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April 2

What's the correct password for the Underground Railroad?

I want to know the correct password for the Underground Railroad. I don't know if the password is "A Friend with Friends" as stated in the article or "A Friend of a Friend" as inserted by an anon editor (Possibly a vandal). Which one is the correct one? --Bruin rrss23 (talk) 01:41, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I have no idea, but "Friends" (plural, capitalized) means "Quakers" (early anti-slavery activists). AnonMoos 04:26, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Funnily enough, a question asked just above about the Five Families leads one to the La Cosa Nostra page, and thence to the Mafia page, where one reads that another name for the Mafia has been "amici degli amici" ("the friends of the friends"). Joe 22:07, 3 April 2006 (UTC)`

General schwartzcoffs father

Is Col. schwartzcoff's rank a result of his state trooper service or his, military service?

Have no idea, but some say he was involved in the Mossadegh incident...[1] AnonMoos 04:23, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

the title of colonel

I have noticed that many important leaders if fields as diverse as politics, bussiness and publishingt from the early 20th century, to about 1950 where refered to in the press as Colonel; where do these titles come from? Further more this tradition has stopped. Why is that leader who are colnoels are not addressed this way? For example both Lindsey Graham and John are colonels but their never addresses as such.

In many Southern states, "Colonel" is just a term of respect and has no further meaning. In fact, I knew people who were able to get Colonelcies from the Governor of Alabama just by writing and asking him to send them a certificate. User:Zoe|^(talk) 03:41, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

See Kentucky Colonel. AnonMoos 04:21, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

You might want to see this page.--Brendenhull 21:54, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

military officers in paliament

Are than any former Colonels or generals (or their naval or air force equivalents) currently sitting in the British house of commons?

Generals in politics

In the U.S. military who is oldest active(or semiactive)General or Flag officer? Who is the youngest? Are their any general who are under 45, or over 70?

Age of Generals

During the Civil war, most of the Generals where, young in early forties; though their where a handfull of elderly generals. During WWII most of the most powerfull generals where well into 50's and usually well into their 60's, older they are now, why the change?

A simple answer would probably people live longer now. schyler 03:45, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

During the U.S. Civil War, there was only a very tiny standing army of permanent "regulars" (pre-war professional soldiers), and number of these defected to the South, while many of the rest remained in the west, keeping an eye on the Indians from remote forts. So naturally many officers of all ranks were drawn from outside the structure of the regular army, and when some became generals, it was usually for reasons other than seniority. AnonMoos 04:17, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

It's pretty complicated, really. Both armies were a mix of patronage officers and professional officers. For example, a highly educated person from the upper classes would, upon volunteering, be an officer, despite lack of military experience (or even leadership, in some cases). However, the military academies, both the official and state ones, had been turning out career officers as well. The US had not had a standing army, it's true, for very long, but it had in effect had one since the Mexican War. Most of the brigadier generals on both sides had served in the Mexican War, many with each other. Lee, Grant, Sherman, McClellan, Hooker, Burnside, and Jackson had been professionally trained and served prior to the war, but they were youngish men. These days, of course, the standing army is enormous (largest in the world, exclusive of China) in the US, and officers are no longer made by patronage (unless you count ROTC), so generals have to be promoted to the position (although they still could be directly appointed), and the internal requirements of the branches of the military mean that it takes a fairly long time. Nevertheless, it's incorrect to say that all generals now are elderly. Colin Powell was hardly old when he became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Geogre 15:54, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

George Custer, depsite having graduated last in his class at West Point, was made a brevet (temporary) Brigadier General at the age of 23 in 1863. User:Zoe|^(talk) 19:07, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

It's interesting (to me) to note that George Washington was a babe of 43 when appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the outset of the American Revolutionary War in 1775. Most Americans visualize him as the old guy with the white hair on the dollar bill, but that's Washington two decades later.--Kevin Myers | (complaint dept.) 16:25, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

military rank

What does this mean? Are people who have apparlently left the military still considered to hold their military rank?

Retired members of the United States military are often referred to by their rank, for example in print they would be, "Maj. John Q. Doe, retired". Dismas|^(talk) 04:03, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

And of course, some are still in the Individual Ready Reserve, and don't even know it... ;-) AnonMoos 04:11, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

In normal British practise, only people of the rank of Major and above keep their rank with "(rtd.)" after their name. Captain Mark Phillips was an exception, but only because he was the Queen's son-in-law. -- Arwel (talk) 02:15, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Wait - what about Captain Peacock! Rmhermen 00:25, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Australia's Governor-General is Major-General Michael Jeffery (Retd). He retired from active service in 1993. JackofOz 02:27, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Note that in the Southern states in the US, it has long been the practice to refer to people by their former military rank, typically without the addition of the word "retired". In the rest of the states, however, the "retired" is included (if their former military rank is even mentioned). StuRat 20:48, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Presidental monogamy

What U.S. Presidents are belived to have had any sex outside of marriage (either before during or after their marriage)?

Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy come to mind. schyler 03:46, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

If you ask Bill Clinton, he may respond with a question of his own about whether oral sex is the same as your definition of "sex". Dismas|^(talk) 04:24, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

ISTR that one of the early 20th century ones (can't remember which - Teddy Roosevelt? Woodrow Wilson?) fathered a child out of wedlock and it caused a huge scandal during his campaign. Anyone else remember enough to provide details?

Grutness...wha? 08:31, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Grover Cleavland was reputed to have fathered an illegitimate child. His opponent's slogan was "Ma! Ma! Where's my Pa? Gone to the White House, Ha ha ha!" Not as short as "Whip Inflation Now" or as pithy as "SoreLoserman", but the bumper sticker lobby was much smaller back then...Brian Schlosser42 19:04, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Reagan, Eisenhower and Franklin D Roosevelt belong on the list. I don't know if Reagan was unfaithful to either of his 2 wives, but they certainly weren't the only women he ever slept with. Ike's and FDR's affairs are well documented. As is Eleanor Roosevelt's long-running lesbian affair. JackofOz 08:51, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Given the high-testosterone nature of high-level politics, my guess is that the vast majority of presidents had sex before and/or outside marriage. One can think of individuals who might not have, but I dont know who (for example, the idea that the current resident of the White House was a virgin before he married Laura is pretty unlikely, given his fondness for exuberant entertainment in his youth.) Anyway, the out-of-wedlock one was Grover Cleveland. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 15:23, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Don't forget Warren G. Harding. User:Zoe|^(talk) 19:10, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

"Then Senator Warren Harding's political career was almost derailed when he was caught with an underage girl in a New York hotel. He managed to avoid a scandal by paying the hotel detective $1000. Always one to learn from his mistakes, President Harding later conducted all his affairs with underaged girls in a White House closet, guarded by two secret service men." StuRat 20:42, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Presidental occupations

How do like my classifications? TR Roosevelt: Public offical Harry Truman: Farmer LBJ: Public offical

Not much. --Halcatalyst 03:54, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

"Public offical" sounds like a kind of public receptacle for condemned or unwanted offal. Pretty distasteful. Not quite as bad as some presidents, but pretty bad. (wink*) JackofOz 08:44, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Character assasination by conspiracy theory

It seems that conspiracy theories are often used as a way to assassinated the character of a political opponent. For example the JFK assasination is generally used to spare Cuban emirge population, and conservative political leaders (including the relativly mainstream Richard Nixon) With Lindberg Kidknapping cospiracy theorists believe the Lindberg either killed is child or coveredup his childs murder by a family member. Even though their might be some grounds questioning Hautmans involvement, their is no evidence that points to lindberg. It seems that people defaming him because they don't like his conduct before the war.

And your question is...? --Halcatalyst 03:53, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

It appears to be "Don't you agree?" One of my forgotten laws is "Wikipedia is not a venue for negotiating ultimate truth or announcing private revelations." Geogre 13:40, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

essay help

hey

i need to write an essay on the topic 'charity begins at home' im in class 8 .the problem is im running out of ideas because i need a big essay aropund 700 words . your help will be appreciated by me in other words please help me.

There are a lot of ways to leangthen your essay and not having to do a whole lot of extra work.

1. No conjunctions. Leangthen with do not instead of don't, I am instead of I'm, etc.
2. Animal names? Look up its trinomial name and write that in there.
3. Go of on some random subject that has a remote tie to your project and just write. With that kind of essay prompt, I'm guessing the teacher is like my Biology teacher and will think it's "Good Research" if you talk about something forever.

I'm sure you will need more help, these are just the main tactics I employ. Try visiting this site. It'll give many more ideas. schyler 13:20, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

You might see our page on charity as well as the Category:Charities. Obviously, no one can write an essay for you. "Charity begins at home" usually means its best to take care of poverty and other problems literally in one's own home, or at least close community, before sending donations farther afield. Thus you might think, "if someone I knew wanted to donate time or money to a problem, what problems are nearby that they should focus on first?" Marskell 13:22, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if we have an article on Guns and Butter, but we should have one on foreign aid for whichever nation the questioner is from. The slogan "charity begins at home" is often used as an anti-aid point. Needless to say, few professionals agree that foreign aid is either charity nor unrelated to the home/donor state. It's a subject that, honestly, invites such polemics that one wonders what the point of the assignment might be. Geogre 15:58, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

You could also think of it in terms of local economy. I mean this in terms of the economic practices talked about by Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. late in his life, where it's best to purchase things that were produced as locally as possible and are sold buy stores that are owned as locally as possible, the idea being that if the capital stays in the community then the community's economy will improve and this will have a positive effect on everyone in the community and the influence will pervade into the surrounding economies and so forth. This would be a perfect tangent to go off on. -LambaJan 03:05, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Keeping the money at home is not a new idea. See The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, published in 1776. StuRat 19:59, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Comparison between Vietnam War and Iraqi War?

Good Afternoon,

I am writing for my US History course and am looking for some information on the above mentioned topic. Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Pamela

You could just look at the articles for Iraq War and Vietnam War. Isopropyl 18:44, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

They have approximately the same distance to Delhi. Other than that... from a military perspective there's plenty of similarities relating to assymetric warfare. On the political side - I'm not so sure the reasons for the war are comparable - in any case it would be speculative at best. Gardar Rurak 02:06, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Historical political world maps

Is there a resource where I could look up the political world map as of certain age? --tyomitch 18:37, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried ancient world maps? I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for. Isopropyl 18:45, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

There are about ten thousand historical atlases available. You can find them on Amazon or in your nearest library. Henry^Flower 19:53, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I meant an online resource. And I wanted something not as ancient as ancient world maps; I don't think that even the concept of political map was present back then. I'm looking for maps that are, say, one or two centuries old. --tyomitch 22:10, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

You might want to start with Category:Historical maps. Thuresson 23:34, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

This is splendid. Thanks! --tyomitch 07:06, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

American Law Schools

The article Law school notes that many states require applicants for the bar exam to have a degree from an American Bar Association-approved school. A guide I have seen from a few years ago says there are 187 ABA approved schools in America. Could anyone tell me the current number? How many law schools lack their approval? And does any state besides California let non-approved school's graduates take the bar exam? PedanticallySpeaking 18:59, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Ask the ABA http://www.abanet.org/legaled/approvedlawschools/approved.html. Looks like 192 or 193, depending on what you count. Ande B 23:12, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

"Did you hear about the alcoholic law student ? No matter how hard he tried, he could never seem to pass the bar." StuRat 19:49, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

The Islamic Conquests...

I was just wondering what the cause of the Islamic Conquests were? Why was an empire created during and after the death of Mohammed and why was it militaristic and expansionist? Islamic Conquests

See Islamic conquests, Muhammad as a warrior and Jihad. Thuresson 23:31, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Nearly all of the territorial expansion of Islam was accomplished by conquest and threat of death. Some might say, based on history and the daily news, that the empire was militaristic and expansionistic because Islam teaches that Allah favors the killing of those who resist their bloody concept of god and religion. Dalembert 11:26, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

But then again, pretty much all conquests, especially religiously based ones, are violent. Look at the Crusades for example, or the conquest of the Americas (especially by the Spanish). StuRat 19:41, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

As is the case with most cultural and militaristic expansions throughout history it largely depends on 1) The presence of an economical (food, people) surplus in the society 2) Military or technological superiority making it possible to successfully translate the surplus into conquest. If these two things are present the civilization will more likely than not expand once they realize that they can in fact do so – the Romans, the Vikings, the Huns and the Mongols are examples thereof. This is why some civilizations suddenly expand wildly and at other times remain relatively passive for centuries – it’s largely expansion because 1) I can 2) It’s profitable. The question is really what creates the surplus in the first place – sometimes it’s a leader, sometimes it’s new technology and at other times it’s a boom in the economy due to i.e. new trade routes, new resources etc.

In the case of Islam, when Mohammad united the Arabic tribes under the common goal (of Islam) much of the previous inter-tribal wars stopped (thus releasing a potential surplus) and focus were instead directed outwards. Due to a relatively high level of development combined with a powerful and experienced military the (mostly) unified Arabic tribes were capable of conquering vast areas over their less organized neighbors. It should be added that an expansion of this nature, at this speed, is unparalleled for this time. It went fast!. It was, however, not unique. Gardar Rurak 02:01, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Canadian Lit

Does multiculturalism have big role in defining modern Canadian literature? Their are essentially two genres of literature, French canadian literature and English Canadian literature.

Absolutely multiculturalism plays a role in CanLit. Our so-so page on the topic, Canadian Literature, doesn't go into at great length but you might see Michael Ondaatje and Yann Martel, amongst others. Of course, there is always something fraught about contextualizing an author born outside the country where their career blooms. I remember a quote in the New Yorker: "Ondaatje is a Sri Lankan writer who has lived in Canada for forty years." A rather odd statement I thought--if you're not of a place after forty years in it, then I don't see that you can ever be. I think it was Mordecai Richler who said Canada was like a giant hotel room... Marskell 13:52, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Food/Recipe from Northern Mariana Islands

Greetings. Our Nutrition teacher wanted us to find recipes for various countries. My objective is Northern Mariana Islands. From the wiki page I got the history and other information but three recipes are still needed (and I have to make food from one recipe...). Does anyone know a good recipe? or direct me to a page where i can find them?

thank you.

--Kgptzac 22:08, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I thought this would be easy, since Google turned up as first entry a site called "recipeland" saying it supplied recipes from around the world and had an entry to North Marianas. Guess what - it turned out to be a Wikipedia clone article with no recipe information in it at all. Sometimes I hate mirroring. DJ Clayworth 14:32, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

NMI is a Commonwealth, not a country. However, search for "Chamorro recipes" and you should find some of the food native to CNMI. If that helped, you do have to cite Wikipedia now. Esquizombi 23:04, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Now you just need to find a supermarket that carries breadfruit, achiote seeds and parrotfish! Rmhermen 00:21, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Some Commonwealths are countries. The Commonwealth of Australia, for example. JackofOz 00:47, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

probation

I would like to know what rights the people of California who are given summary probation have?––209.142.12.122

• That's one to ask a lawyer. But it's more what they lose -- the idea is that they can be conveniently rearrested and have their paroles revoked if they don't behave. The language is nicely archaic: parole can be revoked if the judge feels the person "has become abandoned to improper associates or a vicious life". --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 00:23, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

April 3

Polio Vaccine Effects

What effects did the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk have on Society?

I can't seem to find any specific statistics on what the vaccine did to the "numbers." After the Vaccine was used on most of the children in America did the mortality rate from it drop? or Did the number of the people who contracted it just fall??

Any Help with this would be really appreciated.

kd7jit (Jason H.)

See Jonas Salk; there was a very dramatic drop in cases within a couple of years of the vaccination becoming widely available. Unfortunately, the statistics in that article are unreferenced. --Robert Merkel 05:18, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

The polio article has some sourced numbers - but only since 1988 and it can't compare the two vaccines. Rmhermen 17:10, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Thank You for all of your help. I managed find some things. Took a while though :(

In relation to this any Idea why there are so many conspiracy theories on the Polio Vaccine?

Once again any help here would be really appreciated. --Kd7jit 18:42, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

There will be lots of conspiracy theories on anything as widespread as polio vaccines. By contrast, it would be difficult to get people concerned about a conspiracy in some treatment of a disease that only 1 in a million people get, since it wouldn't directly effect them. StuRat 19:34, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Thank You that makes a lot of sence.

What would I do with out Wikipedia?

Kd7jit 21:04, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

• Try looking to the Center for Disease Control for this type of epidemiological information. They have a page devoted to polio. http://www.cdc.gov/doc.do/id/0900f3ec802286ba Ande B

Irish military history

During the joint monarchy era, when Ireland was technically a seperate kingdom, did Ireland have at least skelton of standing army seperate from the British Army?

Ireland didn't become a de jure republic until 1949, if memory serves, so yes. The British Army split from the Irish Army in 1922, with five of the (eight?) Irish infantry regiments being disbanded that year (admittedly shortly before the Free State was established).

According to Irish Army it was cut down to about one division after the end of the unrest in 1923 or so, and according to [2] it was down to 6-8000 regulars in September 1939, and then became much larger during the War (unsurprisingly). It was a somewhat sketchy and badly-equipped force compared to the major nations of the time, which for a small neutral nation is unsurprising, but it was certainly more than "skeleton" - there were two decent brigades there before mobilisation. Shimgray | talk | 22:43, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Yeats Poetry

How can "Easter 1916" be viewed from a post colonialist perspective?

That's very homework-ish. Which post-colonialism? I suppose you can read the article on Edward Said, but you've probably been given lecture notes or readings from the post-colonial thinkers you should employ when formulating the answer. Geogre 10:49, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Reading Irish Free State may give you the background you need; then reflect on the lines

I write it out in a verse -

MacDonagh and MacBride

And Connolly and Pearse...

--Halcatalyst 04:16, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

What makes a country industrialized?

By industrialized, we ususally mean that a country has industry, meaning factories, power plants, and other infrastructure. Did European countries quit being industrialized after the destruction of World War II? And why don't we call China, a place with tons of factories, industrialized? Captain Jackson 05:08, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

There are no 'rules' about what we call industrialized, but I'm pretty certain we wouldn't have stopped calling Western Europe industrialised after WWII. While the destruction of industry was enormous, it wasn't total. As for the second, what makes you think China isn't called industrialised? DJ Clayworth 14:28, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I would say the proportion of factory workers to farmers would be the best indicator of the level of industrialization of a country, not the absolute number, which, of course, goes up in an overpopulated country like China. However, as we are now entering the post-industrial/information age, we are beginning to see the deindustrialization of many former industrial giants, like the US. So, using "industrialized" as a synonym for "developed" no longer really works. StuRat 19:26, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Who said: "There is not the smallest fact..."

I heard a quotation that I have remembered so incompletely that I am unable to find it in any database.

The meaning is roughly

"There is not the smallest fact that I would rather know than not know, even to the .. "

and then there's a bit about a wine jug (I think).

The problem is that I can recollect the meaning rather than the actual words. i.e. "smallest" may in fact be "least significant" etc.

213.104.11.15

-- Charles McLachlan

journalism

Who coined the term "said here today journalism"?Iwould like to know more about this as i am a journalist student working on my thesis. please, please I need answers and a Big THANK YOU in advance.

• I've never heard this term and couldn't find it in use; where is it used? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 21:32, 3 April 2006 (UTC)
• google was no help whatsoever (only three hits, and none of the listed pages actually used the term). As a part-time journalist I've never encountered the term, either. FWIW there's an interesting Harpers article here that may be of some use, even though it doesn't address the phrase directly. Grutness...wha? 01:41, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Swift Boat Veterans

I understand that this group was formed by a PR firm. If true, please give me the name of the firm and who hired them.

Thank you

Natalie Dunn — Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.163.100.72 (talk • contribs) 14:41, 3 April 2006 UTC (UTC)

%< email address snipped %<

A search for Swift Boat will find you what you need. --Hughcharlesparker 15:45, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Our article is at Swift Vets and POWs for Truth. (The group changed its name after initially becoming well known as SBVT.) JamesMLane t c 11:13, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Oliver Twist

In the Oliver Twist topic, which summarizes the novel by Dickens, the article sites Oliver's birth year as 1797. That would make the main part of the story, after his birth, take place in the year 1806. In fact the whole of the story, from when Oliver is 9 to when he's 12, take place before 1810.

The story is about Dicken's opinion of the Poor Laws, which were implimented in 1834. The book was published around 1838, when the Poor Laws were in full swing. How could Oliver be born and come to the age of nine years 25 years before the subject of the Poor Laws, which is what the book is about?

I'm thinking that whoever wrote this article has the fact of Oliver's birth year wrong. Otherwise, I'm willing to be proven wrong, if the writer of the article can site the source. I've searched the text on-line and have found no references such as 1797.

Regards,

Christina

1797 sounds early to me, too. Please post your query at talk:Oliver Twist, though. One hopes that the author of the fact will see the question and offer up the citational proof. Geogre 20:44, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Dewey Decimal System: Table of Last Resort

The OCLC's introduction to the DDC gives, on p. 10, the "table of last resort." But the example they provide doesn't make much sense to me. I would think that surveillance by border patrols is a kind (#1) of patrol and surveillance, but only a process (#4) of border patrols, and so 363.232 is the right number. And I have no idea where "police services" comes into play. --zenohockey 17:48, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

In practical terms, for what it's worth, I'd ignore that table completely - by the time you get to several equally good numbers, it's more practical just to go with your gut, or with what you have most of in the collection (or the traditional "hand it to someone else and ask 'Is this book about X or Y?'")

Here, what I think they mean is that [border patrols] are a particular kind of (physical) thing, but that [surveillance] is an (abstract) process. You class it with the noun, not the verb; if we had a book on "Swimming chickens", we'd class it with "chickens, doing things" not "things which are swimming". Does that make any sense? Shimgray | talk | 22:28, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

April 4

Translation of a page I found on JA wikipedia

HI,

I found what looked like a very useful listing on Kunasiri Island on your JA site - http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%BD%E5%BE%8C%E5%B3%B6 . My Japanese is insuffienct to read the page and the babelfish translation is pretty close to useless so I was wondering if at some stage an Enlgish version of the page on Kunasiri Island is likley to be uploaded on to the English language site at all?

Thanks and regards

Glynne MacLean

Probably one will eventually, but you've got to remember that this is all a volunteer project - there's no organisation saying "write articles on these things now", so there's no schedule for new articles. You can always request that an article is written (or the Japanese one is translated onto the English Wikipedia) by going to Wikipedia:Requested articles and following the instructions there. Grutness...wha? 05:07, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

You could also ask for help on the Chatsubo for non-Japanese speakers. David Sneek 06:46, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

You could also use Wikipedia:Translation into English/Japanese to ask for help from the translation team. --Hughcharlesparker 09:51, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

There's already an English article, see Kunashir Island. Eivind^t@c 02:31, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Miss Washington D.C.?

I was recently watching the final rounds of the Miss America Paegent when I saw that Miss Washington D.C. advanced. Looking at our article on Washington D.C. and doing a little Googling, I pretty much gathered that Washington D.C. is a city with its own city government, although the federal government hold ultimate power. To get to my question: Is washington D.C. a city (I'm quite sure)? And if so, why is there a Miss Washington D.C. in the Miss America paegent? Shouldn't she just have advanced to the Miss Viginia or Miss Maryland competition? Thank you for clearing this up for me. schyler 02:35, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, is not a part of any state, nor is it an independent city, since Congress has a major say in its operations as the District of Columbia. The people have no representatives in Congress (although there is a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives). So Washington DC in a way stands apart from the rest of the United States. The Miss America contest, put on by a private body, originates in state contests. The very first winner (1921) was from Washington DC, indicating that the district was represented from the start. --Halcatalyst 03:02, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes, Washington is a city, but it's not part of Maryland or Virginia. It wouldn't be fair to leave DC out of the Miss America pageant, so there are 51 contestants. -- Mwalcoff 04:50, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

True - it's perfectly OK for them not to have government representatives, but they gotta have a Miss USA contestant :) Grutness...wha? 05:18, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, titillation without representation might make for bad PR on their license plates. Best to head that one off before it begins. — Lomn Talk 13:32, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Washington is a city, and the District of Columbia is similar to the territories which most US states were prior to admission to the Union.

Note that the reason why DC is not a state is because it's vote in Congress, combined with it's influence over government workers who live there, was thought to combine to be an undo influence on the Federal Government. Note that in Canada, where Ottawa is in Ontario, not in a separate non-voting district, there are complaints that Ontario has an undo influence over the Federal Government. The western provinces, Atlantic provinces, and Quebec all seem to resent this influence. This, along with French resentment of the English, has led to the formation of the Bloc Québécois, a party in favor of Quebec independence. StuRat 19:14, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

The reason Ontario is perceived as having so much influence is not because the capital city is in the province. It's because Ontario has one-third of the country's population, 40% of GDP, the biggest city and most of the major corporations. In the previous parliament, 75 of the governing party's 135 House members were from Ontario. If the capital were to be relocated to Charlottetown, no one would complain about the power and influence of Prince Edward Island. -- Mwalcoff 23:06, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Art in Jerusalem between 11th and 13th centuries

I'm having difficulty finding images about Medieval art in Jerusalem, both Islamic and Christian, that also has a summary of the image, like basic background information and possibly some analysis of the piece. Any kind of art in this area would be very much appreciated. thanks

For some of this time, Jerusalem was the capital of the crusader kingdom, so there is a lot of crusader art from this period. Two examples that you can find on Wikipedia might be the Melisende Psalter, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (which in its present form is largely the church rebuilt by the crusaders). But I would also highly recommend books by Jaroslav Folda, who writes about art from this period (both Christian and Islamic). Adam Bishop 02:14, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Yazd: Towers of Silence

Hi.I just want to know the date that "Towers of silence in yazd" have been built and also I want to know what they have been made of. I will be thankful if you give me answer to these questions. sincerly yours Mercy-mgh 2006/4/4

we have a Towers of Silence article, but it doesn't give dates... --WhiteDragon 16:24, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Underground band

hi guys. despite my best efforts, i am unable to find an article i once read about a highly influential band from the 60s/70s or about that time. to best summarise the introduction:

"though they weren't as commercially successful as their peers the beachboys beatles and rolling stones (etc) due to the fact that they neglected to extensively market their music, they are nevertheless regarded as one of the most important and influential rock bands of all time".

i find the possibility of an underground band that shares the influence of the beatles but choosing to turn their backs on commercialism intriguing. does anybody have a good memory to help me out? did this introduction get edited out or something? i would really appreciate help

thanks dabanhfreak

Maybe I'm being led astray by your use of "underground" in the question, but was it The Velvet Underground? The intro currently has the shorter and less OTT "Though never commercially successful, The Velvet Underground remains one of the most influential bands of their time". (OTOH looking at the history, it's always said that, so maybe not.) --Bth 09:27, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

The Velvets actually were that influential though. A popular saying explaining their influence is "while they didn't sell many albums, everyone who bought one started a band." Some bands commonly credited as being influenced by them are Joy Division, Sonic Youth, The Strokes. I'd take Franz Ferdinand as a recent example. --BluePlatypus 11:01, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

They were an enormous influence, particularly on bands in the early to mid 1980s - and, indirectly at least, on the many bands influenced by those bands since. The most obvious influence was probably on people like The Jesus and Mary Chain, but the list that Blue Platypus gives is a good one. In fact, Scottish band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions released a song ("Andy's Babies") which was basically a mild attack on people wanting to copy the Velvets rather than do something original. Grutness...wha? 13:44, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

The problem is that there are far too many candidates for your question. It could be any one of a dozen, at least, from The Soft Machine to The Pretty Things to The Fugs to Moby Grape to 13th Floor Elevators to...well, a bunch of folks. There were quite a few who didn't market but did end up influencing others. Go just a bit later, and you get Big Star, one of the most influential unheard bands of the 1970's. So, unless you can narrow the genre or give us more information, I'm not sure anyone can answer your question except through guessing. Geogre 13:46, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

...there are many bands that this description could fit. To Geogre's list from the late 60s - early 70s you can add The New York Dolls and The Stooges. In the late 70s there were bands like The Soft Boys. But the description probably still best suits the Velvet Underground overall. Grutness...wha? 07:42, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Height of Acropolis in Athens

I would like to know the height of the actual acropolis itself. I would like to know the height of the slope as opposed to its height above sea level217.196.239.189 09:42, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, the elevation of the acropolis is 150m above sea level and that of Athens itself is 70m so for a first approximation I'd say 80m, but then that depends on the foot of the slope being at the average elevation of the whole of Athens, which seems unlikely. I'm not finding anything useful from Google, but perhaps I'm just using the wrong phrases. --Bth 11:13, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Human Rights Organisation ,UK, Intellectuals, university

I would like to know what human rights organisations there are in the United Kingdom that would be friendly to intellectuals, ir cover topics like "persecution of intellectuals". Or such Human Rights Organisations that are not in the UK bit deal with or cover the UK as well. If none exist, are there groups, parhaps connected to a university that support the general rules of human rights law specifically as tailored to advanced concepts or intellectuals. There should then be more than just the physical aspect with which people are so obsessed

My email is mohinihersom AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk

Please reply, Thanks!!!!!

Don't give your email like that! You might get extra spam as a result, so I've disguised it - Adrian Pingstone 12:13, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Can you give some specifics? As you point out, UK law now enshrines various human rights explicitly thanks to the incorporation of the relevant bits of European law so the legal system itself should be on the side of the person in question if their rights really are being violated. Universities themselves have various appeals procedures which tend to ultimately include a right of appeal to the "Visitor", who in some cases is as distinguished a personage as the local bishop or a member of the royal family, and taking it to court before that process had been exhausted probably wouldn't be the best idea.

As to organisations, Amnesty International UK should be interested in principle; although their main focus is on torture and arms control and detention without trial and all that jazz, they're an umbrella human rights body. If the "persecution" is for some specific belief, say, it might be worth seeing if there's an organisation of people with that belief that would be interested in taking up the cause (eg if the intellectual is being persecuted for being a Muslim, then the Muslim Council of Britain might be a good choice).

Of course, in some cases it may be that the intellectual in question has gone off the rails and the perceived "persecution" is just perfectly legitimate criticism. (Bearing in mind the enduring popularity of whining about oppression among Creationists and other pathological scientists.) --Bth 12:26, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Name and/or author of a classical music piece

I'm trying to remember the name of a piece of music my father played for me when I was a kid in the early 80's. It was symphonic in the sense that the whole song was "glued" together by a full symphony orchestra, but the piece consisted primarily of a wide ranging and eclectic group of recordings. So for instance, there are lines spoken by Franklin Roosevelt & Adolph Hitler, fire engines, "striptease" music, an atom bomb, and the entire piece was bookended by a group of men reciting the Lord's Prayer, among much else.

I love Wikipedia already, but if someone knows this song, I will bow down in abject humility and be eternally devoted to the Wiki cause.

Thanks,

- Jeff Los Angeles, CA

I don't know the particular piece but it sure sounds like something John Cage would do. —Keenan Pepper 13:05, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

A google search on "found sound" or "found recording" might turn something up (those are the terms usually used for the items used in such montages. Our article on Found art (which "found sound" redirects to) suggests that other than Cage, Nicolas Collins and The Books have used such techniques. Grutness...wha? 14:00, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

I am writing about the subject heading "L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets." This designation refers to a specific literary journal where many of these poets published; however the group of writers existed prior to the magazine, and many of the writers do not wish to be referred to by the magazine's name. The proper term should be "Language poets" or "Language writing" or "Language school of poetry."

I do not see how to change the heading of a subject. Can you help?

(email removed to prevent spam)

The question is not their preference, but rather the most common naming. We put discussions under their most common and most logical name slot and then create redirects at other common nominal locations. The article was written primarily by one of the Lanugage poets, incidentally, who prefers to keep his real life identity anonymous. For my part, I consider "Language poet" more common than "L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets," but, so long as a redirect exists, the results are the same, and the subject's preference is somewhat irrelevant. Geogre 19:10, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

To notify companies or not?

Hello there!

Please be kind to me as this is my first endeavor at this. I just want to ask something in a general way. I guess I am looking for a certain sense of direction or a certain feel for the situation, so to speak. My lovely wife of 20 years, just passed away about 3-4 weeks ago and I am left to tend to matters which she did all by herself. I am trying to do the best that I can by sorting through things so I have somewhat of an idea of what I have. I noticed the other day I had asked for itemized hospital and clinic bills to make sure bills are being paid. When I finally got around to looking at them, I noticed irregularities. For example, a certain medication given to my wife only once a week at a very specific time, was listed on one of the itemized bills.It was listed on a day I know for a fact that she did not receive it because she was on a 1-2 day pass with me at home! The oral pill costs around 150.00 dollars. I noticed on other occasions medication listed as being given, was in fact more than what she really received. I know because I was with her constantly and I know her medication. For example, any tablet that has LA or XR in it's name, you only receive one of these in a 24 hour period, not the 2-4 tablets listed. We would have major complcations then. My last example is this; my wife was receiving physical therapy from a licensed professional one day. She was having difficulty walking because a tiny hip muscle was constantly in spasms. The therapist gave us this velcro belt and should us how to put it on and to see if this would help the walking. It helped a great deal from before, but was not perfect. She wanted us to take the belt home and use it. I said no, I cannot pay for it. She said that there was no charge and they give these belts to people all the time, free of charge. I took the belt only because there was no charge and it made my wife happy. I looked on the bill for this day after I noticed the other irregularities, and here we or the insurance company was billed 300 dollars. My concern is this; I know morally(difference between right and wrong), I should speak up and not let them do this or get away with this. I am having a hard time doing that because ethically(what ought I do?- I ought to do the right thing) is getting in my way. I might add that my wife has my private insurance carrier as the primary and Medicare as the secondary carrier, and all the bills have been paid so all the balances are at zero dollars. I am not doing this for dollars. Maybe peace of mind? Maybe it is the principle of the matter, I don't know. I am not taking this personal, I am not being harmed or wounded by this. It just makes me mad things like this happen and I want to do something about it. Do I pursue this? Do I let it go? Do I not try to fix it? Am I making too much of a big deal with all this? I don't know. I am so confused and I don't know what to do or say, if anything. Any light you can shed on this matter, would be appreciated. Thank you for your time. Patrick ---71.209.111.137

I would say to do whatever makes you feel best. Insurance fraud by hospitals and clinics is widespread throughout the US, because nobody ever seems to go to jail for it, they just pay back the fraudulent claims when caught, then submit even more fraudulent claims to make up for the loss. If everybody followed up on all fraudulent claims, we could reduce them, but nothing will end them until they start jailing CEOs of health care agencies which routinely submit such fraudulent bills. So, if it makes you feel better about it, please do pursue them. You might find an amazing lack of gratitude at the insurance companies and Medicare, though, as their workers don't care about the bottom line and are just angry that you disturbed them. StuRat 20:16, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

All of us will have to pay for fraudulent claims. I'd suggest that you contact your insurance company and tell them that you have doubts about the hospital bills. Any decent insurance company clerk will give you a discount if you find that mistakes have been made. Thuresson 20:37, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

The inefficiency and errors are unfortunately not rare. If the people who gave or listed each item got paid based on them you would be right in suspecting intentional dishonesty or fraud. Instead, you are seeing the inefficiencies of our insurance-based healthcare system. Absent from the bills are the things given to and done for your wife that were not billed because of similar inefficiencies. No insurance clerk is likely to thank you for pursuing this, but do what you feel you need to. However, of all the parties with a financial stake in American health care, including patients, doctors, hospitals, Medicare and Medicaid programs, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies, only the last two consistently make large profits, and all of the others scramble to use money from an adequately reimbursed service to pay for the inadequately reimbursed services. If you want plenty of examples of egregious cheating of health care providers or patients by insurance companies to balance your story, many of us can supply them. The trillion dollar question is of course whether we should convert the entire American healthcare system to something like Medicare. Would that save us or destroy us entirely? alteripse 22:10, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

My condolences on your loss. It's too bad that you have to deal with the details of the hospital bills at a time like this. You might benefit by getting some help, especially from someone who's more familiar with the specifics of this sort of thing. (For example, I myself once had a prescription for more than one pill a day of an extended-release (XR) medication. Another example: The billing for a med on the day your wife was home with you could be fraud, or it could be an innocent foulup, or it could be that she was given the med a day or two earlier but the billing date is the day someone in Accounting got around to punching it into the computer.) Many social workers are experienced in things like this. Your doctor's office or the physical therapist might be able to give you a referral to a social worker who could help you. JamesMLane t c 07:32, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Up to you of course but I would pursue it (if I didn't have the NHS) simply because it looks like they're trying to rip off someone (insurer or whoever pays the bills) & are relying on you being too grief stricken to go through the bills or too apathetic to complain. Basically I take the view if you see something thats wrong the least you should do is bring it to the attention of the people whose responsibility it is (& those who'll have to pay the price of it). After all what's it going to cost you? AllanHainey 12:16, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

• I'm sorry to hear of your loss. I have found similar errors on medical bills to insurers for myself (only rarely) and for elderly relatives. The insurance companies were quite thankful for the heads up. Often, these errors result from a simple entry error or poor record keeping, not because of deliberate fraud. Your notification about such errors will reduce costs to others and may help the institution to develop more occurate reporting protocols. Just my two cents. Ande B 23:04, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Kraftwerk

Hello. I haven't heard any Kraftwerk and I'm looking to buy some through itunes. Could anyone suggest any songs I should make sure to include? I don't want to buy too many until I know if I like them.

Thanks. 88.144.9.204 20:35, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

All of them. For a beginner, I'd suggest any song from Electric Café. Thuresson 20:41, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Starting with Electric Café? Are you on crack? The only way to truly appreciate Kraftwerk is to start with either The Man Machine or Trans-Europe Express. Oh, and I predict once enough people have answered this question, there will be at least one answer for each Karftwerk album saying how it's the only one suitable for a beginning listener :P

A bit more seriously, I recommend the two above albums because they contain pretty much all their better-known songs (like The Robots and The Model). And if at all possible, I'd recommend looking for the German versions of these songs. -- Ferkelparade π 21:13, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Anything from "Autobahn" up to and including "Computer World" is generally considered to be their best. But I second that Man Machine would probably be the most accessible. --BluePlatypus 22:09, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

The All Music Guide is a popular website for rock music. It's at www.allmusic.com. They list discographies and put stars next to the albums that represent the group's most pivotal, influential, or identifiable records, and their articles list the songs that achieve chart or critical success. There are any number of other review sites, but All Music seems to be one of the best, and they might prove a useful guide. Geogre 21:08, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Seeking Truth In Life.

Having experienced numerous setbacks and conflicts in my life, I ask respectfully: Is there "Truth In Life" that will transcend these devastating experiences. Thank you for any assistance.

The reference desk is more concerned with information than personal values, so I'm afraid this is not the place for answers to such a question. Best wishes, Halcatalyst 22:43, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Pea Soup and Coincidences

I remember reading an article on here about a man who had some strange experiences involving pea soup (or something of the like). Apparently, the only three times he had the soup the same man would suddenly appear. Because of this, the phenomenon of learning (or talking) about something and then suddenly having it appear is named after the two men. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

I can't help you with the story you're after - sorry. B F Skinner did some work on superstition in pigeons which makes a similar point about learning. --Hughcharlesparker 09:16, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

If you're prepared to swap your pea soup for a plum pudding, then Synchronicity has the story featuring Emile Deschamps and a Monsieur de Fontgibu. But it doesn't suggest that either of them is used as a name for the phenomenon. --Bth 13:38, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Timeline of Public Nudity Events

I looked at the Timeline of Significant Non-sexualized Public Nudity Activities and I wanted to participate. But can I really go naked in public on these days? Is general public nudity legal? Also, public school; can I go to school naked? We have clothing rules and stuff, but are they effect on theise days? I go to Portsmouth Middle School. If you get the answer, thank you for it.

If you go nude in public you may be arrested and in school you may be arrested and expelled. Hopefully, you can keep your pants on long enough to find a nudist colony or nude beach. StuRat 09:10, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

There was some guy in California that sued for his right to go to class naked. He won and showed up naked one day. Then, his 15 minutes of fame were up and he was sent back into anonymity. I don't know his name because the press only referred to him as "the naked guy". --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:34, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Possibly Ugly Naked Guy? Thuresson 20:46, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

• Some activities exist. In the Netherlands some people organized nude bike rides which were heavily protested against, but did go on. And last week I my paper had a picture of hundreds of Italians posing naked for an artist. I would however recommend a nude beach or colony for someone your age. And I definitely DO NOT recommend going to school naked. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:12, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

The page Mgm refers to is at Clothing-optional bike rides. Ojw 18:43, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Harry Business

I was very startled when I read this on the Internet: I read that someone named Eva Nugent (I think that's the name) published a paper proving Harry Potter is gay. They said that he has a secret love for Draco Malfoy and that his wand represents femininity and homosexuality. Also, his discovering and accepting he's a wizard in Sorcerer's Stone represents his coming out as gay, I read. This can't be true--J. K. Rowling is a good person--why would she write about something like that? Someone please help... Janet6 23:52, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

There is nothing "un-good" about homosexuality, so there's no reason why a "good" person like J K Rowling should not make one of her characters gay (if that really is the case). Maybe the problem with the attitude to gayness lies closer to home.  :--) JackofOz 00:10, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

A second point is that the "proof" (which I have not read) is merely one person's interpretation of the Harry Potter books. Books are a tableux on which the reader overlays their own experience and imagination. If one's imagination sees threatening homosexuals everywhere, you'll probably see those in books one reads.

Furthermore, there is a long history of individuals in the fundie Christian right interpreting all manner of popular modern children's works as promoting homosexuality, from the Teletubbies through Spongebob Squarepants (the Potter books are aimed at older children, of course...). Making such claims has led to a great deal of publicity for the claimants. One might very well draw the conclusion that gaining publicity for themselves was a motivator in making the claims. --Robert Merkel 00:47, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Maybe Robert, but why is Voldemort so obsessed with Harry? I don't think the wands represent femininity by the way, they're obviously phallus symbols. David Sneek 05:38, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Reading the books would help. Book 5 clearly explains why Voldemort is so obsessed with Harry (and no I won't post a spoiler). - Mgm|^(talk) 10:16, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

I sincerely doubt that in this case the author of the piece was a fundie; I find it much more likely they were into slash fiction. The essay was probably a salvo in one of the particularly protracted and unpleasant shipping wars that have been raging in the underbelly of Internet Potter fandom for years now. --Bth 13:31, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Don't feed the trolls --Hughcharlesparker 10:01, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Absolutely: the reference desk gets a lot of hungry trolls. Just for yuks, though, the type of literary criticism involved in psychoanalytic criticism. It's somewhat passé these days, but it was all the rage in the 1980's. It's no longer cutting edge because most folks have realized that Freudianism, in particular, is the imposition of one mythos upon another in literature, and, no matter what you expose to it, it seems to "work" and yet give zero results. As Richard Ellmann wrote, in Golden Codgers, there is no doubt many of our greatest artists could benefit from some posthumous psychoanalysis, but I doubt we'll cure any of them. (Psychoanalysis is supposed to be a clinical tool for curing madness, and you can't "cure" a book.) Geogre 10:35, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

• Read such papers and see if you agree with their arguments. Unless Harry/ or JK Rowling admits it and says Harry is gay, there's absolutely no proof that's the case at all. I was surprised he had time for a love life at all when his life is constantly on the line. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:16, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

April 5

Ancient Group similar to Rotary

Greetings from New Zealand. Can anyone help with some information about an organisation, probably in England in the early 1700s, which was similar to Rotary?

Thanks for any assistance. Carole

I think you're talking about Freemasonry. As a former Mason, I can't tell you any more though, or they'll kill me in a spectacularly gruesome manner. Brian G. Crawford 02:17, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

• I thought they'd make you kill yourself in a spectacularly gruesome way. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 02:49, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I should think they would brick you into a wall still alive. StuRat 09:07, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

In the 18th century, there were quite a few organizations like the current day Rotary, but in different ways. It was, to some degree, the age of political clubs. From the Kit-Cat Club to the Rota Club, there were quite a few from about 1710. Later, clubs organized around social reform and philanthropy, so there were various Bluestocking organizations that sprang up, and Methodism inspired even more. So, "like Rotary" is a little ambiguous: do you mean a philanthropic organization, a secret society (in which case the Freemasons are probably who you're thinking of, as they took their modern form during the 18th century), a guild that became a social organization, or a political club? Geogre 10:39, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Early Civil War Battle Location

What made Virginia and the Mississippi River the location of so much fighting in the early years of the American Civil War, besides wanting to capture Richmond and cut the South in half? Thanks. --Swang 02:33, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

• Shouldn't that suffice? Oh, also, controlling the continent's major navigable waterway has certain trade advantages, I should think. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 02:48, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

You just answered your own question... from a military standpoint cutting the enemy forces in halves is one of the best things you could possibly hope to achieve - besides encirclement. Celcius 09:38, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

• Also, it's just not quite true. There was a great deal of action along the coast of the South as well, but those battles ended up in clear victories or defeats. All the time the Union was trying to gather another mile of Virginia and Mississippi, it was attacking the major ports of the south. It took ages to get Charleston and Savannah, but the Union took island after island and got New Orleans relatively early. Geogre 10:42, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

You're right about the American Civil War and why most of the fighting was in the State of Virginia, (and West Virginia along the Shenandoah Valley,) as well as along the Mississippi river (and the blockade along the coastline/waterways) but this was the plan drafted at the beginning of the war by *an important general whose name I can't remember, played a major role in the Mexican War of the early 19th century.* Most of my information comes from Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton, and a couple of other civil war historians I've read. —This unsigned comment was added by Zachariahskylab (talk • contribs) 11:52, 5 April 2006 UTC.

• The Shenandoah Valley is in western Virginia, not West Virginia.  :) User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:54, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Virginia was the scene of so much fighting because that's where the main armies were, and they were there because the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, and the Union capital, Washington, D.C., were so close together. The reason why nothing much happened between Viriginia and Tennessee was that the Appalachian Mountains were unsuitable territory for the movement and maintainance of large numbers of troops. The plan for the encirclement of the Confederacy that User:Zachariahskylab is trying to remember is the Anaconda Plan, prepared by general Winfield Scott. Gdr 17:44, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Encores in opera

Hi all, I have been told that there was an opera production that had 108 (or so) encores. Which one, when and where?

I very much doubt they were encores (as in, repeating all or part of the opera 108 times in a single evening). Luciano Pavarotti has the world record for curtain calls, at 165. Does anybody know the details? JackofOz 04:00, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

165 in one performance or 165 in all? Just quick math... If each curtain call took as little as 10 minutes to close the curtain, wait for the audience to applaud, open the curtain, and then come out and acknowledge the curtain call, bow, sing a couple notes, bow, and leave the stage again... Then 165 curtain calls would take more than 24 hours. --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:30, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

A curtain call takes far less than 10 minutes, and rarely if ever involves additional singing. But even so - 165!!! Must have taken quite some time. Maid Marion 15:53, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

It took an hour and seven minutes, which averages about 25 seconds each. Henry^Flower 15:37, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

In my opinion, 25 seconds cannot be an encore. By definition, an encore is: "An additional performance in response to the demand of an audience." What was the performance he did in 25 seconds? --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:52, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

They weren't encores, they were curtain calls. Open curtain, walk out, bow, close curtain. This being Pavarotti, he may have omitted the walking part. Henry^Flower 16:01, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

god

If GOD creates and controls everything in the world, why he could not avoid evil things which happen in the world?

This is one of the classic and eternal questions of theology, see our articles on theodicy, problem of evil and Existence of God for some discussion of the issue. -- Ferkelparade π 09:50, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

If you assume "GOD creates and controls everything in the world" then logically it follows he didn't want to avoid evil things. AllanHainey 12:23, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

To look at it another way... Humans created computers. Humans programmed computers. Humans control the computers, telling them to turn on, load a program, and run it. Why is it that computers don't always do exactly what humans want them to do? --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:27, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Either humans need to make better computers, or there is a limit to how perfect computers can be. Ergo God needs to make better humans, or there is a limit to how perfect humans can be. Carcharoth 15:13, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

"Humans control the computers." No, we don't. We control them to some extent, but there are problems with that control (even beyond human error); we can not make them do whatever we want. For example, there are physical limits (capacities) as well as logical ones (no concept of infinity, for instance). However, if God is omnipotent and benevolent (which he is by many definitions), there is a serious problem in my view. Superm401 - Talk 16:25, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

So, the real problem is the free will of all those damn electrons! --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:47, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Yup, that's a paradox. It really means God cannot be omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, and logical all at the same time. He (she?) can be any three of those four things though. —Keenan Pepper 17:29, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I personally reject the concept that God could be omnipotent and infinitely good as a logical fallacy. The Eastern religions which feature equally powerful good and evil Gods battling for control seem more plausible. Of course, I prefer to just ignore the whole religious silliness entirely and stick with what can be proven scientifically. StuRat 18:56, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Maybe one day you'll appreciate that not everything that can't be proven scientifically is silly.  :--) JackofOz 03:09, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

If you do believe in God and The Bible then you may be interested in the following. In Matthew, Jesus is sent to the desert blah blah blah, but when Satan approaches him, he says bow to me and I will give you all that you see (kingdoms etc.). Now how could he do that if Satan didn't control the Earth? schyler 02:28, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

He was lying? Black Carrot 04:27, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Allowing us to have the freedom to choose right from wrong, our will vs. the will of others (including that of God) results in our vulnerability. If God should protect us from our vulnerabilities, it would come at the price of the freedom of choice. A very basic example of this would be the Adam & Eve story. That being stated, there are times when God does prevent tragedies and lift those from the extremes of their despair. How could we recognize each situation if it does not come to be (no tragedy has occurred) or a situation as it really should be interpreted when there are so many interpretations of one single event? Usually such recognition is made on a very personal level when an individual has experienced such an action/intervention from God first hand. How often have you heard the exclamations, "he/she was so lucky," "it was a miracle that he/she survived," or "even doctors cannot explain it." How much more does one need before questions are answered to allow belief that there is intervention by God? The book of Acts in the New Testament seems to attempt an explanation of suffering. That is a good place to start your research.

IMHO there is no God so the question has no meaning (this is a serious comment) - Adrian Pingstone 17:45, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Why would you provide a comment to a question that has no meaning to you?

If there is no GOD, how will you explain SOUL ?--Aju 06:14, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

awww man - that's deep. But maybe he dosn't think there are souls either?

In response to the original question. If God is infinitely wise and humans are not - it follows from logic that there are things we can not comprehend. Might this not include God's concept of morality? So that would be a sollution - everything God does and everything that happens is good - we just don't "get it". Of course, it raises the question of whether we can trust the word of a God who's morality we obviously can not comprehend. Seeing the state of the world one might speculate that our concept of heaven and hell are vastly different from that of God. In other words - there might not be broadband in heaven... Gardar Rurak 13:25, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

"American" villages

While reading a little while ago, I came across the term Potemkin village. I thought I knew what it was but I wanted to see what the Wikipedia had on the villages. Much to my surprise, a Potemkin village is not what I was thinking of. What I was thinking of was villages that were built in the old USSR where United States culture and daily life were copied so that the Russians could train spies. So what's the term for what I was thinking of? I'd like to read the article on that too, if we have one. Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 10:31, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

According to this page they never existed except as a phantom of Cold War paranoia. They were possibly invented by defectors trying to prove their worth (or maybe the defectors just played up to what their interviewers already believed from having thought it might be possible), though apparently they're mentioned in the propaganda film Red Nightmare. You're probably thinking of that terrible John Travolta film, The Experts, which I would be very happy to see stay a redlink (for analysis of said film from a highly strange but informative in this regard POV, see here). --Bth 13:00, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

signing of the peace treaty in 1945 by the Japanese

Who signed the peace treaty on behalf of the Japanese government at the end of the Second World War?

See Japanese Instrument of Surrender.

Montreal Olympics

Canada has 2 official languages, which have equal official status. Which language was used to determine the order of countries at the Montreal Olympics Opening Ceremony? and why? JackofOz 14:19, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

This was asked a couple of months ago, and my answer at that time was, French. This is because Montreal is a majority French-speaking city, and Olympics are awarded to Olympic Organizing Committees representing cities (or regions), and not to countries. User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:57, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I missed the earlier question/answer. JackofOz 03:03, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Most powerful rulers

Who would be considered the most powerful rulers in history? By this I mean exercising absolute power over a large area for a sustained length of time. Carcharoth 14:49, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

At a basic level, this is an optimization problem. How much relative weight do you give to, say, area ruled versus time ruled? For instance, is a US president more or less powerful than Fidel Castro on this basis? Anyway, you'll probably want to look at list of largest empires or list of dictators and go from there. — Lomn Talk 15:09, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't consider a US president to have absolute power. Thanks for the list of largest empires. The dictators list is less helpful, as they are modern dictators. Absolute power over a wide area is (currently) a historical phenomenon. I guess I'm thinking more of the Roman and Chinese emperors. What I'm really looking for though, is a Wikipedia article on the topic, but maybe it doesn't exist yet? Carcharoth 15:22, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

You're correct in noting the historicity of absolute power. That said, is it a yes/no sort of question or a sliding scale like the others? Historical leaders never had the option open to recent US Presidents (or Soviet Premiers, if you want an example with fewer checks and balances) of obliterating mankind via nuclear weaponry. Anyway, in searching, I also ran across a reference to a list of Roman dictators; there are probably also lists of Chinese emperors (or perhaps the Khans of the Golden Horde) and the like. — Lomn Talk 16:57, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I also found Global empire, which was helpful. But any further links would be appreciated. Carcharoth 15:39, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

My guess would be Ögedei Khan for the potent mix of power wielded, area controlled and people ruled. As others have said the form of power exerted makes the question difficult, Queen Victoria had a large empire and significant influence beyond it but she held much less personal power then the Khans. You may be ignoring spiritual power, caliphs and popes may at times distain the importance of temporal power but several have had life and death power over huge numbers of people. Of course any self respecting leader knows the parts of the world which they don't control are not worth having, the peoples idle, the land barren and the weather bad. MeltBanana 00:35, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Well.. As was said, you haven't really made your question clear: Most global power (if only as one of the leading figures in a large power) or most national power (as in an absolute ruler of a globally less significant country), or a mix. For the absolute-ruler bit, it'd have to be a leader with a strong personality-cult. Like Kim Il-Sung in North Korea, Enver Hoxha in Albania, Mobuto in Zaire or any other number of such dictators. For the mixed version, I'd say Mao or perhaps Stalin would be some of the most powerful in recent history. If you go back in time, you can of course find a lot more absolute rulers, but the empires were smaller as well. --BluePlatypus 04:30, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Didn't you know - the world is run by the Zionist cabal! Ok - but land, time, people - which is most important? Ruling Siberia isn't really as impressive as ruling continental Europe due to the relatively larger amount of people and the cultures involved. I agree with Platypus thugh, I think the Mongols are a good candidate. Gardar Rurak 13:09, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

There is also David. (4/8/06)

list of Shi'a/Sunni distribution

relative distribution of Islam (green) vs. Christianity (red), generated with the GIMP

On my quest to automate updates to Image:Islam by country.png I have written a GIMP script that automatically generates images like Image:Christ Islam.png (see thumbnail) from the lists at Islam by country and Christianity by country. The advantage (beyond automatization) is that rather than in tiers, the scale is smooth (plus, of course, such maps can be generated for any other list of percentages by country at all, like Image:Christianity.png)

What I am looking for now is such a list for the distribution of sects within Islam, just a list of

country name - Shia % - Sunni %

would do. dab (ᛏ) 15:36, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

The CIA factbook has this info, under the "People" section and "Religion" subsection for each country: [3] StuRat 18:44, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

If the factbook has it, we have it too. You could look in all of the appropriate country articles here. Rmhermen 22:20, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I will. The Shi'a article unfortunately is quite unspecific. dab (ᛏ) 12:21, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

I found the list at Demographics_of_Islam now, that's at least something. dab (ᛏ) 12:31, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm. I'd be pretty sceptical about a graphic like that. To consider the whole of the Americas as a more or less monolithic bloc is pretty dubious. I mean, it's interesting, but kind of wierd, don't you think? For great justice. 18:14, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Border walls on the Southern Border with Mexico

Hi,

My name is Sara Ines Calderon, I'm a reporter in Texas working on a story about the proposed HR4437 700 mile border fence.

I'm wondering, for context, how many times in the history of the U.S. has it been proposed to build a fence-like structure or a wall along the Southern border with Mexico. Other politicians, perhaps in the Polk era after the U.S.-Mexico War of 1846-8 probably suggested something like that.

Thanks so much, (email and phone removed)

I appreciate any assistance.

--Sara Ines Calderon

You may be better off with a presidential historian at a local U. Fencing, a la Hadrian's Wall or the Great Wall of China, has been talked about before, but the idea of actually constructing something like that has rarely gone beyond the rhetorical stage. (Needless to say, Hadrian and the Chinese were at war with the "barbarians" they sought to exclude. It seems to take something more than immigration to justify the expense and time necessary for wall building in ancient cultures. Whether our modern societies are so automated and wealthy, or so mistaken in war vs. immigration, that they would attempt a wall now is another matter.) Geogre 16:16, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

You're only looking at the benefit side of the equation. The cost must also be considered. The cost is now lower, due to automation, than it would have been 160 years ago. For example, razor wire can be dumped out the back of a truck and occasionally spiked into the ground with only a single driver needed. Back then it would have taken hundreds of people to put up a comparable barrier in the same amount of time. The much larger population now also means that the cost is spread out over more people, and is thus smaller per person. While I suspect that a barrier on the scale of the one Israel is building might be too expensive, a simpler version might not be. StuRat 18:17, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

A simple wall of the sort you describe, with no monitoring technology, would be useless and still very costly. There are thousandsl of completely uninhabited sections of border. A migrant in such a region would not be stopped by razor wire. Superm401 - Talk 20:05, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Of course, people only come overland from Mexico because it seems the easiest route. If this were blocked by a high wall, people would try the sea route. So it would be necessary to back this up with a good high (maybe 20 foot) ocean front wall on both coasts, from Mexico to Canada. Vote winner? Notinasnaid 19:51, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

As you can see in this link, the wall already extends into the ocean. Love the music there - Coming to America. Rmhermen 22:18, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Hamtaro

Hello. Do you know where I can watch the previews of the new Japanese Hamutaro season in Japan? like what site to go to? - Mgm|^(talk) 10:19, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

• I didn't check, but I'm sure our article on the subject has loads of good fan sites linked and if it doesn't, try a google search for it. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:19, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

April 6

Music

Can you tell me or can you please direct me to a site that I can obtain a list of the top 20 best selling songs from 1966? Thank you so much. Randy Schmelzer Boulder City, Nv (e-mail address removed by Halcatalyst 02:51, 6 April 2006 (UTC))

Have a look at 1966 in music - the article does not contain the hard numbers you are looking for, but it should be a good strating point for further research -- Ferkelparade π 10:48, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Photo Essays

I am researching the origination of photo essays, when they were first used, the photograper who first used photo essays and which magazine (ie National Geographic, Life, Time, etc) was the first to begin publishing them.

There are a lot of examples of photo essays online, but; not much information about which magazine pioneered the concept of telling a story with photos rather than words.

Do anyone have any information and possible web sites on the FIRST actual photo essay?

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Sandra Hammond (e-mail address removed by Halcatalyst 02:49, 6 April 2006 (UTC))

Child Photography

I am an amateur photographer and I coach girl's soccer. I have been making a photo album of all areas of the sport and some of the photos of the girls in the lockerroom have caused a dispute. I know that there are many galleries in New York and Los Angeles that have photos of nude boys and girls as art. Why is it that having the same photos in Olathe, Kansas makes it child pornography? At what point does artwork become pornography? Legal answers only, please. I am working on a defense.

Read the top - this is not a legal resource. See a lawyer. If you cannot afford one, the court will appoint one at no charge. --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:23, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Um... many people would consider shooting nudes as a professional photographer to be quite different from shooting pictures of the kids on your team in a locker room. It's like the difference between a physician performing a gynecological examination on the one hand and feeling up or groping a girl on the other. And I've never been to Olathe, Kansas, but I think the people there might be a tad less liberal than NY or LA. -- Mwalcoff 01:54, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Furthermore, professional photographers have been prosecuted for child pornography, even when they have legal permissions from the parents, consent from the models, and have been taking the photographs purely for gallery exhibition and not pornographic distribution. In fact, I would be interested to know what contemporary photographers (since the Reagan era in the US) have mounted shows of nude children who haven't been prosecuted or had their shows shut down. Other than Anne Geddes, who works only with babies, I can't think of a single one. I think this theory that there are gallery shows of nude adolescents is a bit of a myth at this point: whatever reality there was to it, it is now more legend than fact. Geogre 02:30, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm. Some of the works of Bill Henson, (you might find some relevant samples of his work here who had a major touring exhibition in Australian galleries in 2005, come close. His models may well be older than they look, though. In any case, I can only echo the previous posters' advice. To steal a line from Tex Perkins, "better get a lawyer, son. Better get a real good one". --Robert Merkel 04:20, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Some parents have even been charged with child pornography for taking pictures of their children nude (I don't believe you even need to have them on display…) The Jade Knight 07:13, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

One such was Frank Van Deren Coke[4] although his estate was sued by his daughter after his death. Others who have run into trouble include Jock Sturges, Jacqueline Livingston, David Hamilton, Sally Mann. This woman seem to have won her lawsuit.[5]

Everyday life from 1 AD - 350 AD

First, I would like to note that I love Wikipedia and it has been most useful for many of my searches! In the past several months, I have been trying to gather information regarding the everyday life of people (from any area) from 1 AD to around 350AD. I have tried to make individual searches of Greeks, Romans, etc. in an effort to learn what I can. The information only seems available in small tidbits after painstaking searches and many hours of sifting through articles that offered nothing. Generally, I would like to get an idea of their lifestyles (perhaps it can be broken down by century). Food, clothing, tools, weapons, homes, building materials, etc. More specifically, I would like to find information on how they washed, shaved, outhouses or 'water closets', aqueducts, wells, toys, games, stored their food, disposed of their waste, etc. I am aware that this seems like a tall order but I was hoping there would be a way in which I could get collective information that offered it under a particular type of search that I have not yet attempted. Any information will get me one step closer to rounding out this endeavor. If there is no way to obtain a collection of such info., could someone consider creating an "everyday living" section divided by century? Thank you!

There are some specialists in this field. For Roman food, try some of the links from here. Jameswilson 03:49, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, Jameswilson, I have checked out several sites from your link and will continue to do so.

Suzanne Dixon's The Roman Family details much on the nature of Roman family life (and the legality behind much of it), if you can obtain a copy of it. Smith's Dictionary may also come in handy; many of the entries are quite detailed. The Jade Knight 06:57, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Try a web search using the term "everyday life in ancient" and include the name of the region or country you are interested in. This is the type of research where having a hard-copy reference book in hand can be useful. There are many such reference texts; you should have no trouble finding them on-line, at large bookstores, or at public libraries. Ande B 07:38, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Reading up on your classics might also be a good idea; the letters of Pliny the Younger offer invaluable insights into everyday life at least of the upper class. I'd also recommend The Golden Ass by Apuleius; it's a highly entertainig read and gives a very good impression of everyday life in the Roman provinces in the first century (of course, the story deals with magic, gods and myths, but apart from that, there are lots of pretty accurate and interesting descriptions of city life, travelling, bandit life, etc). As far as Roman cuisine is concerned, try to get ahold of a copy of Apicius. If you get a good translation with annotations and an introduction by someone who knows what they're writing about, you'll learn lots about Roman eating habits and Roman society in general (I'd recommend an edition, but I have only read a German translation since that's my mother tongue, and I don't know much about English editions). And then, of course, there's Pompeii - most of what we know about everyday life in Roman cities was pieced together during the excavations of Pompeii, and there are dozens of books about that city. -- Ferkelparade π 10:32, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Several books with titles like Everyday life in Roman Times have been published over the last 60 years. One of the most recent in English is Adkins & Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. Oxford, 1994. The people who tend to collect these are high school Latin teachers and if you cannot locate one in a local library, you might check with a Latin teacher. alteripse 10:39, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Thank you all very much for the wealth of information. I have bookmarked the recommended sites and have run suggested searches. At least one recommended book is out of print, but I will make use of the links and try to locate what books are available. Already, I have found information that is helpful to my endeavor.

Prime (film)

Greetings, RefDeskers! This is kind of a lame question, but it is bugging the hell out of myself and several friends and coworkers. The movie Prime was originally advertised under a different title, at least on television commercials here in New England. Very quickly, though, the film's title changed to Prime. Does anyone remember the original title? Some people on the IMDB forums were asking the same question, so I know we're not all crazy. I've thoroughly searched the web and haven't found anything. So I thought someone here might be able to help. Please be sure to suitly emphazi any answers you may have. Thanks! — orioneight (talk) 03:47, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Chappelle & Jackson

Why is it that every time Dave Chappelle imitated Samuel L. Jackson on his show, he shouted "Yes they deserve to die, and I hope they burn in hell!" at some random moment? Black Carrot 04:22, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

It's a quote from the 1996 movie "A Time to Kill", sppoken by Jackson's character Carl Lee Hailey. presumably it must've made some sort of impression on Chapelle. Grutness...wha? 08:10, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Top ten groups/songs in 1995

Hello,

I am writing a book and need a list of the top ten pop singers/groups in summer of 1995. I've searched the internet and haven't found anything.

Thank you.

1995 in music might be a good starting place; for a more detailed breakdown of number one hits in the US, see this list. -- Ferkelparade π 10:22, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

In the UK the summer of 1995 saw the second Battle of the Bands between Oasis (band) and Blur. Both released singles on the same day with much media hype, Oasis releasing Roll With It and Blur releasing Country House. It was also percieved by some as a North/South and a working/middle class battle, Oasis being the former in both cases. In then end Blur got to number 1, Oasis 2. -- David.

historical archive.

What was the Prahran Community College? [Prahran - Victoria - Australia] It existed in Prahran in the 1970's. Also, what was the 'Certificate B' they offered, and it's equivalent today? I can't find this information anywhere! Also, how can I obtain an Obitury notice for Melbourne, Victoria Newspaper for February - either 1989,1991 1991 or 1992 not sure of the year but definately one of these and definately February. Ty. Elizabeth Townsend

Buddhism & Pantheism

Would someone please clarify the Buddhist veiw on dualism and pantheism . Are their different veiws ? And is Nirvana related in any way to pantheism .Also , do all buddhist schools reject the concept of God ? I have a translation of the bible of Buddha , and it has refrences to Hindu an Vedic deities , yet i read in many studies that Buddhism is more atheist than theist . Thank you Hhnnrr 11:53, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Maybe it would be better to call Buddhism nontheist; Buddhism is indifferent to gods, but does not necessarily claim they don't exist. This is explained in the parable of the arrow. A man approached Buddha with a long series of theological and metaphysical questions, and Buddha compared him to someone who was wounded with a poisoned arrow. "When the doctor arrived to remove the arrow, the man grabbed the doctor's hand and asked, 'Before you start treating me, Doctor, tell me, who was it that shot me? Was he of warrior class or some other class? Was he tall or was he short? Was he young or was he old? Was he dark skinned or light skinned?" The doctor ignored the questions and removed the arrow. Had he taken the time to answer the questions, the patient would have died. For this reason, said the Buddha, I will not answer your question about God.'" David Sneek 14:55, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Thank you , and regarding dualisn and pantheism ? Hhnnrr 17:52, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

The same answer, I think; I'm not completely sure about pantheism, but among the problems the man in some of the versions of the above parabel asked about was dualism - "that the soul and the body are identical, or that the soul is one thing and the body another" [6]. Buddha declined to discuss it. David Sneek 18:35, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks , any other thoughts ? Hhnnrr 12:36, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

My mind is empty now. David Sneek 14:58, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Pledge of Allegiance, Law?

Being from a (relatively) different (european) culture, and simply an observer, I am curious as if it is law in the United States to say the oath, or can you object to it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.41.171.16 (talk • contribs)

• The only time when one is generally mandated to say it is in school, and children are allowed to refuse to participate if they don't want to say it for some reason. The argument in the most recent legal case against the Pledge was that even though children could opt out, the social stigma of doing so was large enough that in effect they would be coerced, even though they were not legally bound to it. (The Court did not rule on this; they dismissed the plaintiff as not having legal standing, if I recall.) There are other occasions in which the Pledge is said (city council meetings, for example) but as with schools one is not legally mandated to recite it. There are people who object to it on religious grounds (the Pledge includes an explicit reference to belief in monotheism, added during the Cold War), and most likely some people who object to giving nationalistic oaths in general. Most Americans, I suspect, have said it so many times in grade school that the words are practically meaningless to them at this point, but that's might just be my cynicism talking. --Fastfission 17:01, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
  • The father who brought the case (which was about removing the words "under God") was deemed not to have standing since he was not the custodial parent of the girl in whose name he brought the case. He and his wife are divorced and she has custody, he has visitation rights. This was a way for the Supremes to sidestep the issue. User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:30, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

• You can opt out of the pledge in all cases, even children, although there may be sanctions appended to the opting out. Since there is no law mandating the agreement nor repetition of the pledge of allegiance, there are no criminal penalties for refusal, although a kid could face suspension or being sent to the time out corner (i.e. non-criminal sanctions). So, no: it is not a law, although schools still have in loco parentis rights and children are minors. Geogre 17:04, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
  • I think a school would get into trouble for punishing a kid for that. The recent case referred to above may be Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow. Шизомби 18:37, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
  • I think you're right, generally, although the school would never claim that it was for not saying the pledge (unless it were led by a genuine moron). They'd claim that it was disrupting the class and causing difficulties in the educational environment, which is a bit of a catch-all. All I was trying to say, though, was that a school can require the pledge be repeated, but it can only do this the same way that it can require "Good morning, Mrs. Crabapple" be said by the students -- as an internal requirement that has no criminal injunction behind it. This, of course, applies solely to public schools. Private schools can and do require pledges, prayers, and corporal punishment. Geogre 21:04, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

The courts have ruled that public schools cannot in any way compel students to say the Pledge of Allegiance. The schools cannot even tell the student's parents about a student's decision not to recite it, I understand. It's very strange to me that some politicians want to force kids to say the pledge, since it's meaningless if it's not said voluntarily. Then again, I don't think most people ever really think very much about what the Pledge of Allegiance actually is, or what it says. I think patriotic symbols, like the pledge, the flag and the national anthem, simply give people warm-fuzzies, like Christmas trees. -- Mwalcoff 23:51, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Do you happen to know when this was ruled (and under what court)? I don't recall such a decision. The Jade Knight 20:49, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

• Illegal as it may have been, as a kid in (a public!) Elementary school some 20 years ago, I was forced to say it. I refused quite a lot, if not most of the time, I think I just felt it was complete BS (which I only feel stronger about today). Depending on my teacher's mood the penalty varied, from a verbal reprimand ("I saw that some of you weren't speaking..") to being forced to recite it alone before the class could be seated, which was of course demeaning and humiliating. That didn't make me more approving of the ritual. I eventually resigned myself to faking it by mouthing the words. A kind of silent protest. (In retrospect, I'm a bit proud of myself for showing that kind of integrity - but I was always the kind of kid who hated being demeaned or patronized by adults). I understand the questioner's curiosity; the US is the only Western country I know that forces its kids to chant such mindless drivel. It's not just demeaning to the kids, but to the pledge itself - it robs it of all meaning. --C.K. (not logged in)

Gee, I sure had a different experience in public school 40 years ago. I didn't say the pledge and no-one made a big deal about it. By the mid 1960s, no more than half of the students in my suburban public school recited the pledge. No-one faced any pressure, not even a scowl, from the school administration or the teachers. And the local politics were fairly middle of the road to conservative. Of course, it was from a region historically associated with both great military volunteerism, pacifism, and conscientious objectors. Perhaps that long standing mix of opinions finally learned to live together. Ande B 01:42, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I faced no significant pressure in schools in the 80's to recite the pledge. The Jade Knight 20:49, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Rituals and nationalism... I don't want to be presumptuous on the parts of our good friends across the pond so do correct me if I'm mistaken - but isn't there in American culture a tradition for strong symbolism and "flamboyant" rhetoric i.e. using the words “evil” and “patriot” a lot etc. I’m also pretty sure I have seen the American flag stoically waving in the sunset with an eagle coincidentally passing by more often than I have seen the flag of my own country or any other European country used in a similar way. I’m getting this from observations of TV shows so… I really have no clue what I'm talking about.

And it’s not a criticism. I really don’t think Americans are more nationalistic than their European counterparts – it’s just delivered in much a different way and there is a tradition in popular culture to make good use of the symbols. Symbolism and tradition combined with the religious undertones of the oath might be the reason why it is considered such an important part of American identity…? On the other hand two world wars on the continent caused largely by nationalism may have made any hint of nationalism a big no-no in Europe although it is most definitely still here i.e. the Balkans and French cultural-protectionism. Gardar Rurak 12:55, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm not entirely sure of this. During the recent Bush era the contrast seems to have heightened, maybe even gotten out of hand. But my recollection from the 1980s and 1990s is that, at least in the UK and France, I saw as many entities making use of their national flags as I ever saw in the US. I mean, it was used for advertising by merchants, decorated clothing and accessories, showed up in pub and restaurant decors. Perhaps I am missing a more important comparison that strikes you more strongly than it does me, or perhaps the landscape has changed since I last visited. During these last few years, though, I agree that there are a lot of flag-wavers in the US, especially in the Red States. It's been the subject of many talk-show discussions and magazine articles. Ande B 01:42, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

No, you're right. Americans use the flag far more often than Europeans use their national flags. In the U.S., every public building, most office buildings and a fair number of houses fly the flag. I remember reading recently that some politician was outraged because some classrooms don't have flags. (That the school itself would have a flagpole goes without saying.) In the UK, you hardly ever see the Union Jack. When Americans fly the flag, they don't really see it as a political statement. We would say it's "patriotic," not "nationalistic." Most Americans would say we don't have Balkans-style "nationalism" in the U.S. -- Mwalcoff 22:13, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

It's true that you see the flag at most government locations (public libaries and schools, for example). American patriotism is definitely of a different sort, however—the US, for example, has no national language, and the states themselves collectively have as official languages English, Spanish, French, and Hawaiian. Some states also have no official language. Again, this is very different from French nationalism (where they have established L'académie française watching over the national language, for example). The Jade Knight 20:49, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

• I can remember being in school back in the Dark Ages (public school in California) where at least one girl was allowed not to participate because she was a Jehovah's Witness, but she did still have to stand. User:Zoe|^(talk) 16:14, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Reciting oaths and pledges has never been part of the Australian school tradition. But I like the way Americans respect and honour their flag. Australians have traditionally recoiled from overt displays of patriotism or nationalism. Well within living memory, Aussies would generally have been happier to wave the Union Jack during a visit by the Queen, than fly the Australian flag outside their home all year round. The vexillological cringe has been overcome to a large degree, as our national identity continues to emerge, but at the same time there's an ongoing public debate about changing the design. Advocates often refer to the simplicity and distinctiveness of the Canadian flag as a model. JackofOz 00:58, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

• I always liked the Canadian flag - the idea of combining your flag with a national symbol is great. Think of the Irish clower, it's almost more synonymous with Ireland than their flag. The Greenlandic flag is also nice - it's supposed to be a sunset with the sun mirroring itself in the Atlantic - IMHO two of the better flags around.

I'm particular to the Welsh Flag. The Jade Knight 20:49, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

It's an ideal concept for those countries that have not just a official non-flag visual national symbol, but one that is popularly recognised world-wide and did not come into prominence through appearing on the flag. I can only immediately think of a few: Ireland (shamrock, or golden harp), Israel (Star of David), Lebanon (the cedars have been known since biblical times), Malta (the cross well predated its appearance on the flag), and the Vatican (papal tiara). I'm sure there are others, but this is less than 10% of countries. (Queries: Not sure whether the maple leaf was an uniquely Canadian symbol before it appeared on the flag. I don't think the rising sun was particularly associated with Japan before it appeared on their flag. Same for the prayer wheel, which is not specifically Indian away from the flag. And the swastika was well known for millennia, but wasn't associated with Germany until Hitler, but is now immediately associated with Nazi Germany. An onion dome would have been a far better representation of Russia than the hammer and sickle.) A flag is a representation of the country and its people, both to itself and to the rest of the world. There seems little point in having an obscure symbol on your flag, particularly if you're already an obscure country. Australia has the reverse problem. We have too many unique national faunal and other symbols, but none of them have general acceptance for the purposes of a flag. Papua New Guinea has a beautiful solution, but there are very few flags with animals. JackofOz 03:14, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Somehow I suspect small countries to be less nationalistic due to the European history of wars, conquest etc - nationalism is counter productive as a cultural cohesive when you're constantly getting conquered. In the end it's probably a cultural thing - people identify with the symbols they are comfortable with to the extend they need it. Gardar Rurak 02:53, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I'd say exactly the opposite, actually. Countries which have historically been conquered and supressed are much more nationalistic. Just look at the Balkans. Countries which have been independent since time immemorial are less nationalistic, perhaps because they take their independence for granted. But I agree that small countries are certainly less nationalistic. Not due to being conquered, but just because foreign influence in all forms is larger. People in those places have talked more with foreigners, traded more with foreigers, visited foreign countries more often, etc. It would be hard not to if you're living in say, Luxembourg. OTOH, they can be very proud over surviving as a small nation. Perhaps a better description would be to say that the nationalism of small countries is usually far less chauvinistic? --BluePlatypus 01:01, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, in fact you're right! In my opinion anyway - I think it's a much better explanation. Small countries are more outgoing simply because they have to be in a globalized world etc etc. In addition, some while ago there was a controversy which brought my country into the international media due to resentment from other countries - this sparked an influx of members to both extremes of the political spectre. Now, this almost never happens - international attention, tension, hostility etc diverted at my country - and the result of it was quite worrysome. Compare that to the US or France where this kind of attention is more frequently diverted one might speculate that larger countries receiving more negative outside attention might have a tendency for a more polarized political climate - them against us etc. Gardar Rurak 01:48, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

(wink) Is that what politicians become when they die - political spectres? JackofOz 03:14, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

American Revolution

Why is July 4th 1776 considered Americas birth as a Nation when the Second Treaty of Paris was not ratified until January 14th 1784?

It's the date on the Declaration of Independence. David Sneek 22:05, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

KV. Number (Mozart)

Does anybody know the KV. number of this trio(?) composed by Mozart? There seems to be two pianos and an oboe. Shouldn't be to hard to find out. Preciate an answer. -- Funper 22:59, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

The Köchel-Verzeichnis article mentions the following compositions for oboe: Oboe Concerto in C major, K. 314, Quartet in F for Oboe, Violin, Viola and Cello K.370, Adagio and Rondo for Glass Harmonica, Flute, Oboe, Viola and Cello K.617. Perhaps what you heard was an arrangement of some other piece. David Sneek 07:50, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, forgot to add the link to the piece: File:Mozart - KV 570.ogg (It's NOT kv. 570) -Funper 11:22, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Ummm...the filename says KV570. Might that be the Köchelverzeichnis number you're looking for? :P -- Ferkelparade π 11:25, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Oops, just read that you said it's not KV570. Ahem...I guess I'd better read the whole sentence before posting :P -- Ferkelparade π 12:22, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Was 570 a misprint for 370? JackofOz 00:20, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Economic indexes

I am writing an economic project on the Washington Consensus in my university. What I need is economical index(like GDP per capita, human development index, unepmloyment rates, landlessness, etc) statistical data for countries that had applied it(mostly countris in south america) for period at least starting 1989, but if it is before it would be even better. Information for any countries that have applied it would be of great help. What I have found so far is http://www.latin-focus.com/ , but the periods there start at May 1995. Thank you. --212.72.201.199 23:53, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

The most comprehensive (and widely used) dataset for international economic aggregates would be the Summers-Heston dataset (the Penn-World Table). It goes back to 1960 for most countries of the world and includes any economic measure you might want for almost every country. Next, for human development index, literact, or other non-economic measures, it would be best for you to get it directly from the UNDP. Their dataset can be accessed HERE. Or you can manually access all previous HD reports back until 1990 HERE. --WonderBread 14:10, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Thank you so much, WonderBread:) Your help is great. I just want to add what else I just have found, for anyone else who might find that information useful. What I found are the reports for various statistics published by the IMF. Can be foundHERE --212.72.201.199 16:09, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

April 7

Temple on Attica's south peninsula

What is the name of the temple on Attica's south peninsula in Greece? And is there an article on it?

Temple Poseidon

You're probably looking for Cape Sounion where a temple to Poseidon is located. Ferkelparade π 05:47, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Victor Hugo Quote

I often see the quote "I met in the street a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, his cloak was out at the elbows, the water passed through his shoes -- and the stars through his soul." attributed to Victor Hugo, but I have been unable to find the precise source. Does this line appear in one of his novels, and if so, which?

It's from Les Misérables, Chapter 4 -- http://www.online-literature.com/victor_hugo/les_miserables/246/. User:Zoe|^(talk) 16:17, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

a new FEMA regulation governing pets/domestic animals in time of adisaster

I am trying to find out if fema was sucessful in passing a regulation requiring communities to have a evacuation plan that now includes animals. The reason for the new regulation was the amount of pets lost and or abandoned during the past 2 hurricanes. I operate the only animal sanctuary serving the Kenai peninsula here in Alaska. There are over 60% of our residents that have NO form of animal control - beyond "shoot, shovel and shutup". I am certain that it is not an acceptable solution to an evacuation plan! Thank you for your help, Tim Colbath / founder AELAS www.aelas.petfinder.com

I don't know - you might be best off asking FEMA - if they have managed to pass such a regulation, it might well be on their website, also, animal rights organizations probably track this kind of thing. For great justice. 06:56, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Quote? Lazy evil man is less dangerous than a foolish busy man.

What is the original/correct version of the quotation, or is it an aphorism derived from a folk tale, or is it a personality matrix diagram? The basic moral (all i remember) is that: A productive fool is more dangerous than a lazy evil man. Thank you for any help. --24.68.132.132 09:18, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Sci-Fi Book. Does it exist?

I am looking for a specific name of a book

It was a science fiction novel I read in 1995, It exists however I never have been able to find another

The plot goes as follows, its quite vague

A group of people travelling through space fall through some kind of hole in space to somewhere. The spaceship is very damaged and they barely survive. Theres some kind of metal capsule in the ship? It had something to do with the plot.

They become scattered and form groups, workers around a planet, others in a fancy city built around the remains of the ship and other's. I remember that a group of survivors built thier home from the bones of the dead and ate each other.

The area of space they lived in had an atmosphere, and they could travel around on trees.

The plot ends with some sort of disaster, i think the atmosphere starts to thin and a large group escape to another planet inside some sort of 'space whale'

I really liked the book and wouldn't mind reading it again. I don't know the writer or the name of the book.. Perhaps some literary genius could shed some light on the books name? I don't think I dreamt it.

Many thanks wikiers

I'm 99.9% sure that's Raft by Stephen Baxter. --Bth

Concur. (The big "gimmick", incidentally, was that the gravitational constant in the new universe was different) You might also enjoy his Xeelee novels, if you liked that one, but his later ones are a little iffy. Shimgray | talk | 11:48, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

psychology and philosophy

what is the signifance of various influences on the development of self-concept

Is this by any chance a homework question? Notinasnaid 12:06, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

One could read the article on self-concept...

Samaddhi & Nirvana

Are they the same ? If not whats the difference ? Hhnnrr 12:34, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Assuming Samaddhi and Samadhi are the same, Samadhi is being completely focused on one thing in the present moment - a complete absolute concentration. Nirvana in the classical sense is a state of non-existence. In the more modern American sense, it is just being vegan, into alternative music, and highly supportive of hemp products. Either way, Nirvana has little to do with concentration, but concentration may be used as a tool to gain Nirvana in the classical sense. --Kainaw ^(talk) 18:35, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

• • Samadhi, apart from meaning total concentration, also means death. An etymological development of the word in Hindi laguage implies tomb, too. Nirvana is also a state of attainment of absolute knowledge, a state of disentaglement from the physical world, so on and so forth. Many philosophical concepts of ancient Indian philosphy have more meanings than one and different commentaries by different scholars state them differently, giving Indian philosphy its ambiguity and richness (remembering Borges) --Tachs 08:26, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I see , but what is confusing is that they both are said to be the climax of extended meditation. So is samadhi a state before nirvana , or are they just two different goals ? Hhnnrr 09:24, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

There are many paths to nirvana. Samadhi may be one. You can use the story of the Bodhi tree as an example. Buddha meditated under the tree until he achieved samdhi. Then, he attained enlightenment. It is important to note that while it is common to say he attained nirvana, most texts do not make that claim. Instead, the claim is that he attained the enlightenment necessary to enter nirvana, but turned back to remain on Earth and teach - becoming a Buddha. Of course, he went on to the state of nirvana after he died. That is where American rationalizations of nirvana cause a problem. There are many who want to make nirvana a frame of mind. Others want to turn it into another word for heaven. Others want it to be a place you go visit, like on a vacation. None of that fits with the earliest explanations of nirvana. Everything we know exists. Death exists. Life exists. Energy exists. Any gods, heavens, or hells you believe in exist. Nirvana is an escape from all of that - an escape from existence into a state of non-being. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:00, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Propaganda broadcasters

Looking at the Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf page I found that it links to several other personalities widely known as propaganda broadcasters/personalities during various wars. Looking at these personalities, most of them have similar links. However I also noticed all of them are personalities not affiliated with the US/UK side. I appreciate that as the US/UK were the victors (well except for in Vietnam, but we all know the US likes to pretend they won there anyway), and as an English wikipedia, we tend to hear more about those on the other side but for balance we need some links (and some articles if they don't exist) on propaganda announcers on the US/UK side! I know very little about this so can't help much but hopefully someone who is more of an expert can help... Nil Einne 12:52, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

I also noticed that the [[Category:Propagandists]] is also similarly one sided. And Hasbara is still not listed under [[Category:Propaganda]] and instead only Hasbara (disputed whether it is propaganda) is listed. At least Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is listed under [[Category:Propaganda Organisations]] for example. I think someone with an open mind and time on their side needs to make an effort to correct this clear bias whereby propaganda by the Allies (WW2), US and Western Europe (and Israel) is frequently not properly listed whereas propaganda by the Axis (WW2), communists, Arabs, Muslims etc is listed. From a quick read through, the propaganda article seems fairly well written with an adequate coverage and recognising propaganda from both sides so there are clearly some people in wikipedia able and willing to adopt NPOV when it comes to coverage of propaganda. But for whatever reason, this is not reflected in our categorisation and coverage of propanda in other articles on wikipedia. P.S. I've been posting this to Talk:Propaganda as well Nil Einne 13:28, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

You can link to a category by putting a colon in front of it, like this: [[:Category:Propaganda]], which appears like this: Category:Propaganda. —Keenan Pepper 16:41, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

how many libraries?

Hi, How many public libraries aer there? Both main branch and individual building sites? And what's the number of high school libraries and college libraries? I'm trying to get my head around the entire sales universe for a documentary film I'm working on, so these numbers would help. Thanks so much! Virginia

What country are you looking for information on? --Serie 21:48, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

In 2002 in the U.S.:

• • • Central public libraries: 8,986
    • Branch public libraries: 7,500
    • College: 3,527
    • Public high schools: 22,398 (presumably all have libraries)
    • Public combined elementary-high schools: 5,552
    • Private high schools: 2,704
    • Private combined schools: 9,142

From the 2006 Statistical Abstract of the United States ([7]).

"don't cut off your foot to smite your other foot unless it has no shoes"?

who said this?21:16, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

I guess maybe Ben Franklin. - (EricSpokane 02:41, 8 April 2006 (UTC))

No, he didn't. Even Poor Richard made more sense. This is a lame late 20th century pseudo-aphorism. alteripse 15:08, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

My answer was going to be "the insane homeless guy on Lexington and 23rd Street after he had a bottle of wine and a tube of glue," but I figured that it was best not to feed the question. Geogre 16:21, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

The old French proverb (translated) is "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face." As with all proverbs, people change the words for a variety of reasons. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:06, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

April 8

marriage between two sub castes

can a sunni boy marry a mehdavi girl.

if yes/ no .. what are all the problems one can face

Well boy lives in bangalore and girl in a mehdavi dominated village. But girl is studying medicene in bangalore.

So what is the real difference between sunni and mehdavi people.

cant they have these kind of social relations.

Have you tried asking here? Jameswilson 23:29, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

GEORGE EVEREST

There are two factual errors and a little missing information in the article on George Everest (for whom Mt Everest was named). Here's your entry [my comments/corrections are in brackets]:

'Colonel Sir George Everest... He was largely responsible for completion of the Great Trigonometric Survey of India along the meridian arc from the south of India extending north to Nepal... The survey was started by William Lambton in 1806 and lasted several decades. Mount Everest was surveyed in 1852 under his successor Andrew Waugh [it sounds like Waugh is Lambton's successor: wrong - he was Everest's successor who, in turn, was a successor [which one?] of Lambton in the position of Surveyor-General of India], who named it Mount Everest in 1865 [the correct date is '1856'] in honour of Sir George. [George Everest was not knighted until after the mountain was named for him... so it should read 'in honour of George (later Sir George) Everest'.

Hope this makes sense. If any questions, contact me:

Don Messerschmidt, PhD Anthropologist & Writer Kathmandu, Nepal [email removed to prevent you being spammed]

If you click on the "edit this page" link at the top of the George Everest article you can make any changes you feel appropriate yourself. That's the beauty of Wikipedia. See Wikipedia:How to edit a page for more. However, note that it would be very helpful if you could give some sort of verifiable source for your corrections. --Bth 09:50, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Gospel Sheet Music

I am looking for a piece of sheet music by Jake Hess. The title is "Prayer is the Key to Heaven, but Faith Opens the Door". I have searched many sites, but have failed to find this sheet music. Ant help you can provide would be very appreciated!

Thank You, Debra Boyle [email removed for spam prevention]

Narratology Article

The article on narratology is problematic in many respects. Beyond being outdated and limited in scope, it does not follow guidelines for use of gender-inclusive language outlined in most style guides (see the section on "conflict"). Can the article be flagged as disputed?

The "disputed" tag is more often for articles where you believe that the information is incorrect, and not merely insufficient or improperly phrased. If you wish to change it to reflect gender neutral language, please feel free to do so. Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit. If you wish to add newer material, you may do that as well. Personally, I feel that narratology as a proper noun belongs so much to Kristeva and Derrida that I don't know how it can really have progressed very much, but, then again, I'm not very fond of the theory game and don't edit any of those articles. Geogre 16:23, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

peruvian elections

Hi guys... I'm a bit worried since my country is in a risky situation now since Ollanta Humala is leading the electoral polls... I've been campaigning and doing what I can do but I'm just one person... Humala will get the votes of uneducated people who think they will do better with him when in fact they will do worse... is there anything I can do for him to not get elected? anything at all? I mean... like asking for help to the UN?... because seriously...I'm afraid we are gonna end up like Venezuela or even cuba... I'm scared... I mean... Can't the UN make a call to concience or something noticeable by the peruvian people?... He will win... or maybe Alan... We are doomed... people who vote for them, deserve what the country is gonna be like... but I don't since I'm a rational person and I deserve a rational gobernment :( . Our economy is falling appart... prices are going up... inversionists are taking their money away from the country... it's gonna be chaotic. can't the UN do something?.

--Cosmic girl 16:19, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

There is nothing to worry about, Cosmic girl. On the contrary, a Humala victory will give Peru some new possibilities. You should vote for him. Hopefully he will break away from the Washington Consensus in the same way Néstor Kirchner did in Argentina. David Sneek 18:22, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Even accepting your POV that he'd be a disaster for the sake of argument, I think you're on a hiding to nothing here. Other countries or international agencies trying to persuade people which way to vote in an election almost always backfires -- the electorate feels patronised (at best) and votes the other way out of orneriness. --Bth 18:43, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Your comment above seems more emotional than rational. Democracy means accepting (but not necessarily agreeing with) whoever gets elected. It also means trusting the people enough to believe they'll not reelect him if things do go bad, or oust the leadership if they try to subvert democratic rule. If you ask me, South America has already had enough dictators who knew "the good of the people" better than the people did. I'd prefer a populist asshole like Chavez above a dictatorial asshole like Pinochet any day. --BluePlatypus 19:04, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I like the washington consensus u guys... really... I know I'm being emotional, but our economy was OK until Humala had the most percentage... from then on, our economy has been going down... seriously! and every middle class citizen is freaked out! I swear! and also...maybe I have to do military service like every person younger than 21 here... so I'm screwed... he's also planning to take away our internet services and maybe also cable, because it's better for him to keep us uninformed... if dictatorships where as right as u said above...then they wouldn't need to keep people dumb to mantain power... they are scared because they know they are not right and they are corrupt. --Cosmic girl 20:23, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I had to put up with Mrs Thatcher for 11 years! Now its Conservatives turn to live under Tony Blair for nine years, which they hate. Its just the way it is. If you have definite political beliefs, half of your life you have a government you dont like! Jameswilson 23:36, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I don't know why emotion is being side-lined in this debate. Questions of human society and government, and the lives of individuals, cannot be considered in the light of reason alone, because emotion plays a large part. Otherwise nobody would give a damn enough to ever change anything. All politicians and their spin doctors know this. And emotion is one of the strongest explanations as to why people take diametrically opposed political positions. It's not generally a question of either of them being "right" or "wrong" - personal emotional factors determine the choice, by and large. JackofOz 01:29, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Military service, huh? Hey, look at it this way - equal draft would be a major victory for the feminist movement - that's not so bad :)

painting of woamn playing piano

I have this copy of a painting of a woman whom i assume is MAry she has a halo and shes wearing a cross. Shes playing the piano and there are 3 cherubs throwing flowers does anyone have any idea what the paointing may be? It is signed but I cant tell what the name is THe first initial is G and the last name starts with N. I would love to know who painted it

               Thank you

It's probably not Mary. Instead, check out Saint Lucy or Saint Cecilia, both music-associated saints. Mary is almost never depicted as wearing a cross. Geogre 16:50, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Or playing a piano. 63.227.210.27 23:11, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Quite right. In fact, the piano is a big, big hint on the painting, if it's actually a piano, as the pianoforte is post Renaissance, so it sounds 19th century or later. I really can't think of any keyboard saints (and no, not Keith Emerson). Very peculiar to have a harpsichord or piano playing saint. Geogre 00:23, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

For St. Cecilia at her keyboard, (mostly the organ) see here, here (by Carlo Dolci), here, here (by Rembrandt Peale), here and here. - Nunh-huh 00:33, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

silver hallmarks

How do we find out what the letter hallmarks mean on silver? We have an old butter knife that has a I S mark on it after the makers names which is holmes & edwards. Any help where to find hallmarks on silver would be appreciated. Thank you Terri208.5.80.94 16:41, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

There are any number of books of hallmarks, usually by country. Check your local library or bookstore. --BluePlatypus 18:17, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Many almanacks and cyclopedias have that sort of thing. It might help you to know that "the Holmes and Edwards Silver Co. was established in 1882 in Bridgeport, Ct by George C. Edwards and Israel Holmes. They were primarily manufacturers of silver plate, however they did make some sterling flatware. In 1898, the Holmes and Edwards Silver Co. was purchased by the International Silver Co." (from here). Grutness...wha? 01:46, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

April 9

historical costume

Can anyone tell me what a Parisian tailor might have characteristically worn in the 17th century? Adambrowne666 00:47, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Home

Where did the phrase, "you can't go home again" come from? And what exactly does it mean?

Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can't Go Home Again in 1940. Although the phrase occurs before that, it is the genesis of the widespread usage. Basically, it means that you can never recapture your youth or your family hearth. As you grow older, you may wish for the days of your youth, when you lived at home and had a small town life. If you try to go back to the old home town, you will find only sadness. (I.e. "Where are the snows of yesteryear?") Geogre 02:15, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Which, incidentally, is the same sentiment expressed (though it's usually misunderstood) by Gertrude Stein when she said of Oakland, "There's no there there." --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 03:58, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

how to

how can I make an article about someone that is not mentioned at wikipedia