Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities

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Experience needed to be a B-29 Pilot in World War II

As we know, the B-29 were used exclusivly in the Pacific. My question is what were the requirements to be a pilot of that plane, specifically was prior combat B-17/24 exprience necessary? I know that Paul Tibbets flew in Europe, while the pilot of the Memphsis Belle, also flew over Japan. In other words was it a 'must' to qualify, or was it just a bonus.

You can find some info on B-29 (follow the links on the External links section. ≈ jossi ≈ 22:07, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Picture of a Solider

Hi, I need a picture of a United States Air Force Officer that would be serving around Rome (if that makes a difference) during World War II. The reason I ask is that I have to make a 'movie trailer' for the book Catch-22 and I'm making a flash movie, for which I need a reference picture. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 00:26, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

How about this one? David Sneek 07:50, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

It'd be nice if I could get his whole body so I can draw out the uniform. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 20:26, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

You can seach the wikimedia commons [1] ≈ jossi ≈ 22:10, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

John Dean about John Dean

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20050909.html

There are exceptions, however: When I read the 'Wikipedia' entry for myself, for example, I found it falsely states that in 1995, I admitted that my book Blind Ambition was ghost-written. Not only did I never make such an admission, but the book was not, in fact, ghost-written. Obviously, I could make a submission to Wikipedia to correct this misinformation, but so far, I've held off, for I am more curious to see if the open sourcing is self-correcting, than I am concerned about the error. Maybe my entry will next read that my last five books, and my columns, were ghost-written as well. 'For now, I'll just watch and wait, for seeing if this error is corrected, will help me judge the reliability of research with open source tools'.

Did he let ghost-write his books? -- 84.176.195.148 09:29, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Since there's beeen no response to this yet, I added some bolding in the hope that someone would notice it. --bodnotbod 03:27, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

The concept of civilized poor people

The concept of civilized poor people

The New Orleans human tragedy makes me put some questions. Many poor people stayed in town. It was said they had no money or cars to go away. But one element was never discussed: the behaviour of – what I would like to name – the civilized poor people.

I found as follow: - civilized poor people have lost reflexes of bushmen and nomads; - they live in very little units, they have lost their clan with a chief and a counsel of the oldest, telling them what to do next; - civilized poor people learned already the rules of social Darwinism; - and they are told that it is their own fault to be poor; - civilized poor people living in an organized city with some richness (of others) have learned that it is normal that administrations have not much care for them; - they are just lost people without structure: no own inner structures how to manage the world, and no social structures around them, adapted to the new situation, to be safe with (as happened in New Orleans); - civilized poor people never go to places not prepared for them, they never leave a known place for an unknown place. They behave like these animals you find at night on the road running in the lights of your car, not able to run to the side of the road, into the dark

My statement: the richest level of this humanity find a PROFIT with this civilised poor people, giving them humans easy to be manipulated.

My questions: 1) What is YOUR definition of ‘civilized poor people’? Please add your view? 2) how do we can help poor people to develop themselves enough inner structure for the ability of self decision in a crisis? In addition: 3) how can we force the preparation good crisis managements worldwide? In all cities showing natural dangers? 4) In other words, how to stop the misuse of poor people? Thanks, Heidi

Please see Wikipedia:No original research and Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not. In summary, this is an encyclopedia, not a discussion forum or place for publication of op-ed pieces, polemical essays or sociological research. That is, Wikipedia is a "secondary source" of information that compiles and summarizes information originating in other "primary sources" (scientific journals, books, newspapers, etc). The issues you raise may be worthy topics of discussion, but they are not topics for Wikipedia articles. -- Curps 15:29, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Why on earth would this only apply to poor people? Strip away all of the wealth and social structure of any typical person who has been raised in a typical large city and you'll find the same thing happens. --Fastfission 21:10, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

Where is Livonia, Michigan, USA?

I couldn't find any information on Livonia, Michigan in the Wikifiles. Could this entry be added?

We already have an article on Livonia, Michigan. Perhaps you misspelled your search query? Thryduulf 15:11, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, the article is not much, but if you're wondering, it's considered a nice place to live, and I just added that to the article. It's the 8th largest city in Michigan actually. - Taxman ^Talk 00:18, September 10, 2005 (UTC)

"Cædmon" etymology from proto-Welsh

If anyone has a clue about this, see Talk:Cædmon regarding an undefined ("private use area") Unicode character. Also asking at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language. -- Curps 15:23, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

User:Angr has supplied a solution, see Talk:Cædmon -- Curps 07:01, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

Modernism

no question

• DId you try readiing our article on Modernism? Bovlb 05:42:01, 2005-09-10 (UTC)

U.S. Purchase of Alaska

Your information states that Alaska was purchased in 1867 for $7.2 mil, and that in 2002 dollars, this would be worth $86.7 mil. Do you know what the value would be in 2005 dollars, or how I could calculate this? Thank you Stephen B.

Three years of inflation at about three and a half percent is about a 11% increase, so call it about $96m. However... that figure was probably originally calculated using the consumer price index, which whilst useful for calculating small things (like how people's salaries compare) is fairly meaningless for calculating major national expenditures like, say, buying Alaska. [2] has a decent discussion on this.

Using the link above gives you various alternative methods to calculate the cost, which place it anywhere between three-quarters of a billion dollars and ten billion. I suspect "fraction of GDP" is the most reasonable method - it cost x% of the economy to buy Alaska then, how much is x% of the economy today? - but I'm not an economist. Ninety-odd million, however, is a fairly meaningless figure in this context. Shimgray 13:27, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

What Shimgray is thinking of is called the GDP deflator; see that article for a full discussion of this. Meelar (talk) 21:57, September 10, 2005 (UTC)

Nah, it's not the GDP deflator - that gives around eighty million. The difference between the GDP deflator and CPI is real, but it's not greatly significiant on this scale. Try playing around with the calculator at that link and you'll get an idea of the order(s) of magnitude involved... Shimgray 22:08, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

Help on Assignment

I am taking a course to get my bachelors in criminal justice. I need a certain answer to a question i cannot find anything about. The patriot act and what it allows law enfocement to do. Please help me. Crystal--CSSDWilson@netzero.com

Try the article: USA PATRIOT Act You're welcome. alteripse 17:03, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

On Tax cuts and benefits

Below is an excerpt fromyour page re: tax cuts.

I am wondering would you have any additional information on: A) Implications of Economies of scale versus taxation policy.

B) Any updated inofrmation in regard to the impact of GW Bush's recent

    tax cuts?  i.e are they working? or are they much like Reagan's

C) Tax cuts and no reducedspending seems a budgetary nightmare? Any info to support that contention?

THANK YOU FOR A GRAND SITE. IT IS THE BEST, PERIOD!!!

don drdregan@aol.com

However, real (inflation-corrected) tax revenues dropped from 1981 to 1983 and did not surpass their 1981 level until 1985 (as shown in Table 1.3 in the Historical Tables of the 2006 U.S Budget). [1] Even this recovery was arguably helped by the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, the Social Security Amendments of 1983, and the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, all of which were estimated to have a positive effect on revenues. [2] In addition, the federal deficit grew from 2.6% of GDP in 1981 to 6.0% of GDP in 1983. It began shrinking steadily after 1992, becoming a surplus in 1998. However, this was after tax bills in 1990 and 1993 which raised the top marginal tax rate. [3] Despite all of this apparent evidence to the contrary, there are some who credit the Reagan tax cuts with the eventual surpluses of the 1990s [4] Democratic Governor Bill Richardson in recent years has advocated tax cuts to spur job growth.

Monarch in Prussia

In the Frederic#Monarch section and in Kingdom of Prussia, the title of at least Frederick I of Prussia was King in Prussia, not King of Prussia. Anything I don't know?

Lee S. Svoboda 18:01, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

de:Friedrich I., König in Preußen says he was not allowed to call himself King of Prussia and had to use King in Prussia instead. The reason given there is that Ostpreußen, which he controlled, was neither part of the German Empire nor the Kingdom of Poland. (I don't really understand it) -83.129.26.142 23:17, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

Actually, the explanation in the English Wikipedia is better than the German one. Svoboda, try the third paragraph...

Friedrich wished to become a king instead of a mere elector-prince. However, no kingdoms could exist in the Holy Roman Empire (with the notable exception of Bohemia). Friedrich convinced the archduke of Austria (and Holy Roman Emperor) to allow him to become king of Prussia in exchange for an alliance against France. The argument was that Prussia had never belonged to the "Holy Roman Empire of German Nation" and therefore there was nothing stopping the elector-prince of Brandenburg also being King of Prussia (the Emperor himself was also King of Hungary, outside of the Empire). To indicate that Friedrich's royalty was limited to Prussia and did not reduce the rights of the Emperor in Friedrich's German territories, he had to call himself "king in Prussia".

— File:Austria flag large.png ナイトスタリオン _ㇳ–ㇰ — 23:47, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

You are right, the de. Artikel needs to be fixed. It even says Deutsches Reich which did not existed at this time. -83.129.26.142 00:14, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

British naval history

What is the "Acts of War"? I think it's a document regarding conduct of officers during times of war.

Thank you, k1of7

You may be thinking of the Articles of War, which are essentially the same as modern "rules of engagement" - they're the standard regulations applied in times of war. Shimgray 19:07, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

Past U.S. congressmen

I'm doing some work which involves a past U.S. congressmen — a Mr. Charles B. Smith (wonderfully generic name), who in 1917 was Chairman of the House Committee on Patents. That's all I really have on him. Any idea where I can find his party affiliation and what state he was from? --Fastfission 21:00, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

The Congressional Biographical Dictionary is great in these instances; here's the entry for Smith. Looks like he was a Democrat from New York, almost certainly upstate judging from his biography. Best wishes, Meelar (talk) 21:54, September 10, 2005 (UTC)

Awesome -- that's the sort of resource I was looking for. Very helpful. --Fastfission 22:14, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

can someone check a legal citation?

We need help checking a deposition allegedly made on September 12, 1995 in Maureen K. Dean and John W. Dean v. St. Martin's Press et al in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 92 1807 (HHG), as cited in the John Dean article. See the article's talk page, and also the John Dean_about John Dean question above. Steve Summit (talk) 02:04, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

definition of Acrostic poetry.

What is the definition/description of an Acrostic poem...I've been told that the title of the poem isn't the same as the one spelled out by the first letter of each line, which is the actual title and I've been told the title is written both as the main title and the encrypted one. Thankyou anyone who can help me with this. whtlgtng2491@yahoo.com

Well, I am not an expert on this, but I think the word or phrase that is spelled out need not be the same as the title, and in fact may have nothing to do with the title. So you shouldn't even refer to it as the (encrypted) title. So, I think what is meant by the title of an acrostic poem is the same as of any other poem: that line in all caps or title case in the center before the beginning of the poem:) Now, I suppose if there is no title provided by the author, a poem maybe referred to by the message spelled out by the first letters of each line. Ornil 04:51, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

knowing how to fly a flag

how do non-government places--car dealerships and other business for example-- know that it's time to fly a flag at half mast, and for how long? Some of the rules are kind of obvious, but some are a little more obscure, or maybe the business owner just hasn't been paying attention to the news. Yet, when when something happens (as the death of Chief Rehnquist last week), all the flags seem to instanteously be flown appropriately....

Just something I noticed this week.

Thanks! --Lis

The President issued two proclamations earlier this week, stating that flags were to fly at half-mast. whitehouse.gov will have the announcements somewhere... At a guess, though, I would suggest "keep an eye on the nearest government building and follow their lead". Shimgray 23:51, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

property dispute

my father gave me 5 acres of land 20 years ago, he said to where me and my son would always have a place to stay, i have since put a mobile home here and have built on to my house...i have invested alot of money in what is suppose to be my home...I was told from the beginning it was my home and every time they get mad at me they start telling me I have to leave, that they are gonna see what they can do to have me removed..the way i understood it was that once a person lived somewhere after so many years and under the assumption that it was their home, that it is their home...Does he have the right to make me leave my home?

You need a lawyer, who will ask you whether you have anything in writing. If not, your common law rights may be pretty minimal despite the "improvement" on the property. Good luck. alteripse 03:46, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

I am not a lawyer, and Wikipedia is not a good place for legal advice, but it sounds to me as if you're referring to estoppel. I second the advice to get a lawyer. In some places, you can get initial legal advice for free. Bovlb 05:03:17, 2005-09-12 (UTC)

You may be talking about adverse possession. There are some situations in which a claim of adverse possession would be accepted in some U.S. states but rejected in others, so, even if you're in the United States, your question can't be authoritatively answered except by someone knowledgeable in your state's law. JamesMLane 09:09, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

George C Scott as a Producer

Did Mr Scott produce only films, or did he also produce for the stage? I know he acted in both. Trying to disambiguate the use of the word Producer in his article. --Rpyle731^talk 01:38, September 12, 2005 (UTC)

• The Internet Broadway Database shows Scott as director and actor, and one listing as "staged by", but no production credits. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:24, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Where can I find the history of Jackson, Alabama for the early 1900's?

Jackson, Alabama is not very large, but it has a library: [3]. You could start by talking to the librarian. According to this site it has a local history and genealogy collection. The second source would be files of the local newspaper, the South Alabamian. Period papers might be held by the library or the current local newspaper. alteripse 05:10, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

upright grand pianos

What is the difference in the construction of a grand piano and an upright grand piano?

Members of Parliment residing in or near Perth, W.A.

Please provide a list of all members of Parliment who reside in or near Perth, W.A. Thank you, signed, Ned Wolf

Do you mean Federal MP's or State MP's? For the Federal variety, you could try aph.gov.au/whoswho. For the State type, try going to parliament.wa.gov.au and folowing the links to members. If your are more specific we can help you further. --Commander Keane 15:27, September 12, 2005 (UTC)

US citizenship of individual states?

I have given up all hope of where to find this, and it being Monday morning my brain is about to melt anyway.

I'm currently writing something which, in passing, mentions a court case in Delaware which ruled that a law stating it only applied to citizens of the state was unconstitutional. What I'm trying to find out is - what exactly does state citizenship mean? It seems to be defined fluidly - if someone live in Denver all their life they're obviously not a citizen of Illinois, but would they be considered one immediately on moving to IL? After residing there a fixed number of years? After doing [some specific bit of paperwork] there? Does it matter if they're an unaccompanied minor?

I understand this may vary between states; what's the general case, if any? Many thanks. Shimgray 10:51, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

There are no state citizenship papers. One is a resident, rather than a citizen, of a state. Generally when a state law wants to specify a resident for a benefit such as welfare or in-state tuition, or how soon you must get your driver license, or when you are eligible to run for state office, or where you must live to hold state office, each individual law will specify the "residency requirement" for that statutory purpose. alteripse 11:05, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

If there is no state citizenship, you guys really ought to fix the constitution, 'cause it thinks you have it... (14th Amendment: "citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside"; also Article IV, "The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States") ;-). That said, my reading is currently suggesting that to most intents and purposes, resident=citizen... hmm hmm. Shimgray 11:22, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Agreed, in this context the words are pretty interchangeable. If you asked most Americans to complete the following sentence: I am a citizen of ____ and resident of ____, I suspect over 90% of us would put United States in the first blank and a particular state in the second blank. Numbers might have been a bit reversed back about 150 years ago, at least in certain parts of the country. alteripse 12:41, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Resident does not mean the same thing as citizen since many residents (e.g., recent immigrants) are not citizens. I can't speak for the US, but in Canada, one is a Canadian citizen, but in order to qualify for certian benefits in a province, such as health care and voting, one has to be a Canadian citizen who has been resident in the province for a period of time, usually 3 - 6 months. So if I move from Ontario to Quebec, I cannot vote or obtain public health care in Quebec until I've lived there for a short while, even though I am a Canadian citizen. It may well be the same in the US. Ground Zero | t 17:35, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

A bit off-topic I know, but the last section interested me: if you do move from one province/territory to another, and you fall ill shortly afterwards, then where do you get your healthcare from? Loganberry (Talk) 14:58, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

If you need immediate care, it will be provided in the province you now reside, but will be paid for by the province you are officially a resident of. For elective procedures you either have to return your original province, or wait until you meet the residency requirements of the new one. - SimonP 18:25, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, I was unclear - in most legal circumstances, "citizen of the US resident in $state = citizen of $state"; I'm aware foreign nationals skew things significantly. Unfortunately, as the context is universities, there's enough foreign nationals kicking around to screw things up... ah, well. I settled for saying it was ill-defined, but screwed over resident aliens regardless. Shimgray 18:17, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Indemnity Payments

Good morning. Could you please tell me, what are the possible reasons a company would want an indemnity payment repaid?

Thank you for your help.

Shari D.

You may have to be more specific about what you want, because "indemnity payment" could apply in a number of contexts. The most common is in insurance, so I will answer with an example based on that. If say you insure property from two insurers each for the full amount and they both pay you for the loss, one or both of them will try to get you to repay the payment because you have recieved twice the amount that would indemnify you for the loss. Or if you get a larger payment from a single insurer than it is determined the loss is for, the extra amount may have to be repaid. If that doesn't help check out our Indemnification and Indemnity articles which are a bit overlapping. - Taxman ^Talk 15:23, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

circa 1930's St.Louis Cardinals farm teams

Can you provide a list of the farm teams; A, AA, & AAA, that The St. Louis Cardinals had in the 1930's. I specifically would like rosters, but would be happy to be given a further source to contact for that info. Ultimately looking for info on Joseph Stanley Conaway/pitcher; known either by Joe or Stan, born 1910, listing Moville or Kingsley, Iowa his home. Thanks for any info.

kaiser wilhelm II

I am looking for the article or quote from the Kaiser where he planned to walk through the Eastern gate in Jerusalem. Also what prevented this from occuring? Thank you.

According to this site, referring to the Jaffa Gate or Bab el Khalil: "In 1898 the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, could not get his entourage of horses, wagons and decorated coaches through the gate. As with most gates, a sharp left turn was required. This turn was a way to slow intruders in case of an enemy attack that might have broken through the fortified doors. So the wall of the city next to the gate was broken open. The German Kaiser's convoy was then able to enter the city directly. Tradition suggests that the removed stones of the wall were reused to build a German Lutheran church close to the holy sepulcher." Other sites also say the wall next to the gate was torn down and a moat filled in 1898 by Sultan Abdul Hamid, so that Kaiser Wilhelm II could ride into the city in his carriage. This at least gives you a time frame for looking for the quotation. - Nunh-huh 01:30, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Presidential Pardons

[Ha]s any president [ever] terminated [the] life sentence of a criminal? (orignal question by 67.68.51.237 at Wikipedia:Ask a question; modified slightly for clarity. Superm401 | Talk 03:21, September 13, 2005 (UTC))

• Yes. Harry S Truman in 1952 commuted the death penalty of Oscar Collazo, who attempted to assassinate Truman in 1950. Also, Andrew Johnson commuted the life sentence of Samuel Mudd. There might be others -- in particular, the participants in the Whiskey Rebellion, pardoned by George Washington; the leaders were convicted of treason, which generally has rather extreme penalties, but I haven't found the details of their sentences. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:17, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

information on a book

Hello,
I am trying to find any information on a book titled "For Honor and Life" By William Westall. It was published in 1894 by Harper & Brothers it is a Novel I can find his other books

• Her Two Millions
• A Fair Crusader
• A Phantom City
• and Birch Dene

I have searched all the archives and no one knows anything about this book. Any information will be very helpful. I am a book dealer and I am trying to find out the value to this book
Thank you
Virginia Dennett
Old Country Books
Landaff, NH 03585
oldcountrybooks@adelphia.net
(formatted for clarity - Mgm|^(talk) 08:09, 13 September 2005 (UTC))

I know nothing about the value of books, but there is a copy of it in the Harvard library system. It was 260 pages long and published in New York, if that is of any help. That seems to be the only other info the database record has that you don't already have. --Fastfission 19:55, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

• You should also look for this as "For Honour and Life". --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:33, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

• • OK, I'll bite. Why search for an obscure American novel title under a Brit spelling? alteripse 23:47, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

• • • Because it was also published as Westall, William: For honour and life : a tale of the terror; London : Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 1894? And William Westall was a Brit? Lupo 11:54, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

• • • • Yes, the book being by a British author and originally published in Britain would be a good reason. Proto t c 10:38, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

A city in Lithuania called Plunjan

I am looking for information about a city in Lithuania called Plunjan. It is very possible that the name has changed but I know it was called by this name in the early 20th century. Thankyou David

The closest I can think of is Plungė, which seems to have been called "Płungian" in Yiddish (transliterated) or Pługiniany in Polish. It may also have been called "Plumjan", based on [4] [5]. In Hebrew (if I've entered it correctly): פלונגיאן

-- Curps 06:14, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

The Sex Pistols song "Bodies"

Can some one plz create an article on the song "Bodies" by Sex Pistols...thank--Matt

I have added the song to requested articles (here). Perhaps you could try asking about at it Wikipedia:WikiProject Songs. Have you seen the album article Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, maybe you could ask on the talk page there too? --Commander Keane 09:52, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Parliament of Pokok Sena

I badly need some information about this constituency. i had called several offices which related, until finally i get tired. This is for my assignment. Information that i need is, population(specifically for this constituency), infrastucture, some information about eligible voter like the races and its percentage, election result, any anything related. I had called 4 different offices. Their answer: we're busy. Mine: tired... Whilke my due date: this monday!!!

• A good starting point would be determine what country this is in. Go to the Wikipedia article for that country and see if there is an article on its subdivisions (states, oprovices, counties, etc.) There may be quite a bit of information there already. You may also check the websites of newspapers and TV or radio stations in the area. they may have the most up-to-date information. Ground Zero | t 18:37, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Feeling of guilt

Is feeling of guilt culture-specific? Or are there some fundamental ones that occur to every human being that commits a crime"moral error"? -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 08:50, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, I know nothing of the anthropology of guilt, but two things which come to mind:

1. A "crime" need not induce guilt -- a crime is a just a law imposed by society, not necessarily related to ethical or moral questions. Guilt usually relates to some perceived ethical or moral error, not a legal one. I feel no guilt when I don't think I've done something "wrong", even if my government thinks it is "wrong" (for whatever reason). The man who steals to feed his family likely feels no guilt, though he commits a crime.

2. In his Descent of Man, Charles Darwin argued that even lower mammals seemed to exhibit symptoms of what we'd call "guilt". Of course, zoologists would caution us not to ascribe human emotions to animals without compelling reason, but it's hard for me to say that my dog doesn't exhibit exactly what I'd consider "guilt" in a human (or child) when I get home and find she's gotten into the trash can. He wrote extensively on guilt in animals and people, as he saw it as a fundamental link to the mental processes connected with ethics and morality, which he saw as universally present (even if the exact ethics and morals were not universally agreed upon). Just some food for thought.

Perhaps somebody else has a concrete answer. I would speculate that feelings of "good" and "bad" are present throughout the human species and probably throughout other species of mammals (though again, we all likely disagree on what exactly is good and bad), and with these might come what we call "guilt", but I'm just speculating wildly. --Fastfission 19:15, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

I was wrong in using the word crime to mean a "moral error". Waiting for others' examples of fundamental notions of "good" and "bad" if any. -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 06:29, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

current events

First, congratulations. It´s a very good job. I think it should be important that you put in your informations, current events from music artists day by day, like birth, death and other things. Specially from artists around the world music. Thank you. César from Brazil. <email removed>

• I've sent them an email pointing them to the Music portal. - Mgm|^(talk) 18:40, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Another legislative question

How would I find out when a given bill was signed into law by the President? That is, I have the Senate version of a bill (say, S.2342) and a House version of a bill (H.R. 9543), both of which are passed in their respective chambers. In the end, I get a Public Law, which says something like, "October 6, 1932 [S. 2342] -- [Public, No. 78]. Chap. 82 -- An Act Authorizing the doing such-and such. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That at the discretion of so-and-so he may do such-and-such. Approve, October 6, 1932." Does that meant that it was signed by the President on October 6, 1932, or that it was finalized by both branches of Congress at that point (or by their little committee that works out differences between the bills)? Especially since the Senate version of the bill (the latter of the two to pass) in this instance seems to have passed it about month earlier. Thoughts? My memory of Government and Economics class from high school has not prepared me to feel confident in my answer on this, though I suspect the October date is when it was signed by the President (it wouldn't become a Public Law until then, right?). --Fastfission 19:22, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Just a thought - wouldn't it be simplest to find a recent piece of legislation, then look for (say) White House as to when it was signed into law, and compare the dates? Shimgray 19:54, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Hey, good idea! I'll give that a shot. --Fastfission 19:58, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

That did the trick. Good suggestion. Yes, when it is listed as "public law", that's the date of when it was signed into law by the president. --Fastfission 02:22, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Brothers Grimm religion

My 9 year old is doing a report on the Brothers Grimm and one of the questions is what religion were they. I have searched extensively and cannot find this information. Can you please tell me what Religion the Brothers Grimm were. Paula C.

You'd guess from the region and time they lived it would be Lutheran, and that seems to be the case. See this page for a discussion of their religious background (about halfway down); their father was a pastor of a "Reformed Lutheran" church. - Nunh-huh 01:12, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Nice quick citation, but let's pick some nits. Notice what the question was: what was their religion? Their religion was Christianity. Reformed Lutheranism was a forced amalgamation of the Evangelische church (the Lutherans) and the Reformed church because Frederick or some one in charge early in the 19th century got tired of the government supporting two parallel protestant denominations and forced their consolidation. So it became uncommon in Germany by the mid-19th century for people to consider themselves purely Lutheran or purely Reformed as was still customary in the US. In fact, the Missouri Synod of he Lutheran Church was started by German immigrants who fled to avoid this consolidation. And the reason Nunh-hunh emphasized the importance of the region, is a reference to the formula that ended the Thirty Years' War: cuius regio eius religio. Which actually recognizes that denomination was sometimes referred to as religio back then, so it was a pretty good answer after all. alteripse 02:46, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

And yours is rather more informative...though I think a bit advanced for a nine-year-old<g> - Nunh-huh 03:23, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Besides, cuius regio eius religio was used already in the Peace of Augsburg, which ended the religious wars in the Holy Roman Empire in 1555, long before the Thirty Years' War had even begun—the underlying principle is older, however, and has seen precedents elsewhere, such as in the Reformation in Switzerland. But now we've really strayed far... Lupo 11:47, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Taxes

I recently received a one-time payment of $1600 for a job I did (this is in the U.S.,mind you). The people paying me it withheld 24% of it for taxes, about $300 federal and $80 state. This seems excessive to me -- did I screw up in my withholding form? Or is this a reasonable amount? (I don't earn very much per year, mind you, I'm a poor graduate student) Or has it just been that long since I received a normal paycheck that I've forgotten how deep the federal taxes gouge? --Fastfission 02:30, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

It sounds about normal to me. I hear it's worse in Europe.. alteripse 02:32, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

• I know this wasn't a question, but I thought I'd respond anyway. Our article on tax rates around the world concentrates on income tax levels without documenting threshholds, which seems a rather sterile comparison to me. More interesting, I feel, is to compare the overall tax burden as a fraction of GDP. This table indicates that the US is among the lowest in the First World, alongside Mexico, Japan and Korea, at about 25%. Europe is higher, on the whole, peaking at 50% for Sweden. The unweighted average for Europe is 39%. This much bears out what you have heard (assuming, arguendo, that higher taxes are bad), but there are a couple of reasons why the U.S. taxation figure may be artificially low: (1) I can't tell for certain, but I suspect this data is only for national taxation, and may therefore not include local taxes. I know that U.S. local income tax is low, but property tax is high in some places, and state sales tax is common. (2) the U.S. has a budget deficit of about 3% of GDP which is rare in the first world. Bovlb 05:30, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Bear in mind though, that in most European countries, health insurance is more or less included in taxes, not paid for separately, so you're not comparing apples to apples

Agreed, which is why I drew attention to the assumption that higher taxes are bad. By the way, U.S. public spending on healthcare is about double U.K. public healthcare spending as a fraction of GDP. Bovlb 15:01, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

I think a key point here is to remember that taxes withheld are only an approximation of the taxes that you have to pay. The employer may not know what your income is expected to be for the year, especially since it was a one-off job. When you file your tax return for the eyar, the amount of tax that you have to pay for the year will be calculated, and then the amount that you have already paid through withholdings will be deducted. The difference will be the amount that you have to pay, or more likely in this case, the amount that will be refunded to you. In other words, the employer may have deducted tax at a much higher rate than you will actually pay, and you will get a refund. And then you will send me a commission of 30% of that amount for giving you this advice. ;-) Ground Zero | t 15:22, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Withholdings are based on that payment being assumed to be the pay you would get for every pay period. $1,600 a pay period (26 pays a year is most common but depends on that company's practice) would put you somewhere into the 25% bracket, so given exemptions and so forth, that withholding is about right. You can check the IRS publication 15 (known as circular E) if you want the gory details. You could have trimmed down the withholding amount by filing a W4 with a high number of exemptions on it. Now that it's been done, you have to wait till you file your tax return to get any excess back. - Taxman ^Talk 20:21, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

US newspapers

I know it's tricky to label specific newspapers Republican or Democrat, but what are the thee largest metropolitan and the three largest local newspapers with resp. a Republican and a Democrat 'leaning'? I'm asking this for a comparative research on political journalism in the US, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. As I will be in Washington from 9-15 October, I would like to speak to a number of political journalists from both press and TV (from CBS, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS). If anyone could help me in any way - names, contacts - I would be very grateful. Thanking you in advance, Kees Br.

Prof.dr. Kees Brants, Amsterdam School of Communications Research, University of Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands,

Please, don't post your email address on this page unless you fancy getting spammed. A list of the largest newspapers in the US can be found here: [6] The top three are USA Today (a nation-wide paper), the Wall Street Journal (likewise), and the New York Times (which is specific to New York but is easy to find in bookstores all across the nation). Our articles on the Journal and the Times touch on their respective political leanings, but I don't know how the USA Today leans. Garrett Albright 11:34, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

The Wall Street Journal is the most conservative of the list and frequently publishes editorials supportive of the administration. Problems with corporations and financial institutions are always viewed as individual anomalies in a basically good business system that needs no new restrictions or oversight or regulation of corporate actions. The New York Times is not radical but intellectually mildly liberal in its editorial stance. USA Today is sort of a new phenomenon in that it seems to strive for inoffensive blandness and only safe controversies. It has the same flavor as the news summaries on your internet provider: much more interested in not offending than in advocating anything. The San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, and Phildelphia Inquirer tend to be somewhat liberal/democratic in editorial perspective. Perhaps that sometimes true of the Washington Post, but maybe it is more variable. These are my opinions of course. alteripse 17:34, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

If you can get a hold of an edition of the Media Guide published by Polyconomics, such sa [ISBN 0-938083-00-2] before the publication was bought out by Forbes then you can see a directory of major US and Canadian periodicals and TV news by type of content (domestic politics, economics, foreign policy, etc.) and how they rank relative to each other on the political spectrum. AlMac|^(talk) 07:08, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

In the movie "Alive" did any of the survivors commit any crimes under Canadian law?

I'm not sure I understand the thrust of your question; the survivors of the Andes flight disaster were Uruguayans whose plane crashed near the border of Chile and Argentina. The only connection to "Alive" is that the movie was filmed there. Keep in mind, however, that there is a necessity defense in common law, and Canada is a common-law country. --Metropolitan90 02:07, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Anime Tear or Droplet

I'm looking for a description of a common Anime/Manga convention. When a character is embarassed or shocked, sometimes a "tear" shape will appear next to their head (similar in placement to a speech bubble). What is the correct name for this symbology? Where did it originate? --DropDeadGorgias (talk) 14:40, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm not sure of the Japanese term, but in the English-speaking fandom it is referred to as a "sweatdrop." It most often symbolizes frustration or disappointment; haven't seen it so much for embarrassment… Can't help you with the origin. Garrett Albright 04:09, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

merging of churches, term or label

When churches split over doctrine and become two separate organizations with doctrinal differences it is referred to as a schism. I don't think there is a comparable single term when two formerly distinct church organizations merge: merger, union, unification all may be used but they don't have the distinctive emotional flavor of the word schism. Sometimes the resulting new organization after the merger is termed a synod.

Lots of individual churches in a denomination combine due to changing demographics. The Roman Catholic Church in the US is combining many parishes in cities. Merging of 2 same denomination churches often occurs in towns in which the church attendance is dwindling. I am guessing this latter is not what you are asking about. alteripse 17:48, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

There are different words that are used for this kind of thing. Communion is one, and covenant is another. The divided churches could be said to have moved into communion with one another, to be in communion or to have intercommunion. Covenanting might be the first step towards reunification: areas of mutuality are covenanted. The etymology of synod is interesting: it is, literally, a meeting of the ways. However, the word is generally used to refer to regional church councils, or the body governed by such. Gareth Hughes 22:33, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

In Canada the process by which several of the largest Protestant Churches merged to create the United Church was simply called "church union." You might also want to see ecumenism. - SimonP 17:58, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

FLAG MEANING/SYMBOLISM/HISTORY

Thank you in advance for helping me with this information... I love this site and have just recently been referred to it by another company. My question that I could not find an answer to is:

What type of flag would display skull and crossbones with blood dripping from the crossbones?

The flag in question that I viewed recently was approx. 1-2 foot length and width...hanging outside a home. I am not being judgmental just concerned...the single woman in her mid-40's that just recently purchased the home works for hospice and takes care of terminally ill children as a hospice nurse. The flag is white, the skull is also white with the black being inside the hollow of the skull eyes. Below are the black crossbones with what looks to be red blood dripping from them.

Again, thank you for being able to help me identify this flag, it's meaning and symbolism.

A. Taylor

This flag sounds particularly unpleasant. I cannot find any reference to it on Flags of the World, so it may not have widespread use. You could ask the woman what it means. If she has the conviction to fly the thing, then she probably wouldn't mind explaining it. However, be prepared to be shocked at the answer: it sounds like (as the Jolly Roger) this is a flag that is meant to shock. Gareth Hughes 23:31, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

How about some context? What city? What ethnic group? The flag is obviously meant as a public signal, so go ask her, (but run if she comes to the door with a parrot and an eye-patch...) alteripse 00:53, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

what is the netherlands national .........

The netherlands is the only country in europe who has a national item that is connected with the country. Missouri has the bird kansas is the state of farming and so on. What is the national symbol for the netherlands

The coat of arms of the Netherlands is the official symbol and is pretty traditionally heraldic. The universally recognized symbols are windmills, wooden shoes, and tulips, all of which are "connected" with the country. Maybe one of our many Dutch contributors can tell us if any of these are more "official" than the others. I have to say that I just noticed that our Netherlands article is truly excellent, an exemplar for country articles with great maps. alteripse 02:25, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

• Windmills, wooden shoes, and tulips are mostly what tourists associate with the Netherlands. If you want to know what is considered a national symbol, I would say the lion in the Dutch coat of arms which is prominently displayed in some football (soccer) matches and a lot of other stuff where royalty is involved. Also the color Orange because it's related to William of Orange. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:33, 15 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Yes, but the lion is traditionally heraldic, not "connected with the country" and orange is pretty abstract. Don't the Dutch themselves ever use windmills, wooden shoes, or tulips as national symbols? alteripse 12:08, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

as someone from the netherlands i would say the lion is pretty much a national item. beyond that there is little used by dutch people i think. something that might be used in certain circles is the marijuana leave of course :) Boneyard 10:23, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Was Beethoven black?

I just received one of those urban legend things in email claiming that Beethoven was black. A search on Google shows that there is much discussion of this topic, though the general result is, nobody really knows, but he doesn't look it. However, the email went on to say that Adolf Hitler removed Beethoven's baptism record from the church where it was recorded because he didn't want the great German (he was Dutch, but let's not quibble) composer to be tainted under the German racial purity laws. Anybody have anything to prove or disprove the Hitler point? I note that none of this is mentioned in our Beethoven article. User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:59, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

Beethoven Dutch ??? I don't think so. He may have had Dutch ancestry, but he was as German (in the sense that we nowadays understand that notion) as anybody else born in Bonn in 1770. If Beethoven was Dutch, then Martin Van Buren was a Dutch President of the USA. I don't think so. JackofOz 07:05, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Think this through. The concept of "black" is of this century. Even the concept of race as we know it developed during and after Beethoven's lifetime. What do you think a baptismal record in an 18th century European church would have contained that proved otherwise? It sure didn't have a box marked Race. What does it mean now to claim he was "black"? If even one parent had been African it would have been remarked on by someone and there would be pretty obvious signs in the the way he was depicted by contemporaries. If a grandparent or greatgrandparent had been African it might not have been apparent in his features but then he would have been 75 or 87% European, so why call him "black" unless you are pushing a racist agenda of some sort? alteripse 00:49, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

I think it's an attempt at trying to claim him as "one of our own", along the lines of the African-American nationalists who keep trying to prove that pure-Macedonian Cleopatra was somehow black because she was queen of an African nation. User:Zoe|^(talk) 05:05, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Exactly my point about a racist agenda. How much blood does it take to make someone "black"? Your choices are (1) let's resurrect the discredited miscegenation laws of the southern US or So Afr; (2) being "black" (as opposed to Negro or colored) is a self-chosen identity which he proudly chose; (3) the term "black" is now obsolete, having been replaced by African-American; (4) his music was good therefore he had to have been black, since only blacks can make good music because of their natural rhythm. Which choice do you think the promulgators of this racist nonsense would prefer? More importantly, what do you think a rap "Freude, freude..." would have sounded like? alteripse 11:57, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

• Beethoven was a rather dark-complexioned chap, it seems; some of his contemporaries remarked upon this, and it's likely the story originated from someone encountering a reference to one of these comments and jumping to a pretty impressive conclusion. The basic problem is, it's quite implausible that no-one would have mentioned it; they were a directly-spoken lot back then, and the idea that no-one would have mentioned his race is pushing it. Indeed, Beethoven wrote a sonata for his friend George Bridgetower (who was half-West Indian), jokingly titling it "Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico" (Sonata for a mulatto lunatic)...
• As to the Hitler point, hmm. It's the sort of detail that attatches itself to urban legends; it's impossible to disprove, because the record probably isn't there any more (what with a few wars having rolled through), and if it is the average person would have no idea how to find it. And then the absence of a record becomes "proof" of the theory - and we all know Hitler was cranky enough to have ordered it. The problem is, the Beethoven-was-black theory seems to date back to an American historian, who published a book claiming a wide variety of historical figures were black. I'm not entirely sure which of his books this was published in, so it could have been anywhere from 1931 to 1946 - but it strikes me as a bit unlikely that Hitler would have read and supported the (relatively obscure) books of a black American journalist, and even less likely he'd not have just ignored it. Shimgray 02:37, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

how did the 1966 dodge dart get built?

Have you looked at our Dodge Dart article?-gadfium 06:39, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

A Nation United

Which news station used the headline "A nation united" or "A country united" in its coverage of the September 11 attacks? Wiwaxia 03:17, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

According to our article on Slogans and terms derived from the September 11, 2001 attack, it was ABC. Lupo 09:59, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Audie Murphy

My 8th grade class did some research on Audie Murphy and then watched the movie, "To Hell and Back". A student of mine had two questions that I have not been able to answer and they are: 1. What happened to his siblings? Did he raise them when he got back from the war?

2. What happened to all his medals upon his death?

Thank you for your help.

Babs Huebner

Clark Middle School

huebnerb@usd204.k12.ks.us

Our article on Audie Murphy explains what happened to the three youngest siblings, though oddly it's under the "Movie career" heading. I can't find what happened to his medals; this implies they're not on display, which in turn suggests the family has them somewhere. Shimgray 14:06, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

According to a 1950 New York Times article, Murphy gave his medal of honor to his nephew and intended to give distinguished service cross to the daughter of his fallen buddy. He also wished to give his 22 other medals to children. lots of issues | leave me a message 08:44, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Woman warrior riding a polar bear

What is the name of the vodka with the woman warrior riding a polar bear?

• Funnily enough, the first Google hit for "riding a polar bear" +vodka is for an old Wikipedia page, which says that it's not a vodka, but Rumple Mintz schnapps. User:Zoe|^(talk) 19:35, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Atakapa Indians

My questions is it seems that they where cannibals, but did they have some kind of main diet, where they hunter gather? also did they migrated with the heards or just stay in one area? Also there dewelling did they live in hunts are teepees? Thank you. Larry

There have been no known human societies for which human flesh was the "main diet" and it is difficult to conceive of a stable social structure based on consumption of human flesh as the main calorie or protein source because of the costs of obtaining or maintaining a supply. Here is a quickly accessible source for the belief that the Atakapa practiced some form of cannibalism. Evidence for what the anthropologists call ritual cannibalism has been found in a variety of societies on most of the continents. The last surviving, well-documented ritual cannibalism was practiced by the Fore people of New Guinea until the 1960s. alteripse 03:46, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

free trade zones and quick response strategy

Could you please tell me how Quick Response Strategy can work within a free zone?

Perhaps Just in Time might interest you. AlMac|^(talk) 19:02, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

What can you say about St. Francis xavier and St. Ignatius of Loyola medal?

What can you say about St. Francis xavier and St. Ignatius of Loyola medal? I want know all information about this medals. Where are it? How much are it?

Huricane Katrina Relief

Everywhere I look there are people collecting money for Huricane Katrina releif. I have to assume that due to public hysteria (and generosity) there is an abundance of funds for the reconstruction efforts. Is this accurate? Do organizations like the Red Cross have adequate, or more than adequate, funding to deal with the sitiuation?

Watch out for an abundance of e-looters. For every legitimate charity like the Red Cross and Salvation Army there are hundreds, if not thousands, of scam artists trying to siphon off the generous contributions, to go to con games with zero intention of helping the victims.

• Check www.give.org to make sure the organization you want to contribute to is a legitimate charity.
• Transcribe the web site url, instead of using a link in some connection whose veracity you are not absolutedly certain about, because of Phishing.

Another problem is that many people are too poor to have proper comprehensive insurance, so they might not get funds for what an insurance company might say was caused by something else. Also many government relief programs demand excessive paperwork. Plus some government relief is based on citizenship and residency requirements. When people abandoned their homes to rush to safety, they may not have brought with them the appropriate documentation to prove identity and eligibility for aid, and that documentation now wiped out in their destroyed homes. AlMac|^(talk) 19:10, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

United Way during World War II

I would asppreciate if you can give me informaqtion as to the role, if any, the United Way of America had during and after Second World War in helping refugees from that War,

Thanks,

Dr. Bernardo Benes 8877 Collins Ave. Apt. 808, Surfside,Fl.33154 305-785-7028

Here's the web site of United Way http://national.unitedway.org/ourwork/index.cfm I suspect that whatever work they did decades before the Internet was invented would not be written up any place on the Internet. AlMac|^(talk) 03:47, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Citizens arrest powers

Where did sideburns originate?

Wow, that question has nothing to do with the title. See citizen's arrest and sideburns. Garrett Albright 04:00, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Islam

Islam's country of origin Answer: Islam orginiated on the Arabian Peninsular, in what is now Saudi Arabia. It was founded by a local merchant named Muhammed, who combined his prophecies with local traditions.

how do we get oil

For the most part, it is sucked up from underground reservoirs using large pumps. See Petroleum#Extraction for more. Garrett Albright 03:59, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Bodies of water

Can you point me in the right direction to find out what two bodies of water cover many of the southern states?

I'm confused. I looked up the southern states. It's supposed to be eleven. I found 13. Can you help me?

Stephanie

I'm assuming you're talking about the U.S. here; that said, here goes. First of all, check out U.S. Southern states; that might help. As far as the number listed, there's no standard breakdown of the U.S. into regions; different people put different states into different categories. As far as the bodies of water, I'm not sure what you mean. None of the Southern states (nor any of the other states) are underwater. If you mean "adjacent to", Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River might be what you're looking for. Or I could be totally off base here. Is this helpful? Meelar (talk) 04:31, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Birth Control in the Catholic religion

I have recently become aware that the IUD is a form of abortion in the Catholic church and I would like to know how does the church feel about other forms of birth control, is there scriptures or something in the Bible that say we are to not use birth control of any form or is that strictly enforced by Catholics only. My husband and I are having a hard time figuring this one out, he wants me go the rythm method and I say No way will I risk getting pregnant again. Can someone give me some insight on this? Thank you very Much. S. Burris

Answer: The Catholic church takes a fairly strong possition against artifical birth control. However natural methods are allowed. Natural methods include not only rythm method but also withdrawal. These methods used to gether would clearly reduce the risk of pregnancy.

However, to answer the rest of your question, nothing in scripture explicitly forbids birth control- that is a primarily catholic teaching. Many people think that the catholic church has way too many articles of dogma which have no scriptural basis. alteripse 03:22, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, it's primarily a Catholic teaching now, but it was previously the teaching of churches more closely associated with "sola scriptura". The Catholic/Protestant split on the issue is 20th century - about the 1930s. Martin Luther, for example, used Genesis 38 (the Onan story) to condemn the withdrawal method of birth control. (Really, if one wants to proclaim nearly any dogma, one can usually find some sort of "Scriptural" basis...and if one wants to explicate any particularly uncomfortable bit of Scripture away, that too is easy enough to do.) The old joke, of course, was "what do you call a woman who uses the rhythm method of birth control?" with the correct answer being "Mother". The method has apparently improved since then, but note that no one who tells you to use it will pay for the rearing of any children if it fails.... - Nunh-huh 05:41, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Rebuilding Katrina affected areas - historical perspective

President Bush stated in his speech tonight that New Orleans (and other affect areas I assume) will be the biggest rebuilding project the world has ever seen. I was wondering if New Orleans is restored to at least its previous size or better (at least the same or more homes & businesses as pre-Katrina), and if indeed the land mass is improved to make New Orleans a safer city against hurricanes, will this be anything close to being the largest rebuilding project in terms of:

the Number of People resettled back into the city;

the amount of money spent to completely rebuild affected areas as compared to other civil works projects;

the land area recovered to pre-hurricane conditions.

Thanks for contributing.

--70.156.54.175 02:04, 16 September 2005 (UTC)Darryl S.

You might be interested in the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Apparently there was about $760 million (1994 dollars) in property damage [7]. Afterwards they built a seawall (cost about $100 million today [8]) and raised the seaside of the island, surviving buildings and all, several meters (and rotating the cathedral while they were at it). I'm not sure what estimates are for Katrina, but without counting the dredging and lifting operation we're already talking about a significant amount of money to rebuild, especially for the size of the city. — Laura Scudder | Talk 06:10, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

I doubt the rebuilding of New Orleans will be the largest such project in history. Tokyo, Berlin, Stalingrad, and a number of other cities were all considerably larger than NO, and almost obliterated during WWII. In terms of total land area, and the number of people affected the projects to rebuild these cities would have been considerably larger. The Great Kanto earthquake would also have required a larger rebuilding effort. Unadjusted for inflation the rebuilding of NO will almost certainly be the most expensive in history. - SimonP 17:42, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

reason behind burning witches

Usually there was a reason behind each test put to witches during periods of repression within the churches, I was wondering where burning came from.

bree

• Well, it's old. The Catholic Encyclopedia says, Under the Empire, in the third century, the punishment of burning alive was enacted by the State against witches who compassed another person's death through their enchantments. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 04:56, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

• Are you sure it's a test? Burning at the stake was the means of execution for heresy throughout the Middle Ages, and a convicted witch was undoubtedly a heretic, but at that point she would have already have failed whatever test of witchiness was in vogue. — mendel ☎ 15:39, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

• Witches were burnt at the stake for the crime of heresy. The idea behind the burning comes from the belief that on judgement day the dead would rise and be judged. Burning meant that there was no body and with no body they couldnt be judged so they would be damned forever.--82.44.216.80 18:56, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Boxer Rebellion

How did the Boxer Rebellion influence our relations with China?

Our article on the Boxer Rebellion might help you. If you need more specific help, come back here and ask a more specific question, including who "our" refers to. We won't actually do your homework for you, but if you want to run some ideas past us, we can probably help.-gadfium 04:35, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

1919 document

What Document was signed in 1919 relating to thje GREAT war

The most significant was the Treaty of Versailles. Shimgray 13:42, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Scottish regiments in Cape of Good Hope, cira 1850

Do you know which regiments were stationed here at this time? Thank you. Jane

[9] gives a list of all regiments in that timeframe, and can link through to deployments of each battalion of each... hmm. the 74th, c.1851-3, the 73rd c.1846-56 (both in the Birkenhead wreck), the 90th 1846-7, the 91st to 1848 and their reserve bn. through 1850. Note that these may just have been in South Africa generally, or "at the Cape Colony", not literally stationed at the cape - that'd need more research, probably in unit histories. I haven't checked cavalry, only foot regiments. If I knew what you wanted it for, I might be able to be more precise... Shimgray 17:16, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks Shimgray. I am researching an ancestor: William Reid b. 1818 in Scotland had a son born on Cape of Good Hope around 1852. In 1861 census Wiliam Reid senior is noted as a Chelsea Pensioner, living in Manchester with his wife Mary b. 1822 in Ireland, son William b. Cape of Good Hope 1852 and a second son George b. 1856 in Ireland. I thought if I could identify the regiment, I might find where in Scotland he came from. I have checked with war records, but no record of a birth to a military man around this time. William Senior's occupation was later stated as a shoemaker, so could he have been a servant to the battalion, rather than an actual soldier?

Being a Chelsea pensioner suggests he was an actual soldier; I don't know if tradesmen were eligible for pensions then. Hmm. The only one of the listed regiments that fits is the 2nd/91st, Cape through 1850s then disbanded England 1855; if he left then he could have been back in Ireland for '56. That would be a twenty-year stretch up, if he joined at eighteen, or possibly a bit earlier if he joined younger. (The full contemporary title, if it helps, was "91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot"; they're now part of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, if you want to go chasing their records)

However, note that it's not guaranteed he would have joined a "local" regiment - county recruiting was strong, but he could well have signed up when somewhere else, or found himself in another regiment through chance. I've not checked the other foot regiments, but glanced through the cavalry ones - the 12th Lancers also just about fit the bill. Where was your chap in 1861? Shimgray 01:06, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

I know the info about being a chelsea pensioner suggests he was a soldier and this is contradicted by the fact that the son's birth isn't recorded as a military birth....perhaps he was illegtimate? To answer your q. the family was living in Hulme, Manchester in 1861. Obviously I can't be sure that the wife of William Reid snr, is also the mother of the two sons, tho the fact that she was born in Ireland and the youngest son was too, suggests that she is, at least, the mother of the youngest one.

It's also possible the first son was actually someone else's kid - remarriage of widows was pretty common around then in the Army, I believe - but I don't know what the records system for military births then was like so can't comment on that. Incidentally, I ran across a reference to the Birkenhead disaster talking about "all ten regiments", and a list of those involved is at HMS Birkenhead (1845), which gives you all the units at the Cape in 1852. It's most likely, I suspect, that he was in the 91st. Your best bet to confirm this would be pension records, discharge records, or muster records at the National Archives in Kew - a long process, but there you go... Shimgray 17:40, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Hello, thanks for your continued interest. Someone has offered to do a search when they next visit Kew and I have contacted the Chelsea Pensioners diret to see if I can get hold of milary records. Your suggestion about the elest son being adopted is a good one - I only requested a copy of a birth certificate from the GRO, perhaps a request for a marriage certifcate would be more fruitful.

trade agreement between australia and unite states of walgreens

• That's not a question. Please read the instructions at the top of this page. - 131.211.210.10 11:08, 16 September 2005 (UTC)
• Australia and United States are nations
• Walgreens is a corporation
• Agreements between nations and corporations are not called trade agreements, but something to do with the type of agreement, such as a nation or part of a nation agreeing to have tax abatement for some number of years in exchange for the business location. AlMac|^(talk) 17:53, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

famous literary husbands and wives

I have a "short" list of famous writing couples: Hammett and Hellmann; Nichols and May. Any other suggestions? How about names of any lesser famous women writers who may have inspired/ghost written for their more famous husbands? Someone suggested Zelda Fitzgerald and F. Scott, but I can find only an argument for inspiring F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Mary Shelley and Lord Byron should certainly be at or near the top of the couples list. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 15:35, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Shouldn't that be Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley? - SimonP 17:22, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Michael Frayn and Claire Tomalin? I guess she's not as famous as he is, but she did win the Whitbread Prize. Nicola79 16:01, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Look at Tabitha King and Janet Asimov. I believe their husbands have written a bit as well.-gadfium 19:35, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning & Robert Browning, Jon Halliday & Jung Chang, Heloise (student of Abelard) & Pierre Abélard, George Henry Lewes & George Eliot although the last two were un-married (gasp). MeltBanana 21:46, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Articles of Merton

Can anyone advise on the exact description. I understand that the Articles of Merton where prior to the Magna Carta and were a form of conditions laid down by the Barons, the Articles being signed at Merton , south of London. anon

The Statute of Merton was 1235/6 (20 Hen. 3); this postdates the original signing of Magna Carta, but officially, Magna Carta is only from the 1290s, which is when it was last made law -

Signed only twenty years after the Magna Carta, the Statute of Merton was the first item in the Statutes of the Realm and the basis of common law in England for centuries, only finally being repealed in 1948. In effect, it was an assertion of the barons' rights against those of the King.

This strongly sounds like what you're after. [10] has a brief summary of the contents, at least the parts which survived until the nineteenth century. Incidentally, you may also be interested to read about the Statute of Marlborough, the oldest English law still in force. Shimgray 13:41, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

how are monsoons a boon to indian economy?

how are monsoons a boon to indian economy?

You'll probably find the answer in your textbook. Garrett Albright 14:24, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Garrett, please don't bite the newbies. One of the reasons they are a boon is because they provide a lot of work for the construction industry. There are many more reasons. Proto t c 14:38, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Be careful not to fall for the broken window fallacy. - SimonP 17:13, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

I don't bite newbies, but I sure don't molly-coddle them either. This is blatantly a homework question. Garrett Albright 14:02, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Agreed, and I don't think your response was even rude, it was factual. Maybe it could have been made slightly more polite, by prepending it with something like "The reference desk is not generally for answering homework questions, so you'll...". We are clearly seeing a rash of homework questions now that school is back up and Wikipedia's prominence is even greater than last year at this time. For regular RD user's I think the best policy is to remind them we don't answer homework, and then go back and answer the question a few days or a week later. If they haven't even bothered to check their book, they've probably waited till the last minute, so answering in a few days gets the answer out there, but doesn't inhibit learning. - Taxman ^Talk 15:09, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

uuhh?

aahh. Proto t c 14:38, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

oooh! Garrett Albright 13:54, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Truman Capote - name pronunciation

How do you pronounce: Capote? Is the "e" silent? I had been introduced to him as "Cah-poht" but someone recently told me it was "Cah-poht-ee." Which is the correct pronunciation?

The OED says it's Cah-poht-ee (well, the equivalent in IPA symbols that I can't type), and that's certainly what I've always heard. Nicola79 15:52, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

for what specific purpose were the mengele twins murdered?

If you are asking about the fiction movie Boys from Brazil, the Nazi plot was to reincarnate Hitler by replicating his life, assassinating anyone who discovered the plot, and destroying any evidence that might lead to plot exposure. Murder is an inappropriate word to describe individual victims of an ideology that practices genocide on a global scale. AlMac|^(talk) 18:12, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

I suspect that the question refers to Mengele's infamous twin studies. Joseph Mengele had a perverse fascination with twins, and his "investigations", which were so poorly planned that they produced no useful information, and were marked by arbitrariness and unnecessary cruelty. "His work was mostly random trial and error, without hypotheses. Among his obsessions was trying to change eye color to blue. These attempts would often result in pain, infection, or blindness among the subjects. Convinced that the inmates at Auschwitz were less than human, Mengele kept his subjects naked so that he could measure and observe them more easily. He would inject, bleed, dismember, irradiate, or transfuse his twins, expose them to diseases, or perform unconventional surgical procedures on them without anesthesia. Mengele often killed one or both twins, dissected the bodies, and sent the results to Verschuer. Mengele's experiments involved over 1,500 pairs of twins. Only about 200 of these twins survived." [11]

Mengele looked upon the twins as lab animals rather than humans. His justification for killing some of them was the information that he imagined would be gained through their autopsies. It also disposed of those who could testify to his application of vivisection to humans.

I disagree with the opinion before mine. "Murder" is a perfectly appropriate word, and applies perfectly well to those victimized by Mengele in these "experiments". - Nunh-huh 00:02, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

I agree. See also Otmar von Verschuer (Mengele's advisor) for more gristly twin stories.--Fastfission 16:47, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends

Which is the best or most popular version of the Joe Cocker track "With a Little Help From My Friends" to download from the iTunes Music Store?

Mortgage types in US

I am trying to get some research on the various types of mortgage loans in the US. For example, how many US homeowners have: _ FHA loans _ VA Loans _COnventionals loans _Home Equity loans _second mortgage

If anyone can help or forward me to information I would galdly appreciate it.Thanks Lance McCown

HUD's website would be your place to go. here is a report they did of mortgages from 2001-2003 and includes those statistics. If that doesn't cover exactly what you need, their site would still likely have it. - Taxman ^Talk 20:27, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

world trade center

hi my name is ansar i need to know why the twin towers were so important before they got blown up my email is <email removed> just email me thanks

• If this is not your e-mail address, and it gets spammed by millions of unwanted e-mails, you can be sure that people here will help the FBI and Secret Service and Interpol and etc. track you down so that you can become aquainted with the inside of a prison.
  • If this really is your e-mail address, and you get millions of e-mails from criminals and con artists, then that is what happens when you place your e-mail address in a public location where it will be seen by millions of people.
• Have you even seen pictures of the World Trade Center before they were destroyed by the terrorists? These were huge skyscrapers were tens of thousands of people from all over the world worked at the center of the Global economy. They were not blown up. First, a truck bomb was used with cyonide wrapped around the explosives to try to maximize the dead, but the bomb design was flawed ... the cyonide was all burned up, so then they flew hijacked planes into the towers, because that is the way to bring down that kind of structure, and the buildings collapsed.
• If you want to know why the buildings were so important to the terrorists, they were perceived as being a national icon, for the same reason that other terrorists have tried to destroy the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Houses of Parliament, etc. AlMac|^(talk) 18:20, 16 September 2005 (UTC)
• How about reading World Trade Center? - Mgm|^(talk) 20:07, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

History of nail cutting

How did people, prior to the invention of nail clippers in 1896, trim their nails?

Nail scissors, which I even remember my mother using on me as a child in the late 1970s. Or they filed them down. — mendel ☎ 19:41, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

I still use scissors, aren't they common in North America? -83.129.29.188 21:45, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Teeth work very nicely. Nelson Ricardo 19:27, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

who has the biggest dick?

See Human penis size.-gadfium 22:47, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

It would be more appropriate to see Blue whale penis size. Seriously, the penis article says that the largest mammal, the blue whale, has the largest penis. --anon.

Greek philosophers beginning with the letter H...

I am searching a proverb, and the name is on the tip of my tongue, as we say in Portugal LOL. I want the latin version please also - I know it refers to " to express what is commonly said is a hard thing to do.."

Best Regards.

José

List of philosophers#H, contains people like Hicetas, Hippocrates, and even Homer (assuming you mean ancient Greek) Ojw 10:53, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

european comunity

See European Community -83.129.29.188 01:21, 17 September 2005 (UTC) That is the predecsor organization the European Union.

Song source?

When I was young, mother would sing: "Little man you're crying. I know why you're blue, someone stole your kiddy car away. Time to to to sleep now; little man you've had a busy day. Johnny won your marbles; tell you what we'll do, daddy'll get you new ones right away. Better go to sleep now, little man you've had a busy day. You've been playing soldiers, the battle has been won, the enemy is out of sight; so come along now soldier, put away your gun, war is over for tonight. Time to go to sleep now; time your day was through. Can't you hear your bugler softly say: 'Better go to sleep now. Little man you've had a busy day.'" I suppose the title would be "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day." I would love to see who wrote the words and music, and when it was written. I think it would have been in the '30's or '40's. By the way, she wasn't singing it to me, but to my baby brother, who was born in 1938.

Thanks for any help you can give. Ora Irby, sweetie3@hidden.net. Dallas, TX

I ran a Google search for "Little man you're crying" and very quickly found several references that indicate authorship of Sid Wayne - Sigler - Hoffman and a recording date of 1934. Also, as a rule, you shouldn't place your email address on a public forum; I've obscured it for you. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 00:35, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Who was Alice Walker? and Eudora Welty?

Alice Walker, Eudora Welty - Nunh-huh 07:12, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Meie Mees

I would like some information on the Estonian band The Meie Mees. I can't seem to find any info on it.

person

who was born at 415 monroe street,hoboken,new jersey in dec 12th 1915? trevor wilson u.k.

Frank Sinatra -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 14:35, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Frank Sinatra? Ojw 19:35, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Cha Cha

How have the cha-cha developed throughout the years?

An additional "cha" was added (making the dance the "cha-cha-cha") in 1954 by Walter Dumbrovski, of Cleveland, Ohio. - Nunh-huh 01:04, 18 September 2005 (UTC) (I jest)....

Who makes the laws of a state?

Bold textWho makes the laws of a state?

Who makes the laws of a state?

In the USA, each of the states has a legislative body which enacts laws, that the Governor of the state may sign, or veto. Then the legislative body has the opportunity to overrule the veto, if they can get enough votes ... they need a whole lot more than the simple majority needed to pass a law in the first place. Same deal for making modifications to existing laws.

Thus each of the 50 states follows a system that parallels the Federal Congress where their laws need to be signed by the President who also can veto them.

There are some conditions where the President can do stuff without waiting on Congress approval.

There are also laws passed by the legislative bodies of local communities and cities.

Many laws get taken to the courts to see if they are unconstitutional.

In some states of the USA, such as in California the voters can have on the ballot of elections a proposed law.

AlMac|^(talk) 21:31, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

In some states, the Governor has the power of a line-item veto, which allows him/her to delete portions of a bill, but not the whole thing. The President does not have this authority. Congress tried to pass a law allowing this, but the Supreme Court ruled that that would require a Constitutional amendment. User:Zoe|^(talk) 22:40, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

The Legislature. -83.129.19.18 22:38, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Drama

how do I get the articles on the drama known as La Mujer de Lorenzo? - (unsigned)

I don't think we have any. Since it's a Spanish language television soap opera, I've searched for it in the Spanish language Wikipedia, but I don't think they have any articles on it either. - Nunh-huh 01:10, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Appreciative Inquiry with aboriginals

Do you know of any applications of the organization change approach called Appreciative Inquiry to aboriginal organizations/communities in North America?

theatre arts

What is the theatre arts symbol?

The Theatre Arts Pope hasn't let us know officially, but the masks of comedy and tragedy shown together are a fairly customary icon. (Where would one find this information in Wikipedia?) - Nunh-huh 01:01, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Under Drama. Apparently they are the Muses Thalia and Melpomene. Bovlb 04:34, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

I think drama's got that wrong (but kudos to you for actually finding it!). I suspect the masks came first, were associated with comedy and tragedy, and yet later were associated - to whatever extent they are - with the respective muses of those arts. - Nunh-huh 05:03, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

What is the impact of changes in tax policy on GDP?

1. I not know the whole answer, but you might take a look at the theory of marginal tax rates such that an increase in taxes can be a disincentive to working harder. AlMac|^(talk) 02:31, 18 September 2005 (UTC)
2. Another area to review is deficit spending where tax cuts to excess can lead to the government borrowing money that needs to be repaid by later taxpayers, and that national debt has consequences. AlMac|^(talk) 02:31, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

What are the 5 richest countries and 5 poorest countries in the world?

It depends on how you define "richest" and "poorest", but these three articles might be a good starting point for you: List of countries by Human Development Index, List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita and List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita.-gadfium 02:23, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

atlantis and the cirle of the giants in isreal

Is there a connection between the stone cicle of the giants in Israel and the continent of Alantis?

No, there isn't. Atlantis was a fictional island in a story told by Plato, not an actual continent. Our article on Atlantis ought to make this more clear. - Nunh-huh 01:15, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Canadian federal political parties

name of all four major canadian federal political parties and the name of their leaders ad put the parties in order from most political (left) to mainstream (right) and briefly explain why you placed each party where you did? Qubec Bloc, New Democratic party, Liberal party Conservative party. QB is the most left wing party. QB's basic purpose is to through legal means make Qubec an independent country. It is left wing because it supports socalistic economic measure, all private health care is legal in Qubec. On the social end this party is pro gay marriage and proabortion. It also advocates a leftwing foreign policy, and generally being the most antiAmerican Party. In addition this party tends to be more antimonarchist however they are moving away from this. The NDP is next in left wing, its positions on social, foreingn affairs, and economic issues mirror QB. However the NDP supports Canadian unity,and Canadian traditions such as the monarchy. The Liberal party is next on the left right compase. This party is mixture very leftwing people and fairly conservative people. Because its divided nature on areas as vast as missle defense, and abortion it doctrines are less clear than the other parties. However the liberal party definatily is to right of the two former parties, it campanigns on having a good relation with united states and also supports limited freemarket reforms in the National health insurance plane. However it is clearly left of center; national health insurance, and gay marriage are products of the forementioned party. Generally speaking it could be classified as a left of center status quo party. The conservative party is the most right leaning party. It is center right party similar to U.S. Republican party. It tends to support a strong national defense, anti gay marriage, generally anti abortion. It is also seen as the most proAmerican party.

Look at List of political parties in Canada.-gadfium 02:26, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

What you have written is mostly correct, though it is the Bloc Quebecois (BQ), not the Quebec Bloc. I was also quite surprised to read that the Bloc is moving away from its antimonarchism and that the NDP supports the monarchy. You should also note that the BQ also has a right-wing faction, represented by Lucien Bouchard, though the left is certainly more prominent. Also while some Conservative supporters are anti-abortion, the party itself does not advocate any restrictions on abortion rights. A good source for more information would be the issues section of the 2004 Canadian election article. - SimonP 16:37, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Canadian Economy

canada has a very successful economy over the last several years. explain what characteristics of our "capitalist" approch and what part of our "socialist" approch has helped accomplish this in your opinion?

Economy of Canada does not have much on this subject, but Canadian and American economics compared and Early 2000s recession do have useful some information. - SimonP 16:14, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

New Spain

Was Idaho or Southern Idaho part of New Spain before becoming part of the United States? If yes, when?

Spain may have made a claim to part of what is now Idaho, but according to the New Spain article, the northern boundary of New Spain was undefined until the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, which established the 42nd parallel as the border. (The 42nd parallel is now the southern border of Idaho.) So Idaho definitely wasn't part of New Spain after 1819. Even before that, the territory was claimed by both the United States and the United Kingdom, which had agreed to allow joint settlement of the Oregon Country (including Idaho) between themselves in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. --Metropolitan90 05:05, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

religion

Is jewish a race or a religion? It is neither it is a cultural and ethnic group; a race suggest common anscestory and relatedness. While genetic evidence shows that many Jews can them selves to a common ancestor such is not unviversal, since there was much intermarriage and conversion into the Jewish people. Also race is generally seen as involuntary. However a person can electivly become a Jew through coversion. By contrast a person cannot decside to become black. Jewish is not best defined as a religion. Though Jewishness is in addition cultural a religion not all Jews people are defined jews practice the Jewish religion. A large minority of Jews are areligious or even athiest. A smaller number are messianic Jews who combind the christian with Jewish law and culture. Jewish could be classified as a cutural or ethinic group. At its most inclusive level Jewish could be though of as an ethinic or cultural group. Such is because Jewish people observe a common culture, traditions and language(Hebrew).

Yes. See Jew. - Nunh-huh 02:14, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Judaism is a relgion

American Presidential Regulations

Can the American President be a woman?

Not without the help of a surgeon. - Nunh-huh 03:11, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

(There is, of course, no impediment to a woman becoming an American President...) George Bush, however, will likel live and die a man. - Nunh-huh 03:13, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

To be president need only be a native born American age 35 or older. At present time no woman has been presiden, however their have been woman presidental canidates. EG Elizabeth Dole.

Just to clarify things through the sarcasm here (hey, I do it too, so no begrudgings to Nunh-huh), the requirements to become the prez state nothing about gender. See President of the United States#Requirements to hold office. Garrett Albright 03:51, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Actually, if the constitution is taken (over?)literally, it does specify a male president. According to Article II, section 1, "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows". That's not my interpretation, though, especially given the gratuitious use of Person rather than Man later.("No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. ") Superm401 | Talk 00:37, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

The use of "he" would never be taken as a restriction on the sex of the president. We're here to inform, not misinform. - Nunh-huh 00:43, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

"Never"? Women did not get the vote in the us until the 19th amendment in 1920. Obviously the masculine language of the constitution was taken seriously.

Crown Prince of Nepal, 1950-1951

When the young Gyanendra of Nepal became king for two months, 1950 through 1951, who would have been the second in line to the throne? Probally his closest biological relative not in exile.

bestseller's lists

What adult fiction title was on the bestsellers' lists for the longest time during the year 2000?

--anon

• Lot's of countries have bestseller lists and sometimes different chains of bookstores have their own lists too. Which bestseller list do you want to know about? - Mgm|^(talk) 07:25, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Emperor Hadrian

In the article about Trajan it indicates that he was Roman and not of Italian descent, but in the related article of Hadrian it is not clear if he was Romanor Italian. I am just interested in that both men were born in the same city in Spain. Thank You

According to the Oxford Classical Dictionary and Michael Grant: Trajan was born in 53 at Italica in province of Baetica (originally Hispania Ulterior). Roman father M Ulpius Traianus, and Spanish mother. Paternal family originated in Tuder in Umbria in Italy. Hadrian was probably born in 76 at the same place. Father was P Aelius Hadrianus Afer, mother Domitia Paulian of Gades. Paternal family lived in Baetica also but originally came from Picenum in north east Italy. I think at least the paternal lineage for both was Roman/Italian. alteripse 12:06, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Middle Eastern men and women's hair

Why is it that religious Middle Eastern men, both Jews and Muslims, seem to feel that women's hair should be hidden, either under a head scarf (Muslim) or a wig (married Jewish Orthodox women)? Why is hair so important that it must be covered?

• It's not neccesarily related to their hair. See the Islamic concept Hijab for more information. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:30, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

It is done for modesy purpose. Muslim and Orthodox Jews are araid if they show hair they will appear to sexy.

forms of french government in 1818

i was wondering if some one could describe the forms of government in France in 1818? --Kim

Try France in the nineteenth century as a starting point. Enochlau 07:14, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

At that time, which was a few years after Napoleon was removed, the country reverted back to its traditional monarchy. However unlike the prerevolution times the king was checked by a paliment. The government of 1818 France could therfore be called a constitutional or limited monarchy.

This is exact. However, this constitutional monarchy wasn't comparable to the constitutional monarchies existing in Europe today — considerable power was still vested in the king and aristocracy. Perhaps it compares with the United Kingdom at the time?

Furthermore, immediately after 1815 there were "witch hunts" in which revolutionaries were removed from positions of responsibility, and sometimes prosecuted. Apart from that, the regime began as relatively liberal, but after Charles X succeeded his brother, it became increasingly authoritarian, which ultimately brought its downfall. David.Monniaux 12:49, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Isabel Allende

See Isabel Allende. Enochlau 07:14, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Tell me about the history of Chile

See History of Chile. Enochlau 07:15, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

management

What is the modern management theory, who were it's theorists?

Perhaps try management, which discusses developments of ideas in management over the last couple of centuries. Enochlau 08:51, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Ancient writings on tree barks in India

I've read before that there are ancient writings on tree barks in South India. These writings were written thousands of years ago and can foretell the future of all our lives in this world. I can't seem to find any articles on it from the web. Please help. Thanks.

I was planning to add an article on this in wikipedia myself, so I can help. If you want articles from it on the web you will have to search for "palm leaf" or "palm leaf manuscript". In tamil it is called "olai" for the leaf. It was the medium for writing and could be called as indian paper where thirukural etc. were written. I'll be putting up an article in wikipedia pretty soon, so you could check back at wikipedia in a few days time... Idleguy 09:23, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

qin shi huang

See Qin Shi Huang. Enochlau 08:52, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

cross border terrorism

what is cross border terrorism? what are the reasons for cross border terrorism? what are the solutions for cross border terrorism? what is the impact of cross border terrorism on the growth of a country?

Woa, that's a lot of questions to answer... Still an example of cross border terrorism would be in kashmir where pakistan supports islamic fighters to gain independence from India. Solutions are to shun the nation as a terrorist nation and many other ways. Impact depends on the size of the country and its current economic state. this is as i said a question with a very huge scope and I can only answer half the questions without tiring myself. :) Idleguy 09:44, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

World heritage sites

I am doing an assignment on an Australian world heritage site and i cant find who is responsible for protecting each of the sites. Im not sure if it is either the UNESCO, the Australian government or another body. --Stephanie morris 09:32, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

The country possessing the world heritage site is responsible for protecting it. There is no other enforcement except world opinion. Remember when the Taliban dynamited those ancient Buddhist cliff statues? Lots of complaints, no actions. alteripse 11:50, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

what is meant by quasi movement

Need more context here. Movement as in political movement, orchestral movement, body movement, bowel movement...? Quasi is equivalent to American vernacular "sort of" in most contexts. alteripse 16:59, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Which country liberated Romania in 1945?

According to the article on Romania, they liberated themselves in 1944 and then gave control to the Soviet Union in 1946; then they liberated themselves again in 1989. alteripse 12:46, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

culture of kerela

can u tell me about the matriarchal culture of kerala and what is the status of old people in kerala?

miro

Juan Miro? Who juanna know? alteripse 12:46, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Jesus Christ

Why do Christians need Jesus Christ to be God?

What a question! If I understand you correctly, you are already convinced that (1) Jesus is not God, (2) believing Jesus to be God is a patently false aspect of the Christian religion, (3) believing so satisfies some inexplicable "need" of Christians that makes no sense to you, and perhaps even (4) Christianity might be a much better (or at least more sensible) religion if Christians would just let that one go. And you want me to explain the "need" part of this because you are already sure about the other parts....

My answer: There are some questions which are formulated in a way that ensures the questioner will not be enlightened no matter what answer he gets. alteripse 16:26, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm not sure if need is the right word. Christians see Jesus as the mediator between fallen humanity and our good and just God. To reconcile us, Jesus is both human and divine. See christology for the extensive history of our belief. Gareth Hughes 16:23, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

But Gareth is giving you a damn good answer. alteripse 16:27, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

percentage of religions in usa.

percentage of christians,muslims,buddhists and hindus in usa

Check out our article on Religion in the United States for some numbers. Garrett Albright 18:49, 18 September 2005 (UTC)m

The overwelming majority of American perhaps 80% are christans. Muslims make up perhaps 3 or 4% maybe smaller Bubists and hindus perhaps have 1 million adherents each in the U.S.

There's also some number of Athiests, Agnostics, and I do not remember the name for people who believe in some holy book, such as the Bible but not in the institution of some church. AlMac|^(talk) 20:50, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Pronunciation of Phryne

How is the name of the Greek Courtesan Phryne pronounced

Thank you

Ron Tripp

<e-mail address removed: read the instructions>

In English you can get away with something like "Proonie," but there is some debate over the degree to which phi is pronounced as an aspirant or fricative (e.g., Froonie). See Vox Graeca by Sidney Allen (Cambridge, 1987 3rd ed) for an authoritative discussion. alteripse 16:57, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Proonie is fine if you want to reconstruct ancient Greek pronunciation. Modern pronunciation is /fri.ni/, and an old-grammar-school pronunciation (the best choice if you're reading a classical name in an English language context) would be /frɪ.ne/. Gareth Hughes 17:26, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Four choices! No wonder he had to ask. I admit that the most classically correct sounds the most barbaric in spoken English. alteripse 17:35, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

F Major chords

hello what are the chords of f major including 1 4 5?

Signed politely cameron coulter

Your question is not very clear, Cameron, but I'll suggest what might be the answer you are looking for. The F-major triad is f-a-c. The IV chord is B♭ major, which is b♭-d-f, and the V chord is C major, which is c-e-g. Gareth Hughes 17:16, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

about molds

please interpret the meaning of mold in to my life... Every place i live i see to it that everything is new and clean but after a few months here comes the mold and will scattered all over my place which made me and my family sick. This molds started last 1996 after i divorced with my husband, then all the problems came at the same time my father died after a few months my mother died, i lost my business, i lost my house. please help me i need an answer if this molds has something to do with my life thank you, kathleen

Mold is just a formation of fungi and is common to places which get damp and are not kept well ventilated or clean. My guess is that the difficulties in your life probably resulted in you and others not being able to spend as much time cleaning as you probably would otherwise. I find that my living space gets pretty messy whenever things are going poorly for me, but that's just because I'm less motivated to clean it up. Anyway, whether or not the formation of mold does correlate in some way with your life's activities, it is also possible that you simply notice it more, and are clearly interpretting it as a form of leitmotif. You may want to examine your cleaning habits; mold is very easy to get rid of if you keep at it with disinfectant (i.e. Lysol) and keep the space regularly aired out (to prevent too much moisture accumulating). --Fastfission 19:13, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

You might like to buy a dehumidifier; they are not particularly expensive, and are very useful in reducing the humidity of the air. Your local electrical store will be able to help you. Proto t c 09:02, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Stachybotrys and Aspergillus fumigatus have been said to cause illness in homes. --ViolentGreen 02:19, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

RAIL TRANSPORT

WHAT IS THE "BEECHING AXE"?

See Beeching Axe. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:36, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

The San Juan Islands 3000 years ago

How did people live in the San Juan Island? What was their culture? How were they organized socially?

Stacy Smith

teen views in 1950

how can I find teen views of american presidents in the 1950's 68.23.103.201 18:18, 18 September 2005 (UTC) anon

What are you asking about? Pictures of American presidents as teenagers? Which presidents? You might try looking at biographies of any presidents you are interested in, they usually contain pictures of them in their youth. --Fastfission 18:50, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Or do you mean something like "What did American teenagers in the 1950s think about Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower?" I'm not sure how you could get accurate research about that, but maybe someone else will have a suggestion. --Metropolitan90 07:26, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

And if you are looking for what Fastfission referred to, the only presidents you could consider are Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as they were the only U.S. presidents so far to have been teenagers during the 1950s -- and only for the last few months of 1959, as they were both born in 1946. --Metropolitan90 07:31, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

political issues

hey, I need to write paper on the political issues in America. Could you list me the political issues that are currently occuring? and if possible, list me the sites that are related to political issues in America

• Well, there was a hurricane. That's the hottest policical issue at the moment. You could do worse than buy a newspaper (one of the larger format ones). Notinasnaid 20:10, 18 September 2005 (UTC)
• Until the hurricane, perhaps the biggest political issue on the TV news was how the police investigation was progressing on some blond woman who disappeared some place. If you watch TV News in America you would not know that statistically, relative to population figures, more blacks go missing than whites, more men than women, and there is an epidemic of missing children. AlMac|^(talk) 20:53, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

List political issues. (I hope you don't mind me adding to your list, whoever made this)

• The war Iraq
• The war on terror.
• poverty (espessally in light of the hurricane)
• Abortion
• Privitization of social security
• education
• drugs
• healthcare
• Unemployment rate
• economy
• Stem Cell research
• Fire depratment
• Police
• Goverment funding/budget
• Libray system
• Militray funding
• Military drafting
• Gay/lesbian marriage
• Missle Defense/The star Wars missle system (Bush reproposed that one.

If you just type these into google or wikipedia, your gona get a lot of info. Tobyk777 02:43, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Also go to the home web sites of political parties and politicians ... generally they run for re-election on what they think are hot button issues. AlMac|^(talk) 06:52, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Prostitution loophole by claiming to manufacture pornography?

It seems that while making pornography is legal in a lot of countries, legal prostitution is much rarer. Could a prostitute bypass prostitution laws by offering to make a pornographic film (albeit without any editing etc.) with any John, who then pays for the recording on video/DVD? Is it not necessary because enforcement of prostitution laws are lax? Are there usually stringent requirements for making pornography that would be more hassle than trying to avoid prosecution for prostitution? — Jeandré, 2005-09-18t20:59z

No, video taping in it self does not legally exuse prostitution. For the senario to create a loophole he must intend to market the footage. unsigned comment by 205.188.116.14 (talk · contribs)

spanish baseball players

Do you know of any baseball players that are from Spain. This is for a report in my spanish class? I have not been able to find any info?? Thanks, Corey Smith

See List of players from Spain in Major League Baseball. I don't know how comprehensive that might be.-gadfium 00:24, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

The information on that page comes from Baseball Reference, and all of the players born in Spain in U.S. major league baseball history according to Baseball Reference are listed on the Wikipedia page. --Metropolitan90 00:34, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

governor's veto power

How long does the Governor have to veto or line item veto legislation once it has passed the house and senate? I'm particularly interested on AB1184, outlawing mandatory overtime for nurses inthe state of California.

I think you could get a very authoritative answer by making a quick phone call to Govenor Schwarzenegger's office. One of the interns will surely be able to answer that question. Here, I'll even give you the number: 916-445-2841 :) --inks 23:33, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

It's covered in Article 4 of the California Constitution (scroll down to section 10, subsection b). It's pretty complex, but looks like it's 30 days for most bills. You might also want to take a look at section 8, subsection c of the same article for the details on when a statute goes into effect. Chuck 21:32, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

government- federalism

In terms of population, what are the largest and smallest federal nations? India U.S Russia (Russia calls it self federal though this is debated) Brazil

• I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. Here is what I think you want:
  • The following is a list of countries in the world in order of population (Largest first)
    • China
    • India
    • US
    • Indonesia
    • Russia
  • The following is a list by smallest:
    • Vatican city
    • Monaco
    • ?

Tobyk777 02:39, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

List of countries by population could be worth a look. --Commander Keane 05:18, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

I assume the questioner wants to know which are the largest and smallest countries which are federations by population. In that case, India appears to be the largest, because it is the second-most populous country and considered a federation, while China is larger but not considered a federation. The smallest federation by population may be the Federated States of Micronesia with a population under 150,000. --Metropolitan90 07:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

The Chancilor of Germany

Who is likely to become the Chancilor of Germany Schroder or Merkel?

• We have no way of telling this since the elections have not happened yet. You will see once the election is over. Tobyk777 02:33, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

• Elections are over, but we still can't tell. -83.129.6.207 03:09, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

U.S. Supreme Court portraits

How often are U.S. Supreme Court portraits taken? Thanks, Rebecca

Value of gold

I asm trying to figure out the current value of an ounce of gold. I searched the net, and tried many finance sites. Many had graphs and junk, but a lot of them were for wired stuff, like gold companies, or they didn't specify what incriemtn of gold the value was for. I tried the page here titled Gold and looked at the value section. It has some interesting stuff, but didn't tell me the vaule of gold, here and now at this present date. Tobyk777 02:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

It may be that the sites you were looking at say not "gold" but "xau". There are many currency conversion sites, but I use xe.com. Select xau from the left column (near the bottom of the drop-down list) and the currency of your choice from the right one. It says 1.00 XAU Gold Ounces = 459.700 USD United States Dollars at this point.-gadfium 02:45, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

• Thanks Tobyk777 04:15, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

U.S. Constitution

What was the main question facing the founding fathers while writing the constatution?

Have a look at United States Constitution. If you still have questions let us know. - Nunh-huh 03:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Answer: how balance state soverignty intrests with the need for a effective central government.

Marshall Law in Rome?

Watching the HBO series ROME reference was made to Marshall Law being imposed.I can not find the history of the term Marshall Law but find it hard to believe it was used during the Roman Empire.Do you know?

I don't know (but would bet that the term has a Roman origin: Cicero obtained a senatus consultum de re publica defendenda, or declaration of martial law, and the term is clearly derived from the Roman god of war (Mars). Spelling could be why you're not finding much — try martial law - Nunh-huh 06:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Maybe the reason you "can not find the history of the term Marshall Law", is that you're using the wrong spelling. It's MARTIAL law. Have another search now. JackofOz 06:50, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes, I think it's pretty unlikely that Marshall Law was declared in Rome.

Robert E. Lee

Do you have a question about this military leader of the US Confederacy? AlMac|^(talk) 06:54, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Arr, we most certainly be havin' an article on the lad at Robert E. Lee. Garrett Albright 12:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Japan's culture

What are the influences of Korea and China on Japan's culture?

They have been myriad throughout the ages, matey… Did ye have a specific time period in mind? For example, in the 4th century AD, the Japanese adopted the Chinese writing system (see Japanese writing system#Early writing system), while in the past half-decade, Korean music and soap operas have found mass appeal in Japan (see Korean wave). Arrr. Garrett Albright 12:20, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

what is ying and yang?

See Yin and yang. Proto t c 09:05, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

lord franks,(falklands enquiry)uk

where was lord franks born,and who were his parents?there appears to be no biog on this fairly famous law lord.

Oliver Shewell Franks was born in 1905. He was British Ambassador to the United States of America (as Sir Oliver Fanks) in the late 1940s, and was Provost of Worcester College, Oxford at some point. He received a life peerage as Baron Franks of Headington. He was not a law lord. He chaired numerous committees and inquiries, such that Franks Report/Inquiry nearly always has to be disambiguated. I hope that helps. Gareth Hughes 10:25, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

He was also the first Chancellor of the University of East Anglia, as I recall from the time of my studies there nearly 30 years ago... -- Arwel 01:11, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

SURNAME: MAKHUTO

PLEASE RESEARCH FOR ME THE ORIGIN OF THE SURNAME MAKHUTO PREVIOUSLY MMAKHUTO THE MEANING OF THE SURNAME THE ROOTS OF THE SURNAME

REGARDS THABO MAKHUTO

tmmakhuto@dla.gov.za

What are Aristotle's Seven Stories?

I was once told, that Aristotle or another philosopher, categorized all stories into 7 different categories.

Could you please tell me what they are?

I'm afraid I don't know about Aristotle, but I was browsing a book in the bookstore today which also categorised stories into seven classes. It's called The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker (ISBN 0826452094). His seven categories are "overcoming the monster", "rags to riches", "the quest", "voyage and return", "comedy", "tragedy", and "rebirth". -- Middenface 16:41, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, I don't know either for sure, but there's also the very common description of all plots as being either "man versus man", "man versus nature", "man versus society", "man versus himself", and sometimes "man versus man's work". I don't know who came up with that, though. And it doesn't add up to seven. --Fastfission 22:09, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

privity and sanctity of contract

• Do you have a question for us? Notinasnaid 11:07, 19 September 2005 (UTC)
• Privity and Contract. Enochlau 12:53, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

book of psalms

which psalm is thought to be the oldest psalm and which one is thoutht to be the most recent as far as the period of time.

It is very difficult to say for certain which is the earliest and which is the latest psalm. I would encourage you to read our article on the Psalms. At the earliest period, some psalms existed as either individual pieces or part of small collections used in public worship. In time these were gathered into slightly larger collections, which are attested by the titles of the psalms and other features. Five of these early collections can be suggested: the Korahite collection (Pss 42-49), the Asaph collection (Pss 78-83), the Enthronement collection (Pss 96-99), the Hallelujah collection (Pss 111-118) and the Songs of Ascent (Pss 120-134). After the Exile, more psalms were added into larger collections. Probably the last psalms to be added were the beginning and ending psalms of the collection as it has come down to us (Pss 1, 2 and 150), which form a frame around the whole. THe little benedictions tagged onto the end of the last psalm of each of the five books, into which the collection is divided, probably date from the same period. Gareth Hughes 15:54, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Thinking about this again, it's possible to see an old Canaanite background in Ps 29 and perhaps an Egyptian one in Ps 104. Gareth Hughes 21:33, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Where did the term "egg money" come from

I'm trying to find how the term "egg money" came about for a school project dealing with egg scales.

According to this website, before World War II, most eggs were produced by small flocks that scratched their way around the barnyard. The farmer's wife usually supervised the operation. The money received from the sale of the eggs was considered hers. Shantavira 17:05, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Steppenwolf reference to "Sophia's Journey From Memel to Saxony"

Hi, I am searching for a book, one that may not exist, calle Sophia's Journey From Memel to Saxony," which Harry Haller is said to be reading in Steppenwolf. Ever heard of it other that in Steppenwolf?

---anon.

scottish film producer who was the first to use the term documentary

John Grierson, probably. -- Middenface 16:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Art with bag.

Which artists have explored bag,as an art medium, or as an idea for art? What are their works?

Grotesque as an Art form

I need a good reference (pictorial) book written in any language on Grotesques in wall decorations. Any help would be deeply appreciated. Thanks, Isabel

William Shakespeare

I am trying to locate the origin of the phrase "The law is an ass"! Said,I believe by Mr. Micauber (?) in a W.S. Play named ????. I would appreciate any help. Peter.

It was a Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist, which you can see the full text for at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/730. The relevant quote (which comes near the end of the book), with a little bit of context, is:

'It was all Mrs. Bumble. She _would_ do it,' urged Mr. Bumble; first looking round to ascertain that his partner had left the room.

'That is no excuse,' replied Mr. Brownlow. 'You were present on the occasion of the destruction of these trinkets, and indeed are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of the law; for the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction.'

'If the law supposes that,' said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, 'the law is a ass--a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience--by experience.'

-gadfium 23:16, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Canada

Has there been a riot in canada?

Yes, plenty, from the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, to small riots in Montreal following the Montreal Canadiens winning (or losing!) the Stanley Cup, to the escalation of protests surrounding the Quebec City G8 conference a few years ago, and hundreds of others throughout Canada's history. And before you ask, I don't think the rioters apologized while they rioted. — mendel ☎ 17:54, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

The Army's LOGCAP

I'm in an adversarial blog with conservatives over the unfairness & corruption shown by the Bush Adm. when they gave Halliburton no bid contracts in Iraq & now, in New Orleans. I've read this all over my information sources, like Public Citizen, for instance. But the conservatives say that's not true. They say the Army created "LOGCAP", meaning "Logistics Civil Augmentation Program" back in 1992, in which they have a bid process for contracts that may need to be done quickly, so they will already have a company ready to go when urgency would leave no time for a regular bid process. They say Halliburton won the bid in 1992, lost in 1997, & won again in 2001. They say that even though Halliburton lost the bid for this LOGCAP in 1997, Clinton still hired Halliburton to help in the Balkans, & that Al Gore had nothing but good things to say about Halliburton back then. I can't find anything abut "LOGCAP" anywhere, can you help? anonymous````

The first news stories I saw about Halliburton getting repair contracts certainly referenced a pre-bidding process, though not by that name. The cited page has now vanished... hmm... a cache. Shimgray 18:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Constitutional Amendments

It is my understanding that onlt two ways exist to make an amendment law. After reading the Constitution I am confused as what these two ways are. Another question, is it true that the 18th Amendment is the only one to use the special ratifying committtees? If so how did that avoid much criticism? Thanks

Congratulations on being able to read the whole document. It is a wonderful thing. Most people just read individual sections. This link might be a good start point for you.

Although the United States Constitution has included several ways that it can be amended, in actual practice it usually gets done one way.

1. One way is for the various states of the USA to pass approval of the thing ... there is some # of states needed. There was controversy over eqaul gender rights one where various lobby groups traveled the nation to get it passed there, then after they had moved on to another state, some approval was recinded. The controversy was whether recinding has any effect.
2. There are various rules about simple majority for simple laws, and 2/3 for other things in Congress.
3. Do you know about Constitutional Convention? This is where the whole thing can get re-written.
4. Also the Supreme Court might have something to say about an amendment being unconstituional relative to the prior document's rules.

AlMac|^(talk) 18:13, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

• Well wait. There are only two ways to amend the Constitution, as the questioner said. 2/3 of both houses of Congress pass an amendment, and then 3/4 of the states ratify; or there's a consitutional convention, and 3/4 of the states ratify. The Supreme Court can not, by force of sheer logic, declare a properly passed constutional amendment unconstitutional. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 05:10, 20 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Note that there has never been a convention held to propose constitutional amendments; all the amendments have been proposed by Congress. Congress, when it proposes the amendments, specifies whether the amendment is to be ratified by the state legislatures or by conventions in the states, but it has always designated ratification by the state legislatures except in the case of the 21st Amendment. --Metropolitan90 05:32, 21 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Isn't a balanced budget amendment just one state's vote short of requiring that a constitutional convention be started? But once the convention is called, there doesn't seem to be any rule which requires that only the amendment it was called for be passed by the convention. User:Zoe|^(talk) 05:49, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

international relations

Does order exist in the international relations

international relations

Does order exist in the international relations

You might like to read about international law. AlMac|^(talk) 18:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Constitutional Government

What is the difference between a government with a constitution and a constitutional government?

One of the differences is in whether the constitution is worth the paper it is written on. You may recall before the regime change in Iraq that there was a constitution there, but the reality was that Saddam was the dictator and he could do anything he pleased to the other occupants of the nation. AlMac|^(talk) 23:20, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

President

I would like to know who are the president on the paper bills

You could search under currency since you didn't specify a country, but I'll assume you mean present United States dollar:

• $1: George Washington
• $2: Thomas Jefferson
• $5: Abraham Lincoln
• $20: Andrew Jackson
• $50: Ulysses S. Grant

The $10 and $100 (Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin, respectively) do not have Presidents for the portraits. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:55, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

List of motifs on banknotes gives you several countries, if the US is not what you're looking for. 85.165.240.24 09:05, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

King Charles of Spain

How successful was Charles as the king of Spain? Everything I've read on him, his mishandling of Castile, Finance,his problems with Francis the Ottomans the pope, the extent of his territories etc all seem to point to the conclusion that he wan't successful. I can't find any counter arguments, apart from things like the peace of cambrai, treaty of Madrid etc. Do you have any other suggestions?

I assume you're referring to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Check out the article, it's pretty balanced. 85.165.240.24 09:10, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

audio production

What does the audio production term "hard pan effect with drone" mean? 131.156.79.53 19:13, 19 September 2005 (UTC)mary

audio production

What is the meaning of the audio production term, "stager" 131.156.79.53 19:23, 19 September 2005 (UTC)mary

which citites in california were the state's capitol?

Per California, Sacramento is the primary capital. Initially, the capital was sited in San Jose, Vallejo, and Benicia. San Francisco also served as a temporary capital while Sacramento was flooded. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:43, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

And Monterey, California, & Loreto, Baja California Sur prior to partition/annexation/statehood. –Hajor 22:38, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

music

what are the words to the song, Indiana Waltz?

No answer, but the work in question seems to be Marcailhou, G. Indiana waltz. -- Louisville : Peters, Webb & Co., Main St. ; Cincinnati, W.C. Peters & Sons ; St.Louis, Balmer & Weber. 5 p. of music ; 33 cm. Pl. no.: 693-5. Medium: Piano. Subject: Waltzes. A librarian may be able to obtain a copy for you via fax or interlibrary loan. There's a complete copy at the University of Louisville. There was also a CD released in the UK of "Gatien Marcailhou: Indiana & 15 Other Waltzes". - Nunh-huh 02:56, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Articles of Confederation

Who wrote the Articles of Confederation and what was an outcome of this event? Please let me know as soon as possible and your time and feedback is deeply appreciated. Thank you soooooooo much.

This is a textbook case of do your own homework, but Articles of Confederation should have all the pertinent info. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:47, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

definition of a dork

Was that line supposed to be under its own title or did you mean to suggest that the Articles of Confederation are the definition of a dork, or contain such therein? Gareth Hughes 22:10, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

US Presidents 20th Century

Mckinlly, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush.

• Clinton was in the 20th century too. --Fastfission 01:16, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Rolf Walders/August Kuhn

Hello,

I am trying to do some research on an actor in Europe, mostly in Germany and Austria. His real name was August Kühn and his stage name was Rolf Walders. He was born on 2/26/1888 and passed away on 7/17/1950. (He died on my birthday 7/17, and was born on 2/26 - the day I was almost killed in Viet Nam in 1969) He married his last wife approximately in 1940. He was an actor, comedian, singer, and played almost every instrument. He performed mostly in Berlin and in the area around his hometown of Vienna, Austria. At times he even travelled and performed in Northern Africa. He died on stage in Bad Reichenhall while he was performing.

He performed from approximately 1904 until his death and had his own troupe of vaudevilians. He was forced to perform for the Nazis four months out of every year from 1938-1943, but because of his making fun of Hitler in some of his performances, he was put on "Hitler's Hitlist." Hitler never found him because he did not hide out in his hometown of Vienna or other places where he was well knownü. He hid out right under Hitler's nose just a few miles from Hitler's vacation spot of Berchtesgaden, in Bad Reichenhall.

I visited Vienna and Berlin, but was not able to find out much about him. I still have a few of his writings, but very little.

Thanks for any help you can give me on this.

Gus Reichel (Son of Rolf/August) agreichel@hotmail.com

World History

What Mediterranean city became the capital of Western Christianity?

Could you be referring to Rome, Italy, where the Vatican is located, now the home of The Pope? AlMac|^(talk) 03:42, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

politics

What are the elements of a public policy review or cycle?

popes

And the question is? --hydnjo talk 04:07, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

The Pope can be found here. My dream pope can be found [here] --Ballchef 12:17, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

origin of Ridley Scott's first name?

In the United States, where I live, I see 'Ridley' typically as a last name among people of English descent, but never have I seen it used as a first name, even among people who don't know about the Metroid series's character Ridley (who was probably named after Ridley Scott anyways; see comment in Alien (film)). Does anyone know why/how film director Ridley Scott was given such an unusual name? ~GMH talk to me 03:34, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

subcultures

how do you know when a subculture can be characterized as being independent of oppositional, and what are their characteristics?

Queen Elizabeth the second a descendant of the prophet Mohammed?

I've read that Queen Elizabeth is a descendant of Mohammed via an ancestor Isabelle of Aragon. If this is so who were the ancestors between Isabelle and Mohammed? - Dee

Dee - that descent has certainly been claimed, but it relies on a very questionable identification of the mother of Sancha, wife of Roderigo Gonzalez de Lara and daughter of Alfonso VI of Castile. Alfonso had at least 5 wives, 2 mistresses, and one fiancée. Zaida would be a gateway ancestor between European and Arab royalty. The question is whether Alfonso VI of Castile had two wives, or a wife and a mistress, or one woman who was successively wife and mistress, named Isabella, and which was mother of his daughter Sancha. Zaida, baptized as Isabella, was the mother of Sancho, illegitimate son of King Alfonso, born during his marriage to Bertha. Sancha and Elvira, however, are reported as legitimate daughters of Alfonso, borne by his wife Queen Isabella (by the same source that names Zaida - it names his wives and their children including Isabella having Elvira and Sancha, and it then names his mistresses and their children, including Zaida/Isabella having Sancho, without giving any indication that the two were the same woman). It is only if Queen Isabella was identical to Zaida/Isabella that these Infantas are full siblings of Sancho, and that Sancha could possibly form a link between Mohammed and QEII. For other postulated lines - all with difficulties - trying to bridge the two, you may want to have a look at this. QEII is certainly a descendant of Alfonso VI of Castile, but it's not certain she descends from any of his wives/consorts/mistresses named Isabella. - Nunh-huh 06:22, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Vietnam

How did Ngo Dinh DIem seize power in S. Vietnam and how did he keep this control untill Nove. 1963?? thanks...Girlygirl721@yahoo.com

Have you looked at our Ngo Dinh Diem article?-gadfium 05:30, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

He was the leader of non communist nationalist faction. He thus opposed the French and the Communists. This made him the ideal leader of South Vietnam. He thus was put in place by non communists French nationalists, (with the help of the U.S.). He kept power by controlling the police and useing repressive methods.

tutoring elementary school students, lesson plans

no question

• Not directly what you want, but have you looked at wikibooks:Wikijunior? Bovlb 06:13, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

what is fema?

FEMA is Acronym for USA's Federal Emergency Management Agency. Recent examples of its work at Hurricane Katrina and Talk:Hurricane Katrina. AlMac|^(talk) 06:28, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Who is FEMA?

See FEMA. Bovlb 06:08, 20 September 2005 (UTC) FEMA is a U.S. goverment agency. Its basic job is to coordinate other agency during times of a disaster, espessally a natural disaster.

tutoring elementary school students, lesson plans

Please pick ONE of the four Reference Desks (not all four), and then state your question clearly. AlMac|^(talk) 06:30, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Apostle Peter

What is the name of the Apostle Peter's wife?

No one knows. She is not named in the Bible. Some give her the name of Concordia, or Perpetua, but on no particular basis. - Nunh-huh 06:35, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

One has to wonder how a Hebrew woman would have a Latin name. User:Zoe|^(talk) 05:55, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Realism within Modernism

What did realism mean within Modernsim? What was Realism about? How did photo realism contribute to modernism?

I would suggest you check our articles on realism and modernism. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 12:57, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Cross-Country racing

Where did Cross-Country racing begin?

who was napoleon

check the napoleon article. Boneyard 11:28, 20 September 2005 (UTC) Napoleon was the the leader of France in the late 1700's and 1800's. He succeed in conquering many other Western European countries, reducing said countries to little more than Frech Colonies.

Health Services

I would be very grateful if someone could tell me which nations have a state-run health service, similar to the NAtional Health Service in the United Kingdom.

An exhaustive list is difficult to provide, as such systems are common and frequently "mixed" systems with elements of state and private control. Publicly funded medicine should provide a good start, however. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 12:59, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Immigration law

What was the first immigration Statute ever passed as law?

Thank you

In the US, it was the Naturalization Act of 1790:

That any alien, being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof, on application to any common law court of record, in any one of the States wherein he shall have resided for the term of one year at least, and making proof to the satisfaction of such court, that he is a person of good character, and taking the oath or affirmation prescribed by law, to support the Constitution of the United States, which oath or affirmation such court shall administer; and the clerk of such court shall record such application, and the proceedings thereon; and thereupon such person shall be considered as a citizen of the United States. And the children of such persons so naturalized, dwelling within the United States, being under the age of twenty-one years at the time of such naturalization, shall also be considered as citizens of the United States. And the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens: Provided, that the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States...

This act was signifcantly modifed by the Naturalization Act of 1795, but otherwise US immigration law remained based primarily on the 1795 act (and later the 14th amendment) until the Chinese Exclusion laws of 1882 and later.

For other countries, I don't know if there is an older act. Before the French and American revolutions, there was little conception of state citizenship in the modern sense and little ability or need to patrol borders. --Diderot 15:29, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

In the UK, the first law dealing with naturalisation was the Sophia Naturalization Act of 1705, which declared an arbitrary set of foreigners to be naturalised as British citizens, but I don't know when the first immigration law was. Shimgray 22:16, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Note that the act establishing the Bank of Scotland in 1695 made all foreign-born Proprietors (i.e. shareholders) in the bank naturalised Scotsmen. -- Arwel 01:35, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Jimmie Dean

Who invinted the modern soccer ball and viagra?

• Viagra is a trade name, and the drug - correctly known as Sildenafil, and formally called 1-[4-ethoxy-3-(6,7-dihydro-1-methyl- 7-oxo-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl) phenylsulfonyl]-4-methylpiperazine citrate - was patented (and therefore invented) by Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company. The first modern soccer ball, using the truncated icosahedron shape, was the Telstar, introduced by Adidas in the Mexico World Cup in 1970. Proto t c 15:03, 20 September 2005 (UTC)
• See here for more about the inventors of Viagra. Chuck 21:40, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Residents of Montross

We live in a house located at 2983 Zacata Road in Westmoreland County, Montross Virginia. We have a graveyard in the back of the house with four headstones.

• BCM, 1898 - 1899
• Augusta Johnson
• Grace Viola, 1940 - 1954
• Margret Johnson

My father who is terminally ill lives with us. He has seen these people in his room. I would like to get the history of these people to know who I am dealing with.

Suggestions

1. As your father is able, try to do a video tape, digital camera, audio tape, whatever, interview so he can share whatever history he remembers that might be useful to you.
2. Visit local and regional newspaper archives ... there probably existed a newspaper obituary of when these people died, and those obits may now be searcheable on microfilm. Get reprints of the obits, then go searching for what there is on the names of the family members mentioned.
3. Ask the Reference Desk of your local public library if there is a Historical Society in your community. It may have more records to help you.
4. The land that the gravestones are on, will have some government records who owned it, like who owned it at the time of the burials. This may be additional clues to who those people were.

AlMac|^(talk) 18:22, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Everything Old is New Again

I'm wondering where the phrase "Everything Old is New Again" originated.

Niki

Well, it was the title of an ER episode, and of a radio show in New York. But it was originally the title of a song by Peter Allen, recorded in the mid 1970s, and can be found on his third album, Continental American. It was covered by the Barenaked Ladies. Proto t c 15:13, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." David Sneek 20:34, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, that doesn't use the phrase, or anything similar, but the sentiment is the same ... I guess. Praise Jebus. Proto t c 09:00, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

who is an adult?

Legally and physically, I am, though mentally I often feel like an out-of-place child. Check out our article on adult for more. Garrett Albright 15:11, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Kohanim

Good Morning. Im Solomon cohen from Mexico city And this is an akward question but i hope you could help me out. I need to know if when a Kohen (jewish priest)wants to get married i know he has certain restrictons which are:he cant marry a divorcee or a non jewish or a woman with premarital relashionships.but i heard that on this last point there are some Orthodox Rabbis that allow this type of marriege.By any chance would you know the names of such Rabbis at least one of them?

I hope you can answer this.Thank you so much. And have a wonderfull day.

Area of a country.

Which is the largest country in the world in area? what is its area in sqr. kms?

• See List of countries by area. - Mgm|^(talk) 17:01, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Russia

Mandatory Minimum sentences

how have mandatory minimum sentences affected the united states of america? They require crimminals convicted to serve a certain limit of time for a crime. These limits are set by statue, ie the Legislature. They thus take away judges broad sentencing powers.

Mussolini

What is the story behind Mussolini's death? Thelb4! | Talk to me 17:33, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

• Story is, he was caught fleeing the Allied advance, disguised as a common soldier, by Communist partisans, who decided to execute him along with a dozen or so other Fascist leaders; they were shot to death on April 29, 1945, and their bodies were hung by their feet at an Esso station in Milan. Here's a not-bad writeup. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 18:08, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

What is the basic definition of postmodernism?

Our articles on Postmodern and Postmodernism should provide insight. You'll want to check both to determine the most appropriate context. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 20:14, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Antwerp (Belgium) : blockade of the river Schelde

Hello, The Schelde river was closed during several centuries by the Dutch (from 1585 to 1800) and from 1830 to 1860. There is no specific article about this.

revolutionary war

Who was the British military leader in the American revolutionary war? - Aidan McCarthy,age 7

• For the first part of the war, General Howe. He was replaced on 8 May 1778 by General Henry Clinton. Cornwallis, under Clinton's command, is often named as the General that "lost" America. - Nunh-huh 00:30, 21 September 2005 (UTC) Of course the Generals had to answer to high british Officals, in cluding the Commander in Chief of the British Army, lord Jeffery Amherst (I belive) including secretary of State

Thank you for responding.

Democrat

How do I find out if Texas has a good form of democratic government?

Ask someone from Texas, particularly someone whose party lost in the last election. AlMac|^(talk) 00:36, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Texas like anyother states is a democracy. It does differ in that the Executive is very decentralized, the Govenor is little more than a figure head.

In short, the answer to the original question is no. Texas has a democratically elected chief executive, who has no real power, and where the qualifications for office are roughly those of Zaphod Beeblebrox, while power actually resides in a parliamentary body elected from fairly jury-rigged districts with no shortage of patronage and machine politics. This makes Texas significantly less democratic than, say, Iran, where elections sometimes still produce unexpected outcomes that are unwanted by the powers that be. --Diderot 08:06, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Pacific Ocean island

What is the biggest island in pacific ocan?

I think New Guinea is. --ViolentGreen 02:22, 21 September 2005 (UTC) New Guinea is the second largest island in the world after Greenland so that is correct although much of it adjoins the Torres Strait linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Capitalistroadster 07:50, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

And that, of course, assumes Australia is not an island. Proto t c 10:30, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

king solomon

I was wondering if you had any information about Solomon's knot. It is a religious symbol which i believe is derived from celtic knots. i would like some info into meaning and depictions of solomon's knot.

• Solomon's knot dates back to biblical times where King Solomon had to make a difficult decision. If one is actually derived from the other, I'd say the Celtic knot came later, but chances are they're not related. - Mgm|^(talk) 04:53, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

fundamental principles of accountancy and book keeping?

hi! i would like to have one complete informstion on fundamental concepts of accountancy. all about debits and credits

You might start by looking at the basics of Accounting of which Double-entry book-keeping is a a starting point of the record keeping. Nowadays much of this is done on computer. Basically, any business activity needs to be accounted for, typically done by placing the amounts of money into a General Journal, in which there are two equal and opposite entries, called debits (the pluses) and credits (the minuses).

Here's a link to [PCAOB http://www.unbeatenpathintl.com/pcaob/source/1.html] accounting standards that apply to businesses in the USA.

AlMac|^(talk) 01:48, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Christianity

What makes the Church of Chris different from other Christian churches. Also what Creeds do they chose to ignore that are importnat to most Christian churches?

I wonder which Chris they worship, too. :) Ornil 04:00, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

See Church of Christ. --Miborovsky 06:08, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

the palace of Versailles

where are the gardens ,alleys ,roads setteled from the palace ? --anon

Look here, about half-way down the page for the gardens. See this pdf file for the roads. You can probably find other such maps by using Google and searching for Versailles map or Versailles plan. - Nunh-huh 03:16, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

• Our Palace of Versailles article is worth looking at as well. Capitalistroadster 08:12, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Meaning of Life

What is the meaning of life? -- NGerda 03:17, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I think it's 42. ~GMH talk to me 03:57, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes, consult Douglas Adams and Monty Python and enlightenment will come. - Taxman ^Talk 17:03, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Moral Panic

What moral panics are in motion in Australia this year?

Probably something to do with losing The Ashes? Proto t c 12:41, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Far too many. Due in no small part to the media hounds here (especially Fairfax newspapers, Seven Network and Nine Network) and our conservative right wing government (who ironically name themselves the Liberal Party of Australia). Some panics created this year include the ludicrous banning of same sex marriage, the banning of an adult video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and other issues arising in the areas of public health and corruption within businesses and governments.

A serious moral issue in Aust. at the moment is the controversy being caused by a scholar Andrew Fraser who claims that sudanese immigrants to Sydney are responsible for increased crime and other problems in their local areas, and that the White Australia Policy should be reviewed and perhaps reinstated.

For more, see ethics, controversy or try some news sites (though perhaps steer clear of "news" sources which conjure up their own moral panics). Moral panic also has a comprehensive list and features examples of panics around the world throughout history.

Something that we should panic about though, due to their questionable morals and motives, is hillsong church --Ballchef 12:56, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

The Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) is a right-wing party as well, and recently won a big election victory by promising to privatize the postal system and other services.. Garrett Albright 19:34, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

A.L.S.

Who are some notable people who have died of A.L.S (Lou Gehrig's Disease)?

Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis#History and prominent patients - Nunh-huh 05:22, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Vasco Da Gama

What animal did Vasco Da Gama discover on December 1497?

The animal must have be either in the Indian Ocean or some land animal on the Southern African Coast because that where he was at that time, sailing up the east coast of southern africa see: 15th century in South Africa--Jcw69 06:31, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

History question

How were the nazi's revolutionary?

DYOH. But your article on Nazi Germany may help. Garrett Albright 19:20, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

what is a kittangi?

I've heard of the term kittangi used in Malaysia among Tamils. What does it mean?

The Victory that never was

See Pyrrhus? (His name is the origin of the term pyrrhic victory.) Other than that, I have absolutely no clue as to what you're talking about. (Also, by the way, you can just edit one heading instead of creating a new one, in case you misspell it, if that's what happened.) ~GMH talk to me 07:32, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Author of The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

There is just one question about the author J.R.R. Tolkien's books that I need to know:

Does the three volume of Lord of the Rings books can refer as trilogy?

• People often do, but if I remember correctly Tolkien and his family never liked it. No idea what the reasoning behind it was. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:26, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

• • Perhaps because the three titles each contained two "books", thus really being a hexalogy --Ballchef 12:34, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure whether I recall this correctly, but it was either connected to the fact that the LotR consists of six books, not three, or the fact that he originally wanted to publish all six books as a single volume. — File:Austria flag large.png ナイトスタリオン _ㇳ–ㇰ — 12:36, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

That's right - Tolkien did indeed want to publish it as a single volume, and releasing it in 3 parts (each consisting of two 'books' in one volume) was enforced upon him by the publishers, who didn't believe a 1200 page fantasy novel would sell well. The foppish dolts. Proto t c 12:40, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

National Wealth

Is there an accepted measure of national wealth as opposed to national income?

Who was Don Quixote's partner

He was Sancho Panza. If you had read the article on Don Quixote, you would have found the answer all by yourself. Gareth Hughes 11:38, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

His true love was Dulcinea, if that's what you meant. Gareth Hughes 11:41, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Latest technologies

Dear Sir/Mdm,

Please give me the list of Latest Technologies used in Industries.

Thank You!

There's really no good answer for this, as the number of technologies presently used in industry is effectively uncountable. Even "old" technologies are generally undergoing refinement which could qualify as "latest", so you're really not going to get any sort of useful answer unless you can give some context as to what you want. If you just want reading material, though, check out articles in Category:Technology — Lomn | Talk / RfC 13:29, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

History

What is Tai' P'ing? It is suppose to be a chinese coin, but I need to know what does it mean and why it is important to that culture.

                   anon

Independence

What was the primary motive for independence?

Whose? My motive for independence was to stay up late watching television. If you're referring to those dastardly North American colonies, check American Revolution. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:10, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

American Presidents

Do you know the campaign slogen for these presidents:George Washington, John Adams, Franklin Pierce, Woodrow Wilson, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton?

I doubt there were such things as campaign slogans in Washington's time. Ornil 16:45, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Check List of political slogans and Category:U.S. presidential elections. As above, I doubt you'll find anything for Washington: he wasn't strongly politically affiliated and was elected virtually by acclamation. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:20, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

mountains

which mountains were called "the strong mountains" in the early 1800's?

History - WW1

What major effects did world war 1 have on germany?

See do your own homework atop this page, but check out our articles on World War I and the aftermath of World War I for starters. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:48, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

columbian exchange

How did the Renaissiance lead to the Columbian Exchange?

There is some infomration on this in Northern Renaissance and Age of Discovery. - SimonP 21:30, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

San Pietro of Vincoli

At San Pietro in Rome, there is the statue of "Moses" and the "Chains of St Peter". At the entrance to the church, on the left side, there is, what appears to be, a tombstone or monument to Clement VII. (I think the number is correct). The monument shows a skeleton with wings and a cycle. The feathers of the wings are dirty and crumbled and one wing appears to be broken. Does this send the message that this pope was not held in high regard and this is a way to "punish" his image for eternity? I would very much appreciate an explantion of this as none of the internet sites dealing with Clement or San Peitro mention this.

Thank you so very much.

Voting against WWI & II

There was a reprsentative, I believe who voted against both wars. What was her name and what state did she represent? Also, had she been a member of Congress, during the years between the wars?

Cairenn Day

Jeannette Rankin was her name, and that article will answer your questions and more. Garrett Albright 19:18, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

NYC 2015

given nyc current geograghy plus population growth patterns what do you think the city will be like in 20 years?

Given how the War on Terrorism is progressing with respect to the primary targets of their WMD, and the rise in sea level due to global warming, I expect that there will be no city there 10 years from now. Recent events with Atlantic Hurricanes are showing what all US coastal cities may soon have to face. New Orleans under water now, Galveston this weekend, most US coastal cities in 5 years, not 10. AlMac|^(talk) 21:53, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

What is the Schleffen Plan?

Perhaps you mean the Schlieffen Plan? — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:13, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

politics

How has national government s power grown?

Based on phrasing, I'm guessing this is a great case of do your own homework. Regardless, you'd have to be more specific anyway—what national government? The power of Italy's national government has grown by consolidating feudal city-states. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 22:39, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

We also have fine articles on nation-state, sovereignty and legitimacy (political science). Gareth Hughes 00:01, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

diversity words Can you define them??

diversity words Can you define them??

• Waham
• Xong
• Yerbero
• Jenn
• Abnemme
• giac
• practika,
• razianeh,
• tabi'at

Any help would be appreciated

What language are they used in?

• Google on Waham
• Xong is some place in Vietnam
• looks like Yerbero is some kind of Spanish music

In what context did you find these words? AlMac|^(talk) 00:24, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Civil war

Why was Robert E. Lee chosen to be the commander of the Confederate army?

Aidan McCarthy,age 7

A place to start is the article here on Robert E. Lee. I think it was partly because he was one of the best qualified commanders available to the Southern states. At the beginning of the American Civil War he was one of several commanders, but on both sides, civilian leadership was much swayed by which commanders appeared to be doing the best job. AlMac|^(talk) 00:33, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Earth

How was the earth formed? Aidan McCarthy,age 7

Basically, there was originally a lot of junk drifting around the sun. This slowly clumped together into a few big lumps, through gravitational effects - once you have a single large lump, it tends to "snowball" and attract more pieces faster from around it. One of these would become Earth. After a certain size - about 700km across, I think - gravity is powerful enough to pull the lump into the shape of a sphere, which is what we have today. Additionally, a process known as planetary differentiation comes into play, which is the way that heavy things (like iron) all stay in the centre of the planet - so the Earth has an iron core - and light things, like silicon and aluminium, tend to stay near the surface. The heat of radioactive decay, and of more material hitting the planey all the time, meant that it was mostly melted and hot; after a while, the outside cooled, giving the crust we live on.

The asteroid belt is what an "unformed" planet would look like, although there isn't enough material there to make anything the size of Earth.

Does this make sense? Shimgray 23:26, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for responding. I understand now about how the earth was formed. Are you planning to be a librarian? I live in Massachusetts, USA. I love reading!!!!!!!!

LAWRENCE KOHLBERG THEORY

ARE THERE ANY CASE STUDIES THAT HE MAY STUDIED OF A MORAL DILEMMA.

We have some article that contain lowercase letters (I know they can be small and awkward to read): Lawrence Kohlberg, ethical dilemma, moral reasoning and Kohlberg's stages of moral development. Enjoy! Gareth Hughes 23:53, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Gustav Mahler and Yiddish

Would the composer Gustav Mahler have spoken Yiddish?

• According to [12], the answer appears to be yes. --Metropolitan90 01:11, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
• That is consistent with our article on Gustav Mahler which states that he was born into a Jewish family in Bohemia and converted to Catholicism in the late 1890s due to rising antisemitism in Vienna. Capitalistroadster 01:22, 22 September 2005 (UTC)