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July 17

Directories for door-to-door solicitation

I live in the United States and whenever people come to my house and knock on my door trying to sell something or promote a political candidate, somehow they already know my name. They appear to be referencing some directory on the tablet computers, but I don't even own the house, I rent. How do they have my name? 2602:30A:2C51:9390:E45E:F53D:B108:345B (talk) 03:01, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

The FBI. _Muffled 06:54, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

In the UK, the electoral roll is publicly available and routinely used by marketers to target residents. I don't know if the same is true in the US. Rojomoke (talk) 09:07, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Ditto in New Zealand. Also, if you've ever bought a product or expressed interest in one and agreed to receive promotional material, your address and personal details may have been onsold by the company. Akld guy (talk) 09:16, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

A quick check shows that US voter registration lists should only be available to elected officials and candidates for elections - so those trying to sell you something must have got the names from another source. Those standing for political office obviously have a right to know who the voters are, so that they can contact them and try and convince them.Wymspen (talk) 11:15, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Yes, this is correct. I'm a registered U.S. voter and politicians and campaigns have access to my registration info, which I know because I get unsolicited communications from them. --71.110.8.102 (talk) 21:37, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

In Ireland, you can specify that your details be excluded from the "edited register". They will still be on the "full register", which is publicly available but cannot be used by marketers. Election candidates can use the full register to mass-mail their election leaflet, but they can't use it to find out your name when their canvassers call to your door. Of course the canvassers can call to your door anyway without knowing your name. jnestorius 14:51, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Same in UK; when you register you are given the option of not appearing on the edited register.--Ykraps (talk) 16:04, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

If your name is in the phone book, then they've got you. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 12:03, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

US phone books have addresses with the numbers? 86.28.195.109 (talk) 13:42, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

I can't say they "all" do, but for every one I've seen over the years, the answer is "Yes". It's a simple matter to collect that information and then sort it by address or phone number. There are many websites that have already done this, usually pay sites. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 13:48, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Most countries include addresses in their telephone directories, including Wales where you geolocate to. How else would you know you had the right David Jones?--Ykraps (talk) 16:04, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

"What's a phone book?" --71.110.8.102 (talk) 21:37, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Read Telephone directory for an explanation. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 22:43, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Companies like LexisNexis hoover up and store all kinds of information about people and sell it. When renting, your landlord likely did a background check on you through one of these services. There are all manner of other places they get data as well. Got any bank accounts? Ever applied for life insurance? You would likely be surprised at how much data they have; LexisNexis generally will have a record of every residence you've lived at in the U.S. You can actually request all the information they have on you at no cost. See Fair Credit Reporting Act and . Many Americans know about credit reports, but other "reporting agencies" are covered by the same law. --71.110.8.102 (talk) 21:30, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

If you own your house, your deed with your name on it is publicly available information (at the local county clerk's office or similar). shoy (reactions) 13:41, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Dead dynamic page

In Incirlik Air Base there are two sources provided for the runway's length. The first ref is archived, but still it requires logging in (so it's useless). The second says it's a category E runway, 1490-4800m long.

1. This is a good time to ask about linking dynamic pages, like the ones the provide data only upon typing it in a box without redirecting to a subpage (POST requests). How to deal with those? Are they allowed?
2. What about the specific reference? It's not directly linking to the material, and moreover it requires credentials.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140823135326/http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/publicuser/protect/pu/main.jsp. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2015. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

"PilotWeb - LTAG". FAA.gov. Retrieved 17 July 2016.

—Hexafluoride 07:43, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Question about "Open Carry - Firearm" Laws in the United States.

I'm all in favor of Open Carry for Firearms. My question is, do these privileges (or rights?) apply only to firearms? What about martial arts weapons, swords, nunchucks, etc . . .

I'm sure this issue has been addressed already. Is there any lobbying going on for "Open Carry" of Battle Axes and what not? Thanks. Zombiesturm (talk) 17:47, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

The answer would depend on the wording of the laws in each of the 50 states. You could start with Open carry in the United States, and bear in mind that none of those items you mention would stand up well to gunfire. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 17:59, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

That article is not authoritative (Misplaced Pages after all is not a specialised legal journal), but the article does clearly state that "Open Carry" pertains to firearms only. Zombiesturm (talk) 18:16, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages, technically, is not authoritative on anything. As to swords vs. guns, here's a classic illustration: ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 18:20, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

I googled "does texas open carry include swords" and here's an item that came up. As of last fall, at least, swords and clubs as weapons are illegal in Texas. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 18:24, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Then we need to change that law. Zombiesturm (talk) 18:33, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

If you live in Texas, you could write to your state representative and/or state senator and propose it. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 18:34, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Or you could carry a baseball bat.

(Quick anecdote: an ex-Royal Navy friend once went ashore in (I think) Savannah, Ga. with half a dozen crewmates, and all bought souvenir baseball bats with their names burnt on. Next one of them decided he needed to draw some cash, so they all ambled into the nearest bank with the bats carried over their shoulders. This caused a degree of consternation until their innocence (and naïvety) was established. The subsequent remark by the bank's security guard was very amusing but too racist to repeat here.)

The point being, many innocent items can readily be used as weapons – some asian martial arts weapons are merely modified agricultural implements. That said, police generally have legal avenues to arrest people "acting suspiciously" by carrying items they deem inappropriate to the situation. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.105} 2.123.26.60 (talk) 19:10, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

And wasn't it Maxwell Smart who occasionally said something like: "I'm required by law to warn you that these hands are registered as a lethal weapon"? -2606:A000:4C0C:E200:9559:2AAF:B103:4945 (talk) 23:04, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

"Frankly, Mr Smart, I find that difficult to believe." ... "In that case, would you believe they're registered with the National Association of Pedicure Customers ?". StuRat (talk) 20:33, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Would you believe that catchphrase was an established part of Don Adams' schtick before Get Smart was created? ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 00:36, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Yes I would, as many comedians bring their old routines into their shows, from Bob Newhart to Drew Carey and Ray Romano. StuRat (talk) 02:09, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

He might well have said it, but he wasn't the only one. I googled "hands registered as lethal weapons" and got a variety of hits, most of them saying it's a pop-culture myth going back to at least the 1950s. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 00:11, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

When Ralph Malph said it, the other guy blandly replied, "So's the chain in my pocket." —Tamfang (talk) 08:00, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

As mentioned here , swords and other bladed weapons are often regulated under laws traditionally aimed as knives. The article suggests that open carrying a sword is okay in some jurisdictions (including apparently California) but that one can often get in trouble if you try to concealed carry (so no cane swords). Other jurisdictions, prohibit any carrying of any "knives" longer than a certain size in public, whether or not they are held openly. Some jurisdictions have exceptions for items used for religious, ceremonial, and martial arts purposes, while other jurisdictions do not. See also knife legislation. Ultimately, it seems likely that the answer is going to be very jurisdiction specific. Dragons flight (talk) 08:18, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Newspaper The West Australian as a source for the article.

Dear Editors, I have just started an article and need to find an issue of the newspaper The West Australian (1998). Can someone help me this task? Regards, Chris Oxford.Chris Oxford (talk) 21:10, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Try WP:RX. --Viennese Waltz 07:08, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

July 18

Robert Fisk

I am looking for the PhD thesis of Robert Fisk. Your page on him says he earned it in 1985 from Trinity College. But I cannot seem to find it online.

Thanks. 197.78.135.153 (talk) 13:51, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

In 1985 he published, as a book, "In Time of War: Ireland, Ulster and the Price of Neutrality, 1939–1945" - while his 1983 thesis was entitled "A condition of limited warfare: Éire's neutrality and the relationship between Dublin, Belfast and London, 1939–1945". I strongly suspect the book is basically his thesis, possibly slightly modified for publication. That book is listed on Amazon - but if you want the actual thesis you may have to go to Trinity College to access it in their library. Wymspen (talk) 14:10, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

While TCD has selected 2000 of its theses for digitization in 2016, Fisk's is not among them (its location is "Berkeley Stacks", not "Offsite digitisation") jnestorius 17:43, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Berezovka

I need to verify that Berezovka River is synonymous with Beryozovka River, (a Kolyma tributary, Siberia). Although I am certain that it is, that would constitute WP:OR. Upon verification, please create a redirect. Thanks in advance. --2606:A000:4C0C:E200:F4F7:2137:52D:3045 (talk) 15:05, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
—P.s.: this request is in reference to the Woolly mammoth article. I don't want to add a redlink to a 'featured article'.

Yup, it's the same river. The Russian Beryozovka Mammoth article mentions a "Beryozovka river, a right-bank tributary of the Kolyma." The variant spelling is due to the status of Ё (yo) in Russian Asmrulz (talk) 15:28, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Thanks again. 2606:A000:4C0C:E200:F4F7:2137:52D:3045 (talk) 15:32, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Mark Levin, supply side economics

What does Mark Levin say about supply side economics?205.124.145.253 (talk) 22:17, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

That's a pretty broad question. Try googling "mark levin supply side economics" and you'll find plenty of entries, some of which you might find of interest. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 00:35, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

gee thanks144.35.45.70 (talk) 16:40, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

July 19

What purpose does the reference desk serve?

What is the intended purpose of the Misplaced Pages reference desk? Does the reference desk serve to help answer topical questions where the answers may not be very easily located? Or does it serve to help direct people to where they may find that information? Or both? The reason I ask is because I tend to see questions that are outside the scope of the above two, and yet they are usually responded to anyway, mostly politely, sometimes facetiously. 128.227.142.245 (talk) 14:40, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

See reference desk. (In general, this sort of discussion belongs on the talk page.) Rmhermen (talk) 15:08, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

• It's all of the above and more. Although there are guidelines, they are generally loosely applied, so anything goes basically. In addition, it's also the personal playground of several permanent trolls, but that's a whole other problem altogether. Fgf10 (talk) 15:12, 19 July 2016 (UTC)
  • Indeed, I had considered asking the question on the talk page, but I believed that my question falls under the scope of that which a reference desk would answer. 128.227.142.245 (talk) 15:38, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

(edit conflict)

The intended purpose is both. It is supposed to be a Misplaced Pages version of a library's reference desk (for example, see: Reference desk). Also, WP editors who either need to verify an articles information with sources, or find information to expand an article can come here for assistance. What it actually is is open to debate, which your question serves to initiate.

For more information about Misplaced Pages reference desk, see:

• "The paradox of expertise: is the Misplaced Pages Reference Desk as good as your library?". Journal of Documentation. 65 (6): 977–996. 16 October 2009. doi:10.1108/00220410910998951. ISSN 0022-0418.
• "Misplaced Pages's Reference Desk Will Answer Any Question You Have | The World's Best News for you | BestTheNews.com |Bestthenews community, Blogs news". bestthenews.com.

--2606:A000:4C0C:E200:ACF5:3AA9:C5D2:ED6 (talk) 15:28, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Hello (seeking statistics on violence against black men in Alabama)

July 20

Sony CMT-HPX7 disc player troubleshoot

Is there a website that deals with problems of Sony CMT-HPX7 especially with the disc player part? My one reads and skips and reads another one and skips that one. I am fed up with this jukebox. Please and thanks. Donmust90 (talk) 01:41, 20 July 2016 (UTC)Donmust90Donmust90 (talk) 01:41, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

We do not offer technical advice. If the device is still within warranty, you may want to contact Sony directly. Otherwise, the disc player may be nearing the end of its operating life.--WaltCip (talk) 13:24, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Something to try is a CD cleaner. You put some alcohol solution on it and it cleans the device. You can probably buy one at a record store. Certainly no guarantee that it will fix the problem, but it's a cheap solution if it works. StuRat (talk) 14:12, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

A solution in more ways than one. Two, to be precise. -- Jack of Oz 00:48, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

Salut ! StuRat (talk) 04:17, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

Na zdorovye! -- Jack of Oz 08:13, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

Indian 4chan and reddit users being called "POO"

When identifiable Indian users (shown by their geolocation flag) post on 4chan or reddit, other users often follow up their posts with "POO" in all capitals. Multiple different users from all different counties do this and it is only ever targeted at Indians. What does it mean? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 111.252.137.230 (talk) 15:58, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

It may refer to sanitation issues in India. See e.g. here or here for descriptions of how 4chan mocks India/ Indians with respect to fecal matter.

For information on sanitation in India, see e.g. Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_India.

(P.S. 4chan is widely known for being full of racists, bigots, misogynists as well as other sorts of generally ignorant and mean-spirited misanthropes. So do your self a favor and don't hang out there ;) SemanticMantis (talk) 16:49, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Yes, D E S I G N A T E D (for "designated shitting streets") is another common phrase to see. clpo13_(talk) 16:51, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Agree. 4chan is a bigoted Internet hellhole. Gamergate has made it worse by validating misogyny. --WaltCip (talk) 17:20, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

How many people are known to have been hit by a ballpark's balls while outside of it?

Outside the exterior walls of any kind of ballpark except for (un)official ball catching areas like McCovey Cove. If you manage to get hit while trying to catch it that's not surprising.

What about cricket stadiums, golf courses and track and field tracks? (I don't think a field implement has gone further than "near the runners") Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 23:28, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

I'm almost positive there is no complete record of everyone it by a sporting implement from the entire history of sport. Even just taking baseball, there are on any given day in the U.S. literally over a hundred professional baseball games. No one is cataloging every ball that hit someone outside the stadium over the course of 150 years of professional baseball. Major league stadiums, being larger, are less likely to have balls leave the stadium entirely, but even there it does happen. here is a pretty good article about famous instances of that happening in the Majors. The most recent such occurrence is when Nelson Cruz did so about a month ago: . In smaller minor league baseball parks, many of which have no outfield bleachers, it happens much more frequently. Whether any such balls have ever struck a person is hard to answer, but I'd find it odd in all of the history of millions of games, it has never happened.--Jayron32 00:15, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

I concur that there's no way to know. If something really bad happened, like someone being killed, it would be a news item for a while, and it might be in public death records, so could be counted, with a lot of research. But someone merely being hit (or their vehicle being hit) probably would not get covered in the media. When major league parks were the size of today's high level minor league parks, there were lots of baseballs hit out of the park, fair and foul. Babe Ruth hit one in Detroit that went across the intersection of Cherry and Trumbull, about 575 feet on the fly. No indication anyone was hit, though that doesn't mean it didn't happen. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 01:42, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

Every single one of them, they were known to/by someone. That's the answer to the question in the heading. Now, if the question had been " How many people are known to have been hit...", the answer would be different. Yeah, it's a slow day today.. Moriori (talk) 02:02, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

The OP's question is was worded rather awkwardly. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 02:53, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

The question reminded me of Miller v Jackson, known to generations of law students for Lord Denning's opening "In summertime village cricket is the delight of everyone...". Though I'm not sure anyone was actually hit by the cricket balls in question. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 11:13, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

If they had, it could knock the de-lights out of them. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 11:32, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

July 21

Very important, please read

Jack of Oz: I'm don't know if your hatting was correct, but nicely done - Reasons for hatting... -- Apostle (talk) 05:39, 22 July 2016 (UTC)

July 22

What is a "silent cheer"?

This story has been making the rounds recently - an Australian school has banned applause in its assemblies: instead, the pupils students service users recipients of education must perform a "silent cheer". But what does this involve? A preliminary Google search is only coming up with this news story, and metaphorical uses of the term. Tevildo (talk) 00:44, 22 July 2016 (UTC)

It's described right there in the article you linked. "If you've been to a school assembly recently, you may have noticed our students doing silent cheers," it said. "Instead of clapping, the students are free to punch the air, pull excited faces and wriggle about on the spot.

Deaf people often 'clap' by putting their hands in the air, with fingers stretched out, and rotating their wrist back and forth, and/or wiggling fingers. (short example)

Is article 50 of the Lisbon treaty reversible?

The Independent newspaper makes a claim that Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty is reversible:

10. Triggering Article 50 is reversible! Not many people know this. But the UK can formally trigger its Article 50 request and then withdraw the request before Brexit actually takes place, if the country wants to.

I find this rather dubious. Unless there is some other rule or regulation that controls this it seems quite clear that there are three possible outcomes of invoking the article; ; extension, leaving with a deal or leaving by default after two years. I would argue that deciding to stay would be a negotiated agreement, requiring a qualified majority vote. However I can see an argument that it would be a change to articles and procedures, requiring a unanimous vote (I suppose if this was the case a country could always make an agreement that is almost the same as remaining to get a majority rather than unanimous vote). Is there some other way that a country could withdraw invocation of the article?

REad this - http://uk.businessinsider.com/brexit-how-does-article-50-work-2016-7 - and decide if you still think it is doubtful. The House of Lords got legal opinion about this, which agreed that it could be reversed as long as the final agreement, or the two year deadline, has not passed. Wymspen (talk) 07:47, 22 July 2016 (UTC)

Do we know whether that reflects consensus? This is what the actual report says:

"Can a Member State’s decision to withdraw be reversed? 10. We asked our witnesses whether it was possible to reverse a decision to withdraw. Both agreed that a Member State could legally reverse a decision to withdraw from the EU at any point before the date on which the withdrawal agreement took effect. Once the withdrawal agreement had taken effect, however, withdrawal was final. Sir David told us: “It is absolutely clear that you cannot be forced to go through with it if you do not want to: for example, if there is a change of Government.”10 Professor Wyatt supported this view with the following legal analysis: “There is nothing in the wording to say that you cannot. It is in accord with the general aims of the Treaties that people stay in rather than rush out of the exit door. There is also the specific provision in Article 50 to the effect that, if a State withdraws, it has to apply to rejoin de novo. That only applies once you have left. If you could not change your mind after a year of thinking about it, but before you had withdrawn, you would then have to wait another year, withdraw and then apply to join again. That just does not make sense. Analysis of the text suggests that you are entitled to change your mind.”11 11. Professor Wyatt clarified that “a Member State remains a member of the European Union until the withdrawal agreement takes effect”, so would continue its membership on the same legal terms as before the decision to withdraw.12 12. Both witnesses drew a distinction, however, between the law and the politics of such a scenario. While the law was clear, “the politics of it would be completely different”, according to Professor Wyatt.13 Likewise, Sir David did not think that the politics “were as easy as saying, ‘The negotiations are over and we are back to where we started’”.14 13. We note in this context that the Conclusions of the 18–19 February 2016 European Council, at which the terms of the ‘New Settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union’ were agreed, stated that “should the result of the referendum in the United Kingdom be for it to leave the European Union, the set of arrangements referred to [regarding the ‘New Settlement’] will cease to exist”.15 In other words, the outcome of the recent renegotiation of the UK’s membership terms will, in the event of a vote to leave the EU, fall the moment the result of the referendum is known." --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 09:22, 22 July 2016 (UTC)

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