Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2006 July 29

History of science question
Hi - I was hoping someone could help me find some mention in historical texts of animals using camouflage - called crypsis. I posed this question on the Science Desk, and got some good answers, but they were referring to the 19th century, whereas I'm looking for something earlier than the 17th century - maybe in a bestiary, or in the notes of a natural philosopher? I know this is an obscure question, but if anyone could help, I'd be most appreciative. Thanks Adambrowne666 00:57, 29 July 2006 (UTC)
 * "Protective resemblance of a species to its background must have been known to hunters from the beginning. The change of coat of some northern animals to white in winter was known to Theophrastus ( fourth century B.C.) and has been familiar through the ages. From Pliny ( first century A.D.) and Aelian (c. A.D. 200) onward the power of the chameleon to alter its colour according to its surroundings has been frequently remarked. In the seventeenth century Redi (p. 440) drew attention to the peculiarities of the 'stick insects' and like forms. Chameleon and green tree-frog attracted Vallisnieri (p. 208) in the eighteenth century."
 * mentions some places to look anyway. Redi is found in Esperienze intorno alla generazione degli inettis ( Observations on the generation of insects), Florence, 1668 and looks to be available online. Someone needs to write an article for Antonio Vallisnieri, the work referred to is by Claude Perrault and published by the French Académie des Sciences, 1715.EricR 01:46, 29 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Claude Perrault seems to have died prior to 1715, so i have no idea where Vallisnieri can be found.EricR 01:50, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Excellent, thanks all. Adambrowne666 23:52, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Successful Jews
I know this sounds really stereotypical, but why are the Jews such a successful people? It may not be true in every case, but I every Jew I have ever met/listened to/heard about were always either doctors, psychologists, comedians, or prophets (among other other successful jobs)! What makes them to be so? Is it a genetic thing that makes them all have a drive to achieve something? Just wondering. Thanks. schyler 01:02, 29 July 2006 (UTC)####You know what they say "THREE FIRES AND THEN SUCESS"


 * I don't think it's a genetic thing, I think it's more of a cultural component combined with opportunity. For example, Christians though usury was immoral, but Jews didn't, and so they got to profit from it.  I'd say look at model minority but there's not much info on Jewish people there.  --ColourBurst 01:38, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Just to refine Colour's statement, I don't think the word usury is appropriate here. Usury is the exhorbitant charging of interest. Christians as well as Jews both believed usury to be immoral. In fact, both religions viewed any sort of charging of interest, even at a reasonable rate, to be immoral. The twist comes in the fact that while both regarded the charging of interest as against their respective religions, it only seemed to apply when the interest was charged to another person of the same religion. Therefore, Christians could not lend money for interest to other Christians, and likewise, Jews could not charge interest from Jews. However, apparently, it was perfectly ok for a Jew to charge interest from a Christian, and vice versa.


 * Jews, being a small minority, and prohibited from owning land, naturally went into the banking business, as it was permissible for both religions to have things arranged this way. Usury is an abusive practice, and should not have been introduced here. Loomis 11:13, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * See also Ashkenazim. grendel|khan 02:59, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

(edit conflict)
 * There's a recent paper by Gregory Cochran arguing for a genetic component to the higher average IQ scores of Ashkenazi Jews, but that theory is not generally accepted in the scientific community. The more obvious explanation is that the Jewish culture places a high priority on education, so on average Jews will be overrepresented in the fields of medicine, law, science, and other areas requiring many years of postsecondary studies. For more discussion of this, see Talk:Ashkenazi Jews and also the article Ashkenazi intelligence. --Mathew5000 03:06, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * It's not like bricklayers don't achieve anything. They just don't make as much money. One thing I can think of is that Jews have been prosecuted so much that they had to have something to compensate. Money is a nice one, so they may have traditionally focused on professions that make more money. And medical professions are then a good option. Something similar can be noticed here in the Netherlands, where there are ever more immigrants in the medical professions (loads of muslims at chemists' for one). However, Jews are also overrepresented in the sciences, I believe (or is this a myth?). Could this also have a cultural cause or is it higher IQ's? DirkvdM 06:45, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

One historical reason is that Jews were barred from owning land in many places. This may sound like a negative, but ultimately forced many into businesses which ultimately had higher profit potential. If you own a patch of land, the profit you can make from it (in the form of crops) is strictly limited, whereas if you loan money, own a store, etc., the profit potential is almost unlimited. StuRat 07:37, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Oh yes, and money lending was considered unchristian (something in the bible forbids it, but modern day chrstians don't read the bible anymore), so that was left to the Jews. Which was of course profitable. So people got pissed off and, well, the rest is history. DirkvdM 19:02, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

i think the persecution argument is the strongest. here in the Uk for example, the average gay man (accoring to the home office) earns around 34000 pounds a year which is significantly higher than the uk average (somewhere around the mid-twenties) - all this despite the fact that gay man are something like ten times less likely to finsih school than there heterosexual peers - so proving yourself to the wider world must be quite a factor. although two thumbs way up for the guy who pointed out that success shouldnt be measured by money. 201.9.82.172 23:13, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Regarding gay men, there's no way that both those statistics (a tenth as likely to finish school, and significantly higher average income) are correct. Regarding Jews, I don't understand the responses of StuRat and DirkvdM. The original question was, why are there so many Jews who are successful doctors, psychologists, comedians and prophets. It is not much of an answer to say that a long time ago they weren't allowed to own land and Christians weren't allowed to lend money for interest, since today those conditions do not apply. --Mathew5000 03:12, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The "gay men are 1/10th as likely to graduate" sounds quite wrong to me. As for why historical reasons would apply today, money and skills and property are frequently passed down from generation to generation.  In the middle ages, this would take the form of the sons inheriting the father's profession, including the shop, equipment, etc., and learning all the skills directly from the father.  In modern times, children still can inherit their parent's occupation, but more often choose another occupation within the same general income range.  That is, blue collar workers tend to have blue collar offspring, white collar workers have white collar offspring, etc.  The reasons for this include whether parents demand that their kids graduate high school, pay for them to go to college, etc.  A blue collar parent who doesn't value school and only congratulates his kids when they win sports events is unlikely to have highly successful kids (unless they get lucky and can play sports professionally).  So, once an ethnic group has a certain degree of success, that success tends to be passed down through the generations indefinitely. StuRat 00:31, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I would seriously doubt any genetic component to it. Genetics can explain skin or eye color, but concepts like ambition are far to complex to attribute to someone's chromosomes. It is largely cultural. I like to joke that whoever wrote Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" certainly wasn't Jewish. Joking aside, it's hard to make any sweeping generalizations, since I've known Jewish people who have been content to live modest, working-class lives or have been screw-ups in their attempts to be "successful." But in most Jewish families I have known, the expectation level is higher than what you'd see, say, in a typical family of West Virginia steelworkers. Again, I don't want to stereotype; I've met my share of people who have come from working-class backgrounds and become CEOs or the like. But if your dad works in a coal mine, his expectation for you is probably different that it would be if he was a lawyer. A third-generation coal miner might be more accepting of a son who goes straight from high school to a job in the mines or in a factory, while the lawyer would be more likely to insist that the son continue his education. So the easy answer to your question is Jewish people are more likely than the general population to be doctors, lawyers, etc., because they are more likely have had parents who had a middle-class background.

The more difficult question is how so many Jewish families in the West got to that point in the first place. For this, we do have to look at history, even if conditions have changed. The restrictions of Christian Europe had forced Jews to become basically an urban merchant class in many areas. This prepared them well for life in the U.S. If you were to look at a mid-size American town in the 50s, half of the store owners might have been Jewish. With the decline of small retail, there might not be as many Jewish store owners as there used to be, but many of those merchants' kids went on to become doctors, lawyers, professors and so on.

Another thing to consider is the value Jews traditionally have placed in education and learning. Due to religious considerations, Jews have always been a highly literate people. I've been told even today, Jews read far more books per capita than do non-Jews in the U.S. I was surprised to see that one of the top-selling books in a Prague bookstore was the Czech translation of Leo Rosten's The New Joys of Yiddish. Prague doesn't have a huge Jewish community, but either the ones there read a lot or Czech Gentiles are really interested in Yiddish for some reason. -- Mwalcoff 04:47, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * There's a difference between noticing a link between two things and being able to explain it. So if we don't understand the genetics behind ambition that doesn't mean we can't find a link between the two. But I agree that the cultural tradition is very important and that was indeed my point hereabove. This also in answer to Mathew's remark.
 * How does judaism inspire literacy? DirkvdM 07:55, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * All Jewish men are expected to be able to read the Torah and are encouraged to study other Jewish texts. This presumably meant literacy was far higher in the Jewish population than it was for centuries in the Christian population. The medieval Church was far less enthusiastic about literacy among lay people. -- Mwalcoff 12:36, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Ah, yes, literacy was actually discouraged because people started reading the bible then they might start asking nasty questions like "Where did the people that Kain met come from?". But didn't the Jews have the same problem then? And Muslims for that matter, because all three religions regard the old testament as a holy book. DirkvdM 07:41, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Nope. Judaism encourages the asking of difficult questions. To the extent that it just about celebrates them. The rabbis of the Talmud were happy to admit defeat on occasion and concede that a question was beyond them. The bible itself differentiates between "laws" and "statutes", only the former of which can be rationalised. I've many-a-time heard rabbis floored by a cracker of a question, say "A good question is better than a bad answer". Not a bad maxim to go by. --Dweller 09:38, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Mwalcoff has the most sensible answer of any of those above. It is a much simpler answer to say there are cultural traditions and circumstances which lead to people of a similar culture gravitating towards certain habits and professions than it is to posit some sort of "ambition gene" (I should also note that being a lawyer or an accountant is not necessarily the most ambitious thing in the world depending on the culture you are in -- sometimes it is downright conservative). --Fastfission 21:39, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Union of England and Scotland.
I have a buckle which has a Crown over a Thistle and a Rose above intertwined Hearts and has the inscription around "Jubilee 50th Year, People United and King Supported" The buckle is made of gilt metal and is 6.5 x 4.5 cm. Can anybody help me to find out if this is from an Association or a Political Party? Mt thanks in advance.


 * The last British king to reign for 50 years was George III of the United Kingdom, but he was on the verge of being declared insane at the time. More recently, kings ruled from 1901-1953.  Does it look like it's early 19th century or 20th century? AnonMoos 09:43, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The 1901-53 doesnt count. You cant lump successive male monarchs together like that. Jameswilson 23:41, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Sounds interesting. Unfortunately, you give little information about the buckle's age. Can you post a photo? Does it look very old?

The thistle and the rose could be allegories of Scotland and England. They were joined when James VI of Scotland became James I of England (although of course, he would have just been called "King James" at the time). That was 1603 when Elizabeth died. The Jubilee referred to could be the jubilee of the union, being 1653, when we run into a bit of a blind alley, because that's right splat in the middle of the Interregnum.

The buckle could therefore be that of a supporter of the (then) future Charles II, whose supporters backdated the start of his reign to 1649, when his dad had an unfortunate incident involving an executioner and a sharp implement. Charles II was also King of Scotland.

Now tell me the buckle looks modern and watch me groan. --Dweller 09:28, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Just an educated comment: Dweller's response seems to make a lot of sense. Note the inscription says: "King Supported" rather than the usual "Long Live the King" or something along those lines, which leads me to believe it's very possible that it may have marked a year during the interregnum period, by a group of monarchists expressing their position that they recognized, (and therefore "supported",) Charles II as king despite the fact that he was yet to be universally recognized as such. On the other hand, I withdraw all the above comment if you flip the buckle over and it says "Made in Taiwan". Loomis 11:01, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Local government in Britain
Greetings Ref desk! I am writing about local government in Britain at the Swedish Wikipedia, and I have a few questions which the relevant articles here have not been able to answer.


 * 1) Which Lord Lieutenant did York belong to before 1974? Riding says that "Each of the ridings of Yorkshire has [sic!] its own Lord Lieutenant", probably referring the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. However, as York did not belong to any riding, it isn't clear which Lord Lieutenant handled the matters of that city.
 * 2) Did the County Borough of Teesside belong to the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, the North Riding or both, as the borough of Stockton-on-Tees does today? The article on Teesside doesn't say.
 * 3) When were the Isles of Scilly detached from the County Council of Cornwall?

Thanks in advance! /sv:Essin 10:59, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Venturing further into this topic, I have two more questions.


 * Districts of Northern Ireland mentions a district restructuring, but not much is written on Wikipedia about it. What are for example the consequences of The Local Government (Boundaries) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, and when are the new district councils going to start working?
 * County Armagh says that "most of Craigavon Borough Council" covers a part of Armagh, but Craigavon Borough Council doesn't mention which other county is covered by the council. So which is it, and how large is the area outside Armagh in Craigavon Borough? /sv:Essin 22:44, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Okay... Craigavon, by the map on its page, crosses into Down and maybe even touches Antrim (around the shore of Lough Neagh). With York, according to an old source I have it officially straddled the borders of the three Ridings. whether than means that the three different Lords Lieutenant each had jurist=diction over part of the city, I don't know. The same source also mentioned that it had a Sherriff, though, so perhaps he performed the duties of a Lord Lieutenant for the city. BTW, "has" is right, since "each" implies "each individual one". Grutness...wha?  01:35, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * According to Lists of Lord Lieutenancies, York had its own Lord Lieutenant until 1974, although after 1882 the position was held jointly with the Lord Lieutenancy of the West Riding. --AJR | Talk 02:26, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the info about Craigavon! The Lord Lieutenancies of the counties corporate seems to be an interesting topic. Am I right in interpreting the list as the counties corporate were de jure separate lieutenancy areas until 1974, but de facto only until 1882, not counting the exceptions of the City of London and Haverfordwest? (The "sic" marked the tense of "has", not the number. It seemed anachronistic to refer to something that ceased to exist in 1974 with the present tense. But I do not have an en-N Babel box, so what do I know... :p ) /sv:Essin 11:37, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * And now I see West Riding of Yorkshire talks about the lieutenancy of "West Riding of the County of York, and the City and County of the City of York". I'm beginning to understand why the English use abbreviations such as Notts and Berks... /sv:Essin 11:52, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * The Council of the Isles of Scilly states that it has been a de facto unitary authority for over 100 years, which I assume means since the creation of the Isles of Scilly Rural District in 1894 according to Wikipedia's list of rural districts, although it is also possible that it means since 1889 and the creation of Cornwall County Council. /sv:Essin 22:14, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * It seems York was associated with the West Riding, and Teesside was associated with the North Riding. Morwen - Talk 07:50, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

is hen a halaal.
i read quran and other islamic books and found enough evidence of hen and cock to be haraam. Since it has talons and it does eat small organisms. but just that i wanted to confirm from some more knowledgeable persons.

and also, is it wrong to post such messages on talk pages of halaal and similar topics. if so, why. i dont think there is any harm if u enquire about a topic on its talk page. nids 11:51, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Chicken meat is halal if the chicken a) hasn't been fed any meat or meat by-products during its life, b) is raised in a way to minimise suffering and c) is slaughtered according to the principles of Dhabiĥa. Your interpretation is the first I've heard considering chicken in general to be haraam. Natgoo 08:28, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * ..And AFAIK it's fine to post questions like this on relevant talk pages as you're more likely to get a response from somebody in the know. In general, however, the focus of the discussion should be how to improve the article. See Talk page guidelines. --Shantavira 13:24, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

thanks for these kind replies. they have really been helpful to me. nids 16:23, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Religion
Where is the reference for the question of "who died first, Adam or Eve"?--Billmilton 12:10, 29 July 2006 (UTC)À
 * There is no reliable answer to that question. Even if you assume Genesis is historical, the fact is not recorded. alteripse 13:57, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The Humanities reference desk is the right place. Adam died at the ripe old age of 930 (Genesis 5:5). According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, Eve died a year later.--Shantavira 13:59, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * (That was weird. Alteripse's reply definitely wasn't in my edit box - I just went back to check - and yet I didn't get an edit conflict message!)--Shantavira 14:02, 29 July 2006 (UTC)
 * That's happened to me a few times. No idea why... maybe they have made a recent change to the mediawiki code to try to reduce edit conflicts or something. Or perhaps both of you clicked the edit link at nearly the same time and the first person to click the link was also the first person to save the page, so it let both edits through... digfarenough (talk) 19:03, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Assuming they existed in the first place. :) DirkvdM 19:04, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

So where did the Jewish Encyclopedia get its info? alteripse 22:56, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 20. For information about the source, see the J.E.'s entry at It's interesting to note that the J.E. also cites Islamic sources who agree with the date of Eve's death (931 after creation) but disagree on her place of burial (Mecca vs Cave of Machpela).
 * Midrashic texts cite that Adam was supposed to live to 1000, but decided to donate 70 years to King David --Dweller 09:17, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Women live longer than men-hotclaws**==(81.134.68.10 08:21, 30 July 2006 (UTC))

How to stop dreaming?
Hello all,

After reading the pages regarding dreaming, I didn't really find a statisfying answer to a problem I'm facing: dreaming. I've always been dreaming from since I was young, but lately my dreams have become way more frequent and intense. I do know the cause of my dreams however: there's a lot of things going on in my life right now, I whole lot of (negative) changes in a very short timespan. I try to do my best to deal with the changes as good as I can, and during my day-life I have no real problems. I'm not feeling depressed and I am blessed with a lot of good things in life like friends, education and a job. It's just that at night I face the things I had to deal with over the last 12 months and it's really exhausting me. My dreams are also very real: most of the things happening in my dreams can happen in real life.

What happens from time to time is that during the day I mix up things I dreamt about with things that happened in real life. Then I can't remember whether something happened in real life or in my dreams. It's not that I'm hallucinating or anything, I am still able to think clear. It's just that I have this feeling of being awake 24 hours aday, during the daylight and during the night, like I don't have a night to rest. When I wake up in the morning I'm still tired, even if I just slept for 8 or 10 hours.

I'm trying to face my problems as good as I possibly can. I've had much worse times than this, I talked to a physicologist who helped me very well. There were times when I felt depressed and lost. But those days are over, during the daytime I'm a much happier person. I just want those dreams to stop. I hope there's somebody who had a similar experience and who has found a way to limit these dreams in some way.

Thank you very much for your time. - A Pictor Too.
 * If immediatly on waking you write your dreams down,you remember them better and remember that they are dreams.I get confused between the two very often but my dreams are like cool movies and not upsetting-hotclaws**==(81.134.68.10 08:25, 30 July 2006 (UTC))


 * You can't stop dreaming (it would be very bad for your psyche as dreams are a necessary part of brain function), but you can gain control of your dreams. I suggest you get in touch with a therapist who can teach you lucid dreaming and relaxation/mental discipline techniques to diminish the intensity of your night experiences and draw a more distinct boundary between dreams and real life. A friend of mine who had devastating night terrors was helped by such a person.--Anchoress 13:58, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Your dreams are affected by your life, it is likely that whatever is causing you a lot of stress or bother, or concern in real life, is the cause, and possibly even the subject of your creams. So basically its the result of those things you are going through, not an independent problem. Philc  TECI 19:01, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * LOL @ "subject of your creams"...cold sores, perhaps ? StuRat 00:56, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Hi sweety... :( I felt really bad 4 u when i read your question since that used to happen to me... ok, the first thing you need to know is that you can't stop having bad dreams because maybe you are pushing things you don't like in your waking life into the dark (avoiding them), (stuff like considering the bad things that could happen..you probably don't wanna see the bad side of things during your waking life)and those come out in your dreams so that you can be aware of them... you said there was a time when you where depressed and lost and now you are ok... well.. that's really good, did you find a purpose or someting?, the thing that worries me is that maybe you have found a purpose and all, but maybe it's not what you really want, and maybe that's the reason for your haunting dreams... anyway, I'd love to help you as much as I can. you can ask me stuff in my user page if you like. be happy and good luck. --Cosmic girl 03:02, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Smoking marijuana is said to either reduce dreaming or the memory of them. I smoke the stuff to get to sleep because I can't stop thinking, which may also be what you have because if you really dream you're asleep, and you shouldn't be tired if you've slept (not quite sure about this). Or do the dreams wake you up? Anyway, if you find a non-drug solution that is always preferable. I haven't, alas. DirkvdM 08:06, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * From your previous answers I've often wondered what you were smoking, DirkvdM, and now I know ! :-) StuRat 00:46, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Yes, now you know where all those wonderful insights come from. :) DirkvdM 07:49, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * You call them insights, I call them delusions. :-) StuRat 00:02, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * You also call yourself StuRat, but I've got this feeling that is not your real name, so so much for what you prefer to call things. :) DirkvdM 09:01, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Well, my real name is Stuart, and StuRat is about as close as I could get with a screen name (there's also a story behind the screen name, if you want to hear it). Not that I think there is anything wrong with wanting to remain anonymous online.  It's really a good idea for safety reasons not to give out personal info online.  In some cases, your full name would be enough for someone to track you down and do you harm; at least that's what all the women I'm stalking say. :-) StuRat 20:29, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Mantra meditation quitens the chattering mind. It has none of the potential side effects of pot smoking, eg. psychosis, depression.  Practised regularly, it has great beneficial effects on the whole psyche and the whole person.  JackofOz 21:21, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * I've done meditating and the problem for me was that I became even more awake. I still hope I can deal with the problem that way, maybe I used the wrong type of meditation (just emptying the mind). And about the psychosis and depression caused by marijuana, for that you'd have to smoke a whole lot more than I do. And some indeed do, smoking in a day what I would smoke in a week or even a month (I've heard stories and seen people). Once again, the problem is a lack of moderation, just like fatty foods (a recent issue here on the ref desk). They're healthy, unless you eat too much of them. The problem is assessing what is 'too much' (or rather what is enough) when the availability and concentration are too high as is often the case in the western world. DirkvdM 07:49, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Moderation in all things. Including moderation.  JackofOz 10:12, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
 * If you follow that through you end up doing nothing. Or should one also do that in moderation? And should thinking about this give me only a moderate headache? DirkvdM 09:01, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Traditional British advice is don't eat cheese before sleeping. --Dweller 09:08, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

According to the main character in Michael Herr's Dispatches, smoking massive amounts of marijuana before sleeping is a way to stop yourself from dreaming.

Toko loko 20:52, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

DON'T smoke pot or take any drugs... just get in touch with yourself and with something that may be bothering you subconsciously (like past traumas) and be sincere with yourself, and if you have to give some 'f*** yous' and middle fingers, even to your parents or siblings, DO IT... cause if they ever did anything to you, like a betrayal, or something that caused you this side effects, they desserve you telling them their truths and more. --Cosmic girl 02:28, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * No drugs at all? No tea, no aspirin, no antibiotics when you're sick? Marijuana is one of the mildest drugs (if taken in moderation, but I already covered that), so if you take anything, it's one of the safest choices. Sort of like cafeine, unless it's in an immoderate form like those 'energy boosters' (or what are those called?). DirkvdM 09:01, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
 * One of the common effects of marijuana is "motor mouth". Is this what you're experiencing at the moment, Dirk?  :--)  JackofOz 12:56, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * No, I type with my fingers. DirkvdM 18:21, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I would like to thank you all for your comments. It's really much appreciated. I'll see a therapist specialized in dreaming soon to hopefully find a solution. Thanks for all the other recommendations too. I'm not willing to try marihuana, because of the negative effects of it. I tried it in the past and it's just not the thing for me. The one thing that does help however, is alcohol. When I go out I tend to have a few drinks too many, and when I go to bed a bit drunk I tend to not dream at all (or I can't remember them). However, because of the alcohol I don't get to rest either, so the only thing this helps me with is not worrying about the dreams when I wake up, but I'm still tired. I guess it's just because I'm not done with the past, even though I have the feeling I am. Thanks.

poetry
can u tell me about poetry related to the three realms of the earth ie land ,water, air,,and aslo about any rituals or festivals or legends regarding this i'd preffer it to be regarding india.

could you eplain this statement 2 me "thediversity of environment that exists in the world,which supports life"

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Language"cuz the language desk eems to be inhabited by no-one and because it is rather urgent please dont tell me not to double post it is an emergency


 * You would stand more chance of a reply if you posted a more coherent and specific question. Surely a huge amount of poetry is about the land, water, and air. And India is extremely rich is rituals, festivals, and legends. Have you read the articles on India, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, poetry, rituals, festivals, and legends? As for that "statement", it is not really a statement as it does not form a complete sentence; it appears to be a noun phrase, though rather an ambiguous one as it is not clear what it is claiming supports life: the diversity, the environment, or the world. Can you be more specific?--Shantavira 14:13, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

i have tried most of them out and i cant find what im looking 4 that is the main reason i asked it over here so can u help me about the statement ,well, i had posted it before and i got an equally weird 'n unrelated answer is the wikipedia reference desk dead ,i mean devoid of all living souls excpt for me. please help me out with this.


 * So what exactly are you looking for? You need to help us to help you. To take poetry as a starting point, are you looking for a specific poem or poets that you have forgotten? Or are you looking for any old poem or poets that deal with all (or any?) of those subjects? Can you give examples of what you are looking for? We have an article on Indian poetry which has lots of links. What is it that is lacking in the sources to which we are referring you?--Shantavira 17:39, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

okay here is the question as it is on my worksheet

choose any of thhe realms of the earth (land ,air ,water ) and collect and analyze information  to find out about-

1 the diversity of environment that exists in the world ,which supports life

2 collect stories, legends , festivals , poetry , sayings, rituals that are associated with the realms chosen

the topics that i have sound mindboggling 2 me and im asking these questions after a lot of searching and googling but the results i get r usually rather irrelevant,or else i wouldnt be asking 4 help and please i was  not spamming i was just trying 2 get a better reply from u, cuz i thought that u had ignored my query please isnt there anyone here


 * OK, well that is a lot clearer. But you will appreciate that what you have presented above is an instruction and not a question, and while it is usually fairly straightforward to respond to a question we are not here to write essays for people's studies. (There are websites specially dedicated to that, and they charge a lot of money.) At least you only have to choose one realm. To take water as an example. (I would rephrase (1) as "the world's life-supporting environments".) Think about the different watery environments that support life and read up on their ecosystems. This might include oceans, reefs, rivers, bogs, marshland, ponds. Emphasize the huge diversity of life that exists in water, and the particular merits of each in supporting life, both plant and animal. You'll probably be swamped by information (I think that is your root problem), so don't go into too much detail on any one system.
 * For the second part, search for water festival, beer festival, and so on for examples. Look up "water" in the index to quotation dictionaries and poetry books (and list of poems). Take a look at Neptune and other river gods. I hope that gives you an idea where to start.--Shantavira 08:59, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

hey shantavira that was mighty nice of you you were the first person to give me a relevant answer.i really apperciate it keep up the good work

Early american photographers
You Rrecently featured an American photographer who made prints using selenium toner and photographed native americans but i can't find the Article. Please Help!! (email address removed)


 * I can't find any - only one article on photographic process links to the selenium toning article. Try Featured articles. -  THE GREAT GAVINI  {T-C} 16:04, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * American photographers famous for their portraits of Native Americans include Laura Gilpin, Frank Rinehart and Edward S. Curtis. I've no information on the toner they used. --Lambiam Talk 16:34, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * It was Frank Rinehart, mentioned on a previous Featured recent article page.--Anchoress 02:58, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Christian Music
Can anyone tell me what genre of Christian music this is? The only examples I can really think of are the music for the main menu of Hitman 2 Silent Assassin and when you discover Christianity in Civilization IV.--Seclipse21 16:10, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * To what does "this" refer? alteripse 22:52, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * "This" refers to the examples I said.-Seclipse21 02:47, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Dude, maybe you thought you'd put in a hyperlink to examples? Or a link to an .ogg file? Cuz you didn't. It's just a bolded word lol.--Anchoress 03:32, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Why would you think the soundtrack for Hitman silent assassin would be considered christian music? I bolded your "this" because your question was literally unintelligible. It still makes no sense to me. Who says those two pieces are Christian? alteripse 05:12, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

They are asking what sort of music it is that you hear when you discovery Christianity in Civilization IV (a computer game). They mention that it is the same kind of music as they hear on the main menu of Hitman 2 Silent Assassin (another computer game). I assume Alteripse, like me, you've never played these games as the question seemed to confuse you. I've unbolded 'this as it seemed more confusing. Anyone know the answer? Skittle 11:53, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * I have both pieces of music (although not both games). Unfortunately, I know nothing about music, so probably can't be of much help. However, you can listen to a sample of the piece from Hitman here. (Click the little red box beside the first track). Personally, I wouldn't say it was "Christian", but it does have a choral component of the sort that might be found in some traditional "church music". (But it also has a brass component, too, which I don't think you got in churches.) I can't find any online sample of the music from Civilization IV &mdash; it's only a short clip anyway. It sounds like some sort of monastic chant, to me &mdash; maybe it's a Gregorian chant, but like I say, I don't know music. If I'm listening to the same sound as you, it sounds to me like one person singing, echo-ey, with no (or very subtle) music. -- Vardion 12:43, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I have an example of it saved on my computer, but I don't know how to upload it right here to give everyone an example of what I'm talking about. --Seclipse21 18:13, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The hitman music on the website sounds like standard orchestral film/game music. If you like that sort of thing, many film soundtrack cds (like Lord of the Rings, or stuff by John Williams) are probably what you want to listen to. And maybe some dramatic classical music like Also Spracht Zarathustra. Skittle 20:32, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Well, I'm talking about the music on that site, but without the instruments, just the voices. If I only knew how to upload this sound file I have of it onto this site.--Seclipse21 21:12, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Try Media and see if anything around there helps. Skittle 21:16, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Thanks Skittle, but now I've found out that the sound clip is copyrighted by the makers of Civilization IV. The best description of the music is Vardion's description. And the sound clip that Vardion provided is a good example too (although, from that sound clip, I'm not talking about the instruments, just the voices.) I guess that's the best I can do to describe it.--Seclipse21 05:13, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
 * "one person singing, echo-ey, with no (or very subtle) music." sounds like chanting of some kind. Gregorian Chanting can fit that description, as can general chanting sometimes found in the Roman Catholic mass. Chanting might have some information. If it is a single person, or people in unison, it would be monophonic. If it is unaccompanied it would be a cappella. Does that give you enough information to find what you want? Skittle 17:12, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

origins of anti slavery movement
There was a documentary some time back about the man in England who won an essay contes with his descriptions of slavery and how this launched the first anti slavery movement in the world. Where would I find the name of the documentary or other writing on that?


 * I believe the person you're thinking about is Thomas Clarkson. I'm afraid I can't identify the documentary, but maybe that article and its links will provide you with some information on him, and a better chance of tracking down the documentary. -- Vardion 17:05, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Could it be the docudrama Amazing Grace? --Lambiam Talk 03:41, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Evangical Churches of Prussia (Bremen,Colleda,Bachra,Sachsen, Thuringen, and KleinNeuhausen Thuringen
Hi

I am new to searching family roots in Germany. I am trying to search for families that were Evangical and lived in Bremen, and Colleda, and Bachra, Sachsen, Thuringen, and Klein Neuhausen Thuringen (Prussia) Germany.

I would appreciate any addresses for churchs in these towns so that I can find parents, children, and spouses in these families.

Thank you

Karen Cox email removed (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Alice Eliza Ball bio
Ball [1867-1948], according to the Library of Congress, authored three books: A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS, Gibbs & Van Vleck,1916 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES, Dodd, Mead, 1923 SKETCHES OF THE BALL AND FOLLET FAMILIES, Stephen Daye press, 1939

We are mounting an exhibit of Castine, Maine, writers, but can find no biographical information on Ball. Requesting any information on her life. Paul Gray

Internet usage
Hi guys, are there any statistics about internet usage in the world? ( how many people use it regularly, how many have used it and how many don't even know it exists.)--Cosmic girl 21:28, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The World Factbook may have what you need. For instance, it can be seen under the Communications section that Nauru had 300 Internet users in 2002.--Patchouli 21:55, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

thank you, but is there any site with the aproximate percentages?.--Cosmic girl 23:08, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * I don't know. Perhaps, someone else could help.--Patchouli 00:46, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

no worries! thanx a lot 4 the other link anyway! XD --Cosmic girl 03:04, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The Internet article has the following external link: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. Doesn't quite answer all your questions and you probably already saw that, but there you go. Interresting to see that the Seychelles have the biggest internet penetration in Africa (didn't know it was Africa, by the way). The're sinking, so they'll be very interrested in world affairs, I suppose. Sort of a modern day Atlantis. I also wonder how many people have never heard of the Internet. In Africa that may actually be a considerable amount, though no more than 20% or so, I guess. DirkvdM 08:17, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

thank you! yeah I saw that before, but I just had a closer look at it and saw that the middle east has less users than africa! wow... I didn't expect that!...but I knd of don't udnerstand that chart, I would've prefered something more like: 60% of the world's population owns a computer with internet, 20& of the worlds population has used the internet sometime in their lifes and 20% don't know it exists...I don't know how accurate my aproximation is, but oh well... --Cosmic girl 02:29, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Adjusting guitar intonation
I'm new to this whole guitar thing, and recently bought an electric guitar. I find that even when relatively tuned, the two E strings don't sound the same unfretted (yes I know the high E string is two octaves higher). I thought this might have something to do with intonation. The book I have provides suggestions on how to adjust the screws at the back of the bridge if the string's harmonic doesn't match the 12th fret, but I can't seem to get this right. Any ideas? --Silvaran 23:04, 29 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Actually, you know what? I think I might have the intonation figured out, but I need a better tuner (the needle on this one jumps all over the place, argh) :) --Silvaran 23:27, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The needle? I take it you use one of those electronic thingies. If you want to become a musician (if only as a hobby) you need to develop your musical hearing. Buy a tuning fork in stead (cheap enough) and learn different methods to tune by hearing. DirkvdM 08:37, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * What I usually do when just playing alone is use a tuner on the low E string (or just leave it as it is if it's close) then tune by using the harmonics on the fifth and seventh frets. (See, e.g., this site). I find it's a bit easier than using fifth/fourth frets against the next open string because you don't need to continue fretting the notes while you're tuning. Another useful tip is to pay attention to the vibration of the guitar itself when you're getting two strings close to in tune, sometimes the beat frequency in the notes is less clear than the beat frequency slowly vibrating the guitar's body. Just some tips for ya... digfarenough (talk) 15:01, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Your guitar may well work better with your tuner if you use the pickup selector to change pickups. The higher strings often tune better with the bridge pickup, and the bass strings with the neck pickup. Although I have no idea why.


 * By the way, electric guitars are incredibly difficult to tune because the strings are so taut. On an acoustic guitar it is possible to turn the key so little that you don't hear the difference, which makes very precise tuning possible. On an electric guitar the string tension might 'jump past the target' with slightest turn of the key. And they're also difficult to play in tune for the same reason - if you push a string onto the fret, pushing harder or not straight down (an unintended push-up) will noticeably raise the pitch. If' you're used to pop music you may not notice this, but even played by professionals electric guitars sound so out of tune that it has become sort of a trademark of pop music. Maybe an electric guitar is not the best of instruments to start with. DirkvdM 08:05, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Chaturanga pieces
What did the playing pieces in Chaturanga typically look like? Have any playing pieces survived from ancient and medieval sets? Is the game still played, and if so, with what pieces? --Siva 23:30, 29 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Pictures of some early chess pieces you can find here. The game is rarely played know (and if played modern chess pieces are used). As Chaturanga rules are not known well, people play Shatranj instead, which had the same or very similar rules as Chaturanga. You can play Shatranj e.g. on SchemingMind.com. Andreas Kaufmann 19:59, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Those are Shatranj pieces. Do any Chaturanga pieces survive? --Siva 00:00, 2 August 2006 (UTC)