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April 21
Are there any primary source accounts of Lyncoya by contemporary of Andrew Jackson's or Jackson himself? Can anybody find the letter he wrote to his wife about how he felt "unusual sympathy" for the child?--KAVEBEAR (talk) 00:44, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Partial answer: I've put in a request for you at the resource exchange to see if we can find that book's source for the quote. 184.147.128.57 (talk) 15:51, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
Nae Ionescu
Hi. My query is about the second name of Nae Ionescu. In the article of Wikipedia his name appears as "Nicolae C. Ionescu". Which was that second name that began with "c"? Daniel. April 21,2016. 83.51.245.163 (talk) 06:24, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- @83.51.245.163: "Cristache" according to this (sourced to Miruna Lepus, Nae Ionescu sau implinirea prin tineri, p. 34). —Nizolan (talk) 08:00, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Middle name.
Sleigh (talk) 08:54, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
Indigenous Communities and Negative Effects of Resource Extraction
Hello,
I've been reading a number of articles here on Wikipedia about indigenous communities (e.g. North and South America, Australia, New Zealand) and the various issues they face in the 21st century. In particular, I've seen references, in passing, to efforts at compensating and managing the negative effects of forestry, mining, and hydroelectric operations (in regards to indigenous communities in and around these operations). That being said, I've had a hard time finding any materials that provide any sort of details - e.g. if a mining operation poisons the water supply near a reservation, how has the government compensated the effected group(s)? (Monetary amounts being a specific metric.) Are there articles on Wikipedia, studies, websites, etc, that provide details? Where should I look? Thank you. AKWells (talk) 10:08, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- I'm going to give refs only for USA, because I know even less about the other areas :) Here's a Standford Law Review article that discusses many prior legal cases [1], some involving restitution. Here is another overview of [2] how the USA feds have legally interacted with native tribes. Here's [3] an article for superfund sites on tribal land. For WP, some places to start searching might include List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases_involving_Indian_tribes, American_Indian_Defense_Association, and Native_American_civil_rights. One thing to keep in mind: these days, it often goes the other way. Meaning instead of state or fed govt. paying natives because we messed up their land, now some large corporations are paying tons of money to tribes so that the corp. may use the tribe's rights to water and other resources. For this, see e.g. Nestlé#Water_bottling_operations_in_California_and_Oregon or google things like /Nestle water tribe controversy/. Hope that helps. SemanticMantis (talk) 15:25, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- One important factor is the nature of the resource to be extracted. Some resources, like petroleum, can be extracted with a minimal workforce over the course of a few years, and are nonrenewable. Native communities tend not to do well in such cases, where the government and corporations may pay them something while there, but soon abandon the area after the resource is used up, often leaving polluted land and water behind. Renewable resources, on the other hand, like soil good for growing crops, can be used for centuries if properly managed, and require a larger workforce to fully utilize. This tends to help the natives economically, over a long time period. Another consideration is that sudden wealth, in the form of a one-time payment, tends to cause problems among those not used to having money, whereas a slow but steady income helps them out more. StuRat (talk) 15:33, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Here are some references for Canada. Attawapiskat_First_Nation#Mining. First Nations Oil and Gas and Moneys Management Act. Assembly of First Nations info page on water. First Nations bear the risks of oilsands development. Supreme Court of Canada Cases Involving Indigenous Peoples. 184.147.128.57 (talk) 15:42, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- See http://www.dmoz.org/search?q=environmental+racism.
- —Wavelength (talk) 18:06, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
Violet Piercy
According to this 2015 book, Violet Piercy was still alive in that year, which would make her 126 years old at the time (well beyond the oldest person Jeanne Calment). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography also implies she was alive as of 2012 (making her 123 years old at the time). Maybe her death just went unnoticed at some point? Brandmeistertalk 14:25, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- According to this running blog:- "... the story has an even sadder ending. The newly-gathered evidence suggests that an elderly woman of no fixed address who died in a London hospital in April 1972 was the once-famous Violet Piercy. She had suffered a brain haemorrhage, hypertension and chronic kidney-related infection. The death certificate mistakenly gave her surname as Pearson, which ruled out any chance of her being immediately recognised as the former celebrity runner... well-known novelist Peter Lovesey has written at length about her in Track Stats magazine." Alansplodge (talk) 15:35, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Thanks, good find. Brandmeistertalk 15:58, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- The magazine article in question is: The forgotten first lady: rediscovering Violet Piercy, marathon pioneer by Peter Lovesey in Track Stats, Volume 52, No. 4, December 2014. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be viewable online. Alansplodge (talk) 17:16, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Thanks, good find. Brandmeistertalk 15:58, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
Other than the Germans and the Jews, exactly which other ethnic groups immigrated *by the millions* to their/their ancestors' original homeland?
Any thoughts on this? Futurist110 (talk) 20:43, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Possibly the people we now call Native Americans who may have immigrated to North America across the Bering Land Bridge. But I'm not sure about *by the millions*.
That doesn't really fit my "homeland" criteria, though. Futurist110 (talk) 00:04, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- And I have to question "The Germans" in your title: can you please tell me more about that because I was always under the impression that the Germans originated from the tribes to the East of the Rhine, who were never conquered by the Romans, and who never migrated anywhere? --TammyMoet (talk) 20:55, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Please look up the Medieval Ostsiedlung along with the reversal of the Medieval Ostsiedlung in the form of massive immigration (sometimes voluntary, and sometimes involuntary) of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe to Germany from 1939 all of the way up to the present day (2016). Indeed, there is certainly a reason that most Transylvanian Saxons, Baltic Germans, Banat Germans, Volga Germans, et cetera currently live in Germany rather than in Eastern Europe. Futurist110 (talk) 00:04, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- I think the OP means returned to a "homeland" - Israel for Jews- post WWII (or traditionally, from exile in Egypt or Babylon) & the post WWII population movements for Germans.
- Yes; correct! Futurist110 (talk) 00:04, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Those who returned from the Italian diaspora & probably others like the Irish diaspora qualify. The Population exchange between Greece and Turkey after WWI was similar to the post WWII. one.
- Did these people number in the *millions,* though? Futurist110 (talk) 00:04, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Yes, for Italy - Greece & Turkey was about a million each way. See the articles. John Z (talk) 01:05, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Articles and categories on diasporas and on Population transfer should give other examples, often associated with catastrophes or wars, like the huge movements associated with the Partition of India. Sometimes of course, the homeland status or association of the people moving was tenuous or imaginary.John Z (talk) 22:55, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- OK. Also, though, do you have any other quick examples off of the top of your head before I myself research this topic further? Futurist110 (talk) 00:04, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Those were all that came to mind immediately. But anybody whatsoever moving to Africa - surely in the millions over the years - would qualify. :-)John Z (talk) 01:05, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Liberia had thousands of by ex-slaves returning to Africa from the US. Far short of millions, though. StuRat (talk) 03:15, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- The Bantu expansion probably passed through some of the original homelands of all of humanity's ancestors. Ian.thomson (talk) 03:59, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Unless the last common ancestor of Bantu and (say) Polynesians was in Ethiopia. —Tamfang (talk) 08:53, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Though there were common ancestors prior to that, especially if we don't limit ourselves to H. Sapiens. Ian.thomson (talk) 08:56, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Unless the last common ancestor of Bantu and (say) Polynesians was in Ethiopia. —Tamfang (talk) 08:53, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- There's also African-American settlement in Africa, although the article doesn't make clear what kind of numbers were involved. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 12:42, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Do we have any statistics on how many Englishmen returned to England after various parts of the British Empire gained independence? Same for the French? Blueboar (talk) 13:19, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Perhaps the OP is referring to East Germans returning to the former East Germany after German reunification, though I question "millions". Other examples from List of diasporas include Estonians returning from Siberia after independence in 1991 and South Africans in recent years. Futurist, if you google "diaspora return" you'll find more, including an entire book on the subject. 184.147.128.57 (talk) 21:33, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- About the French abandoning the colonies and returning to France: extract from the article Pied-Noir : "The number of Pied-Noirs who fled Algeria totaled more than 800,000 between 1962 and 1964". so not quite millions
- That is just Algeria - add in the rest of the French colonies and you will almost certainly pass the million. British returnees would not reach such a level - most of the British colonies of settlement have retained their white populations (which were much smaller than the French ones anyway). 81.132.106.10 (talk) 13:27, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Dunno about that - there's a few white people in Canada, Australia and New Zealand (not sure we want them back though). Alansplodge (talk) 22:02, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- That is just Algeria - add in the rest of the French colonies and you will almost certainly pass the million. British returnees would not reach such a level - most of the British colonies of settlement have retained their white populations (which were much smaller than the French ones anyway). 81.132.106.10 (talk) 13:27, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Also see another case: Population_exchange_between_Greece_and_Turkey --Lgriot (talk) 20:59, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- About the French abandoning the colonies and returning to France: extract from the article Pied-Noir : "The number of Pied-Noirs who fled Algeria totaled more than 800,000 between 1962 and 1964". so not quite millions
Laws and court cases regarding automobile rims
I'm looking for any information on laws or court cases involving a certain type of Rim_(wheel). They are variously called swangas, "pokes", "elbows", and many other slang terms that we don't seem to have coverage for on WP. So here [4] is a pretty good example, google image search [5] has many more. Here [6] is some indication that they are not currently illegal in TX, but it's not very reliable.
My questions are:
- Are there any not-theft-related court cases in any jurisdiction involving this kind of rim?
- Has any jurisdiction explicitly banned them?
- Are there any relevant current laws in any jurisdiction that would seem to cover large protrusions from a motor vehicle?
Thanks for any references, SemanticMantis (talk) 21:37, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- A quick Google suggests that it is widely believed in the UK that no part of the wheel is allowed to extend past the wheel arches. [7] A thread on a British police forum suggests that this is not strictly true, but is the usual interpretation used by the police of The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 "(3) No motor vehicle or trailer shall be used for any purpose for which it is so unsuitable as to cause or be likely to cause danger or nuisance to any person in or on the vehicle or trailer or on a road."
- Good luck trying to argue that these aren't "likely to cause danger or nuisance" especially to cyclists and pedestrians. I've never seen these on a British road. Alansplodge (talk) 22:13, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Further to that, this forum reports the regulations used to assess the roadworthiness of kit cars and similar: "Section 18: External Projections: 2. There shall be no other feature on the external surface of the vehicle likely to increase the risk or seriousness of injury to any person who could come into contact with the vehicle... (d) wheels, if there are no pointed or sharp features which projects beyond the external plane of the wheel rim, no wing nuts are fitted and there are no projections beyond the vehicle body plan form apart from tyres and wheel discs, (including central wheel securing nuts) if the latter have a radius of curvature of not less than 30mm and do not project by more than 30mm beyond the vehicle body plan form". Alansplodge (talk) 22:30, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- A quick internet search suggests that they are common in TX (that is, something you see once every day). See [8].
- For the original (back then legal) version: Scythed chariot. Llaanngg (talk) 22:33, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
- Thanks @Alansplodge: and @Llaanngg:. I (un)fortunately live in Texas, and like to cycle and walk, and I see these with some frequency (and avoid proximity at all costs). I am indeed often reminded of Scythed chariots! Still interested if anyone has info for any other jurisdictions, though it the popularity may be more limited than I realized. SemanticMantis (talk) 14:39, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Are you referring to Spinners? LongHairedFop (talk) 21:09, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Note that if you put those on an already wide vehicle, you may exceed limits on vehicle width. StuRat (talk) 01:27, 23 April 2016 (UTC)
April 22
Was the moneyless system thing originally a democratic invention?
Recently, i noticed that a moneyless society was a Communist thing, but my question is this: Was this system originally a democratic invention? Rmaster1200 (talk) 14:00, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Has a moneyless system ever been implemented? (Aside from the USSR, about which Will Rogers said, "They ain't got no income tax. But they ain't got no income!") ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:16, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Not to mention that there was in fact an income tax in the Soviet Union. Bugs's sentence should be enshrined as some tribute to efficiency in making wrong statements. --Golbez (talk) 16:55, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Will Rogers was a satirist. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:37, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Not sure what you mean by moneyless system. Do you mean the barter system ? StuRat (talk) 17:47, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- A Gift economy is another alternative to a money economy. Iapetus (talk) 18:49, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- One of the many left-leaning teachers in my 1970s comprehensive school espoused the idea of the intentional community, exemplified by the kibbutz system. He thought that if fully adopted it could replace capitalism. Apparently, everyone would be fed and clothed communally and would rotate jobs every few months so that nobody had to do the menial work for more than a short period. He was unable to explain how any sort of manufacturing would take place if nobody had any skills; apparently that sort of thing wouldn't be needed. Alansplodge (talk) 00:42, 23 April 2016 (UTC)
- See Pantisocracy for another historical example. Tevildo (talk) 08:56, 23 April 2016 (UTC)
- "I'll buy that for a pair of bell bottoms and even toss in an old acid washed pair as a bonus." StuRat (talk) 23:05, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
Theogony and the classical Greek myth timeline
in Theogony, Hesiod describes the succession of Greek deities and heroes. However, I don't recall him providing any definite timeline. Did anyone in classical antiquity attempt to deduce or impose a timeline on the Greek myth in some form? Can you recomend some good references / sources to read? Also, if such a timeline does exist, what would be the most likely dates (years) of Heracles' 12 labors and of Arachne's unfortunate contest with Athena? ( Just to make sure my question is clearly formulated: I am not asking what we know now of the actual timeline of Minoan, Achaean, etc. civilization and culture. Rather, I am asking what did the Greco-Roman world think then - let's say between 600 BCE and 300 CE - that the timeline of Theogony was. ) --Dr Dima (talk) 22:35, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
- Just my thoughts: The Greek Gods weren't like ours, they imagined them interacting with "mortals" on a daily basis, and those mortals were Greeks or at least people the Greeks knew. Therefore, it wouldn't have been from a time thousands of years earlier, but rather from a time within their collective memory. So, maybe a few centuries. You might compare with the accounts of the Trojan War, which similarly was from a time just a few centuries before Homer recorded it in the Iliad. Also, the invention of writing figures in, since, if these events occurred after the Greeks acquired this skill, then numerous written accounts would be expected. So, such myths would be set in the pre-literate era. StuRat (talk) 05:31, 23 April 2016 (UTC)
- You can get some idea of what Hesiod and later Greeks thought from our Ages of Man article. More simply than that, the Greeks considered that there was a mythological past, when the universe was created and the myths of the gods and early humans took place, but they didn't really think those myths occurred at any specific date, just "the past" in general. Assigning a specific date to creation was not necessary. Then there was an Age of Heroes, the Greek Heroic Age, which is sort of conflated with Greek mythology in general nowadays, but was certainly separate for the Greeks themselves. It was set in the near past, maybe a few hundred years earlier than the classical period of the 5th century BC. They may not have known exactly how far back it happened things, but like the Trojan War, the Argonauts, Heracles' labours, and the legends about the foundation of various royal dynasties pre- and post-Trojan War were historical. In fact they often seem to be mythologized accounts of what happened when the Greeks actually migrated into Greece after their subsequent history - founding cities, understanding that cities like Mycenae and Argos used to be powerful states even though they were in ruins in the classical period, contact with other cultures like Egypt and the Minoans, the fact that there was some sort of Trojan war and Bronze Age collapse, different waves of migration being responsible for the different kinds of Greek culture and dialects, etc. All that is dated back to the Age of Heroes, and the classical Greeks seem to have remembered it correctly, more or less. (This is in contrast with the true myths, which are inherited from general Indo-European myths that long predate Greek culture.) The gods still interacted with humans as late as the Heroic Age, and the heroic ancestors of the classical Greeks were often considered to be sons of a god/goddess and a mortal woman/man.
- The classical Greeks didn't really think the gods still interacted with them on a daily basis. They lived in the Age of Iron, which was pretty crappy all around and the gods weren't really present anymore...there is a weird episode from the 6th century BC where Peisistratus and Megacles dressed some woman up as Athena, but it doesn't sound like people were convinced (and a century later, Herodotus didn't believe it).
- We should also remember that there was no real "canon" of Greek myths and legends, and they changed over time. The myths recorded by Hesiod, for example, often differ greatly from the myths compiled by, say, Apollodorus, and then they are further changed by the Romans (a lot of what we think of as Greek mythology actually comes from Ovid). There is no single "Greek mythology"! So, it is also hard to say what "the Greeks" considered the actual timeline.
- Anyway, any good introduction to Greek mythology should have a discussion of this. The one I have is "Classical Mythology" by Morford and Lenardon, I highly recommend it! As mentioned, Wikipedia's own Ages of Man article and related links are also a good start. Adam Bishop (talk) 13:19, 23 April 2016 (UTC)
- Thank you Adam for a great and very detailed reply! This was very helpful. All the best, --Dr Dima (talk) 18:03, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
April 23
What key is the BSG "Apocalypse" theme in?
In the TV movie Battlestar Galactica: The Plan there is an orchestrated theme, of which you can see a live appearance here. At about 40 seconds in, a stringed motif played on what I am told is an electric violin begins. Can anyone (e.g., (@JackofOz:?) tell me what key the piece is set in, if any? Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 23:22, 23 April 2016 (UTC)
- It seems to be in D minor. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 05:02, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
- The saddest of all keys... --Jayron32 01:10, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Thanks. I played it along with some other rock songs for a friend who's been studying violin for two years, and he blurted out that it was in A minor. I can barely tell a violin from a piano on the radio, so I was curious as to his accuracy. I don't know how one determines the key without having the sheet music in any case, unless one has perfect pitch. μηδείς (talk) 20:01, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
- Perfect pitch isn't necessary. A well-tuned instrument that gives discrete notes (a piano, for example, or a guitar; but not a violin) is all we need. You find the notes on the keyboard by trial and error, and then work out what the tonic is, which is usually a very simple exercise. I played the melody on my recently-tuned piano and, unless I've made a mistake, the tonic does seem to be D, not A. I've just now gone and repeated the exercise. A minor has a raised G, which this tune doesn't have. D minor has a flattened B, which this tune does have. And it ends on D, not A. Hence, D minor. But IANAPM (I am not a professional musician/musicologist). -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 01:43, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- I'll have to get my friend (my nephew, he'll be 11 soon) to work out the notes and follow your instructions. That was a great answer, Jack, thanks. μηδείς (talk) 02:32, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
April 24
James Robert Porter
- From talk page. Tevildo (talk) 19:34, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
My query is about James Robert Porter. Which was his mother´s name? Thanks.
Daniel; April 24th, 2016. ≈≈≈ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.51.245.163 (talk) 09:08, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
Lion d'Argent inn, Calais
A question about The Roast Beef of Old England at the Language Desk led me to The Gate of Calais. I would be interested to know more about the Lion d'Argent inn - how long it continued as an English inn, does the building still exist, etc. Thanks, DuncanHill (talk) 20:14, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
- This travelogue written in 1814 lists a Lion d'Argent on Rue Neuve. It names the innkeeper as a "Ducroc". Here is the Rue Neuve in Calais. No idea if the Inn is still there, but it apparently was (or one of the same name) in 1814, and the street still appears to be there. --Jayron32 20:49, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
- (edit conflict) A brief mention of it in this book from 1817, when Calais was said to "abound with English residents, half-pay officers and persons of small income, who live here for one third less than in England". I imagine that there were rather fewer during the preceding decades during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Another mention here in 1822. This 1833 article mentions it as the rendez-vous of British cavalry officers during the occupation that followed the Waterloo Campaign of 1815. Anne Lister describes the hotel in her diary entry for 5 September 1822. Alansplodge (talk) 21:02, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
- A quick look on Google Maps shows that all of the buildings currently on Rue Neuve are fairly modern. Calais was badly damaged by bombing during World War Two, so it seems unlikely that this particular old inn has survived. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.132.106.10 (talk) 16:18, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- A lot of the damage was caused by the Siege of Calais (1940); it looked like this straight afterwards. There was a second battle there in 1944 called Operation Undergo. The bombs didn't help of course. Alansplodge (talk) 19:14, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- A quick look on Google Maps shows that all of the buildings currently on Rue Neuve are fairly modern. Calais was badly damaged by bombing during World War Two, so it seems unlikely that this particular old inn has survived. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.132.106.10 (talk) 16:18, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- I found in DICTIONNAIRE DE PERSONNAGES DE HISTOIRE CALAISIENNE an entry for "QUILLACQ Auguste (Calais, 1793 – 1865, Calais) - Fils de Louis Quillacq, auprès duquel il fait son apprentissage avec son cousin Léon Dessin. Il participe aux campagnes de 1813 et 1814. En 1822, il reprend l’hôtel du Lyon d’Argent, rue Neuve, et le dirige jusqu’à sa retraite en 1860." (Son of Louis Quillacq , with whom he served his apprenticeship with his cousin Léon Dessin. He participated in the campaigns of 1813 and 1814. In 1822 he took over the hotel Lyon d’Argent, Rue Neuve, and directs it until his retirement in 1860).
- "Hôtel Dessin" gets a mention in The Uncommercial Traveller by Charles Dickens [9]. Alansplodge (talk) 21:01, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- And finally: L'intermédiaire des chercheurs et curieux, Volume 102 (1939) says: "Jamais l'hotel en en question n'a porté le nom de Dessin avant l'arrivée de cette famille a Calais. Cet hôtel s'appella du < Lion d'Argent >, rue Neuve et < Hôtel d'Angleterre >, rue Royale." (p. 354). Alansplodge (talk) 21:19, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
April 25
The Yemen/al Qaida lava lamp
I was nonplussed by the locations in Drone strikes in Yemen, so I went back and started adding maps of where al Qaida controlled. I now have three in there, none of which look like the others outside of Houthi territory. I am not sure whether reports of who controls where are just random/unrelated to reality to start, or whether there really are meaningful zones of control that just keep moving. But to address this - is there anything close to a time lapse video of who controlled where in Yemen from 2010 to the present? Wnt (talk) 12:12, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- What any group claims to occupy, and what its opponents admit that it occupies, is likely to be highly contradictory. What the US spy satellites and drones indicate about actual territorial control will be heavily classified. I fear that anything you find about the situation has a strong chance of being both incorrect, and out of date by the time it is released. 81.132.106.10 (talk) 16:11, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- And you might find that some towns are in firm control by one faction, others are currently in dispute, and open areas are no-mans-lands. Some of those areas in dispute may even be in control of one faction by day and another by night. StuRat (talk) 16:25, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- All this may be true, yet Wikipedians have been drawing these maps and keeping them in our article on Yemen for many years now. My feeling is that some single authority, culling public news reports and keeping a consistent standard, can come up with something resembling a video of the turnovers. Hell, the revision history of some of our figures almost does that, aside from the constant edit warring that is. (I've never seen files get that many back and forth revisions, so what you say is not entirely wrong...) Wnt (talk) 20:33, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
George W. Bush; War on Terror; NSA; Homeland Security; Government surveillance
- I am revising the heading of this section from Please recommend good, mainstream books on the George W. Bush presidency, the "War on Terror," and the rise of the national security/surveillance state. to George W. Bush; War on Terror; NSA, in harmony with WP:TPOC (Section headings). Please see Microcontent: How to Write Headlines, Page Titles, and Subject Lines. The new heading facilitates recognition of the topic in links and watchlists and tables of contents.
- —Wavelength (talk) 16:13, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
Hi, an eager student asking. I've been kinda busy between 2001 and 2012 or so and really need to catch up on those topics. What books would you recommend? I've already read Jane Mayer's The Dark Side (2008) and also The Deep State (2016), by Mike Lofgren. Thanks. Zombiesturm (talk) 16:01, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- I can refer you to these categories, but I am making no recommendations.
- —Wavelength (talk) 23:18, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
Special Drawing Rights (SDR) Exchange Rate
Question | Remark |
---|---|
According http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2015/pr15543.htm from 01.10.2016 SDR Basket will be:
But how IMF will calculate amounts? We have 5 equations in 6 unknowns: A usd * (usd-usd EXCHANGE RATE)/(XDR-usd EXCHANGE RATE)=(usd WEIGHT); B euro * (euro-usd EXCHANGE RATE)/(XDR-usd EXCHANGE RATE)=(euro WEIGHT); C yuan * (yuan-usd EXCHANGE RATE)/(XDR-usd EXCHANGE RATE)=(yuan WEIGHT); D yen * (yen-usd EXCHANGE RATE)/(XDR-usd EXCHANGE RATE)=(yen WEIGHT); E pound* (pound-usd EXCHANGE RATE)/(XDR-usd EXCHANGE RATE)=(pound WEIGHT). A, B, C, D, E, (XDR-usd EXCHANGE RATE) are unknown. |
... |
37.53.235.112 (talk) 20:27, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- I'm not following your equations at all. Why are you subtracting exchange rates ? You multiply or divide by exchange rates, never adding or subtracting them. Why don't you explain the 2nd equation in words ? And what is XDR ? StuRat (talk) 02:31, 26 April 2016 (UTC)
- I'm guessing pound-usd exchange rate should be read as "pound to USD exchange rate" and XDR is a currency code for special drawing rights. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 02:40, 26 April 2016 (UTC)
If the pope misbehaves, then who is in charge of his job?
If a pope misbehaves, then who is in charge of his job and can terminate his office? 140.254.70.33 (talk) 16:31, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- No one. There is no mechanism for forcibly removing a sitting pope from office. Only a handful (most recently Pope Benedict XVI) have ever abdicated, and it's not been for "misbehavior". This is covered by Papal resignation, which talks about the mechanisms by which a pope can resign or abdicate. There have been, much earlier in the church's history, a few popes who were forcibly deposed, but there is not a formal legal method to do so currently. --Jayron32 16:37, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- The Church would theoretically depose him with an internal coup. Zombiesturm (talk) 16:42, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- A [citation needed] on that last suggestion. Alansplodge (talk) 18:07, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Indeed. They can't just "sack" him, and they can't just change their minds about his original election and hold a conclave to elect a successor. The holding of a conclave while there's no papal vacancy would have no canonical validity, imo. I suppose they could force him to abdicate, but they'd have to make it appear as if he chose that route himself without duress, and there'd be a great deal of scrutiny of his documents and statements. Even so, I wouldn't bet that such an abdication would be canonically valid either, so they'd just be opening themselves up to the possibility of his later claiming to have been forced to abdicate and now renouncing that abdication and resuming the papacy, which would probably mean a rival succession. It would be worse than what happened in the Middle Ages, where there were a series of rival popes, and even at one stage three popes all claiming to be the only true pope. It would be worse than WW3 - it may even precipitate WW3 - and would be far more trouble than it was worth. Unless they held him captive in solitary confinement under some pretence that he had retired to spend his remaining years in unceasing prayer and would never make any more public statements or appearances. All terribly irregular, you understand. And rather hard to pull off. But maybe good fodder for a Morris West novel. Wait, he'd dead ... He did write The Clowns of God, which was about a pope who abdicated to live a life of seclusion in a never-ending "dark night of the soul". I did read it, but don't remember anything about a forced resignation. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 22:45, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- A [citation needed] on that last suggestion. Alansplodge (talk) 18:07, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- See also Papal supremacy and Papal infallibility. Alansplodge (talk) 18:09, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- God, though He/She didn't get around to doing anything about Pope Alexander VI (that we know of). Clarityfiend (talk) 18:09, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Sometimes they are allegedly murdered: List of murdered popes#Chronological list of popes who are alleged to have been murdered. Edison (talk) 20:02, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- One option is to have a Protestant Reformation, or otherwise split from the Catholic Church, in which case your nation could then form it's own church and appoint it's own replacement, if any, such as the later Archbishop of Canterbury of the Anglican Church. And, prior to the unification of Italy, if the Pope pissed off his neighbors too badly he might have been the victim of military conquest by a coalition large enough to take out the papal army. What they would do with him and if they would replace him would have been anyone's guess. StuRat (talk) 22:54, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- See Old Catholic Church and Sedevacantism for some less radical alternatives. Tevildo (talk) 23:53, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
Point Island
Is there a place called Point Island in or near Shanghai? Thanks! --2.37.228.109 (talk) 18:04, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- It gets mentioned in various places:
- "After 1932 the Nanjing government planned to extend its control over the Shanghai fish market by setting up a central fish market as an 'official-merchant joint enterprise.' Work was commenced at Point Island in 1934 and completed in May 1936."[10]
- "After Dolzhikov recovered, Pertsovskii ... then ordered him once again to lead a team of saboteurs in civilian dress to destroy Japanese pontoons near the [sic] Point Island."[11]
- "Item Three quonset huts in a row at one of the UNRRA-CNRRA project sites at Point Island, Shanghai, provide badly-needed office space"[12] Clarityfiend (talk) 18:23, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- (edit conflict) I found "Point Island in the Whangpo River (see Huangpu River) a few miles downriver from the center of Shanghai" in Lucky Me: Engaging a World of Opportunities and Challenges by David C. Cole. Alansplodge (talk) 18:25, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- File:Bundesarchiv Bild 137-049336, Einweihung des HJ-Heimes auf Point Island bei Shanghai.jpg Seems to be taken on that Island. That's what I have found so far. --Jayron32 18:28, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Here is a listing for Point Island, with latitude and longitude. That should help you find it. --Jayron32 18:31, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Based upon that information, and a few other sources, I think Point Island is today Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Looking on the map, this is not an island but currently inland a bit from the mouth of the Yangtze River, though during WWII, this may have been an island. --Jayron32 18:43, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Zoom in on any map of Shanghai and the whole place is criss-crossed by rivers and canals - just about everywhere is an island. Alansplodge (talk) 21:40, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
- Hongqiao Airport was definitely not an island at that time! It's also on the opposite side of the city from the mouth of the Yangtze. Jayron32, if your map is showing it as near the mouth of the Yangtze, you have probably fallen prey to China's infamous GPS shifting. Also, Kiang Wan, Lunghwa etc are all townships in Shanghai and not the same place.
- Going by the clue that Point Island was the location of the Shanghai fish market in the 1930s, I think it's 定海島, Dinghai Island, now called 复兴岛, Fuxing Island, which was formerly a headland on a bend of the river that was artificially dredged into an island in 1927, so "Point Island" would be an apt English name. It is served by Fuxing Island Station on the Metro. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 02:02, 26 April 2016 (UTC)
- Zoom in on any map of Shanghai and the whole place is criss-crossed by rivers and canals - just about everywhere is an island. Alansplodge (talk) 21:40, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
April 26
What's the most developed country that beats these?
- Cheapest denomination that's generally a bill: 1 US dollar.
- Cheapest "most expensive commonly used coin": 0.25 US dollars.
- Cheapest commonly used coin: 0.01 US dollars.
- Cheapest typical ATM bill: 20 US dollars (some ATMs give fifties plus at least 5 twenties if you make a big order. I don't know what the cutoff is but it's more than typical usage).
- Cheapest/most expensive typical ATM withdrawal limit. My bank's default is 700 US dollars/day. It was once $500 which was typical.
Also, do East Asians say things like "I feel like a billion yen", "she has a billion yen smile", "40,000 a night? Holy shit, that's cheap!", or "I make 9-figures"? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 02:04, 26 April 2016 (UTC)
- The first two, unless you are Japanese, they seem extremely unlikely. It would be like an Englishman saying "She has a million Deutschmark smile". Whether 40,000 a night is cheap will depend on what the 40,000 a night is for, and it will depend on the currency used by the speaker. It certainly seems expensive for whatever the night's activities are, if it is in Chinese yuan. Conversely, one may well boast about earning 9-figures in Chinese yuan, as that would make one a very solid dollar-millionaire by income. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 02:41, 26 April 2016 (UTC)
- Yes, I meant only Japanese people for the first two (and only Koreans for the last two, 40,000 won I think would be cheap for a hotel room). A million yen is only about $10,000 which is mundane so maybe they use billion instead for those types of expressions? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 02:53, 26 April 2016 (UTC)
South Asians grooming young girls for sex
What percentage of south Asian people living in western countries are involved in gangs that groom young schoolgirls for sex? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.16.10.242 (talk) 03:47, 26 April 2016 (UTC)