Jump to content

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
< Wikipedia:Reference desk

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Articuno1 (talk | contribs) at 15:41, 3 December 2005 (→Acts and Regulations). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Science Mathematics Computing/IT Humanities
Language Entertainment Miscellaneous Archives
How to ask a question
  • Search first. It's quicker, because you can find the answer in our online encyclopedia instead of waiting for a volunteer to respond. Search Wikipedia using the searchbox. A web search could help too. Common questions about Wikipedia itself, such as how to cite Wikipedia and who owns Wikipedia, are answered in Wikipedia:FAQ.
  • Sign your question. Type ~~~~ at its end.
  • Be specific. Explain your question in detail if necessary, addressing exactly what you'd like answered. For information that changes from country to country (or from state to state), such as legal, fiscal or institutional matters, please specify the jurisdiction you're interested in.
  • Include both a title and a question. The title (top box) should specify the topic of your question. The complete details should be in the bottom box.
  • Do your own homework. If you need help with a specific part or concept of your homework, feel free to ask, but please don't post entire homework questions and expect us to give you the answers.
  • Be patient. Questions are answered by other users, and a user who can answer may not be reading the page immediately. A complete answer to your question may be developed over a period of up to seven days.
  • Do not include your e-mail address. Questions aren't normally answered by e-mail. Be aware that the content on Wikipedia is extensively copied to many websites; making your e-mail address public here may make it very public throughout the Internet.
  • Edit your question for more discussion. Click the [edit] link on right side of its header line. Please do not start multiple sections about the same topic.
  • Archived questions If you cannot find your question on the reference desks, please see the Archives.
  • Unanswered questions If you find that your question has been archived before being answered, you may copy your question from the Archives into a new section on the reference desk.
  • Do not request medical or legal advice.
    Ask a doctor or lawyer instead.
After reading the above, you may
ask a new question by clicking here.
Your question will be added at the bottom of the page.
How to answer a question
  • Be thorough. Please provide as much of the answer as you are able to.
  • Be concise, not terse. Please write in a clear and easily understood manner. Keep your answer within the scope of the question as stated.
  • Link to articles which may have further information relevant to the question.
  • Be polite to users, especially ones new to Wikipedia. A little fun is fine, but don't be rude.
  • The reference desk is not a soapbox. Please avoid debating about politics, religion, or other sensitive issues.

November 24

The End (song)

I've been trying to download the song The End by the Doors on Limewire. The problem is that the only versions they have is the 6:31 version and it cuts out a lot of what internet sites say the complete lyrics are. I just want to make sure that this is infact an edited version and not the real one. RENTASTRAWBERRY FOR LET? röck 01:22, 24 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The iTunes Music Store has three versions for sale:
  1. 6:31 on Greatest Hits - The Doors
  2. 11:43 on The Doors: Greatest Hits - The Doors
  3. 16:15 (Live) on Bright Midnight -The Doors
The original release on the self-titled album isn't available but the original lyrics are available here. This link is also provided in the WP article that heads this section. --hydnjo talk 03:48, 24 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
On my copy of their self-titled album "The End" is 11:50. —DO'Neil 07:31, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

non-profit organization with two functions

A 501(c)3 organization in Texas is structured with one branch providing a community health (one CEO) and the other branch that is a community planning body and an administrative agent for state and federal funds passing through to specialized providers with a separate CEO. Both operate under one name. One board governs both. What is this type of structure called? How should the by-laws set up the governance for both entities? Can the administrative agent activities be identified as an "unrelated business activity" or "secondary line of business"? Signed: Ə–—… — Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.167.26.1 (talk • contribs)

To answer one question: the structure is usually called an umbrella organization. The rest of your questions may need a lawyer. A Texas lawyser at that, given that there are probably state as well as federal matters involved. -- Jmabel | Talk 06:15, 24 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Is it possible this this is a homework question? DJ Clayworth 22:36, 24 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Stuart Davis - Artworks

I am trying to trace images of a painting by Stuart Davis called "Swing City". There is another painting called "Swing Landscape" which is not the same. I would be grateful if anyone can supply information re the "Swing City" painting. --198.54.202.226 14:12, 24 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Punishment Practices

How are the punishment practices from the colonial and revolutionary periods similar to the modern penal system? How have the 17th and 18th century punishment practices influenced modern 20th century penal practices? 172.171.237.138 18:25, 24 November 2005 (UTC)Caramel[reply]

venetian blinds

which is the country of origin of venetian blinds?

The Venetian blinds article will provide you with a possibility. hydnjo talk 01:47, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

paper factory

where was the first paper making factory started in the muslim world?

I believe it was around 751 in Samarkand. There was a factory in Baghdad in 800. Filiocht | The kettle's on 11:05, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This site states that "The first paper making factory in the Islamic Empire was built in Baghdad" in 792AD. - Akamad 11:08, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I suppose it depends what you mean by a factory, and if the Muslim world is the same thing as the Islamic Empire. The skill of papermaking was picked up from Chinese prisoners in Samarkand (the site referenced by Akamad confirms this), but it may be that there were small workshops there rather than a "factory". The Baghdad date is probably the most exact answer to the question, but at that time the establishment of a factory would assume the existence of small scale mastery of the required skills in the community. The factory gave the authorities more control and, probably, more revenue. Filiocht | The kettle's on 11:22, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

flag

when was the Saudi Arabian flag adopted?

This site states that the flag was adopted on March 15, 1973. - Akamad 06:37, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

flag hosting

Till which year Indian Chief Ministers could not unfurl national flag on August 15th?

Is this a quiz or a question? hydnjo talk 01:51, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 25

About the Statue of Justice in Hong Kong

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is Mable from City University of Hong Kong. Recently, I have done a project research on discrimination against men in Hong Kong. Our group would like to mention the Statue of Justice in our Powerpoint presentation to arouse students' awareness of equality. However, due to our limited knowledge, we don't exactly know the background and history of the statue.

We want to know why Goddess of Themis represent justice and when it is used, why she is blind-folded, what do the things held by her mean (The sword and balance). Our group sincerely want to ask for your advice.


Yours sincerely, Mable

Mable, have a look at the article on Themis, especially the last paragraph, which claims that the statue is more closely related to the Roman goddess Iusticia rather than her Greek equivalent, Themis. As I understand them, her attributes are: [1] She is blindfolded because justice should be impartial, that is, blind to the differences between her petitioners, and responsive only to their arguments; [2] the balance is also an indication that justice should be meted out fairly, by an objective and not a subjective standard, and [3] the sword indicates the penalty that is due to those found guilty, and the authority of the courts. Others may be able to add more, but this may be a start. (As an aside, the notion that mercy and justice are in some sense opposites leads to iconography still used in the UK coronation ceremony, in which the monarch holds (among other regalia) the "sword of justice" and the "sword of mercy" (or "curtana), the latter with a blunt point.) - Nunh-huh 03:08, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Magneis

Please tell me which culture or nation was the first to use magnets and magnetic needles. Please specify what they used it for and when. Please respond soon, by tomorrow hopefully.(November 24, 2005,9:44 P.M.) --Norman Zhu

Apparently magnetic needles were used `as compasses in China in the 4th Century B.C. That may be your answer unless someone comes up with an earlier use. - Nunh-huh 10:02, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Your need for an answer by tomorrow wouldn't have anything to do with homework, would it? You know, the homework that we told you we don't give answers for? Deltabeignet 02:58, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Richard Nixon

Did he come to Australia on September 10th, 1965? And is it true he accidently flipped the bird at Australians, thinking he was giving them the peace sign? - Ta bu shi da yu 07:46, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I think what happened was Australians who were unhappy with Nixon were giving him the two fingered salute, which is basically the peace sign but with the palms facing inwards. This in Australia (which is where I live) pretty much means "up yours". I believe what happened was Nixon interpreted this to mean the peace sign and he gave the salute back the the Aussies. I don't know if it's true or not. - Akamad 10:41, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This anecdote site states a similar thing. I don't know when the visit happened though. - Akamad 10:45, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
And I can assure you that flipping the bird in 1965 meant exactly what it means today, and he wouldn't have done that by accident or out of ignorance. It occurs to me to ask why Australians in 1965 would have been unhappy with Nixon? He hadn't been the v.p. for several years, the Vietnam war had not started yet, and I don't recall any specific reason for Australians to have been unhappy with Americans in general that year. Was this a completely fabricated story? alteripse 17:16, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The Australian involvement in Vietnam began in April/May 1965. Nixon was in Australia that year; the National Archives of Australia have an image showing the later Prime Minister John McEwen together with Nixon at Mascot, New South Wales in 1965. Whether Nixon arrived on September 10, I do not know. Lupo 20:37, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
So he was clearly there, but was this a state visit? Johnson (other party) was president in 65, and I don't think Nixon had any official US government standing or appt in 1965. Second, I realize that things in vietnam were getting going by 1965, but my memory is that there was little or no public protest in either the US or Australia in 65 because no one could see what was coming. Was that the reason some Australians were "unhappy" with Nixon? alteripse 02:55, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know what was going on in Australia at that time, nor why Nixon would have been so unpopular, either as a person or as a generic representative of the U.S. However, this guy states that in the U.S., "the first sizeable anti-Vietnam War demonstration [occurred] in April 1965, with 25,000 people attending." And the Australian Institute of Criminology states that "[In Australia,] Thousands of students participated in protest demonstrations and marches during the period 1965-72." Of course, that doesn't prove yet that already in 1965 there were any demonstrations against the Australian involvement in the Vietnam War. Maybe the protesters were part of the anti-conscription movement? September 10 seems to be about right, Nixon was on a "business trip" through Taiwan, Hong Kong, Saigon, and Australia according to this site, which states that he was in Taiwan on August 31, 1965. Lupo 14:29, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It just occurred to me that Ta bu shi da yu himself may be best placed to answer his own questions... Ta bu, how about a visit to your nearest library and checking the newspapers from September 11, 12, and 13th from 1965? If they don't have it, ask the big Sydney newspaper's archives! Nixon's visit should be worth at least a fleeting mention somewhere. Lupo 22:45, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Good idea... I'll certainly do the first weekend I get a chance :-) Ta bu shi da yu 09:48, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
George H.W. Bush famously made that mistake on a visit to Australia. You're not getting them confused?--Robert Merkel 10:41, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
He did? When?! Hilarious! Though nothing that man does can suprise me. - Ta bu shi da yu 09:48, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Did you notice that he wrote George H. W. Bush, the father of the current president George W. Bush? Lupo 09:33, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Christina Rossetti - The Lambs of Grasmere

This poem was written in 1860, the year her intended marriage was broken off, can anyone tell me if there is a link between the writing of this poem and that unfortunate event, Thanks

Not as far as I can see here, but this sort of thing is really a matter of opinion. Shantavira 17:17, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Female Scientists, 17th, 18th, and 19th Century

Please specify who they were and what they did. I also need to know 3 female scientists. One from the 17th century, 18th century, and 19th century. --Norman Zhu

You will find plenty of names to choose from at our list of scientists. Shantavira 17:17, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What impact did the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 make on:

  • intellectual property?
  • digitally copying music?
  • books?
  • movies?

Or if Wikipedia doesn't have enough information of this, could you please tell me any good websites on the DMCA? Thanks in advance. --69.165.33.225 18:25, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe the Digital Millennium Copyright Act article could be of help to you. See the External Links section for more detailed info. David Sneek 18:56, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

the troubels

(No question asked) The term the troubles is most commonly used in reference to the period of violence in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until the mid-1990s, see the article I have linked to for more information. And when asking about things here, please include an actual question, and be as specific as possible; it makes it easier for people to give answers. -- AJR | Talk 22:58, 25 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

1930 Radio

I was doing some research and I could not find the answer to my question, which is: "What were some of the most prominant radio broadcasting stations during the 1930's?" I was just wondering if anyone knew a website that would have this information. Thank you. --64.12.116.13 01:05, 26 November 2005 (UTC)Melissa[reply]

I not know answer, I just added sub-head so easy to find the question. I suspect if you Google on history of radio you might find useful info. I mean when was commercial radio invented, and what kind of broadcast range did it have. It may be that the correct answer is NONE.

AlMac|[[User talk:AlMac|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 06:40, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 26

culture that can only count to two

This one girl is telling me about this culture that can only count to two and doesn't start over and they were in National Geographic but I don't believe her. And I asked her about binary but she said no.

Maybe she was talking about languages that only contain words for “one” and “two”, and use the word “many” for all higher numbers? (So-called "one, two, many languages".) See this link for one example. - Nunh-huh 04:35, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
You are probably referring to the Pirahã who speak the Múra-Pirahã language. Adam Bishop 22:39, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Voice of the Face at Luna Park Sydney

Could anyone tell me who recorded the 'laugh' of the Face at Luna Park Sydney?

who is the current governor of Arizona?

All states have comprehensive infoboxes on the right of their page. Just take a look at Arizona. Marskell 04:58, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Why is there still royalty?

No offense to those in Great Britain or other countries with a monarchy, but I can't seem to understand why in this day and age there are still kings and queens, or dukes and lords for that matter. It seems that having people sit on a (figurative) throne and run around with titles is a bit peculiar, especially since in some cases they don't seem to hold any real power. --Impaciente 05:06, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

First, Wikipedia is not a blog and your question is rather bloggish ;). However, a quick answer as follows: a move from a monarchy to a republic often involves a great deal of gnashing of teeth and a desire for political stability leads to the conservation of working institutions. Since the English Restoration, Great Britain is the only big-five western European nation that has not experienced revolution. Stability of this sort was one part of its historic success. Marskell 07:01, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Or, put another way, the undesirable part of monarchy is having a monarch with the power to actually rule. One can get rid of the undesirable part by eliminating either the monarch (replacing him with a republic or a democracy) or the monarch's power (replacing him with a constitutional monarchy, in which he is a figurehead). - Nunh-huh 07:54, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Pardon the phrasing. But now that we have gotten past the guillotining of kings and queens (for the most part), wouldn't abolishing the monarchy in say, Britain, be much easier and more civilized? I can see how keeping working institutions might avoid unnecessary bloodshed and upheaval, but would Britons really be lost as to what to do if the monarchy was abolished? I don't know much about how the institution is seen in the country itself, and the help is appreciated. --Impaciente 08:19, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe check: British republican movement Marskell 08:28, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The arguments within the UK certainly don't contend that Britons would be lost but for their monarch. The general arguments against the elimination of a monarchy are the contentions that [1] it's useful to have a separate head of state and head of government one political and one not; that [2] such systems are cheaper, that [3] monarchy attracts tourists, that [4] there's no pressing need for change, that [4] monarchs rule, but don't govern anyway, and [4] it's traditional and comfy and familiar and homey, and [5] why bother with changing a system we're happy with. (These may or may not be true, but certainly are put forth.) And probably some others that people may care to add. - Nunh-huh 08:30, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Those are some pretty convincing reasons. Thanks again. --Impaciente 17:09, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Just for completeness, Great Britain is neither a country, nor a monarchy; it's an island. Your question seems to presuppose that monarchies are inherently inferior to non-monarchies. May I suggest that you write a list of criteria by which you would judge the success of a country (e.g. GDP, median wage, income inequality, democracy, human/civil rights, foreign relations) and then use them to assess various countries with different systems of government. You may wish to consult Monarchy#Current monarchies and List of countries by system of government. I don't know what country you come from, or what your cultural context is, but I encourage you to always question your presuppositions. Also, apart from the fact that it's now, and you're here to see it, why is this day and age different? Cheers, Bovlb 20:09, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
From what I understand, isn't Great Britain a constitutional monarchy? And just to clarify, you are the one presupposing that I assumed monarchies to be inferior. All I questioned is the fact that since they don't seem to do much in a practical sense, their doing away with should be considered, just like doing away with many things that don't serve much purpose. However, now that some helpful individuals made clear the fact that they do serve as some sort of cultural bond and source of stability, I see that there are reasons for them still being around. Since democracy now seems to be the way the world is going, albeit slowly and unsteadily in some parts, I hope you can see how my questioning the fact is understandable. --Impaciente 18:02, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Well, Great Britain is still an island, and not a monarchy, country or state of any kind; perhaps you're thinking of the United Kingdom. My inference was that you seemed to think of monarchs as something that should be abolished by progress, and that progress is a good thing. My point was that there is more to the health of a country than whether it has an official monarch. Cheers, Bovlb 18:58, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
This should probably be taken to a discussion forum, but since we are here, here are some possible reasons why having royalty is still a good idea, comparing (as an example) the British Monarchy with the US presidential system:
  1. It's actually no more expensive to maintain royalty than a president. Security for the US president is enormous compared with that for the Queen, and the Queen doesn't have two private jets and a helicopter.
  2. Royalty are excellent for when the head-of-state role is largely ceremonial. So the Queen gets to greet foreign dignitaries, open art galleries and make visits to foreign countries, leaving the head of government to get on with the business of governing. Of course an elected head-of-state could do the same job, but if they don't make any policy decisions what difference does it make?
  3. It's much more of a conflict to swear allegiance to a president who you didn't vote for and who you may thing is the worst thing that ever happened to your country than it is to an essentially neutral monarch.
  4. Lots more opportunity for tourist-type ceremonies.

DJ Clayworth 15:29, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Point 3 above is a major one. Basically, in the US, the head of state is someone you either supported or didn't. If you voted for the other guy, then you're a lot less likely to support the individual than you would be with a pretty innocuous monarch, who you've never had a reason to dislike - they're not supporting any policies either way, so...
In connection with this, a book I read a while back mentioned the rather sensible argument that someone is more willing to do something when requested by the Crown than when requested by the Country - if the letter on your doorstep asking you to take up a badly-paid civil service position is sent "from" the King, you're more likely to accept than you are if it comes from a somewhat meaningless administrative office. (In practice it's the same thing; in principle it seems different).
Additionally, the role of a monarch in a constitutional monarchy is also as a required advisor - whilst the PM may make all the decisions, he has to meet someone every week or two and explain what those decisions are and why they were made. Even if they don't have any power to stop him, simply making him explain his activities is often a pretty good brake on doing anything too stupid. You can have this in a pure democracy - a "private committee" of the former US presidents still working for the White House would be an interesting concept - but it's a bit of an odd thing to set up from scratch.
The UK has this down to a fine art, incidentally - the Queen has been meeting PMs regularly since 1952, reading every major state document in that period - she actually has more time to do this than the Prime Minister - and, as such, has probably about as good a grasp of what's going on as anyone else, since she's been able to view it from the highest level for decades. The Civil Service will have people with the same length of experience, but they'll have gained a lot of that experience working at a low level, and not seeing the full picture. And being able to say "Yes, it's an interesting problem, and when I discussed it with Sir Winston I remember him saying that..." - well, it's an astonishingly good way to calm down overenthusiastic politicians, especially since all UK politicians develop a Churchill complex eventually :-) Shimgray | talk | 16:23, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Heart Attacks 19th century

Where there significant amount of death due to coronary heart attacks in the nineteenth century? Do we know what percentage of the US population died from this disease? Did physicians know the symptoms? --alz

I checked an American and a French general medical text, both from the end of the 19th century. The American text contained a chapter on "Hygiene" that discussed causes of mortality rates and life expectancy. Infectious diseases and respiratory diseases topped the list of causes of death and heart disease was not considered a major killer. However, in the chapter on heart disease, "cardiac thrombosis" as a cause of sudden death was described, complete with discussion of myocardial damage visible at autopsy. The French text was more vague (though to be fair, it is more of an intern's handbook) and did not discuss anything in detail that I could identify as similar to "heart attack". alteripse 14:07, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Selected Committees

i was just doing a piece of degree work on 'Who controls the PM in the UK political system' and it say told that the Selec Committee and the Standard Committee both control him, but not on a very large scale, therfore i just wanted a bit of help on how they control him?

In the UK Parliament, a select committee is a committee of MPs which oversees the work of a particular government department (for example, the Foreign Affairs Committee, which looks at the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.) In addition to the departmental select committees, there is also the Public Accounts Committee, which can look into essentailly anything that the government spends money on, and the Committee on Standards and Privileges, which handles complaints about MPs conduct. Your reference to the "Standard Committee" is probably the CSP, in the sense that the PM is an MP. The PM is also accountable to Parliament, via the weekly Prime Minister's Questions. What I have described is not how the PM is controlled, rather it is some of the ways that his actions are scrutinised. -- AJR | Talk 00:54, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The traditional 'controller' - that is they who hold the PM to account for his actions & the actions of his government - of government (& by extension the head of that government, the PM) is Parliament, though with the increase, over the past 50 years or so, in the power of the party machine & whips, the (growing) feeling that MP's are meant to support the party manifesto & their govenment rather than listening to the arguments & voting independently Parliament isn't fulfilling this job as well as it used to. AllanHainey 13:49, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

James VI of Scotland

What were James VI's policies during his reign of Scotland? 86.135.231.206 14:19, 26 November 2005 (UTC) K[reply]

From above: "If you need help with a specific part or concept of your homework, feel free to ask, but please do not post entire homework questions." This question appears to be of this sort and is much too broad. Check James I of England (he was sixth in Scotland, first in England) and if you have specific concerns or see gaps in the coverage, post a comment. Marskell 15:53, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Oversized Posters, Superman Batman and Robin

I would love to know what these posters are worth, they were printed in 1966, and they are 40 1/2" long and 27" wide, they are not in mint condition, but good condition for they're age. No one has been able 2 give me an idea of they're worth, they are all printed at the bottom, with "G & F posters, NYC official licenees-copyright c National Periodical Publications Inc. 1966" Can anyone one help me?

If they are not official two-sheets - posters printed by the film production company on both sides of the poster for display in movie theaters - then they are not worth much more than what they were worth when printed. Even official film posters are not worth much unless there is some error in the print, such as a "Revenge of the Jedi" poster. Box office gross will increase a poster's value slightly. Signatures moreso. I sold a good-condition two-sheet of Pulp Fiction signed by Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, and John Travolta for just over $300 on EBay. A sold one in mint-condition for $50. It is a matter of supply and demand. Thousands of posters are printed - enough so that every serious collector can have two or three of their favorite film. --Kainaw (talk) 19:29, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Black Hills

How did the Black Hills in South Dakota get its name?

From the dark color of the trees which cover them. See for example [1]. —Charles P. (Mirv) 21:52, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

which country first ever made venetian blinds

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.47.21 (talk • contribs)

Read the Venetian blinds article and you find the answer to this homework question. --hydnjo talk 20:49, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

who unfurls the national flag of india in maharashtra

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.47.23 (talk • contribs)

flag hosting

do chief ministers in india unfurl flags on august 15 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.113.16 (talk • contribs)

August 15th is India's Independence Day. Unfurling the national flag is commonplace on Independence Day. --Kainaw (talk) 20:53, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

flag

from which year did chief ministers started to unfurl the national flag on aug 15 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.47.15 (talk • contribs)

The previous question explains the significance of August 15 and the India article explains further as to what year India's independence from the UK was declared. --hydnjo talk 21:35, 26 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Where was alcohol found?

When did alcohol become popular? Where was it found and first used?

Through testing on ancient pottery jars, it has been revealed that beer (or something similar to wine) was produced about 7000 years ago in current day Iran. --Aytakin 03:00, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Medjai?Mejai?Magi?Maji?Madjai??

Are the Medjai real? Or are they just figments of Stephen Somners imagination? Or are they based on a real society/organization/clan? If they are, what are they?

Thanks

John David Fernandez

November 27

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

What is the latitude and Longitude of the Rainbow Bridge National Monument?

See Rainbow Bridge National Monument. (Although I must admit that the answer is hidden: it's in the Google map link, which contains the coordinates 37.077270N 110.964403W, about 37°4'38"N 110°57'52"W.) Lupo 20:31, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

which is the world's biggest election constituency?

which is the world's biggest election constituency?

By area, possibly Nunavut (electoral district), which covers the exact same area as the Canadian territory of the same name. The article for the territory gives the total area as 2,093,190 km², of which land comprises 1,936,113 km² (92.5%). Thryduulf 07:41, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]


Depends on your definition. If you want the largest pure popular vote position, probably the directly-elected President of Indonesia is the biggest. Another candidate is the entire United States of America, but the President is not elected directly by popular vote, with the U.S. Electoral College system. Geographically largest is would be the elections for President of Russia. The "world's largest democracy" is India; it, however, has a parliamentary system of government, the President is a figurehead appointed by Parliament and the individual electoral divisions that make up the parliament aren't *that* big. In terms of the largest internal single-member electoral division, by area, I'm afraid Australia has got Canada beaten: it's the Division of Kalgoorlie at 2,295,354 square kilometres. --Robert Merkel 07:57, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The Outer Delhi constituency in India has 3,103,525 voters. That's probably the largest single-member parliamentary district in the world. -- Mwalcoff 02:57, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Single, yes, but the state of California has two Senators representing its 34+ million people. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:42, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Not to mention they have only 1 governor...Brian Schlosser42 15:47, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

american literature

Is there a book in American literature which glorifies the american dream of success as opposed to those which show its failure? Thanks

DOCUMENTARY OF RUSSIA'S INDUSTRY

Texts about Ares.

I am looking for a short prose or any text about Ares, the greek god. I did a lot of search but all I found was text about other things with only a line about ares. I am looking for a text about Ares and more specifically a piece of litature like a book or play. Thank you

While we do have something on Ares, I hesitate to recommend it or even to call it an article. It gets ungrammatical in the second sentence, and I can't figure out what was meant. However, that Wikipedia page has two literature references at the very bottom that might be of help to you. Lupo 20:22, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Part of your challenge is that little was written about Ares in the Greek literature we have. He is mentioned in the Iliad and is a minor God and takes part in a few actions, but after that is pretty much used as a figure of speech (i.e., as the embodiment of war). If you want a synopsis of the mentions in all of the ancient sources, Robert Graves' The Greek Myths is widely available in libraries and bookstores. alteripse 22:25, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • Thanks ALOT

Population of Kerkrade, Limburg, Netherlands

What is the population of Kerkrade in Limburg, Netherlands?

49,316, according to our article on Kerkrade. Remember to search first. It's quicker! Shantavira 18:15, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The people on the [Dutch Wikipedia may have access to more recent info. - Mgm|(talk) 09:54, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Israeli judicial policies

I recently saw a movie set in Israel (Ushpizin) in which part of the plot was that two convicts had been sent home "on leave" and had to return back to jail later (they decided not to at the last minute). What is this practice called? It looks somewhat like the U.S. form of probation but here you don't go back unless you've violated the terms of it in some way. It caught me a little off-guard because it was such a different form of judicial practice, and made me and my companions very curious about whether they have many problems with people just not going back to jail (as in the movie), since that seemed like the natural result. --Fastfission 18:48, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

It's not specific to Israel. Some European countries also know this; I know for sure that Germany and Switzerland have it. The German term is Hafturlaub. It's not quite probation, (German Bewährung), where the convict doesn't go to jail at all unless he violates the terms of the probation. It's not a leave on parole either, which is kind of a probation granted for the rest of a prison sentence after the convict had served some time in prison. The literal translation would be "vacation from arrest"; it's an unsupervised leave from prison of short duration (a few days at most), granted for special occasions if the convict has behaved well and is trusted to return, to allow him to prepare e.g. the life after his release, or attend a funeral of a family member, or similar reasons. Most convicts do actually return to prison on their own; but the few cases where convicts on leave commit new crimes and/or don't return cause considerable controversy. Lupo 20:16, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
It sounds like the best English translation would be "furlough"; you're probably familiar with the controversy around the 1988 U.S. presidential election and Willie Horton. Deltabeignet 02:34, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Australia has periodic detention; a famous if unfortunate case was that of Rene Rivkin, an unwell man whose periodic detention became untenable and who spent most of his sentence under psychiatric care. However, I believe in most cases it's regarded as reasonably successful, if the kind of thing that News Corporation tabloids do occasional beatup stories about.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that the US has probably the harshest, most punitive criminal justice system in the western world (only Japan and that little outpost of totalitarianism Singapore come to mind as harsher). The evidence that it is a cost-effective way of reducing crime is, IIRC, extremely scanty. --Robert Merkel 04:23, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I concur with Deltabeignet that the word would be "furlough". -- Jmabel | Talk 04:54, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Right, furlough it is. And since that link is red, you have a prime chance to improve this encyclopedia :-) See also furlough. Lupo 08:07, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What is the daily, family life roles in France?

I am doing a project on France and I am looking for information on family life roles of the people. How the family structure is typically in society etc. Can someone help?

It's a modern, secular, Western country with (as we recently found out) a large immigrant population, with people who live in one of the most sophisticated cities on earth, as well as rednecks who like to drive around in hotted-up cars on a Saturday night (a friend of mine was telling me about the youths cruising the main street of Avignon...). So trying to generalise is going to be extremely dangerous. How would you characterise American family life in a way that reflected the stereotypical lifestyles of Greenwich Village, Berkeley, and Salt Lake City? --Robert Merkel 04:15, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Having never been to the US I would have no idea!

Kaizers Orchestra (Maestro)

Hi iam a huge kaizers orchestra fan (there is a page about them on here) how ever they are norwegian and i am not, therefore it is very hard to find things out about them.

anyway i have a couple of questions about them:

in a interview with them it says that 'Maestro' the new album is about Dieter Meyers Institution, where people went after the war when they were mentaly ill, i would like to know if Dieter Meyers is a real institution and if you could give me some infomation on it if it is, also i mentiond a war, however i dont know what war this is??

please please please im beggin you can somebody awnser these questions or give me any other infomation about the people that they mention in the albums, E.G a person called 'Tony' is metioned in the album 'oompa til du dor' in the songs 'Bak Et Halleujah' and 'Rullet' please please can you help me out

thank you so much

Josh

81.102.85.208 20:05, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Religion

Why not quote progressive theologians like John Shelby Spnong, Marcus Borg and Karen Armstrong? Enough riht-wing Falwell and Robertson non-sense, because you elevate their status.

I have no idea to what article or context you refer. I do suspect that Karen Armstrong does not belong in the list. Spong and Borg are professing Christians; I do not think Armstrong is any more. alteripse 22:57, 27 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

JOSE ROBLES

I am researching the history of my great grandfather Jose Robles married to Ramonda Lopez and their association if any to Pancho Villa or the revolution. Can you provide me with any information related to their history? Please reply asap. Thank You

Unless your great grandfather is somehow famous for his associated to the revolution, we won't have any information specifically on them.--Robert Merkel 12:05, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

annual tv ratings

i am trying to find a list of the most popular television shows by year. i have been successful up to the year 1999; after this i can only find weekly ratings. any ideas or links to the info i need?

You'll need to specify what country you need them for. If you have the weekly ratings, you could add up all the ratings for the year, although that would take a while. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 07:48, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 28

1943 gold victory 5 cent coin

What about it?? You must ask a specific question if you want an answer. JackofOz 02:41, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

native american indians bathroom habits

What about them?? You must ask a specific question if you want an answer. JackofOz 02:42, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Of those I know personally, same as anyone else's in town. What an odd (non-)question. -- Jmabel | Talk 04:57, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Jmabel, I hesistate to ask, but ... how do you know? We are talking about "bathroom habits" in the euphemistic sense here, aren't we? as in, what people do when they "go to the bathroom"? JackofOz 05:30, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Surviving Female Veterans of World War I

A Wikipedia user Steve has sent an e-mail to the Wikipedia Help Desk.

There's been a lot of interest recently in the dwindling band of WW1 survivors and I've just looked at your listing for various countries. However it only lists men. Significant numbers of women were involved too, in nursing the many casualties in both the Red Cross and voluntary organisations such as Voluntary Aid Detachments, as well as the many women who worked as munitionettes in the arms factories.

Do you know if anyone has researched whether any of these women are still alive? Although the numbers involved must have been smaller than the number of male combattants, the greater longevity of women makes it at least possible that there are still some survivors. It would be fascinating to hear their stories.

Do you have any information, or can you put me in contact with anyone who may? Woman auxilary soilders were did not exist the way the existed in wwII. Because 85 plus years have past since the war ended, they may all be dead. There are only a few male ww I veterans alive, only in 100's. Their are some still alive because so many men are under arms some just happen to have longevity.

Any help you can give him would be greatly appreciated. Capitalistroadster 05:30, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Diego Velázquez

This is one of the best FAs on Wikipedia. However, there is a bit at the end of the article that concerns me. It says "Ricardo Pecharromán celebrated the quadricentennial of Velázquez's birth in 1999 by recreating a number of Velázquez's works in a postmodern style" with a image of his artwork: Image:RicardoPecharromán SurrenderofBreda.JPG. Can someone please fact check this. My search has turned up little but I think it may be a language/culture barrier thing. Should Ricardo Pecharromán have an article in Wikipedia? --maclean25 07:50, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The Spanish Armada

What is the name of the port from which the Armada sailed on its attack against England?

If you check the article Spanish Armada, you will see that the fleet sailed from Lisbon in Portugal. --Canley 11:56, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

school

how shool came to be established?

dates back to vedic period in india when students used to stay with their teachers for learning. this was the gurukul [[2]] system of schooling (guru=teacher and kul=family).-Tachs 12:59, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
School as a place where children go to learn in a group from a teacher is described in classical Greece and Rome as well. alteripse 13:26, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
If you believe John Taylor Gatto, our schools were based much more on the more structured vedic schools than on Greek institutions. — Laura Scudder ☎ 16:29, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the intriguing link-- I never heard of this guy. However, with respect to vedic schools, I suspect "based on" is closer to "derived from" than to "resembled" in meaning and I would want more historical evidence to be convinced western school systems are derived from vedic schools even if they resemble vedic schools more. I also have to say that at first superficial acquaintance from our article on him, I find Gatto's thesis appalling: in the West people fought for centuries to make education public rather than a privilege of the wealthy. He wants to go back to that? alteripse 16:59, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I find his agenda rather appalling, too, but his research in The Underground History of American Education was pretty compelling. He uses writings by the founders of public education in order to get at their motives, and it's not pretty. And he does present some supporting stuff for the vedic schools thesis, but exactly how direct the connection, I can't answer. — Laura Scudder ☎ 15:57, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Reinaldo Arenas book

Could anyone please help me find the meaning of the following words or sentences from Reinaldo Arenas' "Celestino antes del alba" (the numbers in brackets indicate the page where they appear in the Tusquets 2000 edition).

- yucayedra (34-35)

- Foss! (56)

- pití (68;193) - could it be the pitihua (Colaptes pitius) or the Colaptes melanochlorus, carpintero pitío?

- desatizacada (71)

- almojicas bravas (75;121)

- sandoval, mata de (47;100;103;171) - could it be sandiego, the Gomphrena globosa, instead?

- itamorriales (211) - could it be derived from itamo, Euphorbia tithymaloides?

capullo (various) - can it mean the top of a tree?

Thanks.


José Aguilar

<Email removed>

--Hi--

Am I Wierd?

-Sylvester

Dear Sylvester... Are u a mugger? and the answer is yes

Dominican Republic Gender Roles

I was hoping to find out some information on male and female roles in the Dominican Republic. OR a good site to go to so that i can find the information. I am asking for help on my history project and i have tried many places looking for the information i don't want someone to do the work for me i just need help.

I assume that in general gender roles in the DR are little different from throughout Latin America: more traditional and less progressive in the rural and less educated parts of society, and a bit closer to European and American gender roles among the more privileged. Do you know that the DR was the location for one interesting phenomenon with a large and controversial influence on educated thinking about the relative roles of biology and culture in gender roles, or is that the whole point of your "history project"? alteripse 17:27, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Signing of the Declaration of Independence

I was told that there was a man who signed the Declaration of Independence to include his address, as he had a common name and wanted to make sure they had the right address if he was arrested or executed. Is this true? And who was it? Why can't I see it on the Declaration of Independence? Thank you!

  • Perhaps you mean Charles Carroll, who signed it "Charles Carroll of Carrollton". It's in the third column of signatures, a few under John Hancock's. I have no idea if that's why he signed it in that fashion, though. --Fastfission 21:52, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    • Had he simply signed "Charles Carroll", he might have been confused with his father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, or his son, Charles Carroll of Homewood. His grandfather (simply Charles Carroll) was already dead. - Nunh-huh 00:21, 29 November 2005 (UTC) (And to clarify: this wasn't peculiar, or something made up just for signing the Declaration of Independence. Adding a place name (or toponym) was a common way of distinguishing between men with identical or otherwise similar names.) It wasn't an address as such. - Nunh-huh 00:36, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Life

What is the meaning of life? And why are we on this earth? To die?

Tough question!! Everyone in the world has asked that question from themselves millions of time. This is what I think is the answer. Each person has a different prespective on it. Each person has to think about their own life and figure out what they want from life, and then dedicate their life to that goal and try to be happy and healthy. There is no real answer to your questions, but I would recommend looking into your religion. Of course this is a short answer and the prespective of me only.
--Aytakin 21:49, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • A good way to start thinking about the answer is to really think about the question. What is it supposed to tell you? Why ask it in the first place? What exactly do you mean by "meaning"? Probing the question itself may lead to a better insight (about life, and perhaps yourself) than reading speculations about the answer, of which there are multitudes. (Then again, I am a graduate student, and "probing the question itself" is a common academic way to dodge answering difficult questions!) --Fastfission 21:56, 28 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Fine, I'll be the one to say it. "Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations." George 05:45, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
"And, finally, here are some completely gratuitous pictures of penises..." - Akamad 06:09, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Some would say to enable our DNA to replicate itself. Filiocht | The kettle's on 10:46, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
42 is the answer. Dismas|(talk) 11:53, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Personal view: life has no meaning in the abstract. Each life has a shifting, provisional meaning that is made through the process of living it. The meaning of your life is the totality of what you do. Filiocht | The kettle's on 11:57, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Love God.

Have you ever considered the fact that the entire purpose of your life may be simply to act as a warning to others?
In my opinion, there is no ultimate meaning to anything. Our consciousness is just an overlay of the events that transpire in relation to our corpus - see Determinism. — flamingspinach | (talk) 02:55, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 29

He's Already Dead, Jim...

Template:Spoiler I'm trying to compile a collection of movies in which the common theme is that the main character is already dead, but does not know it yet. Some examples would be: The Sixth Sense, The Others, Dead Man, Jacob's Ladder, Donnie Darko (mostly), and Angel Heart. Can anyone think of any other movies that would fall under this category?

Does Sunset Boulevard (1950 film) qualify? User:Zoe|(talk) 03:47, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

-Yea, that would count. I was looking more for thriller/horror type mess-with-your-mind movies. But that sounds like a quality film, so I'll have to check it out, too. Thanks

Would "Pirates of the Caribbean" count? Seem to recall Johnny Depp's character was dead but hadn't realised it.

I haven't seen the movie, but if he's dead, how can they be doing a sequel? User:Zoe|(talk) 03:17, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The movie is awesome, but he wasn't dead. None of the pirates were dead, they were cursed so they couldn't die (they looked like skeletons/zombies when the moonlight was on them). I'd query Donnie Darko. What about Final Destination? The characters should have died, but then 'cheated death', so as far as fate was concerned, they were dead, and kept trying to 'make it official'. I was going to suggest Ghost, but then, Patrick Swayze definitely did know he was dead. Proto t c 10:51, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

DAMN YOU - you ruined Donnie Darko for me.... Lotsofissues 10:30, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Secretary of the Treasury

Where does the Secretary of the Treasury work exactly? More specifically, where is his or her office located?

--72.226.49.214 03:00, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

From the page at their website, which is linked to from our United States Department of Treasury article, the address is:
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20220
User:Zoe|(talk) 03:49, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

court records sealed

My question is about Scott Ritter in particular, but there is also a general question: what does it mean when court records are sealed for a legal case? Is there any way for the public to find out about the case? Is it against the law for someone, say a government official, to leak to the press information about a legal case for which the records have been sealed? --JWSchmidt 04:08, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

At least in theory the records are actually put into containers and the containers closed with a tamper-proof seal. In practice this might not physically be done for all the data, but the effect (that those in possession of it can't disclose it to anyone) apply nevertheless. It's been sealed by court order, so it would be contempt of court to break the seal. Sealed documents can't be accessed by anyone, including the government, without permission from the court - the court in this regard is sovereign, and only a superior court can overrule the court's refusal to disclose a sealed document. So the only way to find out what the sealed documents say is to petition the court. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:21, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the information. I read at a website that a judge can either seal all or just parts of the records related to a case. Are the records of such decisions available online? Do you have to physically go to a courthouse to access such records (find out if all or part of the records were sealed)? If after some court records are sealed, can members of the press interview officials (law enforcement, lawyers) and reconstruct a case without actually accessing the sealed court records or are officials associated with the case obligated to keep quiet about such a case? For example, is the press (or Wikipedia) able to publish the names of people involved in a legal case if a judge sealed the records for the case? Is it really possible for a prosecutor and a judge to decide not to finish prosecuting a case on the condition that a defendant "stay out of trouble for six months"? If the defendant meets such a condition, can that case still be counted as being part of the defendant's "criminal record" and possibly influence decisions in future cases involving the defendant or is the original case no longer part of that defendant's "criminal record"? --JWSchmidt 03:36, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

USA Patriot Act, title 2

Title 2, section 223 of the USA PATRIOT Act modified 18 U.S.C. § 2520(a) to state the following:

"Except as provided in section 2511 (2)(a)(ii), any person whose wire, oral, or electronic communication is intercepted, disclosed, or intentionally used in violation of this chapter may in a civil action recover from the person or entity, other than the United States, which engaged in that violation such relief as may be appropriate."

(Section 2520 deals with recovery of civil damages)

The bit here that was ammended was "other than the United States". I'm interested to know what this exactly means. Does this mean that if damages need to be awarded that the United States government is exempt? - Ta bu shi da yu 04:18, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. It's sovereign immunity, and it is generally accorded to the federal government which cannot be sued unless it waives its own immunity. The law was probably amended to make clear that it wasn't to be construed as such a waiver. - Nunh-huh 04:43, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Online "Culture" vs. the Classics

I'm working on an article with the premise that students in today's classrooms are not prepared to deal with classic literature. My assumption is that they spend so much time on the Internet, playing video games, and watching movies that they have become incapable of sitting through the intellectual exercise of reading a book or a poem or a play. What I need, however, is some evidence to back this theory up. Any thoughts and links would be useful

Yes, that's a problem we all encounter sometimes. You reached your conclusion, and now you only need some evidence; have a look at our Iraq and weapons of mass destruction article. This article from the LA Times makes the exact same point about the influence of the internet on reading, btw. David Sneek 13:53, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

World War II questionnaire

I need to contact someone who experienced life during World War II. None of my living relatives, that I know of, at least, lived during that time period or in a country involved in the war. So, I have turned to the internet. I need to ask this person some ten or fifteen short questions about their experiences of life during the war years. Any information which could help me get in touch with someone like this would be highly appreciated. If possible I would like to conduct the questionnaire via email, but if this is not possible, I would be willing to send it via postal mail (I live in the United States). Thanks for your help. — flamingspinach | (talk) 06:17, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Do these people have to be from European countries or can they be local to you in the US? If the latter, there are a few places you will probably find plenty of people of the right age group. You could try your local library, community centre or churches. Perhaps you could arrange to leave copies of your questionnaire in those type of places (ask someone who works there first, of course). Mattley 13:09, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Local would be just fine. These are all good ideas, thanks for the input. I may try to leave the questionnaire at a library, though I don't know how much of an audience that would reach. I'm not a member of any community centre or church, so I wouldn't be able to take advantage of these resources. — flamingspinach | (talk) 02:50, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Your best bet is your local Legion (are they called that in the US?) or Veterans Association. You should be able to find someone who served in the war there. It would, incidentally, be very interesting to get the answers to the same questions from someone who served in the forces and someone who stayed at home, and then from someone who was in a European country too. You could also try asking anyone you know who might be an immigrant since WWII. DJ Clayworth 19:50, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I found a local American Legion Post using Google Local, and will check it out. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm also thinking of dropping by a retirement home that is close to where I live - maybe I can find someone there who would be willing to relate their tales of the war years. — flamingspinach | (talk) 02:50, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Incidentally I was born during WW II so I experienced life then, but was so young I not remember it. You might want to set some minimum age of people who were alive back then, then go visit old folks homes, knowing you want to talk to people who are 70 years old, or whatever. AlMac|[[User talk:AlMac|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 06:49, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Problem solved - I was able to find a World War II veteran who served in Europe transporting supplies to the front lines. Got pretty interesting answers to my questionnaire. Thanks for all your help. — flamingspinach | (talk) 16:13, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Awakening

In which sutra was Gautama Buddha said to have meditated under the bodhi tree for forty-nine days after his awakening? ‣ᓛᖁ♀ᑐ 10:24, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I think it was The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Filiocht | The kettle's on 10:39, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I was thinking that might be it, but I couldn't find this there. The Lotus Sutra goes much further, saying he meditated for ten small kalpas before enlightenment, preached for 8,000 kalpas, and then meditated for 84,000 kalpas. ‣ᓛᖁ♀ᑐ 10:59, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I was pretty sure that The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra says he meditated for seven times seven days and that he also preached that sutra for 49 years. However, looking here, it would appear that this is actualy from the Commentary. Maybe that is the only source and it's not actually stated explicitly in any sutra? Filiocht | The kettle's on 11:25, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, that's a very recent commentary, though, from Hsuan Hua. At least that confirms the legend is in Ch'an also. ‣ᓛᖁ♀ᑐ 13:46, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The story also appears in the Nidanakatha. Filiocht | The kettle's on 09:02, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I see! Thanks. [3] ‣ᓛᖁ♀ᑐ 09:32, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

enigma musical project

how many copies had enigma musical project sold?

Were people sheep before Animal Farm?

I read Animal Farm tonight and got to wondering if people who are submissive were referred to as sheep before the book was published.

In the New Testament, Jesus describes his followers as sheep. The expression wolf in sheep's clothing, which assumes that the sheep is docile, dates from the 1400s, the expression lamb to the slaughter is found in the Book of Isaiah. All in all, it's an old simile. Filiocht | The kettle's on 11:33, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The New Testament picture of sheep is a little different from the one today. To call someone a sheep today would imply they are conformist or easily led, possibly not very bright. In the NT it is much more associated with needing protection. DJ Clayworth 19:45, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Oil in the Earth's core.

Why is there oil deep in the Earth? Could it be, like in cars, to keep the Earth cool? Could this be a reason why we are also experiencing Global Warming? What purpose does the oil serve deep in the Earth? What will happen when we deplete all the oil? Does the Earth keep producing oil?

For answers to those questions and more tune into next weeks article of Petroleum! Oh, and there is no oil in the Earth's core. Comedy | Comedy 12:19, 29 November 2005
To expand, the oil is in the earth's crust, only a few miles down. The Earth's core is thousands of miles down, and there's only iron there, no oil. The great majority of earth scientists believe oil is made by slow compression and heating of ancient vegitation (from tens or hundreds of millions of years ago) - so yes the earth is still making oil, but at a very slow rate (far slower than people are currently extracting it). Now, there's a very small number of earth scientists who don't believe this "fossil oil" theory, and say that oil is made by bacteria (or other little creatures like bacteria) make oil when they eat the rocks and stuff down in the warmer parts of the earth's crust. This is the abiogenic petroleum origin theory - if it's true (like I say, most scientists in that field don't think it is) then the bacteria are pooping out oil right now, and depleted oilfields will fill up, probably a lot quicker than by the incredibly slow fossil mechanism (but probably still much slower than the current rate of extraction). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:53, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
There's oil 'deep' in the earth because lots of vegetation got covered over by land (eg in a series of big earthquakes) and lowered to 7,500 to 15,000 feet below sea level, the depths at which the pressure is great enough to compress & break them down into their hydrocarbon chains (below 15,000 feet there is greater pressure & gas is created), this takes millions of years.
Petroleum doesn't keep the earth cool. The generally accepted reason why we are expeiencing global warming (accepted by around 99% of scientists) is that we've pumped so much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
Oil in the earths crust serves the purpose of being a store of carbon - it's down there & isn't in the atmosphere increasing the global temperature. However for the past 150 years we've been taking it out & making it serve other purposes - running cars, making plastics, making fertilisers, making detergents & other chemicals, providing heat & electricity, etc. By the way the word 'purpose' seems to give the implication that oil has been put in the earth for some good reason, I'd say that isn't the case & its just a result of the geological features of the planet, though of course your view on this may depend on your religios beliefs.
What will happen when we run out of oil - think of all the things you use it for, now try to do without them. There will be major economic upheaval, wars over the last of the oil, huge numbers will die as agriculture won't be able to provide enough food (sans oil derived fertilisers & tractors), etc. Actually (assuming that climate change doesn't get us first) this will all happen long before we run out of oil - see oil depletion and peak oil for the reasons & a more detailed explanation.
Finally does the earth keep producing oil, yes but it takes millions of years & requires specific geological circumstances, so I wouldn't hold your breath. AllanHainey 08:43, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Jimi Hendrix "Voodoo Chile"

What is the source of the title of the song, "Voodoo Chile?" The lyrics use the words "voodoo child" and track 16 on the album "Electric Ladyland" is called "Voodoo Child." Is there history to the title?

Basically, "Voodoo Chile" is a long blues jam that evolved from something written as a Muddy Waters homage/medley; see the external link above for more on that. Track 16, "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" is pretty much psychedelic rock with a dash of blues. It was recorded the day after "Voodoo Chile"; some TV crew was filming them, and Jimi said "OK, let's play this in E" and went into "VC (SR)", which they did three times. (I'm getting this from his best-of compilation liner notes.) So, in short, yes, there is history to the title. Deltabeignet 23:15, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Amerie

i have 2 questions

how did u find out that amerie's latest album is platinum and i have and i don't think she was born in 1978 she was born 1980 beacuse when she first came out she was 22 years old and it was the year 2002. i remember.

Thanks for your suggestion. When you believe an article needs improvement, please feel free to change it. You can edit almost any article on Wikipedia by just following the Edit link at the top of the page. We encourage you to be bold in updating pages, because wikis like ours develop faster when everybody edits. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. You can always preview your edits before you publish them or test them out in the sandbox. If you need additional help, check out our getting started page or ask the friendly folks at the Teahouse. Thryduulf 22:32, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Is ethnicity legally defined in the U.S.?

Are categories of ethnicity and race defined by law in the United States? My brother was adopted from Paraguay, and I have several cultural connections with Mexico, but I don't have any ancestry that would traditionally be considered "Hispanic" or "Latino". Could I legally designate myself as Hispanic or Latino on employment applications, college applications, etc.? Or is there something written on my birth certificate or somewhere that's legally binding, or a definition somewhere in the law? I guess my question really is, in legal settings, can you consciously decide what race you are in the United States? -- Creidieki 22:43, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

You can designate yourself Martian if you want in the US if you thought there would be an advantage to it. The only ethnicity that is legally disputable and subject to an organization's review and rejection is a claim of membership in an American Indian tribe (in which case you need lots of documentation and maybe even the right DNA polymorphisms). The category of Hispanic especially is wide open and the government has no tight definition or "official" certifiers. alteripse 23:40, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to Wisconsin Statute 560.036, "'Hispanic' means a person of any race whose ancestors originated in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America or South America or whose culture or origin is Spanish." -- Mwalcoff 02:10, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Under that definition, people from Haiti, Suriname, Belize, French Guiana, and Guyana qualify as "Hispanic". The definition seems a tad broad. It also doesn't take into account the Native peoples or people from places like Argentina of Italian heritage or Alberto Fujimori. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:00, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  • It depends what you mean by "defined by law". You won't be put in jail for claiming to be whatever you want to claim yourself to be. However there are "standard categories" used by government agencies for information collection. Some of them vary from state to state by different agencies. The most common ones are the ones used for the U.S. Census. We have an article on them at Race (U.S. Census). While the U.S. government currently does not have any restrictions on racial self-definition that I know of, in the past this was clearly not the case. --Fastfission 02:59, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I had a friend of absolutely no traditional Hispanic descent who happenned to be born while his parents were working and living in Puerto Rico. He marked all his college apps with Hispanic and there was nothing technically wrong with that. I'd say that ethnicity is a very personal and flexible thing (with the exception of American Indian tribes as noted above), so if you can pass the red-face test if it comes up in an interview, you'd be ok. — Laura Scudder ☎ 02:24, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Flag changes

As far as I'm aware, there's currently discussion about the following flag changes:

  •  Fiji – Great Council of Chiefs to discuss change of flag in December
  • Template:KOSOVO – well, not really a change; discussion about adoption of flag (to be used upon independence, most likely)
  •  Mozambique – flag stems from single-party era and has an AK-47 on it
  •  Venezuela – Chávez wants to change number of stars to eight and change the horse in the coat of arms (connected to his plan to refound Venezuela as a Socialist Bolivarian Republic, IIRC?)

My first question would be whether anyone would happen to know any details as to the likelihood of changes.

Secondly, there are a few flags not currently under discussion, which have been under discussion (or should be ;)):

  •  Australia and  New Zealand – change proposed more often than just a few times...
  •  Angola – new flag proposed in 2003, still not ratified
  •  Tokelau and  Tuvalu – both still use a blue ensign; Tokelau could consider changing from NZ's flag once it becomes an Associated State, if it does, and Tuvalu... mh, don't know.

What's the status and likelihood of these flag changes?

Thanks for any information you can contribute! ナイトスタリオン ✉ 23:16, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

November 30

Philosophy

Explain why Carnap needs to make a theory/observation distinction, and explain how he connects the two. Explain both Putnam and Hanson's objections to this distinction.

I believe Carnap would need to make a theory/observation distinction in order for you to do your own homework. --Borbrav 01:05, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Stephen King characteristics

I need to find characteristics of Stephen King (not his books, King himself), but I can't find it due to a page appearing when I search for Stephen King saying that it is unable to search for it at the time, so I am limited to just the Stephen King page and it's links.

Thnx

Like male, American, successful professional writer, resident of Maine, or more like omnivorous, oxygen-breathing, multicellular, vertebrate carbon-based life form? alteripse 02:20, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Try Stephen King again. It seems to be working fine now. --hydnjo talk 04:45, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Amerie Pt. 2

Does anybody know Amerie's vocal profile?

South America Uniting

I am doing a research project on Venezuela, thus I have read from many sources that venezuela, and South America for that matter, wants to unite. Thus they are rejecting FTAA and the US's "Hegemonic" influence in the area. Yet I cannot find any information about how south America wants to unite, by what means or by what agreements do they wish to unite by/under? They allready have LAFTA and LAIA, I do not understand how they could unite other than that without loosing their soverignty. How can they also pay back their national debts (venezuela in particular) and peacefully dislodge the US from its position in the area? Thank you very much for your time in answering this, and please pardon any ignorace on my part. Thank you, Shauna

See our article on the South American Community of Nations, or CSN for short. ナイトスタリオン ✉ 05:46, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Valkymar

My great grandfather immigrated to the USA in 1900. His paperwork says that he was born in “Valkymar, Russia”. We also have information that he came from Lithuania. We cannot locate any town close to the name of Valkymar. Do you have any idea what city this might be, and which country? Thanks so much

Did you try the Shtetl Seeker? It shows Vilkomir (Wilkomir, Wiłkomierz, Vilkmergė, Ukmergės, Ukmergė) at 55°15' 24°45' in Lithuania, 45.1 miles NNW of Vilnius, as well as other (less likely) possibilities. - Nunh-huh 05:21, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

We might be related! Almost undoubtedly, you're thinking of the town of Ukmerge, Lithuania, known in Yiddish as Vilkomir [4]. My relatives emigrated from the same area around the same time. -- Mwalcoff 02:07, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

System of government changes

Well, similar to the question I posted yesterday evening (evening for me at least ;)), I'd like to know whether you can add any information to the following...

There are currently sixteen Commonwealth Realms (including the  United Kingdom). I've read over the last two years that  Barbados,  Jamaica and  Tuvalu are all supposed to hold referenda on becoming a republic – what's the current status of this? And is there discussion in any of the other thirteen Realms? I know about the  Australian referendum in 1999, but what's the status now?  Canada and  New Zealand apparently also occasionally discuss this notion, right?

Then, there's a number of other monarchies which seem likely to change status.

  • AFAIK,  Samoa is now officially a republic, and it's just a de facto constitutional monarchy until the current head of state, one of the two former monarchs, dies, correct?
  • In  Bhutan, the ruler himself is propagating a democratic constitution which would deprive him of most of his special powers; I've read that the referendum on it is supposed to be held this December, but I haven't been able to find anything to confirm that via Google.
  • With the current power struggle in  Nepal, it appears as if the democratic forces could in effect even abolish monarchy altogether, doesn't it? What are the chances of this, as opposed to Nepal simply becoming a constitutional monarchy?
  • And it seems there's a strong anti-monarchist sentiment in  Tonga, but I haven't read anything about concrete actions towards abolishment yet...

And should you happen to know anything about movement to abolish monarchy anywhere else (or reinstate it? ;)), I'm naturally also interested. Thanks in advance, as always! ナイトスタリオン ✉ 07:00, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In Canada, the concept of a change to republican status is a fringe political position. None of the major political parties support it and there is no large group agitating for it. Any significant political discussion of constitutional changes is in other areas. --Anonymous Canadian, 00:32 UTC, December 1, 2005

Ukraine

I am looking for Gitomir, Volhynia, Ukraine - what is it today? I know there were silver manufacturers there but there is no history on it. what is the modern name or has it just disappeared?

Second Wave feminism

User Jerilyn Fisher has asked the help desk

Where did the term, Second Wave, come from as applied to the Late Sixties/Early Seventies Feminist Movement? I know that First Wave and Third Wave are derived from Second Wave, but haven't a clue about derivation of the term.


Thanks! Jerilyn Fisher

Our articles on Feminism and Second-wave feminism mention the term but don't really explain it. I have posted a copy here so you can assist her. Capitalistroadster 10:42, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If second wave was late 60s feminism, the suffage movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries has been called the first wave. See list of feminists. alteripse 11:10, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I do not think First and Third waves are derived from Second wave; rather Second and Third waves are linear progression on the First. This link [www.feminist.com] has an ASK AMY column, posting the question there may help --Tachs 11:51, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

literary term

Is there a literary term for a plot device used when the author (or characters) directly address the reader? Would this be considered first person narration (since the author uses "I" but otherwise is not a character in the story?

When a character directly addresses the reader, or is otherwise aware that they are a fictional character and not a real person, it is described as breaking the fourth wall. A story can have a narrator who has no role in the story except to be the narrator, but I suppose you can argue that if it is specifically the author addressing the reader, rather than a character written by the author, then it might be a bit different. -- AJR | Talk 20:09, 30 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I took a rhetoric class last year, and the various ways we were taught to refer to that device were direct address, second person, or implied intimacy. It seems to be related to the vocative case, so you might want to look that up. --ParkerHiggins 07:26, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Describe Life after death

"Let us reflect in another way, and we shall see that there is great reason to hope that death is a good, for one of two things: - either death is a state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness, or, as men say, there is a change and migration of the soul from this world to another. Now if you suppose that there is no consciousness, but a sleep like the sleep of him who is undisturbed even by the sight of dreams, death will be an unspeakable gain. For if a person were to select the night in which his sleep was undisturbed even by dreams, and were to compare with this the other days and nights of his life, and then were to tell us how many days and nights he had passed in the course of his life better and more pleasantly than this one, I think that any man, I will not say a private man, but even the great king, will not find many such days or nights, when compared with the others. Now if death is like this, I say that to die is gain; for eternity is then only a single night. But if death is the journey to another place, and there, as men say, all the dead are, what good, O my friends and judges, can be greater than this? If indeed when the pilgrim arrives in the world below, he is delivered from the professors of justice in this world, and finds the true judges who are said to give judgment there, Minos and Rhadamanthus and Aeacus and Triptolemus, and other sons of God who were righteous in their own life, that pilgrimage will be worth making. What would not a man give if he might converse with Orpheus and Musaeus and Hesiod and Homer? Nay, if this be true, let me die again and again. I, too, shall have a wonderful interest in a place where I can converse with Palamedes, and Aias the son of Telamon, and other heroes of old, who have suffered death through an unjust judgment; and there will be no small pleasure, as I think, in comparing my own sufferings with theirs. Above all, I shall be able to continue my search into true and false knowledge; as in this world, so also in that; I shall find out who is wise, and who pretends to be wise, and is not. What would not a man give, O judges, to be able to examine the leader of the great Trojan expedition; or Odysseus or Sisyphus, or numberless others, men and women too! What infinite delight would there be in conversing with them and asking them questions! For in that world they do not put a man to death for this; certainly not. For besides being happier in that world than in this, they will be immortal, if what is said is true."
— Socrates

Puerto Rican Colleges

What are the colleges/universities in Puerto Rico in the late 1800's and early 1900's?

Mexico

when was mexico settled

18,000 to 8,000 BCE. See History of Mexico. ‣ᓛᖁ♀ᑐ 00:46, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

December 1

Menorahs

What is the difference in the 9 candle menorah and the 7 candle menorah. This is a question that I can't find a complete answer to. Which one is traditionally used? Why use one over the other? Thank you for your help. Christie

Please read the Menorah article, it may help. --hydnjo talk 01:34, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

song on tv ad

Does anybody know who performed Kids in America on the fall 2005 Targe tv ad? -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 09:38, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not familiar with the commercial you mention, but there is a (relatively) well-known song called Kids in America by Kim Wilde. It was a big hit in the early 80s - it could well be that. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 12:00, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Movies in which a black man dies first

I'm trying to compile a list for an article.

Lotsofissues 10:33, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Would you have a list of movies in which a white man dies first? These lists are ridiculous and are always very incomplete. Superm401 | Talk 15:19, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
No help here either but I do wonder what the point is. Some political agenda? And it brings up the question, at least in my head, as to what happens with movies whose cast is predominantly black like Boyz N the Hood? Also, you may want to read over WP:POINT Dismas|(talk) 15:27, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Zhe may be referring to the fact (and joke) that in movies with death, "The black guy always dies first". I think I heard this joke in Evolution. 216.43.124.150 20:39, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Found the quote at the IMDB -

Ira Kane: Snag it! Harry Block: Snag it? Ira Kane: Yeah. Come on, it's for science. Harry Block: I've seen this movie, the black dude dies first. YOU snag it!

Christopher Brookmyre's wonderful novel One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night has a lovely take on these conventions. Whilst trying to escape from a gang of armed terrorists, Our Hero is thinking that he mustn't mention his wife, at home, is pregnant - everyone knows, after all, that talking about your wife and kids is a good way to die in the next reel... Shimgray | talk | 21:05, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

New York photographer Irving Chidnoff

Hi, I am loooking for information (more specifically: the year of death) of New York City celebrity photographer Irving Chidnoff (active in the 1920s/1930s). I tried all spellings I could imagine on google, in the World Biographical Information System, in a huge German artists' encyclopedia, with library OPACs and with the databases of the LOC that I am aware of: to no avail. The name does pop up as the creator of photos of Marlene Dietrich, Dolores Del Rio and the likes, but no dates whatsoever are to be found. I would like to illustrate an article on the famous cantor Yossele Rosenblatt at de.wikipedia (de:Jossele Rosenblatt) with a photo made by Chidnoff. German wikipedia (sensibly) does not allow fair use, hence I need to know if Chidnoff was alive or dead in 1934 (or 1935, then I'll have to wait for a month before inserting the image). Thanks in advance. --AndreasPraefcke 17:59, 1 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

December 2

playing the guitar

I can play songs by following tabs, but I seem to lack any musical talent for 1)detecting the proper chords to play, or "figuring out" a song and 2)improvising my own songs. For this reason as far as I'm concerned I can't really play the guitar. All of the lessons I've seen online only give tips on chords, strumming, or how to read tabs, which I can already do fine. Is there anything to do to develop musical talent?

Usually you develop a feel for what should come next simply by learning many many songs very well. It's time consuming but it works.
I don't know about guitar, but an equally time consuming way to learn to improvise on drums is to write and learn multiple simple measures. You play each measure over and over by itself until you think you'll go insane, then play them in a preplanned variety of combinations with other measures you've learned to practice transitioning. Last you try playing them in unplanned succession. Undoubtedly some will sound cooler together than others, but the idea is that you should eventually gain a natural feel for what will sound good next without having to think too hard about what you're playing. I'm sure this strategy can be adapted to the guitar.
Your problems could also be helped by studying music theory. Most every rock song out there has a very formulaic chord progression. — Laura Scudder ☎ 02:04, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
That's what I was about to say (the last thing). Many songs are simple chord progressions that are expounded upon. For example, the basic progression i iv V (ie C/F/G chords) and then expounded on with 6th,9th,7th etc. Also, after working very long with other peoples' music you'll see that you can develop a feel for it. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 02:13, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
To detect the proper chords to play, follow the bass line to find the root notes. Also, get to know the relationships between chords - A minor is relative to C major, E minor to G major, etc. Count up six notes from a major root (eg C,D,E,F,G,A or G,A,B,C,D,E) to work out the relative minor for any major chord. A song in the key of G major will often start (and end) with a G chord, and there's a very good chance that there will be a E minor in there.... TheMadBaron 21:50, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Identification of a paiting

Can someone please identify this painting? It was taken at the Australian Naitonal Art Gallery Canberra.

File:Unknown painting.jpg
unknown


Thanks, --Fir0002 01:45, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like this one [5]. Yours has got better saturation. MeltBanana 01:53, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks! --Fir0002 04:10, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Very nice Peter, obviously with your proper camera. --hydnjo talk 03:40, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I could take that two ways, but I guess I'll give you the benefit of the doubt --Fir0002 04:10, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
A compliment of course.  :-) --hydnjo talk 20:04, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure this out.....

My question is: How long is a term for a Supreme Court Justice?

I'm sorry that i'm ignorant and can't find the answer.... please help!

Sincerely, Brielle

I assume you mean the United States Supreme Court, in which case, until death or resignation. — Laura Scudder ☎ 01:47, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

superintendents use of technology

Where do I find information about superintendents use of technology and its impact on their role as district level leaders? Thanks T.S.

Domain in Medieval Era

What does domain mean when used with medieval references?

How can someone nominate an author for the Whiting Writers Award?

See the Whiting Foundation FAQ. --Canley 05:04, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
In other words, if they don't contact you, you can't nominate someone. Sorry. Superm401 | Talk 00:21, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

fire walk with me

This quote is associated with Twin Peaks...However, I would like to know where the quote came from

Thru the darkness of future past
The magician longs to see
One chants out between two worlds
Fire walk with me.

  • The passage is actually originally from the Twin Peaks television show, it's not a quote or traditional poem if that's what you mean. The poem was recited by Mike (the one-armed man) in Agent Cooper's dream in the second episode. Laura Palmer's locket was found under the traincar where she was murdered on a pile of dirt with a note reading "FIRE WALK WITH ME". Leland Palmer quotes the poem when he is arrested. --Canley 05:01, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Homosexuality laws in Africa

Hello,

I'm writing in behalf of Behind the Mask, a webbased organisation on LGBTI matters. I found the scale of homosexuality laws in Africa and I'm wondering about some details. For example, for Benin you're writing that laws against homosexuality exist. We assumed that homosexuality is not mentioned in law, except regarding sodomy which is mentioned in law. Do you include sodomy in your scale of laws against homosexuality? Perhaps we're not uptodate; so my other question would be: where do you got all these information of homosexuality laws in Africa? We would be very thankful for any information in order to update our website.

Thanks for your help.

Best regards, Ines Gontek

(formatting fixed by Creidieki 21:55, 2 December 2005 (UTC))[reply]

  • Unfortunately, since Wikipedia is not centrally managed, it can sometimes be difficult to find exactly where a piece of information came from. See Who writes Wikipedia for more information on how material is written. If you have a question about the material from a specific article, you're best off asking on the Talk page for that page; you can reach that from the "Discussion" tab at the top of the page. You might also be able to track down the individual user who wrote certain material by looking at the History of the page (tab at the top), and asking on their User Talk page. Ideally, every article should have citations and references, but we still have a long way to go. It sounds like you've found some articles with weaknesses, and constructive comments on the Talk pages are always appreciated. If you have any questions about using Wikipedia, you can ask at Wikipedia:Help desk; good luck on finding the answers to your questions. -- Creidieki 22:01, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Entitlement to Coats of Arms

Hello, Can you please tell me in the UK who is entitled to have a coat of arms? I can't find an answer in Wikipedia (but I may be looking in the wrong places). There is some doubt as to whether William Ewart Gladstone had a coat of arms, similarly for Winston Churchill as in wikipedia & commons there are pictures of them. For the former I suspect it is arms of his son (a Viscount) in the latter I don't know but haven't seen any mention in biographies that he had, or was entitled to, a coat of arms. Any help would be much appreciated. AllanHainey 11:46, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

WSC was the grandson of the Duke of Marlborough, so probably had some entitlement to arms though I don't offhand know. It may also be the arms for the Dukedom of London, which WSC was to have been granted but later declined. Shimgray | talk | 11:59, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
My understanding was that they didn't get arms till they got the title officially, (in any event the Dukedom of London was, according to Roy Jenkins, an honour which was only offered when it was clear he would decline it), I think there is some dispute over this though. I don't think his acceptance of the Dukedom (if he did) got as far as drawing up a coat of arms. As to an entitlement through his grandfather, sons of Dukes get to be called Lord & a few other things, I don't think they get coats of arms & certainly grandsons don't (otherwise there would be millions of them). AllanHainey 12:22, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
As the younger son of a Duke, wasn't Churchill entitled to bear his father's arms with a differencing label? User:Zoe|(talk) 03:33, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Paul Revere

What did Paul Revere say as he rode thru the night? Was it "They're coming?"

The common phrase is, "The redcoats are coming!" However, it is more likely that he yelled nothing. He (and two others) were told to alarm the militia - not alarm everyone, including the nearby British. So, he probably went specifically to the houses of the militia and woke them up. In the end, he was captured at a roadblock and detained (losing his horse) and walked back to join the battle. --Kainaw (talk) 19:15, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
I've heard "The British are coming". Superm401 | Talk 00:22, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

And of course any answer to this question should include Longfellow's famous poem.

About Pharaohs

Which Pharoah is generally considered to be first? Menes or Narmer? I'm taking Western Civilization CLEP exam December 15, and I was wondering what the general population believed? ;) Thanks in advance! --ViolinGirl 18:56, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

As it says in our Pharaoh article, It is unknown who was the first king of Egypt. It may have been Menes or Narmer. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:36, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Feces produced by eating nothing but strawberries and water a delicacy?

I have a vague recollection of reading something online about a (possibly asian?) culture and their choice of desserts. I seem to recall reading of a fecal delicacy that involved feeding a woman nothing but strawberries and water for a prolonged period of time, and serving the feces she produced as a dessert. I can't say I consider this appetizing by any means, so I'd like to satisfy my curiosity instead. Has anyone heard of such a thing, and have links to more information? --Silvaran 19:58, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Public Relations terminology

Hello Wikipedites!

I have come across a couple of public relations terms lately and wonder what they mean. I heard then read a reference to a "matte story" (I think that is how it was spelled) and also the question of how many impressions - when dealing with media coverage.

Can't seem to find what they mean and woud appreciate some guidance!

Cheers

I think an "impression" is one view of an advertisement. The question is probably how many are needed for someone to easily remember the brand and product, but not become annoyed.Superm401 | Talk 00:25, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

social studies

What is Mohenjo-Daro.

Mohenjo-daro was a city in what is now Pakistan. See mnsu.edu TheMadBaron 22:14, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

3 December

English Bill of Rights 1689

A reader sent the following e-mail message to the Wikipedia Help Desk.

Hey, you guys are really great! I'm a history professor and I really have enjoyed your information about the most historic Bill of Rights, from which many other great documents drew their inspiration. One question remains: where is the original document kept now? The Tower of London? The British Museum? The Houses of Parliament? Any help you can give me on this would be greatly appreciated!

I have posted a copy of this on the Bill of Rights discussion page.

Capitalistroadster 00:24, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

proselytic relgion

What is a proselytic religion? Thank you!

One in which the believers actively try to spread their faith. That is what "proselytize" means. Examples of proselytizing religions are Christianity (with some denominations being far more so than others) and Mormonism. A classic example of a non-proselytizing religion is Judaism. alteripse 01:27, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

FOSS geography/cartography editing software recommendations?

I'm pretty sure geography is more or less humanities, sorry if this isn't the right category otherwise. Anyway, I'm wondering if there's any reasonably powerful freeware, open-source geography editing software out there (preferably for Linux) that is capable of allowing the user to create cartography from scratch (also having geographic data of real life maps would be a nice bonus too); essentially geography software that would both allow for creating detailed, labeled maps of fictional worlds as equally well as it is for working on data for real-life maps. Most importantly, such that it can also discern and associate labels/names with-in defined borders (so if I move anything physical or otherwise representative around, the text won't look displaced afterwards).

Any highly-recommended recommendations for a non-geographer RPG nerd such as myself? (drawing it by hand is not an option... I'm just picky like that) --I am not good at running 00:44, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

9/11 center or databse

Are any universitoes or organizations planning to put together a comprehensive collection of data and artifacts relating to the events of September 11th? It'd be nice to have a center for those sorts of things. --71.103.127.114 01:58, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There is a memorial planned for the site of the World Trade Center. See also World Trade Center Memorial for a bit more info. Dismas|(talk) 12:32, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
There is also a September 11 wiki, I haven't checked it out, so I don't know what's it's like. But it should have info on where to find this stuff out. - Akamad 12:46, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

western civilization

Try asking a question if Western civilization isn't helpful. --Kainaw (talk) 05:31, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Graham Greene's Brighton Rock First Edition

Wikipedis user Peter has posted the following question to the Wikimedia Help Desk.

I am just starting to get into GG's works and am at present reading Brighton Rock. I ache to see the dust wrapper that comes with the first edition book but cannot even find an image of it anywhere on the internet. I wondered if you would have any idea of where I might look. I would be delighted if you could help me.

Thanks for any help you can give him. Capitalistroadster 05:03, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]


Acts and Regulations

I am working on a project about legislation. I need to explain the difference between Acts and Regulations in Canada and how they work together. Can someone assist in providing me with a simple way of explaining this?

Specifically, I'm interested in British Columbia. Thanks in advance for your help.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Humanities&oldid=30020551"