Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2008 August 24

= August 24 =

How culture and language contributes in the making of nationalism?
How does culture and language play an impotant role in the making of natioalism in Europe?Give 3 instances. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rishilaish (talk • contribs) 03:24, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * A tip for the future: When posting your homework questions on the Wikipedia reference desk, don't include bits like "give 3 instances", it makes it far too obvious. --Tango (talk) 04:43, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * What language do they speak in France? Pantsylvania? Spain? Italy? Also, I would use "do" in place of "does", but my grasp of English (where do they speak that, again? Oh, right, Canada) is probably tenuous at best. 98.169.163.20 (talk) 04:46, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Looks like you just completed your FAILwork for the night! --mboverload @ 05:07, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Did Ancient Egypt control any part of Asia?
If yes, when and what part? I think they did at least conquer Sinai but I'm not sure... Guy0307 (talk) 04:55, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, during the New Kingdom, the Egyption Empire extended through Sinai, Canaan, and Syria. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 06:00, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Guy0307 (talk) 07:23, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Barack Obama's "Present" Votes
Much has been made about Barack Obama's propensity to vote "present" rather than "yes" or "no" while in the Illinois Senate. However, was Obama's "present"-voting frequency (about 3% according to the article) substantially higher than usual? --Histirisis (talk) 04:59, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * The official site,, lists the respective roll calls and votes of the individual US Senate´s decisions for the past 10 years. You would have to click your way through it and accumulate a check list.  Maybe, a USian native can find proper statistics somewhere.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:30, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * That's the US senate, I think the OP was talking about the Illinois state senate. Their official site might help, although I can't find the information after a couple of minutes of looking ( seems to be the place to start, though). --Tango (talk) 20:30, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Ooops, I am European. The link from Tango allows you to check the listed SBs (presumably that is state bills).  A further link gets you to the votes on the specific bill where the names (house or senate) / yeas / nays / no votes are given.  Again, you would have to spend some time checking through the individual bills to get some idea on the voting pattern of selected members of the state assemblies.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:38, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Russian shirt - Dr Zhivago...
Hi; there's a sort of shirt people tended to wear in Tsarist Russia (particularly noticeable in films such as Dr Zhivago and Fiddler on the Roof, a bit like the picture on the right - with buttons down the left-side of the chest. What's it called and do we have an article on it? Thanks! ╟─ Treasury § Tag ► contribs ─╢ 07:34, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I took a guess based on a garment name I've seen often in Russian novels, and seem to have succeeded: according to this, 'a Tolstoy blouse or Tolstoy shirt is a traditional full Russian shirt with the collar opening on one side of the neck.' Algebraist 12:05, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * See kosovorotka. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 13:11, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * The image in the article is stylised, but it doesn't appear to have a collar. The version with a collar is a kosovorotka (косоворотка), the one without a collar being a golosheika (голошейка). --  JackofOz (talk) 21:59, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for all this :-) ╟─ Treasury § Tag ► contribs ─╢ 07:04, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Military Uniforms
When was it that the British Infantry uniform changed from its characteristic red to khaki/green? I know that in the Khyber Pass campaign, the British were wearing a sandy colour, as well as in parts of North Africa, but in the Zulu War the uniforms were still red/blue. By WWI it had changed to khaki/green. When was this change and what was the stimulus for it?

I had heard that the French changed their infantry uniform from dark blue/red to all light blue/grey because they could be too easily seen in the opening battles of WWI and their idea was basically taken from the Germans, who had already been using all one colour (blue/grey) even at the start of the war.--ChokinBako (talk) 11:01, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Red coat (British army) details the history of the uniform. Fribbler (talk) 12:11, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Excellent, thanks! Everything answered!--ChokinBako (talk) 13:19, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Red coat (British army) doesn't go into all the detail/rationale, however. Sigh.  Yet another thing to add to my to-do list.  The change to khaki was not a dramatic or sudden thing.  while campaigning in India during the  mid-nineteenth century, British soldiers still officially wore the red coat, which was heavy and hot.  So many commanders let their men wear "undress uniform" in the field: the white fatigues worn for training and so forth.  These were commonly worn in the "Indian style": that is, with the shirt out, like a tunic, rather than tucked in. Then someone had the great idea of dying these white uniforms "khaki": initially a greyish colour.  (Incidentally, the 52nd Foot were  the first regular regiment to do this.)  This change happened at a regimental level, and was an unofficial action; following the Indian Mutiny, regiments reverted to the standard red coat.  But officialdom eventually took note, khaki was introduced as standard field dress in 1885.  It darkened by WWI to a greeny colour. Later, shades altered depending on theatre (lighter for desert warfare etc). Note that dress uniforms did not make the same changes; some regiments in the British Army still have red coats for officer and NCO dress uniforms; all regiments in the NZ army retain the red for full dress. Gwinva (talk) 22:03, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Nice one! Thanks!--ChokinBako (talk) 14:32, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Organizational behavior management program
people needs organisation,organisation needs people —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.178.197.7 (talk) 12:41, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * People needs question. Fribbler (talk) 13:05, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * See our article on Organizational Behavior Management. This is a bit stubby, but there are some external links.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 13:58, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Who memorized Homer?
I have in the back of my head a notion that an English writer had a Homeric epic committed to memory, and could recite at length. Thomas Carlyle comes to mind, but does someone know beyond guessing? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dukesnyder1027 (talk • contribs) 15:27, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I would be surprised if there have not been several such people. Algebraist 16:43, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Esp. since the entire point of those old epics was to be memorized. That's one of the reasons they were done as poems and all that—a pre-literate way of remembering long stories. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:27, 26 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Eh, C. S. Lewis memorized a lot of poetry and books... although I may be thinking of him memorizing Paradise Lost. --Alinnisawest(talk) 03:21, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Turning 100 bucks into 1 million
The dilbert cartoon of today [here] affirms that you can turn 100 bucks into 1 million if you invest it 190 years at 5%. Is it true? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mr.K. (talk • contribs) 16:39, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Any one of a dozen compound interst calculators will show this to be correct, ie 1,061,614.46 (ignoring inflation, of course). --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:51, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Inflation shouldn't have any affect. A million dollars will still be a million dollars.  It just won't be worth as much when translated to actual goods and services. --  k a i n a w &trade; 16:53, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Correct, you'll have one-million physical dollars, but (because of inflation) you won't have what you currently think of as one-million dollars in purchasing power. To approximate your purchasing power, do this: $$($100) (1 + 0.05 - r)^190 $$ (where r is the annual inflation rate). For an inflation rate of 4% (roughly the historical average in the U.S.), the one-million dollars will buy what $660 buys today. Wikiant (talk) 17:31, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * In which case you may as well calculate on a "real" interest rate of (5% - 4% inflation) 1% and get to 662.31. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:27, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Or you could add the 4% to the 5% and decide that to get an inflation-adjusted million (OMG: $1,291,322,174.00) you need to invest at 9%. -LambaJan (talk) 20:11, 25 August 2008 (UTC)
 * And all this to have a nest egg in 2198. Bessel Dekker (talk) 01:40, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

See also H. G. Wells's novel The Sleeper Awakes, which suggests what happens when you do it. Strawless (talk) 18:21, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

What is the easiest way to get a job in the UK?
Being a legal English speaking alien. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mr.K. (talk • contribs) 16:42, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If you're permitted to work in the UK and speak English, then the same way as locals. What that is depends on the kind of job you want. The local paper will have a "help wanted" section, the internet has job adverts, try googling for the type of job you want. You could try the local Job Centre (I don't how much they help non-citizens, but that should at least let you look at the job ads). You can also try sending a letter (maybe with a CV) to a few places you would like to work asking if they have any vacancies. Larger companies will often have application forms online (at least for graduate jobs). --Tango (talk) 20:22, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Many Australians spend a year between high school and university working in Englang (as a 'gap year'). The most common jobs they get are in pubs, in boarding schools, or as a nanny. Pubs in smaller towns and villages often welcome an English speaking foreigner as an oddity that might draw in locals. Boarding schools often need young people as supervision, classroom assistants and general staff. Nannies are less needed than in other parts of Europe, where an English-speaking nanny is more in demand. As a man, you might find it more difficult for the last two. 130.56.65.24 (talk) 00:50, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Keeping surname after marriage in Spain
Why do Spanish woman keep their surname after marriage? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mr.K. (talk • contribs) 16:44, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Why do they not, in some other countries? It is a matter of custom and culture. If one is interested in geneology, then having both partners keep his/her birth name makes tracking people much easier. In Canada's common-law provinces, for example, in order for a woman to change her name to her husband's, she must go through a post-marriage series of filings to change the name on her passport or driver's licence, health card etc. This is a process somewhat easier than applying for a name change that is not to the surname of the spouse. (No advertising need be done, nor is there any requirement for documentation beyond birth certificates and marriage certificates, as I recall.)  It is a matter of choice here, and, as far as I know, also a matter of choice in the US and the UK. Many woman are now choosing to keep their birth names after marriage, though some restrict that use to their professional world. Very few of the Hollywood type of celebrity changes names upon marriage, for example, which is likely a good thing given the frequency of marriage, divorce and re-marriage. ៛ Bielle (talk) 17:27, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Many (probably most) cultures do not require a woman to adopt the husband´s name, Chinese, Arabic and Hispanic nations amongst them. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:23, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Slightly more information. For a Spanish person, the surname is a guide to a person's parentage. If my surname is Juarez Gonzalez, it means my father's name was Juarez and my mother's name was Gonzalez. If I were a woman, and I married, my father does not change, nor does my mother, so there seems little reason to change the name. This is different to English speaking culture, where the family name traditionally applies to the new family formed by the marriage, so there is reason for the names to be equalised. Bielle is correct, however, that the tradition is changing. It is not unacceptable for a woman to keep her name after marriage. This is more important when a person is published, or a celebrity, because they lose the name recognition. Many women in academia keep their surname after marriage, so as not to confuse later researchers. 130.56.65.24 (talk) 00:55, 25 August 2008 (UTC)
 * There is the article Spanish naming customs, which explains some details and variations. /Coffeeshivers (talk) 15:55, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Avast, mateys
Who be the most successful (a) pirate and (b) privateer of all? (September 19 is just around the corner.) Clarityfiend (talk) 21:23, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * How do you want to measure success? Algebraist 21:25, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * If I had to choose, whose shoes would I want to be in? Who grabbed the most booty and lived to enjoy it? Clarityfiend (talk) 16:49, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Ching Shih? The Women in piracy article says "Commanded six fleets consisting of 800 large ships, about 1,000 smaller vessels, and between 70,000 and 80,000 men and women."--64.228.91.86 (talk) 23:16, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Others suggest Peter Easton or Rahmah ibn Jabir.&mdash;eric 23:22, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

crucifixion
Is there is crucifixion in modern times? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Aquitania (talk • contribs) 21:37, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If you mean actual execution rather than ritual re-enactment, then yes. Some allied prisoners were executed this way by the Japanese in WW2.  --  JackofOz (talk) 21:46, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * There are some reports that under the Sudanese interpretation of the Shari´a this mode of execution was used quite recently. See our article on crucifixion.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:54, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

The Holocaust after the Holocaust
To what extent did the murder of jews continue after the death camps were liberated. I've read that even after they were freed, they were killed by civilians. Is this true? Thanks, Hadseys 22:26, 24 August 2008 (UTC)
 * One noted instance is the Kielce pogrom in July 1946. -- Deborahjay (talk) 03:26, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Even though pogroms continued in Poland after the Holocaust, as they did before across Europe, they were not the same as the highly organized mass extermination carried out by the Nazi Germans during the war. I certainly wouldn't call them a "Holocaust after the Holocaust". There were probably various reasons for continued anti-Jewish violence after the war: from traditional anti-Semitism to fear of the Jews claiming back their property they had been forced to abandon and that was taken by the Poles, to the fact that many of the Communists, particularly the loathed Communist secret police, that started a rule of terror in Poland after the war were Jewish (see Żydokomuna). &mdash; Kpalion(talk) 18:05, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

name of liability law code
What is the name of law regarding liability? What search terms should I use to find the rules for this type of law - would it be under the criminal code? The juris diction I am in is Ontario Canada.--64.228.91.86 (talk) 23:11, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Liability is an aspect of almost every type of English common law, upon which Ontario and Canadian law is based, from professional licensing laws to insurance law to traffic law, to product safety, to contract fulfilment, and everything 'round about and in between. Could you be more specific about your interest? ៛ Bielle (talk) 23:26, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I can try, didn't want to ask legal advice. I want to read the law codes that will cover whether if a company charges the public for the use of a place or building or apparatus (eg a metal lookout tower), is the company liable if the apparatus is not properly maintained and fails when a person who paid is on it. Thanks.--64.228.91.86 (talk) 23:38, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * That kind of liability will generally be as a result of a contract the user has with the owner. (Check the back of your ticket or receipt, or any posted rules or limitations on liability.) Having paid a fee, one generally expects to get the service or product for which one has paid.  If that service or product is not available when and where specified, or is not in conditon to be used to the full degree understood by the payment and acceptance of the fee, then the company will likely just refund your money once you notify them of the failure.  I cannot speak to the company's liaibility beyond that, but I can say that, in general terms, you are not entitled to more than a refund unless you can prove that you have suffered some significant harm or damage from the company's failure to provide, and even then the failure has to be in some way within the reasonable control of the company.  For more than that, you would need to consult a lawyer, which I am not. ៛ Bielle (talk) 23:55, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * To answer your question specifically, I should also have said that if there is a specific code to cover this problem, I don't know what it is. Someone else may be more knowledgeable. ៛ Bielle (talk) 23:58, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for trying! That was helpful. I will come back later in case anyone does know the name of the law. Thanks.--64.228.91.86 (talk) 00:13, 25 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Ontario is a common law jurisdiction, so the answer to your question will probably be determined by the applicable case law (the precedents set by the courts of law). Contracts usually try to disclaim the owner's liability, but these are not always upheld.  If the amount at stake is large enough, you should certainly consult an Ontario lawyer.  If not, you should try to find a book that covers Ontario law; you may be able to find one in a library.  Depending on what happened, you might have either a contract claim or a tort claim.  In many jurisdictions, there are small claims courts that have simple procedures and allow people to bring cases without a lawyer.  Check with your local courthouse to see if this is an option for you.  John M Baker (talk) 04:29, 26 August 2008 (UTC)