Revision as of 21:49, 28 November 2005

Reference Desk

November 18

English and Canadian Trade

I just wanted to know, what does England trade with Canada? I am not asking for the amount of money's worth of items. I am asking about the items themselves. You can just give me a list. --Goldenflame 00:32, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

• Technically, the entities doing the trading would be the United Kingdom and Canada - England is not actually a "nation". Have a look at the Trade section of the Canadian High Commission to the UK website which lists some items of trade . --Canley 04:39, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
• Sorry for the unhelpful answer, but every item either of the countries produce. Superm401 | Talk 01:53, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Catacazy Affair

Where can I find the paper written by Reinhard H. Luthin, called the Catacazy Affair? I am trying to locate a paper written by Reinhard Henry Luthin (1905-1962) called the Catacazy Affair. This paper was cited by Allan Nevins (1890-1971) in _Hamilton Fish the Inner History of the Grant Administration_ , volume II, 1957, page 503, (Rev. ed --original edition was published in 1936) which states the following: "The author has profited greatly from a paper on "The Catacazy Affair" by Mr. Reinhard H. Luthin. The State Department archives contain two volumes of briefs and affidavits entitled Claim of Benjamin W. Perkins and Claim of Anna B. Perkins." The paper is also cited by William Swilling Wallace (1922-1976), in his article in Historia, volume 6 no. 1 1956 pages: 49-58, titled: "Looking at Russia through the American Press 1850-1891." His reference states: Cf., R.H. Luthin, The Catacazy Affair (Washington, n.d.). Wallace was head librarian and archivist at New Mexico Highlands University 1959-1972, and president of Horn & Wallace Publishing Company from 1973-1976. The above citations are the only two references I can locate on this paper or article written by Luthin. Thanks for any help you can offer in locating this paper.

Expectations on Gendered Behavior

I am doing a project on a topic from the play "Trifles." The topic has to do with gender roles from 1900-2000. I have a basic outline on how I would like to organize my project but I seem to be having a little trouble on finding sources and information. I keep running across sources that give me an overall view on gender roles but I'm specifically looking for certain gender roles in the different decades from 1900-2000. Is there any information that you could give me on the different gender roles throughtout the different decades from 1900-2000? -KEB

What country & culture? See gender role although it has some major flaws. alteripse

If you are talking about the United States, the most notable anomaly was during WW2, where women were put to work in factories due to lack of available workers for war production. See the Rosie the Riveter article. The biggest permanent change took place in the 60s with the sexual revolution and continued into the 70s. StuRat 21:56, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Amir of Kuwait (Jaber Ahmad Jaber Al Sabah)

Dear ladies and gentlemen

i would like to find out the name of the 6 or 7th son of the Amir of Kuwait ( (Jaber Ahmad Jaber Al Sabah)). Can you help me?

Thank You

Sandra Merkli

The geneaology for him is http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Kuwait/kuwait16.htm He had 21 sons, 18 daughters, 13 wives; his 6th son is Shaikh Bandar bin Jabir Al-Sabah and his 7th son is Shaikh Ahmad bin Jabir Al-Sabah.

What a playa - Akamad 10:52, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Need help finding a song please

Uh, hi there. I was on this flight of Malaysian Airlines a few months ago and since it was a long flight, they provided headphones to listen to some light music to along the way, and on one of their stations they had this simply amazing song that I'm still looking for, it's kind of light jazz, relaxing, sung by a female singer and I believe the main lyric of the song is something like "I live in, I live in New York....I live in, I live in New York" and I might be mistaken if it's "alive in new york" or something. Can anyone give me the name of the song and the artist please? This is one amazing song that I would absolutely love to have in my collection. Thank you for your time! --Aamir.

I'll bet the full program listing of the music channels was in the in-flight magazine, which (on most airlines that I've been on) you're actually welcome to take home with you. If you contact the airline's customer service group, I'll bet they can either look up the info for you (they'll provide the titles of all the music on all the channels they were playing) or maybe even send you a copy of the magazine. Make sure you can tell them exactly when you were travelling, and what the flight number was. Sharkford 17:44, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Finding people with your name

Hi there! Out of curiousity, how can one find details of other people having the exact same FULL name as yours? Would I need to spend any money to do so? If so, how much? And how exactly would I be able make contact with such people and is it legal? Thanks a bunch, --Aamir.

You could start with a google search by putting your name in quotes. For instance if you search for "George Washington" google will only give you results with those two names together, not seperately. Often people's contact information can be found on the web as well. Dismas| 18:31, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Of course, such a search will also find George Washington Carver and many George Washingtons with middle names that aren't listed. On the other hand, if you include your full name, you may miss many matches which don't include the middle name or only have a first initial. So, a Google search for exact names doesn't work well. The only exception seems to be assassins, who always seem to have their full name listed, for some reason. Have you ever heard any mention of "Lee Oswald" without the "Harvey" ? StuRat 21:47, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

You could also try a Yahoo! People Search at people.yahoo.com. -- Mwalcoff 01:43, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Countdown to public domain

Is there any website that "counts down" which works will be coming into the public domain soon? I mean something more specific than Project Gutenberg. 150.174.192.155 15:12, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

• Unless it's specifically put into the public domain by its creator it's unlikely. Written text is copyright for approximately 70 years after the death of the original writer, and even then family can have it extended. The web isn't nearly old enough to have pages counting down to the public domain. - Mgm| 19:40, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

I think the questioner is asking whether there is a bew site that tracks which paper works are soon to come into the PD. Trollderella 00:17, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

The answer is "yes"; it also maintains a database of authors with death dates (which is insanely useful for pd-checking UK works, since they're based on death). But I am damned if I can find it tonight... Shimgray | talk | 00:45, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Got it! Well, sort of. Authors by Year of Death lets you know whose works will be coming into copyright, due to fixed length from date of death, on a year-by-year basis. The same site also offers the US Catalog of Copyright Entries (Renewals), and the New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors. Shimgray | talk | 00:52, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Wombley's clapboard factory.

In The 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, Bill Wilson makes reference to the day a boiler exploded in Wombley's clapboard factory. Any idea where that metaphor may have come from?

• This page has a bit of speculation]. Deltabeignet 01:09, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

phobia

fear of fun

Well as according to this webpage Cherophobia is the fear of fun. You could be more specific. :) --AdmiralA 17:09, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

And here I thought that was a fear of cherubs, seen swarming about in medieval paintings. Since they don't appear to be wearing diapers, there seems to be good reason to fear those ugly, fat, naked, flying babies. StuRat 21:39, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

The Indian National Congress and Muslim League.

Hi, uh, this concerns part of this assignment I have been given relating to the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League (the All-India one) and I'm curious as to who were the exact founding members of the Indian National Congress. I know that A.O. Hume actually brought about the first meeting with approval of Lord Dufferin, but who actually founded this Congress? Second, were there any real "activities" of both parties from their founding dates till 1910? I can't seem to find any events until 1910, not even minor ones, and if there are any such events, how may I find details on them? Thanks a ton, --Aamir.

Who is that crowned man!?

I've come to the crack researchers here after trying to figure out who could solve this riddle that's been bothering me and I'm unable to solve. The image at right is, in respective articles, described as depicting either Conradin or Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. Hmm... can't be both, as Frederick died a couple years before Conradin was born. Besides, it looks like one character is kingly, and the other is servantly. The Conradin article indicates that the image comes from folio 7r of the Codex Manesse.

This is a slightly high-profile image; in addition to the pages of these two 13th-century high livers, it's on the popular Medieval hunting page and 1268. If anyone knows of a better spot to ask this question, let's go there and ask it again! We should try to fix this promptly.

-Bantman 18:41, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

As the image itself bears the inscription "Kunig Chunrat der Junge" (King Conrad the Young") I'm inclined to believe it's supposed to be Conradin. Lupo 19:50, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

I had actually raised an eyebrow over Image:Frederick_II_Hunt.jpg recently, but was too lazy to check it out. good catch. dab (ᛏ) 20:10, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Ah yes, the smart move is, I suppose, to read the caption! Good work. I've removed the image from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor; should we do something about the image itself? The filename is still erroneous; perhaps we could rename or even delete? - Bantman 21:22, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

delete it, since we have a better quality version. Manesse images should have systematic names, I think, including "Manesse" and the folio. dab (ᛏ) 00:27, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Classical Roman author who wrote about burning of bodies...?

Hi, a long time ago I read a short text of a classical Roman author (whose name I've forgotten) about the burning of corpses. It was quite macabre, I remember. Essentially, it’s an eye witness account of the cremation of a lot of human bodies. I guess the bodies were those of Christians, but I am not sure. It mentions the fact that a human body burns very well. For some unimportant reason am I looking for the original text on the internet but to no avail. I'm interested in the name of the author and other information, and if possible a quotation of or link to the text. Thanks. --Nevs Artsneef 21:26, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

This sounds very familiar, but I can't give you a specific author, sorry. Have you tried searching www.perseus.tufts.edu?

Hope this helps.

--riansnider 08:39, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Johnny Cash Song

I was just curious what album "Spiritual" by Johnny Cash can be found on. No luck at Johnny Cash discography or Spiritual. I gave it a quick check on Google as well. Please contact my talk page if anyone finds it, I'll keep on looking as well. Karmafist 22:28, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Here you go it's off his 1996 album Unchained. - Akamad 22:50, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Breakdancing

(This question was asked on the help desk, I copied it here - Akamad 22:43, 18 November 2005 (UTC)):

what are the 3 dance styles that have influenced breakdancing?

Have you read the article on breakdancing? Dismas| 22:47, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

November 19

Cecil Day-Lewis

Where is the "They went because their open eyes could see no other way" quote by Lewis from? I mean which poem? Trollderella 00:12, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

It's from "The Volunteer": Tell them in England, if they ask, What brought us to these wars, To this plateau beneath the night's Grave manifold of stars - It was not fraud or foolishness, Glory, revenge, or pay: We came because our open eyes Could see no other way. JackofOz 00:42, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Thank you! Trollderella 21:34, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

gw

how is george washington related to the Barbary pirates?

Well, under his administration the practice of paying tribute to the Barbary pirates was begun - arguably continuing a traditional European practice, and temporizing while trying to build an effective naval force and/or an effective coalition with several European powers. Tribute didn't end until Thomas Jefferson was president. - Nunh-huh 02:12, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

What Germanic tribe did my surname originate from?

I consider myself a freak about genealogy and ancestry in all of its forms, but I do not know which tribe it originated from. (I do know this: It originated from one of the German tribes that settled "anciently" in modern day Austria- I just don't know which one)

If it helps, my last name is "Minnich." --Rains 03:32, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

And is Minnich really a German, Germanic surname? I've looked on multiple sites and, recently, ONE site said it was slavic. Please, someone send something my way that says its ultimately, as far as is traceable, German. --Rains 03:32, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Well, my grandfather did research our ancestry, and he said we were ultimately German. =/ Though that one site that said it was Slavic is disturbing me- i'm not racist, but I would be appalled if I wasn't really German.

Now having conveyed my feelings, what you're saying it's a great possibility it is a surname that originated seperately in both German and Slavic families? (In other words; "Was the name spontaneously 'invented' in different places?," as Avijja said.)

I'd also looked up Germanic tribes who had conquered/settled in Austria, and Germans were also spread out all over western, central, and eastern Europe long ago, so that must add to the possibility of my name (and the 13% of my blood being in question by me in this "topic" I created) being Germanic. How? Because it's a German surname, but originated before it had a majority of slavic peoples.

Finally, that site (House of Names) says it was found first in Austria, and it is indeed German. But didn't Germans inhabit Austria "anciently" as well as up till when surnames were introduced? (and of course, Germans make up a 24% minority currently in Austria) I just saw another thing that adds to the much hoped for fact of my surname being of German blood. Someone asked about the suffix ich, and another fellow posted other German names ending in ich, having a k sound. One of those, Heinrich, has an alternate spelling of "Hennerich-" both Minnich and Hennerich have two n's and the same suffix, as he (the one who asked about ich) said.-Rains 16:39, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Someone PLEASE REPLY. . I did edit this whole question, because it was cluttered.

Birth order database

Has anybody ever compiled a database/website of notable people listing their places within the order of their siblings? Eg. Lewis Carroll was the 3rd of 11 children, and the eldest of 4 sons. Such a database would tell me of any other famous person who was 3rd of 11 kids, or the eldest of 4 sons, or both. Any ideas? JackofOz 02:32, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Is the suffix ich...

In German, is the suffix ich of slavic or ofwell German origin --216.145.88.50 17:48, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

• From my own experience most people with names ending in that suffix where of Eastern European (east of Germany) descent even when they eventually ended up living in Germany. So I would say Slavic, although I can't back it up with sources for you. - 82.172.14.108 11:26, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

What other names end in ich, which may or may not be of common origin? By the way, I believe you all knew this alredy, but it ends with a "k" sound.--216.145.88.50 17:48, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Erich, Heinrich, and so on are all clearly Germanic names; don't know what exactly you are getting at. BTW, signing your messages would be a good idea... File:Austria flag large.png ナイトスタリオン ✉ 17:19, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

I knew a lot of clearly German surnames ended in that suffix, but that one site claims it has Slavic origins.

Well, that dude that was asking about his Minnich name made me wonder if it was really a German suffix, which it, thanks to you, makes it a bit more clear to me that it is (especially since HEINRICH has an alternate spelling of Hennerich- both Minnich and Hennerich have two n's and the same suffix) - thank you. --216.145.88.50 17:48, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

philip dick

What order should I read Philip Dick's novels in?

Any order you want. See the Philip K. Dick page for ideas.

Given the shifting nature of reality in many of his books, it almost certainly makes no difference. In extreme cases it might not matter what order you read the chapters in. ;-) DJ Clayworth 18:37, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

62% of the canadanian women have done this what is it?

(no question in body of text)

• Could be any number of things. Can you be a little more specific about the context of this question. - 82.172.14.108 11:27, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Some suggestions:

1. filled out a stupid survey in Cosmopolitan magazine.
2. Worn a maple leaf pin on their backpack.
3. Suffered frostbite.
4. Drunk Molson.
5. Participated in a collective national apology for Bryan Adams and especially Everything I Do, I Do It For You. 78% have apologised for Celine Dion.
6. performed some random sexual practice, which is the usual topic of questions like this.

Now, tongue back out of cheek, how in the heck are we supposed to answer a question like this? You've given us virtually nothing to go on. --Robert Merkel 12:25, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Hmmm, this is interesting. The question is from here, which is a website where people pay to have questions answered. It seems that $15 was offered for an answer to this question (don't ask me why!). So is it possible that people are selling answers from Misplaced Pages's reference desk on other websites? Ojw 17:49, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Possibly, or as experience tells me, the questioner dropped off their question at several places. - Mgm| 08:43, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Educational Background of Robert Plant

I am trying to find the educational background of Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. I followed the link to his homepage from the Misplaced Pages article on him, but can find nothing there that is relevant, and cannot find any other information from other searches.

I want to know if he graduated from high school, and if he attended any institutions of higher learning.

Thank you,

Jennifer Embrey

this page mentions that he studied at King Edward VI Grammar School, but doesn't mention any further educational activities. Given that he started playing in bands from 1966, when he was 18, and he was only 21 when Led Zepplin took off, I would consider it unlikely that he has any tertiary qualifications. If you want to check, however, you might try asking on the forums from his homepage; there would likely be somebody who would know on that. According to amazon.com, there are also a number of biographies of Plant, but many of them seem to be out of print; they may take a bit of effort to track down. You could always try contacting his management and asking them. --Robert Merkel 12:40, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Americans in Germany

I am on the search for a document, that shows why and for how long and on which right Americans are still allowed to be in Germany. I am writing for an online magazine and I have problems finding the proof.I looked at german and english websites,nothing can really help,so please write me a link or something...thank you very much!

Americans can be in Germany for almost any reason. I don't think Germany has any law against American visitors, as long as their passport and visa is in order. The time they spend there depends on the visa lasts; they could even live in Germany their whole life if they wanted and had the appropriate documents. smurrayinchester 17:43, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

If you're asking about individual Americans visiting Germany, try the German Embassy in Washington's website, http://www.germany-info.org. If, on the other hand, you're asking about US military bases in Germany, I would imagine they are there under NATO agreements. -- AJR | Talk 20:28, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

I suspect you are asking why American military bases are allowed in Germany, since asking why Americans are allowed in Germany is just plain silly. They originally were set up as part of a multi-national occupation force, once Nazi Germany was defeated. Once the Cold War began, American forces remained in West Germany as part of NATO forces, to deter a Soviet invasion via East Germany. The force wasn't sufficient to repel the millions of soldiers the Soviets could muster, but served to guarantee that any Soviet invasion would mean war, most likely nuclear war, since Amercans would be attacked and killed as part of any Soviet invasion. This was part of the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) doctrine. As insane as it sounds, it apparently worked, as the Soviet Union never invaded West Germany. A similar doctrine in currently used with US troops in South Korea which are insufficient to repel an invasion from North Korea, but sufficient to guarantee war (possibly nuclear) with the US, if they did invade.

After the end of the Cold War, and the subsequent expansion of NATO to the East, Germany no longer was on the "front line" with a potential enemy. Thus, American bases in Germany no longer served their original purpose. One problem with military bases is that they encourage economic dependency, however. That is, there are many communities in Germany dependent on the bases for employment and spending by soldiers. This massive virtual subsidy will be sorely missed when gone, so Germany has been in no hurry to evict Americans. Similarly, American politicians haven't wanted to offend Germany by withdrawing troops. However, as American budgets get tighter and the need for troops at the new front line on the Eastern border of the expanded NATO becomes apparent, I would expect there to be a long term shift in troops eastward, to countries such as Turkey. This might be accelerated, depending on the level of anti-Americanism in Germany. StuRat 21:28, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

I always wondered why America put militarily-insignificant numbers of soldiers in harm's way like that. Your theory makes a lot of sense. --Avijja 10:56, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Who was Giovanni Arrighi?

That's an article request

• That's a reference. - Nunh-huh 02:45, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Who was Giles Deleuze?

That's an article request

Gilles Deleuze. David Sneek 18:23, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Who was Jrgen Habermas?

That's an article request

Jürgen Habermas. David Sneek 18:22, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Cardinal as State bird.

We are researching the Cardinal as Ohio's state bird, and we are unable to find why it was adopted. We have all the other info. about the Cardinal, and about whan it was adopted. Could you tell me why it was adopted as the Ohio State bird?

I'm not certain about this but it could just be that it is a very common bird in that part of the country. Akamad 23:01, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

The cardinal is the most visually appealing common bird in the Midwest. Indiana and some other states adopted it also. alteripse 12:16, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Tenure of US House members

Where can I find a list of current members of the US House of Representatives and their date of election, or the total time of their incumbency?

Please see the articles on United States House of Representatives and List of members of the United States House of Representatives. Dismas| 20:43, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Was Charles Albert of Sardinia king of Jerusalem?

Excuse me for my horrible English. Why did Charles Albert of Sardinia when he conceded a constitution write "King of Sardinia, Cipro and Jerusalem"?

The House of Savoy claimed the (long-extinct) Kingdoms of Cyprus and Jerusalem. See Kings of Jerusalem. Adam Bishop 21:23, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

November 20

French Painter: Maurice V

I'm looking for a series of 4 paintings. The artist is Maurice V (as in Maurice the fifth) but this might be an alias. They're prints probably made in the late 1800s. The collection is a cityscape, in the 1800s, and pictures woman in long skirts with umbrellas, as my mother recalls. This is all the information I can give on them, and the only other significant thing is that the artist is french.

Thank You, -Janina

Have a look at our article on Maurice de Vlaminck. JackofOz 00:35, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

religion(im 13 an i need help on my project)

what is italy's main religion...??? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.49.60.57 (talk • contribs)

I'll give you a major clue for this one: see Italy, Demographics of Italy, Religion. But please try to do your own homework. If you did that with this question you would know more about Italy > Demographics of Italy > Religion than any of your friends.  :-) --hydnjo talk 02:25, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Hmmm... nominal Catholics, mature Protestants and Jews, and growing Muslims. Aren't adjectives fun! - Nunh-huh 02:43, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

For sure there are mature and growing and as to nominal well there's plenty of them for very sure. --hydnjo talk 02:48, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

How about pastafarianism ? StuRat 18:37, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Roman Catholicism. Neutrality 03:54, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

small talk

I am terrible at small talk because I get amazingly bored by it(people talking about how their jobs are boring and so on). However I have trouble getting to know people because I'm no good at it. My question is if people really enjoy talking about those sorts of things or if both parties "bear through it" because it is a social norm to make small talk before discussing more meaningful things. It always seems like a chore for me to try to make small talk with people.

Most people find small talk more comfortable than silence. Some "small talk" is social lubricant; some may be prefatory to other discussions, but I doubt that anyone finds it so much fun that they seek it out. You might want to reconcile yourself to the fact that it's unavoidable. Or you could plan out something - "Howdy, my piranha just bit off a chunk of leg..." - Nunh-huh 04:18, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

You're not alone, a lot of people are frustrated by this. If you feel uncomfortable starting an interaction one-on-one, an easy trick is to listen in on a group discussion, join it, and slowly build rapport with individuals. Yet as difficult as it may be to believe, many people really do enjoy small talk and aren't faking it. They just like interacting with people, even if no meaningful information is exchanged. It may help to think of small talk as a symbolic way of saying, "You seem interesting, I think it'll be fun to talk to you and get to know you better, so here's some information about me to test the water before I say anything particularly important". When people drone on about things you don't want to talk about, try to steer the conversion to a topic you find interesting. If they insist on talking at you rather than with you, they're probably better off chatting with someone else. You're not doing anyone any favors by pretending to listen or by muttering things you don't care about. Be yourself, talk about what's interesting and matters to you. The people that you'll actually want to meet and talk with will understand and appreciate this. --Avijja 11:28, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

I find meeting people generally quite enjoyable, but find mindless small talk boring too. So I cut that to a minimum and key in on things they mention that I may find interesting. Think about things you might find interesting about someone and ask more about those things as they come up. Of course you have to find the things of interest to the both of you. If you insist on discussing comics when the other person has no interest whatsoever in them, the interaction will not be positive. So the interesting thing can be figuring out how to find areas of mutual interest. The other thing I find interesting about small talk is the whole non verbal part of the interaction. Most of initial meeting information exchange is non verbal. People relax and decide if they can trust someone quite quickly. The exchange of information reflects this and if someone believes they can trust you they'll tell you the more interesting things about themselves. Revealing information about yourself (not too much :) can make the other person more comfortable with you. So the whole study of the interaction I do find interesting and when I'm thinking about that I'm not getting bored with the mindless part of it. So those are my tips, discover areas of mutual interest and just think about the interaction as a research/learning experience. So basically find out what is interesting to you, and you'll enjoy the interaction more and be better at it. - Taxman 15:19, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

One problem here is that different people find different things interesting. You might think talking about careers is boring, but others don't agree. You need to develop a wide range of interests to be an interesting conversationalist. The alternatives are to always bring the conversation back to the few things you find of interest (which will make others find you boring) or to "fake it" and talk about things you don't understand or care about. For example, I can't stand sports, but if someone brings up a game I might fake something like "Wow, how long has it been since the Nowheresville Overpaid Bastards won the Super Steroid Bowl ?"...hopefully substituting in the correct names, LOL. StuRat 21:21, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Also, I agree that having a series of stock stories and jokes ready to tell will make you seem more interesting. Be sure to avoid retelling the same ones to the same people, though. StuRat 21:43, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Geronimo: speech to chiefs

I have heard Geronimo spoke to several tribal chiefs. He said (words to this effect): There are so few of us, we cannot afford to fight each other. Is this true & can it be documented?

Black/Korean name

As far as I know, "Daekwon" is a Korean name. But I've noticed this name being stereotyped as a "Black" name. How did this come to be?

BTW, I am also interested in how Blacks came to adopt Arabic names("Omar", "Hassan", etc.).

Common African-American names changed after the Civil Rights changes in the 1960s. First names prior to that were little different from the rest of the American population except for a high proportion of presidential last names used as first names, and some distinctive first names derived from nicknames (e.g., Willy as a formal first name rather than William). In the 1960s, the spread of Arabic or Arabic-type names reflected the spread of the Black Muslim movement. Not everyone who used these names were necessarily Muslim and few had Arab ancestry, but it spread as fashions for names typically do. The second source of distinctive African-American names began in the 1970s. I am not sure of the origin but the fashion became near-universal among African-Americans in American cities. For girls, the names were nearly all three syllables, accented on the second, and ending in a: Latoya, Lakesha, Nikita, etc. For boys, there were lots of two syllable names ending in -on or -won, accented on the second syllable. Daekwon is an example of the latter, among many others. As people with these names have become parents, the fashion is changing again. For most of the last century it has been possible to identify many American first names on sight as typically African-American or typically white. A large share of white names are just as trendy and some are quite class-distinctive, but that is a different topic... I believe we have one active editor who does her best to represent African-American culture on wikipedia and aggressively corrects the rest of us when she thinks we got it wrong; you might want to ask her. alteripse 18:31, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Conflict

Which country has the least/none racial disputes/regional conflicts in the world??? What did that particuliar country do the reduce/prevent???

Thank you:)

• The most ethnically homogenous country of any size is probably Somalia, so I don't think they have any 'racial' disputes. The fighting in Somalia has been between clans which all claim descent for the same ancestor. Your question is just too open ended to give you a good answer. Almost every country has some kind of dispute with one or more other countries. Being very small and having one or more major powers as neighbors seems to be best way to avoid regional conflicts these days. - Dalbury 18:41, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

• Being very small, very isolated, and having nothing of value anybody wants, are good guarantees of peace. Some small islands fall into this category. Having a small number of ethnic groups seems to be the worst situation, as in Rwanda (Hutus and Tutsis) and Iraq (Arabs, Persians, and Kurds). Having either just one ethnic group, or so many that no one group is powerful enough to wipe out the rest, seems to lead to more peaceful societies. StuRat 20:09, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

How is money used by panhandlers?

Approximately what percentage of money given to a panhandler in an urban setting would you expect to be used "responsibly" (food, medication, shelter) versus other uses (drugs, alcohol, etc.)? I've heard a lot of people say that they're hesitant to give to beggars because they don't know how they money gets used. Links to any relevant research would be appreciated. -- Creidieki 16:20, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

What makes you think spending money on drugs and alcohol is irresponsible? I sometimes give money to panhandlers on the basis that, if I didn't, I'd only spend it on drugs or alcohol. ;) Trollderella 21:31, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Try this lovely study. It basically concludes that, in Toronto at least, the majority of panhandlers are actually poor and homeless. Enlightening, if a little inconclusive. Deltabeignet 05:43, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Thank you, that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. -- Creidieki 07:12, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

The logical response, if you are concerned about them using your money for something fun, is to give them food or clothes instead. They might be able to sell them and spend the money on something fun, but it probably wouldn't be worth the effort, as used clothes and food don't sell for much on the street. You could also require them to eat the food in front of you, since used, regurgitated food has an even lower street value. StuRat 20:03, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Some fast food places sell gift certificates, and I know people who hand those out instead of money. Just check that the place doesn't kick homeless people out first. — Laura Scudder ☎ 21:21, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Gift certs are better than money, but not as good as actual food, since they can be sold, say at half price, up until when they expire. Perishable food can only be sold until it spoils, and most people wouldn't buy food from a homeless person, unless it is completely sealed. StuRat 18:42, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

World War one Survivors

Your site has a list of survivors from WW1. This seems out of date now. as a recent BBC1 programme said there was only 4 British survivors now. Do you have an upto date list of survivors from all countries?

Regards

Dave Sleight

If you are refering to Surviving_veterans_of_the_First_World_War, the users who maintain it claim it is up to date. If you know of any veterans listed in that article that have died, you can remove them yourself. - Dalbury 18:29, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

As coincidence would have it, sadly, Alfred Anderson died today - last survivor of the Christmas truce. With regards to "only four", it depends how you count it. A lot of journalists, especially in the UK, implicitly mean "survivors of the Western Front", rather than the Navy; there's also the complicating fact that after the war, a lot of survivors emigrated to Australia or Canada, so whilst they were British soldiers who survived, they're now Australians, and so may not turn up on the lists. Shimgray | talk | 20:50, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Origin of Saint Nicholas

Do you have the history of Bishop Saint Nicholas? Was he stoned to death for abusing children?

• There is a brief discussion of the possible origins of the Saint Nicholas legends in Santa Claus, but I don't see anything on what you are asking. - Dalbury 18:47, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Unlike Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas was a real person, and we have a good biography on him here. StuRat 19:30, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Saint Nicholas was a Turkish bishop during the late Roman Empire. He was known for his generosity.

• He also punched out somebody in a tavern brawl, over an argument about the Aryan heresy. Which I think is the most wonderful bit of triva ever. --

Bob Mellish 18:58, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Man, that would make a great Coca-Cola advertisement, wouldn't it? Jolly old Saint Nick decking some guy in a bar over some musty old piece of church business...Brian Schlosser42 21:17, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

• • That's Arian heresy.  :) User:Zoe| 04:49, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Germans of Scandinavian origin?

I've heard that all Germanic peoples originated in Scandinavia, is this true?

• The earliest historical evidence for Germanic languages is in Roman times, when they were already divided into Western, Eastern and Northern (Scandinavian) branches, spread across northern Europe. I don't know of any hard evidence that Scandinavia was the center of Germanic expansion. At a guess, I would think that the Germanic speakers migrated west and north from some point east of present-day Germany, but I have no evidence for that, either. - Dalbury 22:56, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

November 21

Responsible government in Canada -1848

I am looking for when, exactly, Canada recieved responsible government from Britain. That includes when it was decided in Britain and when it arrived in Canada. I also need to know the names of at least some important members in the Family Compact at that time and perhaps any sports events during that year. Thank-you very much, I know it may be asking a lot of you. I appreciate whatever bits of information you find. Sincerely, Dannika 139.142.244.110 04:59, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

• Dannika, this isn't actually a "research on demand" service. We can guide you in the right direction, though. Start with our History of Canada and Family Compact articles, and follow links to other articles from there. I'm sure that with a little bit of digging, you will find the information that you're looking for. Ground Zero | t 14:42, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
• Responsible government also has useful information. You might also like to look at 1848 for the other stuff. DJ Clayworth 18:27, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

I have looked; that is why I came here. I'll try again, but I don't expect to find more than before. Thanks anyway, though. -Dannika

Jordan/Trans-Jordan/Palestine

Isn't Jordan (formerly known as Trans-Jordan) 80% of the territory known as Palestine(administered by Ottoman Turks until 1919; administered by British until the land-for-peace partition of 1922). If so, I question the history of the 'west bank':

..."While a Palestinian Arab state failed to materialize, the territory was captured by the neighboring kingdom of Jordan."

If Jordan is 80% of Palestine, then the Arab state did indeed materialize in the form of Jordan in 1922 (a.k.a. Trans-Jordan). It would be reasonable to say: "while a second Palestinian Arab state failed to materialize, the territory was captured by the neighboring kindom of Jordan."

Furthermore, I contest the use of 'Palestinian' to exclusively represent Palestinian Arab. Until 1948 the word 'Palestinian' referred to Jews, not Arabs. Today, if you use the word Palestinian, you might be referring to Jews, Arabs, Christians, or several smaller ethnic populations living in this region.

A "drive-by" complaint like this has no effect. Bring up your points on the Talk pages of the relevant articles and be prepared to negotiate. alteripse 13:42, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Does that 80% figure mean "80% of what was Palestine under the Ottoman Empire is now part of Jordan" or "80% of what is now Jordan was part of Palestine under the Ottoman Empire" ? They aren't the same thing. StuRat 19:58, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

The word "Palestine" comes from the early ethnic group, "Phillistines", who fought with the Jews, so were definitely not Jews. They weren't Christians or Muslims, either, as neither religion had yet formed in that period. However, they might have been Arabs, I don't think much is known of their ethnic origins, since they had no written language. StuRat 19:40, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

According to Philistines, they may have been of Indo-European origin, adopting Canaanite culture. They definitely were not Arabs. Most of the peoples of the area spoke Semitic languages, but Arabic was not introduced until after the Islamic conquest of the area. The Philistines also seem to have used an alphabet similar to that of the Phoenicians and the Hebrews. - Dalbury 20:07, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Reigonal conflicts

Why do regional conflicts start? Can anyone please tell me the cause of it and state on example of that particular conflict?

• first of your questions is difficult to answer here; eats up quite a lot of space. but checking here will give you a number of examples and answer to the first question --Tachs 11:31, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

How should we measure a women's size?

How should we measure a women's size? For example, if a women's size is 34-23-36, what does it say?

• See for instructions on measuring people to determine clothing size. - Dalbury 17:46, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

• • I'd also think it says that Sir Mix-a-Lot would be terribly disappointed :) --Robert Merkel 20:13, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Even if she was five foot three. Brian Schlosser42 21:19, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

The point of these measurement is that they are in inches and measure the bust, waist and hips respectively. pfctdayelise 14:58, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

tv stations

What staff and equipment does a major television station require?

Fair amounts of both, though if you were starting from scratch very large amounts of the gear they presently do have could be replaced with just networked personal computers and some servers.

Assuming a "major television station" implies one that puts out a local news bulletin, that means that they're going to need a considerable number of news crews. A news crew generally has three people in it - a journalist, cameraman (and camera operators are almost all men; see Frontline, an Australian sitcom, for a hilariously accurate portrayal of what news cameramen are like), and a sound recorder. Many news crews have now dropped the sound recorder, though (that's why you now see interviews in which the journo is holding the microphone - if you see that you know the local station is being a cheapskate). On top of that, you need an edit suite (though that can now be just a computer with the right software) and a number of editors. On top of that, you need a news director, and typically two newsreaders (it's a rare local news that has one newsreader read the entire bulletin). For the live news broadcast, you need a studio, with studio cameras and lighting, camerapeople (though robotic cameras are sometimes used now), and several people in the control booth cuing up the tapes, cutting between cameras, and switching to advertising breaks. Then you need somebody to do the newsreaders' makeup. And so on.

For the rest of the time, you need several tape players or their equivalent to act as a source for pre-recorded material, and several redundant and landline links to take live feeds from the network. This is done with dedicated lines; you're not going to use a VPN for something so time-critical. This can be done with just one person; when I did work experience the cuing up of advertisements and whatnot was done semi-manually; this was partly because the person had to be there watching the output continuously, and so cuing up the ads gave this person something to actually do rather than go barmy just watching the screen. I suspect it's probably automated now.

At the time I was slightly disappointed to discover that the sales department, the bit that convinces businesses to buy advertising on the station, was actually by some margin the largest part of the operation. That's of course if you're a commercial operation.--Robert Merkel 20:32, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Seeking Architect's Name

Dear Misplaced Pages: I am seeking THE NAME OF THE ARCHITECT who ORIGINALLY designed this building:

The National Council of State Garden Clubs Headquarters

Location: St. Louis, Missouri,

Time Period: 1950s.

Here is more about the building:

(The National Council of State Garden Clubs Headquarters) Located: in a local historic district south of downtown St. Louis, on property adjacent to: The Missouri State Botanical Garden.

The site: The site retains remnants of an original Olmstead plan implemented in the late 20th century. Both the site and the building are of considerable significance in the history of urban park development of St. Louis.

The architectural style: the original building is a prototypical 1950s work designed in the International Style by a well-known St. Louis architect.

National Historic Structure: The facility was recently listed as a National Historic Structure.

Thanks if you can help --

Julie Dalia

• It's easy to use Google to search for these answers. I just asked google for the exact phrase, "National Council of State Garden Clubs Headquarters", and it returned two hits, the second of which provides the solution you are hunting for. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 17:45, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

legal rights of same-sex couples

To answer the un-asked question, start in Same-sex marriage. There are links from there to related topics. - Dalbury 19:27, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

November 22

Sambia royal bloodline

I am searching for information about the royal bloodline of russian penninsula region Sambia.

I am Polish and my father's side of the family - Samborski - are, we believe, the decendants of royalty of the area. I have so far found one article on Sambia http://en.wikipedia.org/Sambia but am searching for information on the royal bloodlines.

My father has mentioned the name Hantatarski? I am not sure if this is how it is spelt but this is how he pronounces it. I have not been able to find any information on this name, I have tried many alternative spellings.

I would appreciate any help.

Kind Regards, Karolina Samborska Karolina@unifiedfs.com.au

• You can also try searching under 'Samland'. The site at http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/16cen/samland1525.html would indicate that Samland or Sambia was under the control of the Teutonic order, and then part of the Duchy of Prussia. It would seem that the ancient language of the area was the Old Prussian language, a Baltic language. - Dalbury 01:08, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

U.S. Congress

What is meant by the "Culture of Congress?"

• It seems to depend on who is talking about it. Just do a Google search on "culture of congress" (with the quotes). In general though, it looks to me like a complaint that the members of Congress act like it's their private club, ignoring each other's dirty secrets, trading favors, and voting for each other's pork barrel projects. - Dalbury 21:44, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Music- The creation of the world

Would appreciate it if someone could please help with the composer of the above work. I was under the impression the composer was Felix Mendelssohn, but that is not true according to Misplaced Pages... Many thanks Iris====

Are you thinking of The Creation by Joseph Haydn? DJ Clayworth 18:43, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Or more likely, "La Création du Monde" by Darius Milhaud. JackofOz 08:50, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

What a Wonderful World

Note : this question has already been posted in the french "reference desk" (the Oracle) yesterday, but with no answers for the moment (see here). Thank you if you can help in any way Lilly aka 82.243.164.70. Kuxu 16:03, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Hello ! I have been looking for a few days for the lyrics of this song, by Louis Armstrong... Well i have found the lyrics but not the first part that he said (in some large version it represents more than a minute)... Does someone know what it is said or where I would be able to find it ? ... Iam not a native English speaker and it is difficult for me to understand... Thank you. Lilly aka 82.243.164.70 14:45, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

• See here. The lyrics on that page begin with the monologue, as distinct from the more familiar version which has no monologue and begins "I see trees of green, red roses too." --Metropolitan90 01:56, 23 November 2005 (UTC)
  • And despite what that and many other web pages say, the song is not by Louis Armstrong, he just did a famous recording of it. The correct writing credit, I believe, is George Weiss - George Douglas - Bob Thiele. -- Jmabel | Talk 05:57, 24 November 2005 (UTC)
    • Interesting. I thought Armstrong had written himself this song. Thank you for the information Jmabel. Kuxu 23:33, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

Tree Felling Politicians

Hi, I originally posted this question on the Miscellaneous page but it didn't get a serious answer, also it is more of a humanities question so I'm posting it here. William Ewart Gladstone was famous for felling oak trees as a hobby, some time ago I heard that Donald Rumsfeld also practices this hobby (using a chainsaw) as does another Neo-Con. Does anyone know any other politicians who cut down trees for a leisure activity (not including George Washington who didn't). Thanks. AllanHainey 15:13, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

• Ronald Reagan liked to swing an axe, although I don't know if he felled the trees, or just cut them into firewood. And while probably not what one would call a 'leisure-time activity', Abraham Lincoln was called the "Rail-Splitter", and I assume those trees he split into rails didn't fall over on their own. - Dalbury 21:30, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
• George W. Bush is (in)famous for spending his vacations chopping brush on his Texas ranch. User:Zoe| 01:24, 23 November 2005 (UTC)
• I just read an essay in Harpers(the topic was a highly biased portrayal of Bush and essentially all Republicans he's ever met as spoiled teenagers) that claimed he once walked smilingly into a forest with an axe(on Earth Day :) ). Superm401 | Talk 01:44, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Little Britain Theme Tune

Is the 'Feem Toon' of Little Britain specially written for the show, or is a piece of old music? smurrayinchester 16:07, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

It was written for the show, although it's not one of ickle Dennis Waterman's feem toons. It is by composer David Arnold, who has done a lot of film and TV work. -- AJR | Talk 19:39, 22 November 2005 (UTC)

Legalisation of prostitution in India (moved from Talk:Main Page)

Should prostitution legalised in India? — Preceding unsigned comment added by jkk79 (talk • contribs)

• There is no factual answer. However, as an ordained interfaith minister, I would say that prostitution should be legalized in India, under strict government regulation. The alternative of unregulated prostitution fueling crime and spreading disease is less attractive. Of course, I have very little understanding of Hindu sexual mores on the topic. Deltabeignet 01:57, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

That is an open question indeed, one that is probably beyond the capabilities of Misplaced Pages's reference desk to answer. Maybe you could phrase it in a more specific manner so we can help answer more specific points regarding your query? --HappyCamper 02:00, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

November 23

The Earth in space.

What views (if any) are expressed in the Bible regarding the relevant motions of the Earth, the Sun and observable planets?

Ian Clarke

Open in the sense that there may well be several views expressed perhaps. I was hoping that someone among your staff or other contacts would have sufficient knowledge of the Bible's contents to be able to answer the question - not an easy one I realize! I.C. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.164.234.59 (talk • contribs)

One of the most important passages in this regard is Joshua 10:12-13, which in the NIV reads:

On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel,

Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:

"O sun, stand still over Gibeon,

O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,

till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped

in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

For a long time this verse was interpreted as Biblical proof for a geocentric universe, and it was one of the main sources of the religious opposition to heliocentrism. Today, however, even the most literal interpreters of the Bible agree that the sun stopping is simply a vague or metaphorical statement. Other verses such as Ecclesiastes 1:5 (The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises) also imply a somewhat different understanding to the current one, but nowhere in the Bible is there a clear discussion of astronomy. - SimonP 06:32, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Not necessarily a vague or metaphorical statement at all, depending on who you believe. Immanuel Velikovsky certainly had a more literal interpretation.

I know many Christians who consider the stopping of the sun to be a literal event. However they would take it to mean that really the earth stopped rotating (Yes, I am aware of the side-effects this would cause - since the whole thing would have to be a supernatural event, eliminating a few unwanted physical side-effects does not pose much of an additional problem).

There are other places in the Bible where statements are made about the fixidity of the earth, which were also taken to be proof of a geocentric universe in the days when these things were up for debate. As far as I know there are only a few tens of people who hold that view today. DJ Clayworth 17:32, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Holy books are initially interpretted to mean exactly what they say, even when they conflict with science. When the scientific evidence becomes so overwhelmingly strong that religion can no longer convince people to ignore reality, they change their interpretation and say "that passage was never taken literally", since admitting an actual error in their holy book is not an option for them. StuRat 18:58, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

You mentioned "your staff". However, Misplaced Pages has no staff. All the people who answer questions here are volunteers like you and me. Volunteers are also the only editors to Misplaced Pages articles. For more info, please see Misplaced Pages:Welcome, newcomers!. Superm401 | Talk 01:59, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

help

I am trying to find the island of Navarone on google earth ... its a place dorning world war 2 that had two big guns there protecting a island called kheros off the coast of turkey i cant find them i tryed here at wikipedia and nothing .... can you help me please

The Guns of Navarone was a work of fiction. Sorry. Dismas| 06:47, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Navarone, in The Guns of Navarone was off the coast of Turkey. --Kainaw 20:32, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Christianity

What does the real bible look like and out of how many books did it exist?

Have you read the Bible article? That would answer your question better than a brief explanation here would, I think. Dismas| 07:28, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

English Short Story about student lawyers from the pre-1970s

Does anyone know of a short story where a smart lawyer teaches his blonde "not-so-smart" girlfriend about law. But the girl becomes versed in law and then out grows him and leaves him. Thanks. Mike

There was a film like this, I think it had John Goodman or Bob Hoskins in it & he paid someone to educate his girlfriend, but she got too educated. Sorry I can't remember any more than that. AllanHainey 12:59, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

Surgeon John Harris

I am trying to establish the probate value of the property of Surgeon John Harris at the time of his death in 1838. I have seen one figure of £50m at the time, equating to $10 billion in today's terms. I think this is a bit high!!

A search of the ODNB doesn't turn up a bio for him. There 16 other gentlemen named John Harris in the collection, but no surgeon. Considering how comprehensive the ODNB is (50,000 entries), there is no way he could have been that wealthy and not have an entry.

Lotsofissues 11:34, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

This Surgeon John Harris has the dates matching, and he was Australian - remember sterling was used outside the UK proper then. He doesn't show up in the Dictionary of Australian Biography (at least not the version on Gutenberg).

Reading that will, it looks like he owned a lot of land in Cumberland county. I'm going to take a wild guess that this land is now central Sydney and has astronomical land values. However, I strongly doubt it was valued at £50m at the time - the entirety of Alaska, thirty years later, only cost the US around a million pounds, and the Lousiana Purchase thirty years earlier cost them about three million. (These are not adjusted for inflation)

My guess is that the figure of £50m is garbled, and that this is a rough estimate of the value of all the land which he possessed then, assessed at current market values - the $10bn "in today's terms" is someone taking that figure, and multiplying it by something in order to reach a contemporary value. A contemporary value would be a lot more difficult to assess - if you're in Sydney, I'd advise speaking to the local studies people at the central library there, who presumably can direct you to a useful contemporary source.

Incidentally, at a rough calculation, £50m now would get you about fifty acres of typical Sydney urban land. Not massive, but pretty significant. Shimgray | talk | 19:41, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perçé

Request for information on the life of this (in his time) famous Native American leader -his epic escape -with all his tribe - from their (? Where?) Reservation; their victorious delaying skirmishes with the US cavalry as they made their (500,600 mile?) dash for Canada.; their final battle within a few days' march of the Border; the capture of Chief Joseph, and the ending of his days in a Wild West show.' About 1910 or 1911 I think. Even from these bare outlines I think anyone would agree his is a story worth the telling.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help

John Ruddy

See Chief Joseph. --Kainaw 14:02, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, what are the notes played by the alien mothership, the worshippers, the xylophone, etc? smurrayinchester 14:56, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

• G - A - F - F (down an octave) - C prior to arrival; up a minor third when they've landed (that would be Bb - C - Ab - Ab - Eb). --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 18:54, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

I am looking for watch magazines and can't find them

I know that there are magazines about watches but I can't remember any of the names. There is one in particular, but regardless I can't find any on the search. Can you help me to find a list? Thank you.

-Brendan Lanza

• There's a list of seven watch magazines on this page. --Canley 01:16, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

Rome at War

Was the Roman Empire, more of less in a constant state of War, or were there significant periods of peace? 23:19, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

• See Roman Empire and Pax Romana. Deltabeignet 00:25, 24 November 2005 (UTC)
  • Quick note, given that the pages don't likely answer specifically: "state of war" would've meant little to the Romans. They didn't formally notify the Gauls, etc. when "we are at war" became obvious. Given no obvious reason not to be, the Romans were effectively at war with most anyone on their frontier. Marskell 22:59, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

November 24

The End (song)

I've been trying to download the song The End by the Doors on Limewire. The problem is that the only versions they have is the 6:31 version and it cuts out a lot of what internet sites say the complete lyrics are. I just want to make sure that this is infact an edited version and not the real one. RENTASTRAWBERRY röck 01:22, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

The iTunes Music Store has three versions for sale:

1. 6:31 on Greatest Hits - The Doors
2. 11:43 on The Doors: Greatest Hits - The Doors
3. 16:15 (Live) on Bright Midnight -The Doors

The original release on the self-titled album isn't available but the original lyrics are available here. This link is also provided in the WP article that heads this section. --hydnjo talk 03:48, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

On my copy of their self-titled album "The End" is 11:50. —DO'Neil 07:31, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

• Our article The Doors (album) has it at 11:35 which you may want to correct since you've got the best reference. Oh, and the lyrics at the link above are missing two words. This lyrics link is for the full explicit lyrics. --hydnjo talk 20:45, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

non-profit organization with two functions

A 501(c)3 organization in Texas is structured with one branch providing a community health (one CEO) and the other branch that is a community planning body and an administrative agent for state and federal funds passing through to specialized providers with a separate CEO. Both operate under one name. One board governs both. What is this type of structure called? How should the by-laws set up the governance for both entities? Can the administrative agent activities be identified as an "unrelated business activity" or "secondary line of business"? Signed: Ə–—… — Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.167.26.1 (talk • contribs)

To answer one question: the structure is usually called an umbrella organization. The rest of your questions may need a lawyer. A Texas lawyser at that, given that there are probably state as well as federal matters involved. -- Jmabel | Talk 06:15, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

Is it possible this this is a homework question? DJ Clayworth 22:36, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

Stuart Davis - Artworks

I am trying to trace images of a painting by Stuart Davis called "Swing City". There is another painting called "Swing Landscape" which is not the same. I would be grateful if anyone can supply information re the "Swing City" painting. --198.54.202.226 14:12, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

Punishment Practices

How are the punishment practices from the colonial and revolutionary periods similar to the modern penal system? How have the 17th and 18th century punishment practices influenced modern 20th century penal practices? 172.171.237.138 18:25, 24 November 2005 (UTC)Caramel

• What is the punishment for trying to get other people to do your homework? Notinasnaid 19:10, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

venetian blinds

which is the country of origin of venetian blinds?

The Venetian blinds article will provide you with a possibility. hydnjo talk 01:47, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

paper factory

where was the first paper making factory started in the muslim world?

I believe it was around 751 in Samarkand. There was a factory in Baghdad in 800. Filiocht | The kettle's on 11:05, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

This site states that "The first paper making factory in the Islamic Empire was built in Baghdad" in 792AD. - Akamad 11:08, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

I suppose it depends what you mean by a factory, and if the Muslim world is the same thing as the Islamic Empire. The skill of papermaking was picked up from Chinese prisoners in Samarkand (the site referenced by Akamad confirms this), but it may be that there were small workshops there rather than a "factory". The Baghdad date is probably the most exact answer to the question, but at that time the establishment of a factory would assume the existence of small scale mastery of the required skills in the community. The factory gave the authorities more control and, probably, more revenue. Filiocht | The kettle's on 11:22, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

flag

when was the Saudi Arabian flag adopted?

This site states that the flag was adopted on March 15, 1973. - Akamad 06:37, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

flag hosting

Till which year Indian Chief Ministers could not unfurl national flag on August 15th?

Is this a quiz or a question? hydnjo talk 01:51, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

November 25

About the Statue of Justice in Hong Kong

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is Mable from City University of Hong Kong. Recently, I have done a project research on discrimination against men in Hong Kong. Our group would like to mention the Statue of Justice in our Powerpoint presentation to arouse students' awareness of equality. However, due to our limited knowledge, we don't exactly know the background and history of the statue.

We want to know why Goddess of Themis represent justice and when it is used, why she is blind-folded, what do the things held by her mean (The sword and balance). Our group sincerely want to ask for your advice.

Yours sincerely, Mable

Mable, have a look at the article on Themis, especially the last paragraph, which claims that the statue is more closely related to the Roman goddess Iusticia rather than her Greek equivalent, Themis. As I understand them, her attributes are: She is blindfolded because justice should be impartial, that is, blind to the differences between her petitioners, and responsive only to their arguments; the balance is also an indication that justice should be meted out fairly, by an objective and not a subjective standard, and the sword indicates the penalty that is due to those found guilty, and the authority of the courts. Others may be able to add more, but this may be a start. (As an aside, the notion that mercy and justice are in some sense opposites leads to iconography still used in the UK coronation ceremony, in which the monarch holds (among other regalia) the "sword of justice" and the "sword of mercy" (or "curtana), the latter with a blunt point.) - Nunh-huh 03:08, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

Magneis

Please tell me which culture or nation was the first to use magnets and magnetic needles. Please specify what they used it for and when. Please respond soon, by tomorrow hopefully.(November 24, 2005,9:44 P.M.) --Norman Zhu

Apparently magnetic needles were used `as compasses in China in the 4th Century B.C. That may be your answer unless someone comes up with an earlier use. - Nunh-huh 10:02, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

Your need for an answer by tomorrow wouldn't have anything to do with homework, would it? You know, the homework that we told you we don't give answers for? Deltabeignet 02:58, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Richard Nixon

Did he come to Australia on September 10th, 1965? And is it true he accidently flipped the bird at Australians, thinking he was giving them the peace sign? - Ta bu shi da yu 07:46, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

I think what happened was Australians who were unhappy with Nixon were giving him the two fingered salute, which is basically the peace sign but with the palms facing inwards. This in Australia (which is where I live) pretty much means "up yours". I believe what happened was Nixon interpreted this to mean the peace sign and he gave the salute back the the Aussies. I don't know if it's true or not. - Akamad 10:41, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

This anecdote site states a similar thing. I don't know when the visit happened though. - Akamad 10:45, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

And I can assure you that flipping the bird in 1965 meant exactly what it means today, and he wouldn't have done that by accident or out of ignorance. It occurs to me to ask why Australians in 1965 would have been unhappy with Nixon? He hadn't been the v.p. for several years, the Vietnam war had not started yet, and I don't recall any specific reason for Australians to have been unhappy with Americans in general that year. Was this a completely fabricated story? alteripse 17:16, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

The Australian involvement in Vietnam began in April/May 1965. Nixon was in Australia that year; the National Archives of Australia have an image showing the later Prime Minister John McEwen together with Nixon at Mascot, New South Wales in 1965. Whether Nixon arrived on September 10, I do not know. Lupo 20:37, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

So he was clearly there, but was this a state visit? Johnson (other party) was president in 65, and I don't think Nixon had any official US government standing or appt in 1965. Second, I realize that things in vietnam were getting going by 1965, but my memory is that there was little or no public protest in either the US or Australia in 65 because no one could see what was coming. Was that the reason some Australians were "unhappy" with Nixon? alteripse 02:55, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

I don't know what was going on in Australia at that time, nor why Nixon would have been so unpopular, either as a person or as a generic representative of the U.S. However, this guy states that in the U.S., "the first sizeable anti-Vietnam War demonstration in April 1965, with 25,000 people attending." And the Australian Institute of Criminology states that " Thousands of students participated in protest demonstrations and marches during the period 1965-72." Of course, that doesn't prove yet that already in 1965 there were any demonstrations against the Australian involvement in the Vietnam War. Maybe the protesters were part of the anti-conscription movement? September 10 seems to be about right, Nixon was on a "business trip" through Taiwan, Hong Kong, Saigon, and Australia according to this site, which states that he was in Taiwan on August 31, 1965. Lupo 14:29, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

It just occurred to me that Ta bu shi da yu himself may be best placed to answer his own questions... Ta bu, how about a visit to your nearest library and checking the newspapers from September 11, 12, and 13th from 1965? If they don't have it, ask the big Sydney newspaper's archives! Nixon's visit should be worth at least a fleeting mention somewhere. Lupo 22:45, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

George H.W. Bush famously made that mistake on a visit to Australia. You're not getting them confused?--Robert Merkel 10:41, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Christina Rossetti - The Lambs of Grasmere

This poem was written in 1860, the year her intended marriage was broken off, can anyone tell me if there is a link between the writing of this poem and that unfortunate event, Thanks

Not as far as I can see here, but this sort of thing is really a matter of opinion. Shantavira 17:17, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Female Scientists, 17th, 18th, and 19th Century

Please specify who they were and what they did. I also need to know 3 female scientists. One from the 17th century, 18th century, and 19th century. --Norman Zhu

You will find plenty of names to choose from at our list of scientists. Shantavira 17:17, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

What impact did the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 make on:

• intellectual property?
• digitally copying music?
• books?
• movies?

Or if Misplaced Pages doesn't have enough information of this, could you please tell me any good websites on the DMCA? Thanks in advance. --69.165.33.225 18:25, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

Maybe the Digital Millennium Copyright Act article could be of help to you. See the External Links section for more detailed info. David Sneek 18:56, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

the troubels

(No question asked) The term the troubles is most commonly used in reference to the period of violence in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until the mid-1990s, see the article I have linked to for more information. And when asking about things here, please include an actual question, and be as specific as possible; it makes it easier for people to give answers. -- AJR | Talk 22:58, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

I was doing some research and I could not find the answer to my question, which is: "What were some of the most prominant radio broadcasting stations during the 1930's?" I was just wondering if anyone knew a website that would have this information. Thank you. --64.12.116.13 01:05, 26 November 2005 (UTC)Melissa

November 26

nncp

culture that can only count to two

This one girl is telling me about this culture that can only count to two and doesn't start over and they were in National Geographic but I don't believe her. And I asked her about binary but she said no.

Maybe she was talking about languages that only contain words for “one” and “two”, and use the word “many” for all higher numbers? (So-called "one, two, many languages".) See this link for one example. - Nunh-huh 04:35, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

You are probably referring to the Pirahã who speak the Múra-Pirahã language. Adam Bishop 22:39, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Voice of the Face at Luna Park Sydney

Could anyone tell me who recorded the 'laugh' of the Face at Luna Park Sydney?

who is the current governor of Arizona?

All states have comprehensive infoboxes on the right of their page. Just take a look at Arizona. Marskell 04:58, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Why is there still royalty?

No offense to those in Great Britain or other countries with a monarchy, but I can't seem to understand why in this day and age there are still kings and queens, or dukes and lords for that matter. It seems that having people sit on a (figurative) throne and run around with titles is a bit peculiar, especially since in some cases they don't seem to hold any real power. --Impaciente 05:06, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

First, Misplaced Pages is not a blog and your question is rather bloggish ;). However, a quick answer as follows: a move from a monarchy to a republic often involves a great deal of gnashing of teeth and a desire for political stability leads to the conservation of working institutions. Since the English Restoration, Great Britain is the only big-five western European nation that has not experienced revolution. Stability of this sort was one part of its historic success. Marskell 07:01, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Or, put another way, the undesirable part of monarchy is having a monarch with the power to actually rule. One can get rid of the undesirable part by eliminating either the monarch (replacing him with a republic or a democracy) or the monarch's power (replacing him with a constitutional monarchy, in which he is a figurehead). - Nunh-huh 07:54, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Pardon the phrasing. But now that we have gotten past the guillotining of kings and queens (for the most part), wouldn't abolishing the monarchy in say, Britain, be much easier and more civilized? I can see how keeping working institutions might avoid unnecessary bloodshed and upheaval, but would Britons really be lost as to what to do if the monarchy was abolished? I don't know much about how the institution is seen in the country itself, and the help is appreciated. --Impaciente 08:19, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Maybe check: British republican movement Marskell 08:28, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

The arguments within the UK certainly don't contend that Britons would be lost but for their monarch. The general arguments against the elimination of a monarchy are the contentions that it's useful to have a separate head of state and head of government one political and one not; that such systems are cheaper, that monarchy attracts tourists, that there's no pressing need for change, that monarchs rule, but don't govern anyway, and it's traditional and comfy and familiar and homey, and why bother with changing a system we're happy with. (These may or may not be true, but certainly are put forth.) And probably some others that people may care to add. - Nunh-huh 08:30, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Those are some pretty convincing reasons. Thanks again. --Impaciente 17:09, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Just for completeness, Great Britain is neither a country, nor a monarchy; it's an island. Your question seems to presuppose that monarchies are inherently inferior to non-monarchies. May I suggest that you write a list of criteria by which you would judge the success of a country (e.g. GDP, median wage, income inequality, democracy, human/civil rights, foreign relations) and then use them to assess various countries with different systems of government. You may wish to consult Monarchy#Current monarchies and List of countries by system of government. I don't know what country you come from, or what your cultural context is, but I encourage you to always question your presuppositions. Also, apart from the fact that it's now, and you're here to see it, why is this day and age different? Cheers, Bovlb 20:09, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

From what I understand, isn't Great Britain a constitutional monarchy? And just to clarify, you are the one presupposing that I assumed monarchies to be inferior. All I questioned is the fact that since they don't seem to do much in a practical sense, their doing away with should be considered, just like doing away with many things that don't serve much purpose. However, now that some helpful individuals made clear the fact that they do serve as some sort of cultural bond and source of stability, I see that there are reasons for them still being around. Since democracy now seems to be the way the world is going, albeit slowly and unsteadily in some parts, I hope you can see how my questioning the fact is understandable. --Impaciente 18:02, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Well, Great Britain is still an island, and not a monarchy, country or state of any kind; perhaps you're thinking of the United Kingdom. My inference was that you seemed to think of monarchs as something that should be abolished by progress, and that progress is a good thing. My point was that there is more to the health of a country than whether it has an official monarch. Cheers, Bovlb 18:58, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

This should probably be taken to a discussion forum, but since we are here, here are some possible reasons why having royalty is still a good idea, comparing (as an example) the British Monarchy with the US presidential system:

1. It's actually no more expensive to maintain royalty than a president. Security for the US president is enormous compared with that for the Queen, and the Queen doesn't have two private jets and a helicopter.
2. Royalty are excellent for when the head-of-state role is largely ceremonial. So the Queen gets to greet foreign dignitaries, open art galleries and make visits to foreign countries, leaving the head of government to get on with the business of governing. Of course an elected head-of-state could do the same job, but if they don't make any policy decisions what difference does it make?
3. It's much more of a conflict to swear allegiance to a president who you didn't vote for and who you may thing is the worst thing that ever happened to your country than it is to an essentially neutral monarch.
4. Lots more opportunity for tourist-type ceremonies.

DJ Clayworth 15:29, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Point 3 above is a major one. Basically, in the US, the head of state is someone you either supported or didn't. If you voted for the other guy, then you're a lot less likely to support the individual than you would be with a pretty innocuous monarch, who you've never had a reason to dislike - they're not supporting any policies either way, so...

In connection with this, a book I read a while back mentioned the rather sensible argument that someone is more willing to do something when requested by the Crown than when requested by the Country - if the letter on your doorstep asking you to take up a badly-paid civil service position is sent "from" the King, you're more likely to accept than you are if it comes from a somewhat meaningless administrative office. (In practice it's the same thing; in principle it seems different).

Additionally, the role of a monarch in a constitutional monarchy is also as a required advisor - whilst the PM may make all the decisions, he has to meet someone every week or two and explain what those decisions are and why they were made. Even if they don't have any power to stop him, simply making him explain his activities is often a pretty good brake on doing anything too stupid. You can have this in a pure democracy - a "private committee" of the former US presidents still working for the White House would be an interesting concept - but it's a bit of an odd thing to set up from scratch.

The UK has this down to a fine art, incidentally - the Queen has been meeting PMs regularly since 1952, reading every major state document in that period - she actually has more time to do this than the Prime Minister - and, as such, has probably about as good a grasp of what's going on as anyone else, since she's been able to view it from the highest level for decades. The Civil Service will have people with the same length of experience, but they'll have gained a lot of that experience working at a low level, and not seeing the full picture. And being able to say "Yes, it's an interesting problem, and when I discussed it with Sir Winston I remember him saying that..." - well, it's an astonishingly good way to calm down overenthusiastic politicians, especially since all UK politicians develop a Churchill complex eventually :-) Shimgray | talk | 16:23, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Heart Attacks 19th century

Where there significant amount of death due to coronary heart attacks in the nineteenth century? Do we know what percentage of the US population died from this disease? Did physicians know the symptoms? --alz

I checked an American and a French general medical text, both from the end of the 19th century. The American text contained a chapter on "Hygiene" that discussed causes of mortality rates and life expectancy. Infectious diseases and respiratory diseases topped the list of causes of death and heart disease was not considered a major killer. However, in the chapter on heart disease, "cardiac thrombosis" as a cause of sudden death was described, complete with discussion of myocardial damage visible at autopsy. The French text was more vague (though to be fair, it is more of an intern's handbook) and did not discuss anything in detail that I could identify as similar to "heart attack". alteripse 14:07, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Selected Committees

i was just doing a piece of degree work on 'Who controls the PM in the UK political system' and it say told that the Selec Committee and the Standard Committee both control him, but not on a very large scale, therfore i just wanted a bit of help on how they control him?

In the UK Parliament, a select committee is a committee of MPs which oversees the work of a particular government department (for example, the Foreign Affairs Committee, which looks at the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.) In addition to the departmental select committees, there is also the Public Accounts Committee, which can look into essentailly anything that the government spends money on, and the Committee on Standards and Privileges, which handles complaints about MPs conduct. Your reference to the "Standard Committee" is probably the CSP, in the sense that the PM is an MP. The PM is also accountable to Parliament, via the weekly Prime Minister's Questions. What I have described is not how the PM is controlled, rather it is some of the ways that his actions are scrutinised. -- AJR | Talk 00:54, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

The traditional 'controller' - that is they who hold the PM to account for his actions & the actions of his government - of government (& by extension the head of that government, the PM) is Parliament, though with the increase, over the past 50 years or so, in the power of the party machine & whips, the (growing) feeling that MP's are meant to support the party manifesto & their govenment rather than listening to the arguments & voting independently Parliament isn't fulfilling this job as well as it used to. AllanHainey 13:49, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

James VI of Scotland

What were James VI's policies during his reign of Scotland? 86.135.231.206 14:19, 26 November 2005 (UTC) K

From above: "If you need help with a specific part or concept of your homework, feel free to ask, but please do not post entire homework questions." This question appears to be of this sort and is much too broad. Check James I of England (he was sixth in Scotland, first in England) and if you have specific concerns or see gaps in the coverage, post a comment. Marskell 15:53, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Oversized Posters, Superman Batman and Robin

I would love to know what these posters are worth, they were printed in 1966, and they are 40 1/2" long and 27" wide, they are not in mint condition, but good condition for they're age. No one has been able 2 give me an idea of they're worth, they are all printed at the bottom, with "G & F posters, NYC official licenees-copyright c National Periodical Publications Inc. 1966" Can anyone one help me?

If they are not official two-sheets - posters printed by the film production company on both sides of the poster for display in movie theaters - then they are not worth much more than what they were worth when printed. Even official film posters are not worth much unless there is some error in the print, such as a "Revenge of the Jedi" poster. Box office gross will increase a poster's value slightly. Signatures moreso. I sold a good-condition two-sheet of Pulp Fiction signed by Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, and John Travolta for just over $300 on EBay. A sold one in mint-condition for $50. It is a matter of supply and demand. Thousands of posters are printed - enough so that every serious collector can have two or three of their favorite film. --Kainaw 19:29, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Black Hills

How did the Black Hills in South Dakota get its name?

From the dark color of the trees which cover them. See for example . —Charles P. (Mirv) 21:52, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

which country first ever made venetian blinds

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.47.21 (talk • contribs)

Read the Venetian blinds article and you find the answer to this homework question. --hydnjo talk 20:49, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

who unfurls the national flag of india in maharashtra

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.47.23 (talk • contribs)

flag hosting

do chief ministers in india unfurl flags on august 15 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.113.16 (talk • contribs)

August 15th is India's Independence Day. Unfurling the national flag is commonplace on Independence Day. --Kainaw 20:53, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

flag

from which year did chief ministers started to unfurl the national flag on aug 15 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.138.47.15 (talk • contribs)

The previous question explains the significance of August 15 and the India article explains further as to what year India's independence from the UK was declared. --hydnjo talk 21:35, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Where was alcohol found?

When did alcohol become popular? Where was it found and first used?

Through testing on ancient pottery jars, it has been revealed that beer (or something similar to wine) was produced about 7000 years ago in current day Iran. --Aytakin 03:00, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

• See Alcoholic beverage; the Mesopotamians were drinking beer as early as 4000BCE. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 23:48, 26 November 2005 (UTC)
• Beer was also popular with ancient Egyptians. - Mgm| 09:51, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Medjai?Mejai?Magi?Maji?Madjai??

Are the Medjai real? Or are they just figments of Stephen Somners imagination? Or are they based on a real society/organization/clan? If they are, what are they?

Thanks

John David Fernandez

November 27

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

What is the latitude and Longitude of the Rainbow Bridge National Monument?

See Rainbow Bridge National Monument. (Although I must admit that the answer is hidden: it's in the Google map link, which contains the coordinates 37.077270N 110.964403W, about 37°4'38"N 110°57'52"W.) Lupo 20:31, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

which is the world's biggest election constituency?

which is the world's biggest election constituency?

By area, possibly Nunavut (electoral district), which covers the exact same area as the Canadian territory of the same name. The article for the territory gives the total area as 2,093,190 km², of which land comprises 1,936,113 km² (92.5%). Thryduulf 07:41, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Depends on your definition. If you want the largest pure popular vote position, probably the directly-elected President of Indonesia is the biggest. Another candidate is the entire United States of America, but the President is not elected directly by popular vote, with the U.S. Electoral College system. Geographically largest is would be the elections for President of Russia. The "world's largest democracy" is India; it, however, has a parliamentary system of government, the President is a figurehead appointed by Parliament and the individual electoral divisions that make up the parliament aren't *that* big. In terms of the largest internal single-member electoral division, by area, I'm afraid Australia has got Canada beaten: it's the Division of Kalgoorlie at 2,295,354 square kilometres. --Robert Merkel 07:57, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

american literature

Is there a book in American literature which glorifies the american dream of success as opposed to those which show its failure? Thanks

• Horatio Alger stories Lotsofissues 10:06, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

DOCUMENTARY OF RUSSIA'S INDUSTRY

Texts about Ares.

I am looking for a short prose or any text about Ares, the greek god. I did a lot of search but all I found was text about other things with only a line about ares. I am looking for a text about Ares and more specifically a piece of litature like a book or play. Thank you

While we do have something on Ares, I hesitate to recommend it or even to call it an article. It gets ungrammatical in the second sentence, and I can't figure out what was meant. However, that Misplaced Pages page has two literature references at the very bottom that might be of help to you. Lupo 20:22, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Part of your challenge is that little was written about Ares in the Greek literature we have. He is mentioned in the Iliad and is a minor God and takes part in a few actions, but after that is pretty much used as a figure of speech (i.e., as the embodiment of war). If you want a synopsis of the mentions in all of the ancient sources, Robert Graves' The Greek Myths is widely available in libraries and bookstores. alteripse 22:25, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

• Thanks ALOT

Population of Kerkrade, Limburg, Netherlands

What is the population of Kerkrade in Limburg, Netherlands?

49,316, according to our article on Kerkrade. Remember to search first. It's quicker! Shantavira 18:15, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

The people on the

Israeli judicial policies

I recently saw a movie set in Israel (Ushpizin) in which part of the plot was that two convicts had been sent home "on leave" and had to return back to jail later (they decided not to at the last minute). What is this practice called? It looks somewhat like the U.S. form of probation but here you don't go back unless you've violated the terms of it in some way. It caught me a little off-guard because it was such a different form of judicial practice, and made me and my companions very curious about whether they have many problems with people just not going back to jail (as in the movie), since that seemed like the natural result. --Fastfission 18:48, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

It's not specific to Israel. Some European countries also know this; I know for sure that Germany and Switzerland have it. The German term is Hafturlaub. It's not quite probation, (German Bewährung), where the convict doesn't go to jail at all unless he violates the terms of the probation. It's not a leave on parole either, which is kind of a probation granted for the rest of a prison sentence after the convict had served some time in prison. The literal translation would be "vacation from arrest"; it's an unsupervised leave from prison of short duration (a few days at most), granted for special occasions if the convict has behaved well and is trusted to return, to allow him to prepare e.g. the life after his release, or attend a funeral of a family member, or similar reasons. Most convicts do actually return to prison on their own; but the few cases where convicts on leave commit new crimes and/or don't return cause considerable controversy. Lupo 20:16, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

It sounds like the best English translation would be "furlough"; you're probably familiar with the controversy around the 1988 U.S. presidential election and Willie Horton. Deltabeignet 02:34, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Australia has periodic detention; a famous if unfortunate case was that of Rene Rivkin, an unwell man whose periodic detention became untenable and who spent most of his sentence under psychiatric care. However, I believe in most cases it's regarded as reasonably successful, if the kind of thing that News Corporation tabloids do occasional beatup stories about.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that the US has probably the harshest, most punitive criminal justice system in the western world (only Japan and that little outpost of totalitarianism Singapore come to mind as harsher). The evidence that it is a cost-effective way of reducing crime is, IIRC, extremely scanty. --Robert Merkel 04:23, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

I concur with Deltabeignet that the word would be "furlough". -- Jmabel | Talk 04:54, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Right, furlough it is. And since that link is red, you have a prime chance to improve this encyclopedia :-) See also furlough. Lupo 08:07, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

• That's very interesting, thanks. --Fastfission 21:33, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

What is the daily, family life roles in France?

I am doing a project on France and I am looking for information on family life roles of the people. How the family structure is typically in society etc. Can someone help?

It's a modern, secular, Western country with (as we recently found out) a large immigrant population, with people who live in one of the most sophisticated cities on earth, as well as rednecks who like to drive around in hotted-up cars on a Saturday night (a friend of mine was telling me about the youths cruising the main street of Avignon...). So trying to generalise is going to be extremely dangerous. How would you characterise American family life in a way that reflected the stereotypical lifestyles of Greenwich Village, Berkeley, and Salt Lake City? --Robert Merkel 04:15, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Kaizers Orchestra (Maestro)

Hi iam a huge kaizers orchestra fan (there is a page about them on here) how ever they are norwegian and i am not, therefore it is very hard to find things out about them.

anyway i have a couple of questions about them:

in a interview with them it says that 'Maestro' the new album is about Dieter Meyers Institution, where people went after the war when they were mentaly ill, i would like to know if Dieter Meyers is a real institution and if you could give me some infomation on it if it is, also i mentiond a war, however i dont know what war this is??

please please please im beggin you can somebody awnser these questions or give me any other infomation about the people that they mention in the albums, E.G a person called 'Tony' is metioned in the album 'oompa til du dor' in the songs 'Bak Et Halleujah' and 'Rullet' please please can you help me out

thank you so much

Josh

81.102.85.208 20:05, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Religion

Why not quote progressive theologians like John Shelby Spnong, Marcus Borg and Karen Armstrong? Enough riht-wing Falwell and Robertson non-sense, because you elevate their status.

I have no idea to what article or context you refer. I do suspect that Karen Armstrong does not belong in the list. Spong and Borg are professing Christians; I do not think Armstrong is any more. alteripse 22:57, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

JOSE ROBLES

I am researching the history of my great grandfather Jose Robles married to Ramonda Lopez and their association if any to Pancho Villa or the revolution. Can you provide me with any information related to their history? Please reply asap. Thank You

Unless your great grandfather is somehow famous for his associated to the revolution, we won't have any information specifically on them.--Robert Merkel 12:05, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

annual tv ratings

i am trying to find a list of the most popular television shows by year. i have been successful up to the year 1999; after this i can only find weekly ratings. any ideas or links to the info i need?

You'll need to specify what country you need them for. If you have the weekly ratings, you could add up all the ratings for the year, although that would take a while. smurrayinchester 07:48, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

November 28

1943 gold victory 5 cent coin

What about it?? You must ask a specific question if you want an answer. JackofOz 02:41, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

native american indians bathroom habits

What about them?? You must ask a specific question if you want an answer. JackofOz 02:42, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Of those I know personally, same as anyone else's in town. What an odd (non-)question. -- Jmabel | Talk 04:57, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Jmabel, I hesistate to ask, but ... how do you know? We are talking about "bathroom habits" in the euphemistic sense here, aren't we? as in, what people do when they "go to the bathroom"? JackofOz 05:30, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Surviving Female Veterans of World War I

A Misplaced Pages user Steve has sent an e-mail to the Misplaced Pages Help Desk.

There's been a lot of interest recently in the dwindling band of WW1 survivors and I've just looked at your listing for various countries. However it only lists men. Significant numbers of women were involved too, in nursing the many casualties in both the Red Cross and voluntary organisations such as Voluntary Aid Detachments, as well as the many women who worked as munitionettes in the arms factories.

Do you know if anyone has researched whether any of these women are still alive? Although the numbers involved must have been smaller than the number of male combattants, the greater longevity of women makes it at least possible that there are still some survivors. It would be fascinating to hear their stories.

Do you have any information, or can you put me in contact with anyone who may? Woman auxilary soilders were did not exist the way the existed in wwII. Because 85 plus years have past since the war ended, they may all be dead. There are only a few male ww I veterans alive, only in 100's. Their are some still alive because so many men are under arms some just happen to have longevity.

Any help you can give him would be greatly appreciated. Capitalistroadster 05:30, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Diego Velázquez

This is one of the best FAs on Misplaced Pages. However, there is a bit at the end of the article that concerns me. It says "Ricardo Pecharromán celebrated the quadricentennial of Velázquez's birth in 1999 by recreating a number of Velázquez's works in a postmodern style" with a image of his artwork: Image:RicardoPecharromán SurrenderofBreda.JPG. Can someone please fact check this. My search has turned up little but I think it may be a language/culture barrier thing. Should Ricardo Pecharromán have an article in Misplaced Pages? --maclean25 07:50, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

The Spanish Armada

What is the name of the port from which the Armada sailed on its attack against England?

If you check the article Spanish Armada, you will see that the fleet sailed from Lisbon in Portugal. --Canley 11:56, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

school

how shool came to be established?

dates back to vedic period in india when students used to stay with their teachers for learning. this was the gurukul ] system of schooling (guru=teacher and kul=family).-Tachs 12:59, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

School as a place where children go to learn in a group from a teacher is described in classical Greece and Rome as well. alteripse 13:26, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

If you believe John Taylor Gatto, our schools were based much more on the more structured vedic schools than on Greek institutions. — Laura Scudder ☎ 16:29, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the intriguing link-- I never heard of this guy. However, with respect to vedic schools, I suspect "based on" is closer to "derived from" than to "resembled" in meaning and I would want more historical evidence to be convinced western school systems are derived from vedic schools even if they resemble vedic schools more. I also have to say that at first superficial acquaintance from our article on him, I find Gatto's thesis appalling: in the West people fought for centuries to make education public rather than a privilege of the wealthy. He wants to go back to that? alteripse 16:59, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Reinaldo Arenas book

Could anyone please help me find the meaning of the following words or sentences from Reinaldo Arenas' "Celestino antes del alba" (the numbers in brackets indicate the page where they appear in the Tusquets 2000 edition).

- yucayedra (34-35)

- Foss! (56)

- pití (68;193) - could it be the pitihua (Colaptes pitius) or the Colaptes melanochlorus, carpintero pitío?

- desatizacada (71)

- almojicas bravas (75;121)

- sandoval, mata de (47;100;103;171) - could it be sandiego, the Gomphrena globosa, instead?

- itamorriales (211) - could it be derived from itamo, Euphorbia tithymaloides?

capullo (various) - can it mean the top of a tree?

Thanks.

José Aguilar

<Email removed>

--Hi--

Am I Wierd?

-Sylvester

Dear Sylvester... Are u a mugger? and the answer is yes

Dominican Republic Gender Roles

I was hoping to find out some information on male and female roles in the Dominican Republic. OR a good site to go to so that i can find the information. I am asking for help on my history project and i have tried many places looking for the information i don't want someone to do the work for me i just need help.

I assume that in general gender roles in the DR are little different from throughout Latin America: more traditional and less progressive in the rural and less educated parts of society, and a bit closer to European and American gender roles among the more privileged. Do you know that the DR was the location for one interesting phenomenon with a large and controversial influence on educated thinking about the relative roles of biology and culture in gender roles, or is that the whole point of your "history project"? alteripse 17:27, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Signing of the Declaration of Independence

I was told that there was a man who signed the Declaration of Independence to include his address, as he had a common name and wanted to make sure they had the right address if he was arrested or executed. Is this true? And who was it? Why can't I see it on the Declaration of Independence? Thank you!

Life

What is the meaning of life? And why are we on this earth? To die?

Tough question!! Everyone in the world has asked that question from themselves millions of time. This is what I think is the answer. Each person has a different prespective on it. Each person has to think about their own life and figure out what they want from life, and then dedicate their life to that goal and try to be happy and healthy. There is no real answer to your questions, but I would recommend looking into your religion. Of course this is a short answer and the prespective of me only.

--Aytakin 21:49, 28 November 2005 (UTC)