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Reference Desk

U.S Economic Sanctions on Indonesia

Has the U.S. ever had economic sanctions on Indonesia? If so, when and why? I am planning a trip there and I want to know the situation. It would suck to get put on the No-Fly list, especially when my connecting flight is in L.A. Crisco 1492 14:50, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

• There is currently (or has recently been) a US-imposed sanction against Indonesia against importing US-made spare parts for military planes in Indonesia's air force. In addition, numerous city councils in the US have passed resolutions sanctioning Indonesia. None of this is likely to put Indonesia on the No-Fly list anytime in the near future, and the country is considered a US ally. Your best bet if you're worried about this sort of thing is to check the travel warnings from the US State Department: http://www.state.gov/ - there is a heightened terrorism alert at the moment. Canley 23:43, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Thank you for the speedy reply, the answer is very reassuring. Crisco 1492 13:19, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

government- federalism

In terms of population, what are the largest and smallest federal nations? India U.S Russia (Russia calls it self federal though this is debated) Brazil

• I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. Here is what I think you want:
  • The following is a list of countries in the world in order of population (Largest first)
    • China
    • India
    • US
    • Indonesia
    • Russia
  • The following is a list by smallest:
    • Vatican city
    • Monaco
    • ?

Tobyk777 02:39, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

List of countries by population could be worth a look. --Commander Keane 05:18, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

I assume the questioner wants to know which are the largest and smallest countries which are federations by population. In that case, India appears to be the largest, because it is the second-most populous country and considered a federation, while China is larger but not considered a federation. The smallest federation by population may be the Federated States of Micronesia with a population under 150,000. --Metropolitan90 07:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

The Chancilor of Germany

Who is likely to become the Chancilor of Germany Schroder or Merkel?

• We have no way of telling this since the elections have not happened yet. You will see once the election is over. Tobyk777 02:33, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

• Elections are over, but we still can't tell. -83.129.6.207 03:09, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

U.S. Supreme Court portraits

How often are U.S. Supreme Court portraits taken? Thanks, Rebecca

Value of gold

I asm trying to figure out the current value of an ounce of gold. I searched the net, and tried many finance sites. Many had graphs and junk, but a lot of them were for wired stuff, like gold companies, or they didn't specify what incriemtn of gold the value was for. I tried the page here titled Gold and looked at the value section. It has some interesting stuff, but didn't tell me the vaule of gold, here and now at this present date. Tobyk777 02:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

It may be that the sites you were looking at say not "gold" but "xau". There are many currency conversion sites, but I use xe.com. Select xau from the left column (near the bottom of the drop-down list) and the currency of your choice from the right one. It says 1.00 XAU Gold Ounces = 459.700 USD United States Dollars at this point.-gadfium 02:45, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

• Thanks Tobyk777 04:15, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Kitco.com is also a great site for current prices and historical charts for most precious metals.

U.S. Constitution

What was the main question facing the founding fathers while writing the constatution?

Have a look at United States Constitution. If you still have questions let us know. - Nunh-huh 03:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Answer: how balance state soverignty intrests with the need for a effective central government.

Marshall Law in Rome?

Watching the HBO series ROME reference was made to Marshall Law being imposed.I can not find the history of the term Marshall Law but find it hard to believe it was used during the Roman Empire.Do you know?

I don't know (but would bet that the term has a Roman origin: Cicero obtained a senatus consultum de re publica defendenda, or declaration of martial law, and the term is clearly derived from the Roman god of war (Mars). Spelling could be why you're not finding much — try martial law - Nunh-huh 06:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Maybe the reason you "can not find the history of the term Marshall Law", is that you're using the wrong spelling. It's MARTIAL law. Have another search now. JackofOz 06:50, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes, I think it's pretty unlikely that Marshall Law was declared in Rome.

Robert E. Lee

Do you have a question about this military leader of the US Confederacy? AlMac| 06:54, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Arr, we most certainly be havin' an article on the lad at Robert E. Lee. Garrett Albright 12:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Japan's culture

What are the influences of Korea and China on Japan's culture?

They have been myriad throughout the ages, matey… Did ye have a specific time period in mind? For example, in the 4th century AD, the Japanese adopted the Chinese writing system (see Japanese writing system#Early writing system), while in the past half-decade, Korean music and soap operas have found mass appeal in Japan (see Korean wave). Arrr. Garrett Albright 12:20, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

what is ying and yang?

See Yin and yang. Proto t c 09:05, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

lord franks,(falklands enquiry)uk

where was lord franks born,and who were his parents?there appears to be no biog on this fairly famous law lord.

Oliver Shewell Franks was born in 1905. He was British Ambassador to the United States of America (as Sir Oliver Fanks) in the late 1940s, and was Provost of Worcester College, Oxford at some point. He received a life peerage as Baron Franks of Headington. He was not a law lord. He chaired numerous committees and inquiries, such that Franks Report/Inquiry nearly always has to be disambiguated. I hope that helps. Gareth Hughes 10:25, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

He was also the first Chancellor of the University of East Anglia, as I recall from the time of my studies there nearly 30 years ago... -- Arwel 01:11, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

SURNAME: MAKHUTO

PLEASE RESEARCH FOR ME THE ORIGIN OF THE SURNAME MAKHUTO PREVIOUSLY MMAKHUTO THE MEANING OF THE SURNAME THE ROOTS OF THE SURNAME

REGARDS THABO MAKHUTO

tmmakhuto@dla.gov.za

What are Aristotle's Seven Stories?

I was once told, that Aristotle or another philosopher, categorized all stories into 7 different categories.

Could you please tell me what they are?

I'm afraid I don't know about Aristotle, but I was browsing a book in the bookstore today which also categorised stories into seven classes. It's called The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker (ISBN 0826452094). His seven categories are "overcoming the monster", "rags to riches", "the quest", "voyage and return", "comedy", "tragedy", and "rebirth". -- Middenface 16:41, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, I don't know either for sure, but there's also the very common description of all plots as being either "man versus man", "man versus nature", "man versus society", "man versus himself", and sometimes "man versus man's work". I don't know who came up with that, though. And it doesn't add up to seven. --Fastfission 22:09, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

privity and sanctity of contract

• Do you have a question for us? Notinasnaid 11:07, 19 September 2005 (UTC)
• Privity and Contract. Enochlau 12:53, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

book of psalms

which psalm is thought to be the oldest psalm and which one is thoutht to be the most recent as far as the period of time.

It is very difficult to say for certain which is the earliest and which is the latest psalm. I would encourage you to read our article on the Psalms. At the earliest period, some psalms existed as either individual pieces or part of small collections used in public worship. In time these were gathered into slightly larger collections, which are attested by the titles of the psalms and other features. Five of these early collections can be suggested: the Korahite collection (Pss 42-49), the Asaph collection (Pss 78-83), the Enthronement collection (Pss 96-99), the Hallelujah collection (Pss 111-118) and the Songs of Ascent (Pss 120-134). After the Exile, more psalms were added into larger collections. Probably the last psalms to be added were the beginning and ending psalms of the collection as it has come down to us (Pss 1, 2 and 150), which form a frame around the whole. THe little benedictions tagged onto the end of the last psalm of each of the five books, into which the collection is divided, probably date from the same period. Gareth Hughes 15:54, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Thinking about this again, it's possible to see an old Canaanite background in Ps 29 and perhaps an Egyptian one in Ps 104. Gareth Hughes 21:33, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Where did the term "egg money" come from

I'm trying to find how the term "egg money" came about for a school project dealing with egg scales.

According to this website, before World War II, most eggs were produced by small flocks that scratched their way around the barnyard. The farmer's wife usually supervised the operation. The money received from the sale of the eggs was considered hers. Shantavira 17:05, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Steppenwolf reference to "Sophia's Journey From Memel to Saxony"

Hi, I am searching for a book, one that may not exist, called Sophia's Journey From Memel to Saxony," which Harry Haller is said to be reading in Steppenwolf. Ever heard of it other that in Steppenwolf?

---anon.

Nope but it may be worth asking on the German wikipedia. User:Andycjp:Andycjp 24th September 2005

That would be Sophiens Reise von Memel nach Sachsen, by Johann Timotheus Hermes (1738-1821), published 1778. The New York Public Library has a copy. It was apparently rather popular. - Nunh-huh 11:07, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

scottish film producer who was the first to use the term documentary

John Grierson, probably. -- Middenface 16:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Art with bag.

Which artists have explored bag,as an art medium, or as an idea for art? What are their works?

Bags as in Graphic design like Plastic shopping bags, or as in Fashion design like Handbags? Ojw 11:37, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Grotesque as an Art form

I need a good reference (pictorial) book written in any language on Grotesques in wall decorations. Any help would be deeply appreciated. Thanks, Isabel

The Army's LOGCAP

William Shakespeare

I am trying to locate the origin of the phrase "The law is an ass"! Said,I believe by Mr. Micauber (?) in a W.S. Play named ????. I would appreciate any help. Peter.

It was a Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist, which you can see the full text for at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/730. The relevant quote (which comes near the end of the book), with a little bit of context, is:

'It was all Mrs. Bumble. She _would_ do it,' urged Mr. Bumble; first looking round to ascertain that his partner had left the room.

'That is no excuse,' replied Mr. Brownlow. 'You were present on the occasion of the destruction of these trinkets, and indeed are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of the law; for the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction.'

'If the law supposes that,' said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, 'the law is a ass--a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience--by experience.'

-gadfium 23:16, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Canada

Has there been a riot in canada?

Yes, plenty, from the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, to small riots in Montreal following the Montreal Canadiens winning (or losing!) the Stanley Cup, to the escalation of protests surrounding the Quebec City G8 conference a few years ago, and hundreds of others throughout Canada's history. And before you ask, I don't think the rioters apologized while they rioted. — mendel ☎ 17:54, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

The Army's LOGCAP

I'm in an adversarial blog with conservatives over the unfairness & corruption shown by the Bush Adm. when they gave Halliburton no bid contracts in Iraq & now, in New Orleans. I've read this all over my information sources, like Public Citizen, for instance. But the conservatives say that's not true. They say the Army created "LOGCAP", meaning "Logistics Civil Augmentation Program" back in 1992, in which they have a bid process for contracts that may need to be done quickly, so they will already have a company ready to go when urgency would leave no time for a regular bid process. They say Halliburton won the bid in 1992, lost in 1997, & won again in 2001. They say that even though Halliburton lost the bid for this LOGCAP in 1997, Clinton still hired Halliburton to help in the Balkans, & that Al Gore had nothing but good things to say about Halliburton back then. I can't find anything abut "LOGCAP" anywhere, can you help? anonymous````

The first news stories I saw about Halliburton getting repair contracts certainly referenced a pre-bidding process, though not by that name. The cited page has now vanished... hmm... a cache. Shimgray 18:32, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Constitutional Amendments

It is my understanding that onlt two ways exist to make an amendment law. After reading the Constitution I am confused as what these two ways are. Another question, is it true that the 18th Amendment is the only one to use the special ratifying committtees? If so how did that avoid much criticism? Thanks

Congratulations on being able to read the whole document. It is a wonderful thing. Most people just read individual sections. This link might be a good start point for you.

Although the United States Constitution has included several ways that it can be amended, in actual practice it usually gets done one way.

1. One way is for the various states of the USA to pass approval of the thing ... there is some # of states needed. There was controversy over eqaul gender rights one where various lobby groups traveled the nation to get it passed there, then after they had moved on to another state, some approval was recinded. The controversy was whether recinding has any effect.
2. There are various rules about simple majority for simple laws, and 2/3 for other things in Congress.
3. Do you know about Constitutional Convention? This is where the whole thing can get re-written.
4. Also the Supreme Court might have something to say about an amendment being unconstituional relative to the prior document's rules.

AlMac| 18:13, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

• Well wait. There are only two ways to amend the Constitution, as the questioner said. 2/3 of both houses of Congress pass an amendment, and then 3/4 of the states ratify; or there's a consitutional convention, and 3/4 of the states ratify. The Supreme Court can not, by force of sheer logic, declare a properly passed constutional amendment unconstitutional. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 05:10, 20 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Note that there has never been a convention held to propose constitutional amendments; all the amendments have been proposed by Congress. Congress, when it proposes the amendments, specifies whether the amendment is to be ratified by the state legislatures or by conventions in the states, but it has always designated ratification by the state legislatures except in the case of the 21st Amendment. --Metropolitan90 05:32, 21 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Isn't a balanced budget amendment just one state's vote short of requiring that a constitutional convention be started? But once the convention is called, there doesn't seem to be any rule which requires that only the amendment it was called for be passed by the convention. User:Zoe| 05:49, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

international relations

Does order exist in the international relations

international relations

Does order exist in the international relations

You might like to read about international law. AlMac| 18:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Constitutional Government

What is the difference between a government with a constitution and a constitutional government?

One of the differences is in whether the constitution is worth the paper it is written on. You may recall before the regime change in Iraq that there was a constitution there, but the reality was that Saddam was the dictator and he could do anything he pleased to the other occupants of the nation. AlMac| 23:20, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

President

I would like to know who are the president on the paper bills

You could search under currency since you didn't specify a country, but I'll assume you mean present United States dollar:

• $1: George Washington
• $2: Thomas Jefferson
• $5: Abraham Lincoln
• $20: Andrew Jackson
• $50: Ulysses S. Grant

The $10 and $100 (Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin, respectively) do not have Presidents for the portraits. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:55, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

List of motifs on banknotes gives you several countries, if the US is not what you're looking for. 85.165.240.24 09:05, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

King Charles of Spain

How successful was Charles as the king of Spain? Everything I've read on him, his mishandling of Castile, Finance,his problems with Francis the Ottomans the pope, the extent of his territories etc all seem to point to the conclusion that he wan't successful. I can't find any counter arguments, apart from things like the peace of cambrai, treaty of Madrid etc. Do you have any other suggestions?

I assume you're referring to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Check out the article, it's pretty balanced. 85.165.240.24 09:10, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

audio production

What does the audio production term "hard pan effect with drone" mean? 131.156.79.53 19:13, 19 September 2005 (UTC)mary

It's really not my field, but I think a pan is when the sound is made to cross from the left speaker to the right or vice versa, thereby giving the impression of something moving, (eg if you pan the sound of a motor engine it will sound as if the motor is moving from where the first speaker is placed to the next). A hard pan may then refer to this effect being done very swiftly, so that the sound switches from one speaker to the other rapidly. I assume the drone is a sound added to this effect for some reason, possibly to increase the illusion of something moving. But please note, I am really only going on a distant memory of something I read and a little calculated guesswork. --bodnotbod 00:47, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

The definition of pan at this audio glossary suggests I'm along the right lines. --bodnotbod 01:02, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

audio production

What is the meaning of the audio production term, "stager" 131.156.79.53 19:23, 19 September 2005 (UTC)mary

Using Google's define feature brings up stager = stage manager: someone who supervises the physical aspects in the production of a show and who is in charge of the stage when the show is being performed. So, I guess with audio production it means either just that OR possibly - because of the context you're implying - the person in charge of the sound aspects of (for example) a stage production. --bodnotbod 01:00, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

which citites in california were the state's capitol?

Per California, Sacramento is the primary capital. Initially, the capital was sited in San Jose, Vallejo, and Benicia. San Francisco also served as a temporary capital while Sacramento was flooded. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:43, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

And Monterey, California, & Loreto, Baja California Sur prior to partition/annexation/statehood. –Hajor 22:38, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

music

what are the words to the song, Indiana Waltz?

No answer, but the work in question seems to be Marcailhou, G. Indiana waltz. -- Louisville : Peters, Webb & Co., Main St. ; Cincinnati, W.C. Peters & Sons ; St.Louis, Balmer & Weber. 5 p. of music ; 33 cm. Pl. no.: 693-5. Medium: Piano. Subject: Waltzes. A librarian may be able to obtain a copy for you via fax or interlibrary loan. There's a complete copy at the University of Louisville. There was also a CD released in the UK of "Gatien Marcailhou: Indiana & 15 Other Waltzes". - Nunh-huh 02:56, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Articles of Confederation

Who wrote the Articles of Confederation and what was an outcome of this event? Please let me know as soon as possible and your time and feedback is deeply appreciated. Thank you soooooooo much.

This is a textbook case of do your own homework, but Articles of Confederation should have all the pertinent info. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:47, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

definition of a dork

Was that line supposed to be under its own title or did you mean to suggest that the Articles of Confederation are the definition of a dork, or contain such therein? Gareth Hughes 22:10, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

There's a range of suggestions here. --bodnotbod 01:05, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

US Presidents 20th Century

Mckinlly, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush.

• Clinton was in the 20th century too. --Fastfission 01:16, 20 September 2005 (UTC)
  • And for the first 19 days and 12 hours of the 21st as well. Remember this in a hundred years when someone asks for a list of the 21st Century Presidents...Brian Schlosser42 21:31, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Rolf Walders/August Kuhn

Hello,

I am trying to do some research on an actor in Europe, mostly in Germany and Austria. His real name was August Kühn and his stage name was Rolf Walders. He was born on 2/26/1888 and passed away on 7/17/1950. (He died on my birthday 7/17, and was born on 2/26 - the day I was almost killed in Viet Nam in 1969) He married his last wife approximately in 1940. He was an actor, comedian, singer, and played almost every instrument. He performed mostly in Berlin and in the area around his hometown of Vienna, Austria. At times he even travelled and performed in Northern Africa. He died on stage in Bad Reichenhall while he was performing.

He performed from approximately 1904 until his death and had his own troupe of vaudevilians. He was forced to perform for the Nazis four months out of every year from 1938-1943, but because of his making fun of Hitler in some of his performances, he was put on "Hitler's Hitlist." Hitler never found him because he did not hide out in his hometown of Vienna or other places where he was well knownü. He hid out right under Hitler's nose just a few miles from Hitler's vacation spot of Berchtesgaden, in Bad Reichenhall.

I visited Vienna and Berlin, but was not able to find out much about him. I still have a few of his writings, but very little.

Thanks for any help you can give me on this.

Gus Reichel (Son of Rolf/August) agreichel@hotmail.com

World History

What Mediterranean city became the capital of Western Christianity?

Could you be referring to Rome, Italy, where the Vatican is located, now the home of The Pope? AlMac| 03:42, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

politics

What are the elements of a public policy review or cycle?

popes

And the question is? --hydnjo talk 04:07, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

The Pope can be found here. My dream pope can be found --Ballchef 12:17, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

origin of Ridley Scott's first name?

In the United States, where I live, I see 'Ridley' typically as a last name among people of English descent, but never have I seen it used as a first name, even among people who don't know about the Metroid series's character Ridley (who was probably named after Ridley Scott anyways; see comment in Alien (film)). Does anyone know why/how film director Ridley Scott was given such an unusual name? ~GMH talk to me 03:34, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

subcultures

how do you know when a subculture can be characterized as being independent of oppositional, and what are their characteristics?

Queen Elizabeth the second a descendant of the prophet Mohammed?

I've read that Queen Elizabeth is a descendant of Mohammed via an ancestor Isabelle of Aragon. If this is so who were the ancestors between Isabelle and Mohammed? - Dee

Dee - that descent has certainly been claimed, but it relies on a very questionable identification of the mother of Sancha, wife of Roderigo Gonzalez de Lara and daughter of Alfonso VI of Castile. Alfonso had at least 5 wives, 2 mistresses, and one fiancée. Zaida would be a gateway ancestor between European and Arab royalty. The question is whether Alfonso VI of Castile had two wives, or a wife and a mistress, or one woman who was successively wife and mistress, named Isabella, and which was mother of his daughter Sancha. Zaida, baptized as Isabella, was the mother of Sancho, illegitimate son of King Alfonso, born during his marriage to Bertha. Sancha and Elvira, however, are reported as legitimate daughters of Alfonso, borne by his wife Queen Isabella (by the same source that names Zaida - it names his wives and their children including Isabella having Elvira and Sancha, and it then names his mistresses and their children, including Zaida/Isabella having Sancho, without giving any indication that the two were the same woman). It is only if Queen Isabella was identical to Zaida/Isabella that these Infantas are full siblings of Sancho, and that Sancha could possibly form a link between Mohammed and QEII. For other postulated lines - all with difficulties - trying to bridge the two, you may want to have a look at this. QEII is certainly a descendant of Alfonso VI of Castile, but it's not certain she descends from any of his wives/consorts/mistresses named Isabella. - Nunh-huh 06:22, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Vietnam

How did Ngo Dinh DIem seize power in S. Vietnam and how did he keep this control untill Nove. 1963?? thanks...Girlygirl721@yahoo.com

Have you looked at our Ngo Dinh Diem article?-gadfium 05:30, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

He was the leader of non communist nationalist faction. He thus opposed the French and the Communists. This made him the ideal leader of South Vietnam. He thus was put in place by non communists French nationalists, (with the help of the U.S.). He kept power by controlling the police and useing repressive methods.

tutoring elementary school students, lesson plans

no question

• Not directly what you want, but have you looked at wikibooks:Wikijunior? Bovlb 06:13, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

what is fema?

FEMA is Acronym for USA's Federal Emergency Management Agency. Recent examples of its work at Hurricane Katrina and Talk:Hurricane Katrina. AlMac| 06:28, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Who is FEMA?

See FEMA. Bovlb 06:08, 20 September 2005 (UTC) FEMA is a U.S. goverment agency. Its basic job is to coordinate other agency during times of a disaster, espessally a natural disaster.

tutoring elementary school students, lesson plans

Please pick ONE of the four Reference Desks (not all four), and then state your question clearly. AlMac| 06:30, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Apostle Peter

What is the name of the Apostle Peter's wife?

No one knows. She is not named in the Bible. Some give her the name of Concordia, or Perpetua, but on no particular basis. - Nunh-huh 06:35, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

One has to wonder how a Hebrew woman would have a Latin name. User:Zoe| 05:55, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Realism within Modernism

What did realism mean within Modernsim? What was Realism about? How did photo realism contribute to modernism?

I would suggest you check our articles on realism and modernism. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 12:57, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Cross-Country racing

Where did Cross-Country racing begin?

who was napoleon

check the napoleon article. Boneyard 11:28, 20 September 2005 (UTC) Napoleon was the the leader of France in the late 1700's and 1800's. He succeed in conquering many other Western European countries, reducing said countries to little more than Frech Colonies.

Health Services

I would be very grateful if someone could tell me which nations have a state-run health service, similar to the NAtional Health Service in the United Kingdom.

An exhaustive list is difficult to provide, as such systems are common and frequently "mixed" systems with elements of state and private control. Publicly funded medicine should provide a good start, however. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 12:59, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Immigration law

What was the first immigration Statute ever passed as law?

Thank you

In the US, it was the Naturalization Act of 1790:

That any alien, being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof, on application to any common law court of record, in any one of the States wherein he shall have resided for the term of one year at least, and making proof to the satisfaction of such court, that he is a person of good character, and taking the oath or affirmation prescribed by law, to support the Constitution of the United States, which oath or affirmation such court shall administer; and the clerk of such court shall record such application, and the proceedings thereon; and thereupon such person shall be considered as a citizen of the United States. And the children of such persons so naturalized, dwelling within the United States, being under the age of twenty-one years at the time of such naturalization, shall also be considered as citizens of the United States. And the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens: Provided, that the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States...

This act was signifcantly modifed by the Naturalization Act of 1795, but otherwise US immigration law remained based primarily on the 1795 act (and later the 14th amendment) until the Chinese Exclusion laws of 1882 and later.

For other countries, I don't know if there is an older act. Before the French and American revolutions, there was little conception of state citizenship in the modern sense and little ability or need to patrol borders. --Diderot 15:29, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

In the UK, the first law dealing with naturalisation was the Sophia Naturalization Act of 1705, which declared an arbitrary set of foreigners to be naturalised as British citizens, but I don't know when the first immigration law was. Shimgray 22:16, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Note that the act establishing the Bank of Scotland in 1695 made all foreign-born Proprietors (i.e. shareholders) in the bank naturalised Scotsmen. -- Arwel 01:35, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Jimmie Dean

Who invinted the modern soccer ball and viagra?

• Viagra is a trade name, and the drug - correctly known as Sildenafil, and formally called 1-[4-ethoxy-3-(6,7-dihydro-1-methyl- 7-oxo-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolopyrimidin-5-yl) phenylsulfonyl]-4-methylpiperazine citrate - was patented (and therefore invented) by Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company. The first modern soccer ball, using the truncated icosahedron shape, was the Telstar, introduced by Adidas in the Mexico World Cup in 1970. Proto t c 15:03, 20 September 2005 (UTC)
  • I'd object to the "and therefore invented part as a general rule, though it applies in this case" Superm401 | Talk 22:29, 23 September 2005 (UTC)
• See here for more about the inventors of Viagra. Chuck 21:40, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Residents of Montross

We live in a house located at 2983 Zacata Road in Westmoreland County, Montross Virginia. We have a graveyard in the back of the house with four headstones.

• BCM, 1898 - 1899
• Augusta Johnson
• Grace Viola, 1940 - 1954
• Margret Johnson

My father who is terminally ill lives with us. He has seen these people in his room. I would like to get the history of these people to know who I am dealing with.

Suggestions

1. As your father is able, try to do a video tape, digital camera, audio tape, whatever, interview so he can share whatever history he remembers that might be useful to you.
2. Visit local and regional newspaper archives ... there probably existed a newspaper obituary of when these people died, and those obits may now be searcheable on microfilm. Get reprints of the obits, then go searching for what there is on the names of the family members mentioned.
3. Ask the Reference Desk of your local public library if there is a Historical Society in your community. It may have more records to help you.
4. The land that the gravestones are on, will have some government records who owned it, like who owned it at the time of the burials. This may be additional clues to who those people were.

AlMac| 18:22, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Everything Old is New Again

I'm wondering where the phrase "Everything Old is New Again" originated.

Niki

Well, it was the title of an ER episode, and of a radio show in New York. But it was originally the title of a song by Peter Allen, recorded in the mid 1970s, and can be found on his third album, Continental American. It was covered by the Barenaked Ladies. Proto t c 15:13, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." David Sneek 20:34, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, that doesn't use the phrase, or anything similar, but the sentiment is the same ... I guess. Praise Jebus. Proto t c 09:00, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

who is an adult?

Legally and physically, I am, though mentally I often feel like an out-of-place child. Check out our article on adult for more. Garrett Albright 15:11, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Kohanim

Good Morning. Im Solomon cohen from Mexico city And this is an akward question but i hope you could help me out. I need to know if when a Kohen (jewish priest)wants to get married i know he has certain restrictons which are:he cant marry a divorcee or a non jewish or a woman with premarital relashionships.but i heard that on this last point there are some Orthodox Rabbis that allow this type of marriege.By any chance would you know the names of such Rabbis at least one of them?

I hope you can answer this.Thank you so much. And have a wonderfull day.

Area of a country.

Which is the largest country in the world in area? what is its area in sqr. kms?

• See List of countries by area. - Mgm| 17:01, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Russia

Mandatory Minimum sentences

how have mandatory minimum sentences affected the united states of america? They require crimminals convicted to serve a certain limit of time for a crime. These limits are set by statue, ie the Legislature. They thus take away judges broad sentencing powers.

Mussolini

What is the story behind Mussolini's death? Thelb4! | Talk to me 17:33, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

• Story is, he was caught fleeing the Allied advance, disguised as a common soldier, by Communist partisans, who decided to execute him along with a dozen or so other Fascist leaders; they were shot to death on April 29, 1945, and their bodies were hung by their feet at an Esso station in Milan. Here's a not-bad writeup. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 18:08, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

What is the basic definition of postmodernism?

Our articles on Postmodern and Postmodernism should provide insight. You'll want to check both to determine the most appropriate context. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 20:14, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Antwerp (Belgium) : blockade of the river Schelde

Hello, The Schelde river was closed during several centuries by the Dutch (from 1585 to 1800) and from 1830 to 1860. There is no specific article about this.

revolutionary war

Who was the British military leader in the American revolutionary war? - Aidan McCarthy,age 7

• For the first part of the war, General Howe. He was replaced on 8 May 1778 by General Henry Clinton. Cornwallis, under Clinton's command, is often named as the General that "lost" America. - Nunh-huh 00:30, 21 September 2005 (UTC) Of course the Generals had to answer to high british Officals, in cluding the Commander in Chief of the British Army, lord Jeffery Amherst (I belive) including secretary of State

Thank you for responding.

Democrat

How do I find out if Texas has a good form of democratic government?

Ask someone from Texas, particularly someone whose party lost in the last election. AlMac| 00:36, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Texas like anyother states is a democracy. It does differ in that the Executive is very decentralized, the Govenor is little more than a figure head.

In short, the answer to the original question is no. Texas has a democratically elected chief executive, who has no real power, and where the qualifications for office are roughly those of Zaphod Beeblebrox, while power actually resides in a parliamentary body elected from fairly jury-rigged districts with no shortage of patronage and machine politics. This makes Texas significantly less democratic than, say, Iran, where elections sometimes still produce unexpected outcomes that are unwanted by the powers that be. --Diderot 08:06, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Pacific Ocean island

What is the biggest island in pacific ocan?

I think New Guinea is. --ViolentGreen 02:22, 21 September 2005 (UTC) New Guinea is the second largest island in the world after Greenland so that is correct although much of it adjoins the Torres Strait linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Capitalistroadster 07:50, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

And that, of course, assumes Australia is not an island. Proto t c 10:30, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

king solomon

I was wondering if you had any information about Solomon's knot. It is a religious symbol which i believe is derived from celtic knots. i would like some info into meaning and depictions of solomon's knot.

• Solomon's knot dates back to biblical times where King Solomon had to make a difficult decision. If one is actually derived from the other, I'd say the Celtic knot came later, but chances are they're not related. - Mgm| 04:53, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

fundamental principles of accountancy and book keeping?

hi! i would like to have one complete informstion on fundamental concepts of accountancy. all about debits and credits

You might start by looking at the basics of Accounting of which Double-entry book-keeping is a a starting point of the record keeping. Nowadays much of this is done on computer. Basically, any business activity needs to be accounted for, typically done by placing the amounts of money into a General Journal, in which there are two equal and opposite entries, called debits (the pluses) and credits (the minuses).

Here's a link to accounting standards that apply to businesses in the USA.

AlMac| 01:48, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Christianity

What makes the Church of Chris different from other Christian churches. Also what Creeds do they chose to ignore that are importnat to most Christian churches?

I wonder which Chris they worship, too. :) Ornil 04:00, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

See Church of Christ. --Miborovsky 06:08, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

the palace of Versailles

where are the gardens ,alleys ,roads setteled from the palace ? --anon

Look here, about half-way down the page for the gardens. See this pdf file for the roads. You can probably find other such maps by using Google and searching for Versailles map or Versailles plan. - Nunh-huh 03:16, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

• Our Palace of Versailles article is worth looking at as well. Capitalistroadster 08:12, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Meaning of Life

What is the meaning of life? -- NGerda 03:17, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I think it's 42. ~GMH talk to me 03:57, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes, consult Douglas Adams and Monty Python and enlightenment will come. - Taxman 17:03, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

That would be the British answer, right? I wonder what Americans think of it, if we think anything at all about the meaning of life. :D -- NGerda 06:05, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

In Canada that would be hockey. DJ Clayworth 17:44, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Moral Panic

What moral panics are in motion in Australia this year?

Probably something to do with losing The Ashes? Proto t c 12:41, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Far too many. Due in no small part to the media hounds here (especially Fairfax newspapers, Seven Network and Nine Network) and our conservative right wing government (who ironically name themselves the Liberal Party of Australia). Some panics created this year include the ludicrous banning of same sex marriage, the banning of an adult video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and other issues arising in the areas of public health and corruption within businesses and governments.

A serious moral issue in Aust. at the moment is the controversy being caused by a scholar Andrew Fraser who claims that sudanese immigrants to Sydney are responsible for increased crime and other problems in their local areas, and that the White Australia Policy should be reviewed and perhaps reinstated.

For more, see ethics, controversy or try some news sites (though perhaps steer clear of "news" sources which conjure up their own moral panics). Moral panic also has a comprehensive list and features examples of panics around the world throughout history.

Something that we should panic about though, due to their questionable morals and motives, is hillsong church --Ballchef 12:56, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

The Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) is a right-wing party as well, and recently won a big election victory by promising to privatize the postal system and other services. Garrett Albright 19:34, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

What has that got to do with the price of fish in China? --Ballchef 14:30, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

I'd imagine it'd affect the going rate of various seafoods in Chinese markets very little, but I was pointing to another example of a party with "Liberal" in its name actually leaning more right than most of its contemporaries. Garrett Albright 19:25, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

A.L.S.

Who are some notable people who have died of A.L.S (Lou Gehrig's Disease)?

Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis#History and prominent patients - Nunh-huh 05:22, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Vasco Da Gama

What animal did Vasco Da Gama discover on December 1497?

The animal must have be either in the Indian Ocean or some land animal on the Southern African Coast because that where he was at that time, sailing up the east coast of southern africa see: 15th century in South Africa--Jcw69 06:31, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

History question

How were the nazi's revolutionary?

DYOH. But your article on Nazi Germany may help. Garrett Albright 19:20, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

what is a kittangi?

I've heard of the term kittangi used in Malaysia among Tamils. What does it mean?

They're a combined home/business, where they do business, and also live.

The Victory that never was

See Pyrrhus? (His name is the origin of the term pyrrhic victory.) Other than that, I have absolutely no clue as to what you're talking about. (Also, by the way, you can just edit one heading instead of creating a new one, in case you misspell it, if that's what happened.) ~GMH talk to me 07:32, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Author of The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

There is just one question about the author J.R.R. Tolkien's books that I need to know:

Does the three volume of Lord of the Rings books can refer as trilogy?

• People often do, but if I remember correctly Tolkien and his family never liked it. No idea what the reasoning behind it was. - Mgm| 10:26, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

• • Perhaps because the three titles each contained two "books", thus really being a hexalogy --Ballchef 12:34, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure whether I recall this correctly, but it was either connected to the fact that the LotR consists of six books, not three, or the fact that he originally wanted to publish all six books as a single volume. — File:Austria flag large.png ナイトスタリオン _ㇳ–ㇰ — 12:36, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

That's right - Tolkien did indeed want to publish it as a single volume, and releasing it in 3 parts (each consisting of two 'books' in one volume) was enforced upon him by the publishers, who didn't believe a 1200 page fantasy novel would sell well. The foppish dolts. Proto t c 12:40, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Dolts? It's called Business mate. I'm pretty sure Lord of the Rings made Allen & Unwin and Ace Books a bundle. I don't disagree with the foppish though. --Ballchef 15:27, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

National Wealth

Is there an accepted measure of national wealth as opposed to national income?

You may be looking for one of the following terms:

• Gross National Product
• Gross Domestic Product
• National Debt

I'm no political economist, so I probably couldn't tell you...sorry... ~GMH talk to me 22:43, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Who was Don Quixote's partner

He was Sancho Panza. If you had read the article on Don Quixote, you would have found the answer all by yourself. Gareth Hughes 11:38, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

His true love was Dulcinea, if that's what you meant. Gareth Hughes 11:41, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Latest technologies

Dear Sir/Mdm,

Please give me the list of Latest Technologies used in Industries.

Thank You!

There's really no good answer for this, as the number of technologies presently used in industry is effectively uncountable. Even "old" technologies are generally undergoing refinement which could qualify as "latest", so you're really not going to get any sort of useful answer unless you can give some context as to what you want. If you just want reading material, though, check out articles in Category:Technology — Lomn | Talk / RfC 13:29, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

History

What is Tai' P'ing? It is suppose to be a chinese coin, but I need to know what does it mean and why it is important to that culture.

                   anon

Independence

What was the primary motive for independence?

Whose? My motive for independence was to stay up late watching television. If you're referring to those dastardly North American colonies, check American Revolution. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:10, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

American Presidents

Do you know the campaign slogen for these presidents:George Washington, John Adams, Franklin Pierce, Woodrow Wilson, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton?

I doubt there were such things as campaign slogans in Washington's time. Ornil 16:45, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Check List of political slogans and Category:U.S. presidential elections. As above, I doubt you'll find anything for Washington: he wasn't strongly politically affiliated and was elected virtually by acclamation. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 17:20, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

mountains

which mountains were called "the strong mountains" in the early 1800's?

History - WW1

What major effects did world war 1 have on germany?

See do your own homework atop this page, but check out our articles on World War I and the aftermath of World War I for starters. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 18:48, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

columbian exchange

How did the Renaissiance lead to the Columbian Exchange?

There is some infomration on this in Northern Renaissance and Age of Discovery. - SimonP 21:30, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

San Pietro of Vincoli

At San Pietro in Rome, there is the statue of "Moses" and the "Chains of St Peter". At the entrance to the church, on the left side, there is, what appears to be, a tombstone or monument to Clement VII. (I think the number is correct). The monument shows a skeleton with wings and a cycle. The feathers of the wings are dirty and crumbled and one wing appears to be broken. Does this send the message that this pope was not held in high regard and this is a way to "punish" his image for eternity? I would very much appreciate an explantion of this as none of the internet sites dealing with Clement or San Peitro mention this.

Thank you so very much.

Voting against WWI & II

There was a reprsentative, I believe who voted against both wars. What was her name and what state did she represent? Also, had she been a member of Congress, during the years between the wars?

Cairenn Day

Jeannette Rankin was her name, and that article will answer your questions and more. Garrett Albright 19:18, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

NYC 2015

given nyc current geograghy plus population growth patterns what do you think the city will be like in 20 years?

Given how the War on Terrorism is progressing with respect to the primary targets of their WMD, and the rise in sea level due to global warming, I expect that there will be no city there 10 years from now. Recent events with Atlantic Hurricanes are showing what all US coastal cities may soon have to face. New Orleans under water now, Galveston this weekend, most US coastal cities in 5 years, not 10. AlMac| 21:53, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

What is the Schleffen Plan?

Perhaps you mean the Schlieffen Plan? — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:13, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

politics

How has national government s power grown?

Based on phrasing, I'm guessing this is a great case of do your own homework. Regardless, you'd have to be more specific anyway—what national government? The power of Italy's national government has grown by consolidating feudal city-states. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 22:39, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

We also have fine articles on nation-state, sovereignty and legitimacy (political science). Gareth Hughes 00:01, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

diversity words Can you define them??

diversity words Can you define them??

• Waham
• Xong
• Yerbero
• Jenn
• Abnemme
• giac
• practika,
• razianeh,
• tabi'at

Any help would be appreciated

What language are they used in?

• Google on Waham
• Xong is some place in Vietnam
• looks like Yerbero is some kind of Spanish music

In what context did you find these words? AlMac| 00:24, 22 September 2005 (UTC) These words are for a cultural /diversity class I am taking at Brock U. Canada - 4th yr Nursing.CK

Not being familiar with any of these words, I went looking on Google to see if there were any more clues. I am just grasping at straws here ... hopefully someone else here will be able to help you more than me.

• Alternative Medicine includes herbs, dietary manipulations, acupuncture, acupressure, spiritual practices, some of whom many have names on your list.
• Nursing Ethics
• Teacher Talk for teaching a variety of racial, cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds, plus those with a variety of disabilities. The link has statistics on the demographics of these different sub-groups.
• Publications
  • Journal of Cultural Diverity

As I browse through these resources, I not seeing any of the words on your list. AlMac| 04:19, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

Civil war

Why was Robert E. Lee chosen to be the commander of the Confederate army?

Aidan McCarthy,age 7

A place to start is the article here on Robert E. Lee. I think it was partly because he was one of the best qualified commanders available to the Southern states. At the beginning of the American Civil War he was one of several commanders, but on both sides, civilian leadership was much swayed by which commanders appeared to be doing the best job. AlMac| 00:33, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Earth

How was the earth formed? Aidan McCarthy,age 7

Basically, there was originally a lot of junk drifting around the sun. This slowly clumped together into a few big lumps, through gravitational effects - once you have a single large lump, it tends to "snowball" and attract more pieces faster from around it. One of these would become Earth. After a certain size - about 700km across, I think - gravity is powerful enough to pull the lump into the shape of a sphere, which is what we have today. Additionally, a process known as planetary differentiation comes into play, which is the way that heavy things (like iron) all stay in the centre of the planet - so the Earth has an iron core - and light things, like silicon and aluminium, tend to stay near the surface. The heat of radioactive decay, and of more material hitting the planey all the time, meant that it was mostly melted and hot; after a while, the outside cooled, giving the crust we live on.

The asteroid belt is what an "unformed" planet would look like, although there isn't enough material there to make anything the size of Earth.

Does this make sense? Shimgray 23:26, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for responding. I understand now about how the earth was formed. Are you planning to be a librarian? I live in Massachusetts, USA. I love reading!!!!!!!!

You might be interested in reading more about the solar system at b:Wikijunior Solar System, a book being written for ages 8-11. — Laura Scudder | Talk 16:26, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Love Reading

To Aidan McCarthy,age 7, you might want to ask your parents and teachers to help you get in contact with people in different professions to see which make sense if you want one with an opportunity to do lots of reading, to combine something you love with your career.

I think that a person who is a librarian, or who works in a book store, might get tired of just organizing large numbers of books, and no time to read what is in the collection. There's other kinds of jobs in which part of the job is you have to read stuff, all kinds of stuff. Consider an editor for example. Other people write stuff ... authors, journalists ... and the job of the editor is to read what they did, and approve the best to be published, and make suggestions to improve that which is not quite up to publishing standards. Now there will be a lot of crud, lousy writing, that an editor has to put up with. No job is a bed of roses.

I am now over age 60 but fondly remember when I was your age, and spent many Saturday mornings reading books at my local library, then when I had read all they had that I liked, I checked the city bus schedules vs. where other libraries located, and I went exploring, to find collections that had books I had not yet read. AlMac| 18:37, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Don't be in a hurry to choose a profession. You, unlike me, have plenty of time. Superm401 | Talk 22:33, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

LAWRENCE KOHLBERG THEORY

ARE THERE ANY CASE STUDIES THAT HE MAY STUDIED OF A MORAL DILEMMA.

We have some article that contain lowercase letters (I know they can be small and awkward to read): Lawrence Kohlberg, ethical dilemma, moral reasoning and Kohlberg's stages of moral development. Enjoy! Gareth Hughes 23:53, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Gustav Mahler and Yiddish

Would the composer Gustav Mahler have spoken Yiddish?

• According to , the answer appears to be yes. --Metropolitan90 01:11, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
• That is consistent with our article on Gustav Mahler which states that he was born into a Jewish family in Bohemia and converted to Catholicism in the late 1890s due to rising antisemitism in Vienna. Capitalistroadster 01:22, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Keep in mind that the Jews of the Czech lands had been speaking Czech and German for hundreds of years. By the 20th century, about the only people still speaking Yiddish in the area were people who had moved from Eastern Europe. Mwalcoff 19:53, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

New Zealand Flag

Why does the New Zealand flag have red stars instead of white stars?

To complement the color of the Union Jack. None of this "Red is symbolic for glory" nonsense :) See --inks 02:23, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

• Our Flag of New Zealand article states that red is a favoured colour by the Maori although many Maori would prefer a new flag without the Union Jack featuring in the design. As well, if it had white stars instead of red, it would look exactly look very similar to the Flag of Australia. Capitalistroadster 05:49, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
  • It wouldn't look exaclty like the flag of Australia, since the Austrlaian flag has two extra stars. --Commander Keane 08:48, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
  • I forgot about the Commonwealth Star on the Australian flag. I wonder what the other one is in the Southern Cross. Capitalistroadster 10:23, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
    • The fifth smaller star on the Southern Cross on the Aussie flag is part of the constellation. I guess us Aussies have better eyesight. --Ballchef 15:36, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
      • Actually it's not part of the official constellation, but the fifth star (Epsilon Crucis) is one of seven stars not part of the constellation, but still bearing the second name Crucis. Beats me why we chose that one. --Ballchef 11:08, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Government funding for women starting small businesses

Where do I find information on Government funding programs which encourage women to start small businesses?

• Knowing which Government you mean would be a tremendous advantage. For a start, we would need to know which country you are talking about. Then we would need to know whether you were talking about the national government, a state or provincial government or your local municipal government as all levels of Government may have programs to achieve such a purpose. Capitalistroadster 06:08, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
  • If someone doesn't state a country in this sort of context there is a 99% chance they are American. CalJW 05:33, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
• I would try the Small Business Administration then presuming the person asking the question is an American. I would also ask for advice from your local Chamber of commerce or Better Business Bureau for advice on assistance available from the relevant Government bodies. Capitalistroadster 05:41, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

News on the bombing in Madrid Spain

Are you referring to the 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings or some other incident? I checked the Madrid article and saw no reference to other bombings. I expect there were some during The Spanish Civil War. AlMac| 07:12, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

history

I am doing some research on monumental architecture on China and Greece and i had read some where that this had also provides defense from outside attack and an obstacle to internal rebellion, and now i can not find it. Can you help me to find this information

• The Great Wall of China was built for such purposes. However, there is nothing in our Architecture of Ancient Greece that suggests that this is true for that culture. Capitalistroadster 06:05, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

american literature

I need to find a search engine- for looking up authers and books writien in the 1800's- 1900's...for an american lit. assignment. If i can get some answers or some good searching links it would really help me- Im doing some independent studies homework- and without some good links its difficult to find information for my answers. If some one can help that would be great thanks Emily

• If you visit your local library, they'll probably have such information available with a lot less searching. - Mgm| 09:49, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
• I'd also seek clarification from your teacher. Depending on your library, you might have access through your membership to online reference guides. Galenet's Literature Resource Centre would contain valuable information and your school or local public library membership may allow to access it. Our literature of the United States article is quite extensive and you can start exploring authors by clicking on links. It would also be useful to have names of particular authors or periods to provide more information. Capitalistroadster 10:36, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Nanterre, France Roman name

Hello, I really need to know the Roman name (still used in 5 A.D.) for Nanterre, suburb of Paris. Differenet sourses read it in various ways, like: Nemetodurum, or Nimetodorum, or Nometodurum, and the like. It was mentioned in the Life of St.Genovefa of Paris written in Latin. If you should know the latin form of the name please let me know/ Thanks a lot!

According to Orbis Latinus (Graesse 1909), it was Namptodurum, Nannetodurum, Nemetodurum, Neptodurum or Nemptodurum. The 1911 Britannica lists "Nemptodurum or Nemetodurum". The French national tourism office claims it was Nemetodurum, meaning sacred grove. The city of Nanterre website claims it comes from the old Gaulish Nemeto-Dor, latinised as Nemetodurum then Nemptodoro.

I'd say, on the balance of web documents, that it was probably Nemetodurum at the time. --Diderot 10:15, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Mashrek

I am looking for a good definition of the "Mashrek" region.

Regards

Ulrich Bunjes ulrich.bunjes@coe.int

You might wish to start with our Mashreq article which seems to be the more common spelling of Mashrek. It states "The Mashriq or Mashreq (Arabic: مشرق) is the region of Arabic-speaking countries to the east of Egypt. It is derived from the Arabic root sh-r-q (شرق) relating to the east or the sunrise, and essentially means "east"." You might wish to check our articles on the Middle East , the Levant or Arabia as well as on individual states. Hope this helps you Ulrich.

Capitalistroadster 10:47, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Arts

no question

See Art for a discussion, Arts for a list, or Category:Arts for another list. Ojw 11:29, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

All about Charcoal Rendering

no question

• We don't seem to have much information on drawing with charcoal in general, but we do refer briefly to parsemage and sumi-e. My wife, an artist, tells me that charcoal is often used in gesture drawing, where the model poses for a short period of time, from a few seconds to several minutes. Bovlb 14:46, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Brazilian Footballers

DearSir/Madam

I am currently studying an MSc in the Sociology of Sport and Exercise at Chester University. At present I am conducting research into Brazilian football, exploring aspects such as national identity, commercialisation and the overall global myth that Brazil conveys and upholds on the footballing world, and how we percieve that there is something special in the way that Brazilians play football.

However, to aid me in my studies significantly, I would be most grateful if you could provide me with some raw data. The data which I am looking for are the numbers of Brazilians that play professionally out side of their native homeland. For instance, how many Brazilians play football in the English Premiership, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A and also the dutch and French leagues, and have these numbers increased since 2000? According to Vickery (2005) 900 players left Brazil in 2004 but where did these players go? How is this figure compared to 2003, 2002, 2001 and 2000 for example?

I would be most grateful if you could aid me in my studies, or if you can point me in the direction where I can gain access to such data.

Many Thanks,

Ben Bescoby benbescoby@hotmail.com

• Ben, our Brazilian Football Confederation contains a link to that organisation although it is in Portuguese. They would probably be able to help you. Capitalistroadster 11:08, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

• • Ben, I am afraid you may also have to actually do your own research. Get hold of squad lists for each of the teams in each of the leagues, for each of the seasons in question, and count the Brazilians. You will be able to find all this on the internet. If you need to find which teams were in each of the leagues every season, find league tables. This should not be beyond someone studying for their masters, even if it is in sports science. You can make some nice pretty coloured graphs, and see if you can spot trends in the destinations of Brazillian footballers over the past five years. Failing that, try Fifa.com and ask there. Proto t c 13:36, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

what is the significance of the himalayan mountain range?

Among other things, it includes the highest peaks in the world. See our article on the Himalaya. Warofdreams talk 10:45, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Significance for what? Like all great mountain ranges, it is a climatic barrier; it is the habitat of a wide variety of unique flora and fauna; historically/economically, it was a trade barrier between Central Asia and India; its remoteness and inaccessability led to the development of a very unique indigenous culture, and for the same reason it also had some influence on the formation of Asian religions; it provides the setting for lots of works of literature and movies; and it provides great vistas and climbing facilities for tourists, which also affects the economy of the area. These are just some random things I could think of off the top of my head, a more specific question might yield a more specific answer. As Warofdreams said, it might be a good idea to have a look at the Himalaya article and work from there -- Ferkelparade π 10:58, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Leonardo da Vinci

How old was Leonardo da Vinci when he died--anon

• According to the dates in our Leonardo da Vinci article, he was 67. Capitalistroadster 11:12, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

What do Americans eat for Breakfast, lunch and dinner?

What do Americans eat for Breakfast, lunch and dinner? I am in India and I dont know much about eating habits in USA and Europe. Do Americans eat bread or burgers three times a day? Tell me in detail if you can. Here, I eat 'roti' all three times a day.

Eating habits vary tremendously across the U.S. To answer your specifics, bread is common at any meal, though not always present. Hamburgers, though a trademark food of the U.S., are not a staple food; that is, most people do not eat them daily.

As for some sample meals, I had a pop-tart for breakfast this morning. I'm planning on having schnitzel and green beans at the office cafeteria for lunch today. For dinner I'll probably reheat some leftover chicken and broccoli with rice. None of these are "typical" or "traditional" American foods, but the average meal usually isn't for most Americans.

For a sample traditional meal, here's what might be served in my part of the States (the South)

• Breakfast might include some combination of eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, grits, and/or toast with jam or honey.
• Midday and evening meals vary in importance. Lunch is usually a light midday meal, supper is usually a light evening meal, and dinner often refers to a larger meal replacing either lunch or supper. These names are not, however, formalized and regional interpretations will vary. Anyway, moving on...
• Lunch is frequently a sandwich (say, ham, lettuce, and tomato) plus potato chips.
• Dinner could be fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra, and a sweet potato casserole.

As noted, none of this is fixed across the country (or even within a city) or across any particular length of time. Much of Europe will tend to be similar in variety, though specific foods will vary. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 15:21, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Note that the traditional breakfast takes a bit more time than most Americans spend. For comparison with "traditional" menus, here's what my housemates and I in Colorado might eat in a day:

• Breakfast - Cereal and orange juice most every day. On a special weekend there might be pancakes and bacon with maple syrup.
• Lunch - Like everyone at our work we go out for lunch, so although the traditional American lunch is some sort of sandwich, a normal day can find us having either a sub sandwich, pizza, or more often Thai, Chinese, or Indian food.
• Dinner - A sampling of recent dinners we cooked included such traditional meals as meatloaf and mashed potatoes, or barbeque chicken and corn on the cob, along with such imports as chicken curry with basmati rice and naan. Common desserts are cake and ice cream.

I believe the last hamburger I ate was about six weeks ago, and it was homemade, the best kind. Poor students are more likely to eat ramen everyday than hamburgers, as there is a huge price difference, so hamburgers are by no means a staple food in the states. — Laura Scudder | Talk 16:16, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

• Lomn and Laura have covered some examples very well, though as noted, his traditional examples are traditional for the Southern US, which has a distinct eating style. Since the variety from person to person is so great, I'm not sure too many more general examples can be made, but here are a few overall observations. American food is much less spicy than the food you are used to. Not only less (or for probably most people none) chilis, but less seasoning in general. After getting used to Indian and other ethnic food, American food is fairly bland in comparison. Most American cooks have a selection of various seasonings but often they are used only once in a while, not like Indian preparations where a variety of spices are used with almost every meal. I agree most working people eat a very quick breakfast if at all that might be cold cereal with milk, toast and jam or jelly, or possibly hot oatmeal. Other than that if they don't eat at a restaraunt, Americans eat a huge amount of packaged and processed food. Either out of cans or in another prepared and pre-wrapped form for convenience. I recently heard a stat that only about 25% of American meals are home cooked. I found that a little hard to believe, but with city dwellers, more single people, and the vast number and variety of restaraunts, I suppose that's possible. I would have thought it was more like 50%, but I do know people that never cook at home. - Taxman 16:45, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Not all Indian food is spicy. Gujarati food is on the sweeter side. User:Nichalp/sg 11:19, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Seriously? A Gujarati friend's mother cooks the spiciest Indian food I've ever had, even when she tries to tone it down. That's my only experience with Gujarati food specifically though, so you're right, I'm sure it's not all spicy. In any case, all Indian food I've had is certainly more seasoned than American even if it's not spicy as in chilis. - Taxman 16:52, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, sampled it a few times. And from what I've tasted of Bengali food, its more on the bland side. (I prefer not to talk about the bland experience :) )

In the Southern US, you might find grits on the plate at breakfast. User:Zoe| 22:59, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

who wrote the Suffragette Letter

Are the co-founders of Google- namely Larry & Sergey married?

Are the co-founders of Google- namely Larry & Sergey married? Or, in the past, have they had any marriage? Are they in love with anyone?

See our Sergey Brin and Lawrence E. Page artciles. Thryduulf 16:38, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Their articles don't answer the question, however. Why do you ask, anyway? Hoping to get yourself hitched to a billionaire? Garrett Albright 12:36, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

They could only be married in Belgium, Canada, Netherland, Spain, or Massachusetts. Elsewhere, they would have to settle for a domestic partnership. - Nunh-huh 18:21, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

multiple political party nominations

how many states allow candidates to be endorsed by multiple political parites, like a candidate appears on the ballot under the Democratic, Republican and Independent parties?

The main example is in New York which has a system of electoral fusion allowing a candidate to be a nominee of multiple parties. It has a Conservative Party of New York and a Liberal Party of New York which can nominate candidates as well as other parties. Quite often, the Liberal Party of New York will support the Democrat candidate and the Conservative Party the Republican candidate. However, the Liberal Party has supported Liberal Republicans such as Rudolph Giuliani in his bid to become mayor of New York City.

These parties have also nominated their own candidates when disillusioned with the choice of the major party. In 1970, James L. Buckley was elected as a Senator for New York in the US Senate as a Conservative Party candidate and lost his re-election as a Republican. New York is the only state that I am aware of that allows ths system. Capitalistroadster 15:28, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Update: In New York, the parties' ballot lines are determined by the gubernatorial elections. A party that receives at least 50,000 votes for its nominee has an automatic ballot line for the ensuing four years. In the 2002 gubernatorial election, the Liberal Party fell below the 50,000-vote threshold and lost its ballot line. Before that, its chief accomplishment was splitting the liberal vote in 1980, so that the conservative Al D'Amato won the U.S. Senate seat with a minority of the vote. JamesMLane 00:57, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Oklahoma City Bombing

Would you be able to find out how the one rescuer died at this event?

Oklahoma City Bombing -- This page suggests that it was Michael Loudenslager, and that he was killed after the bombing, yet listed as one of its victims. Not sure on the reliability of that source though. Ojw 16:41, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

how old must you be to vote in germany

Depends what you want to vote for. For example, if you want to vote for a member of the Bundestag, then the Voting age article mentions a minimum age of 16 or 18, depending where you are (and minimum age of 18 for the candidates themselves). If you want to vote for something like Misplaced Pages:Votes for deletion, there's no age limit. Ojw 18:44, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, that is not entirely correct: To vote in federal or local electionsin Germany, you have to be 18 years old on the day of the election. To be a candidate, you usually have to be 18 years old as well, with a view exceptions (for exmple, our president has to be at least 40 years old).

There is, however, an ongoing discussion about changing the voting age to 16. --nodutschke 12:03, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

French Revolution

During the French Revolution, it is known that aristocrats fled to other countries. Is there a register of names that might have fled to the Colonies e.g. Pondicherry? Also, is there any record of name changes to hide identities?

If I'm not mistaken the French had a larger territory in India. Pondicherry was reduced to its present size much later. User:Nichalp/sg 11:15, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

River

name the long river that marks the boarder between Texas and Mexico?

• Why not just take an atlas and look it up? - Mgm| 20:12, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Or do it without getting up: The name can be found in the article on Texas. --Diderot 20:17, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Both of you, be nice. This is the reference desk. The name of the river is the Rio Grande. -- Essjay · Talk 21:21, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Turtle Bay before United Nations

What was the nyc area like before the United Nations built there? How has it improved or "not"improved since its start in 1947?

• See Turtle Bay, Manhattan. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:57, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Where can I find information on Judaism?

• See Judaism. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:56, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

jews

where did the jewish culture start, and where has it spread to around the world?

• See Jews. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:55, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

my favorite author

I was handed this site by a friend when I told him I would really like to know if my favorite author was still living. She hasn't put out a new book since 1998. I cannot find her on your site so here I am writing. Is horror/mystery writer Clare Mcnally still alive? And if so, how do I contact her and beg for a new book. I would really appriciate it if this could be answered. Also I would love to know where to get her out of print books. Can you help? Sincirely- Alexis savatagerules@excite.com

• Alexis,

Contemporary Authors Online published by Galenet appears to indicate that she is still alive. Her contact details are according to that article are:

Agent: c/o Author Mail, Tor Books, Tom Doherty Associates, Inc., 175 Fifth Ave., 14th Floor, New York, NY 10010.

By the way, we don't have an article on Clare McNally. We would welcome you writing an article on her if you would like too. Please look at Misplaced Pages:Introduction for more information as to how you can become an editor. I will add the name of Clare McNally to the list of requested articles at Misplaced Pages:Requested Articles.

DNC (Democrat National Committee)

Does anyone know who the treasurer of the DNC was at the time of the 1969 convention? I believe he was a senior exec at Paramount Pictures. Anyone know?

Thanks!

PHG

• Patrick O'Connor. Here's a story about one of his more recent enterprises. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:41, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

history

Did Thomas Jefferson play the piano?--Carmen

• He might have played it casually, but his wife Martha was the serious fortepianist in the house. Jefferson, however, was an accomplished violinist, usually practicing three hours a day (though I don't know if he kept this up through his presidency; he certainly did during the Revolution.) Between them they had a substantial music collection; Corelli was said to be his favorite. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:18, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Note that jpgordan has been scrupulously correct in pointing out that the instrument was a fortepiano and not a pianoforte, or what we'd call a piano these days. For more on the Jeffersons and music, see here - Nunh-huh 06:13, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Jeweler -Watchmakers in Birkenhead

I'm trying to find the history on an antique clock.It has a jewelers label inside with the name of E.T.Allen 239 Bourough Road,Birkenhead.Is there any place I can find information about this?Thank You for any help you can give.Norman Mayberry U.S.A.

It doesn't look like the shop is still there, and I couldn't find a 239 on that road. You can see a map of the area at Multimap (zoom out to get a reference on the wider geography). Gareth Hughes 23:53, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks Gareth,Guess I should have said shop would have been there sometime in the mid to late 1800's

What are the Pacific Islands officially comprised of?

See Pacific Islands for a list of all the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term probably means different things in different places. For example, in New Zealand, "Pacific islands" means predominantly Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, and Fiji; ie places which have significant immigration to New Zealand. In the US, I suspect Midway and Guam would come to mind more readily (I'm not sure if Americans think of Hawaii as Pacific Islands). In France, the term might mean New Caledonia, Tahiti and Vanuatu.-gadfium 03:20, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

In France, îles du Pacifique means Pacific islands in general, not specifically the French islands (which are often lumped together as TOM or territoires d'Outre-Mer). By the way, Vanuatu is not French, you probably mean Wallis and Futuna. David.Monniaux 19:28, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Our Vanuatu article states that it was an Anglo-French condiminoum known as the New Hebrides between 1906 and 1980 smeaning that France and the UK shared responsibility for its administration during that period. Capitalistroadster 06:58, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes, but few people in France would realize that "Vanuatu" and the Nouvelles-Hébrides were the same. David.Monniaux 09:09, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

when was the music funk born

See Funk.-gadfium 03:20, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

the Reformation

See Protestant Reformation.-gadfium 03:20, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

what is the population update for hillsboro, oregon

population

what is the population of hillsboro, oregon as of 2005?

Since regional statistics aren't updated regularly, it's probably best to contact the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce; that's the sort of stuff they'd know to woo new businesses into the area. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 05:01, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Though I'd add that you should take population figures from small-town authorities with a grain of salt or two; I've heard it claimed that if you took the township populations claimed by local councils in Australia literally, the resulting Australian population would be 27 million (the actual population is around 20 million). Whether this is true or not, there is a tendancy for development bodies to present estimates at the larger end of the plausibility scale rather than the smaller. --Robert Merkel 12:23, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

• Our Hillsboro, Oregon article claims that the population has grown to 79,304 according to city records and street signs. It doesn't state when this figure dates from. Capitalistroadster 07:02, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

isadora

duncan? -- Jmabel | Talk 06:08, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Changing Name Numbers

My birth Number is 6

My most first name corresponds with my birth number My midddle name corresponds with my birth number However, my last name does not

I can change my name in 2 ways. Change one letter in my last name so the whole name correponds with the birth number, or I can change one letter in my first name, which then the whole name corresponds with my birth number.

In this case, my first name is a perfect match.

Which is the best way to do this?

Current Name - Carlita Dias Weerasinha

Option 1 Calita Dias Weerasinha

Option 2 Carlita Dias Weersinha

Thank you

• Don't the numbers only relate to the real name your parents gave you? Artificially changing your name would perhaps make the numbers fit better, but I'd consider that to be cheating the system it uses in the first place. Also, depending on where you live changing your name officially may be a very long process or impossible if you can't provide them with a reason that is seen as requiring a name change. Personally, I wouldn't bother trying and be happy with the fact it already fits the way it does. - Mgm| 08:13, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

You want to change your name to conform to some sort of superstition? Nelson Ricardo 18:46, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Good day!

Добрый день, 欢迎 and ᐙᒋᔦ! --Diderot 07:28, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

W. B. Yeats' Poem

Is W.B.Yeats' works (poem) included 'the lake Isle. of Innisfree'?

If the question is whether The Lake of Innisfree is Yeats' work, the answer is yes. See here Tintin 11:41, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Also visit our wonderful articles on William Butler Yeats and The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics (the collection which contains the poem). --Gareth Hughes 11:57, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

what does organisational power mean?

FEMA and 9/11

Exactly when did FEMA "set up shop" in NYC re: 9/11? Thanks, Jenn

John J. Rambo

Does anyone here knows what the "J" in John J. Rambo stands for?--nodutschke 11:55, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Julian. Proto t c 13:28, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

question about law

A state legislature enacts a statue that prohibits the marketing of products through unsolicited telephone calls. Despite this new statue, the president of International marketing, Inc. (IMI), orders IMI telemarketers to place unsolicited calls. Paul, an IMI employee, is arrested for making a call. What is Paul’s best defense against a conviction under this statue? law question.

i think his best defense is duress. seeing that he was ordered to make the cal, knowing that there was /is a law prohibiting these type of telephone calls. he can claim that in fear of loosing his job he felt pressured into making the call, because loosing his job could put him in an finincial downfall

• I am not a lawyer, but I would agree. If he wanted to keep his job, he would've done it. It's the company that should be punished. Of course, it's unlikely he'll be able to keep his job if he gets his employer a lawsuit against them... - 131.211.210.12 12:53, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

That sounds like a pretty weak defense. He could have resigned. It's not like near-minimum wage jobs like marketing are that hard to come by. A better bet would be freedom of speech. Superm401 | Talk 22:38, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Unfortunately for most people

• Ignorance of the law is no excuse ... if you caught in violation, you can be prosecuted. It does not matter that someone told you to do something that you did not know was wrong. In fact there are people who are innocent patsies ... you give a ride to someone who needs one, and you could be in big trouble if that person turns out to be a fugitive, or just did an armed robbery.
• There are new laws being added all the time, and some in other states and nations can be pointed at you ... what we do on the Internet is seen in many jurisdictions, where it might be perceived as being illegal.

In the example, it depends on how the law is written, some stuff that used to be a civil matter is now a criminal matter. Corporate executives can now go to jail for what it can be shown they authorized, whether or not they realized it was a crime. If you going to do business in some geography, you need to know the rules for doing business in that geography. AlMac| 04:27, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

Eusebius

How do I get a copy of Eusebius' "Church History" (ca 300 CE)

The best version, to my mind is the Loeb version (or use ISBN 0674991699). For this and other versions see Bookfinder.com. The Loeb has a critical Greek text alongside a decent translation. --Gareth Hughes 13:34, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Venice

What is the modern sculpture (fountain?) in Giardini Pubblici in Venice?

Are you thinking about the Venice Biennale? --Gareth Hughes 23:40, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Sex with people below age of consent: clarification

If the age of consent for having sex is 16, then, is there no way possible to have sex with people aged below 16? Is it not possible even if the child or their parents give permission? Does that mean that people below 16 can never dream of having sex until they are 16 even if they wish?

Most societies regard sexual intercourse as an adult activity that should not be undertaken by children. Most societies also expect sex to be consensual: consented to by both parties. If a party does not consent to the intercourse, it is usually considered rape. Most societies legislate that legal minors are unable to give their consent, and thus sex with them is statutory rape, even if personal consent is given. The age of consent differs from place to place, and most societies are more understanding if the parties are of a similar age. Gareth Hughes 15:07, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

In some places, if the parents gave consent, they would be in jail, because definition of rape includes anyone who contributed to the act. By law a person below the age of consent cannot give consent, and the parents cannot give it either. Now the minimum age for getting married also fluctuates in the law. Consider some place where the minimum age for consent is 18 and then two people age 16 get married. Does marriage change the rules for them? In the USA right now there is big controversy over gay people getting married. Some states recognize the marriage, some do not. AlMac| 04:31, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

In some jurisdictions, it is legal for an adult to have sex with a minor, if there are only a couple of years difference in age -- for example, a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old, but again, it depends on the jurisdiction. User:Zoe| 23:06, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

As others have said, it depends on the exact laws of the specific place in question. Here in the United Kingdom, the age of consent is 16 (17 in Northern Ireland), unless a "relationship of trust" exists (eg teacher/pupil) in which case it's 18. It is never legal in the UK for someone under 16 to have sex - though of course it is common for it to happen, and if the participants are close to legal age and the relationship is fully consenting then prosecutions are very rare.

We actually have an article on age of consent around the world. Note that Victoria, Australia (where I live) makes explicit what eseems to be the de facto practice in most Western countries: if the parties involved are approximately the same age, it's OK; the law only takes an interest where one party is sufficiently older than the other. --Robert Merkel

Is there a lower limit even in those circumstances, though? I'm not certain, but I have a feeling that Canada (normal age of consent 14) has a similar outlook on things where both parties are over 12 and within two years of each other, but below the age of 12 that doesn't apply and a case of, say, a nine-year-old and a seven-year-old having sex would not be left alone by the authorities. I tried to look this up on www.ageofconsent.com, but that now seems to have disappeared, and the last version listed on archive.org paints a confused picture, to say the least! Loganberry (Talk) 02:42, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

In Victoria at least, it applies down to age 10; below that age you can't be charged with a crime anyway. Hypothetically, say two consenting 11-year-olds were doing something inappropriate - isn't that a matter for their parents/guardians to deal with rather than the criminal law? You're right that there are potentially child welfare implications, but that's another area of law entirely. --Robert Merkel 00:19, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

And in some jurisdictions, age-of-consent laws don't apply to married couples, and marriage is legal at young ages with parental consent. The case in point is a US couple who were married in Kansas after the young woman became pregnant at (as I recall) 14 by a mid-twenties boyfriend. Of course the pregnancy was the result of activity prior to the marriage and the father is being prosecuted. A further note on some of the above comments: be very wary of the word "consent" in this context, since the fundamental legal principal is that minors cannot give legal consent. Heck, that's why the issue is called "age of consent". Thus, there is no such legal thing as "two consenting 11-year-olds" (which is not to differ with RM's point about how the issue is best handled). And of course non-consensual sex is illegal no matter the age of the victim, so really "consent" is not a helpful part of the discussion. Sharkford 17:20, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

who wrote this artical

who wrote the auguste piccarde artical

• People who worked on an article are mentioned in its edit history. You can see it by going to the Auguste Piccard article (assuming that's who you're talking about) and click the history tab at the top of the page. If you need to cite the article as a reference, see Citing Misplaced Pages. - Mgm| 15:47, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Affdavits

Who can swear affidavits abroad

It depends on the country, but if you want to know who can swear affidavits abroad so that US courts accept them, I think you're looking for Apostille. --Diderot 16:28, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

can you find "the hammer of witches" in english and who wrote

Why yes, yes I can. And so can you, by putting the words "the hammer of witches" into Google. --Diderot 17:26, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

I think Diderot is suggesting that the answer might be found at this site. Ojw 17:55, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

U.S. Sanctions

Has the United States ever imposed a trade sanctions on Indonesia? If so, when and why? I have had no luck finding it in the Indonesia article. I also haven't had any luck in Google. Crisco 1492 17:46, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

• This Forbes article states that the US imposed arms sanctions on Indonesia 1991 over human rights in East Timor and that sanctions were tightened in 1999 following violence leading up to the independence referendums there. Our East Timor article appears to be incorrect in this regard. The US recently lifted bans on training Indonesian forces but not arms supply. Capitalistroadster 07:15, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

probation

llamas

What is the record time that a llama has ever gone?

What is the record time that a llama has ever gone?

What is the record time that a llama has ever gone?

Are you asking about the oldest age reached by a llama? According to llamalove, the normal life expectancy is 15-25 years. I haven't been able to find any suggestions on the oldest llama known.-gadfium 21:28, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Unless he means their land speed. What's the fastest time a llama's ever been clocked at over 100m? Proto t c 13:17, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

genghis khan

See Genghis Khan.-gadfium 21:50, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Civil court Answers to Municipal Code Violation

Where can I find the procedures for how to Answer a Municipal code violation in civil court? I have a court date, but I have not received a Civil Complaint from the municipality. I have only received a ticket or pink slip at my door. Thank You, Marti Edwards

It might help if we know which municipality you are in.-gadfium 21:50, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

• It might be a good idea to see a lawyer depending on how serious the violation is. Capitalistroadster 07:18, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

identifying a song

this song has lyrics such as "all i can say is that my life is pretty plain" and "all i can do is to pour some tea for two" it came out in the early 90s and the lead singer died of a drug overdose

The song appears to be No Rain, by Blind Melon. See the lyrics. Superm401 | Talk 01:22, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

• The song is indeed "No Rain" by Blind Melon. Shannon Hoon the lead singer died of a drug overdose in 1995 ending the band's career. Capitalistroadster 07:22, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Philosophy of Dance

I am looking for some articles on Dance and Philosophy and how the two relate to eachother. Dancing to fulfill my philosophical questions will help me understand my own ideas. To do this and begin on a tract I would like to find some articles of past research. If you have the time, or know how, could you locate on wikipedia any related facts on this subject. Dancing to interpret inner ideas.

             My name is Evan thank you whatever happens.

You might find the chapter "Dance as a Metaphor for Thought" in Alain Badiou's Handbook of Inaesthetics interesting. David Sneek 08:51, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

"who is Jose Corazon de Jesus?"

We do not seem to have an article on Jose Corazon de Jesus. However, this website indicates that he was a notable Filipino poet see . I will add him to the requested articles. Capitalistroadster 07:33, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

eastern asian race

Just a curious question, i have noticed that the asian race ("mongoloids") tends to have physical body features like a flat face, snub nose, epicanthic fold (slanted eyes) rounded head, short stature and usually not a lot of facial or body hair, plus asians don't seem to get bald as much or as quickly as caucasians when they age (Some of these features are mentioned in the article on mongoloid). Not to be discriminatory or anything, but a lot of these features are commonly described as child-like or young-looking compared to caucasoids. In fact, I myself am an eastern asian student in canada and i find that a lot of Westerners underestimate my age. Indeed, this is true of many asians i know as well. The traits like flat face, rounded foreheads, no facial hair is linked to being a trait of youth. I know of the term in biology called neoteny and pedomorphosis which means when an organism retains child-like traits unto adulthood. So could one race of humans (east asians) be really more neotenous (child-like or young-looking) in physical appearance? and why would this be the case? Does anthropology or biology have an answer?

• Well, wait a sec. What you are describing is perceptions. Certainly, for "caucasians", rounded foreheads, flat face, etc. invokes youthfulness. But does it for peoples who tend to have those features as adults? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 02:55, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Is it a question of perceptions? From what I've seen, both tbe average baby of any race has a more rounded forehead and flat face than the average adult. Superm401 | Talk 17:17, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
• Some people have argued paedomorphosis/neoteny in the case of "East Asians". As a whole humans appear to be paedomorphic in comparison to our closest relatives (chimps), so it makes sense if that has gone further in some groups than in others. Guettarda 22:21, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Who is Cherokee Author Jerry Ellis?

Dear Sir or Lady:

This is a great service your offer and I use it often. May I make a suggestion? Under Famous Cherokee, it seems appropritate that you might add the name Jerry Ellis. Born in Fort Payne, Alabama, site where Sequoyah invented the Cherokee alphabet, he, of Cherokee and British descent, was the first person in modern history to walk the 900 mile route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears in 1989. His book about that journey, Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears (Delacorte Press, 1991) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and has been in print 14 years. Ellis has lectured aounrd the world about this book and this Ocotber is speaking in Harare, Africa at an international teachers conference. Forty nations are represented. For further info, please contact me at tanager AT tds.net. (His book, of course, is listed with reviews on Amazon.com.)

• Thanks for your suggestion. When you believe an article needs improvement, please feel free to change it. You can edit almost any article on Misplaced Pages by just following the Edit link at the top of the page. We encourage you to be bold in updating pages, because wikis like ours develop faster when everybody edits. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. You can always preview your edits before you publish them or test them out in the sandbox. If you need additional help, check out our getting started page or ask the friendly folks at the Teahouse. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 21:19, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
• Thanks for the suggestion. I will add him to our requested articles page in the writers section. As well as writing a book nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, Galenet's Contemporary Authors Online 2005 states that he has won a couple of playwriting awards in 1984 and 1989. Capitalistroadster 07:41, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Martial Art Nerve Pincher

What is the name of the the martial arts that pinchs nerves or whatever and can kill people?

The Vulcan death grip? Shiatsu?? Coach seating on the Airbus A320??? --Diderot 18:42, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

The common japanese name for "pressure point fighting" is kyusho' or kyusho jitsu -Drdisque 01:32, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Hedge funds and oil these days

Why do hedge funds affect oil prices?

Because they buy and sell oil futures. Superm401 | Talk 17:13, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

how many cups o coffee do you drink in 30 days?

• None, I don't drink coffee. - Mgm| 16:28, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm sure the recommended or maximum safe amound of cups of Coffee can be found on the article for Coffee or Caffeine. If not, someone will get to it. --Ballchef 11:23, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Max safe dose is a tough one. LD-50 for caffeine is easily exceedable by someone who drinks plenty of coffee - I'm fairly sure that in a 24-hour period I've consumed enough caffiene to kill my grandmother, say, with no ill effects beyond a nasty headache. In addition, "cups" is ill-defined; most heavy coffee drinkers consume it by the mug, significantly larger volume than the normal coffeecup. That said, I probably drink something on the order of 80-140 mugs of coffee over a month, though it varies quite a bit by how heavily I'm working. Shimgray 12:29, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

My coffee pot claims that my mug holds four cups. That would set my minimum consumption at 120 cups per month. Add to that 2-4 double espresso drinks per week, and a few cups of coffee a week from the pot in the department office...I'd be in the 150 cup per month range (makes me a lightweight). When I am working I switch to tea. On top of the coffee and the espresso, that can add up to a lot of coffee in a day. Guettarda 22:17, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Search for a particular poem in Spanish

When I was originally learning Spanish many years ago, I was shown a Spanish poem, which I am trying to identify. All I remember of it are the first few lines. I have tried everything to locate the poem on the web, without success.

As far as I can remember, the first few lines were:

De aquel amor guardo siempre, como reliquia sagrada, una rosa y un suspiro, un recuerdo y una lagrima.

Misterios de mi ternura, guardo lo que nadie guarda.......

Can you help me? Many thanks.

Tom Garnier

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005

I've just updated the page to show the winner who just won the Dutch final a few minutes ago. However, before the scores were announced, a few clips were shown with winners from other countries and it appears Latvia has also selected their finalist while the article doesn't show it. Unfortunately, my Latvian language knowledge sucks. Can someone tell me who won the final of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Latvia and what the name of their song was (both in Latvian and translated into English)? - Mgm| 19:01, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

The song was Es esmu maza, jauka meitene, but I couldn't tell you what the translation is. --Diderot 19:09, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

Got it now: I am a little, lovely girl --Diderot 19:11, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

• Thank you! - Mgm| 19:20, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

No problem. You're quite welcome. --Diderot 19:26, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

how do you pronounce Wriothesley?

Hi

My history tutor used to pronounce it: Riseley (long 'i') with maybe just a hint of 'th' before the 's'.

Cheers.

See Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Language. Proto t c 13:14, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Australian Census question - what are "O's"?

From the last sentence of the Woolloomooloo, New South Wales artcile:

The area was ahead in the 2001 Australian census of Indooroopilly in Queensland as the suburb with the highest density of O's.

The article neither defines nor provides a link to a definition of what "O's" are in this question. Thryduulf 20:06, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

I believe the author was having a little fun with the name of the community. By "O's" he means the letter "o". --Diderot 20:19, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

spanish theatre in and around 1934

I have been asked to research the state of spanish theatre (1934) I have been using wikipedia to find information about the poet/playwrite Federico García Lorca, his life, the play 'Yerma' and the subject above. I have been able to find lots of useful information, including information about 19th century spain, but nothing specifically about spanish theatre. I know that others who have used general search engines have also found it difficult. Any information - or vague ideas! - anyone has on this subject would be extremely helpful. (asap!) Thanks, --213.122.62.160 20:15, 24 September 2005 (UTC)E.Jackson

• Our Spanish literature article has links to a number of topics. Perhaps some of those might be useful. Capitalistroadster 07:55, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Hello

To whome it may concern.... I am interested in getting information on migration and setteling of Sudhans in Kashmir. I did have some info on your this very knowlegeable website, but still i would really appreciate if I get more info. about Sudhan tribe in Azad kashmir, like how they came to the reigon and how they settled in there??? Thank you.

Sincerely. saghar@msn.com

Federal Reserve Board

I agree completely. See Federal Reserve Board. Superm401 | Talk 08:14, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

4th October, 1582

Why 4th October,1582 is followed directly by October 15 in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain?

See Gregorian Calendar. - Nunh-huh 06:13, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

geography/dewpoint

• Have you read dewpoint? - Mgm| 07:44, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Where do I find updated statistics?

• Depends. What kind of statistics are you looking for? - Mgm| 07:45, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Constantine the Great data about Jewish Religion

I've had a hard time verifying this: As part of Constantine's Christianizing the world, he made the following capital offenses for all Christians:

1. Circumcision 2. Converting to Judaism 3. Talmud Torah

This is either true or false. Every time I read "Judaism became weak" well I say "Duh". Are the actual decrees (all of them) of Constantine documented any place? How about the archives of the Holy See?

I wish I could see hard evidence of the above three. I can't find now where I read all this.

• Well, let's see. It's a little bit muddy, because there were a lot of forged documents floating around. This paper, The Persecution of the Jews in the Roman Empire (300-428) has some good pointers to primary sources. Let us know what you find! --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:34, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

What song is this?

What song contains the lyrics "Love me, Love me. Say that you love me. Fool me, fool me, go on and fool me. Love me, love me, pretend that you love me. Need me, need me, just say that you need me". I hope that isnt a copy vio but after google searches and other search engines i cant find the name of the song or the artist. It only appears on peoples blogs. JobE6 15:47, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

THE CARDIGANS--LOVEFOOL

• It is the song "Lovefool" by The Cardigans from their 1996 album First Band on the Moon. It also appeared on the soundtrack to the Baz Luhrmann 1996 film Romeo and Juliet (1996 movie). Capitalistroadster 08:52, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

sociology

what is the relationship between sociology and science?

• Easy, sociology is a science. Our article on sociology says the following:

Sociology is a social science on the study of the social lives of people, groups, and societies, sometimes defined as the study of social interactions. It is a relatively new academic discipline that evolved in the early 19th century. - Mgm| 16:00, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

What is logical truth?

• See truth and logic. - Mgm| 19:51, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

False Information a felony??

Is giving false information to a police officer regarding a hit and run accident a felony? Say you lied and said you were the driver when in fact you were not, and admitted the truth, and received a citation to appear in court. Would that be considered a felony? If so, what would the punishment be for the state of NM?

You should really contact a lawyer (I am not one). But based on this, I'd say the hit and run is a misdemeanor, and logically abetting a crime can't be a worse crime. But, please, check with a lawyer. Ornil 20:10, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Actually, I think conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor is a felony. Superm401 | Talk 21:17, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

That would make some sort of sense, I suppose, but it doesn't sound like it's a conspiracy in his case? Ornil 22:29, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

No it's not conspiracy; conspiracy requires more than one person and is concluded when there is agreement between the parties to commit some crime. It obviously depends on jurisdiction, but if you were to look it up yourself, contempt of court might be relevant? Enochlau 23:51, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Definition of the term "Technical Climax" of a story

I have just read the Maltese Falcon. In a book report, I need to give the information of what the "technical climax" of the story is. Please assist me with an explanation of the meaning of techinical climax.

Thank You!

Why didn't you ask your teacher when you had a chance? Superm401 | Talk 20:09, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

The technical climax is the point in the story when the major conflict is resolved. There may be more than one technical climax. There are also dramatic climaxes, which are what our article climax (narrative) deals with. Take a look at this analysis of the Odyssey (second post down, by "Thompson"), for an example of what I suspect your teacher wants.-gadfium 22:27, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Writing a bibliography

I have a question, i am using some of your research and im trying to quote something and i have to use the authors name, and i dont know who the author(s) of this site is, so if you could please tell me how i would write this on a bibliography in MLA format..or just tell me the authors name. Thanks :)

Misplaced Pages:Citing Misplaced Pages. Ornil 19:55, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

• Yes, Ornil gave the right link. Articles don't have a single author. How you should handle it is explained at the link. - Mgm| 19:56, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

what is the cold war and bipolarism?

See our aritcles on the Cold War and Bipolarity. WP 23:28, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

What is this voting system called?

See Macau legislative election, 2005. Each person gets 1 vote. Vote of each party is divided by 1, 2, 4, 8 etc. It looks like a highest averages method but is not mentioned in that article. What is it called? Is it biased towards large or small parties? Is it used anywhere else?

Algeria

Religion in Algeria

I read the "article of the day" about the war in Algeria. I understand that those who fought, and indeed, some who still are fighting the government after the cancellation of the election were and are Muslim. My question is: Are those who are in power Muslim, and therefore less fundamentalist than the guerillas? Do they practice a different form of Islam? Or do those who are in power practice a different religion altogether? Are they Christians?

• Given that our article on Algeria states that the population is 99% Islamic, it is hghly likely that its leadership is as well. Our article on the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika does not say what religion he is but this article by him based on a speech to the Sorbonne confirms that he is a Muslim see . Our article on the Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia is currently a stub. I have not been able to find any definitive information on his religion in a quick Google search but I would be most surprised if he were not a Muslim. I suspect that the Government is less fundamentalist than the guerillas and our articles would be improved by making that point. Capitalistroadster 09:27, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

PERFUME

WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR PERFUME IN THE WORLDBold text

Measured by what? Units sold? Units Sold per Unit Time on the market? Sales in $? Sales in inflation adjusted $?--inks 02:05, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Most commonly used: Human sweat, which contains pheromones. Western cultures tend to suppress this with deodorants and then add perfume which contains animal pheromones.-gadfium 02:22, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

but...sweat isn't a perfume. For some interesting reading, see here. I suspect Chanel No. 5 may be a contender: it was introduced relatively early (1921) and apparently is still selling a bottle every 30 seconds. - Nunh-huh 04:02, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

New York City / The Big Apple

Why is "New York City" called "The Big Apple"? Thanks, Michele

No one knows for sure. You can read about some guesses in Big Apple. - Nunh-huh 03:32, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Where is Chartres located?

Chartres. -- 03:01, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Art as a reflection of life or life as a reflection of art?

HI, I'm trying to write an essay relating to the question "is art a reflection of life or is life a reflection of art?" Is this a common philosophical question, or does it stem from a specific philosopher posing the question? For example, I know that Plato claimed that art is imitation, and Tolstoy also wrote about art's meanings. However, I'm confused about the specific origins of the previously mentioned question. Can anyone help? Thanks, 67.53.3.42 03:12, 26 September 2005 (UTC)Eileen

The source you're looking for is probably The Decay of Lying by Oscar Wilde. David Sneek 07:04, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

CYRIL. Well, before you read it to me, I should like to ask you a question. What do you mean by saying that life, "poor, probable, uninteresting human life," will try to reproduce the marvels of art? I can quite understand your objection to art being treated as a mirror. You think it would reduce genius to the position of a cracked lookingglass. But you don't mean to say that you seriously believe that Life imitates Art, that Life in fact is the mirror, and Art the reality ?

VIVIAN. Certainly I do. Paradox though it may seem--and paradoxes are always dangerous things --it is none the less true that Life imitates art far more than Art imitates life.

George Fosberry, VC

Did you mean George Vincent Fosbery, VC? David Sneek 07:08, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

romance films

what is the history of romance films?

While we have articles on Romantic comedy film and Romantic drama film, both articles still need a lot of work. Our Film article contains a detailed history so you should be able to find some information there. Capitalistroadster 09:37, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Who has control in a Private Limited Company?

• Our Limited liability company article contains more information. The short answer is who controls the most shares is normally the person who has control. Capitalistroadster 09:37, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
  • An LLC is an American thing. Private Limited company is (at least) a UK legal entity. I'm not familiar with UK law, but for LLC's the control is delineated in a document called the operating agreement. It can specify who has the control including the possibility of a silent partner that owns most of the company but has little or no say in how the business is run. I'm assuming Limited company's have similar. - Taxman 15:18, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Wilfred Owen's social & sexual literary environment London 1915-1918

Owen met Harold Monro, became embroiled in the London literary scene and came into contact with the literary circle/clubs/homosexual scene. Owen's reading was eclectic and appears coloured by writers who themselves were homosexual. Any light shed would be gratefully received. Barry Matthews

##########

• Barry,

Our article on Wilfred Owen ecplores this in some depth including his relationship with Vidal Sassoon Siegfried Sassoon. It would also be worth checking out the references at the bottom of the Wilfred Owen article for more information. Capitalistroadster 11:50, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

• I think you meant Siegfried Sassoon there, a slight difference! The first studies on Owen's sexuality were done in 1965, published as Owen agonistes (searching on that might be helpful). In addition, he spent most of 1915-18 in the Army, and '17-18 at Craiglockhart War Hospital and Scarborough, not London.. Shimgray | talk | 12:03, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
• Oops. Shimgray, thanks for pointing that out. Capitalistroadster 12:41, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Church Pews

I found an article that talked about church pews not being normal furnishings until after the protestant reformation. My question is -- When did pew makers start putting book racks and communion cup holders on the bak of the pews. I am a Baptist pastor and believe it or not, I had a person ask that question yesterday. Can you help? He wanted to know specifically about the communion cup holders.

Standing and kneeling are the traditional postures for Christian worship, and sitting before your Lord was considered to be inappropriate. Pews really only became of fashion when lengthy readings and sermons became part of Christian worship, particularly in Protestant churches. I think the Reformed/Presbyterian tradition also began to introduce seated communion (around the Lord's table). The addition of book racks to pews is quite recent. To require a book rack, there has to be a general practice of giving congregants books. Hymn books, prayer books and Bibles were generally privately owned and brought to church before the 20th century. Also, communion cup holders are only relevent in those churches that adopted the practice of refusing to drink from a common cup, as has always been traditional among Christians. --Gareth Hughes 15:53, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

This probably isn't much help, but I was raised in a Southern Baptist church, and we had seats with the attached hymnal racks/communion cup holders. The seats were installed in 1964, not too long ago, but hey, it means that they have had those features for at least 41 years.Brian Schlosser42 16:15, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Male urinating customs; standing vs sitting

I am in the process of toilet training my son. In doing so I am now aware that many mothers develop elaborate methods of teaching their sons to stand up while urinating; so elaborate in some cases that I've wondered if this is why a boy in the US tends to become toilet trained later than a girl?

In my own life, ALL the males I know sit--standing only to relieve themselves in public bathrooms or outdoors. My interest is simple curiosity. Is this a social custom that varies from country to country? Is there an historical perspective? What do primitive males do? Is one method considered more "culturally advanced" than another? Are American males the only ones taught to stand thus causing the war between men and women regarding the toilet seat? People from other countries tell me that the toilet seat war was something they heard about only when they got to the US. Is sitting vs. standing a social custom that varies from family to family? Are there religious dictates? Is it simply convenience or situational?

My main interest is in America vs. the rest of world, although America vs Western Europe would be a good start if the other is too much to tackle--or as I think about it maybe America itself is the best place to start.

I have done a google search but I wasn't able to find anything on this subject. Thanks

I would imagine that for a man to stand is more natural. Toilet seats are a relatively modern invention: if you didn't have one, you would stand. Without a toilet seat, the other option is to crouch, and it's far easier for a man to stand than crouch when urinating. --Gareth Hughes 15:46, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

• I really like the juxtaposition of this and the previous topic. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 17:06, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

• There's no difference between the US and western Europe. Why do you think there's scores of urinals here? I understand that some men put up the toilet seat in order not to soil it. I'm wondering though, why some still manage to hit the edge even with a clear shot at the middle of the bowl. There's French toilets that require crouching, so maybe it's different there. - Mgm| 21:55, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Elaborate rituals? Really? I though all you had to do was take off the diaper let him loose outdoors. I'm not a parent and I don't remember my own toilet training, but I would think that the only thing you really need to train a boy to do is how to aim (something a lot of grown men seem to have a problem doing). Guettarda 22:08, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

The Age of Silly Putty

I recently purchased an "egg" of old Silly Putty along with the original box and I'm having a very difficult time trying to determine it's age. The egg is dull yellow on one half and grey/green multicolored on the other. The box is pink and white. Text on the box includes "Silly Putty Marketing New Haven 10, Conn." on two sides in small print. "Always put your Silly Putty back in it's egg or it will run slowly away" is printed on another side. And the fourth side reads "A Real Solid Liquid" along with a list of things to do with your Silly Putty.

I have done considerable research and have been unable to locate any information that might help to determine it's age. I have a link to a photograph but I'm not sure if that is permissible at Misplaced Pages. I will post it if anyone would like to see "The Putty."

I hope this is not an inappropriate question for Misplaced Pages. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

• Our Silly Putty article says that multicoloured silly putty was first sold in the 1980's. You could try contacting the manufacturer to see when they started making that colour. Capitalistroadster 01:16, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

• • I think you misinterpreted the questioner. The egg is multi-colored. With an address with "New Haven 10", it's pre-ZIP code, so it's real early Silly Putty. I bet the box is unopened. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:30, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

• To the questioner: You may post a link to the picture, but do not upload it unless you took the picture yourself. Superm401 | Talk 00:48, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

Silly putty was marketed in plastic eggs beginning in the late 1950s and zip codes were introduced in 1963. This pins this item to about a 4 year window. alteripse 07:19, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

history fair topic - kids who took a stand

I am looking for good relevant history fair topic possibilities for my 8th grade son. The general subject area is people who took a stand for or against something. I was hoping to find some possibilities and to offer him as he begins his work. And specifically I was hoping to find something relevant to him, like a kid who took a stand in history. Or something about kids -- like child labor laws. Ages ago we watched the movie Newsies and he really liked that. So, even something about how conditions were before the first child labor laws, who the people were who took a stand against those conditions, and what changes were wrought.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

The first thing that comes to mind is Ilana Wexler, who was 11 years old when she started her web site Kids for Kerry (apparently; I'm sure she had a little help) to root on John Kerry in the 2004 US presidential election. She even gave a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. That might be a little politically charged, though, and clearly it had little effect. S.E. Hinton published the classic book The Outsiders when she was 16; is that still a "kid?" Garrett Albright 19:41, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

There's Craig Kielburger, who founded Free The Children, an anti-child labour group, when he was 12. He's quite famous in Canada, though we don't have much on him. - SimonP 21:29, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Then there was Samantha Smith, the 1980s peace activist. --Metropolitan90 22:19, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

In reference to adults taking a stand against child labor, you might be interested in the movement to stop chimney sweeps from employing children. Most notable amongst those against the practice was perhaps Lord Shaftesbury (I guess that would be Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury) who finally succeeded in puttng a stop to it. — Laura Scudder | Talk 00:57, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

• Joan of Arc might be a good example. She was only 12 when she started having her visions and by 17 was leading the French Army. Capitalistroadster 01:22, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

• • On that note, for a slightly literal definition of "took a stand", there's Los Niños Héroes (one of whom was 13, one 14) and Jack Cornwell (16)... Shimgray | talk | 13:06, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Hanseatic League, Papal decrees, Fish on fast days

Hi all you history buffs; This is a tough one . When I was in college a few millenium ago, I took a History of Religions course . In this course the professor told us that the Hanseatic trade league had persuaded( Bribed) one of the Popes to decree that on fast days meat was not allowed to be eaten and that fish should be put in its place. Fish was one of the main trading products of the league. We all know that fish are definetley part of the christian faith , ever since the loaves and fishes on the mount and Peters Gig as a Fisherman. My question to you is have their been any Papal or Church Bulls or decrees or treaties specifically made with the Hanseatic Trade League concerning fish trade and have their been any decrees by the Church requiring Christians to eat fish on Fast days? I have been trying to find an answer to this question for years and have only found one reference to Papal decree That christians should eat fish on Fridays and it had no specifific details. Thanks gang Dennis Nigrelli GOOD LUCK on this one:)

Nope. Pope Nicholas I decreed abstinence on Fridays, way before the Hanseatic League was formed. See Abstinence at the Catholic Encyclopedia (Go to the section DAYS OF ABSTINENCE), and fish is not considered meat for this purpose in the works of St Thomas Aquinas (Summa, II-II, Q. cvii, art. ult., ad 3 - according to the Catholic Encyclopedia). I heard your bribery story too, but I'm pretty sure there's no truth to it. --Diderot 19:25, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Camp Douglas Union Prison

I am interesting in learning more about the types of illnesses, rates of illnesses, medical care/types of care and deaths from all causes that occured at Camp Douglas Union Prison during the years of the Civil War. Thousands of CSA soldiers died here and I can't seem to find their medical records. Any help?

We have an article on Camp Douglas (Chicago) which points out that the camp was rather unsanitary, but doesn't go into too many specifics. Garrett Albright 19:27, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Russell H. Dorr

Three persons were originally appointed by Britain, France and the United States to the Tripartite Gold Commission, which had the responsiblity of deciding how to return treasure taken by the Nazis back to European victims and reintroduce these monies into circulation. They were Sir Desmond Morton, Jacques Rueff, and by the Americans, Russell H. Dorr. Why, given that the first two were very public persons with documented lives, is there seemingly no biographical information available about Dorr and his life? Given the high profile of the British and French appointments, it would be odd for the Americans to put forward a representative without pedigree.

Seaching online for the names of the original representatives, I have come across exactly one reference noting Dorr's name and that he was originally appointed to the Inter-Allied Reparations Agency (whatever that was).

I think an article about these subjects would be useful, since they affected monetary policy for a couple of generations as the commission apparently wasn't disbanded until decades later.

I found a couple of passing references on the web, but we do seem to lack any information on him. We have an article on Morton, but not the Frenchman, and that article doesn't mention the Commission. Something to look into... Shimgray | talk | 20:07, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for your comment. Rueff has an entry under the French part of the site. I found it previously using google and the translation comes out surprisingly readable.

Misplaced Pages

What are the various aspects of Misplaced Pages and what is available to the user?

I suggest you start by reading Welcome, newcomers and Misplaced Pages:About.-gadfium 22:28, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Ruska Castle, near Cahir Castle in co Tipperary

Can somebody please help me to find any information at all regarding this castle. I have looked and looked and come up with nothing! anything at all would be something!! thank you

• We don't have an article on "Ruska Castle" and there are no returns from Google see . Are you sure that this is the name of the castle or are there alternatives. Capitalistroadster 01:30, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

mystics religious

(no question — user meditating)

Read our wonderful articles on mysticism and category:mystics. --Gareth Hughes 22:31, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

what were 2 changes made to the declaration of independence

Have a look here: Declaration_of_Independence_(United_States)#Differences_between_draft_and_final_versions --inks 00:40, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Mandell Collection of Southern Caliofornia

Hi. I kept noticing that a violins, etc. played by famouse musicians are often loans from "Mandell Collection of Southern California." What is the Mandell Collection of Southern California? Also, who is this Peter Mandell person who collects stuff? How did he become a collector? Thanks.

Amish vs Mennonite

In Canada we have an Amish community. I would like to know the difference between Amish and Mennonite. I know that Mennonite is the main religion and Amish is a branch of it. (I think). If you could explain simply the difference I would appreciate it.

See Amish and Mennonite, especially the former. Ornil 02:02, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Short answer: the Amish are a highly visible branch of Anabaptism because of their rather fetishistic beliefs about clothes, farming, electricity, cars and the German language. Mennonites are less visible, but at their most conservative are almost Amish - the Old Order Mennonites, for example, or the "Black bumpers". However, the bulk of Mennonites are indistinguishable from other evangelical movements and live little differently from other people. --Diderot 07:50, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

You are right in that Amish are a branch of the Mennonite tradition. In general Old Order Mennonites are more common in Canada than Amish. DJ Clayworth 17:36, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

My Grandpa always preferred to think of himself as a Mennonite, the Amish as non-Mennonite, but both as very much a part of the Anabaptist tradition. The distinction is purely terminological - the Amish and the non-Amish Mennonites clearly belong to something in common - but how it's designated varies. --Diderot 18:58, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Violence in East Timor aginst Women

Do u have any articles that have to do with violences (rape, abbues etc.) on the women of East Timor 64.136.49.225 02:22, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

When, now or during Indonesia's occupation?

Our article on the History of East Timor doesn't specifically mention violence against women, and none of the other relevant articles seem to. Feel free to add material if you find something that you think is appropriate for our articles, or start a new one if you have some encyclopedic material that's not suitably covered in an existing article.

In general, our coverage of third-world countries is somewhat less comprehensive than I'd like it to be; there's still far too much imprint of the very limited perspective of the CIA World Factbook in our articles.--Robert Merkel 03:59, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

• The Timor-Leste Scorched Earth article about the violence leading up to the 1999 referendum mentions nothing about violence against women in particular. Our History of East Timor article contains a quote from Noam Chomsky about 2,000 rapes. While I generally take anything from Noam Chomsky with a large grain of salt, it coincides with my memory. This article explains further about the situation on violence against women see . It might be worth copying this inquiry and comments over to the History of East Timor talk page. Capitalistroadster 04:18, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Foreign head-of-state security

The bodyguards of the US President are the famous Secret Service. But what about other countries? Do the various security details guarding the Australian Prime Minister, German President etc. have any specific name?

I'll start it off - in New Zealand they are called the "Diplomatic Protection Squad", although their protection is not limited to the Prime Minister alone.--inks 04:59, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

• The Australian Protective Service protects the Australian Prime Minister and other VIPs such as the Governor-General as well as sensitive defence areas and foreign diplomats in Australia. Capitalistroadster 05:25, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

In Britain, it seems to be the Diplomatic Protection Group.-gadfium 06:30, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

In Germany, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) or "federal police agency" is responsible for these tasks. Within the BKA, a special ops group called "Sicherungsgruppe" / (SG) Protection Unit is organizing the protection of all important politicians in Germany. If a foreign head of state is visiting Germany, the BKA / SG is responsible for their security as well.--nodutschke 14:58, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

God

Who is God?

• I would suggest looking at our God article for starters. Yahweh and Allah are other alternatives. For more choices, see our articles on Deity, Gods and Goddesses for information. Capitalistroadster 05:22, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Games & Theory

What is "games & theory" anyway? Example of using: "-- I got Games & Theory. -- Games & Theory? That's Military Intelligence..."

• Do you mean Game theory? Capitalistroadster 09:43, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

12 hours day 12 hours night

What is the word given to 12 hours daytime 12 hours night.

Equinox is the title and it occurs twice a year on March 21 and September 21. Capitalistroadster 09:41, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, around March 21st and September 21st. This year the autumnal equinox was on September 22nd. Brian Schlosser42 16:42, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

who is jose corazon de jesus?

I have answered this question above. He was a significant Filipino poet in the early nineteenth century. Capitalistroadster 09:48, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

how are monsoons a boon to indian economy

Our Monsoon article explains about monsoons. Our Climate of India states that they supply 80% of India's water so they enable crops to grow. Capitalistroadster 10:42, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Katrina

Why was the name Katrina designated to the very wicked hurricane? Was it because the name belonged to a wicked personality ? If so Who?

• Our Tropical cyclone (Hurricane redirects there) article states that the names are taken from a list of names. Destructive cyclones have their names retired so Hurricane Katrina will be the last hurricane so named. Our Lists of tropical cyclones article explains the lists used throughout the world. North America was on Year III of the list in 2005 so Katrina was the name on the list of storms prepared by the National Hurricane Center. Capitalistroadster 10:30, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
  • It's Lists of tropical cyclone names - I've made the above link a redirect. Proto t c 11:18, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

I have a hurricane question

I see from the Lists of tropical cyclone names that we're on List III at the moment in the North Atlantic hurrican naming convention (or whatever it's called). And so we had Hurricane Katrina, and then Hurrican Rita a few weeks later. But what happened to Hurricanes Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, and Philippe? Proto t c 11:17, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Never mind, I've just answered my own question. 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Proto t c 11:20, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

which animal did vasco da gama document while he was around the east african coast?

Human. According to Round Africa to India,

"On the day after we had cast anchor, that is to say on Thursday (November 9), we landed with the captain-major, and made captive one of the natives, who was small of stature like Sancho Mexia. This man had been gathering honey in the sandy waste, for in this country the bees deposit their honey at the foot of the mounds around the bushes. He was taken on board the captain-major's ship, and being placed at table he ate of all we ate. On the following day the captain-major had him well dressed and sent ashore."

"They are of tawny complexion. Some of them have big beards and long hair, whilst others clip their hair short or shave the head, merely allowing a tuft to remain on the crown as a sign that they are Christians. They also wear moustaches. They pierce the ears and wear much gold in them. They go naked down to the waist, covering their lower extremities with very fine cotton stuffs. But it is only the most respectable who do this, for the others manage as best they are able. The women of this country, as a rule, are ugly and of small stature. They wear many jewels of gold round the neck, numerous bracelets on their arms, and rings set with precious stones on their toes. All these people are well-disposed and apparently of mild temper. At first sight they seem covetous and ignorant."

If you are interested in doing your own homework, see Vasco da Gama for more information. Superm401 | Talk 00:41, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

• So would the answer be a bee or a human? alteripse 00:45, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Damn it. I was looking for an unambiguously sarcastic quote. I'll go back and get a better one. Superm401 | Talk 00:51, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

President Bush Speech Writers?

Who makes up the team currently writing President Bush's speeches?-

Taniwha

I am trying to find out if a Taniwha has a child or a baby, and if so, what the Maori word is for a Taniwha's child or baby is. I have read some of the legends of Taniwha, but have been unable to ascertain whether Taniwha's have children or babies. 24.189.42.160 14:30, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Eearly American History

How should Columbus' expedition be viewed. As a success or a failure?

• Depends, he was trying to find India which he failed to miserably. But he did manage to sail across the Atlantic which was certainly successful. Most ships went around the south of Africa as people where afraid to fall of the edge of the earth. - Mgm| 16:22, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Naw, everybody knew the world was round. They were afraid of bad currents, sea monsters, and just plain getting lost. --Diderot 16:41, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

As I understand it, the prevailing opinion at the time was that the world was indeed round, but large enough that getting to Asia (as Columbus was trying to do) would take too long. Columbus thought the world was small enough to make the trip. As it turned out he was wrong, but lucked out in finding another continent. DJ Clayworth 17:32, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

• For whom, and by what metre? Columbus died rich, and nuttier than Christmas fruit cake. So, if you attribute his wealth to his expeditions (which is pretty well documented) it was a stunning success for Columbus. If you attribute his lunacy to his expeditions, then perhaps not. Spain was rich - arguably the wealthiest state in Europe - when Columbus set off. Afterwards, it acquired huge assets in gold and silver that... ruined the value of those minerals and bankrupted the state in extraction costs, opening the door to the Dutch, French and English who stored their wealth in things other than gold. On the other hand, Spanish is spoken on several continents and Spanish culture is secure and thriving. So, it might have been one small step backwards for Spain, but a giant leap forward for Spanishkind. For the rest of Europe... well, they'd probably have made the trip anyway soon enough. But Columbus did bring them wonders like corn, potatoes, tobacco and syphilis - bringing on single crop subsistence which caused overpopulation and poor nutrition for centuries to come; and causing countless cases of drug addiction and heart disease, all while messing up sex for millions of Europeans, ultimately leading to that extinguisher of a good lay, the condom. So for Europe... still maybe just so-so. For Native Americans, of course, it was the vector of lethal plagues and epidemics that destroyed their societies and led to their conquest by outsiders. On the other hand, they have casinos now. --Diderot 16:41, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

And of course, as it says at the top of the page do your own homework. The point of a question like this is to investigate the plusses and minuses of what he did. DJ Clayworth 17:29, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Samoobrona-Lepper

Who is president of Samoobrona Polska LEpper and is it truth that Samoobrona is now biggest opostion party in Poland

Molestation Laws

What are some molestation laws in other parts of the world?

paper

• Paper what? - Mgm| 20:24, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

what hemispheres is russia located

(plus the great lakes question)

Per the instructions at the top, do your own homework. Feel free to check out Russia or Great Lakes, however. — Lomn | Talk / RfC 21:47, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

The Duprees

Can anyone make an artical on the doo wop band "The Duprees"? I don't know much about them, but i'm interested