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May 16

Longest-serving prisoners

Is there any worldwide list of prisoners who are among the longest-serving in the world? Is it it possible like in the US that there are prisoners in other countries who have bee locked up for at least 50 years. 112.198.90.217 (talk) 02:43, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

According to our article William Heirens (d. 2012) was the longest serving prisoner in the world, serving 65 years behind bars. Calidum ^{Talk To Me} 02:45, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

But see this ref-desk thread from a couple of months ago (particularly the article linked by Jayron32 in the antepenultimate comment). I think the OP here is specifically asking for non-U.S. data, however. Deor (talk) 11:09, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

I can't find a world list but Britain has certainly kept someone incarcerated for over 50 years, as said in the earlier discussion. Currently the UK's longest serving prisoner is Ian Brady who is just coming up to 50 years in prison/mental hospital. Brady's article was sent to AFD a few years back on notability grounds – BLP5E if I remember rightly – so the blue link is now to a redirect. Thincat (talk) 22:11, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Are you looking for non-Americans? Off the top of my head, I don't know, but I'll look into it. It would surprise me if 50 years was the longest for an American. America has looong prison sentences and a lot of young minorities are put in prison for life sentences. Bali88 (talk) 23:52, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

J Ward will tell you of some long serving prisoners at this prison for the criminally insane in Australia. Charles Fossard served 71 years. Bill Wallace served 64 years until his death at the age of 104. HiLo48 (talk) 01:20, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Zhang Xueliang was held, mostly under house arrest, for over 50 years.DOR (HK) (talk) 03:56, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

List of Musical instruments that support scala tuning.

Is there a place I can find a list of instruments that support scala ( http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/ ) tuning files?201.78.154.146 (talk) 20:35, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Scala (software) is piece of software for designing tuning systems - so to fully take advantage of it, you need instruments that are microtunable. That includes pretty much all tuneable stringed instruments - plus any electronic instrument that supports MIDI Tuning Standard. Then there are instruments where the frequency of the notes are completely under the control of the performer - violins, trombones, slide-whistles, etc (those are collected under Category:Continuous pitch instruments. SteveBaker (talk) 22:43, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Counterinsurgency

Most counterinsurgency manuals that I have seen place a high priority on winning the "hearts and minds" of the local population -- which presumes that this is possible, as it is in most (but not all) cases. My question is: Has anyone studied the question of what strategies and tactics to use when this CANNOT be done -- i.e. in a conflict where the local population is implacably hostile to our side (e.g. due to religious fanaticism or similar reasons) and cannot be swayed? 24.5.122.13 (talk) 22:58, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

'Our' side? AlexTiefling (talk) 23:10, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

The strategy is to strike terror in those same hearts and minds. Hence the term "terrorism". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:32, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

One man's counterinsurgency is another man's brutal repression. DuncanHill (talk) 23:35, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Shock and awe. HiLo48 (talk) 23:36, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

I found several academic studies of the "Hearts and Minds" approach to COIN, and presumably they look at instances when it hasn't worked. I'm afraid you'll have to read them to find out. Winning the Minds in “Hearts and Minds”: A Systems Approach to Information Operations as part of Counterinsurgency Warfare, Hearts and Minds: Its Evolution and Relevance to Counterinsurgency Campaigns by Winston M. Marbella (you need to create a free account to read that one) and The Malayan Emergency as counter-insurgency paradigm by Karl Hack, A Strategy of Tactics: Population-centric COIN and the Army by GIAN P. GENTILE and Winning Hearts and Minds? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Afghanistan. You can see a preview of The British Approach to Counterinsurgency ‘Hearts and Minds’ from Malaya to Afghanistan. Another (expensive) book title is The New Counter-insurgency Era in Critical Perspective. Alansplodge (talk) 00:56, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Well, let's look at some successes where winning the hearts and minds really wasn't an option:

1) The post Spanish-American War Philippines occupation by the US. Here brutal mass killings were used to suppress the insurgency. Not a good day for the US.

2) Post WW2 Japan. Here the strategy of the US was to basically hold Emperor Hirohito hostage, in that he could be removed as Emperor and perhaps prosecuted for war crimes if he didn't tell his people not to resist.

However, in both cases, independence was finally granted, so the promise of eventually leaving seems to be an important part of the mix, too.

A common strategy of European colonial powers was to set the natives against one another, by choosing one ethnic group to be "on top" and another to be third class citizens. They would often choose a smaller group to be on top, and that group knew they needed help to stay there, so did whatever it took to keep the colonial power in charge. This strategy still causes problems today, such as the Rwandan Genocide between the Tutsis and Hutus.

One of the most extreme methods was what the British did during the Boer War, where their strategy was to place the entire enemy civilian population in concentration camps. This kept them from supporting the enemy, but many died from disease and starvation. Then the Nazi's took it a step further and actually planned to execute all their enemies (or perceived enemies). This strategy, however, ultimately failed.

So, with the exception of Japan, where the Godlike status of the Emperor allowed him to be used to prevent an insurgency, the options for winning after you've lost the hearts and minds of the population are not good, and often require ignoring the Geneva Conventions. StuRat (talk) 01:07, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Thanks! For the record, the scenario I had in mind was one where the enemy has already shown flagrant and barbaric disregard for the laws of war, with all the implications that such savagery entails. 24.5.122.13 (talk) 06:38, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Your first link there is to the War on Terror. What ARE the rules for that war? Is invading a country with no connection to the terrorist attacks OK? HiLo48 (talk) 06:49, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

What are 'all the implications that such savagery entails'? Are you suggesting that because the other side has shown a total lack of morals, your side is free to abandon its morals too? And the 9/11 attacks were not domestic insurgency, but international terrorism. There's a huge leap from being the victims of such an attack to being an occupying force in some other nation (necessarily a third party), contemplating counterinsurgency. AlexTiefling (talk) 08:13, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Sure we can and SHOULD abandon our morals to win this war -- that's how we defeated absolute evil in World War 2, and that's how we'll defeat absolute evil this time! And if a nation gives aid or shelter to 9/11 terrorists (as Afghanistan had done), then Congress says that they are just as guilty as the terrorists themselves! 24.5.122.13 (talk) 09:04, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

When you abandon your moral values, the terrorists have won. HiLo48 (talk) 10:27, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Sez who?! 24.5.122.13 (talk) 20:14, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Says Kropotkine. "Terror is propaganda by deed" --SeveralTypesof (talk) 08:25, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

I suggest that this is not really a request for information any more. AlexTiefling (talk) 11:35, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Of course it no longer is -- thanks to you and HiLo48! 24.5.122.13 (talk) 20:14, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

At the height of the Vietnam era, William Buckley, responding to complaints about Vietnam being an "immoral" war, said, "There is no such thing as a 'moral' war. There is such a thing as a 'defensible' war." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:15, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Exactly! You don't win wars by following some sort of moral code (that's how you LOSE wars) -- you win them by doing whatever it takes to win, no matter how that might look to the rest of the world! 24.5.122.13 (talk) 20:14, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Yet it's done in the name of truth and justice and right and freedom and other cozy values. This reminds me of the South American politician who said words to the effect of "I stand for democracy and freedom, and anyone who is against that, I will kill, I will crush". -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:21, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Let's consider what would happen if the US just abandoned all the rules of war and used whatever military means at it's disposal to kill the terrorists. The first step would be dropping nukes on every spot known to be a hangout for terrorists. This, of course, would cause massive civilian casualties in multiple nations and spread radiation around the globe. All nations on Earth would immediately break off diplomatic relations with the US, halt all trade with the US, and possibly seize US assets abroad. The US economy would then collapse in short order, ending the ability for the US to support the military.

So, clearly, some of the rules of war need to be obeyed. The rule of never attacking anyone until the US Senate declares war on their nation might be going too far the other way, leaving the US no way to attack the terrorists until they entered the US, since they are smart enough to hide in failed states where the government there, if any, is totally incapable of capturing or killing them.

Personally I don't see any problem with treating them as prisoners of war, which would mean they would be released as soon as the war ends, which, of course, would be never. StuRat (talk) 00:48, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Arguably, we've been at war with them since the time of the Crusades, and there's no end in sight. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:12, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

That was a different "we" and a different "them". StuRat (talk) 01:15, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

I could say the same thing about World War I. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:23, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

There was a United States then, but not during the Crusades. StuRat (talk) 02:26, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

If "we" means the United States, our systemic bias really is a big problem. HiLo48 (talk) 08:28, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

When Stu said "we" I thought he was referring to a generation, not any particular nation or religion or whatever. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:40, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

And who did you mean by 'we' and 'them' in your comment at 01:12? AlexTiefling (talk) 15:03, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The west vs. the middle east. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:06, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

I see your point, but it does require a particular perspective. Here in Australia I actually live south south east of the far east. HiLo48 (talk) 16:27, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The far east being Byron Bay? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 19:21, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

• Rampant speculation and WP:SOAP after Alan's good links near the start. Please don't do that. I'm sure Stu has a WP:CRYSTAL to support his predictions of massive nuclear attacks by the USA. But can the rest of us please refrain? SemanticMantis (talk) 00:02, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

• I didn't "predict" a massive nuclear attack by the US, I just said that if the USA totally ignored all the rules of war and used all of the military means at it's disposal, that would be the result. See reducto ad absurdum. StuRat (talk) 15:08, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

May 17

HOW do I get in to a cash box

Got a cash box, clearly full of cash, might be a load of old coppers in the bottom of a bag, but the key is missing, I have the twin cash box, this one has key, but does not go in the other's lock. How do I get in? Horatio Snickers (talk) 02:27, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Well, if you don't have the key, then is it safe to assume you'll never use it again once it's open? If so, just bust it with a hammer. Dismas|^(talk) 02:33, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

See Lock picking. Study the twin key to estimate the number of levers inside the lock and their positions. A simple opening technique that does not damage the lock is Lock bumping. Ethical people can do this as Locksport. 84.209.89.214 (talk) 03:20, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

As a self-taught lock-picker with a decent set of picks (yes, it's a sport thing), I can tell you that it's quite hard to learn unless you've got a dismantled lock of the kind you intend to pick to practice on. It's extremely difficult to visualize what's going on inside the lock using just your imagination of what you THINK it might be doing inside. However, if you've had a chance to practice on a dismantled lock where you can see the little pins going up and down, it's really quite easy. I can pick a typical cylinder door lock in about 30 seconds (and so could anyone else who cares to learn to do it - that's why I have digital door locks on my house!)...but faced with a different kind of lock, such as the one on your cash box, I'm not sure I'd actually succeed in doing it before frustration set in!

So, in your position I'd just take a pry-bar to it. The idea of those things isn't to prevent a thief from taking all of the money. A determined thief simply steals the entire cash box and opens it by brute force. The idea is to prevent casual light-fingered people from sneaking a dollar or two out of the box now and again and slowly leaching the money away - and it doesn't require a particularly strong lock to deter them. So unless this thing was exceedingly heavy or bolted to the floor or something - it's probably going to be very easy to open with a bit of brute force. And, as others have pointed out, if you don't have the key, it's kinda useless to you anyway - so you might as well go ahead and break it open. Use either a pry-bar or a wedge and a hammer.

If you really want to avoid having money stolen, you need to hide it someplace like tucked into a book or inside an empty soda can or something. Burglars don't have the time to search all of those places - but a locked cash box is a blatantly obvious target for them.

SteveBaker (talk) 13:43, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Drill out the lock. Raquel Baranow (talk) 16:54, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

If the OP has a cash box but not the key(s) and is not sure of the exact contents (and does not volunteer the provenance) , then we should not answer this. It suggests very clearly that this cash box is not his own personal property so he may inducing us to be accomplices by providing answers in order from him to execute and complete a criminal offense. The easiest is to go to a registered lock-smith but he will also ask questions to cover his own back.--Aspro (talk) 17:04, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Best way is with a screwdriver - shove it into the key-hole, whack it with a hammer, and twist. Just the thing when you've bought a load of junk at a car boot or a house clearance and don't have the keys. DuncanHill (talk) 18:37, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Out of curiosity, where did you get this cash box? We aren't assisting you in committing a felony are we? lol Bali88 (talk) 18:51, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

If blunt trauma to the lock or box doesn't seem easily fruitful, a hacksaw and some time is all you need for the cashboxes I'm familiar with. (WP:AGF applies here too. I've lost a few keys to my own things, as well as passwords to my own files :-/) SemanticMantis (talk) 23:51, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Agreed. AGF. I've lost a key to a box that I knew had a Reggie Jackson rookie baseball card in it. If I'd have needed to get into it, there's always a hacksaw or drill. Luckily I found the key. So yeah, give OP a break. Dismas|^(talk) 23:55, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

FOR THE RECORD I AM NOT A THIEF! I am just a disorganised person! I used to put on a lot of events so we had a cash box at the door to keep the float in, change, etc. Haven't done so in a couple of years so I put them under my bed. I'm currently stony broke so I want to get into the red cash box to see if there's any money in there. The blue one just had a load of 1 and 2 penny pieces in so I'm not hopeful (and don't want to pay a locksmith!), so I might try and smash it up with a hammer. So do you mean I ought to be hitting a chisel or similar into the crack by where the lock is with the hammer? Horatio Snickers (talk) 19:18, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Yeah - it's OK, some people here seem to have forgotten one of Wikipedia's core rules: Assume Good Faith. I apologize on their behalf! It's hard to guess the best way to break into the box without knowing more about it.

1. Simply whacking it at random with a hammer doesn't seem likely to do anything.
2. Pick the lock. Nice because it's non-destructive - but tough to do if you don't have a decent set of lockpicks and the opportunity to practice on a dismantled lock first.
3. Break the internal catch that's holding the box shut - or the frame that the catch latches into. Seems like a good approach, so basically you need to drive a wedge into the lid opening close to where the lock is. Wedges are good tools because they produce enormous mechanical advantage. The tool that you need isn't a woodworker's chisel, it's a Cold chisel - not very sharp - but very heavy and indestcrutible. Either that or find the largest, oldest flat-bladed screwdriver you can.
4. Break the lock itself. With some lock designs, you can hammer a screwdriver into the slot where the key goes and then turn the screwdriver to open the lock. This might work - or it might just destroy the lock and make it even harder to open! Alternatively, you can drill out the lock with a succession of progressively larger diameter drill bits until it opens.
5. Break the hinges. Sometimes this is ridiculously easy - you can often hacksaw through the pin that holds the hinge together and just slide it out...but a reasonably good strong box will have hinges that are hidden inside the box...so that doesn't work.
6. Drop it from a great height onto concrete. If it lands diagonally on one corner, the twisting forces can sometimes pop the internal catch and the thing will just fall open. comment - make sure there is no one in sight. I'm fairly certain this is a felony if there is the potential for someone to be hit in the head by said flying cashbox. lol Bali88 (talk) 21:20, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

But for all of these approaches, you need to know a lot about how the box is constructed. SteveBaker (talk) 20:00, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Yes, either the corvid method (#6) SteveBaker proposes, or there's also the Breaking Bad method where you save a child from a life of abuse, foregoing the potential monetary profit. μηδείς (talk) 21:09, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Ha ha, thanks everyone! I'll be here all week. Try the veal!

There's a trope where, when someone says something funny or otherwise does something entertaining or impressive (or perhaps fails badly at one of the aforementioned), they pretend to be the host at a dinner theater and engage the witnesses as if they were an audience. The basic form is to thank the crowd, mention something about the show's run or duration, and perhaps then add an exhortation to tip the waitstaff or try a particular dish. Is there a particular source for this? The standardization of the form makes me think that there's some specific origin. Matt Deres (talk) 13:28, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

You might want to ask this on the Entertainment Desk...the folks there are better at this kind of question. SteveBaker (talk) 13:46, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

I'm feeling pretty confident that the same people are here too. :) Matt Deres (talk) 23:36, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

I've come across Web posts speculating that it's a stock joke from the Borscht belt heydays. That's as much as I've found. OttawaAC (talk) 00:31, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

It from actual night clubs, where the guest comic would indeed want to tell people where he was next appearing and also might have been asked, or volunteered, to request better tips for the wait staff and tell the diners about the specials. I don't find it terribly funny for comics not at night clubs to do that, but some people seem to like that kind of "out of place" humor. StuRat (talk) 00:33, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

...so it's a special kind of non sequitur (literary device)? ¡Spoon! (_Fork\^Knife) 07:44, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Correct, although also with a link to the past, whether their own or the past of stand up comics, in general. Comics will occasionally throw in other references to past comics, too, like "I don't get no respect!". StuRat (talk) 15:03, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

What are these symbols?

Hoping you can see them clearly enough here [[1]] We're in Newton Abbot,England-on the pavement there's a star and what appears to be an upside down U.Just behind the bench there's what appears to be a very large letter i.I've tried the local library,tourist info and no-one has any idea where they came from,when they appeared or what they mean.Any suggestions dear people? Lemon martini (talk) 14:09, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

It looks like a drawing of a shoe print instead of an i to me! Also, what is that line that goes over the flower wall? I'll ask my british friends and see if I can find some answers for you. :-) Bali88 (talk) 14:59, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Ignore that big white line-the shot is from Google Earth and that's just the direction line for how you're facing Lemon martini (talk) 15:31, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

If you look at it on Google Maps from the Queen Street, the cross appears to have the letter N at the north end - a compass rose suggests itself. The other three paintings seem connected. Some kind of a game perhaps? Wonder if church across the street would mind if someone asked. 88.112.50.121 (talk) 15:44, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

I have a theory about the arc-and-circles: it is a picture of St Leonard's Tower (do an image search on it). 88.112.50.121 (talk) 16:36, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

It's funny you say that: my british friends didn't know what they were, but one of them mentioned it kind of looked like a castle that had been partially painted over. Bali88 (talk) 16:41, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

So far I haven't come up with any solid answers, but my guess would be the shoe print means this is a walking path and the U symbolizes something along the lines of "no bikes". So basically, they're trying to communicate that that particular area is solely for people on foot. Bali88 (talk) 15:55, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

I notice that some Google Street View imagery doesn't show the markings, and neither does the Satellite view image of the location. So the markings must be fairly new, maybe even temporary, like an art project. You might consider contacting the restaurant or maybe the church in the photo to see if anyone there knows what they are. Or try the local newspaper. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 03:45, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

May 18

Donation for renovation of Buckingham Palace

Is there any foundation, which supports the renovation Buckingham palace, you can donate to? 112.198.90.116 (talk) 06:16, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Is this the opening line of a joke ? "The Foundation for the Support of Underprivileged Queens" ? StuRat (talk) 06:26, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

To the best of my knowledge their is not a voluntary fund to which you can donate - although I suspect someone will be along in a minute to say 'rubbish'. The British Government already have a system to collect donations for the upkeep of the palace. Almost everyone in the UK who works donates a few pence of their earnings each week towards a new coat of paint for the palace windows or a new carpet in the front hall. With respect there are many people in other parts of the world much more in need of your support than the British monarchy. Richard Avery (talk) 07:23, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Please be civil. A Google search on the three words "buckingham palace renovations" turns up news reports from 7 months ago to the effect that, as the budget for the royal family has been repeatedly reduced, maintenance has been deferred until the royal palaces need tens of millions in repairs and nobody knows where the money would come from. This one, for instance. As nothing more recent turns up, it appears that the simple answer is that there is no such fund at present. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 07:35, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

My first line answers the question, with a rider thrown in. The second part is an ironic line about the funding. The third part makes a respectful suggestion about what to do with the money. Where's the lack of civilty? Richard Avery (talk) 10:50, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

No money at all. And it just goes to prove that the Daily Mail is a completely unreliable source.[2] Thincat (talk) 19:10, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Phase-out of incandescent light bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs are rapidly being phased out in the US. Certain specialty bulbs are exempt. Ones under 40 watts are exempt.

According to my count, we have 63 bulbs inside our house with a standard E27 base. Only 15 of them are incandescent - the others are CFL or LED. And most of the incandescents are in places that are rarely used - inside closets and in the attic. They might get used 5 minutes per year. I don't want to have to may much money for bulbs that are used that little.

So I was thinking, since bulbs under 40 watts are exempt, is there something that I could screw two or three 25-watt bulbs into, and screw that into the socket in the attic? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 19:02, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Resolved

Well, I should have googled before asking, because they have such things. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 19:04, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Maybe that isn't such a good idea. By the time I buy one of those and two 25-watt I-bulbs, it is going to be around $6, and small LEDs or CFLs may be in that range soon. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 20:02, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Yeah - and if the bulbs really did last a very long time in this application, then replacing the ones you have ought to be such a rare event that the cost is relatively unimportant. I recently bought under-cabinet lighting for my kitchen - and a strip with four LED's on it (energy consumption, 3 watts, light output 40 watt-equiv) cost me $16 at Walmart...and that's in a nice housing with a plug and a switch!

Also, while it's true that you may not run these bulbs for very many hours over the years, the thing that causes incandescents to fail most often isn't their age, but the number of times you've turned them on an off. So even though you may not run them for very long, it's probably still a huge saving to go with LED lights. I wouldn't go with CFL though - their ballast systems don't like being alternately baked and frozen in the attic. SteveBaker (talk) 17:55, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Yes, once some LEDs got affordable, I quit buying CFLs. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 19:38, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Well, it seems like a waste to put something that will last 20,000 hours and be used only 5 minutes per year. So maybe I'll take some of the used, but still working incandescent bulbs out of the closets, save them for the attic, replace those incandescent bulbs with CFLs that are a few years old (I have some over 11 years old), and replace those CFLs with LEDs. That seems like a better plan. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 22:58, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

May 19

Non-Politeia member

what is the meaning of the word "Non-Politeia member" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 176.205.162.52 (talk) 15:59, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Without some context, or even a source, it's very difficult to tell. But I guess it means "somebody who is not a member of Politeia". Searching for Politeia on Wikipedia suggests that the most plausible candidate is Politeia (think tank), but that is only a guess.

The phrase might also mean "member of [whatever the article is about] who is not associated with Politeia", and if it has that meaning, it might indicate another thing called Politeia. --ColinFine (talk) 17:05, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Right - "Politia" roughly means "political thinking" - and the "think tank" version of it really refers to political think tanks - so it's not a separate meaning. The other meanings are things like magazines (about political thinking) and place names. So we're really left with:

• Someone who is not a member of some think tank which is being discussed here. (eg "A non-politeia member stood up at the politeia meeting and yelled 'bullshit!'")
• Someone who is a member of something else, who doesn't routinely engage in political thought. (eg "A non-politeia member of our golf club refused to discuss the US presidential election at the 10th green today").

I kinda doubt it's the second of those because the word "politeia" isn't commonly used these days - except to name various organizations - which strongly suggests the first meaning. We really do need some context. Where did you see it?

SteveBaker (talk) 17:47, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Buying and selling on Craigslist

If a buyer and seller are transacting a sale on Craigslist, how can each party insure that the other will not rip them off? The seller will want the money first before he sends the item. The buyer will want the item first before he sends the money. So, how can this "impasse" be avoided or resolved? In this particular case, the seller does not take Pay Pal. And the transaction is on Craigslist (not eBay), therefore lacking the protections of an eBay transaction. And the parties are at great distance, making an in-person exchange impossible. Thanks. 75.44.113.200 (talk) 21:35, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

If all of the above is true, than you pretty much can't make the guarantee. One or the other of you will have to act on faith at some point. I presume that the seller doesn't take credit. If that were the case, you could stop payment if you didn't receive the goods. On the other hand, you could stop the payment even if you did, and claim you didn't, so even that might not work. Mingmingla (talk) 22:51, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. I am the buyer, by the way. And I anticipate the seller saying: "send me the money first, then I will mail you the item when I receive the payment". 75.44.113.200 (talk) 00:03, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

There are escrow services around that will add a layer of safety but they will, of course, cost you. There are also a lot of escrow scams. Dismas|^(talk) 00:09, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

What do you mean? Can you give me an example? How does that process work? Thanks. 75.44.113.200 (talk) 00:32, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Sorry, but we can't help you, although a lawyer might. μηδείς (talk) 01:45, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Don't be daft, Medeis. Of course we can help with all three of those questions. None of them are asking for advice.

An escrow service can be contracted to take delivery of both the payment and the goods. Or just the payment. It's described in our escrow article which I've linked to. The process works basically like this... Both the buyer and seller make contact with the service and agree to their terms (whatever they might be, different services may work slightly differently). The service agrees to take the payment for the goods and do so. Once the buyer receives the goods, the escrow service releases the money to the seller either by sending a check or deposit into a PayPal account or whatever arrangements have been made. As I said though, the service will take a commission since their time is valuable as well. If you'd rather avoid a dedicated service that you find on the internet, then you can contact a lawyer and ask them to do the escrow for you. Lawyers have performed this service for ages. They have an interest in making sure both parties are happy because their reputation and business are on the line.

What I can't do is make any recommendations about either a service or lawyer. For one, that is up to you to decide and I don't want to be blamed if anything goes wrong. For two, we're not supposed to be giving advice about financial matters here. (I'm only informing you of an option that is already available to you) And for three, I've no experience in actually using an escrow service for this purpose. Dismas|^(talk) 02:14, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Oh, fuck off, Dismas, your insults are tiresome and your lack of referenced advice speaks for itself. The OP needs to get a lawyer who can advise him on the law in the relative jurisdictions, or simply not take the risk if he fears the outcome but won't pat for the necessary advice. 20:13, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Oh Medeis, what a prize pillock you are. It was not a request for legal advice. --Viennese Waltz 20:20, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. Wow, that is much too complicated! I guess I did not make clear in my original question. I am only talking about a low-priced item, perhaps five or ten bucks. Certainly not enough to get an escrow service involved. Yes, it's a small enough amount of money that I can certainly "eat" the loss (if the item never gets shipped). But, at the same time, I don't want to get ripped off for even five or ten bucks. And, I can't imagine the seller agreeing to release the item first with no payment in hand. 75.44.113.200 (talk) 03:37, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

That's just how mail order works, unfortunately. The buyer is expected to send payment first. --Viennese Waltz 09:48, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

May 20

Enrollment and Credentialing

Hi,

I am often hearing the term "Enrollment and Credentialing" which something deals with the participating of the Provider/Doctor with the Payer/Insurances. Somehow, I cannot clearly differentiate between those two terms: 1. Enrollment 2. Credentialing. Please guide me by giving the difference between those.

Thanks in Advance. 103.252.161.245 (talk) 05:54, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Whereabout are you hearing/seeing these terms? I've never seen 'credential' used as a verb at all, myself. AlexTiefling (talk) 15:07, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Chocolate

I have two kinds of non-dairy, dark chocolate bars of equal weight, where one bar has 40% cocoa mass and one 80%, and the rest of each bar is sugar and other fillers.

Assuming that eating dark choclate is good for the health, if I eat 2 bars of the 40% bar, do I get the same "chocolate benefits" as eating 1 bar of the 80%?Bh12 (talk) 14:02, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

You say that neither is milk chocolate, which is good, because milk tends to neutralize the anti-oxidant benefits of chocolate. So, the benefits should be about the same, although obviously the extra sugar and other ingredients you get in the 40% bar are not healthy for you. (If you go from 20% bad stuff to 60% bad stuff x 2, that's 6 times as much bad stuff with two 40% bars.) StuRat (talk) 14:22, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Oddly enough, as unlicensed professionals, we cannot give dietary or nutritional advice, any more than we can serve as lawyers, physicians, brokers, or electrical inspectors. But feel free to value StuRat's advice at exactly the value you paid for it. μηδείς (talk) 20:08, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

We have an article, Health_effects_of_chocolate, which (unlike any replies given so far here) contains sources for its information. 86.146.28.105 (talk) 20:27, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Dogs' noses.

I understand that the rather and oftentimes annoying nose hairs inside my nostrils are there to protect me from inhaled foreign objects. Given that being the case, and also given that dogs frequent lower lying areas of contamination as well as other dogs' rear ends which are quite hairy (in both senses of the word), why then don't dogs have nostril hairs to protect them from inhaling foreign matter? 94.174.140.161 (talk) 14:27, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Who says they don't? --Jayron32 14:34, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

I suspect he's really asking about the nose hairs which extend well beyond the nostrils. These, along with eyebrows and ear hair that keep on growing seemingly forever in older men, are a bit of a mystery. I suspect that they were all originally defects, but since they don't do much harm and serve as age markers, those genes remain in the population, since it is helpful for a population to have a rough idea of the ages of it's members. (Baldness, gray/white hair, and wrinkles probably all have a similar story.) Do older dogs also get hairs hanging out of their nostrils ? StuRat (talk) 14:58, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

They don't have hairs extending out of their noses, from my experience with many older dogs. Dismas|^(talk) 15:24, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

European cars remake

Besides Mini Cooper and FIAT 500,. what other European cars have been remade into modern version? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.92.155.154 (talk) 19:41, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

The most iconic is probably the Volkswagen Beetle. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:24, 20 May 2014 (UTC)