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April 5

...

Struggling with self worth and excessive negative thoughts about myself.

Anyone knows a way for me to accept myself ?

I often think of myself as worthless and stupid, but I am often scared of sharing these feelings to other people.

I usually get anxious and paranoid when in social situations, and this has only worsened how I feel about myself.

When I experience strong feelings, usually negative, I bottle them up and hide them from other people in fear of being judged.

I am sharing these feelings here because this is where I feel more safe to talk about these kinds of things since I am more anonymous here. Usersnipedname (nag me/stalk me) 17:16, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

As you get older, you will get more used to yourself, and will also become more brave. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:56, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

The problem isn't being brave or getting used to myself, it's largely how I value myself. Usersnipedname (nag me/stalk me) 10:43, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

Almost everyone who is not a grandiose narcissist has occasional tinges of doubt about their qualities and thereby about themselves. It is not normal if such thoughts and feelings become so strong that they begin to interfere with one's ability to lead a fulfilling life. The environment can play a huge role (for example, parents who continually disparage everything a child does), but the issue can also be endogenic, such as being caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain involving the neurotransmitter serotonin. I cannot determine whether your specific situation requires medical diagnosis (in which case we are not supposed to answer it) or not, but in any case I think you may want to talk to your family physician (assuming you have one) or else a psychiatrist. If you are confident the issue is not a medical one, there are many self-help books on gaining confidence in oneself.^[1][2] Something very simple that has been reported to help some people is to use quiet moments to talk to yourself, repeating encouraging things over and over again, such as, "I am a beautiful person. I am compassionate and honest. People should be happy if they can call me their friend. Like everyone else, I can stumble, but I won't be defeated; I get up and go on."  --Lambiam 09:18, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

Thank you. Usersnipedname (nag me/stalk me) 10:25, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

Once, I used to be like you. I was miserable and sad.

One day, I sent a message to, at that time, my only friend:

Man, I've been feeling really unhappy lately. Can you help me?

He replied back. He said this:

Just do something, man. That's all you gotta do.

I was originally kind of confused, but I soon got his point. I wasn't doing anything. All I would do was stay in bed and think about how "worthless" I was. But all the happy people I knew were great do-ers. They were great at doing things.

So, naturally, I went out for a walk early in the morning the next day. I bought some wheat-free bread, uncut salami, whole-fat butter and a litre of water. I went back home, put the food in my fridge, and went out to my local park. I sat on a bench and I listened to the birds chirping while watching the beautiful sun shine above me.

I talked to someone and shook hands with them before I went to a nearby KFC and got myself some 8-piece chicken strips. I savoured every moment I had of eating them.

I went to the gym and had a great workout. When I went home, I made myself some guacamole and ate them with salted tortillas while watching TV. I slept great that night.

The next day, I went out for a jog and I took about 2000 steps according to my phone. I then went to the park, then ate something, then took another jog, ate, and so on.

{{{1}}}

Then, I realised why I used to be so miserable: I wasn't exercising, I wouldn't take care of my body, I wouldn't eat much – hell, I wouldn't even shower! I would literally do nothing but stare into the screen.

...

So my advice to you?

Just do something. Anything.

79.119.97.43 (talk) 10:23, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

Thank you. Very very much. Usersnipedname (nag me/stalk me) 10:43, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

That means "anything except sit staring at a screen". Physical movement of the whole body - not just the fingers - is the key. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 17:40, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

Usersnipedname, if you have access to it, there is a feature article in the current (6 April) issue of New Scientist very relevant to your circumstances. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 151.227.130.213 (talk) 12:25, 9 April 2024 (UTC)

April 9

BYD Seagull

Why are American car manufacturers completely unable to deliver a quality electric car like the BYD Seagull, which China is selling for US $13k and has already produced 200,000 vehicles? I've looked deeply into this problem, and all I see is intentional foot dragging, running out of the clock, and hemming and hawing from US CEOs. There's also an enormous amount of propaganda and disinformation about electric cars and the subcompact model in the US, with car companies seemingly telling the public that nobody wants either an electric car or a subcompact. This is odd, as everyone I know wants exactly that. Furthermore, why is the US market forbidding this car to be sold in the US if, as they claim, "nobody wants it"? This doesn't add up. The US car industry is insistent on telling the public that they must want SUVs and ICE cars, but the facts show an entirely different matter. Viriditas (talk) 22:30, 9 April 2024 (UTC)

Maybe something to do with Protectionism. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:42, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

I mean, the newer Chevy Bolt isn't all that different, except the price is astronomical compared to the BYD Seagull. Why can't the Bolt be made cheaper, as only one example? Automation has increased, labor has decreased, parts are being mass produced by 3D fabrication, so all the costs should be coming down, not going up. This is the same problem in the American healthcare industry. Prices should be getting cheaper due to technology and distribution yet they are getting more expensive because of the middlemen. Same thing with many different sectors. We need government regulation to bring prices down, and that's the one thing that isn't happening in the US. Viriditas (talk) 08:31, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

This YouTube video offers the following explanation. In the US, SUVs are classified as "light trucks", which are nor subject to the same safety and emissions standards as compact cars. The US auto industry has been heavily pushing light trucks and SUVs to avoid regulations, meaning more profit. This does not quite explain the disdain for EVs, which should meet the emissions standards, but the safety standards remain an issue. In any case, it is safe to assume that the US auto industry aims to maximize profit and expects profit will suffer from offering a compact or subcompact EV for a normal price.  --Lambiam 08:40, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

Yeppers, I'm aware of that loophole. It likely is a major reason for the issue, as well as zero political will to fix it. Viriditas (talk) 08:42, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

The EPA imposed fuel consumption standards and planned reductions during the Obama Administration, but these were one of a number of environmental measures overturned by the Trump Administration.[3] The Biden Administration has just gotten around to reinstating them this year. [4] Also, one of the reasons that cheap Chinese electric vehicle may not be available in the U.S. is that they may not meet U.S. crash test standards.[5] Xuxl (talk) 14:38, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

If it's any consolation, there's a similar issue in Europe where the US-specific problems quoted above don't apply;

China is reaping the rewards of backing EVs early with around 80% of automotive batteries made in China... Chinese manufacturers have a head start on economies of scale to get the price of EVs down, and of course it means the most expensive components of European EVs aren’t even made in Europe. New wave of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers to drive prices down.

Alansplodge (talk) 10:02, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

April 11

Map identifying Cities

Is there an option in Google or Bing (or other) online map to make it identify populated urban cities and not label every little township or census identified location? I am looking for cities, not tiny towns or farms or a crossroads with a gas station, that are above the artic circle. I found Tromso in Norway as a city. But, zooming in on every little dot to see if it has a population density high enough that most people would call it a city is taking a long time. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 13:26, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

If you zoom out, doesn't that give you just the cities? --Viennese Waltz 14:14, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

No. It isn't based on size or population density. When I zoom in to the point that Tromso, one of the largest cities in northern Norway, shows up, I see a few dozen "cities" that I feel are stretching it to call it a "town" or "village." 75.136.148.8 (talk) 14:42, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

Define "city". No, really, define what you are asking. Different places have different definitions. Where I live (North Carolina) the only legal difference between cities, towns, and villages is the word itself. Do these programs have a way of searching by population or population density? -- User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 12:06, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

I do not believe that this question requires a hardline definition of "city." Consider some labels that come up before Tromso when zooming in or Norway. Alta has 5.6 people per square km compared to Tromso's 31.84, which increases to over 3,000 in the main city. Olderfjord has 0.8 people. Consider roads. Alta exists as a hospital along the costal route. Olderfjord is a gas station and campground. There is no definition of "city" which would claim Alta or Olderfjord are cities. There is no need for a hard definition of city. The question is asking if there is any map that places importance on cities, showing them, before showing seemingly random place names that are clearly not cities. Both Google Maps and Bing Maps try to populate the map with random place names, often to the point of hiding much larger and more prominant cities. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 13:36, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

You can't distinguish between cities and not-cities without defining city. -- User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 18:26, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

I claim that you CAN do that. Is London, England a city? Anyone who claims it is not is simply being a jerk. Is New York City, United States a city? Again, only a jerk would say it isn't. Is Beijing, China a city? Once again, only a jerk would say it isn't. Is the South pole a city? Nobody lives there. Only a jerk would say it might me. Is Devon Island a city? Again, only a jerk would claim it might be. Is the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon a city? It would take a massive jerk to argue that it is. Yet, we can make those distinctions without defining the cutoff between "city" and "not a city." Within the context of this question, Google and Bing maps are showing labels for uninhabited and sparsly inhabited locations while hiding labels for densly populated locations with dense multi-floor buildings and tight roadways. What kind of person would say that we can't even begin to discuss the issue without making a scientific definition of the fine distinction between "city" and "not a city"? 75.136.148.8 (talk) 15:42, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

err, are you talking about the City of London or about Greater London? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 15:55, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

And you just casually changed from trying to distinguish between settlements that are or are not cities and distinguishing between cities and uninhabited places. My answer was relevant to your original question you asked, not to the straw man you have switched to. You can't distiguish between settled areas that are or are not cities without giving a defiition or set of criteria to be a city.-- User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 21:23, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

"There is no definition of "city" which would claim Alta or Olderfjord are cities." Our article on Alta lists it as having 15,000 people. That and the photos in the article show that it is much more than "a hospital along the coastal route" as you described it. There are many cities in my state that have ~15,000 people and look a lot like those pictures. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 11:43, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

The population density of the municipality seems irrelevant to me. Alta (town) has 15000 people on 8 km². In a somewhat sparsely populated country, that could be considered a town. The concept of land that isn't part of a municipality is rare to non-existent in Europe, so the low population density of the municipality only indicates that the next town is far away.

English may make a threefold distinction between city, town and village (although it may not always have legal significance), but other languages may do this differently. These maps are automatically generated from government databases. What's not in the database, can't be used to generate the map and the database may not classify settlements as village or city when there's no legal difference.

Interestingly, my home country, far more densely populated than Norway, shows a lower density of towns on Google Earth. It may have something to do with a difference in the way how countries prepare these databases. PiusImpavidus (talk) 20:39, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

These measures are inconsistent across countries and across the world. Soldier, Kansas is a city with an area of 0.15 square miles. Its population is 102. That makes its population density 680 people per square mile. HiLo48 (talk) 23:54, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

Does the finding need to be done via a map? I'm just wondering if there's a database you could query to find all inhabited areas where the latitude is 66° 34' N or greater and where the population is greater than some number you decide to define city by. I assume Wikipedia itself could be queried in some way, though I have no idea how that could be done. Matt Deres (talk) 22:43, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

Probably not as those products are administered by american companies and the USA has a very loose definition of what a city is. It's much easier to look at the articles here about Cities in XXX and check out the handy maps showing which population centres are defined as a city by that country and which are north of the circle. E.g. -> List of cities in Sweden, List of towns and cities in Norway and List of cities and towns in Finland. Nanonic (talk) 17:53, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

The "answer" on Wikiedpia's reference desk was basically: We won't answer you because we want to be pedantic about the definition of the word "city."

The answer on Reddit was: Try openstreetmap. It places labels based on population density while Google and Bing attempt to distribute labels evenly, disregarding population density.

So, I used openstreetmap and found exactly what I was looking for. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 12:35, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

Openstreetmap appears quite random too, showing some smaller settlements whilst skipping larger settlements in the same area. It shows Vadsø in Finnmark well before Alta, although Alta is three times larger. PiusImpavidus (talk) 14:50, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

2016 electoral map

Hi. Is it possible to put this map on the 2016 presidential page? Many other past election pages have a map identical to this one. Thank you very much. https://gisgeography.com/us-election-2016-map/ 2.39.110.85 (talk) 21:43, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

Do you mean the article 2016 United States presidential election? This map has been in the article since November 8, 2016. Is there a reason to find it less satisfactory than the GISGeography map?  --Lambiam 12:45, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

No no, the official one is perfectly fine, it's not like it has to be replaced. But some elections like the 2000 election, (and not only it), has both the official one obviously, and the one in question in my request. But never mind, my request itself can be ignored. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.39.110.85 (talk) 13:32, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

It's not an unreasonable suggestion, and there's no reason it can't be considered, but the best place to propose and discuss is on the Talk page of the article itself, Talk:2016 United States presidential election, with those most interested in the subject.

Go there, click as indicated to start a new topic, make the suggestion much as you have here, with links and supporting arguments, and see what others think. If consensus to add it is reached, you or another participant can do so. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 151.227.145.123 (talk) 15:33, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

April 13

Embarrassing moments

banned user
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Embarrassing moments may or may not involve scandal - for example the royal baccarat scandal and the Camillagate scandal. To observers they may simply be funny. Asked in The Times of 4 April 2024 What is the funniest thing that has happened in your job? "Lord Banner of Keating" ["Keating" is the name of his chambers, not part of his title] replied: When the inspector at a highly contentious public inquiry with 400-plus members of the public in attendance forgot to turn off his lapel mic when visiting the loo in the first break. For me the accolade must go to the January 2016 Arbitration case involving Future Perfect at Sunrise and The Rambling Man: 15 January 2016 - Future Perfect at Sunrise, in a statement to the Arbitration Committee, claims: ...user's posting contained things like the claim I was blocked for "illegal activities in public lavatories" or something to that effect (the same banned person has repeatedly called me a self-declared sex worker elsewhere). 16 January 2016 - IP files evidence: Wow. How convenient (excuse the pun) that there is nothing to back the respondent's claim that he was accused of illegal activity. And can we have a diff for the allegation that he was accused of being a self-declared sex worker? The Rambling Man argues that Future Perfect at Sunrise should be put to proof of his claim ("Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"). Drmies (who was on the Arbitration Committee at the time) overrules him. The Rambling Man resigns his adminship in disgust. 27 March 2024 - The matter is raised on The Rambling Man's talk page. Drmies promptly disappears and doesn't surface for four days. He has not been away so long since mid-July 2018. On 3 July 2019 Drmies pings Zzuuzz to alert him that he is creating the page User talk:Li Hongzhi Having A Wa*k (no asterisks in original). On 25 June 2020 he warns an editor for "Disruptive editing on List of sex symbols". On the same day he is asked "Is it okay for you to put f*ck you in a block notice?" (no asterisks in original). Seven minutes later he calls the editor an "asshole". On 3 October he comments: "I think plenty fans already hate me; they'd be much happier on Wikia." On 21 May 2021 he tells a female Arbitrator she is a "Dude". On 17 April 2022 she tells him she will be travelling. He replies: "Exciting! Have you considered Mongolia?" This is the day after he writes: "To all administrators: please don't bully a new editor." Then on 23 April he comments: "I love it when editors take Wikipedia and its policies seriously but are also able to show their humanity and a spirit of collaboration." On 4 August he claims it takes 51 administrators and a steward to block one user and "protect our ideological bubble." On 7 November he tells an editor "Please stop screwing around" and blocks her. - posted by 92.29.75.188 15:13, 12 April 2024 What is the funniest thing that editors here have encountered? 92.25.128.239 (talk) 10:06, 13 April 2024 (UTC) Responders at this reference desk volunteer their time to help you find information or references that you need, but are not here to exchange personal anecdotes. Philvoids (talk) 10:37, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

April 15

Britannica

Does the Encyclopaedia Britannica use metric or imperial units first in its articles? As it prefers British spelling over American, does it also use metric units first in things that are measured in metric in the United Kingdom (such as temperatures)? --40bus (talk) 17:26, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

@40bus: It seems to be a mix [6] has 4,700 km (2,900 miles) but [7] has 52 °F (11 °C), with 42 °F (5.5 °C) and about 23 inches (585 mm) RudolfRed (talk) 19:42, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

Note that metrication has only been partially adopted in the UK. See Metrication in the United Kingdom. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:37, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

April 16

What happened to the guy at the beginning of this video?

[8]

Also, is the location really in Tennessee, and if so, where specifically? 142.117.133.114 (talk) 09:38, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

Here he was mud diving in the Netherlands and here in the UK. And here in New Zealand. Sadly, after he disappeared while mud diving in Tennessee, he was never heard of again. This should be a sobering lesson for all of us.  --Lambiam 19:20, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

“lakipadada” or “lakipadaja”

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.

---

Early Indonesians, particularly the Bugi people and Makassar people from Sulawesi, created navigational charts known as “lakipadada” or “lakipadaja”. These charts were made using various materials, including shells, wood, and bamboo, and they depicted ocean currents, wind patterns, and celestial navigation points. The intricate designs and detailed knowledge encoded in these charts facilitated navigation across the vast Indonesian archipelago. Do we have anything about these charts? ◅ Sebastian Helm 🗨 15:42, 16 April 2024 (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.

NCEI

Does the NCEI have any data in metric units? It seems that non-US climate data is reported in Fahrenheit. But the same data is also in KNMI Climate Explorer, and there in metric units. So, is there any data in metric units there? --40bus (talk) 16:54, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

If necessary, it is trivial to convert a data column from one unit to another. Because temperatures are often rounded to the nearest integer, being in Fahrenheit provides a little more precision than Celcius. But, that is not an argument to always use Fahrenheight. I am simply pointing out that being in Fahrenheight does not mean it is unusable data. As an example, you can use =(F1-32)/1.8 in Excel to get the value in F1 as Celcius. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.136.148.8 (talk) 18:25, 17 April 2024 (UTC)

Almost all non-US climate data is recorded by the respective nations it belongs to in Celsius. If an American agency is reporting that data in Fahrenheit, that agency must be doing a conversion itself. As the person who wrote the program to convert Australia's climate dta to Celsius back in the 1970s, I find that rather amusing. HiLo48 (talk) 00:19, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

April 18

GA electoral College, 2016 election

Hi. In 2016, the 16 Republican Electors, from the electoral College of Georgia, all voted for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. But how did the vote consist? How did the voters fill out their ballots? Thank you very much. 2.39.110.85 (talk) 12:31, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

The vote totals for each state can be seen at 2016 United States presidential election#Results by state. Side note: there is no "electoral College of Georgia". The electoral college is the collection of all electors from all the states (and DC). --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 13:04, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

April 19

Smoking on an airplane in the 1960s

Do we have to stop smoking during take-off and landing? -- Toytoy (talk) 01:09, 19 April 2024 (UTC)