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July 4

Is the wikipedia reference desk an suitable place for me to ask mental health questions?

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

See I have aspergers and borderline personality disorder. Is asking for mental health advice appropriate here? Venustar84 (talk) 02:21, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

No, you can't ask questions about your specific case, but you can ask Q's about those disorders, in general, like when those conditions were first recognized. StuRat (talk) 02:29, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

(edit conflict)If a question is directly about those conditions, it's not appropriate to ask for advice as it would fall under medical advice.

However, it should be appropriate to ask for WP:MEDRSs about the subject. It would also probably be fine to indirectly get answers by asking questions about related topics, such as social interaction, especially if it focuses on other people. It should also be fine to ask for WP:RSs by or about people who have Aspergers and/or borderline personality disorder.

For example, "how could someone with borderline personality disorder deal with their concerns about abandonment?" would be an inappropriate question. But "are their any autobiographies by authors who dealt with concerns about abandonment, especially authors with borderline personality disorder?" would be appropriate, as would "are there any case studies about the effectiveness of different therapeutic techniques to deal with concerns about abandonment?" Ian.thomson (talk) 02:37, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

• Moved to talk, pleas continue there. μηδείς (talk) 03:34, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Do cats...

...actually eat mice? KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 13:15, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

Yes. You may find this of interest. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:41, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

They do on occasion, but house cats typically consider mice playthings rather than sources of food (assuming the house cat is adequately fed). I've read that farm cats which are fed catfood are actually better mousers than ones that have been left to fend for themselves for food; when killing mice is serious business, cats work just as economically as a wild animal would - they don't want to exert energy if they're not hungry enough to eat. However, well-fed cats gleefully destroy all the small animals in their path, using the body parts as toys as they see fit. Matt Deres (talk) 15:55, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

Our cat kills mice (and voles and other small mammals) and sometimes eats them (often leaving some of the innards) and sometimes brings them in as presents. Sometimes his presents are still alive, which is more of a problem.--Phil Holmes (talk) 16:08, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

There's also times where a cat will hunt the small animal with the intention of eating it, bring it home, and only then remember their delicious and easier to chew food bowl. It's kind of like grabbing a sack of dollar burgers only to come home and discover that your family has already grilled some prime rib. Ian.thomson (talk) 17:46, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. I am asking this as there is a BBC article about cats having a special chemical - felinine - in their urine, which controls the mice, either by having the adult pregnant female mice actually abort their babies, or by making young baby mice less fearful of cats. The final line says that it suits their need for mice. As Phil says, I always thought they were just bringing them in as presents. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 17:32, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

This may not be related to your question but I just thought I'd mention this article. Bus stop (talk) 17:55, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

Linking to felinine seems appropriate. I'm not a biochemist, but I doubt there's something intrinsic to mice that the cat would need to create this substance, so even cats who never ate a mouse would still excrete it. Matt Deres (talk) 18:53, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

I wonder if the BBC meant rats infected Toxoplasma gondii (third paragraph). CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 01:08, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

• Is there a link to this BBC article? Rodents abort or eat their young when under enough stress that postponing the effort of raising a litter makes economic sense. If a cat is peeing that close to the nest, finding a new nest is a better Idea. As for the fearlessness indeed caused by T. gondii, that's a separate issue not related to felinine. μηδείς (talk) 23:41, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

Maybe it's this article. Bus stop (talk) 12:28, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Okay, what's going on with the young mice exposed to felinine not showing a fear reaction is called habituation, so the T. gondii case is intersting, but no relevant here. μηδείς (talk) 04:11, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

By what mechanism would felinine cause pregnant mice to abort? Bus stop (talk) 05:29, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Censorship, RAT-Access

I looked up "informants" and noticed that the article cannot be edited. There is evidence that someone has had remotely accessed my PC with a Remote Access Tojan (RAT), therefore I do report whenever there is a suspicion of censorship, for instance, by someone's removing of the "edit" option. I think that censorship of a law-abiding adult without any accusations or convictions of Internet crimes or Internet abuse is a huge deal. Regarding the definition of "informant," I have been wondering whether one should call citizens who witness a crime and inform law enforcement "informers" to set them apart from (paid) "informants," who wander in the world of law and in the worlds of crime and terrorism. Cornelia T. Bradford — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:3299:C080:9D38:774B:1236:4D51 (talk) 20:19, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

The article Informant is permanently semi-protected, presumably due to persistent vandalism. If you had a registered account, you could edit it. And as regards "law-abiding citizens" or whatever, there is no constitutional right to edit Wikipedia, nor is Wikipedia censored for content as you're implying. Also, this is not really the right page to file this complaint, but someone else can figure out where it should be directed instead. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:29, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

I don't think she's complaining about the article's semi-protection constituting censorship, I think she was referring to her (incorrect) concern that the absence of the edit tab might be due to her being somehow censored by a computer virus. -Elmer Clark (talk) 10:09, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

Was there a vaguely similar complaint a few weeks ago? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:50, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

You could start by asking the admin who protected it. He was active on Wikipedia as recently as 2 days ago. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:33, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

If you'd like to request an edit, you can request an edit. Do it on the article's talk page. Those are virtually never locked. InedibleHulk (talk) 22:46, July 4, 2015 (UTC)

July 5

anecdotes

Hi,

I was wondering if you can recommend some anecdote-books, such as books about political anecdotes, military anecdotes, diplomatic anecdotes, entertainment anecdotes, and so forth.

thanks so much! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.228.214.5 (talk) 13:53, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

Oxford University Press has published The Oxford Book of Literary Anecdotes, The Oxford Book of Military Anecdotes, The Oxford Book of Legal Anecdotes, The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes, Eurekas and Euphorias: The Oxford Book of Scientific Anecdotes, and perhaps others. Deor (talk) 14:49, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

Requested article-space correction of birthplace of Dominic Barrett

Please see Dominic Barrett and discuss the proposed changes at Talk:Dominic Barrett
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
JUST THOUGHT U SHOULD KNOW 10 PIN BOWLER AND PBA CHAMPION AND TEAM EUROPE 10 PIN BOWLER DOMINIC BARRETT (NOT LISTED) IS FROM COLCHESTER!!!!!!! ADD HIM TO THE GROUP WILL U. GIVE THE MAN THE CREDIT HE DESERVES TOO 4 BEING A PBA BOWLING WINNER!!!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.105.146.192 (talk) 18:26, 5 July 2015 (UTC) Turn off your capslock. Ian.thomson (talk) 18:28, 5 July 2015 (UTC) We have had an article on Dominic Barrett since 2006. -- ToE 19:04, 5 July 2015 (UTC) Although, our article says he's from Cambridge, the OP says he's from Colchester (@OP - do you have a source for this?), and the one non-dead source from our article here says he's from Walton-on-the-Naze. Some confirmation and editing may be in order. Tevildo (talk) 20:17, 5 July 2015 (UTC) Here's a reference for Colchester. Nothing for Cambridge as yet. Tevildo (talk) 20:30, 5 July 2015 (UTC) Request for article edits belong at that article's talk page, not here. μηδείς (talk) 20:34, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

July 6

How to find total number of links

I want to know how to find the total number of links from an entry, like Peking University. Now I'm doing some statistics about links to and links from some entries. I want to get a way to quickly know the total number of links of the both types I mentioned. Thanks very much for your help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:DA8:201:1102:483C:5F36:1186:CD91 (talk) 14:51, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

• "What links here" in the tools box of a page will give you what other articles in WP link to your target article. You can also open up an edit window on an entire article and search for [[ using ctrl-f, as each normal link will have a double square bracket. Keep in mind that you may get a result "more than 100" using that method (in which case go section by section and add them up) and there are also external links, links in refs, and templated links (using {{ instead of [[ ) that may affect your results. In the future, questions about wikipedia itself should be directed to the general Wikipedia:Help desk, as we deal more with finding you an article or outside source here than with wikipedia as such. μηδείς (talk) 17:40, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Ponies in search history and on recommended videos on YouTube please help

There seems to be ponies on my search history and on my recommend YouTube videos so can you help me with this mystery..? I do know a bit about MLP:FiM but I've never been a fan so could you give me a idea as to why these sort of girly cute looking pony videos show up on my history and YouTube. I am not a brony so could you please help me because high school is a judgemental place! Thank you. 89.241.162.63 (talk) 16:19, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

The obvious answer is that somebody else is using your PC/account. Do you have a little sister ? Or maybe a friend of yours does it as a practical joke. Setting a password on your account and always putting it in that mode when you walk away would be a good idea. Meanwhile, can you wipe your search history to solve the current issue ? StuRat (talk) 16:27, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

You'll need to give us more information for us to properly help. At the least: 1) Is this a single-user computer or a shared computer? 2) if shared, how do you sign in to the computer? What is the operating system? 3) what web browser are you using? 4)Do you sign in to youtube?

Here's directions on how to clear cookies and history from Firefox [2] [3]. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:15, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

I do not have a little sister. None of my friends even know about MLP:FiM so that can't be it either. My password is secure and I do not need to write it down so no one could have gone into my account. So have you got any more ideas...? I don't fancy deleting my search history because my parents might think I've been watching adult stuff which every other person at my age seems to be doing but I don't as it is sick and disrespectful to the women practicing in that. Sorry for going on a bit of a rant there but also there's some MLP:FiM videos on the search history and MLP results when I look up anything to do with western animation. Also for question one it's not a shared one. For question three it's a Mac. And for question four I do not have a YouTube account. PS I use a Safari browser. 89.241.162.63 (talk)

Do you leave the screen unlocked when you step away ? If so, somebody could jump on it then, do the pony search as a practical joke, then put it back how it was. Some other possibilities:

YouTube does this weird drifting thing. For example, I search for "Great Wall of China" and it brings up mostly correct stuff but a few on dishes. If I click on one of the ones on dishes then my search results are "refined" to being about dishes, table settings, etc. Then if I click on link about silverware, all my search results are now about those. So, my search results now have almost nothing to do with the original search term. Maybe something like this happened with you, and you accidentally clicked on something tangentially associated with ponies. Or maybe they just have something mis-indexed, so they think you clicked on a pony vid when you didn't. StuRat (talk) 17:36, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Also, what sort of other videos are you watching on Youtube? They make suggestions based on what else you've been watching, what else other people who watch that video also watched, and what they can figure out is related. If I watch a whole 10 hour loop of Fukkireta while searching for Gravity Falls videos, Youtube starts recommending a lot of AMVs and Disney Channel clips, even though most of the rest of my history is FPS speedruns and Blue Öyster Cult albums. Ian.thomson (talk) 17:42, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

I always leave the screen locked. If I clicked on something vaguely related to ponies I have no idea. But there's a lot more than that in my search history which also has links to FiMFiction and EQD which I did not click on at all. I wonder why because I do not go on these sort of cute pony-filled websites or read any fan fiction about MLP:FiM no matter how good they are. I mostly listen to theme music from games and Ace Attorney fancases. Also I doubt YouTube could make such a error. Thank you. 89.241.162.63 (talk) 18:46, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

I've seen it find things seemingly unrelated to my search terms, so it can happen. StuRat (talk) 19:00, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Didn't we get this exact same question within the last month or so? Matt Deres (talk) 19:43, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Ah, yes, here it is. I assume you are the same person? You seem to be blowing this out of proportion, but not watching YouTube videos at school would still seem the best solution. Matt Deres (talk) 19:47, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

What else are you searching on Google? Youtube sometimes recommends conspiracy theorist garbage because I happen to research to argue against conspiracy theorists on this site. Ian.thomson (talk) 01:58, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

The OP from Edinburgh has already asked about ponies, Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2015 May 24. CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 05:14, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

You see my school is a special school so once in a wee while we get free time to say listen to music or look up something or play games. I don't really search anything relating to ponies at home or during free time. Oh. How interesting some other guy in my school has the same problem as me. I say in my school because someone in my class seems to know a lot about MLP:FiM yet he says he does not like it at all. Thank you. 78.148.82.90 (talk) 08:35, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

When you say you are doing this at school, do you mean with school computers? Because if you do, I don't see how you can claim your account is secure. It's generally a bad idea to assume highly shared computers with varying levels of support behind them, and which are shared by a lot of bored kids with nothing better to do who think there won't be a significant consequence or simply don't care, are in any way secure. Of course even if the computers themselves are secure, you need to make sure any login entry is, which again is difficult to do in a school environment. Also I can't remember if you mentioned this before are but MLP videos showing up in your Youtube watching history? Even if they aren't, if they are showing up in your actual search history rather than simply recommendations as you mentioned last time, this suggests one of two things. One is that there is a bug or error in Google/Youtube. Two is that your account was used by someone, whether you or someone else to search (and view if you answered yes to my earlier question) isn't as secure as you think it is. The second option is far more likely. Nil Einne (talk) 13:15, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

The password is secure and if there was anyone who would sneak on the computers in my class while someone else is using they would be told to not do it again and given punishment. Plus everyone has there own password so no one could get on my account. There is a possibility that could happen but I am not sure. Not the history but the videos on my sidebar have most of the time something related to MLP. We use laptops too not just desktop computers. Speaking about free time at my school most of the time only about 4 people go on the desktop computers a lot or use the laptops for free time in my class. PS Speaking about MLP I've never really cared but I have to say that the fans have balls for liking such a girly show and being open about it. Thank you. 78.148.82.90 (talk) 18:53, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

2009 Ford Fusion (Rear Bumper Harness Warning System)

On a 2009 Ford Fusion SE, does the sensor harness located on the rear bumper need to have all 4 sensors in working order for it to be operational? The purpose of the sensors is to engage the warning alarm if you are coming in close proximity of an object while backing up. One of 4 of the sensors are damaged and I don't know if I need to replace the whole harness. It is removed from the bumper at this time so I have no way of knowing if it will still work. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.81.171.171 (talk) 18:11, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Might I suggest a test ? Try something soft, like a plastic trash barrel, so you won't cause any damage if you slowly back into it. My assumption is that it will still work near the other 3 sensors, but you need to test it to be sure. StuRat (talk) 18:25, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Trimotor aircraft with tail-mounted engine

G-Joey, which retired from Channel Island service on Saturday.[1]

Was the Britten-Norman Trislander the only trimotor (propeller) aircraft built with a tail-mounted engine? I stepped through all the blue-links under trimotor#List of trimotors and didn't see any photos of others. -- ToE 19:57, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

It's the only one I've been able to find. Though absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's probably not used due to the height that you'd need to get the engine up off the fuselage in order to clear the radius of the prop. This site, a forum and thus not reliable by WP's definition, discusses the advantages of tri-engine aircraft. You may find it interesting. Dismas|^(talk) 21:17, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Yup - I can't think of another aircraft quite like it either. And Britten-Norman seem to have successfully taken out a patent on the design concept, which suggests that there was unlikely to have been anything similar built earlier. [4] AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:48, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Link to full patent - including the stated advantages: [5] AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:54, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. The patent is telling. -- ToE 01:32, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

I'd try asking someone at the (US) National Air and Space Museum if they can answer this question. The museum's web site offers a variety of forms of online contact, though for a specific query like this, a plain old letter might work as well.

There have, of course, been at least two important models of jet aircraft with one tail engine and two on the wings, but you were asking about propellers. --174.88.133.209 (talk) 03:44, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Yes, this configuration is the standard for trijets. -- ToE 07:02, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

No, many of them (notably the Boeing 727, at one time one of the most numerous airliners in the world) have all three engines at the rear. --174.88.133.209 (talk) 21:26, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Respect in the hood

Why are so many poorer neighbourhoods in the US obsessed with 'respect'. In these troubled neighbourhoods, to disrespect someone seems to be akin to threatening a persons very existence. It's perceived as a profound and grave insult.

Indeed, the streets are littered with the bodies of those who have caused disrespect. Something as simple as bumping into someone could get you beaten up, or worse.

Now, if we compared most better neighbourhoods (economically, socially) no such issue exists. In deed, if you bump into someone here they are likely to apologise to you, rather than stab you. Why, and where did this one foot wrong and you're dead culture originate from? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.154.86.140 (talk) 22:19, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Might be based on prison subculture, where once they think you are "weak", you are in serious trouble. Many people in bad areas have been in prison themselves, or know those who have, so pick up that culture. StuRat (talk) 22:34, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

When a cohort (say a poor neighbourhood) has no opportunity for eco-social, personal financial advancement, a hierarchy nevertheless evolves. Someone has to be top-dog that demands respect from others just as in communities were one is lucky enough to have job just flipping burgers Kowtows to Ronald McDonald.--Aspro (talk) 22:44, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

If someone "bumps into" someone in a poor neighborhood there aren't going to be negative repercussions. That is ridiculous. Respect concerns "deliberate" disrespect, and this would hold true in the economically advanced neighborhood. The pressures are greater where living adequately is based on slimmer margins for failure. There is also sometimes a higher crime rate in lower income areas. The ease of availability of a first rate educational environment tends to be absent from poor areas. Everybody has their bad days but in an environment free from the added pressures found in poorer neighborhoods it may be more likely that people who are hot under the collar will retreat to some sort of comfort zone and thus be less likely to contribute to a statistic of a negative confrontation. Bus stop (talk) 01:15, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

I disagree. Bumping into somebody can very well get you killed. Just recently in Prague, one person passed another who was sitting down on the escalator, for some reason, in the subway. He seemed to do so very politely, but nonetheless the person who had been sitting on the escalator responded by pushing him off the subway platform down onto the tracks, seriously injuring him: [6]. StuRat (talk) 02:49, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

• Having actually lived in Harlem and the South Bronx I can tell you that people are generally extremely polite for the exact reason that you don't want to bump into someone and not apologize. It is in places like the Upper East Side (where I have also lived) where leach-blonde trophy wives or spoiled brats who live off their parent's money are likely to push you into the street, talking or texting while not looking where they are going. That simply does not happen uptown.

• The "respect" thing in general has to do with the ever-present threat of lawlessness, whether it be in the Wild West or places like the Middle East or Southern Italy run by chiefdoms/gangs/warlords/families, etc., where vigilante justice is swift and maintaining a reputation is a necessary form of self-defense. This has nothing to do with American blacks or prisons per se, although prisons are often run on the chiefdom basis. Look to Latin American prisons where the prisoners run the prison and depend on food delivered by family to survive. Putting this in terms of depictions of blacks in TV and Hollywood is historically and culturally blinkered.

μηδείς (talk) 03:50, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

"leach-blonde trophy wives" = gold diggers ? :-) StuRat (talk) 04:02, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Yes, once I noticed the error I thought it too fortuitous to fix. μηδείς (talk) 04:06, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

playing with friends in different classes in swtor

Here's the question,is there a way to play as a Jedi Knight and play with my friend that's a trooper?

I wanna begin playing Star Wars the old republic but i don't know if i can play as a Jedi with my friend that is a trooper.Any help would help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 197.88.46.174 (talk) 22:58, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

See Star Wars: The Old Republic for our article - this question might be better on the Entertainment desk, or on one of the sites listed in the article. Tevildo (talk) 23:30, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Answer: yes you can, as long as they are all on the same side of the conflict. I.e. Jedi, Troopers, and Smugglers can play togther, as can Sith, Bounty Hunters, and Agents. But not Jedi and Sith (etc) unless you count meeting up to fight each other. Iapetus (talk) 15:52, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

July 7

Cases of Addiction and Counselling in USA

Which states in America have the most number of addiction cases and help counselling? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 180.191.79.16 (talk) 01:05, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Since addiction rates aren't likely to vary much by state, the most populous state, California, is likely the state with the most addiction cases. The rate of counselling is more likely to vary by state, perhaps with red states less likely to offer government funded programs. But, while California has some rather conservative areas, it isn't particularly conservative overall, so again it might take the top spot. Another high population "liberal" state, New York, might also be a contender. StuRat (talk) 03:05, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

For fuck's sakes, Stu, I wish you'd stop guessing with this stuff. Addiction rates vary a lot by state, as you could tell with a two second Google search. Matt Deres (talk) 16:25, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

For the first link, that's not addiction rates, that's meth labs. Regarding your 2nd link, while the availability of one drug may vary by area, those with drug addictions can merely use other drugs, alcohol, etc. And your first map only shows where meth is produced. It can be shipped across state lines, you know.

Addiction is known to have a genetic component (in the case of alcohol, some of these genes are known), so for people in one state to be far more addicted than another would require that they have a significantly different gene pool. StuRat (talk) 16:36, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Stu, I'm not interested in nitpicking my links with you: they're approximately a billion times more useful than whatever bullshit you spout off the top of your head. Where's your source backing up your claim that drug use doesn't vary by state? Where's your source for anything? Matt Deres (talk) 16:42, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

See List of U.S. states and territories by population, which shows California has 44% more people than Texas. If you are claiming some other state has the most cases of addiction, then Texas is the obvious choice, and that would require that Texans have an addiction rate over 44% higher than those in CA. That would be an extraordinary claim, and would require extraordinary evidence, not the worthless links you provided. StuRat (talk) 16:51, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Well, yes, obviously if you are looking for the number of cases then the population numbers have to be a major factor. However, to say that addiction rates vary by state isn't an extraordinary claim at all. The proportion of the population that is urban, the age profile, the availability of various drugs, education, poverty and employment would all be expected to have an effect. Itsmejudith (talk) 18:17, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Some effect, yes, but a 44% increase would require a major difference in the populations. StuRat (talk) 18:21, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Please see First law of holes, Stu! By your argument, New York should have more African Americans than Georgia and Mississippi combined. And "a genetic component" is something very different from "genetic predetermination". --Stephan Schulz (talk) 18:47, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Don't you know that Stu doesn't have to actually back up anything he ever says ever. He only has to do two things 1) He has to assert that his statements make sense to himself, which is enough for him to present them as verifiable facts and 2) He doesn't have to actually defend anything he says so long as he comes up with a reason why he doesn't like your sources (regardless of whether his reason to not like your sources is sound or not). That's how he works: He doesn't have to defend anything he says with verification, and your verification is wrong because he says so, mostly because it disagrees with his unsupported statements. That's the rules he plays by. --Jayron32 02:28, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

I've provided a relevant source (populations by state). You've provided none. StuRat (talk) 02:34, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

How do I Figure These ?

Is there anything online or anywhere else that can give me an idea of how much a U.S. Dollar or British Pound was worth in centuries past ? The example I had was that in the movie Belle it was said that Dido Elizabeth Belle was to receive an annual income in about 1780 or so of two thousand pounds per annum, and I guessed that might be like a million New Zealand Dollars now. I know from a book I read twenty years ago that an English Maid might be paid about twelve pounds a year, and expected to live on that in about 1903, which certainly does not sound like much even accounting for inflation. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 07:50, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Doing a search for 'historical exchange rates' brings up a number of various calculators. Dismas|^(talk) 08:13, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

There are some very distinguished academics on the board of Measuring Worth. Suggests it's pretty reliable. Dalliance (talk) 11:53, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Thank Yous both - I shall give them a look. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 05:36, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

CNN anchor instead of Wolf today

Who was the blonde CNN anchor girl who, replacing Wolf, interviewed Jim Sciutto today in Wolf about Snowden, right before 2pm ET Amanpour? I caught the end and no credits were given. CNN's current schedule doesn't help either. Thanks. Brandmeister^talk 18:16, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Most likely Pamela Brown judging from this clip. Nanonic (talk) 18:48, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Yep, it's her, thanx. Brandmeister^talk 20:52, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Will America invade our country?

We do not respond to invitations to speculate. Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 21:36, 7 July 2015 (UTC)
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
What if Daesh beat us. Is there a good chance you Americans will finally deploy your marines over here and help over come the threats we are faced with. Or will it end up like another Iraq situation with our leader executed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.253.111.176 (talk) 21:34, 7 July 2015 (UTC) (Questioner geolocates to Damascus, Syria.) We are unable to respond to your question, which is a request for a prediction, per the rules at the top of this page which include "We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate." Good luck. -- ToE 22:39, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

American-led intervention in Syria covers some of how the invasion/intervention has already gone. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:56, July 8, 2015 (UTC)

The US government doesn't even know, so it's not likely Wikipedia will. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:15, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

Source for the US government not knowing? InedibleHulk (talk) 06:21, July 8, 2015 (UTC)

Black Gays

Does the percentage of a population who are defined as homosexual vary from race to race. Or is it is the percentage fixed across the species as a whole.

Obviously, this rate would be without cultural taboos applied "in the closet, out of the closet type issues"

From a casual observers stand point, it seems like there are far less gay blacks / african decent. And more gay phillipino people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.97.172.220 (talk) 21:42, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

For the USA, see recent Gallup poll here [7], more coverage of said poll here [8]. Of note, all groups that are not "white non-hispanic" reported LGBT status at higher rates than white people. Black people in the USA reported the highest rate of LGBT self-identification, at 4.6%. This is the largest ever such poll in the USA, and fairly recent (2012). I expect these trends may be different in other parts of the world. If you have a specific non-USA area of interest, let us know, and perhaps someone can find data for that area. SemanticMantis (talk) 22:14, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

I think there are problems with the concept of race that would tend to render this question almost unanswerable. It is not simple to define race. Bus stop (talk) 22:45, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Absoulutely, race is not a well-defined scientific concept. But it still exists as a social construct, and respondents self-identified on that as well. The Gallup poll technically doesn't report on "race", it reports on Ethnic_groupings - which are also self-assigned categories. I guess the point is, if someone says they are black and they are LGBT, (or Asian and not LGBT, etc), it is still informative of something to tabulate these results. It might be problematic to say that these results prove anything about race/ethnicity or sexual orientation, but the poll does support in a scientific manner many specific statements - that people in the USA who identify as black are more likely to identify as LGBT. That younger people in the USA are more likely to identify as LGBT. That women in the USA are more likely to identify as LGBT, etc. The "implications" section gives no undue weight to the findings, IMO, saying things like "In particular, the findings challenge both media and cultural stereotypes to reveal that the LGBT population is in a number of ways not that different from the broader U.S. population." SemanticMantis (talk) 23:30, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

• There is no such thing as being gay. That's a construct of the latter half of 20th century in the West. Humans are facultatively bisexual; look at Greek and Roman civilization. Augustus Caesar was noted by his contemporaries for the fact that he did not engage in homosexual acts. The real divide is between the behavior of men and women, certainly not racial. See, for example on the down-low and look at "straight", often married men who have gay sex.

As for the disparity by race, some of that may be due to the urban versus suburban and rural environment. I once asked a black person from Harlem half-kiddingly whether all black people were gay, to get the response that blacks (in Harlem) wonder whether all white people are gay (presumably from the skewed sample that the Village and the Upper Left Side provides).

μηδείς (talk) 01:53, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

In that case, there's no such thing as the English (or any) language, the American (or any) presidency, the Gregorian (or any) calendar, the C major (or any) scale, the internet, or the secret ballot. They're all constructs of various people or groups at various times. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 05:34, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

One thing of interest is that our pre supposed impressions of certain matters can end up being very different to the realities. My assumption would have been that there were more White gays than Black or other races. I also had an impression that there might of been a lot more Jews who were gay than others, but I think this was more due to seeing more portrayals of gay Jews in Movies and on Television than of other races, due to the personal opinions of some Hollywood script writers wanting to show as many gays as possible. To be absolutely sure, the vast majority of Jews portrayed in Media and such were not shown as gay, and I would like to make clear that as a People, whether they are a Race, a Nationality or a Religion, I have always had the greatest respect for Jews, or in fact people of all Races, since we all contribute something to this World. God hath made of ONE BLOOD all Nations of Men for to dwell on all the face of the Earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ( Acts 17 : 26 ) These impressions as to whether certain Races are more likely to be gay, or belligerent, or criminally minded, or whatever else, are as much due to stereotypes, which may have developed due to some measure of truth, but are not ultimately borne out by the facts. But whether or not one is gay or straight, these things are choices, whereas Race is not, and yet why it appears that more people of Colour identify themselves as gay, is also a mystery to me. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 05:48, 8 July 2015 (UTC)