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May 4

Which Civilization Is Older?

Who existed on the earth first, Caucasians or East Indians (from India)?

Thanks,

Vikram

• Well, "Caucasian" is not really a "civilization". If you look at our page on Civilization#Early_civilizations, it should give you an idea of what is currently known about early civilizations. --Fastfission 01:24, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

The Indus River civilization is among the oldest known, up there with the ancient Egyptians and the Mesopotamians, when the Indoeuropeans were still in the stone age. Note that most of the people living in northern India today are also Indoeuropeans, and so have the same forebears. -lethe ^{talk +} 02:06, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Sorry for the false title, and thank you for your answer. --Vikram

Physical Outline Map of Europe

Hello. I need help finding a digital verison of a map of Europe, without borders, which I can print and practice with. Thanks, --Vikram

Try Commons:Europe, Commons:Category:Maps_of_Europe or Commons:Category:Maps of the European Union which may have what you need. Sandstein 04:27, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for leading me in the right direction, but I can't seem to find a map of Europe without the borders. --Vikram

I occasionally use the Online Map Creator for making quick maps - you can select things like projection, area, and which features (borders, cities...) should be included. It's not too shabby, it's online and it's free to use. There is also a more advanced (but still in beta) system at planiglobe.com. — QuantumEleven 06:26, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Sexual Orientation

There are many sexual orientations in the world:heterosexuality,homosexuality,bisexuality, and asexuality.Well, if one doesn't like or is not happy with one's own sexual orientation(as if that person is a homosexual who wants to become heterosexual, or a heterosexual who who wants to become asexual) then what should that person do about it?

Read choice and sexual orientation and some of the linked articles. This is an enormously controversial area, partly because many conservative religious groups make an a priori assumption that sexual orientation is a choice and that homosexuality is a bad one. But there is some evidence to suggest that for many people homosexuality is a very strong, deep-seated preference that, even if not genetic, emerges very early in life. Think of it this way: assuming that you're happily heterosexual, how difficult do you think it would be to become exclusively homosexual? --Robert Merkel 06:55, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Just to provide a POV balance, there's also a number of theologians, philosophers, scientists (albeit a minority), historians and others that would disagree with some of the above assertations. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 08:44, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Sure. Humans are complex creates, and we've only scratched the surface in figuring ourselves out :) --Robert Merkel 13:18, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Furthermore, there is probably no such thing as "human nature." Nearly anything you can attribute to it, someone will defy (meaning human "essence" -- a thing that all humans must have in their minds/souls to be humans). However, I can say this: I never recall having any temptation to homosexuality, and therefore I never had to make a choice. Therefore, I cannot take any credit for being heterosexual. I have difficulty, therefore, in ascribing blame to someone who is homosexual. There is, of course, a big difference between desire and action, but the desire appears to be what matters in the moral debate. Geogre 15:26, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

It depends, Geogre. The range of attitudes I've encountered includes:

• It's ok to have homosexual feelings and it's ok to act on them.
• It's ok to have homosexual feelings, but not to act on them.
• It's not ok to have homosexual feelings, and you have to do all you can to change the way you are.
• It's not ok to have homosexual feelings, but as long as you keep it your own dirty little secret, nobody will ever know, so we'll just say no more about it, eh. JackofOz 03:09, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Oh, indeed. What has been interesting to me is that people who otherwise emphasize the intent suddenly switch to the deed, and those normally interested in the deed switch over to the intent. For example, the official line on homosexuality in the Roman Catholic seminary is that celibacy is the important thing, not the type of sex one is celibate from (or at least it was -- I'm not sure if the recent papal bulls are changing this). On the other hand, radical protestants, who have traditionally been caught between penalizing the desire and the act, seem to have much less concern over whether or not a person acts upon the desire, for the desire itself is horrific. This is much less clear in their discussions of male homosexuality than of female homosexuality. In the US, the hoi poloi are probably not concerned with either the desire or the act: they are concerned with the seeming. If a person "acts gay," they are gay, whether they have any same-sex attraction or same-sex action. Geogre 12:39, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Witness the recent ruling about practising homosexuals not being permitted to train for the Roman Catholic priesthood. Once men join the seminary, they're supposed to be celibate full stop, and whatever sex life (if any) they had beforehand becomes irrelevant. It's the most absurd rubbish to think that straight men can any more easily just turn off or cease to act on their sexual desires than gay men can. Which is why blind eyes have long been turned when it comes to priests having mistresses - (and don't get me started on paedophilia). All this policy does is to exclude gay men who are open about their sex life, but not those whose activities are clandestine. It just perpetuates the culture of secrecy and breathtaking hypocrisy that have been there forever. JackofOz 22:45, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

If I recall, the reasoning is that since all good Catholics are supposed to not act on homosexual desires (the act being the problem, not the feeling), how can you say you're serious about being a Catholic priest if you are a practicing homosexual? You are failing to abide by the rules of the church that are there for everyone. And really, heterosexual candidates shouldn't be sexually active either. In both cases, they may have been in the past, but should have been making an effort to overcome their sexual desires before applying, otherwise why would they think they can do it for the rest of their lives? Not necessarily agreeing here, just saying that you have to look at the internal logic. Skittle 11:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

How can you say you're serious about being a Catholic priest if you are sexually active outside of marriage? That's the real moral question. Whether it's straight sex or gay sex is an absolute irrelevance because any sex outside of marriage is supposed to be gravely sinful. Most people have strongly competing desires, but in the case of seminarians the desires of the spirit must become stronger than the desires of the flesh. No man would seriously bother taking the first step to becoming a priest if he knew in his heart of hearts he just couldn't honour a lifetime vow of celibacy. Any sexually active man would have to have a very strong reason for wanting to put that part of their life aside forever. The discrimination issue is that the church now says that straight men who were previously sexually active can be trusted to honour their celibacy vow, but gay men who were previously sexually active are somehow intrinsically incapable. That's the internal logic that's being demonstrated here, and I don't think much of it. JackofOz 12:37, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

"How can you say you're serious about being a Catholic priest if you are sexually active outside of marriage?" That was sort of my point. And I think it does allow them if they have stopped being sexually active for some time. That is, there is an assumption that people can change and not be judged by what they did a long time ago, but that a while has to pass in this case to be sure. However, I do think it's silly that they make such a fuss over homosexual sex specifically in their proclamations. 13:40, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Well, we're in agreement then. I was picking up a difference in the attitude you were expressing - with gays it was a stern "how can you say you're serious about being a Catholic priest if you are a practicing homosexual", but with straights it was the little more laid-back "really, heterosexual candidates shouldn't be sexually active either". Also you're now describing as "silly" something that I would prefer to call "outrageous and unjustifiable". Maybe one's sense of justice in these matters has something to do with which side of the fence you're on.  :--) JackofOz 13:52, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Or maybe I was employing a little understatement in an attempt to lighten the tone, clearly forgetting the lack of facial expressions and tone of voice in text :-) And by 'silly' I was trying to convey that really they are making poor marketing decisions by advertising the restriction on one side more than the other, when really in practice (and, I think, dogmatically) it is pretty even both ways. It's 'silly' because they're not even thinking properly. I tend to remove fence-panels and sit where they were. Skittle 20:19, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Drawings of court proceedings

I was reading the article on Zacarias Moussaoui's sentencing, when I noticed something: In an American (and perhaps other countries too) court, I have never seen any photographs taken while the court is in session, is that always the case? If so, why is that? And is that why someone (who?) draws a picture of the proceedings (such as the picture in the BBC article I linked to) - for what purpose? Thanks in advance for any help on this - I'm curious! — QuantumEleven 06:45, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

I don't know about America (though I'd presume its the same) but in Britain it is illegal to take photographs of a trial in process. I'd suspect the reason is because people are innocent until proved guilty & to show photos of them in court could reflect badly on them, lower peoples opinion of them & make people think their guilty. Also if photos were allowed in courtrooms it could lead to witnesses being identified & make reprisals for testifying easier. The use of sketch artists is basically just a way to get around the photo ban (though I don't believe they sketch witnesses whose identity needs to be protected). AllanHainey 07:41, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Just realised you asked who too, the sketch artist is employed by news organisations (usually TV) who want to have some pictures to show. AllanHainey 07:43, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

It seems that US federal trials (like this one) work under the same rules as Britain, but state courts are often televised (the OJ trial, for instance). --Bth 08:01, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Does Judge Judy's court have any real legal status? Hard to tell from the article. JackofOz 09:15, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

No, though the people on it sign waivers agreeing that her judgement is binding. It seems to be essentially a form of arbitration dressed up with courtroom superficialities and taking place in public on television. Because if you've got an embarrassing personal situation, the way to make it better is to tell the entire country about it. (The article used to be clearer; User:Nails3jesus0's only edit ever was to remove a reference to other courts as "real" on the grounds that Judge Judy's court is not dissimilar to real small claims courts.) --Bth 10:23, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm always amused by TV reports that show the court room drawings, but pixilated, so we can't identify who the drawing is of anyway. Adambrowne666 11:04, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Thank you everyone! — QuantumEleven 06:23, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

In United States Federal Courts, the presence of cameras/video is up to the presiding judge, as the presiding judge controls the court proceedings.

Oldest women alive today in Britain

Does anyone please know who is the oldest woman alive today in Britain? Thank you.

Up until March 1 of this year, it was Edith "Judy" Ingamells. It doesn't look like there are any supercentenarians currently alive in the UK, though, and I can't find any lists for people between the ages of 100 and 110. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 07:53, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

But Edith Ingermells is no longer alive TODAY. The question is "who is the oldest woman alive TODAY in Britain?"

Hence my qualification "Up until March 1", and my explanation that information on living people between the ages of 100 and 110 is difficult to obtain. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 11:35, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

It seems odd to me that we should expect to be able to find this out. Who would release such information? Doesn't it breach the privacy rights of the individuals concerned, if done without consent? What if they didn't consent (or weren't considered mentally competent to make informed consent)? Notinasnaid 10:37, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

There's enough interest in this from news media (and particularly the Guinness Book of Records) that people tend to know, though I suppose a particularly reclusive oldest-person could avoid the limelight. But registers of births and deaths are public record. Using them it would be trivial but immensely time-consuming to find the oldest living person who had been born in a region with good public records. The media however tend to tell us about them when they die or celebrate a particularly milestone-y birthday so Google doesn't tend to show up current ones so much as the recently-deceased. The oldest woman living in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records is Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador; if she was a Brit we'd automatically have the answer but as it is we'll have to keep searching. --Bth 11:36, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Interest or not, it is still an issue of privacy. I felt sorry for a women I saw on CNN a while back. Her family threw her a 100th birthday and CNN was there to cover the whole thing. When they asked her what she thought, she said that she was upset because she had been telling her boyfriend she was only 90. --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:59, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Land Revenue in India.

I have three queries regarding to Land Revenue in India:

1. What is the origin and history of Land Revenue in India? 2. What are the diffrent state laws relating to Land Revenue in India? 3. Is Land Revenue prevelant all over the world? --Siddhant 07:00, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

1. Try here and some of the other links at the side, though beware of POV as it's from a website about a new computerised system for doing it.
2. Sorry, no idea.
3. It seems to be a form of property tax, which is common worldwide. --Bth 08:18, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Thank You Bth. The first link was extremely useful. If some one has answer to the 2nd and the 3rd answer please answer. --Siddhant 13:11, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Wives of Biblical Adam

I have done countless searches and have only discovered one. Lilith, Adams first wife. The adam I am refering to is the Adam from Adam and Eve. I was told that he supposedly had two wives before Eve. If anyone could help me figure out who the second wife is I would greatly appreciate it.

Erm... your research seems to have turned up some strange results. According to the Bible (not that the Bible is the only reference book in this case, but it's probably the most well-known), Adam had only one wife, Eve (imagine the upheaval if Adam, the patriarch of all patriarchs, had been married more than once without his previous wife dying! Either divorce or polygamy! Aarrgh! ;) ). Where the "Lilith as Adam's first wife" story comes from, see Lilith#Lilith as Adam's first wife - the story is somewhat apocryphal. However, as we're dealing with mythology here, the question of "did Adam have a wife before Eve" can, by definition, never be settled. You may be interested in our comprehensive article on Adam and Eve, it should answer many of your questions. — QuantumEleven 08:19, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Erm, the Adam and Eve article includes this between-Lilith-and-Eve wife, in the "Later Abrahamic traditions" section: apparently the story is that God didn't put Adam to sleep before creating her, and having seen how she was made Adam was too disgusted to go near her. This story is attributed by the article to The Alphabet of Ben Sira, a Midrash from early medieval times. --Bth 08:29, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

(after edit conflict - Bth got there before I did!) Some further reading turned up the source of your "two wives before Eve" story - The Alphabet of Ben-Sira, a medieval manuscript. According to Adam and Eve#Jewish traditions (about a page down), this manuscript mentions the two wives of Adam, but doesn't give a name to the second (the reasoning being that one account in Genesis says Eve was created from Adam, while the other says humans were created (implying at the same time). Some scholars interpreted as saying there were humans created other than Adam and Eve...). This is a nice example of the trouble one can get into if one relies on a text which has been passed down orally, translated, retranslated, split apart, mashed back together, combined with other texts, and translated a few more times. — QuantumEleven 08:35, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much for your time. It was a big help

Gallipoli Campaign

The two questions i need help with are:

How did the Gallipoli Campaign come to an end (accurately)

Why did the campaign become so significant for Australians.

The impact these developments had on Australians and Australian Society.

≈≈≈≈

1. See Battle of Gallipoli and August Offensive.
2. See Landing at Anzac Cove and ANZAC Day. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 11:40, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Mussolini and the Italian Jews

Is it true that Mussolini did infact start to persecute the Jews and established racial segregation? If it is true, could I please have a source. Thanks.Skittles7841 13:34, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

This topic came up in Italian politics a couple years ago. There's an article on CNN about it here. Summary: Mussolini and his fascist party did not round up Jews, put them in concentration camps, or kill them. However, they did assist the Germans with locations of the Jews and supplies for building and maintaining their camps. How much of that is fact and how much is revisionist history is up for debate. --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:22, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

I should have also pointed out that Mussolini's fascist party was very brutal and killed the opposition. Many Jews were part of the opposition, but it is a rationalization to claim that Mussolini killed them because they were Jewish. He killed them because they opposed him. --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:42, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

This is pure speculation on my part, and far be it from me to stand up for a brutal, murderous dictator like Mussolini who was probably, in any event an anti-Semite, but the facts of WWII would seem to imply that Mussolini's fascism was its own independent breed, and shared very little if anything in common with Hitler's racially based Nazism. The two madmen were merely allies of convenience, and indeed, before the war began Hitler had to take several deliberate steps to get Mussolini onside, and even then, their respective outlooks on the war and what it was about must have diverged heavily. Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult to understand why Mussolini, the leader of what Hitler would no doubt describe as a nation of swarthy, lazy, non-Aryan and therefore sub-human people, would buy into Hitler's racial theories of the dominance and superiority of the German-Aryan "master race". Loomis51 22:00, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Mussolini was an anti-semite. So was Franco, so was Horthy. Both Hungary and Italy had, from the late 30's anti-semitic legislation. (See, e.g.: it:Leggi razziali fasciste, in Italian). As Kainaw points out, there's a revisionist tendency to try to whitewash these guys from all antisemitism - a blatant lie. But it's also overly broad to say they were full-out participants in the Holocaust. Italy did not send their Jews to the death camps until Mussolini was de facto deposed in the Saló Republic, the same went for Hungary where Horthy was booted in an SS-backed coup by the Arrowed-Cross. Fascism is not inextricably linked with antisemitism, though. No other facist regimes (antisemtic or not) ever "bought into" Hitler's racial theories. The alliances were not built on that, but on fascist ideology and megalomania. (although Franco was perhaps not so megalomanial, which is why he stayed out of the war) Also, the Nazis were themselves prepared to abandon their racial theories when convenient to do so. --BluePlatypus 03:14, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Anti-Semitism was not a major element of pre-war Italian Fascism, largely because there were so few Jews in Italy at the time. The early Fascisti were preoccupied with forging a "third way" between Communism and Capitalism, neither of which they associated closely with Jews (until such an association was inherited from the Nazis). By the late thirties, Anti-Semitism had become a tenet of Italian Fascism — a secondary tenet, borrowed from the Nazis, but a tenet nonetheless. The Fascists valued the vitality and cohesion of the state above all else, and as soon as the Jews appeared to threaten that vitality and cohesion, they became enemies of the state. But Nazi-style racism was never a fundamental tenet of Italian Fascism, and had the Axis not been established, Anti-Semitism might never have appeared in Mussolini's Italy. Indeed, there were some prominent Jews in the early Fascist movement, most notably Mussolini's longtime mistress Margherita Sarfatti, a wealthy socialite and journalist who actively contributed to the development of the Fascist ideology. She didn't leave Italy until 1938, just as Mussolini was incorporating Anti-Semitism into his platform. Bhumiya (said/done) 05:08, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Civil War The United States in 1800

Why does the flag of the Confederate States of America have 13 stars when there are only 11 states in the Confederacy?

Did you consider looking at flags of the Confederate States of America? --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:12, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Just curious, why does the questioner make reference to the year 1800? Loomis51 21:42, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

I suspect he means 1800s. Henry^Flower 22:48, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

The Confederates considered Missouri and Kentucky legitament parts of the Confederacy. However these states had a pro union government. Pro confederates organized state governments and exile and where reconized as part of the confederacy.

What happened to Mouschi?

According to the play Diary of Anne Frank, the beloved cat Mouschi somehow ran away from the secret annex. My class is reading the play with me and we are all wondering if it was foul play on someone's part, since some didn't like the cat. Any ideas if it was an accident or intended? Is anything known about what happened to it after it left, if it made it back home or someone took it in? Not a big concern, but my class would like knowing, since we know so much about the people involved.

Did you read the book ? It might be more accurate than the play. --DLL 21:58, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

According to this, Hermine Gies looked after her after the raid.--nodutschke 13:08, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

@DLL: How would looking at the diary of Anne Frank answer this question? I mean, it is a diary and it ends before Anne was captured, so there is no way that one would find anything about the whereabouts of the cat after Anne was gone, right?--nodutschke 13:21, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Much thanks to all helping me! Great site and a noble effort. ~~ubercreatrix (first time poster)

Swiss watches and chocolates

Can anyone tell me what makes the Swiss watches and chocolates so special? And why are they so famous? thanks

Advertising and product recognition. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:56, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

For a good starting place to learn about why swiss watchmakers are so famous, take a look at Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, Audemars Piguet and my favorite Ulysse Nardin. (The rolex article is the only good article but check out the offical websites too.) --Chapuisat 20:49, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

For watches, see also COSC. Their chocolate is not special. --Shantavira 06:37, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Logic

I guess this question should be on the math section maybe, but anyway... 'is truth a tautology'? I have read the tautology article but found nothing to clear this question for me.--Cosmic girl 20:16, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

According to our truth article, truth is a naked dame. More seriously, in logic a tautology is a statement that is unconditionally true: "All men are mortal, or not." Since most of us hold some non-tautological statements to be true (e.g. "all men are mortal"), I think the answer to your question is no. David Sneek 21:21, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Interesting question, and I think you've asked the it in the right section. I don't think "truth" would qulify as a tautology. But I suspect there's a lot more to your question, and it would be helpful if you provided the context, as well as a more detailed definition of what you mean when you say "truth". In any case, from what I understand a tautology is more of a classification of a particular type of logical argument. For example, the statement "truth is truth" would better fit the description of a tautology. Another thing is that you may be confusing what is logically valid with what is true. The two are not necessarily the same. For example, the statement "little green men from Mars = little green men from Mars" is a tautology, regardless of the fact that "little green men from Mars" (probably!) don't exist. But I feel that don't have the full context of the question, and that perhaps my explanation may be lacking in certain areas, so I open the question up to others who may be able to provide a clearer answer. Loomis51 21:35, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

A tautology says what it says. Truth says more : that the opposite is untrustworthy. --DLL 21:48, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Awesome. thnx. but hey, truth says what it says also, otherwise it'd be false, that's why I say truth is a tautology since, little truths can contrast themselves objectively with the 'outside', but for example, any absolute, can not...so it's subjective, so, according to my weird line of thought, it's a tautology, but I may be missing something, so correct me if you see the mistake. --Cosmic girl 15:49, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

You are using the word "tautology" in a metaphorical way, if not poetic manner, as the standard use of it is in application to a statement which has two parts, where basically one part doesn't add anything of much significance to the other part and can even be a reiteration of it using different words to say exactly the same thing. Thus the statement "truth is not a lie" is a tautology. Truth is not a tautology: it is a noun. Tyrenius 09:06, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Another way of looking at tautologies is that they're true by definition. For example, "all unmarried men are bachelors," would be considered a tautology since it's true by definition. Thus, one could argue that "truth" is true by definition, and can therefore be considered a tautology. Of course, that assumes that "truth" exists, can have a truth value, and its truth value is "true". -- noosphere 09:14, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

see! that's exactly what I meant! thanx Noosphere!, truth is true by definition, or else it isn't... so it's a tautology. :| .lol . --Cosmic girl 14:46, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

ASSIGNMENT

WHAT SHOULD I DO MY ENGLISH SPEECH ON

On latin americas socialist crisis.--Cosmic girl 20:58, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

On why writing only in capital letters is extremely annoying. Loomis51 21:13, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

On what writer is a combination of Jorge Luis Borges and Mark Twain. — QuantumEleven 21:53, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

On a keyboard that can type in lower case. -- Slumgum | yap | stalk | 23:00, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Or on a dream you have. Or the endangered pastatutes and what steps we must do for their survival. Get some ideas from existing speaches: wikisource:Wikisource:Speeches or commons:Category:Speeches. – b_jonas 23:11, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

A dais. MeltBanana 00:27, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

The pros and cons of suitly emphazing. СПУТНИК^{ССС Р} 02:58, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

How Walter Shandy was correct and whatever name a person has does determine that person's future personality. Use various "Herberts" and "Margarets" for examples. Compare them to "Johns" and "Beths." Geogre 12:33, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

On why Carthage must be destroyed. AllanHainey 15:06, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

On me ;) , lol...hey! I'm an interesting subject!.--Cosmic girl 00:53, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

What it is like to be someone of your age and generation, your fears and hopes, your thoughts on the world, and particularly how you see this contrasting with your parents' generation. You've already done all the research. Tyrenius 09:08, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

• You should do it on something you sufficently understandable to easily write a speech about!
• You should write something about something which intrests you so you enjoy it!
• You should should also right about something sufficently appropriate for your grade level. For example espessally if your prehigh school age, you not write about anything relating to sex.

Ever popular topics are: "What I want to do when I get older", "My Summer Vacation", "My Life Story", "My opinion on movies", "Why students should get paid to go to school". Go Ahead, have fun...yo mama--[UMT 12,04]

John Keneth Galbraith

In July or August 1971 Galbraith wrote an article that appeared in a Pasadena Ca. news paper in which he said " Women who marry beneath their station in life ARE INVARIABLY CARTED OFF TO SOME GOD-FORSAKEN PLACE LIKE GALLUP, NEW MEXICO AND NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN ". My wife definitely married beneath her station in life and was stuffing our nine children into our second hand Studebaker to join me in Gallup, NM where I would be studying to become a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. If you could help me in locating the article, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you. Deacon Bill Starrs, Clarkdale AZ Ph. [removed, please check back here for responses].

What country has never been in a civil war, or had a threat of aggression.

What country has never been in a civil war, or had a threat of aggression. Any new country that as been formed recently, consider the history of the geographical area.

This is a homework project that my 9th grader came home with yesterday. We spent all last evening trying to figure this one out and find a referance to of support.

Can someone lead us in the right direction for help?

Thanks

<email removed>

Robert

Well, "never been in a civil war" (in the strict sense) includes lots of countries and probably a majority in the world. Countries may have varying levels of civil conflict, protest, and even separatist movements, but not actually experience a civil war. A civil war is in part defined as a country in which at least two armed groups/organizations can claim a basic "monopoly of violence" over different areas. A bomb in a market place is not necessarily a civil war (and many countries have those now and again); a country in which there are provinces in which the (supposed) central gov't cannot operate may indicate a civil war, by contrast.

(Never) "had a threat of aggression" is very difficult. I think you could argue that it is impossible to be a country in this world and have had no threat of aggression. My first thought is Micronesia--perhaps you could find one country in there that would fit your criteria. But no "threat of aggression" for the globe at large may be fanciful. One way to look at it this is: European colonialism covered virtually the entire globe with very few exceptions (Thailand and Antarctica...). Thus, at least within the last four centuries everybody has been threatened with at least that form of aggression. Marskell 22:41, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your response, as you state I find this homework assignment has too many varablies. Many which you have mentioned. The teacher did tell my daughter that Antarctica wasn't the correct answer. Any more input will be thankful.

Are you being set-up ;)? A question like this, particularly the last part ("no threat of aggression"), likely doesn't have a "correct" answer. Marskell 22:50, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Was there suposed to be one "correct" answer? If so, my guess would be Vatican City. To my knowledge, the Vatican, at least in modern times, has never had anything that can be described as a civil war, and has never been the subject of a threat of agression. Loomis51 23:14, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Although its predecessor, the Papal States, certainly did. How about Costa Rica? User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:31, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

What about the Bahamas? Barbados? Belize? Fiji? New Zealand? Singapor? Zambia? Great, Now I so confused, just trying to help my daughter with her homework and look what I've got into. Thanks for ya'lls input. Mike

The Caribbean is out. During the early European occupation, those countries were formed, reformed, overtaken, formed again, overtaken... then the slaves revolted and eventually things calmed down to what we have today. You may look into Bermuda. It isn't in the Caribbean.

New Zealand's out too - see New Zealand Wars Lisiate 00:46, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

You beat me to that one, Lisiate. Bermuda had an abortive coup back in the 1980s, ISTR, and Fiji's been on the brink of civil war several times since the early 1990s. Zambia's probably out, too, though it is one of Africa's more stable countries. Iceland, maybe? Grutness...wha? 02:34, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Those don't sound like proper Civil Wars though. A coup is a coup, pretty much. All those countries have been subject to Colonialism though. Iceland too, just earlier than most. :) --BluePlatypus 02:41, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Hmm.. Civil War is somewhat subjective, but under most definitions there are plenty of countries who've never had a Civil War by their own definitions. I'm not sure at all what is meant by "Threat of aggression"? Do you mean threatening other nations with aggression, or being threatened? And to what extent? I think it's safe to say every country has been threatened with aggression either through conventional or colonial expansion. For a European country, Sweden is somewhat unusual in never having had a Civil War (in the sense of armed factions controlling territories) or been occupied by a foreign power (somewhat disputable, but I'll not get into that). They were, however, both the agent and patient of foreign aggression almost constantly for three centuries. --BluePlatypus 02:41, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

One of the things about a civil war is that there are many states created by a civil war. Therefore, those states have never (yet) had a civil war. Only by misunderstanding "nation" and "region" can we disallow, for example, South Korea from the list. Similarly, a failed revolution is a civil war, while a successful civil war is a revolution. Again, the distinctions only work if you consider a region as a nation. Has Mexico had a civil war? Well, was Mexico's formation a civil war? Further, threats of aggression are meaningless. I can threaten to go to war against Baffin Island right now, but it's not a credible threat. A threat becomes a real threat only when an army is mobilized and an intent announced or confessed. Have any nations threatened the US? Well....sort of. Have any threatened Canada? Well, that depends on whether Canada was a nation during the War of 1812 or part of "England." You see what I mean: the more you think about the question, the fuzzier it gets. Geogre 14:49, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

May 5

NATO Summit 2006

If the Nato 2006 summit is to be held in Latvia towards the end, why am I hearing about something having to do with a NATO summit in Vilnius? — Ilyanep (Talk) 02:36, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Confusion? I once saw an intriguing graffiti reading "Riga is Latvian!" (as if that was contested?). I always imagined it was spray-painted by some frustrated Balt who was tired of folk confusing them. Anyway, the November NATO summit is going to be in Riga. Which is in Latvia. :) There's currently a conference in Lithuania, which is a summit of sorts, but not an official NATO summit. --BluePlatypus 04:59, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Okay, that's probably what I was confusing. It was just that I saw the conference in Vilnius on the Russian News Channel that we get, and was like "what?!" Thanks for the answer :) — Ilyanep (Talk) 19:59, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Law of Returns

Define Laws Of Returns

Why not look it up in your textbook? Dismas|^(talk) 04:06, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

We have an article on law of return. --Shantavira 06:41, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

The Alphabet of Ben-Sira

The article on The Alphabet of Ben-Sira quotes Lilith as saying the following:

"'Leave me!' she said. 'I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days.'

The article on Lilith says:

A Hebrew tradition exists in which an amulet is inscribed with the names of three angels and placed around the neck of newborn boys in order to protect them from the lilin until their circumcision.

So, since circumcisions are normally done about 7-8 days after birth and this matches the figure mentioned above, is there a similar rite/tradition/whatever that female babies go through after 20 days? Or was there at one time which has gone out of vogue over time? Dismas|^(talk) 05:49, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

(This is all from Google; I have no expertise in this area but given the intersection between the Internet and Jewish minutiae someone somewhere will.) Girls don't seem to have as much ritual attached to them, so different traditions have evolved in different ways. On Wikipedia, zeved habat explains various customs, but none of them seem to be done at specifically twenty days. This page at about.com lists fourteen different times after birth for naming girls that have been used in various times and places, none of which is twenty days. So it looks like not. (Also note that other sources for the Lilith-is-out-to-kill-your-baby legend have it that she can only get boys within the first night of their life, so it doesn't necessarily tie up with circumcision that closely.) --Bth 11:44, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Interesting... thanks! Dismas|^(talk) 04:54, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

director of a pvt ltd company

can a director of a pvt ltd company can start his own business under his proprietory Anilsana 06:58, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

By "pvt ltd", do you mean "private, limited"? And do you mean a second business, apart from the one he is currently a director of, or was that referring to the start-up? Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 10:35, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Also, do you mean in the UK or the US or Canada or Australia...assuming it to be Anglophone at all? Geogre 12:28, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Despite the almost completely incomprehensible way this question was phrased, if the the question was: Generally in western economic systems, do the laws of corporate governance allow a director of one limited corporation to start a business of his or her own, the answer would be, generally speaking again, YES (unless you can thing of some conflict of interest issues that would arise). But then again, as I said, its very likely that I have no idea what the questioner is asking. Loomis51 00:24, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Apartheid

The notorious system had created unimaginable consequence, yet i wonder if it brings along any positive impacts to the world.

positive impacts to the world,...... nope, sorry I can't think of anything that apartheid did that made a positive impact on the world. People affected or living in South Africa during this period did the best they could and some went on and made a impact on the world. --Jcw69 08:48, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

It provided a rich source for prizewinning literature. Nadine Gordimer and John Maxwell Coetzee both won Nobel prizes for novels based on the apartheid era. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 09:40, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Playing advocatus diaboli here... Boer autocracy did prevent the establishment of the sort of "socialist" dictatorial kleptocracy that characterised the Africa of the de-colonisation era (and often still does). This sort of government might otherwise have been difficult to avoid at the time, and, while hardly less unpleasant than Apartheid, it would certainly have left South Africa far less advanced and prosperous once it gained democracy. Apartheid would thus be a sort of lesser evil, if you will. Sandstein 15:10, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

That was the argument put forward by the South African government at the time, and it was echoed by Richard Nixon, who put a premium on S. Africa as a bulwark against Communism. In fact, the anti-Communist line was the justification for ignoring everything about S. Africa. I shouldn't say that that was a good, though. At most, it would be a different sort of evil, but I'm not sure it's even that. After all, the South African Defense Force was also used, in the name of anti-Communism, to intervene in other nations, so the single element supposed to excuse apartheid (anti-communism and a strong military) was also an evil in interventionism. Geogre 15:58, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

It has been argued that Apartheid rule was harsh enough to keep the crime rate low and the labor force working. After Apartheid, crime (especially the murder rate) increased drastically as well as unemployment. The counter-argument is that at the end of the Apartheid, the murder and unemployment rate were already rising. In 2004, the South African govt refuted those statistics by showing that the murder/unemployment rates were not as high as estimated. Interpol refuted that report with one of their own reporting double the murder rate. Also, there is the lingering argument that crime and unemployment were underreported during Apartheid. But, if you want to believe that Apartheid kept the crime and unemployment rates low, that would be one positive influence of the government. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:51, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Apartheid is one of the few cases I can think of of a bad system being phased out peacefully due in large part to nonviolent international pressure. This may have had some deterrent effect. Okay, I'm grasping at straws. --ByeByeBaby 19:47, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

It gave Nelson Mandela the context in which his nobility and strength of character could serve as an example to the world. Tyrenius 09:13, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Freddie Mercury

Please can you let me know what the name of the last album made by Freddie Mercury is called.

Many Thansk

Barcelona, in 1998. A quick glance at Freddie Mercury would've pulled this up in less than the time it took to add your question here, so try checking things like that out first. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 10:33, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Abolishing the armed forces

(sorry for the earlier post, this ought to be here, not at Misc)
I was browsing through Wikipedia and came across Costa Rica and list of countries without armed forces. This got me thinking - the countries on the latter list are, with one or two exceptions, either very small states whose defence is assured by a neighbour (eg Andorra), or have historically rarely had armed forces (several Caribbean islands). Have any larger countries (say, Germany) ever considered abolishing their armed forces and only having a civilian police force? Its defence would be provided under the NATO treaty (although, I'm sure that it would, by the same treaty, be obliged to come to the defence of another member... so that might not work), and they have no engaged in offensive warfare for a while. I suppose peacekeeping in third countries would suffer - but, on the upside, the money that goes into maintaining the armed forces could be channeled elsewhere. The threat of invasion of a western country is negligible (although, it could be argued, that's because they have both their own army and the world's largest toyshop backing them up). Has this sort of move ever been considered by some of the more major players in the world? — QuantumEleven 11:14, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

While neither a "major player in the world" nor a NATO member, Switzerland did hold a popular referendum over the abolition of its then 600'000-strong militia army in November 1989. GSoA, a left-wing group, had collected the 100'000 signatures needed for a referendum on a constitutional amendment in 1986. While only 36 percent of voters did in fact vote for abolishing the army, this was seen, at the time, as an absolutely shocking amount of opposition to one of the country's most respected institutions (although the then-in-progress fall of the Berlin Wall probably played a part as well). The Swiss Army has since been progressively reduced to around 180'000 soldiers. Sandstein 14:45, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

On the merits, I would argue that there can be no such thing as a state without an armed force, as a matter of definition. Without an army, an air force and (as the case may be) a navy, a government cannot comprehensively enforce its monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force, which is an an essential attribute of statehood itself. Without an armed force, there is no state, just a bunch of people and buildings waiting to be collected by the next band of hairy guys with weapons (a very common feature in history). Sandstein 15:00, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Except that under your deifnition even many states with armed forces are not technically "states" since their armed forces would likely pose no great difficulty in other states gaining sovereignty over them. Sovereignty and political autonomy are more complicated than guys with guns, though guys with guns are certainly part of the equation. --Fastfission 15:23, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

And 'armed force' in this sense is a term of art: it means 'army/navy/air force', not just 'group of people with some kind of weapon'. I'm sure that at least some of the police in Costa Rica, for example, have weapons of some kind. Henry^Flower 15:58, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

I completely agree that it's not a black-or-white issue - having a large, well-equipped police may help somewhat. But there's a difference in not being able to repel 10 armoured divisions rolling over your border, and not being able to deal with even some dozen AK-47-wielding armed men who decide they're going to take over your capital as their private fiefdom. Can you see donut-munching police officers going up against even your typical brand of RPG-blasting warlord henchman, now a dime a dozen in Africa? Sandstein 16:04, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

I disagree. A country without armed forces may very well maintain it's monopoly on use of force (which is a very primitive definition of 'state', BTW). Iceland has no army and the idea that they'd call upon the armed forces of some foreign power to put down a popular uprising is pretty much incomprehensible. The idea of an armed uprising there is pretty much incomprehensible as well. There are a good number of countries which have never had a Civil War or domestic terrorism, and as such have never required a military force to maintain civil order. So that is just a bogus theory. --BluePlatypus 15:11, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Lead actor playing himself.

Can anyone one think of any films where a lead or supporting actor (not just a cameo) played himself/herself? (later edit - not interested in documentaries) On my list at the moment I have:

• Audie Murphy in To Hell and Back
• M. E. Clifton James in I Was Monty's Double
• John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich
  • Jooler 12:03, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Brad Pitt is supposed to star as himself and a guy who looks just like him in Chad Schmidt after he finishes filming Oceans 13. --Kainaw ^(talk) 12:59, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Jeff Goldblum recently played a character called Jeff Goldblum, but he claims he wasn't playing himself - whatever that might mean. It's called Pittsburgh. Rmhermen 15:02, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

That's not uncommon. Think old TV comedy series - Dick van Dyke, Bob Newhart and the like often played characters eponymously without those characters being themselves. Grutness...wha? 02:33, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Julia Roberts played a character impersonating herself in Ocean's Twelve. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 15:41, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Odna, a classic of early Soviet cinema, features a main character called Yelena Kuzmina, played by the actress Yelena Kuzmina. Like Goldblum, however, she was not really playing 'herself'- the character in the film was a teacher, not an actor. Henry^Flower 16:02, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

How about Pancho Villa? He played himself in movies about himself. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:05, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

You could also include pretty much every single gonzo documentary film/pornographic film. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 17:27, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Several people play themselves in United 93. The FAA officials and military people. User:Zoe|^(talk) 21:19, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

I believe William Shatner played himself in an (obviously) very central role in at least one movie which centred around the trekkie phenomenon. Loomis51 00:11, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

I didn't mean documentaries. I'm talking about drama or at least docudrama. Jooler 01:17, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

United 93 is not a documentary. It's a fictionalized dramatic film. User:Zoe|^(talk) 02:44, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Search for the character name "Himself" or "Herself" in IMDB. This produces a huge list that includes film stars and other celebrities appearing on TV game shows and documentaries. It's like looking for needles in haystacks, but your answer will be there and it would probably take less than an hour. One I did see before giving up was Bud Abbott playing himself in a 1940s movie. Could you report back when you get the full list, I'm interested in knowing. JackofOz 01:51, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

In the Robert Altman film The Player, there were a bunch of actors playing themselves. Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis among them, but lots more. It's about a Hollywood movie executive. All the main characters are stars playing fictional personas, but there are bunchs of stars playing themselves as well. -lethe ^{talk +} 01:59, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Similar things happen in Coffee and Cigarettes. Peter Falk and Nick Cave both appear as themselves in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire. Grutness...wha? 02:33, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

I don't think any of these (apart from possibly Pancho Villa) fall into the same category as the first three above. I said no cameos. As for looking for himself on IMDB I thought of that, but firstly it's too boringto go throught it and secondly you'll note that Audie Murphy and John Malkovich are listed by name. Arguably Being John Malkovich doesn't count in quite the same way as the first two as John Malkovich's character was called John Horatio Malkovich and Horatio is not his real middle name. Jooler

I'm going to harp back to United 93. Ben Sliney, the chief of FAA for the East Coast on 9/11, actually may have the largest role in the film. User:Zoe|^(talk) 03:09, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

And I'm going to harp back to Peter Falk in Wings of Desire - not the largest role in the film, but far more than just a cameo. Failing that, The Beatles appeared as (a fictionalised version of) themselves in both Help! and A Hard Day's Night. Grutness...wha? 13:25, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

In many television shows the lead actor plays a character who is essentially him, based upon his life with the same name as the character.

Seinfied. Everyone loves Ray Arguably I love lucy - — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.12.116.72 (talk • contribs)

Yeah they do. That's not what I'm asking about. But thank you for stating the bleedin' obvious anyway. Jooler 10:48, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Mendi

Are there any other naval warships, other than the SAS Isaac Dyobha, who are named after a cleric? --Jcw69 15:22, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm no naval historian, but it seems safe to assume that a great many ships of historical Catholic and Orthodox Christian naval powers were named after saints, many of whom, in turn, were Christian clerics (and often martyrs). No such appear to be used in the present Hellenic Navy, though. Sandstein 19:42, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Depends what Navy. Navies of countries where religous leaders play a important political role or did so in the past likely have this. Iran I am sure has a vessel named after the ayattolla and Ireland I am sure has a SS saint patrick.

Indirectly the USS San Francisco. DJ Clayworth 18:12, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

what is certeris paribus

Hi In a correction of my paper my professor wrote at the end certeris paribus. I am talking about logistic regression, but the terms seems out of content, unless he means"holding everything else constant"

So, just in general terms what exactly does certeris paribus mean? thanks, Olh.

Just about what you said! "All else being equal." It's actually spelled ceteris paribus, and we have a lengthy article about it. FreplySpang (talk) 15:25, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

gasoline prices

Without a biast answer from Bush haters, or Bush promoters, what is the main reason for high gasoline prices?

Probably no one outside of the industry knows. What we can know is what the various sides say is responsible. The main factors cited are instability in the Persian Gulf, the nationalizing of the oil industry in Venezuela, and the disruption of supplies in the Gulf of Mexico in the US after Hurricane Katrina. Each of those factors can be easily debunked, but those are the factors offered. On the other side, people suspect collusion and blame oligopoly and lack of reinvestment. A third side argues that prices are up due to increased demand from China, although that, too, is very easy to debunk (the Chinese didn't decide they wanted oil all in the course of 3 months). So, no one knows whether legitimate disruptions caused speculation and price gouging, collusion resulted in a planned shortage, or actual market pressures have suddenly and drmatically driven up prices. In any case, the president of the US would have very little to do with it now, except for exercising or failing to exercise the ability to investigate collusion. (If a President could affect oil prices directly, Nixon, Ford, and Carter would have done so when the US suffered through stagflation.) Geogre 17:09, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Supply and demand. Supply has not increased (in fact it periodically decreased). There is theat that Iran will cause a decrease in supply. Demand has increased. The U.S. has really stepped up demand with a continuing fad for driving larger and less gas efficient vehicles. Other countries, like China, have also drastically increased demand. It is normal to point your finger at one man (like Bush), but the numbers are very clear. If demand keeps going up and supply stays the same (or decreases), prices go up.

Compound that simple fact with the oil company practice of raising prices when there is a foreseen problem, but then not lowering them when the problem goes away and you can see how prices are stairstepping up. When there is a good excuse (Hurricane Katrina), they go up $2. Then, they go down $1 to appease the masses. Then, there's another excuse (Iran) and they go up $2 again. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:11, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

You might be interested in checking out the data from this graph. Adjusted for inflation, the jump in price really hasn't really been that bad. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 17:24, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Bear in mind, though, that increasing fuel prices can drive inflation. If the price of fuel increases, the price of delivered goods on which the Consumer Price Index (and other indices) are based will increase as well.DavidGC 12:40, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

One other point - yes, oil producers and refiners have indeed been making very good profits at the moment. There's been confected outrage from some quarters about this, but IMO there's nothing wrong with this. It's exactly how the market is supposed to work, because high profits will encourage more producers to enter the market and increase the supply, or provide alternatives. And there are plenty of alternatives out there that, with the high oil price, start to become financially viable; they include making oil from natural gas, or coal, oil shale, tar sands, and even biofuels. Finally, higher prices also tend to drive demand down, as people seek alternatives. --Robert Merkel 23:07, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

It is based to a large extent on supply (from oil producers) and demand (from oil and oil product consumers) - but it is the open-market which drives the price - and those who trade in oil, including those who create demand in the commodity market (including investors), might not be the consumer of the oil. There are speculative investors that may cause a huge (several dollars per barrel) spike in the price of oil, even though the supply (from oil producers) and demand (from consumers) has not changed at all. That is why fear of political instability alone (which MIGHT lead to a change in supply from a certain country) can lead to a real change in the price of oil, even though the actual supply of oil (from producers) and the demand (from actual consumers) did not change at all. Such a change in price, however, would come about from a change in demand, but that demand is really the demand of those seeking to purchase oil contracts (often including investors), not necessarily those seeking to consumer the oil and oil products.

what are the five most popular photos.....

what are the five most popular photos of the civil rights movement around the world?

this has got to be near the top, if not #1. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:14, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

While it isn't just one photo, MLK's "I have a dream speech" photos are high in the list. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:16, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Bah, beaten to both. Those are definitely the two that immediately sprang to mind. I'd suppose that the Olympic Black Power salute got a fair amount of attention, though it's mostly a forgotten footnote now. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:24, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Rosa Parks on the bus in Montgomery? --LarryMac 19:13, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Is there a photo of Rosa Parks on the bus? I've seen photos of her being arrested, but nowhere near the bus. --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:20, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

I think the one in Elizabeth Eckford is quite famous (or is it because it got a lot of coverage recently ?) Btw, I looked at Civil Rights Movement and Category:Civil rights to get a list of the events that would fall under it, but neither includes Tianenmen square (, or anything else from the recent past). Tintin (talk) 04:49, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Look under "Chinese Cultural Revolution" in Civil Rights Movement. It describes the events at Tienanmen Square. Also, I feel that the article is rather narrow. It gives the appearance that civil rights movements only took place in the 60's. It even claims that they only took place during one generation. That is an absurd notion. --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:48, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Civil Rights to lefties like me does mean America and Northern Ireland in the 60's and 70's only. The other stuff (99%) would be Human Rights.

Old Music

Is it true that the song Opus 17 by the Four Seasons, circa 1965, uses the music of a work composed by J.S. Bach 300 years ago? What is the name of the original piece?

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

From soviet invasion of Afghanistan: "Some of the innovations incorporated into the constitution were a multi-party political system, freedom of expression, and an Islamic legal system presided over by an independent judiciary". Afghanistan was an atheist state from 1978 to 1992! Vess

There is that vague period from 1986-1992 where Mohammad Najibullah tried to make the Islamic majority happy by relaxing the strict anti-religion laws. Perhaps he instituted a more Islamic legal system. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:38, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

These were largely window dressing, most communist countries and dictatorships promiss free speech, freedom of religion free expression. Many also have the appearance of multiparties. In fact the in practice the citizens are not given such rights. Innadtion no real opposition parties are allowed, to exist. If the parites leaders are agents of the government who always support the ruleing party line!

What do we call the scary thing(s) in horror fiction?

I was editing Rats and needed to refer to James Herbert's novels about mutant rats. What is the name for the function things like those mutant rats serve in horror stories? Some horror stories have obvious "villains" (e.g. Dracula). In other horror stories (particularly psychological horror) the scary thing (or things) are not in any sense a person - e.g. the dark water in Dark Water (just going on the trailer, I haven't seen this film) and the rats in Herbert - so it seems stramge to call it (or them) "the villain(s)". Perhaps a better way of asking might be: is there a particular label for the premise of a piece of horror fiction? Stroika 20:35, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

"Conceit" is one word that can be used in the general sense of your question. "He deploys the "best friend as villian" conceit in this film, familiar from X's work." "Trope", which specifically refers to figures of speech, is often expanded ("the rat trope", wouldn't sound that crazy). And there is of course "device", with suitable adjectives before: "Rats are a typical horror device..." It sounds like you may have a particular word for the horror genre in mind, but words like this, generally borrowed from Lit analysis, work just as well for film. Marskell 22:06, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Thank you: trope, premise or conceit would do but you are right I was looking for a word particularly for use about horror. I plumped for "monsters" in the end. I thought there might be a term like MacGuffin particularly for horror: You can't have horror without something horrifying and I wondered if anyone had coined a name for that something. Even a facetious term would do - like Nick Lowe's Plot coupons (the characters collect them all and then send off to the author for a denouement). Stroika 09:11, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Why does the devil have horns

Does anyone know why the devil is pictured with horns? Is there some reference in the bible to the devil having horns or is it something that grew out of mythology?

Thanks for any info.

He is pictured in the Book of Revelation as, among other things, a great beast. If you'd like, I or someone else, can look up the references for you. --CTSWyneken 00:45, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

From the Wikipedia article Satan (Wow! Wikipedia is more than just a message board!)...

"Particularly in the medieval period, Satan was often depicted as having horns and a goat's hindquarters. He has also been depicted as carrying a trident, and with a forked tail. None of these images seem to be based on Biblical materials. Rather, this image is apparently based on pagan horned gods, such as Pan and Dionysus, common to many mythologies. Neo-pagans allege that this image was chosen specifically to discredit the Horned God of ancient paganism." --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:22, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

There's an interesting twist on this if you look at the Halo article and read about Moses and then look closely at the statue in the San Pietro in Vincoli article. Jooler 02:58, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Hmm... something wlse to research. 8-)Our article does not cite a source for this. Presumably its from the bibliography in the article. In the meantime, I've checked the association between horns and symbols for Satan. On Rev. 12:3, the Concordia Self-Study Bible (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House) at least identifies the Red Dragon with seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns as Satan. I'll leave it at that here. --CTSWyneken 11:54, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

According to Jeffrey Burton Russell, who wrote more than most people would ever want to know about ideas and depictions of the devil and evil throughout history, Pan is the source, and the conflation occurred in the Middle Ages: "The son of Hermes was Pan, who was born hairy and goatlike, with horns and cloven hooves. A phallic deity like his father, he represented sexual desire, which can be both creative and destructive. The iconographic influence of Pan upon the Devil is enormous. What in the tradition made it possible for the image of Pan to be joined with that of Satan?... The root of the similarities is the association of the Devil with the cthonic fertility deities, who were rejected by the Christians as demons along with the other pagan gods and who were particularly feared because of their association with the wilderness and with sexual frenzy. Sexual passion, which suspends reason and easily leads to excess, was alien both to the rationaism of the Greeks and the asceticism of the Christians; a god of sexuality could easily be assimilated to the principle of evil. The association of the chthonic with both sex and the underworld, and hence with death, sealed the union." from page 126, The Devil: perceptions of evil from antiquity to the primitive Christians, Ithaca:Cornell, 1977. alteripse 22:06, 6 May 2006 (UTC).

Wow, thanks for the great answers.

May 6

Legacy of John Williams

Centuries from now will John Williams be known as one of the all-time greatest composers? Will his body of work be compared favorably with those of Mozart and Beethoven? Or will the fact that he writes music mostly for films diminish his reputation?

It's impossible to say how works will be perceived in centuries from now. Reputations of artworks and artists tend to wax and wane over the centuries; for instance Vivaldi lapsed into obscurity until the 20th century. But I don't think that the fact he writes for films will diminish his reputation per se, though it may limit its scope for live performance. But then, many of the Bugs Bunny cartoons featuring classical composers have been performed accompanied by live music; it's not hard to imagine that something similar might be done to Star Wars, for instance. --Robert Merkel 02:26, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Also, to be frank, Williams's work is not nearly highly enough regarded now for it to be likely to be that highly regarded in future. Then again, history can play tricks that way - van Gogh's art was thoroughly disliked during his lifetime.

Being "only film music" is unlikely to enter into the equation any more than Gilbert and Sullivan's work being downplayed for being "only musical comedy music", which would have been the equivalent of the time. Grutness...wha? 02:39, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, and Danny Elfman is way better anyway. =P —Keenan Pepper 02:56, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Comparing composers with each other is a pretty futile and meaningless exercise. Each person has a different opinion, and each opinion is equally valid. Just like Mozart and Beethoven, either you personally like Williams’ music or you don't. I love much of his work, eg. his score for Schindlers List. But he’s also written some pretty ordinary stuff, just as the Mozarts and Beethovens did. Could a piece be great music if it were a symphony but not great music if used in a film? In absolute terms, no. To that extent, the genre should make no difference. Obviously films require a special relationship with their music, and film music works best when the music is crafted specifically for the film. That’s not to say that many film scores can’t be played in non-filmic contexts such as an orchestral concert, alongside Beethoven and Mozart. But the best film music can’t readily be compared with other music. I’m sure musicologists analyse Williams’ and other film composers’ music at a technical level, but ultimately there is no universal benchmark for the comparison of one composer’s music vs another’s. JackofOz 14:47, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Come off it. Throughout history there have been people writing schlock and people writing work of artistic depth. No amount of time will change the one into the other. Henry^Flower 21:36, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

While I very much doubt that John Williams' work will end up being regarded as an all-time great, your neat categorization of the world into "schlock" and "artistic depth" shows an ignorance of history. Many works regarded as amongst humanity's greatest works were widely popular in their time; much "worthy" work popular with elites at the time has revealed itself to be self-indulgent dross. --Robert Merkel 01:41, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

And many works now regarded as amongst humanity's greatest works were widely unpopular in their time too. Beethoven's work was initially described as "cacophony", and Slonimsky's Lexicon of Musical Invective has hundreds of equally laughable examples. But just because general opinion about Beethoven's music is rather different these days doesn't invalidate those who were unimpressed. There are still people who are unimpressed by Beethoven (just as there are those who are unimpressed by heavy metal). Glenn Gould, who had nothing if not an educated opinion, held Mozart's piano music in such low esteem that he went to the ultra-perverse trouble of recording all his sonatas just to demonstrate how little musical worth they had. On the other hand, Mozart's music is loved by millions of people who wouldn't know a crescendo from a crotchet. Who gets to decide whether a work is rubbish or genius or something in between? It comes down to individual taste in the end, and the whole question of labelling goes out the window. JackofOz 02:38, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

You both miss my pont completely. I'm not talking about popularity or unpopularity, I'm talking about artistic purpose. Mr Williams is not attempting to participate in the same field of endeavour as Beethoven, and trying to decide whether his work is 'good or bad art' is a category error- it's not art at all. Henry^Flower 10:34, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

• Naturally, you can prove that assertion. I'd be interested in your definitions of "artistic purpose" and "art".
• While he's best known as a film composer, it is not true to say he hasn't participated in the same field as Beethoven: "Williams has written many concert pieces, including a symphony, Concerto for Clarinet ..., a sinfonietta for wind ensemble, a cello concerto premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 1994, concertos for the flute and violin ..., tuba, and a trumpet concerto ... His bassoon concerto, The Five Sacred Trees, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic ...." JackofOz 10:55, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Oh, those are fair enough. Art is a massage for the soul; artistic purpose is the intent to do so. Henry^Flower 15:36, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Are you saying that music written in a serious genre like a symphony or a concerto is acceptable as art, but music written for film is rejected out of hand? Just trying to clarify your position here.  :--) JackofOz 13:34, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

No, I'm saying that music written as art is in a different category from music written as pure entertainment (art can be entertaining, and entertainment can be art, but there's no necessary relationship between the one and the other). Musicologists understand this: even with composers who have substantial reputations for art music, such as Walton and Shostakovich, they analyse their film music for the light it sheds on their art music, but they don't try to judge it as art in it own right.

An interesting question is why there is great art music written as accompaniment for ballet, but not as accompaniment for films. I suspect that it's because the element of rhythm common to music and dance means that music is naturally more of an equal partner in ballet. I see no reason why film music couldn't be written with the depth of art music, but the films would probably have to be rather different from the ones we have today. Henry^Flower 21:54, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Assuming JackofOz is implying that composing for film can be as respected as writing a symphony... Nobuo Uematsu has toured the world with live symphony performances of his music and it was composed for video games. --Kainaw ^(talk) 13:40, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

That's precisely what I'm implying. David Raksin, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, Miklos Rozsa, Virgil Thomson and, yes, John Williams, are just some of the people who've written film scores that have been turned into symphonic suites that major orchestras and major conductors regularly perform in the same programs as Beethoven/Mozart. Is it art? Depends on one's definition. Will it be remembered in centuries to come? Who knows. Is it good music? Yes. As to why "there is great art music written as accompaniment for ballet, but not as accompaniment for films", I think that starts from an assumption that not everyone would agree with. JackofOz 09:54, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I thought so. I don't presume to know what people imply since others have made a habit of presuming I've said things that were actually responses to what I said. You know what they say, when you presume, you make a "pres" out of "u" and "me". --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:50, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Hoffmanesque children's literature

I am trying to find the name/author of a book I read as a child; I had thought it was Dahl, but it doesn't seem to be, though it shares his black sense of humour. It was a collection of stories in rhyming couplets, about terrible children and their comeuppance, in a Struwwelpeter-esque way. One of the stories was about a bully named Quentin; there was another about a miser, and another about two girls who ate themselves obese. It was heavily illustrated, though I can't think who by (not Quentin Blake, for instance). It was probably from the 70s or 80s. I suspect the title was something along the lines of "Wicked Children" or "Terrible Juveniles" but a google search hasn't helped. Please help!

Q is for Quentin who sank in a mire; R is for Rhoda consumed by a fire". No idea - unless, of course, you mean The Gashleycrumb Tinies by the marvellous Edward Gorey. Many of his stories feature just such tales as you mention above. Grutness...wha? 02:46, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

I vote for gorey as well. alteripse 21:43, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your suggestions, but alas, it was not the wonderful Gorey. It was British, in fact--I remember a reference to Watford Gap, and blowing raspberries (Londoner rhyming slang, raspberry tart=fart) from the Whispering Gallery of St. Paul's. And the phrase "pig bin"... all of which are very English.

You may be may be a bit off in your dating. There was a British author/poet in the early 20th c, I think 1920's if not before, who this sounds a lot like. He's quite famous though I can't remember his name at all now. I think he was quite well connected with the upper classes (I think his illustrator was quite famous too), & I think some or all of his poems ended with something like, if you don't listen to nurse... end up something worse. I'll try to remember the name

I think I'm thinking of Hilaire Belloc. AllanHainey 10:28, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Again, thanks, but no, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Belloc, but something much more recent, say post-1950s. I suspect the writer wasn't/isn't as famous as either Belloc or Gorey, frustratingly!

mmm. Ronald Searle? Grutness...wha? 01:23, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I loved this book as a child -- my grandparents had it and I read it often. I think it's the same one, anyway: a compilation called "Beastly Boys and Ghastly Girls," featuring (among other things) some contributions from the great Shel Silverstein. Silverstein also did a lot of "nasty kids come to miserable ends" poems in his own books as well. --MattShepherd 18:10, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Here's an Amazon link to BB&GG: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440404673/102-5088022-5531346?v=glance&n=283155 . Hope it helps. --MattShepherd 18:12, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

ISBN 0440404673 and ISBN 0529039036 are official Wikipedia links to sources for this book. See particularly RedLightGreen and WorldCat (on the latter ISBN) to see if your local library has it (manual searches of the title there also lead to several results). --J. J. 18:49, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Rock and Roll

What it the purpose of the incorporation of electric guitar, bass, and drums in rock and roll music? Thanks!

My guess would be that drums and a bass are needed to produce rhythm (rock and roll is very strongly rhythm-based), and an electric guitar because they were relatively new (invented around 1930) and rock and roll musicians were looking for a new 'sound' to set themselves apart from their antecedents, who tended to use acoustic guitars. See rock and roll, electric guitar, Bass (instrument) and percussion instrument for more reading. — QuantumEleven 09:11, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Man Songs by Jose Garcia Villa

I would like to ask which website has the voluminous poem entitled man Songs by the Filipino writer, Jose Garcia Villa. I am just very interested to read it. I have been looking for it, but I have never found it until now. I hope somebody can send me a copy. Thank you very much in advance.

---

Carl Richard C. Dagalea Western Mindanao State University Zamboanga City, Philippines

This is a tough one. I've looked about with little success. The article on him is of little help either. I'll ask around and get back if I find something. --CTSWyneken 13:06, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much. I'll still be waiting for any updates from you. I heard the poem really became controversial during the author's time. I really do appreciate your help.

Unfortunately, neither I nor the librarians at a large public library near me could find it. We're wondering if maybe it was published in a small poetry journal or under a different title. I'll try a major university library system next. --CTSWyneken 15:21, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

bermuda triangle

can any one please tell me the thing about bermuda triangle is true?

No. David Sneek 12:49, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

This should be posted in the science section

Don't you mean the science fiction section? Tyrenius 09:17, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

More like Popular culture, Urban legend, UFOs. ;-) Seriously, the military and scientists have investigated it, so maybe folk on the science board will have so additional insights. --CTSWyneken 20:54, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

No, no one knows for sure!

Whatever. What I've seen claims statistical studies report no more dissappearances there than anywhere else in hurricane country. If you wish to argue that, please review the article Bermuda Triangle and talk with the folk on that talk page. --CTSWyneken 11:10, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

When did the various states of the US disestablish their formerly established religions?

In an interesting book titled "The Right to be Wrong," the author traces the development of America's understanding of the right to religious conscience from colonial times forward. It was not a smooth transition, as the process included the mutilation and hanging of Quakers by Massachusetts Puritans, while Catholics and non-Christian believers there and elsewhere in the colonies were disenfranchised and otherwise marginalized. However, religious conscience eventually came to be viewed as a universal human right, rather than a tolerance inconsistently bestowed on citizens by their government. This new understanding effectively lifted religious conscience out of the realm of politics and placed the right to personal religious belief beyond legislative intrusion or interference. As this happened, the tradition of established religions in the states- particular denominations which received tax support from all citizens- came to an end. The states eventually all 'disestablished' their state religions. I wish the book would have provided a chart indicating the years in which this disestablishment process occurred in each state. Which state was the first to disestablish its religion, which was last, etc. Was there a group of states that held out to the bitter end when the First Amendment's 'establishment clause' was incorporated into the Fourteenth Ammendment in 1876? Thank you for very helpful advice. I have read elsewhere that Massachusetts was the last New England state to disestablish its Congregational Church in 1837, but I'd like to know the whole story on this issue, the rest of the list. My thanks to anyone who can cast some light on this question. Bruce Strathdee <e-mail removed for the protection of the poster, see the instructions at the top>

Something like the chart you might be looking for is here. --Cam 03:45, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Battle of Waterloo painting Title and Artist

Does anyone know the title and the artist of this painting?

http://members.tripod.com/~cuir/water.htm

Thanks

Looks like [1] by Felix Philippoteaux who is apparently not famous enough to be in wikipedia. Well not en [2]. MeltBanana 18:06, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

You might like to compare it with another painting which has some similarities by a different artist here. Tyrenius 09:23, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I can't find this fairy tale anywhere

I have looked in all the fairy tale collections I have, and I can't seem to find it- maybe you can help? I think it's called "The Fiddler" or "The Fiddle". It's about some kind of fairy or elf who disguises himself as a human fiddler to earn money. The fiddle is enchanted, so the townspeople give him all their gold. Then, the magic wears off, and the townspeople petition the King to do something about it. Then I don't remember what happens, but it's important because then the King throws the elf's fiddle in the fire, which kills the elf. What happens in the middle? Thank you very much for your time and effort. --Siobhan

St. David for our web site

I am buidling a web site for our church St. Davids Anglican Church in Delta, B.C.. I would like to use your description of St. David as a content document,. Do I have your permission to do so? Calvin Smith <e-mail removed for the protection of the poster, see the instructions at the top>

Yes, under the conditions set forth in Wikipedia:Copyrights. Sandstein 19:41, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Hooray! Our hagiographers are getting used! Woo-hoo. (No, I didn't do St. David. I mainly do really obscure ones.) Geogre 12:58, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

French

Is French Guiana a part of france? Do they still control the area, and how so? Another question, are there any other areas in the world that is controled by the continental french?. Thanks :)

See French Guiana and French overseas departments and territories. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:47, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Note that handbooks like the CIA World Factbook or the World Almanac do not include French Guiana or the other overseas departments in the statistics shown for France (population, area, etc.). For their political status see the articles linked above. --Cam 03:38, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

It is an overseas poccesion or colony of French (Called and overseas department). It is ruled by French but day to day administration is local.

Kerguelen Island is controlled by France, I believe.

Homer Simpson with Gerald Ford and Bush

In one episode it shows Homer fighting with Bush whereas getting along well with Ford. Since I am not American I didn't get the joke (if there was any). Which were the traits of both presidents (if there were any) for one of them liking Homer and the other not?

I saw the episode. There was nothing political about it, especially since both Ford and Bush are Republicans. It was more just a joke about their respective personalities and reputations. Ford was a former football player (which of course appealed to Homer) and generally a simple mannered person, again like Homer. On the other hand Bush Sr. (I hope you realize that it was Bush Sr. and not Jr.) was less the type that Homer would appreciate. Of course this is all reputation and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with reality, but Bush was often portrayed as a "nerd" or a "geek", traits that Homer would not relate to at all. Loomis51 23:15, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Also note that Ford is a klutz, constantly tripping and/or hitting people with stray golf balls. Chevy Chase had lots of fun imitating this trait in Ford, which seems rather Homeric (if we could only get Ford to follow each with a "Do'oh !"). Ford is also rather short on hair and generally resembles Homer. StuRat 23:30, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

(after edit conflict)... Senior Bush (pun intended) and the Simpsons had a long-running feud which culminated in this episode. In a speech during his tenure as President, Bush said he wanted American people to be, "a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons." Bart responded by claiming that both familes were struggling through a period of recession. Regarding Gerald Ford, Lyndon B Johnson once famously said that he "can't fart and chew gum at the same time," so in some people's eyes he would have certain similarities with Homer Jay. It could also be said that Homer looks like Ford a little. The Simpsons writers are generally seen as anti-Republican, but then again, they're not afraid to knock anyone. BTW, my favourite line from the episode is when, writing his memoirs, Bush claims that, "since in my one term of office I achieved everything I sought out to do, I had no need to be re-elected." -- Slumgum | yap | stalk | 23:36, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

The Simpsons don't mind poking fun at Democrats, like Springfield Mayor Diamond Joe Quimby, a Kennedy clone, who sleeps with random young women, including his niece, throughout the show, and wastes money as fast as he can get his hands on it. 00:00, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

As mentioned, Ford is probably regarded by many as the most Homer-like president in recent memory. The golf-ball thing is well known, as is falling down the Air Force One staircase when visiting Austria. Ford was also Nixon's successor, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening seems to like making Nixon jokes and references. For instance the character Milhouse gets his name from Nixon's middle-name. --BluePlatypus 01:14, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I don't think the writers were trying to make a point about Ford. The Bush angle probably dates to the fued between the show and the 41st president. Needing another ex-president to be the new neighbor at the end of the show, the writers had a choice of Ford, Carter and Reagan. Reagan had Alzheimer's by then, so he wouldn't work. Carter had already been mocked in a few episodes, one of which had him called "history's greatest monster." -- Mwalcoff 02:02, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

The episode, Two Bad Neighbors, was not written as a political satire, but as a "meta-episode", in the words of show-runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. It was essentially a parody of Dennis the Menace, and was an attempt to insert an authentic simulacrum of George H.W. Bush into Springfield. The writers insisted on the DVD commentary that it was "a personal attack, not a political attack". Obviously, this whole thing came out of the long rivalry between the Bushes and the Simpsons.

Incidentally... To hammer home the point that the episode was non-political, the writers decided Homer would end the episode by making friends with a different Republican president. What most viewers don't know is that they originally intended this president to be Richard Nixon. After his death, they rewrote the part for Ford, who was a better choice anyway (definitely more Homer-like). Bhumiya (said/done) 05:27, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Is that the episode where Bush, Sr. spanked Bart? User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:48, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's the episode. Bhumiya (said/done) 21:44, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Another American joke in that episode is that President Bush is treated as having a Mr. Wilson like personality to Barts Dennis the Mennis.

Max Lindner, the man in the silk hat.

Max Lindner was an early film star.

What little I've been able to discover about him, in a short googling session. A great deal can be found in the reviews of "The man in the silk hat" at Amazon.com. I hope this helps.

The dashing comedian Max Linder, called The Master, had sparkling good looks and a divine sense of nonsense. He made dozens of short films, most of which have been lost.

Mr. and Mrs. Linder’s unnerving double suicide occured when he was in the middle of making a full-length Hollywood film. He and his lovely young wife were found in a bed soaked in blood. This writer, at least, finds the juxtaposition of events not a little suspicious.

Lindner was known as L’ Homme au Chapeau de Soie, "The man in the silk hat

This listing about the Max Lindner theater was found at: http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/6875/

"One of the last district theatres "cinema de quartier" in French, this cinema was founded at the beginning of the 20th century as the Royal. In the 20s a building was erected beside and a balcony was added.

In the 80s the owner, a French movie director, Jean Gourguet, was near to selling the theatre to a supermarket. A group of young cinema lovers decided to take the management with a new manner (several films each day and thematic evenings). The most successful was an evening with the "Star Wars" trilogy.

In 1985 because the projection booth was in a corner they decided to refurbish the building. A new auditorium was added in the balcony with a cosy design and the main auditorium was turned to stadium seating with a new projection booth in the center and a wide panoramic screen. The 50s look of the theatre was preserved and stereo sound added. Behind the huge screen remained the silent movie sreen painted on the wall.

The new Escurial Panorama was very successful with first run films. Around 1987 the team sold the theatre to a independent art movie society.

The cinema was renamed the Max Linder Panorama. The first owner of this theatre Max Linder was a star of the silent movies in France

Contributed by xavier delamare"

The "Skiing History" forum says: "the film "Max et sa Belle-Mere" was made by Max Lindner at Chamonix about 1912. Some great early ski scenes.

I don't know if any of this is verifiable, but it's what I've found so far.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.118.4.167 (talk • contribs)

Well, that's very interesting, but do you have a question we can help you with? This is the Reference Desk, after all. Otherwise, you might want to contribute to our article Max Linder. Sandstein 04:35, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

May 7

How numbers were expressed in ye olde times

I understand that in, say, the 18th Century, the number that we now say as 'twenty-one' would have been expressed as 'one-and-twenty'. How, then, would they express the number 4181?

Thanks Adambrowne666 01:13, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I also know that they would say stuff like "four-score". --yoma

They would sy "four thousand one hundred and one and eighty", +/- an "and", perhaps. It's still the way numbers in other germanic languages are pronounced. --212.202.184.238 20:55, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

A thousand thanks. Would they say 'four thousands' though? - I've seen the plural used. Adambrowne666 00:49, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Its not that ancient. My mother still says "five and twenty to" when telling the time. (Everything else is twenty-five). Jameswilson 01:17, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

You mean other Germanic languages except Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish (which also has a vigesimal system). So really just German and Dutch. --BluePlatypus 01:52, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the vigesimal reference, Platypus - but how strict were they about using it? - did they refer to 4000 as 'twenty score'? Adambrowne666 04:34, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

(LOl) I know zip about vigesimal counting, but it wouldn't be twenty score - that's only 400. JackofOz 07:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

No, in Danish they only use it up to 100. Nowadays they concurrently have a decimal system too. E.g. 50 is usually called halvtreds (short for "halvtresindstyve", "half-three-and-twenty" - 2.5x20 = 50) But can also just say "femti". A thousand is just "tusen" (Swe/Dan/Nor), Þúsund (Icelandic, Old Norse), "tausend" (Ger), "duizend" (Dutch) it's the same in all Germanic languages. Even the Gothic "þusundi". So all Germanic languages have always referred to thousands as thousands. I'm not sure where the Danish vigesimal system came from, but it's not a remnant of something older, or Icelandic would use it. Icelandic, OTOH, does have an incredibly complicated number system, because numbers up to four have declensions for gender, case and grammatical number. --BluePlatypus 08:36, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

woops - i guess i mean 'ten score score' Adambrowne666 09:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

great, thanks for that, Platypus. Adambrowne666 10:08, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Antarctica in a textbook

Here's a picture of a world map that I took from a geography textbook from 1941. Note: the textbook picture is actually 4 seperate pictures taken with a digital camera, and then stitched together using panorama making software. As you see, the area where it says "Atlantic Ocean" is stitched together a bit badly, but everything else is good.

File:Textbookworldmap.jpg

What I'm wondering about is Antarctica. Why is it a few different islands and then "Antarctic Ocean"?. Also, was North Graham Land part of the British Empire? Furthermore, why was it called "NORTH Graham Land". It's rather south to be called north...what was South Graham Land then? --Valuefreeperson2 01:32, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

See British Antarctic Territory and Graham Land. Note that I've thumbnailed the image for the benefit of people with slow Internet connections. -- Mwalcoff 01:40, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Be aware also that cartography is a vexatious subject these days, but in 1941, they were guiltlessly positive about things. All maps tend to put "you are here" at the center, and all tend to emphasize those things that the map makers find important. Thus, Mercator's projection, which is way off and biases toward Europe, has been hard to kill, because folks in the west are interested in Europe and the Northern hemisphere. So, in 1941, a textbook would have de-emphasized the areas that "no one" lived in and emphasized the areas that were "important." Unless this was a geography textbook, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see that it eliminated Antarctica. Geogre 12:54, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

If you read what I wrote you'd see that I wrote "...world map that I took from a geography textbook from 1941..." Still, no one's answered one of the questions. WHY is Antarctica broken up islands and an "Antarctic Ocean"? Did they just not know at the time that it was a landmass? --Valuefreeperson2 00:00 7 May 2006 (UTC)

It's a mapmaking choice -- they chose to show the land without the polar ice caps, while today, most world maps show the north and south polar ice caps. The land that is mapped indicates where land was actually sighted at sea level. (See: Coastal types around Antarctica) The continent in between the rocky coasts consists of ice shelves, which extend out over the open ocean, and ice walls and glaciers, where it would be pure conjecture to assume there is land underneath. They colored it blue since if they left it white or another color, they would be indicating where the coastline might be. Similarly, you can walk on the ice at the North Pole, but the north polar ice cap is not shown at all on this map either, because there is no land above sea level. We know today that if the ice were removed, most of the familiar shape of Antarctica is below sea level, so they actually made a pretty good guess at what's underneath. GUllman 00:38, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Industrial

hi! :), are industrial engineering and industrial psychology extremly similar occupations? ...or...:| what... --Cosmic girl 02:26, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Have you looked at our articles about Industrial engineering and Industrial and organizational psychology? They don't look that much similar to me: the first is about industrial technology, the second about people. Sandstein 04:38, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes I read both, and I study psychology, and I also have a friend who studies industrial engineering... but when I research about theyr work fields here in my country, they look similar to me, because industrial engineers also manage people! and industrial psychologists are in charge of 'ergonomy' something that is very similar to industrial technology to me.--Cosmic girl 14:49, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

And you wonder why Peru is in a mess! (Joke). Seriously though, technical specialists (like engineers) often rise to managerial positions which require totally different skills. Its a problem everywhere. Jameswilson 01:21, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

LOL! :P yeah! totally! so an engineer studies machines to end up in management where a psychologist's skills would be way more useful... lol!! and I skip all the math and thermodynamics to end up where they would if they worked really hard...lol...funny. --Cosmic girl 01:47, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

You would be unlikely to end up in the same job as them. The usual paths to the job they end up in depend on building knowledge of processes, people and companies. They still need to have known the maths and thermodynamics, otherwise they couldn't have learnt about the processes or people properly. They will end up in a job managing people to get industrial things done. You will more likely end up in HR or staying as a specific 'industrial psychologist'. Their path potentially leads through the company to the top. Yours leads through different companies, if you want to keep improving. Skittle 10:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

awesome response, thank you!! :) it really cleared my question. --Cosmic girl 19:34, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

They are different. Industrial psycologists study how a people function in an industrial enviorment and how to develop policies and methods that make use of peoples traits in a way which best helps industry. Industrial engineer study various scientific and manufactureing methodes as a way of having the most efficent industrial process'

R.A.F Squadron 303 - Northolt

Can anyone advise on a book or any publication regarding this Spitfire Squadron during World War 2.

Thanks Bob Brockbank

A google search on RAF squadron 303 turns up this book, we also have an article listed at No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron, which lists a couple of other books on the topic. Search first, it's generally quicker. --Robert Merkel 21:47, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

lawsuits question, from someone who knows nothing about law.

What is it called if someone (call him Steve) wanted to file a lawsuit against someone (call him Dangherous), for example "I'm suing you for £20,000 for robbing a bank on the Isle of Man", making it up completely, just trying to get Dangherous in trouble. So lets pretend that Steve was rich and really hated Dangherous ok? So Steve and his 10 lawyers write to Dangherous and insist on going to court. But Dangherous "hasn't got the time for this shit". I assume there's some organisation that can turn around to Steve and say "No, I don't care how good your lawyers are, he's not going to court". Anyway, is there a legal term for this, and what course of action can Dangherous undertake whereby he doesn't have to pay any money (because he's poor), I hope this question makes sense. --Dangherous 10:47, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Please note that, according to the info at the top of this page and the legal disclaimer, Wikipedia does not give legal advice. You should consult a lawyer for this. At any rate, the response to your question very much depends on the jurisdiction (English law? Micronesian law?) and whether this is about a civil claim ("you owe me money") or a criminal charge ("you commited a crime"), among many other things. It's either civil or criminal - you can't "sue someone for money" for robbing a bank, unless it was your own bank, and the rules for civil claims and criminal charges differ very much. Sandstein 10:59, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

A lawyer is oath bound not to except a case unless it has merit. What you or your lawyer should do is use a motion to dismiss for frivolousness. Actually how it would be handled would depend on why the claim is frivolous based on fact or law. If for example he sues you for robbing a bank based on the fact that you walked by the bank, upon the time of the pleading a defendant could ask for a motion dismiss. He then would tell how under the law one has to use a gun and steal from a bank walking buy does not fit the legal defenition. If the judge agrees early on he would throw out the claim. If the issue plantiff sues defendant for robbing the bank and regardless of whether Defendant really robed the bank, if what plantiff says is bank robbery is what the law says is bank robbery their would be a trial. As far as legal representation I would contanct your local bar association or law chapter society, they would be find a free or cheap lawyer BenGurion.

Vexatious litigation in civil cases; malicious prosecution in criminal cases. Henry^Flower 11:00, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Cool, that's the sort of linkies I was after. Thanks. --Dangherous 11:14, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

It is possible to bring a private prosecution for a criminal act under British law, though these are quite rare, notoriously expensive and unlikely to succeed (The case against Peter Hain is the only example I know). In general if the case had no legal merit whatsoever I suspect a judge would throw it out of court. AllanHainey 10:46, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

heart rate

my heartrate is usually around 68/70.after a 5/6km run what should it be.I am 59years of age and weigh 87kg.

The pulse that is relevant and can be compared is the resting pulse. After a run it could be any value depending on how hard and long you ran, and how long afterwards you took the pulse. That said, 70 doesn't sound like a particularily high pulse after exercise for your age though. --BluePlatypus 16:34, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

• 70 was before the run BluePlatypus. I think you were thrown off by the lack of capitazation in the second sentence. That said, Wikipedia is not the place for medical advice and there's really not a single answer. Your pulse after exercize depends on your fitness level, the level of exercise you've been doing and the time you've been doing it for. It differs from person to person so there's no way we can give a single answer. - Mgm|^(talk) 16:55, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Ah, ok. But it's still not a resting pulse. You have to sit still for at least five minutes or so to reach that. I wouldn't say it's more a fitness question than serious medical advice. And I think that's what the questioner was after: What fitness state he was in judging from his pulse. Resting pulse is a pretty good gauge. --BluePlatypus 20:54, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Portrait of Chandrashekar Azad

Hi Wikipedia Your link <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrashekar_Azad > on the life and activities of Chandrashekar Azad does not have a portrait of this Great Indian Revolutionary. Please add this to the link. Thank You Arvind

Wikipedia can only use images which are compatible with the GFDL license. If you know of any for this subject, we would love to have one. User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:50, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Edison laboritories

Cleaning out an old building I found 2 records that had the Thomas Edison Laboratories label. It is not a paper label, it is engraved into the record. The records appear to have a type of serial number on them, only one of them has Thomas Edison's signature on it. I was wondering how to find the year it was recorded? Lori

Dear Lori: try the Edisonia page at the Edison National Historic Site, a location in the National Park Service system. If you can't find a way to do this online, contact them using the info at: Reference Service. Bob --CTSWyneken 23:10, 7 May 2006 (UTC)Lori what you have is likely worth a lot of money!

Operation Edelweiss

I want to add the full German name (Fall Edelweiß may be?) and fix Grott's surname if possible (see discussion). Thanks. --Brand спойт 21:19, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I'd say go for it. Be bold! --CTSWyneken 23:03, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

When were these Ancient Cities of Greece made

I am wondering when the following cities were made. Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Corinth, Argos and Delos. I can not seem to find it in your articles.

It isn't really hidden. Did you look at Athens, Greece, Sparta, Greece, Thebes, Greece... Specifically, look at the "History" sections. Many cities have a separate history article that goes into further detail about when (and how) the cities were formed. --Kainaw ^(talk) 22:34, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I have only found a couple of Greek City-State's day it was form.

I have been looking all over the net for some information on when Sparta, Thebes, Argos and Delos were made. There were Athens and Corinth, I found info for them but not these. So if anyone could reply for me. I have spent over 1 hour looking and only found 2. Thanks

As I answered just one question ago - this is an encycopedia. You can go to articles on the cities. They link to articles about the history of the cities. If you click on that link, you can read about the early history. If you fail to read the articles, it is your problem. For example, you won't find out when Sparta was created by simply scanning the article for a year. But, if you read the article, you will find that tradition says Dorians migrated to Sparta 80 years after the Trojan War. That is the beginning of Spartan history, but keep in mind that tradition claims the Dorians captured it, not just settled there. --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:46, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Crucifix

I am wondering if anyone has more information about the history of the crucifix, and if the modern catholic image is an accurate portrayl of how Christ died. Thank you.

Have a look at the articles Crucifix and Crucifixion, and also Passion. --Canley 01:31, 8 May 2006 (UTC)Neutral historians elude to Jesus being executed by the terrible method a epathet associated with crusifixtion

As the Crucifixion relates, almost all historians believe that the nails in the hands went through the wrists. We have archeological evidence of this form of execution.

Christian art, including Crucifixes, are not intended to be depictions of the literal events of the Bible. They try to capture the "spiritual" meaning behind the event, as the artist sees it. --CTSWyneken 11:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

The Grove Dictionary of Art may provide you with some helpful information. It is the basic encylopedia of art history. You local library should give you online acess.

There are essentially two major types of crucifixs. The Triumphant Christ type depicts him alive with eyes wide open with a glorious expression. The Suffering christ type depicts him dead or rather bloody and in anguish with the eyes typically closed. The tripuphant christ is the older type and it was a fixture in Byzantine Art. The suffering christ superceeds it in France, Germany, and Italy by the Renaissance. Although, these days one can find both types in churches. It depends on whether a community wishes to ephasize Christ suffering or eventual rise from the dead.

In order to bear the weight of his body, the Nails would have punctured the wrists. The nails in the hands is a popular albeit impartical image. --midnight coffee 20:29, 8 May 2006 (EST)

May 8

Looking for two science fiction stories

I am hoping to find the names of two science fiction stories I read a long time ago.

The first was about a man who winds up eating sandwiches as part of an intelligence boosting program. It works, but then he finds out that the reason they work is that his body has been invaded by microscopic alien creatures that were in the sandwiches.

The second features a device which allows the user to experience the world as another human does. A female protagonist in the story uses the device to experience the world as a male protagonist does, and is repelled by how artificial and dead everything looks. While the man winds up going insane when he experiences the world as the woman does, because he can't handle experiencing the world as if it were alive.

Since I read these stories so long ago, I may have some details mixed up... but I'm sure that's the general gist of them. Thanks in advance for any leads. -- noosphere 01:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

The second is almost certainly "Through other eyes" by R.A. Lafferty (not one of his best, in my opinion), originally published in the Feb. 1960 issue of Future magazine, and collected in 900 Grandmothers. AnonMoos 03:49, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Ah yes, the delightful Lafferty. I have 900 Grandmothers and probably read it there. Thank you! -- noosphere 06:29, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

If you haven't already read it, I'd recommend his novel Fourth Mansions, too...

...and since the heading's already here, I'll also ask a similar question. I can remember stray snatches of an sf short story set in the distanct future, where archaeologists and sociologists have decided that World War II never happened but was cobbled together from myths and legends like Robin Hood or the tales of King Arthur (how else could you explain an evil leader whose name means "Wolf" fighting forces led by a "Hewer of iron", with national leaders having names of "True man", "George" - surely a reference to the country's patron saint - and "The Gaul"!) At first it rang Damon Knight-ish bells, but Lafferty triggered the thought because of his wonderful "What's the name of that town?" Grutness...wha? 07:34, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

I think there was a similar short story in the Novermber 1966 issue of Analog ( http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?ANLGNOV66 ), but as I remember it, it was mainly devoted to debunking the Roosevelt administration as a legend (it's just too coincidental to have someone called "Hull" steering the ship of state, etc. etc.). AnonMoos 08:03, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

This doubtless isn't what you're referring to, since it isn't even close to an SF story, but even so...

The way ancient history can be mangled by well-meaning historians was demonstrated by Otto F. Reiss in the July 1967 issue of Art and Archaeology Newsletter. In a note entitled "A Forward Look Backward," he imagines what would happen if future archaeologists interpret our stories of World War II the same way our liberal scholars interpret the Bible. Obviously World War II must have been caused by competition between two primitive technologies, since on one side we have an Eisen Hower or "Hewer of Iron," while on the other side was a Messer Schmidt, or "Forger of Daggers." France was involved, but the original name of its hero was forgotten, for he is simply called "de Gaulle," and we all know that Gaul was the ancient name of France. There would be some confusion over "Hitler" and "Himmler," which apparently are two different spellings of the same person's name. The future archaeologist's conclusion? "It adds up to the struggle between true man and death, or between good and evil. A great allegory, to be sure. But historical fact? Certainly not!"

(footnote #1 from [3]) —Zero Gravitas 07:57, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

(Addendum: According to Google, neither this 'note' nor its author actually exist, from the total lack of results. But it is the closest thing I've found so far...)

I think I've read the first story, Grutness, many years ago. If it's the one I'm thinking of, the sandwiches were provided by an apparently benevolent alien in a plastic mansuit. As I recall, the alien turns out to be a flatworm type thing - the idea is based on the fact that if you teach one flatworm something, then feed that flatworm to one of its buddies, the second flatworm will acquire that information... I don't know the title, but I'm sure it was written by either Thomas M Disch or John Sladek. Adambrowne666 20:49, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

No, I don't think that's the story I'm looking for. The title doesn't sound familiar; the creatures were definitely microscopic, definitely not tapeworms; and I think he got the sandwitches through a mail-order advertisement, not by way of an alien in a mansuit. I might be misremembering, though, so I'll check out that story as well. Thanks. -- noosphere 20:03, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Hmm.. maybe that was the story after all. Looks like Sladek wrote a story called "The Man Who Devoured Books"... a title which definitely rings a bell for me... and it was published in Introductory Psychology Through Science Fiction, which I think I have. It does start with the line, "We can give you knowledge,' said the salesman-thing." So I probably did misremember the detail about him getting the sandwiches through mail-order... or maybe it was that he got sold on them in-person, but the sandwiches then arrived in the mail. That must have been it. Well, I'll definitely read this story and see if that's the one. Thanks again! -- noosphere 20:15, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Author of 1960 poem

Hey,

Could you please help me find the author of this poem? I'm not sure if it was set to music.

"We talked of hippies and flowers and rainbows and dope, Of politics and art and the structure of hope.

Strange nights and days of colours in the air, Waiting hopelessly for roses by the stair.

As the world showed its affection for those who were faking it, We got kicked out of school for spreading love and kicked out of home for making it.

This isnt the start of a new era, there isnt even a new plan, I just hope this one's a little better than the last one."

Thanks, Anand

• My guess is someone on the internet and nobody famous. Googling it turns up nothing but other references to people getting it, probably from e-mail forwards. I'm not much of a judge of poetry but it is pretty amateurish to my ear; it sounds like something a high school student would have written (the timing is way off, the rhyming is bad, and the last two lines are positively awful). Whoever wrote it had no ear for the English language. (Some of the other "answerers" suggested Timothy Leary -- it doesn't sound like anything he'd write to me, and the suggestion seems wholly unsupported.) --Fastfission 02:07, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

• • I agree with Fastfission. It's not a period poem, as it's looking back on the time. It's also anachronistic, because no one was talking of all that stuff in 1960, unless you mean 1960s. The Poetry Library on the South Bank (I think they're still there) and possibly the Poetry Society at 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, might be places to try, as the first and possibly the latter as well had a facility for tracing poems by posting up the text. There are some web sites that do something similar, though I don't have details. Tyrenius 02:31, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

• • • I agree with Fastfission and Tyrenius. It would attempt to capture the style of the Beat poets, but so poorly as to be unthinkable as one of theirs. What is sounds a great deal more like is a song lyric. If I were dead set on finding the author, I'd look for a folk-genre (but not folk revival) song of the 1970's or 2000's. If you suspect it's actually a poem in print, the premiere search engine is the Chadwyck-Healey database. It has every poem, pretty much. It's a proprietary database, but large universities will have subscriptions. Geogre 18:20, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

• • This enquiry is being made on other forums with no success. A clue is the English not US spelling of colour. It's written by someone of reasonable intelligence and education as the phrase "structure of hope" shows. It shows inventive, unorthodox amateurism (or else a professional send-up of the same). It has an "English feel" to it. I have come across the same sentiments and subject matter before. It is someone who was still at school in the heyday of hippy idealism, say 1966–70, which would make them early to mid-fifties now. I've got it—it's Tony Blair! OK, the last bit was a joke, but it's someone of around the same age. My guess is that it's by an unknown writer and maybe even a one-off poem, looking back in nostalgia. It may not be as inept as it first appears, as there seems to be a deliberate use of clumsiness to reinforce the meaning of the last line. Enjoy the mystery. Tyrenius 21:57, 8 May 2006 (UTC)
    • You really figure? The prosody is a mess, though. From overly strict iambs to extra feet, it just seems too chaotically wrong to be deliberate. On the other hand, if it were sung, all of those problems could be corrected by the phrasing. Still just guessing, though. (Also, your speculation on authorial age would make a folk song or a quasi-folk song all the more likely. "Windmills of the Mind" and all that.) Geogre 12:48, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Identification of a Cardinal

Can someone identify the person (a cardinal?) standing next to Pope Benedict in the photograph at Deus Caritas Est? Thanks, Cam 03:24, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

He looks a bit like Angelo Cardinal Sodano to me, but I'm not sure. --Eivind^t@c 12:43, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

If it is Cardinal Sodano would he not be wearing red sash and piping? That looks distinctly purple (=Archbishop) to me. Given that it is BXVI signing an encyclical (an important document) the Secretary of State (Sodano) or Prefect of CDF, Archbishop (now Cardinal) Levada would be the most likely candidates. The pectoral cross indicates a Bishop at any rate. I'd plump for Sodano apart from that pesky colour. Stroika 20:52, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

'Pectoral Cross' eh? Reminds me of a joke about Jesuits. Skittle 10:11, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

OK, don't leave us in suspense, tell us. JackofOz 13:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

It wasn't that funny, but seemed hilarious because it was told by a Jesuit during a homily (sermon). Bit of a shaggy dog tale.

Sister Mary was in charge of preparing the parish children for confirmation, and she prided herself on being thorough. Every year when the bishop came to perform the confirmations he would quiz the children on their religious knowledge during his homily, in the Mass, in front of the whole parish. And Sister Mary's children always knew all the answers. These were wonder children, heavily drilled in every area she could think of. They could name all the disciples in the order Jesus met them or alphabetically if you prefered; they could reel off the seven gifts AND seven fruits of the holy spirit, and give you their doctrinal definitions. If pressed, they could even name all the books of the Bible, in order. Sister Mary worked her children for weeks, and took great pride in her record of perfect answers.

Then one year, the night before the confirmations, she had a visit from Sister Joan, the catechist in a neighbouring parish. They'd had their confirmations that day, and Sister Joan was very pale. The bishop had a new question. He'd picked out little Eric (confirmation name:Theodore) and asked him "What is a pectoral cross?". Of course, he hadn't known and the bishop had smiled, secure in the knowledge that he had beaten Sister Joan. Sister Mary was very sympathetic, at the same time subtly implying that her children would have known. But they wouldn't.

First thing in the morning, Sister Mary gathered the children in the sacristy and redrilled them. "What is a pectoral cross?" "A cross that hangs 'round the neck of a bishop." Again and again they repeated it until they were swaying in their new shoes. Finally, they all marched out, into the body of the church, and took their places. The bishop marched up the aisle with a smug look on his face and procedded with the Mass. When he got to the homily, he looked out over the children and said, as he did every year, "Before we go any further, let's see what you've learnt in preparation for this decision." Scanning the pews, he extended his index finger in the direction of Ruth (confirmation name: Wilhelmina) as she tried to hide herself behind a hymn book, bunched into a corner. Slowly, she stood to face her fate, muttering under her breath, as they all were, "A cross that hangs 'round the neck of a bishop. A cross that hangs round the neck of a bishop." With what thunderous tones, the bishop asked his question. "What is a Jesuit?" Skittle 14:29, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

He he. Ta. JackofOz 09:31, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Ernst Jünger "Red is the color of domination and rebellion"

Would anyone be able to provide me with the work in that he makes this statement? I am writing a paper using the emotional responses of colors and their place within the book "Laughter in the Dark" by Vladimir Nabokov. I have found numerous sites referencing to this quote, and I would Love to use this quote given the origin.

Please help; it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob N.

I suggest you simply point out that this is generally accepted. A simple statement of a mundane fact or opinion is not usually regarded as a quotation. What makes a quotation quotable (according to our article) is that it is an "aesthetically pleasing use of language" or "express[es] some universal truth". --Shantavira 12:25, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Red was the color of unity in Maoist China. It is the color of joy/purity/celebration in a Chinese wedding. Perhaps you are writing strictly about European society's response to colors. --Kainaw ^(talk) 23:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Aristotle & Alexander the Great

I have often heard that Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great.

Did Aristotle speak Macedonian, did Alexander speak Greek, or did they rely upon gestures and sign language? Could it be that Macedonian and Greek resemble each other more than English and Spanish?Patchouli 06:25, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

• It's hard to say, but if I had to guess, I think Alexander spoke Greek as it was the language of the people who's literary works he would've studied. It was kind of like the academic language of the time. Like English is now. - 131.211.210.11 07:42, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

There's a contentious and partly ideologically-driven debate about whether the Ancient Macedonian language was a Greek dialect, or not Greek at all, but it's clear that by Philipp's time aristocratic Macedonians frequently participated in Greek cultural and political activities, and so must have often known Greek. AnonMoos 07:47, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

As Greek was the premiere regional language, and a universal language they probably conversed in Greek. Also for political reasons Alexander was likely expected to learn Greek. Perhaps Aristotle was hired possibly to teach him the Greek language!

Aristotle was born in Macedonia, even though he was of Greek descent, so he probably knew both languages, too. Chl 01:03, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Unknown Sculptures

Hi!
My friend took some pix at the National Art Gallery in Canberra, and I was wondering if anyone recognised them? Thanks! --Fir0002 www 07:31, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

• File:Unident sculpture.jpg
• File:Unident sculpture02.jpg
• File:Unident statues.jpg
• File:Unknown be afraid painting.jpg

The third from the left is The Burghers of Calais. That's the only one I recognize. Melchoir 08:00, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

This article gives quite a bit of info about the NAG's sculpture garden - I'd say that those works are

1) "Hill Arches" - Henry Moore (see [4]);

2) "Cones" - Bert Flugelman (in first article cited);

3) "The Burghers of Calais" - Auguste Rodin ([5] shows another version of the same work);

4) ? - Richard Bell ([6]).

Grutness...wha? 08:16, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Atahualpa

Does anyone have any information on Atahuallpa, the last king of the Inca's? Thank you...

Yes, we do. It's at Atahualpa Grutness...wha? 07:44, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Max Reger

The back cover of the single of 'Vienna' by Ultravox includes a portrait of the composer Max Reger, with the caption "Struggled to maintain Viennese morale" (I think; I'm quoting from memory here). What aspect of Reger's life and work does this caption refer to? The Wikipedia article on Reger says nothing about him living or working in Vienna; he spent most of his life in Leipzig. --Richardrj 09:16, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

His early concert tours as a pianist took him to many places in Germany, as well as Vienna and Prague. Apart from that, he seems to have had no particular association with the place. Grove V makes no mention of it. JackofOz 10:29, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

If it helps isolate the search any, the song is about the Interzone era of Vienna, during the occupation. The city was divided up into four sectors, and life for the citizens was almost impossible. Graham Greene described it in The Third Man. Therefore, I'd look for his activities in 1946 - 1948. Geogre 12:46, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Reger had been dead for 30 years by the time you are referring to, so I don't think this period is of relevance to my question. But thanks anyway. --Richardrj 12:53, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Ak, I was just about to say that. Probably just means that his music cheared people up at that time. Sorry no proof of that. MeltBanana 13:06, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Rats! Confounded by facts again. If the song isn't about the occupation era, then I really am mystified about both Midge Ure and that single. Geogre 13:28, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm sure it probably is. My question was specific to the photo and caption on the back of the single's cover, which may not - indeed, almost certainly do not - have anything to do with the song itself. The band, or whoever designed the sleeve, probably put the picture of Reger and the caption underneath it in order to enhance the sense of mystery around the song. I'm just curious as to what the caption might mean in relation to Reger's life. --Richardrj 13:36, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

This is a shot in the dark. Originally you called it a "portrait", now it's a "photo". If it's a photo of a painted portrait of Reger, I'm thinking the point of the image may not have been the subject (Reger), but whoever the artist was. Is his/her name available? JackofOz 07:57, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, I just used the word "portrait" to mean "image". I didn't mean to imply that it was a photo of a painted portrait. I don't have the sleeve to hand, but I'm pretty sure it's a photograph. --Richardrj 10:36, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

OK, another thought. Is Reger's name actually shown? If not, is it possible you've mistaken someone else for him? JackofOz 13:24, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, this is where it gets difficult for me. I'm asking this question from memory, since I don't have the record where I live. I can't find a scan of the back cover anywhere on the net. I'm 99% sure Reger's name is given, and other pictures I've seen of him certainly look like the dude I remember seeing on the sleeve, but you're right - I can't be entirely sure. --Richardrj 13:30, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

secular Turkey

Can anyone tell me since when Turkey has had a ban on wearing religious symbols in schools? Do we have an article on it? And also: It's just French and Turkey who've got such a law saying you can't wear e.g. Islamic headscarfs in school. I think there's one in Québec too. --Wonderfool 12:44, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

I presume since Atatürk's time (Atatürk's reforms). Look further at Laïcité. AnonMoos 16:42, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

There's definitely no such ban in Quebec. In fact, in Quebec it's quite the opposite. Recently a Sikh student's right to wear a kirpan, a traditional Sikh ceremonial dagger, despite the school board's ban on all possible weapons, was upheld as being one of the stundent's constitutional fundamental freedoms of religion. Loomis51 21:01, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Dollar Comparison

How much would a $100 (United States) issued in 1915 be worth in today's dollars? (2006)

Just google for "inflation conversion factor". I found two sites that claim the 1915 to 2006 conversion factor is 0.050, so that should be rather accurate. $100 / 0.050 = $2,000. Now, if you were asking how much a 1915 $100 bill is worth. It would be valued at $100, but a collector may pay more (unlikely though). That is the reason you don't stick your money under your mattress. You put it in some sort of savings/investment account. Otherwise, it dwindles in value. --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:35, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

We really need an article on historical monetary conversion. All conversions are suspect and general, really. I frequently have to convert from 1680's pounds to 2000 dollars, and so, being much more distant, the problems are easier to see. What folks generally do is find staple goods from a given era and compare prices. Housing is difficult, since population pressures and land availability will cause wild swings, so folks find underwear and bread and staple drinks. All of these vary with technology (agricultural revolutions drop the prices of bread, but populations catch up to make it scarce to the same degree again; textile improvements make cloth cheap, but then people start wearing finer cloth; war and famine make drink more dear, but then native supplies open or another drink is found). Beyond that, all goods swing up and down greatly. In the case of the US, we can try to compute annually reported inflation rates through the century, but I suspect that that gives a somewhat fishy result, too. We really need to know what commodity is being purchased, because some things have dropped in real price, while others are about the same (or possibly more, as I would imagine that demand for horse collars was such in 1915 that they were common, whereas now they're uncommon and more expensive). Anyway, we get the question a lot, and there's just no sure answer. (People get to publish scholarly papers when they get a good conversion from a distant era.) Geogre 15:49, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

I use [7], [8], and some of the sites that it links to. The second one gives $1842.25 in 2005 (2006 data aren't available). Ardric47 04:58, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

US immigration

hi, my step-mother and now half sister are american (i'm british) - does anyone know if i can get anything fun like US residency more easily than your average joe? thanks! andrew

You should consult actual lawyers, but I suspect it'll depend upon whether you are a legal dependent or not. Geogre 18:15, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

The paintings of Slavko Pengov

I have seen some of Slavko Pengov's murals in the Parish Church of Bled, in Slovenia and would like to learn more about the man and his paintings. If someone could direct me to: Any books or web-sites about him, or by him (preferably in English - though this is probably asking way too much) or, Any books or sites with pictures of his works, I would be very grateful. (I have searched Amazon and the British Library catalogue without success and done simple web searches with little useful result.) Stephen

How's about trying the Slovenian Embassy as a lead to further information. What period is the artist (approx)?Tyrenius 21:19, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

1908-1966. There are a few websites on him - sadly they all seem to be in Slovenian, such as [9] and [10]. Simply googling on "Slavko Pengov" finds quite a few fragments in either Slovaenian or (usually very broken) English. Grutness...wha? 08:17, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much for your kind suggestions - much appreciated. Stephen --86.136.17.88 16:29, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Crossed rifles on USMC enlisted stripes

When were crossed rifle added to United State Marine Corps enlistd stripes and what do they represent?

Marines were originally sharpshooters. That is the reason for the rifles. I don't know exact dates. Chevrons came from West Point - in the early 1800s (1815?). The Army and Marines wore them points down. Just after 1900, they were turned points up. I assume the cross rifles were not added until the points were turned up. But, that could be completely wrong. --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

1959, with the introduction of a whole new ranking system. Crossed rifles usually indicates infantry, and has been used as part of a sharpshooter badge. In WW1 a Gunney (USMC) already had crossed rifles (with a grenade on top) below the chevrons. --Seejyb 21:02, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Everlong

I have heard the introduction of EVerlong by the Foo Fighters in an orchestral version in an episode of friends but is tehre anywhere I can purchase this from because it soudned like a really good version.

thank you x

Try here. There is an album called "String Quartet Tribute to Foo Fighters" which may be the one.Stroika 20:30, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Unknown Piece of Music

I was wondering if anybody knew what this excerpt of of music is from.

And if not the name of the piece, maybe someone can identify what chord is played at about 10 seconds into it.

Thanks. schyler 23:45, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

No idea what piece it is, but the chord is an E-flat minor, with a hint of a C natural which is a major sixth. —Keenan Pepper 04:20, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

My guess would be Wagner. I don't think it's the Ring, so maybe Lohengrin or Parsifal? Henry^Flower 08:33, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for telling me the chord. My band director didn't know off the top of his head. He did however know the piece. Its from the end of the 2nd movement of Mahler's Symphony 3. schyler 12:06, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

May 9

TV series -- Reliving High School

I'm trying to remember the name of a TV series but I cannot. Its premise is the main character (or characters) having the chance to travel back in time and relive high school or something to that effect. I believe it was cancelled soon after it premiered, and it had an interesting title. It aired in the past few years.

And it's not Freaks and Geeks or How I Met Your Mother! :)

--Doctorcherokee 01:06, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

• There were two shows like that in 2002: That Was Then IMDb and Do Over IMDb. --Metropolitan90 02:32, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Where is this tune from?

I was wondering if anyone knows what the linked snippet of music is or where it comes from? It sounds familiar to me but I can't quite place it (and yes I understand that it's unlikely someone would know it but any help at all would be fantastic). External Link to tune.wav file

The Song Tapper shows these results. You may want to try "tapping" the song yourself and see if it give you any better results. I actually removed the results that I knew were wrong; not sure about these ones and unfortunately this site makes you find the song samples yourself; it's a good place to start, though! --J. J. 18:40, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

• To Sir With Love - Lulu
• Alive, Alert, Awake, Enthusiastic
• Love Rear It's Ugly Bad - Livingcolor
• Do You Love An Apple?
• Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head - BJ Thomas
• Love Song - The Cure

My! That's perky! I'd say it mostly likely isn't 'Raindrops keep falling on my head' or anything by The Cure. Other than that, sorry. It sounds like something from an old musical film, but I wouldn't bet money. Skittle 21:15, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Definitely not To Sir With Love. --LarryMac 21:34, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Art

Hi,I got 2 questions please i want a answer: 1.-Who is the most well-known Art Designer in the World? 2.-Who is the most well-known Artist in the World? Thank You for your kindness.

2)any of the TMNT guys. Leonardo DaVinci, Raphael, Michaelangelo <---(sorry, that's spelled wrong), Donatello 1)Isn't an 'art designer' the same as an artist? Well, Andy Warhol is a guy, and maybe Salvador Dali are good picks. --172.147.33.50 01:46, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

This depends a bit on your definitions, and also what do you mean by "Art Designer"? It is not a usual term: normally someone would be an "artist" or a "designer", then further defined as "graphic designer", "fashion designer" etc. I presume you mean the former, rather than the latter. Designers do not achieve the same kind of public profile as artists: their work is better known than they are. Neville Brody is someone who is mentioned, however. As far as artists go, I would plump for Picasso as not only the most well-known, but also the artist whose work most people would know something about, i.e. weird faces with eyes in the wrong place. Picasso is also in Guinness World Records as reaching the world's highest auction price. Vincent van Gogh is also a good contender, mainly as the "mad artist who cut off his ear". Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol have also been suggested by some people, but I don't think they achieve the same recognition factor.Tyrenius 03:04, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I think car designers have a fairly good chance of being among the most widely-known designers in the world; I'd bet that a gazillion guys who have never been to any sort of art exhibition know the names Bertone and Pinnifarina. -- Ferkelparade π 14:40, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Do you think that this would be a good TV show?

Do you think that this would be a good reality show? Details:

[]-some guy would walk into a surgery clinic

[]-the guy would get anesthetized

[]-the guy wakes up, but apparently it's 'the future' (2025) and apparently 'he was in a coma for 19 years' because somehing went wrong in surgery

[]-the guy has to cope with 'the future' and funny stuff happens, and such/

[]-the show is set in a studio, , but isn't allowed to leave the hospital (because the 'hospital' is actually a studio set)

What do you think? --172.147.33.50 01:40, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

See Futurama. And 28 Days Later. -- Mwalcoff 02:25, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

As far as reality television is concerned, despite advances in medical science the risks associated with general anaesthesia are significant, and TV companies are unlikely to risk this. --Shantavira 07:18, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Not to mention the morality of fooling someone into believing he'd been in a coma for 19 years. But I forgot we're talking about TV companies. AllanHainey 09:53, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Did you see the Channel 4 programme where they tricked people into thinking they went into space? Seems relevant. Skittle 10:04, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Space Cadets!? --Eivind^t@c 13:13, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

That was it! However, it's probably a bit different to the coma idea as I'm guessing they would have to be told many people they knew were dead, among other things. Skittle 15:18, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

False imprisonment sounds like a great idea! --Think Fast 23:29, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Need free beginner English texts

I need about 2,000 words worth of copyright-free and free-as-in-beer texts suitable for beginning english readers (about 2nd-3rd grade level.) I checked Project Gutenberg but was disappointed, as even their children's texts seem geared for post-adolescents. For example, here is the second paragraph of Project Gutenberg's Cinderella:

No sooner were the ceremonies of the wedding over but the mother-in-law began to show herself in her true colors. She could not bear the good qualities of this pretty girl, and the less because they made her own daughters appear the more odious. She employed her in meanest work of the house: she scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and scrubbed madam's chamber and those of misses, her daughters; she lay up in a sorry garret, upon a wretched straw bed, while her sisters lay in fine rooms, with floors all inlaid, upon beds of the very newest fashion, and where they had looking-glasses so large that they might see themselves at their full length from head to foot.

"ceremonies" ... "true colors" ... "odious" ... "scoured" ... "garret" ... "inlaid" -- this is just too advanced for my second graders. It's the same thing for Gutenberg's Mother Goose, The Emperor's New Clothes, etc. Where can I find some simple basic English practice texts which aren't still owned by a publisher? 71.132.139.161 04:07, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

• There are lots around. Try "The Baldwin Project"[11] -- their goal is stated as "Bringing Yesterday's Classics to Today's Children." --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 05:25, 9 May 2006 (UTC)
• There's also wikisource and the "simple English" Wikipedia [simple.wikipedia.org]. Stevage 21:50, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Re: Quote

Who used the phrase "Tis easier to whisper advice from cover than to risk its merit at point of attack" Was that Shakespeare? If so, which literary work?

If not, who is the author and what is the literary work? the help you can give me

Thanks Kind regards, Rhea Bonsey

It's a line spoken by Sir Cedric Willingham (played by Peter O'Toole) in the movie King Ralph. The actual quote (according to IMDb) is "It is far easier to whisper advice from behind the scenes rather than risk its merit at the point of attack." —Zero Gravitas 07:35, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

What's the difference between ..

.. an imaginative, interpretative or analytical piece of work? gelo 13:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

What's the context? I assume you're talking about music or dance. In general, imaginative is de novo, from one's own creativity, while an interpretive work is an explication of a previous theme or work (e.g. doing one's own version of an old folk song, where one expands and interprets the themes present) or where one performs an imaginative work through the filter of one's own passions, and analysis is the examination of how and why and what effects are generated by a given work, so an analytical creation is a creation that breaks apart and considers the elements of an imaginative work or nature itself; an analytical work is criticism. Without more context, there's no way to answer, but I sincerely hope this isn't some exam question you're asking, because any answer we give will make no sense in the context of a specific class you're taking, and our answers will be worth everything you've paid for them. Geogre 13:32, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

It's in the context of film. And no it's not for any exam or homework or anything like that.. gelo 05:14, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, well, I think what I said above ought to be appropriate. Does it make sense in the context? A film is usually an imaginative work. Criticism is usually interpretive or analytical, although it's possible to have a film adaptation that's interpretive or analytical. (E.g. one could argue...ok, I could argue...that Slacker is an interpretive film based on James Joyce's Ulysses (novel) and that Richard Linklater continued his Joyce kick by doing an analytical film in Waking Life based on Joyce's Finnegans Wake.) If that doesn't fit, let us know. There may be a specialized usage you're up against. Geogre 12:39, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Film can be interpretive and imaginative at the same time. Consider the Disney film, Fantasia. It was imaginative - that is certain. It also interprets music that existed before the film into something visual to go with it. As for analytical, there are films that analyze things. Conspiracy films come to mind immediately. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:19, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Radical monogamy

Recently, in an advertisement for an upcoming sexuality conference (SexySpring), it was suggested that a possible workshop subject would be "radical monogamy". The only reference I can find to this concept is a single article which has been crossposted many times and only refers to "radical monogamy" in a list of other radical sexual behaviors/modes/practices, such as nonmonogamy, polyamory, transgender, etc. So what is radical monogamy? Is this a term that has any widespread and generally accepted meaning? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.16.241.81 (talk • contribs) .

Nuns marry Jesus only. --DLL 19:56, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I've never heard of that term before, but I may qualify. I don't really date because I don't believe in doing 'married people things' with someone I'm not married to, and this includes kissing. I'm not married, so I don't kiss anyone. I made this choice because I'm a Baha'i and this is a principle in the Baha'i Faith.

A good bit of logic in the idea that science has been pointing out is that you take your premarital habits into the marriage with you. That's why marriages with premarital cohabitation have less of a success rate than those that don't. -LambaJan 22:22, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

If you ask me, those religions that don't approve of extra-marital sex (which is pretty much all of them) but ALSO don't approve of such things as divorce or remarriage after widowhood would qualify as "radically" monogomous. In other words, in these faiths, it is intended that in one's entire life, there can be only one mate, (i.e. one's spouse) and even if that one mate dies, he or she cannot be replaced.

Pretty much every other faith (with a few obvious exceptions) believe in monogamy in the less "radical" sense. In these faiths, extra-marital sex is still forbidden, and one is meant only to have relations with one's spouse, however, divorce is an option allowing one to remarry and change one's spouse in one's lifetime, and the prohibition of widows and widowers from remarrying is also dropped. The faith still preaches "monogamy" in the sense that one should only have one sexual partner in a committed relationship, yet it's not radical because it allows for changes in one's committed partner due to divorce or death. Loomis51 22:18, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

That sounds like a good definition, do you know of any religion that teaches that? -LambaJan 02:08, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

I have a related question. Can you name any religions that place a blanket prohibition on a widow/er remarrying at all. I know of religions that prohibit a woman from marrying her late husband's brother (although they don't prohibit a man from marrying his late wife's sister, funnily enough). JackofOz 02:17, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Commericial Spokesperson

Who was the Dr. Pepper spokeswoman in 1966 who sang, "Dr. Pepper is the friendly pepper upper?"

The spokesperson was Donna Loren (Born Donna Zukor in 1947).

Krivosheyev

Where is the english version of Krivosheyev's book, "Soviet casualties and combat losses in the twentieth century"? Vess

Amazon? —Seqsea (talk) 15:46, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

ISBN 1853672807 is the official Wikipedia link to sources for this book. See particularly RedLightGreen and WorldCat to see if your local library has it. --J. J. 18:13, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

In this society,.who is the best Boys or Girls

Hello Sir How are u? I hope that you will be fine and fit i am happy I use this site i am studnet in little school Tell me about the Who is best boy or girl bye

Well, girls go to Jupiter to get more stupider; boys go to Mars to get more candy bars. So I think we know the answer to this question. —Seqsea (talk) 15:45, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Best (or better, better) at what, exactly? --Shantavira 17:10, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't matter. Girls are better because they grow up to be women. Well, some boys grow up to be women too, but I don't count them. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:16, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

What makes you think we're all Sirs? User:Zoe|^(talk) 18:46, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

We've all been knighted. That's why we have the authority to answer this question. Btw, I'm a boy and when I grew up my best friend was a girl and it became painfully obvious over time that girls are better. Us boys just need to learn to deal with it. Girls can help because one of their special powers is helping people deal with things. -LambaJan 22:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Well, I've tried them both and I can categorically assure you that boys are better. JackofOz 23:16, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

An undercover feminist who spent a year living as a man, so she could uncover more awful things men do to bitch about them in her new book, actually discovered that men are far more supporting of each other, far more open to each other and more welcoming than woman, she felt that men were far more honest, and was surprised to find how highly men speak of their wives when they are not there. She concluded it was far better to be a man, as they look after each other better when they need it, Ithink this is roughly accurate, sory I can't find any links. Philc _T^E_C^I 23:02, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Try living without the other and see what happens. --Think Fast 23:20, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Recorded Births in Taupo, NZ

How do I search for a birth recorded in 1959 in the city of Taupo, NZ? Will the Wikipedia be able to give a list of names of births for a particular date and name? Please advise.

Contact public records in Taupo, NZ. I cannot guarantee they keep such records, but if they did, that is who would have what you want. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:13, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Someone at the Taupo Public Library might be able to point you to the best people to ask. Grutness...wha? 02:37, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Bible version in rap/hip-hop language?

I saw a guy (African-American) on TV a while ago promoting a new translation of the Bible (or at least parts of it) in urban poetic verse. He was being interviewed on a Christian TV station; sometime in 2005, although I'm not sure of the original air date or publication date of the Bible translation. He read a few lines from John 1. Anyone know what this translation is called? I've tried Yahoo! Answers, The AnswerBank, and even a Bible forum, but I'm pretty sure their recommendations weren't what I was looking for: The Message, Cotton Patch, and Black Bible Chronicles. See the Yahoo! Answers post for previous suggestions. --J. J. 18:01, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

It was an Ebonics Bible, not Rap/Hip-Hop (there is a difference for those who take Ebonics seriously). It is Black Bible Chronicles, as recommended from Yahoo. Examples of the Ten Commandments from it: 1) You shouldn't be takin' nothin' from your homeboys. 2) Don't waste nobody. 3) Don't want what you cain't have. It ain't cool. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:44, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

African American Vernacular English (AAVE) - thanks for putting a name to it; I forgot about Ebonics! You sound confident in your response. Are you sure that there haven't been similar translation projects? FYI to everyone, there are two volumes: the first (your link) is of the Pentateuch, second of the Gospels. The translator's website, PKandCompany.com, mentions a reprint "with study guides" but I doubt that ever happened; site seems to be collecting dust, so to speak. --J. J. 19:56, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I am certain about it because PK McCary was all over TV when it was published. I saw him at least three times on three different shows. I liked one where he was defending his Bible translation as empowering black youths because it opened the writings of the Bible to them. Another person on the show was attacking his Bible translation as oppressing black youths because it kept them from learning a language that allowed them to work in mainstream society. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:13, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Isn't McCary a woman?[12] Maybe your saw her spokesman? --J. J. 20:47, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

It is possible. I didn't pay that close attention. I leave the TV playing while I program. The name "McCary" popped up over and over and over. The guy I kept seeing was in his 40's, about 300 pounds, and bald - pretty scary if he was a woman! --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:53, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I just checked the bio on McCary and the time is correct. I remember seeing this when I was in 29 Palms the second time - that was 93. Her book came out in 93. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:56, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

sid mcmath

To sannse - We tried to upload a quite poignant 1948 cartoon strip at the bottom of the article, but although it seemed to land somewhere it did not make it onto the article. Please advise. Thanks, Sandy McMath, <email removed>,

Pub. L. No. 95-452

My question concerns the Homeland Security Act of 2002 http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/bill/hsl-bill.pdf. Does "Pub. L. No. 95-452" mean that 95 Senators and 452 U.S. Representatives approved the bill? If so, how can that be since the House has only 435 members?Patchouli 20:40, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Not at all. "Pub. L. No." is short for "Public Law Number". Also, Public Law Number 95-452 is The Inspectors General Act of 1978, not the Homeland Security Act of 2002. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:50, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

• On page 32 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/bill/hsl-bill.pdf, I found "Pub. L. No. 95-452": ...Section 11 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Pub. L. No. 95-452) is amended....

Does this mean that "95-452" is either a random or sequential number that has nothing to do with the number of the members of Congress?Patchouli 21:15, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

The "95" means it was passed by the 95th Congress. The "452" is, as far as I know, sequential. Has nothing whatsoever to do with the number of votes. —Zero Gravitas 22:12, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

OK, let me explain. The law you are looking at is the one that established the Department of Homeland Security. Congress wanted the new department to have an inspector general, like other government departments. So they put a section in the new law that changed the wording of the original Inspector General Act of 1978. Congress added "Homeland Security" to the Inspector General Act's list of agencies with inspector generals. As noted above, the Inspector General Act is called Public Law 95-452 because it was the 452nd law passed by the 95th Congress. The act you are looking at is Public Law 107-296. It passed the House by a vote of 295-132 and the Senate by a 90-9 vote. -- Mwalcoff 23:09, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

• I thank everyone for the superior explanations. However, I have another question. For the Department of Homeland Security, is the inspector general of the department the CIS Ombudsman? I ask this question because the US-CIS ombudsman has written to me that his office and duties are established in the Homeland Security Act of 2002; therein, I could not find the word ombudsman and any of his duties.~ Patchouli

The CIS Ombudsman is Prakash Khatri (as of 2004 - he may have been replaced). The Inspector General James L. Taylor as of 2005. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I don't pay close attention to those offices, so I can easily get them wrong. --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:08, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Richard L. Skinner was confirmed as the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General on July 28, 2005[13].Patchouli 07:13, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

• I have filled out an application for green card, that is, I-485, seven years ago. I came to the United States nine years ago. I have not received any answer; I believe that the CIS is purposely blocking my case and will not answer under any circumstances. For the past seven months I have been sending scores of messages to Prakash Khatri, who says he has no power to adjudicate applications or grant immigration benefits. He goes on to say that the Homeland Security Act of 2002 only lets him make recommendations to the CIS and send inquiries. I think he is lying.

1. What section(s) of the United States Code specifies after how long the Citizenship & Immigration Services has to answer a green card application?
2. What section(s) of the United States Code or some federal act enumerates the powers and duties of the CIS ombudsman?Patchouli 04:36, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

• The CIS Ombudsman at DHS does not have the power to adjudicate applications or grant immigration benefits. (See http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0497.xml) The role of the ombudsman is just that -- an ombudsman (investigating complaints). The CIS Ombudsman's office is not going to lie to you in a form letter about what falls inside or outside their office's purview.DavidGC 13:40, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

The CIS ombudsman is an absolute joker. No wonder that for the past seven months he has been juggling data, shuffling papers in his office, and sending inquiries to the CIS which they immediately shred.

All right, I hope someone can answer my first purple-colored question.Patchouli 21:07, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Some questions about the National Gallery, London

I'm hoping to bring National Gallery, London up to featured status some time in the future, but it's a bit of an uphill struggle at the moment as I don't have that many books on the subject at my disposal (not enough to satiate my thirst for info on this topic, anyway). My main works of reference are Google Books and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and Grove Dictionary of Art at my local library, which are good for some aspects of the Gallery's history but hopeless for others. The relevant Buildings of England volume has also been helpful, as has a book on restoration, but I digress... There are a few facts that I'm finding very hard to check:

1. According to the Italian article on the Gallery, somebody was calling for the establish of a national gallery in Britain as early as 1777. Does anyone know anything more about this? (The NG was founded much later, in 1824).
2. The NG used to brag that all the paintings in its collection were on public display, although I know this is definitely not the case today. When did this stop being the case? (Some time after 1977 as that's the most recent book I can find that makes the boast.)
3. I've included an uncited fact ("Kenneth Clark's decision in 1939 to relabel a group of paintings by anonymous artists in the Venetian school as works by Giorgione ... caused an outrage and made him deeply unpopular with his own staff, who locked him out of the [National Gallery's] library.") which I know for sure I heard on a TV programme about the NG in the war years, but obviously a reliable citation needs to be found.

I realise this must be rather arcane knowledge, but I'd be grateful if anyone has the slightest clue as to the answers. Many thanks in advance. HAM File:Icons-flag-wales.png 20:51, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I think your best bet for this sort of detail would be to email the NG itself (via their website if you don't have the address). If you mention that you are contributing to their Wikipedia article, I'm sure they will try to be helpful. --Shantavira 07:18, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Rope climbing

What is this sport called in English: http://www.theropeclimbing.com/photos.php It's a french site, and they call it "rope climbing" but we don't have an article on that. Basically, you have to climb up a rope as fast as possible using only your hands. I've seen it before at the World Police and Fire Games. Amazed that we don't have an article on it...can't see anything at climbing. Thanks. Stevage 21:45, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Used to be in the Olympics apparently Link (number seven) Jameswilson 23:05, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

It's called "rope climbing" in English as well, and it was part of the men's gymnastic competition when it was included. See, for example, Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's rope climbing. --Metropolitan90 03:46, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Brilliant, thanks! I'll make a stub - it's not every day I find an article missing from Wikipedia. Stevage 09:11, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

...and he has - here's a link to the article: Rope climbing --Hughcharlesparker 18:44, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Incest web

I can't understand the abbreviations here. The key doesn't mention them for some reason. Anyway the chart seems to be useful. --Brand спойт 23:42, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

File:Incest net.png

Are they people's initials perhaps? --Nelson Ricardo 00:04, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

It's initials. A prettier version of the same or a similar thing: [14]. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆

In SF fandom, this is known as a Langdon chart, which I'm slightly surprised is a redlink. --193.38.88.6 17:37, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

May 10

Physical Map of Charlemagne's Kingdom

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am looking for a physical map of Charlemagne's Kingdom for a relief map I am making for a school history day. Thank you for your help.

Daniel Hillis

See the article Charlemagne and there is a map at the end of the section on his conquests. Click on it and you can get the full size version of the image. --Kainaw ^(talk) 00:26, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Quotes of Dracula/Opinions

It would be very helpful to me if I could get any quotes from Dracula or opinions from the crew of Wikipedia at all. If it is a quote from a member, I wish to have a name to refer to.

• You can find the entire novel online at various web sites. See Dracula#External links. If that's not what you're looking for, sorry about that. --Metropolitan90 03:09, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Puerto Rico

History of Puerto Rico establishes when the island got its name, but not what the name means or where it comes from. Anyone know? Just curious, Beland 02:36, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

• It means "rich port", and further detail can be found at San Juan, Puerto Rico#History. --Metropolitan90 03:07, 10 May 2006 (UTC)
• Ah, nifty. -- Beland 03:18, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Sabotoge Incident - New York pre WW I

I am looking for the story regarding the Germans allegedly sabotaging a ammuntion depot in New York which took place around the start of WWI.

As the story goes, the goverenment covered it up for a number of different reasons.

[email removed for privacy]

Never heard of it. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 04:48, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Coverup? Rumor, maybe? --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 05:10, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

You're probably thinking of the Black Tom explosion. Choess 05:26, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Definitely, but Black Tom wasn't "covered up" at all. The incident just isn't well remembered today.--Pharos 08:31, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Seems like a lot of things aren't remembered from that period. How many people know about the millions of people who died in the Spanish influenza pandemic? User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:41, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I knew that. schyler 21:29, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

stock exchange hand signals

On the floor of the stock exchange, hand signals are used. I want a translation guide to them, perhaps a page with a drawing of each hand signal, with its English translation.

This isn't what youasked for but I believe Stock Exchange hand signals are derived from Tic-tac, the bookies sign language, we have a bit about it but I can't find anything about the stock exchange version. AllanHainey 11:33, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm not a 100% sure, but I believe that the sign language is diferent from one company to another, to prevent the competion from knowing what transactions they intent to do. Since a stockmarket is such a competive area, they probably change their sing quite often, to prevent others from learning it. But don't take this as fact, just the memory of a man who saw a Discovery Channel documentery about the stockmarket ages ago. --Eivind^t@c 20:41, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't it make it very difficult to signal a buy/sell with someone if everyone's using different hand signals?DavidGC 02:07, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Holy Roman Imperial colonists in British North America

I am Anglophonic. I'm looking for royal/noble genealogy of German settlers and their relationships to Habsburger Philip II of Spain, Orangist William III of England, Oldenburger Prince George of Denmark, Hanoverian George I of Great Britain and Saxon Edward VII of the United Kingdom. I will work out on my own, anything regarding connections between the Danish Prince George and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. IP Address 12:00, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Big Fish 3 year transition.

Hi!
I've just watched the movie "Big Fish" and I confess I'm a bit fogged as to it's main point/moral is. But what I really don't understand is the significance of the 3 year slots. 3 years confinement when he's growing, 3 years in the army etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know if this has anything to do with Big Fish, but in the Bible, three is used to signify a completion of a cycle of time (as a side note, so is 40). --Think Fast 23:12, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

moby music quesqion

what is the name of the moby music that some part of the lirics say something like "i'm feeling jack"???

Brazilian song

Hi. When I was an exchange student, all the Brazilian exchange students I knew used to sing and dance to a certain song (I think it belonged to the funk genre). Unfortunately, the only words I remember are "martelo, martelo, martelo". Each word had a gesture. Does anyone know this song? I'm afraid it's probably a bit vulgar. Lesgles (talk) 14:35, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Are you sure it wasn't "Marcelo, Marmelo, Martelo"? --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:12, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Its is: martela, martela martelao martelão maozinha pra cima na palma da mão é o bonde do tigrão??

Coat of arms/heraldry

How do I create a coat of arms (armoral bearing)? Software (for easy self creation)? No prior family history of CoAs etc... I already know enough but don't want to waste time drawing itout or waste money on artists. --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 05:10, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Did you try this external link, which can be found at coat of arms? Search first. Ees quicker! --Shantavira 07:26, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes, i've tried it. Didn't like it all that much. Any more suggestions. Assume I have seached already. --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 15:10, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

You might want to register it also, to be more official and ensure you aren't conflicting with someone else. This site lists phone #s and addresses for registration offices of many countries. --Shandon 15:35, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Earth's population

What is the earth's population by country

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. See the article population and you will find the answer (and a lot more). --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:01, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I think List of countries by population is what you're looking for. --Think Fast 23:08, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Flag/Tajikstan

http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=29iv2.jpg

Can you tell me if I`m right and the flag on top of this building is the Tajikstan Flag? Or even the building either way i`m satisfied.

Look at the article Tajikstan. You'll see that the flag in the article and the flag in the picture are practically identical. It is possible another country has a highly similar flag, but I doubt it. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:30, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

The uppermost fesse did indeed appear red, and so, even as the image surely didn't seem to be that of the Tajik flag, and notwithstanding that the building appeared Indian to me, I concluded that the flag was most likely that of Tajikistan. An [15] we have of the Indian flag, though, looks nearly identical to that of the picture to which the questioner's link goes, and so I imagine that the top of the flag, from a distance and in certain lighting, appears red. Joe 23:21, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Given that it's not the Tajikistani flag in the picture, (and there's no place named "Tajikstan" - you left out the genetive "i". Tajikistan - land of Tajiks), it doesn't seem very improbable, Kainaw. --BluePlatypus 00:44, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Its ok the flag is Indian just not a got a clue what the building is.

The building is the Delhi Fort, commonly known as the Red Fort and located in scenic Old Delhi. So the flag on top is not Tajikstani, unless there's been a lot of happenings that my newspaper hasn't picked up on. --ByeByeBaby 21:38, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Visa (document) - What's the history?

Dear Madam/Sir,

I'm curious about the origin of visas. Not the credit card of course, but the travel/residency document. I've looked through the web, and still - unless I haven't been looking enough - no luck so far.

Your assistance will be kindly appreciated.

Many thanks!

Did you try looking at the article Visa (document)? Wikipedia is also an encyclopedia. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:28, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I checked the article and didn't see any information on the origin of visas, which the questioner asked about. I did some fairly basic Googling but was unsuccessful and then got distracted by something shiny. --LarryMac 21:25, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

World's largest fishing fleet

I heard many times that Japan has the world's second largest fishing fleet, but do you know which country has the largest fishing fleet? Do you know of a website where I might find this information? Thank you for your time. --PGSable 21:05, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

• I could swear I've seen a ranked list of every country in the world by fishing fleet size, but I'm having trouble finding it. It may depend if you rank them by tonnage or by number of boats, etc. However, I would say almost beyond a doubt that China is #1. According to this list (ftp://ftp.fao.org/fi/stat/summary/a2.pdf), China caught about 4x as much weight in fish and crustaceans as Japanm and very few countries come close to Japan. It looks from different news articles like they must have cut their fleet since then, but that gap is just too huge to have been closed. --Brian Z 02:13, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Common British Names

What is a common British name? In America, you could say John Smith or Paul Johnson are common names. Also what is a common British surname, common like Johnson and Smith? Or is it basically the same? Chile 22:46, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

List of most common surnames#United Kingdom has what you're after. —Zero Gravitas 00:21, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

US citizenship questions?

Does anyone have any idea why we get such an enormous amount of US citizenship questions? Perhaps wiki should set up a new category "US citizenship".

As for me, I live some 60km from the US border, which is definitely close enough! I'd just like to point out that I'm not at all anti-American, and I wish my country would take a more American approach to global affairs, especially those regarding the war on terror (which it finally is, thanks to our new administration.) Nonetheless I've also spent quite a bit of time in the US, and despite my favourable position as to US foreign policy, I find US domestic policy to leave much to be desired. The US is a tough place to live, and I'm happy to live in a country that is somewhat "kinder and gentler." I hope any Americans reading this won't be offended, as it's not my intention to do so. I just think we can both learn from each other.

Perhaps wiki should set up a page outlining the A to Z of how to become an American citizen, so the rest of us non-Americans can go on with answering questions where we can be of more help. Loomis51 22:46, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

• With respect to the latter suggestion, I can conceive of such a page that would be encyclopedic, but one must remember that Wikipedia is not a how-to guide. I certainly don't think our creating another desk to handle U.S. citizenship questions, for example, would be appropriate; IMHO, users with queries ought to be directed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (or, where one's questions are more nuanced, perhaps to U.S. Customs and Border Protection), whence a user may navigate to the agency's homepage. One workable solution might be for a user who is conversant with the procedures one must follow to apply for U.S. citizenship to create a subpage of his/her user page, to which we might then direct those whose quarry is a how-to guide (or those with general queries w/r/to U.S. citizenship); I certainly agree that it'd be preferable if we had a singular resource to which to direct questioners, inasmuch as citizenship-related questions are copious and often require several follow-up responses. Joe 23:13, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

• Which country are you in that's taking the American position in the war on terror, and why do you think that the American position of running recruting drives for terrorist organizations is a good one? --Serie 23:16, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Please do not engage in Personal attacks. We're here to help. --CTSWyneken 23:39, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

copyrighted material

Can anyone help me find the do's and don'ts of photocopying copyrighted material? I need it for my Pitman course. Thank you

The Designers and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) www.dacs.org.uk/ is one organisation that deals with this and provides downloadable fact sheets.

Fair dealing PDF:

FAIR DEALING

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 includes certain provisions regarding “fair dealing”, which are certain uses of copyright works that do not require the permission of the copyright owner nor infringe the copyright in the original work.

These uses are:

(a) Fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study;

There is a fact sheet also on Educational use of artistic works PDF

You should be OK for private study and personal use, as long as you are not making money from it.

Regulations differ in different countries, so you need to state what country you are talking about.

Tyrenius 00:45, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

May 11

Baseball caps and history

I would like to know when they first started putting buttons on the top of baseball caps and why.

Thanks! Pat K < e-mail removed >

A European's Backyard

Do Europeans frequently travel to a foreign country to say "party" in a bordering nation, simlar to Americans going to Tijuana or Toronto? Or Canadians traveling to say Buffalo?