th-century vintage, built with wood from the [[USA|US]] state of [[Oregon]] brought to Chile as counterweight in sailing vessels coming to [[Coquimbo]], the nearby port, to load copper and other minerals for transport back to the US. This Oregon pine and the use of [[adobe]] create the genuine image of the city.

An example of a popular ban in the early 21st century is a [[marriage]] ban, used to prevent certain categories of people from marrying each other. For much of the 1800s and 1900s there were bans on marriage between people of different races ([[interracial marriage]]). However, the ban on interracial marriage was taken up by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in [[1967]] in the landmark [[civil rights]] case [[Loving vs. Virginia]], in which the Court ruled [[Virginia]]'s [[miscegenation]] law an [[unconstitutional]] violation of the fundamental right to marriage. This should not be confused with [[banns of marriage]].

There is also a number of remarkable and valuable small churches built of sedimentary stone quarried 5 km to the north of the [[Elqui River]], having a characteristic color and texture formed by myriad small shells. These churches are all roughly 350 years old and have undergone restoration to varying degrees, bringing them back to their original form. San Francisco, San Agustín, Santo Domingo are the names of a few of them.

== Banned persons under Apartheid ==

During the [[Apartheid]] régime in [[South Africa]], the [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]] government issued banning orders to individuals seen to be threats to its power — often black politicians or organisations — and acted as suppression orders. Individuals banned by the government could not communicate with more than one person at any time unless at home (thus removing them from partaking in political activities), travel to areas without government approval, or leave the country.

The Cathedral, built from the same stone, dates from the 19th century. It must be said that although it lacks the same historical value as the older churches, this is a stone building in a country prone to seismic activity, and has survived various earthquakes. Indeed, during centuries of existence, there is almost no visible damage. All of these churches, along with others of minor importance, provide a unique urban landscape, an image for the city, giving it the nickname "''The City of Churches''."

== Banning and perverse incentives ==

Advocates for a law banning a [[goods and services|good or service]] often present the law as a way of ''getting rid'' of the banned thing. However, the enactment of a ban rarely can cause the banned thing to suddenly disappear from society. For instance, [[prohibition]] (of alcohol) did not make alcohol use go away; rather, it drove it underground into the [[black market]] of [[speakeasy|speakeasies]] and [[moonshine]]rs. Likewise, [[prostitution]] is illegal in most nations, but is still widely practiced.

A few of the major sectors are: El Centro ("downtown"), Peñuelas (actually a suburb between La Serena and its sister city [[Coquimbo]]), San Joaquín (neighborhood on a hill overlooking the ocean), La Florida, Las Compañías ("the companies"), Cerro Grande ("big hill"), La Antena and the new El Milagro ("the miracle") development.

Banning does not make the banned goods or services go away -- all it does is threaten with [[prosecution]] those who are caught with the banned good or engaged in the banned service. [[Law enforcement]] is never perfect, so some people will be able to get away with breaking the law; this is why a black market is possible. A [[perverse incentive]] can arise when banning a good makes it more profitable to supply, by driving up the price. Similarly, the creation of a black market can create a profitable economic niche for [[organized crime]].

==External links==

== Banning in games==

*[http://www.userena.cl// University of La Serena]

The [[banhammer]] is a metaphorical tool used in many [[Player versus Player]] games. The host has the power to kick or ban players who do not follow the rules.

*[http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/85488.html/ weather forecast]

*[http://www.visit-chile.org/norte/h21.phtml Chilean tourist site for La Serena]

*[http://www.intimahinatravel.cl travel agency]

{{coor title dm|29|54|S|71|15|W|region:CL_type:city}}

[[Category:Cities in Chile]]

==See also==

*[[ListCategory:Communes of banned booksChile]]

[[Category:Capitals of Chilean regions]]

*[[List of banned computer and video games]]

[[Category:Settlements established in 1544]]

[[Category:Cities and towns in Coquimbo Region]]

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