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December 14
Japanese Nukes
In the event of a U.S. pullout of troops in Japan, would Japan be forced to re-arm? Is the American presence in Japan justified due to North Korean nukes?
- They were there even before N. Korea was considered an enemy, so why not stay? --The Dark Side 01:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Why would North Korean nukes justify a presence one way or another? --24.147.86.187 01:57, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- If Japan gets hit by nukes and Americans soldiers die as a result, it can be seen as an act of war. This more or less forces the USA to fight. I'm guessing they deter North Korea? --The Dark Side 02:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Correct. Without that assurance, the Japanese would need weapons capable of deterring an NK attack, which would mean having nuclear weapons. StuRat 06:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- However, if I'm not mistaken, Japan agreed after WWII that they would not have a standing army and therefore they only have a defensive force of some sort. By re-arming themselves, to the extent that you seem to be referring, they'd have to break that treaty/resolution. See Military of Japan for the specifics of my foggy recollections. Dismas|(talk) 06:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- There is talk of changing their policy of self-defence only. They sent troops to Iraq, for example. --Auximines 09:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- And the US wouldn't object, they would welcome a powerful ally in the region, where one is sorely needed to balance NK and China. StuRat 03:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- The troops in Iraq are assisting with the reconstruction only; the Japanese self-defence forces can't do front-line fighting even for UN peacekeeping missions. See Japan Self-Defense Forces#Peacekeeping. -- SCZenz 03:25, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- The self-defense only clause is written into their constitution (Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution), which they can change. -- SCZenz 03:25, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I think the odds of the USA (or at least the UN) getting involved anyway if North Korea started nuking people is pretty high regardless of a US presence in Japan. In any case I don't think pure deterrence theory applies here; even with a nuke it is highly asymmetrical. --24.147.86.187 13:41, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- I would conjecture that the age of warfare is nearing an end. Moreover, Koreans and Japanese are on good terms, generally speaking, I believe. So, no -- I can't see that the Japanese would beef up it's military if the US troops stationed there packed up and left. But, I am no expert. Vranak 16:42, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- No, North Korea and Japan don't get along at all. StuRat 03:24, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Probably because they are so similar to one another -- like Americans and Canadians. Vranak 03:49, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Probably more likely because North Korea threatens to nuke Japan and destabilize the region... =S 惑乱 分からん 04:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Ah yes -- my mistake. Whenever I hear 'Korea', I automatically think 'South Korea', with North Korea being more a wild and crazy hinterland up beyond the reach of South Korea's government. In that case -- how are relations between South Korea and Japan?
- Those are fine, as are relations between both and Taiwan. Basically, the Asian democracies get along fairly well. StuRat 16:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I had a Japanese professor, who once told the class that Japanese and Koreans couldn't readily tell each other apart. Vranak 16:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- And then there was the issue of how NK obtained Japanese translators. Rather than put ads in newspapers, they thought a better approach would be to kidnap many Japanese citizens, then "persuade" them to work as translators. Many of those who weren't "persuaded" died "of natural causes" while in NK custody. The Japanese don't particularly appreciate this method for obtaining Japanese translators. See North Korean abductions of Japanese. StuRat 13:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- You might want to read Japan-Korea relations and many articles linked from it. Shinhan 13:28, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
Articles of Confederation
Was the federal government of the U.S. strong under the Articles of Confederation?
- The Articles of Confederation in themselves would not have allowed the development of a strong central and executive authority, hence the adoption of the United States Constitution, establishing federal government on a more secure basis. Clio the Muse 01:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
The answer your teacher is looking for is no. Sashafklein 04:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
I feel a bit bad for that one. So: the key to this is the right to taxation, which the Articles of Confederation did not afford, because Americans were still too jumpy about taxation. The Bill of Rights was essential too. Sashafklein 04:47, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Each state saw themselves as sovereign - comparable to the EU today.martianlostinspace 17:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
step parents
Where did we get the terminology 'step' parents?
- See Stepfamilies. It comes from the middle English word stoep, meaning unrelated by blood. Clio the Muse 00:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
(edit conflict)
Step (father or mother, etc.) A prefix indicating that the person referred to is not a blood relation, but a relative only by marriage. Step, in this meaning, comes from the AngloSaxon steop, which is connected with astieped meaning bereaved. Radford, Edwin (1946). Unusual Words and How They Came About. p. 268.
Also see the entry for step- at the Online Etymology Dictionary.EricR 01:01, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- From the www.etymonline.com: O.E. steop-, with connotations of "loss," in combinations like steopcild "orphan," related to astiepan, bestiepan "to bereave, to deprive of parents or children," from P.Gmc. *steupa- "bereft" (cf. O.Fris. stiap-, O.N. stjup-, Swed. styv-, M.L.G. stef-, Du. stief-, O.H.G. stiof-, Ger. stief-), lit. "pushed out," from PIE *steup-, from base *(s)teu- (see steep (adj.)). Etymologically, a stepfather or stepmother is one who becomes father or mother to an orphan, but the notion of orphanage faded in 20c. For sense evolution, cf. L. privignus "stepson," related to privus "deprived."
- Therefore, will the "humblest" of respect for those who may have thought otherwise, the fact is that the prefix step is not in any way derived from any Middle English word stOEp, meaning unrelated by blood, but rather from the Old English prefix stEOp-, a prefix meant to indicate a sense of loss. As a case in point, an adopted child is never referred to as a stepchild, despite having no blood relation. Loomis 16:28, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- If multiple sources say different things then there is probably a dispute over the true origins of this word. Interesting stuff. Is anyone going to add this to the wikipedia? David D. (Talk) 18:00, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
Please see [1]. Middle English from Old English, meaning related by remarriage rather than by blood. The intelligent approach is not to be dogmatic in matters of definition. Clio the Muse 19:37, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Since many of us often don't have the time to click on links or references to verify that they indeed say what they're purported to say, I've reproduced the above link for everyone's convenience:
- First there's the definition:
- step-
- a prefix denoting connection between members of a family by the remarriage of a parent and not by blood: stepbrother.
- Then there's the etymology, or, in the words of the original questioner, "where we GOT the terminology":
- [Origin: ME; OE stéop-; c. G stief-, ON stjūp- step-; akin to OE āstépan to bereave, bestépan to deprive (of children)]
- Therefore, I would respectfully submit, with all due respect and with the uttermost of humility, that the statement that the term "step-" originated: "Middle English from Old English, meaning related by remarriage rather than by blood" is patently false. No such Middle English or Old English word ever existed. Loomis 02:38, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- As pointed out above, the authorities disagree about this issue. The first suggested etymology is not 'patently false', but it is not certainly true, either. The same applies to Loomis's suggestion. Unless there are any experts on Old English lurking here, we should leave it at that. Sam Clark 14:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
For next time, this type of question might get better results on the Language Ref Desk. StuRat 06:01, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Eucharist
Why is that in Roman Catholic churches, during communion, only the priest drinks the wine, while the worshippers only receives the bread? And why does Protestant churches gives the wine and bread to everyone, unlike the Catholic church? Thanks
- Habit, really. You describe one type of communion in Roman Catholic churches, but it's not the only type. When the worshippers receive bread only, it's "communion under one species", and when they receive both bread and wine, it's "communion under both species". Communion under one species was adopted because it's quicker and easier; communion under both species is usually reserved for special occasions. The priest celebrating the Mass, however, always receives under both kinds, as this was held to be essential to the nature of the Mass. This was all decided at the Council of Trent as a reaction against those who denied the Real Presence or who held that attendees (as opposed to the celebrant) at a Mass were required to receive under both species. And since the dissenting groups were the spiritual fathers of the Protestant churches, and since the doctrine provided a way to distinguish Protestant from Catholic, Protestants adopted it in various forms. The specific dogma in its latter form is utraquism. - Nunh-huh 01:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Many Catholic churches offer the wine to the congregation. A good number do not, true, probably out of habit as described above (good answer by the way.) But all of the Catholic churches I have ever attended with regularity (about 6) have offered the wine every Sunday.--Dmz5 02:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- That's funny. I'm not Christian, but I'm pretty sure that drinking the wine (ie blood) in communion is a major part of Catholicism. That was the central cause of one of the first protestant (not called such, but) movements ever. Check out the Hussites and Jan Hus if you're interested. The distinction between transubstantiation and consubstantiation is a major one between Catholicism and Lutheranism as well, so it seems strange that the current Catholic church which is usually pretty doctrinal, would not give the wine. Whatever. Just find that interesting. Sashafklein 05:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Yes, the Hussites were utraquists, so the first part of your statement is backwards. The Hussites wanted congregants to receive under both species and adopted the chalice as their emblem, while non-heretical Catholics received the bread alone. Nunh-huh 08:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- And I suppose protestants drinking the wine are just flaunting the reformation. :) Also, i think it's called communion in Catholic tradition and eucharist in anglican, though I may be wrong. Sashafklein 05:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- That's funny. I'm not Christian, but I'm pretty sure that drinking the wine (ie blood) in communion is a major part of Catholicism. That was the central cause of one of the first protestant (not called such, but) movements ever. Check out the Hussites and Jan Hus if you're interested. The distinction between transubstantiation and consubstantiation is a major one between Catholicism and Lutheranism as well, so it seems strange that the current Catholic church which is usually pretty doctrinal, would not give the wine. Whatever. Just find that interesting. Sashafklein 05:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Many Catholic churches offer the wine to the congregation. A good number do not, true, probably out of habit as described above (good answer by the way.) But all of the Catholic churches I have ever attended with regularity (about 6) have offered the wine every Sunday.--Dmz5 02:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Interesting, I grew up Catholic and don't remember ever not being offered wine (blood) during communion. Dismas|(talk) 06:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- All a function of when and where you grew up, I think. - Nunh-huh 08:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Interesting, I grew up Catholic and don't remember ever not being offered wine (blood) during communion. Dismas|(talk) 06:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Where I live, they only give us the Blood on Sundays, and then only in a very few churches. I remember reading that the Body and the Blood (bread and wine) are actually the same; it doesn't matter which you recieve, because the Blood is in the Body, and vice-versa. | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 11:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- In many protestant churches, they give grape juice instead of wine. My church held communion once a month with grape juice, and on special occasions with wine (Ash Wednesday, usually). -sthomson 16:14, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
That just made me think. If Catholic's believe that the wine they are ingesting literally becomes the blood of Christ when it's drunk (transubstantiation), then they can't believe that what they are drinking is alcoholic, because that would counter their belief. So isn't the replacement of wine with grape juice (presumably so members, especially kids, don't consume alcohol) an unintentional sign of disbelief in the theory of transubstantiation? That's sort of funny. Sashafklein 01:42, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Actually, we Catholics believe the wine is Christ's Blood before we drink it too, beggining with the time when it's blessed. | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 10:19, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- And actually, Catholics believe it is wine as well as the blood of Christ, and are fully aware that it contains alcohol. - Nunh-huh 23:29, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- And, I am not aware of any Roman Catholic congregation that replaces wine with grape juice for the sacrament. That happens in some protestant denominations, but I have neither seen it nor heard of it in RC churches. - Eron Talk 23:57, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- It would be sacreligious for Catholics to replace wine with juice. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.98.232.121 (talk) 04:36, 20 December 2006 (UTC).
A few points:
- Catholics believe that Christ's blood and flesh are both present in each of the hosts (wine and bread). Catholics only received bread before Vatican II and offering the laity wine also generated a minor controversy because traditionalists thought it implied that both were not present in the bread (or wafer).
- Transubstantion does not mean that the molecular structure of the bread and wine changes, only that their essential nature does. I don't think anyone really understands in what way this is true...
- Not only would the Catholic Church not substitute grape juice for wine, it does not permit the use of gluten-free wafers for those who are allergic to gluten. There has been a minor controversy about this as well.
Hope this has been helpful. JChap2006 03:37, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
Efforts of congress to secure fundamental rights
evaluate the efforts of the congress and the supreme court in their efforts to secure the fundamental rights guaranteed to all citize
- No please? That sounds more like an order anyways. Just think net neutrality! --The Dark Side 02:41, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Did some US History teacher just unleash all his/her students on the wikipedia reference desk? You have a book, you know. You'll want to look at the Bill of Rights, although that isn't Congress, yet. Sashafklein 05:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Sure - how many words and when's it due in? The price typically depends on those --Mnemeson 18:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Seriously, with respect to Congress and the Supreme Court's efforts to secure fundamental rights of citizens, on a scale from 7 to 63, I'd give them a 42. Loomis 02:17, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
I'm a lawyer who volunteers at the National Constitution Center. I have just completed a legal writing sample on the Establishment Clause and faith-based organizations. Oh, to be young again and have home work. Actually, I did mine! Loomis's scale has me in hysterics.75Janice 03:40, 15 December 2006 (UTC)75Janice 10:30, 14 December 2006
I'm going against my better judgment. Homework isn't really about the actual knowledge of facts as the discipline, complying with rules, etc. Current events topics-The Patriot Act, habeus corpus rights for prisoners at Guatanamo Bay. Also, I don't know if this is still active-I saw in the New York Times that Arlen Specter had secret negotiations with the Bush Administration to establish intelligence courts for terrorists but the U.S. Supreme Court would not have jurisdiction to decide whether the legislation was valid. A secret court would decide and keep its decision secret. You can simplify these or you can write tomes on each. All are recent attempts by the Executive Branch to increase its powers. Congress asserting that only it can increase those powers. The Court stating it will decide ultimately. This is the most exciting time for this topic since the Civil War. 75Janice 18:18, 17 December 2006 (UTC)75Janice 6:16 UTC, 17 December 2006
history american
to what extent did the political activities of the grangers, populist, progressives, and mckrackers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries influence american political? strict thanks
- The History of the United States (1865-1918) would be a good place to look for some of the answers. Clio the Muse 01:53, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- You might also check out the article on Richard Hofstadter's book The Age of Reform. --24.147.86.187 01:58, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
You might want to start out with Grange movement, Populists, Progressives, and Muckraking, (pretty obvious) as well as Teddy Roosevelt. The muckrakers don't really fit in there as well, because the others were all political parties (/social movements). For muckraking, take a look also at Yellow Journalism, The Jungle, The Boston Herald, Joseph Pulitzer, RMS Lusitania etc.
If you copied the rest of your homework question it might be easier to answer. JChap2006 03:39, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
history 202
explain the meaning of Prior to the 1930's the popular social policy was "rugged individualism and self reliance." As a result of the "great depression" that policy has been changed substantially
- See the articles on individualism (if you do a "find" you can get to the "rugged" variety), and the Great Depression. Come back if you have specific questions that would help you on your homework. --24.147.86.187 02:03, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Do your own homework.
- And I'm just guessing that your textbook has sections entitled "The Great Depression" and something like "The Roaring Twenties" as well as references to Social Darwinism and the such. Search out that chapter, and it should all be there. Regardless of the fact that you should really be doing your own work, you will almost undoubtedly find a more direct answer in your book. Sashafklein 04:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Also, learn to cut and paste. JChap2006 03:39, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
Films featuring the British Royal House of Stuart
Some Tudor films are well known, as are several Mediaeval ones. Would you please inform me of what films feature any of the Stuarts, from their Scottish days to their Pretender days? Any or all are appreciated. Thank you. Rhode Islander 05:17, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- That might seem to be a lot, considering that the period in question is from 1371 to 1746, but I do not think there are that many dealing with the subject directly. Mary Queen of Scots, is probably the best covered, with two or more movies that feature her life directly or indirectly, like the one I have linked here. Cromwell touches in part on the life of Charles I, as does To Kill a King, starring Tim Roth. There have also been some film depictions of Bonnie Prince Charlie, including a really dreadful one starring David Niven. Restoration features his great-uncle, Charles II. That's about it, I think; or at least its all I can drag up from memory. Clio the Muse 06:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Dont' know if it helps much, but try these: [2] [3] [4][5] [6] [7]. AndyJones 13:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Also Charles II: The Power & the Passion, a British TV drama series about his life, and Stage Beauty, which also prominently features Charles II. The First Churchills, another British TV drama series, deals with the era from Charles II to Anne. -- Necrothesp 16:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Sleigh ride
HI! I would like to know how the orchestra produces the horse's neigh at the end of the song "Sleigh Ride." The clop of the horse's hooves and the crack of the whip may also be produced with instruments. Thank you! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleigh_Ride
- By orchestra, do you mean Mozart's? Or do the others have an orchestra as well? It's probably a recording; I doubt a coplex sound like that could be played by an instrument. | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 12:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Trumpets are sometimes used to simulate the neighing. BBC's Guide to the Orchestra even has a sound clip. The whip is a member of the percussion section, and wood blocks, temple blocks, plastic cups, or coconut shells are sometimes used for the clip-clop of hooves. ---Sluzzelin 12:33, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- In Leroy Anderson's Christmas classic "Sleigh Ride", written for the Boston Pops orchestra and in a 1948 band arrangement by Anderson (Mills Music, New York) the trumpet (or cornet) player simulates the horse whinney by pressing the valves partway down, making the tone of a muted and indeterminate pitch, glissandoing to a high note, then glissandoing down while shaking the instrument for about 3 bars. This half-valve technique was used by jazz trumpeters such as Louis Armstrong datng back to very early jazz recordings. The whip crack in the second-to-last measure is made by the drummer using a slapstick, which is an instrument with two hinged wood pieces which slap together when a whip-crack motion is made, or by the drummer doing a rimshot if he does not have a slapstick. Edison 17:25, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
archetypes in world religions
I am compiling a research project on how the use of archetypes in many Indo-European religions suggests that these religions share a common heritage as offshoots of an earlier proto-Indo-European faith. Could anyone pleases suggest any sources, either electronic or printed, that could help me find a discussion of such archetypes as trees, the sun, serpents, etc.?
- Not an answer, just to check you've already looked at Proto-Indo-European religion and the links therein. especially [[Proto-Indo-European religion#Mythology83.100.174.70 13:55, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- you should check out Mircea Eliade's "The Myth of Eternal Return." He talks about the mountain as the point where heaven and earth meet as an archetype in all religions. Also helpful would be Peter Berger's "The Sacred Canopy" and you should look at Clifford Geertz as well. Hope that helps some. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.139.0.3 (talk) 06:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC).
Reliable source for used book prices?
I am interested in including the price of an out-of-print book in a Wikipedia article I am considering drafting (Octavia Butler's Survivor). IMHO, the story of why the book has never been reprinted is interesting and notable, and the recent price of the used book would be an interesting nugget, if I can source it.
Is there a reliable source for the price of used science fiction books that I can dig up in the library? Thanks, TheronJ 15:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- This abebooks.com search suggests - to my surprise - that you can't find a copy for under $200. Wouldn't Abebooks be a reliable source for this purpose? Cheers, Sam Clark 15:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- That price is part of the interesting thing. I'd prefer a print source if I can get one. Is there a used science fiction book version of the Overstreet Guide? Thanks, TheronJ 15:33, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Rebuilding of cities
I have the feeling that after a major war / disaster / destruction event, cities tend to be rebuilt in very similar fashion to the way they were before (at least in terms of street layout) - for instance, London after the Great Fire of London. I was wondering - are there any examples of cities where the city plan was greatly altered during the rebuilding, perhaps in a centrally planned fashion (after all, the rebuilding of a city may offer the chance to try and lay out the city in a 'sensible' fashion, rather than through centuries of piecemeal growth)? I was thinking perhaps of German cities destroyed during World War II, but honestly have no idea if it was done at that point. Thanks in advance for any input! — QuantumEleven 15:34, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- I suppose that this violates the rule against original research, but my (unpublished) masters thesis addressed this question in post-war Berlin. This was one of the most important differences between the post-war redevelopment of West Berlin and that of East Berlin. In West Berlin, the existing pattern of real-estate titles and parcels prevented the wholesale reconfiguration of the city, with the exception of a few small areas, where the previous owners were bought out. In East Berlin, such constraints were not allowed to deter central planners from reconfiguring the urban fabric. In fact, many of the smaller streets in the core of East Berlin were wiped from the map, and new grand boulevards (such as Karl-Marx-Allee) were laid out across the bombed-out cityscape and lined with massive edifices in Stalin's favored "wedding cake" style, which replaced the smaller-scale prewar buildings. Marco polo 16:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- For another example take a look at Haussmann's renovation of Paris. Gandalf61 16:19, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- An obvious one: The Great Fire of Rome. | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 16:42, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- There is one other Classical example I can think of-Aelia Capitolina, built by the Emperor Hadrian on the ruins of Jerusalem. There are very few cities where rebuilding has not attempted to capture something of the old spirit, even the bombed out cities of World War II. Warsaw is a case in point. I suspect the 'sensible' replanning of East Berlin had as much to do with questions of social and political control, much like Haussmann's Paris, rather than the pursuit of enlightenment and order in urban space as an end in itself. But Hausmann had a sense of beauty and of style, unlike the planners of Walter Ulbricht's Berlin. The remodelling of Paris, incidentally, did not follow from war or disaster. Clio the Muse 02:18, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Agreed. Specifically, the wide avenues in East Berlin allowed easy access to tanks, in case they were needed to control the population. StuRat 03:07, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Also, good for parades. JChap2006 03:43, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
- Edo (now Tokyo) was burned to the ground several times. I dont know how different was it after each fire. Maybe you could research "Meireki no Taika" which article says was the most dramatic fire. Shinhan 13:38, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I know that after the Second World War the Americans were quite annoyed that the Japanese immediately rebuilt Tokyo with the same scramble of small streets and lanes.- SimonP 00:55, 17 December 2006 (UTC)
Chicago is frequently given as an example. JChap2006 03:43, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
- Rubble was pushed into the lake after the Chicago Fire, creating parks where there had been only been muck between the shore and the railroad tracks. Edison 06:16, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
Who killed Laura Palmer? (Twin Peaks spoilers)
Was it her father?
YXYX 15:48, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
For those that don't know, YXYX is referring to the TV series Twin Peaks. Pesapluvo 00:58, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
{{spoiler}}
- Well, sort of. You can find the Twin Peaks episode summaries on numerous websites to explain it more clearly. Leland (her father) kills her while "possessed" by Bob, a spirit from the 'Black Lodge'. It's first explained in the episode Arbitrary Law, and is fully shown in the film Fire Walk With Me. Pesapluvo 00:58, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
{{endspoiler}}
Thank you. O,by the way,someone changed the question(topic) headline by adding "(Twin Peaks spoilers)". Original question was without that.
YXYX 11:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
no shows
Moving this to miscelaneous... Adaptron 18:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
numbers in orchestration
Hi. What does a series of numbers like this: 2 1 2 2 - 2 2 2 0 mean in the context of musical orchestration? Lesgles (talk) 17:11, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Sorry, but you'll have to define context even more accurately. It could mean fingering, for example. What instrument? Above or below the line of music?martianlostinspace 17:20, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- It probably refers to the numbers of wind players in sections: e.g. two flutes, one oboe, two clarinets, two bassoons, two trumpets, two horns, two trombones. It also depends on the type of music: I'm assuming a standard orchestra for the European classical music tradition. Antandrus (talk) 17:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Antandrus is right, see here. ---Sluzzelin 17:24, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks for the explanation and the link. It's a work by Copland, so it would fit the standard European model.. Lesgles (talk) 17:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- Antandrus is right, see here. ---Sluzzelin 17:24, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Good point - I hadn't thought of that, and it seems more likely than my suggestion: especially i n the example Sluz gave. But that doesn't refute the possibility of fingering completely. In some instruments - eg. piano, strings - this is very important. Perhaps Les could give the context (as was requested above) which would finish this.martianlostinspace 22:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- It's winds. Offhand I'd guess it was the scoring of Appalachian Spring -- the second, i.e. the larger orchestral version, except that I'm pretty sure it uses two oboes. Could also be Billy the Kid. Copland liked smaller orchestras, e.g. winds in pairs, because it's easier to fit them in the pit, and he scored a lot of ballets. This nomenclature is common. Antandrus (talk) 00:13, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
And it does appear on the front page, or title of the work in question (as opposed to above the line of music, that would indicate strings)?martianlostinspace 15:01, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
(s)he says 'in orchestration' so it's clearly not fingering. it's definitely the number of instruments in each section. this is a standard format that took me a while to remember, but you'll get used to it. --81.111.18.84 21:19, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
Iraq / Vietnam US deaths
Iraq ~3000 US soldiers dead, Vietnam ~ 60,000 dead. But has anyone done a month by month comparison? Vietnam went on longer than Iraq so far - how many US dead in Vietnam at a comparable point in time? [8] Got it!
- One caution, though, the Vietnam War started slowly (at least for the US), with minimal casualties as a result, while the Iraq war started rapidly, with an invasion. If you compared the Iraq War to the worst months in Vietnam, I'd think Vietnam would be far worse. StuRat 02:55, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- The first three years of Vietnam (65-67) saw 19,607 U.S. deaths while the first three years in Iraq saw around 2,500. Rmhermen 03:36, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Every month from 1966-1971 had a higher number of deaths than the worst month in Iraq. Not sure about other years of the war.[9][10]. Rmhermen 03:41, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- The first three years of Vietnam (65-67) saw 19,607 U.S. deaths while the first three years in Iraq saw around 2,500. Rmhermen 03:36, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Stu is right: they were profoundly different in that the U.S. got involved progressively in Vietnam, and suddenly and forcefully in Iraq. The peak and bloodiest year of the war for the U.S. was 1968. Even at the start, it was bad: in just three days at Ia Drang in 1965, 234 Americans were killed. Don't know how many wounded (I'm skeptical of that 242 figure in the article), but it was a bloody affair. And that was early in the war. Here's an interesting site: [11] 526 KIA per month for the U.S. for the 90 months of the war. It doesn't break out 1968, but that's the longest stretch of the Wall, and I'm old enough to remember the evening news daily body counts. Antandrus (talk) 03:56, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- However, note that the source the question asker posted puts the start of the Vietnam War in 1961, not 1965. At that stage the US really did just have "military advisors" helping the South Vietnamese, so casualties were light. However, that term continued to be used, euphemistically, even after it turned into a full scale war with direct American combat troops on the front lines. I fear that the source he found, and in particular the first chart [12], is using tortured logic to claim that "the Iraq War is killing even more soldiers than the Vietnam War", when that is patently false. StuRat 12:57, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
![[12]](http://www.lies.com/images/first_year.gif){kind=link}
Anorexia nervorsa patience's relation to her mother
Reading about anorexia nervosa I couldn't find any special mention about hate of the daughter towards the mother. Considering that anorexia is 10% lethal and that the mother often plays a vital (of deadly) role in the development of this disorded, why do anorexia nervosa patiences don't hate their mothers?
- The patients in such cases often have a love/hate relationship with both parents. Specifically, they tend to be perfectionists which strive to please demanding parents. However, the stress this causes and feeling of "loss of control" of their own lives sometimes leads to this disorder. However, the feelings of resentment towards their parents are often deeply repressed, one of the characteristics of this particular psychological condition. StuRat 00:08, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- The above is rather misleading. While anorexia nervosa certainly has psychological causes, and there is evidence for the claimed pathological perfectionism being common in sufferers, there are three other kinds of cause at work here: first, twin studies suggest a large genetic component; second, the neurotransmitter seratonin is probably involved (as it is in many cases of clinical depression); third, socio-cultural factors are involved. The pseudo-freudian stuff about deeply repressed resentment towards parents seems to me to be very poorly supported. Finally, the claimed role of mothers in the development of anorexia strikes me as a parallel to the refrigerator mother theory. Yours, Sam Clark 10:03, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- One source says: "According to a Freudian-based theory, although resentful of her mother, the anorexic simultaneously feels guilty about surpassing her" [www.suite101.com/article.cfm/anorexia/22297/3]. StuRat 18:17, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- Yes, I'm aware of the Freudian theory. And as I said above, I think it's very poorly supported: see further the Criticisms section of Sigmund Freud. The evidence, as I also said above, supports a combination of genetic, neurological and socio-cultural factors (see anorexia nervosa). For a good account of the disastrous effects of treating genetic and neurological conditions as purely psychological, see Cooper, The Victim is Always the Same. Given your general stance that only scientifically verified claims are facts, Stu, I'm slightly surprised that you give any credence to Freud. Sam Clark 10:57, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
- I do, indeed, believe that only scientifically verified claims may be called facts. However, on a question such as this, opinion is clearly called for, as there is no one universally accepted theory of the causes of anorexia, and the question asker specifically wanted to know about how the patient's relationship with her mother might be involved. To answer such a question without the Freudian perspective, would, in my opinion, be negligent. StuRat 12:51, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
Whose son was shot?
A BODYGUARD of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was killed and his son and political adviser hurt in a shoot-out as the Palestinian leader left the Gaza border terminal where he had been blocked for several hours.
Whose son was shot? The son of the bodyguard or the son of the prime minister? 202.168.50.40 23:13, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- One of the injured was Haniyeh's 27-year-old son, Abed but if this is a question about sentence structure, then yes it is badly worded. meltBanana 02:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
December 15
Pantheon
I need help to figure out the responsibilites of the Pantheon. By Pantheon I mean "a set of exaulted ones". I have done three days of research, and have found nothing as to the answer. I really need this question answered. If you can help, please do. I would be so grateful. If you cant, thats fine, thanks anyways. Please reply quickly though, if you can. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Axilala (talk • contribs) 01:22, 15 December 2006
- Hello. I'm having a little bit of difficulty, I must confess, in understanding what it is that you are looking for. I realise that you do not mean a building, like the Pantheon in Rome, but the word itself simply means 'the home of all the gods', or it is used to refer to the gods in any given mythology in collective terms. Is there something more specific you have in mind? Clio the Muse 01:31, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Agreed, there seems to be a large hole in the question on the Pantheon. StuRat 02:50, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- "A set of exaulted ones" does not necessarily have any responsibilities whatsoever, but it very much depends which particular set of exaulted ones you have in mind.--Shantavira 09:02, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
I think this is asking about Pantheon (gods). The way the question is related I have the feeling it may be related to Hinduism at which article you may find information on the duties or field of influence ("responsibilities") of the respective gods. "Exalted" in this context I take to mean "beings of raised or elevated spirit", as from Wikipedia Max Heindel (on Rosicrurian belief): "These great Adepts, belonging to human evolution but having already advanced far beyond the cycle of rebirth, are reported as being among those exalted Beings who guide mankind's evolution, the Compassionate Ones." On the other hand, the question may be about WoW3, where, as far as I know, the pantheon is a set of robots, and in which case I cannot contribute any knowledge. --Seejyb 14:29, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
Pantheon building maintenance ?
The above question reminded me of something I've always wondered about, how a building with a large hole in the top can be practical. First, I'm assuming it's completely open to the outside air, although, with modern technology, it could be closed off with a window. There are several issues I would think having a large hole in the dome would cause, how are each of these addressed ?
- Water damage from rain. StuRat 12:49, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Sun damage from UV light. StuRat 12:49, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Birds and flying insects living in the building. StuRat 12:49, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Temperature control. StuRat 12:49, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I don't know, but just like you, I've always wanted to. | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 13:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
It occurs to me that the Humanities Desk isn't the right place for this question, so I've reposted to: Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Science#Pantheon_building_maintenance_.3F. StuRat 01:03, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
PS3 odds
How hard is it to get a PS3 for Christmas in North America if you don't already have one? I'm betting my friend that he won't get it, but I don't know too much about how many shipments retailers have received since the initial release. --The Dark Side 01:56, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Depends on where you live. I'd say it's nearly impossible in most places, because so little were shipped, and because of the demand. It'll be much harder to find than a Wii. --Wooty Woot? contribs 02:14, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Two PS3s were sitting around a town near here for at least a couple weeks directly after launch, possibly longer, but his is an exception rather than the rule. They're selling on eBay for a mildly more reasonable price (~$100-$200 above retail price). I've heard of people lining up (at least for Wiis) even a week ago, so keep in mind that others are competing to get these. There are some shipment trackers, though I have no idea of their reliability. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 03:03, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Well, they have some on Amazon for almost USD1000. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009VXAM0/ref=amb_link_3794992_1/105-3016557-4332439 | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 10:28, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Well, if your friend is willing to camp in front of a store for more than 2 (6? 12?) hours then he will probably get it. But if he expects to just walks in and buy PS3 this year, then its highly unlikely he will get it. Shinhan 14:12, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- My dad bought one from pricegrabber.com for only 100 dollars above retail price. It was from a new vendor who was only wanting to increase his rating. Dad says he shipped it ten minutes after he placed the order. Look at that website for some help. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.114.249.248 (talk) 06:07, 17 December 2006 (UTC).
A society ruled by smart people?
I recall hearing about a government structure that is based on a group of intellects governing everything. I remember that it ended in -archy but that's about all I know. Thanks!
- Not sure, it might have been a neologism. Philosopher king and Enlightened absolutism might prove useful, though. --Wooty Woot? contribs 02:13, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- You might try Meritocracy or, perhaps, Geniocracy. Clio the Muse 02:28, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Technocracy — rule by experts. --24.147.86.187 02:34, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
Also, in the book Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, they had tried such a society (on an island, I believe), it failed, then they resorted to using alcohol to lower the intelligence of most of the fetuses (fetal alcohol syndrome), in order to create a more "balanced" society. StuRat 02:47, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- You're not thinking of the Illuminati? Cuz they really do rule the world. ;-) Anchoress 02:51, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- There's a delightful, and quite cynical, science-fiction story by C.M. Kornbluth entitled The Marching Morons, in which over the course of several centuries, humanity has split into two groups: a small elite of extremely intelligent people who manage an enormous mass of people with an average IQ of about 50. (Over the course of the story, you realize the smart aren't quite as smart as they think they are.) They've resurrected a 20th century real-estate swindler to help them out of their predicament, with interesting results. Antandrus (talk) 03:05, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I'm pretty sure you're thinking of the episode of The Simpsons called They_Saved_Lisa's_Brain. 192.168.1.1 7:06pm, 14 December 2006 (PST)
- You've got to hand it to Steven Hawking for appearing in an animated TV show. The wheelchair with the punch-out button is classic. -- Mwalcoff 03:37, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- "You call this a utopia? More like a fruitopia." -- Vranak 03:47, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Stephen Hawking has appeared as himself in other animated cartoons: Futurama, where he along with Al Gore, Gary Gygax and Michelle Nichols polices violations of the space-time continuum, and Family Guy, in which he had a sex scene with his quadroplegic wife. He also appeared in another Simpsons episode, Don't Fear the Roofer. Cheese-eating Surrender Monkey 09:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- That's Nichelle Nichols, Lieutenant Barclay. Anchoress 13:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Mhmm -- Hawking is also the only person to play themselves in an episode of Star Trek (The Next Generation). Vranak 15:59, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- So there is no difference between you and the simulation of yourself? --82.83.122.97 18:34, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Mhmm -- Hawking is also the only person to play themselves in an episode of Star Trek (The Next Generation). Vranak 15:59, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- That's Nichelle Nichols, Lieutenant Barclay. Anchoress 13:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Stephen Hawking has appeared as himself in other animated cartoons: Futurama, where he along with Al Gore, Gary Gygax and Michelle Nichols polices violations of the space-time continuum, and Family Guy, in which he had a sex scene with his quadroplegic wife. He also appeared in another Simpsons episode, Don't Fear the Roofer. Cheese-eating Surrender Monkey 09:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
News montage
You know how ever year on December 31, for the last news program of the year, news programs will usually end with a sort montage of important events of the year, set to music (at least they do in Australia)? What's the proper name for those, and is there anywhere you can access them online? Battle Ape 04:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- "Review of the year" "year in review" something like that, this has links to videos for 2005. You may have to wait for january for 2006 to be online. meltBanana 16:19, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Cool, thanks. Battle Ape 03:43, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
First time I added content
This is the first time I added content to Wikipedia's list of American Illustrators. I added Fred Chance and Stuart Graves. Did I add their names correctly? Should I provide more information and perhaps visual images? Thank you, Brian Withers Brian Withers 05:02, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks for the contributions. I do have a number of pointers, though:
- You shouldn't edit [[Category:American_illustrators]] [13] directly, as that is an automatically generated index of American illustrators. I've removed your edits there.
- Instead, you needed to create small articles (called "stubs") on Fred Chance and Stuart Graves, then add the proper category flags to each to have them be picked up when the automatic index is generated. I started them both off for you and also started a stub on George Withers.
- The material you supplied was quite minimal, but the greater issue is notability. If not enough people know about those three, the articles may be removed. We'll have to wait a few days and see. I'd add any more info you have on them, particularly info that makes them "notable". Specifically, I'd add info on birth and death dates, year ranges worked for each publication, etc. However, since adding pictures isn't all that easy (it requires an upload and worrying about the license), you might want to wait a bit and see if the articles are accepted, first, before taking on that effort.
- Don't write from the "first person" in an article. For example, you said "He met my father...", instead say "He met fellow illustrator, George Withers...".
- This isn't actually the proper place to ask about how to edit Wikipedia, you should go to the Help Desk for that (WP:HD). Although, if you actually had questions about Fred Chance and Stuart Graves, themselves, this would be the perfect place to pose such questions.
- Question: You said: "Fred Chance was ... a good friend of George Withers, who also illustrated for the Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, Redbook, Blue Book, Good Housekeeping, the New York Times, etc." Does this mean that Fred Chance illustrated for those publications, as well as George Withers ?
Why does Vesper *** in Casino Royale the film?
{{spoiler}}
I read the book and then saw the movie. I understand why Vesper kills herself in the book. But the movie changes the plot around and I don't understand why she willingly commits suicide at the point in the story that she does, given that Bond has dispatched the henchmen, at least temporarily.
- Bond can't get the elevator cage open and she sees that he will die trying if she doesn't give up her own life. At least, that was my interpretation of the scene in the film. Haven't read any of the books though. Dismas|(talk) 13:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I thought it was a pretty weak point in the film. Recall that she locks the elevator door so that Bond can't get her out even before it goes into the water — I think it was meant an attempt at suicide from the beginning. In the film I assumed it was because she was supposed to feel bad for betraying Bond or something like that, which I found very implausible and overly melodramatic. --24.147.86.187 14:23, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- (In the book, Vesper Lynd is a double-agent actually working for SMERSH, but betrays them by falling in love with Bond. When she refuses to get Bond to talk after he is recovering from his torture, SMERSH give her a final warning to co-operate or get killed. She realises that there will be no escape other than telling Bond, but if she does that, it will be the end of their love. If she does not tell Bond, SMERSH may well kill them both. So she portrays her suicide as a rational act to save Bond) Sam Blacketer 23:55, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
{{endspoiler}}
- She feels guilty, I think. The idea is that now that she knows he knows that she betrayed him and his country, she doesn't feel worthy to recieve his love and be save by him. Now that she's taken advantage of his devotion, she feels she has no right to demand it or allow him to give it again. Sashafklein 20:29, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Fines in Football
Maybe I'm just completely ignorant about things, but I don't get this. In a match between Feyenoord and the Blackburn Rovers a so-called Dutch 'supporter' threw beer at a British player. Even though Feyenoord did their best to track the supporter down (they succeeded), they were fined 12500 euros and the prosecutor still thinks this fine is too low. He's going to appeal. Why is the club being fined for the actions of a nutcase they can't possibly control? - 131.211.210.11 08:24, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Translation for Americans and Canadians: this question is about soccer, not American football. StuRat 11:19, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- As the articles about the mentioned teams will no doubt note. - Mgm|(talk) 12:52, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I have sort of assumed that the logic is: Fine the club --> Hurt / humiliate / anger the supporters --> then the supporters will be motivated to control the unrulies in their ranks. Analogous to the way some schools treat children, but morally I am not convinced... --Seejyb 14:43, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- That logic sucks, it's more like: Fine the club --> Hurt / humiliate / anger the supporters --> have more unruly 'supporters' --> get fined again, again, again. - Mgm|(talk) 21:34, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- There's nothing unusual about the Fijenoord fine. UEFA and national federations fine clubs, managers, and players, just about every week. José Mourinho is a good example: he was fined GBP 200,000 (300,000 US dollars/Euros) on one occasion in 2005, reduced on appeal to a mere 75 thousand, and again (amount not stated) earlier in the year. There's nothing new or exciting in Fijenoord being fined for fan misbehaviour. Angus McLellan (Talk) 12:29, 17 December 2006 (UTC)
- Expanding on my earlier comment, The presumption is that the club or federation sold the tickets, and took the money, so they are responsible for ensuring that no problems ensue. Examples off the BBC website of fines for fan misbehaviour include:
- Far harsher penalties have been imposed in some cases (see Heysel Stadium disaster). Although worth much less at the time, a similar five-year ban of all English clubs from European competition today would run to the equivalent of hundreds of millions of pounds in lost revenues.
- The 12500 Euro fine is only a small part of the penalty UEFA imposed on Feyenoord this month. They were already fined 126000 Euro and given a suspended order for two games to be played behind closed doors. Calculating the cost of the closed door matches isn't simple, but the De Kuip stadium has a capacity of 52000, ticket prices aren't given by the club but 30 Euro apiece is a fair guess: 2 * 52000 * 30 = 3 million Euro and more in lost revenue. Even those penalties are insignificant compared to having points docked, or being banned from European competions, and those are the things which would anger fans. Fines are just part of running a football club. Angus McLellan (Talk) 20:43, 17 December 2006 (UTC)
Blue things in Tangier
Okay, here's what might prove to be the weirdest question ever posed in this forum. I'm writing a story in which an urchin boy living the streets of Tangier becomes addicted to the colour blue. Is anyone here familiar enough with that city to give me a list of blue objects/buildings/places he might find to give him his high? Thanks Adambrowne666 09:02, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- More dirty brown, as I remember. If you are writing a story set in Tangier you simply must read through the work of Paul Bowles, full of atmosphere and local colour. But I imagine you already have? Clio the Muse 09:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Is it still officially called Tangier in English? Google image Tangier and Google image Tanger. Can I ask why this particular city if you don't have the opportunity to visit it? Keria 11:14, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- No chance the boy could spend a summer in Chefchaouen, near Tangier? The buildings there are full of blue as depicted on Hey jack Kerouac's photos page or here too. I suppose you could expect to find a lot of blue and white Fassi or bleu-de-Fez tilings and pottery in Tangers too, for instance in the Dar el Makhzen's Fez room. ---Sluzzelin 11:34, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Is it still officially called Tangier in English? Google image Tangier and Google image Tanger. Can I ask why this particular city if you don't have the opportunity to visit it? Keria 11:14, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- A specific vibration knocks my eye, and my eye is only able to tell - this is blue. O what a beautiful blue ! Azulejos, skies, cat's eyes ... -- DLL .. T 20:46, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- What wonderful answers -- thanks, all, so much - as to why I'm setting the story in Tanger when I've never been there, I can't give you a good answer except to say it started life as a riff on the Sailor sequence in Naked Lunch, and grew from there... Adambrowne666 22:44, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
British drama trivia
I'm hoping that someone can remind me of the name of this play, because I'm at a total loss, and the lack of an answer is eating away at my brain. I've searched high and low, but no luck. Anyway, it's about a guy who takes in a classless woman, teaches her to speak civilly, teaches her how to act appropriately, and then reintroduces her to society. I think he may even fall in love with her afterwards. Soo yeah, I can also remember a song that plays on the various pronunciations of some phrase they keep repeating. Any ideas?
Pygmalion? My Fair Lady? Educating Rita? ---Sluzzelin 12:27, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- All three are good examples, and I believe My Fair Lady is the one you're looking for specifically. Pretty Woman is another, more recent example, although it's set in the US. StuRat 12:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
"My Fair Lady" would be it. Much thanks for the rapid response. I guess the whole "British drama" thing was throwing me off.
- The song may be The rain in Spain: Higgins: Ay not I, O not Ow, Don't say "Rine," say "Rain"... Eliza: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain! Henry: By George, she's got it! By George, she's got it! -- Seejyb 14:52, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- The play is Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, on which the musical My Fair Lady was based. Shaw's play, in turn, is based on on the ancient Greek myth of Galatea, retold by the Roman poet Ovid in Metamorphoses. Pygmalion, a sculptor, carves a statue out of ivory. It is so beautiful that he falls in love with his creation. The godess Venus takes pity on him and brings the statue to life. Clio the Muse 19:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
What was the name of General Charles Gordon's batman at Khartoum?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.26.239.144 (talk • contribs)
Have you checked Charles George Gordon?martianlostinspace 14:59, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
It doesn't seem to be there... you might want to check print references, specifically the journals kept by Gordon:
- The Journals of Major-Gen. C.G.Gordon, C.B. at Khartoum introduced by A.Egmont Hake. London, Kegan Paul, Trench, 1885; reprinted, New York, 1969.
- Khartoum Journal edited by Lord Elton. London, Kimber, 1961.
- Eron Talk 15:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
Real-life consequences of new Quebec status
Hello,
Quebec has become a nation within Canada. Everyone made a lot of fuss about this, but what does it really mean? I would like to know through a few very real-life related questions :
- Do Identity Cards show whether or not a person from Canada is from Quebec or not?
- When a person immigrates (from outside Canada) to Quebec, does he have to prove he can speak French or learn it? What if he wants to stay in Quebec and become a Canadian?
- When a person from Ontario for instance, moves to Quebec, can he vote for the National Assembly of Quebec?
Thank you very much, Evilbu 19:38, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- What does it mean? That would depend on who you ask... a member of the Federal government, a member of the Quebec National Assembly, a member of the Parti Quebecois, etc. Regarding your questions,
- ID Cards? We don't have national ID cards, but anything with an address on it would show the province, drivers licences are provincially issued, etc., so yes, but that has always been the case.
- As far as I know, there is no specific requirement to know French to move to Quebec, from anywhere. People who want to emigrate to Canada permanently usually need to be competent in one of the two official languages, but that is all.
- Any resident of a province is permitted to vote in that province's elections.
- Hope this helps. - Eron Talk 20:03, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
I think that the effects are psychological only. But, such effects are vital precursors to more tangible improvements in Quebec-and-the-rest-of-Canada relationships.
Canada is, for better or for worse, dominated by Scottish and British descendants. In my perception, this English-speaking faction has always held animosity toward the French portion of Canada, Quebec. It as though, at the bottom of their hearts, they wish England had been able to eradicate the French settlers from Canada in the 17th century, back when such things were deemed acceptable. Personally though, I think all such shows of animosity are faceitious. Canadians are Canadians; they don't hate each other nearly as much as they may pretend to.
However, with the recent concession by the Anglo-Conservative government, which has given new credence to Quebec's authority, this attitude seems to be improving. Perhaps, given a few more years, animosity between Anglo-Canadians and Quebecois will be virtually forgotten. Vranak
- Thanks! So I guess none of the things I brought up are changed by this new status! Another question while we're at it, if I may : do the Québécois speak English? I know the definition of "knowing a language" is extremely controversial, so again I will ask concrete questions :
- - a random doctor, policeman,... do they know enough English to deal with people who don't speak French?
- - do they watch English programs with subtitles or dubbed?
- - last but not least : how crucial would it be for an Englishspeaking Canadian settling in Quebec, to learn French?
Evilbu 20:35, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- It is very similar to North-west Europe: nearly everybody under 40 will speak, read, and understand English quite well. Vranak 20:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Okay thanks again! And now the same question... how about the knowledge of the French language among the rest of the Canadians? Is it possible that they are even more likely to learn a third language than French? (And by the way, what is your definition of north-west Europe, does it contain Germany, France and Wallonia?)Evilbu 21:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- It is very similar to North-west Europe: nearly everybody under 40 will speak, read, and understand English quite well. Vranak 20:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I believe North-West Europe does include Germany, possibly France also. I don't think this is a widly-established term though. | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 21:47, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- You can also include countries like Denmark, Belguim, Switzerland, northern Italy, Iceland, and Sweden. Not sure about Greece, Finland, Romania, Czech Republic, and Norway -- but I would expect there to a fair knowledge of English in those countries too. Vranak
- I believe North-West Europe does include Germany, possibly France also. I don't think this is a widly-established term though. | AndonicO Talk | Sign Here 21:47, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Regarding knowledge of French outside Quebec, Languages of Canada and Bilingualism in Canada should help you out there. In brief, "about 41% of Quebec residents and about 10% of the population residing outside Quebec claim to be bilingual (2001 Census). All together, 18% of Canadian residents speak both English and French." I believe the numbers for bilingual people outside Quebec are steadily rising; French immersion schooling is quite common in several parts of English Canada.
- On another note, I'm not sure it's entirely fair to say that the "English-speaking faction has always held animosity toward the French portion... it as though, at the bottom of their hearts, they wish England had been able to eradicate the French settlers from Canada." That is perhaps a view of some English Canadians, but it hasn't been a majority view for decades. And, it would be just as true to say that a portion of French Canadians have always resented English Canada, for in the bottom of their hearts they wish the Conquest had never happened. - Eron Talk 22:01, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- I have a unique perspective as an Anglophone from the United States who has visited the province of Quebec several times and who filed an application for permanent residence in Canada (before Quebec was officially declared a nation). First of all, I must disagree with Vranak's statement that nearly every Francophone in Quebec under 40 speaks, reads, and understands English quite well. This might be true in Montreal, but even there I am doubtful about people with working-class jobs who have not attended university. When I have traveled outside of Montreal, I have found that nearly everyone under 40 can speak a few words of English, but I have sometimes had to fall back on my own rather rudimentary French, even with younger people, because their English is inadequate. I would guess that, outside of Montreal, no more than half of the adult Quebecois (of all classes) can communicate proficiently in English.
- As for applying to immigrate, there are indeed special French-language requirements for immigrants intending to reside in Quebec. There is a special application and a special set of rules for immigrants to Quebec. Now, there may be nothing to stop a landed immigrant from moving to Quebec from another province once he or she has been admitted to Canada. But there is a separate process for immigrants intending to move to Quebec from the outset. This was true before the nation declaration and probably did not change after it.
- Marco polo 02:51, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- A quick remark concerning Vranak comments. Danes, Finns, Norwegians, Icelandic people... are all quite fluent in English.(I know Flemish students who worked as interns in Norway and they could teach the kids-in elementary school-in English.) About Belgium, I don't mean to offend anyone, but that's mostly the Flemings, it's getting better now but lots of francophones are practically monolingual, hence creating all sorts of tensions on a daily basis....Evilbu 19:39, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
Justice system of gold rush mining towns.
Does anyone have information on this? No article. DebateKid 19:55, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
This website has some information:[14].It's about the justice system in the mining town of Cariboo,but I'm sure many of the steps taken to enforce the law there would have been taken in other mining towns as well.Apparently James Douglas (Governor) initiated a mining licence system.He then hired policemen.There were also several courts established:the Gold Commissioner's Court,who ruled in cases regarding the gold mines;the civil court,who ruled in cases regarding disputes not connected with the gold mines;the bankruptcy court,for businesses who had to close because they weren't making enough money to stay open;and the police court,which ruled in more serious matters such as murder.Serenaacw 22:38, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- In the US, early mines were often small-scale impromptu constructions built by a few miners, and the law, if any, was likely to have been provided by vigilantes or Federal marshalls. Later on, mines were controlled by large companies, which effectively controlled the law in the area and hired local "detectives", such as Pinkerton, to enforce this control. StuRat 07:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Race car accident where the driver's brother was killed by a racetrack ambulance?
I'm trying to find out which race this happened in. The driver's brother ran across the track to help but was killed by a speeding ambulance. I think it was a US race, and definitely before 1981. Thanks 172.200.50.17 20:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
Euripides
'Citation needed', I can supply that, namely Aristotle, /de Arte Poetica/ 1460b33-34. I've tried several times to fix this on the Wikipedia site, but 'tis not as user-friendly as it should be. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lindsay Hall (talk • contribs)
- I think you probably need to post the above to Talk:Euripides, not here. --24.147.86.187 00:34, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- Thank you, I have added the citation to the article. --Seejyb 23:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
December 16
German philosopher quotation
"Some things cannot be said simply and some things cannot be said in French"
I think I saw this somewhere, but cannot find the source -- if I remember right, a German philosopher, my guess being Hegel or Schopenhauer. But I could not find the quote under these names, or under simple + French, etc. And, of course, the text is not exact, and I have no idea how it may be in German.
- I'm quite sure it was Hegel, but I don't know the source. Skarioffszky 13:55, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- Ah, yes, this is where I first encountered the quote: "When a certain clear-thinking but somewhat superficial French philosopher asked the profound but obscure German philosopher Hegel to state his views in a concise form, Hegel answered him harshly, 'These things can be discussed neither concisely nor in French.'" Skarioffszky 13:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Why is there no page about Juggy Gales from the Brill Building era?
- Because nobody has created it. –mysid☎ 20:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Nick Cave/Wings of Desire
Does anyone know of any early Nick Cave albums that sound similar to his appearance in Wings of Desire?
- According to this the Nick Cave songs from the film are "The Carny" and "From Her To Eternity" from the albums Your Funeral... My Trial and From Her to Eternity. meltBanana 15:42, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
What are "Santa Fe pants?
I've left a detailed query at the Talk page for Santa Fe (disambiguation), seeking a description of this garment. Would appreciate a reply, here or there. -- Thanks, Deborahjay 06:54, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- Could this be anything to do with trousers worn by workers on the Sante Fe railroad? They look suitable (currently this is a guess)>87.102.4.180 13:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Title of the Book
Hi...
I wish to know the title of the book. The book dealt with regrets a man faced daily, he simply could not see the good standing before him. So great was his obsession with the past that even as he relived it, he continued to fail. It is a sad story. Thanks.
Indraraj Pawar —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.145.159.42 (talk) 12:42, 16 December 2006 (UTC).
- Sorry, but this description could apply to many books. Can you give us any more detail? Setting, names of characters, period written? Cheers, Sam Clark 14:32, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Nobel Prize Laureate....(Women)
Hi....
Since the inception of Nobel Prize for Literature, how many women have received the this honour? Their names, nationality and year of receipt. Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Indraraj22 (talk • contribs) 14:24, 16 December 2006 (UTC).
- Hello. You can fairly easily answer this question yourself. The Nobel Foundation publishes lists of prizewinners: it's just a matter of going through them and counting up. Cheers, Sam Clark 14:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- And if you're too lazy, someone has already counted and listed them for you! There were ten female Nobel Prize laureates for literature, or 9.8%, the second highest female percentage (the highest percentage goes to the Peace Prize), according to the article on Female Nobel Prize laureates. ---Sluzzelin 14:59, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
Holocaust guilt
A difficult question is determining guilt for people marginally involved in the mass murder. For example, recently the History Channel presented a program about the extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. A German SS man described his duties there over 60 years ago. He worked in the currency office, sorting, compiling, recording and shipping back to Germany the scores of different types of money collected from the dead. He did not select arriving Jews for the gas chamber, nor did he torture or kill anyone. The moral question: Is this man, now about age 85, guilty of participation in the mass murder? Should he be arrested and put on trial? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.213.33.2 (talk) 15:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC).Sorry, forgot to sign 66.213.33.2 15:52, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- You're right, this is a difficult question. In fact, by requiring accounts of what guilt is, of what justifies punishment, and of what justice requires, it cuts to the heart of moral philosophy, and some of the hardest questions there are. Two possible kinds of answer:
- 1. Justice requires giving people their due: returning good for good and bad for bad. When they've done evil, that evil must be balanced or cancelled out by appropriate punishment. This retributive account looks backward to past actions, and asks, What would be fitting in response to this? On this answer, guilt will turn on how bad what the SS man did really was, and how aware he was of what was going on. The answers to those further questions might be: he was complicit in mass murder, even if he didn't actually kill anyone himself; and he must have known what was going on. So, yes, justice requires that he be put on trial and punished. His age has nothing to do with it.
- 2. Justice as an institution is worthwhile only because of its results. This consequentialist account looks forward to the results of our actions, and asks, How can we make things turn out for the best? On this answer, whether we choose to call the SS man guilty, and/or to put him trial, will turn on whether we think it's for the best that such people should be identified and publically made subject to such procedures. So, his age and status as a mere minor functionary might well be relevant: what good would be done, now, by putting him on trial?
- If you want to pursue this further, I recommend Ted Honderich's book Punishment: the supposed justifications on the general philosophical questions, and Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem on the specific question of bureaucratic evil. Yours, Sam Clark 16:18, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
I would base the decision on 2 factors:
- Was he aware that his efforts were assisting genocide ? The answer here appears to be yes.
- Was he free to refuse ? I interpret this as "would he have a legitimate fear of execution for refusing to participate". I'm not positive on this one, but suspect the answer is no, the Nazis would likely have just transferred him to some other service, as they needed all the manpower they could get. And, if he volunteered for this work, that eliminates all doubt that he was a willing participant.
As for the severity of the punishment, if convicted, I say it should be rather mild for each victim, whatever the sentence is for robbing the dead, I suppose. However, when multiplied by the thousands of victims, it would quickly add up to life in prison, which, at his age, isn't much punishment anyway. StuRat 16:25, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- In other words, you're a retributivist as defined above: you think the question turns on the nature of the past action (not the potential consequences of punishment), and you think there's a certain fitting punishment, deriving from the severity of the offense (and not from the deterrent or symbolic value of public denunciation, for instance). But you haven't given any reason for that position. As I've already pointed out, this is a difficult philosophical question, and as I've already implied, there's a large and often quite technical literature on it. I don't know, perhaps the questioner did intend just to invite this kind of gut-reaction response, but I don't really see the value of unsupported opinion here. Yours, Sam Clark 17:25, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- My answer is a bit of both. That is, I believe that those who assist genocide both deserve to be punished, and that such punishment may deter others from participating in the future. And, the original poster was clearly asking for opinions, as all moral questions are opinion. There was recently debate on the talk page on whether Ref Desk opinion questions should be allowed and I would say that most people supported allowing such questions, although there is no formal policy either allowing or prohibiting such questions, at this time. StuRat 17:45, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- It is not remotely obvious that 'all moral questions are opinion': that is, in fact, the highly controversial position, moral anti-realism, much argued over and widely opposed. See our (sadly stubby) article on moral realism for starting places. The point I was making, in any case, was that simply giving gut-reaction responses, without supporting reasoning, and without any evidence that you know anything about the subject in question, isn't adding much value to the reference desk. Further discussion should probably move to Talk. Sam Clark 18:06, 16 December 2006 (UTC) Later addition: I'm not remotely in favour of banning interesting questions like this. I would like to see more care taken over answering them. Sam Clark 18:29, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- Agreed that this should be moved to the talk page: [15]. StuRat 18:33, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- If "he did not select arriving Jews for the gas chamber, nor did he torture or kill anyone", than why to be convicted (or why to force guilt on him)? The Hollywood movies present ALL the German soldiers (all 18 million of them, not counting their allies) as devilish, while all the allies (except a traitor or two) as noble heroes. I think only a small percentage of the German soldiers were of the type who had tortured innocents, participated in the Holocaust, etc., the rest of them just did their job, fighting for their country, or just fighting because they were ordered to do it. Just like the soldiers of all the other nations. I have heard about a writer whom they wanted to take his Nobel prize (I can't remember, maybe some other prize) away, just because they found out he was enrolled in the German army more than half a century ago. Why this over-mystification of the world war? --V. Szabolcs 18:08, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- Are you thinking of Gunter Grass? The point there was that he had spent years castigating his fellow Germans about war-guilt and about the need to be completely honest about Nazism, but that he had, in fact, concealed his own membership in the SS. But I agree, mystification is a mistake. That's one reason why we need to do some theoretical work here, to make it clear what guilt is and what justice requires. Sam Clark 18:12, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- I think that did not do things wrong. I would refer to the November/December issue of the World Ark, a publication by Heifer International, and the story by Philip West about Japan, and then the part about kamikazes. They say that they "were caught up in the patriotic tides", and I think that might help about the part, even though he didn't belong to the army. That's probably why the enlisted. But I think that this man was guilty, because he was a Nazi. Laleenatalk to me contributions to Wikipedia 20:09, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- I believe a distinction should be made between members of the Nazi party and those who committed genocide. Many people were essentially forced to join the party (or the Hitler Youth, as is the case for the current pope), while, to my knowledge, most Nazis were not forced (under threat of death) to commit genocide. StuRat 22:12, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
I'm going to tread very carefully here, because speaking of the Holocaust as anything other than a wicked and terrible chapter in mankind's history is generally frowned upon as being profane. So:
There is a tendency to think of life as gain, and death as loss. Therefore, if anybody has died, it is considered loss -- a bad thing, and to be assidiously avoided in the future.
While I agree with the conclusion -- death is regrettable and to be avoided in the future -- I am hesitant to count deaths that have already occured as being terrible, tragic, and infinitely awful.
We all want to live, and value our own lives dearly (well - we usually do - suicide does happen), but to look upon dead men and think "This should not have occured -- someone should be feeling guilty right now" is probably not the most helpful way of regarding such matters.
This may come off as sounding callous or insensitive -- but look at it this way: if our pre-historic ancestors hadn't died, then we'd have to put up with them even today. Do you think that this would this be desireable? We can only sometimes get along with our fellow man today, so how much animousity do you think there would be between our ape-like ancestors and the extant homo erectus, us? It would be similar to the relationship between Middle-earth Elves and Orcs I think -- not good at all. Or, we would regard them as mere animals -- put them in zoos, experiment on them (for a time), teach them modern skills, and be ever so condescending toward them.
I am not saying death is not a bad thing -- but to always assume that wherever people have died, a great evil has occured, and guilt must be felt to this very day, is perhaps not the most rational way of viewing the world. Just my opinion though. Cheers. Vranak 20:34, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- I must say I cannot follow the logic in your opinion, Vranak, which seems to conflate two seperate propositions: that death is natural and inevitable, which is right, and that all deaths are somehow equal, which is quite obviously nonsense. To die of old age or disease may be tragic, but it is part of the human condition. To be deliberately choked to death by poison gas is not 'natural' by any reasonable standard of human behaviour. It is a crime: a crime against man, a crime against morality, a crime against law, and a crime against God. Clio the Muse 00:10, 17 December 2006 (UTC)
An Iowa event
Recently at a hospital in Iowa, 3 babies were born at once. One of either the mothers or daughters was named Jane Olson (or Oleson, I'm not sure). Could you direct me to an article about this, or could you tell me if one of their middle names was Gertrude? Thank you. Laleenatalk to me contributions to Wikipedia 19:52, 16 December 2006 (UTC) Template:Strict