Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2008 January 6

= January 6 =

us wars
i hope some one can help me please i have been searching 4 two days long story short my son wants to join the marines wat a mistake he will most likley be a ground pounder i am looking for a list of us soldiers killed/wounded in war since ww1 to present listed by the branch of service one may not exhist without having to copy ever war one at a time i have gone to the national arcives ect ect ect i have alot of difficulty trying to find any thing on the web with out all the crap no matter how i try to find a certin topic lol. any kind of help will be helpfull ty a very concerned parient —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.4.70.253 (talk) 15:07, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I can't answer your question but would suggest you just compile the list from first sources. You really only need to concentrate on the major conflicts IMHO since the rest are too small to make any difference to the final outcome. I would suggest you talk to your son about why he wants to join the marines. Does he know what they do? Does he understand the responsibilities and requirements of being a marine? Does he understand he may have to kill people? Does he understand he may have to follow orders to do things including kill people to some extent regardless of his personal feelings? Does he understand the risk to life and limb (concentrating on deaths is probably a a bad idea since nowadays given the standard of medical care many US soldiers are receiving serious injuries but surviving)? Has he considered whether he truly supports all the military causes the US is involved in? More generally, does he understand the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan? I don't just mean the military/security situation but the history, culture, beliefs of the people etc. Does he understand the complexity of the world including its religions, cultures and countries (developing countries in general and especially and Africa and the Americas are an important component here). Encourage him to read from a diverse (by diverse I mean include many non American ones and indeed non-Western) range of sources to help him better understand the world we live in. Perhaps most importantly, encourage him to keep an open mind. I say whether any of this will change his mind. Perhaps it will just make him more enthusiastic. But I will say it's important for anyone embarking on what will potentially be a very major life change experience to understand what he's doing and why he's doing it and to truly consider whether it all makes sense. BTW I'm presuming your son is joining the marines because he want's to serve and help defend his country. If he's doing it for another reason like because he think it'll be beneficial to his job prospects or because they'll help pay for his university (or college as you say) fees well I don't know how much of what I suggested will help although if you encourage him to think about it he might realise it's a bad idea to do it for those reasons, particularly in a time of significant conflict. Nil Einne (talk) 15:56, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * It is very honorable to desire to serve one's country. Keep in mind, not all Marines are "ground pounders."  Depending on his ASVAB score, he will be able to serve in the Military Occupational Specialty of his choice.  If you want to try to convince him, please use reasonable evidence.  All soldiers killed since WW1 is not really applicable.  The concept of wars has changed very much.  It would be more proper to use the data from just Operation Iraqi Freedom or maybe in the past ten years.  Once he commits though, please support him.  Your admonishment will seriously hurt his morale, and that is the last thing he needs. --Omnipotence407 (talk) 15:59, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Further... Most Marines do not kill anyone. They are not ordered to do so.  They are never put in a position to do so.  The "grunts" are the ground military that goes into front-line combat.  A majority of the Marines serve in support roles and do not see any form of combat.  It is possible (but rare in modern war) for support camps to be bombed.  It is possible for a civilian working on a well-protected large city in the United States to be killed by a bomb as well.  It all depends on his ASVAB score.  If he scores above 100, the Marines will not waste his brain on front-line duty.  If he scores above 130, he will most likely go to Communications/Electronics school in 29 Palms.  If he passes his classes (which I found harder than any of my undergrad and postgrad college courses), he will be an electronics or computer engineer.  At that point, if you've been supporting him, you will be able to discuss the Officer program to him (MECEP).  As an enlisted Marine, he will be allowed to go to College and get a degree.  Upon completion, he will begin in the Officer program.  In the end, he gets a cheap education and experience in the military.  That is a great head-start on a non-military career. --  k a i n a w &trade; 01:20, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Serving one's government, incidentally, is not the only way to serve one's country. It's often not even a good way.  —Tamfang (talk) 04:25, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Orion
is orion an archer? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.189.59.130 (talk) 15:10, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Perhaps you could check out Orion --Omnipotence407 (talk) 16:02, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * He/she/it may have already, since Orion, specifically Orion (mythology) doesn't give any indication. There is surprisingly little on the internet to indicate this famous hunter's actual method, although as a follower of Artemis it might be assumed that he was.  According to this (see the last page) he did use arrows against the scorpion that by some accounts indirectly led to his death.  ◄   Zahakiel   ►  13:26, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

US presidential election
This may seem a slightly odd query, but I live in the UK and can't gauge this myself. Who will win the election? I understand that the American system is absurdly complicated and this probably makes it harder to tell, but in Britain we can usually say fairly surely which party will win. In the US, of course, it's not done on a party basis as such, but with candidates. Is it possible to name a candidate who's likely? I'm particularly interested in the chances of Clinton and Obama. Thanks! --anon —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.51.149.80 (talk) 15:20, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't think it's possible to tell since no one is even sure who will win the primaries. At the moment Clinton and Romney are consider the most likely for their parties but this remains fairly uncertain. Here's one poll I came across . There are probably some polls comparing a Romney vs Clinton race, I don't know what they show. But bear in mind most polls in the US presidential race seem to gauge popular support which is of limited value. A more complicated poll actually gauging support in each state and using that to determine putative electoral college seats would be more useful (although would also cost a lot more to do). Presuming such things are conducted I suspect no one will bother until the candidates have at least been determined. Bear in mind also that the US system by it's nature is very open to a slight varience making all the difference. In the UK for example, a party will mostly have to lose/gain a significant number of seats for a difference to the final result. But in the US, since some states do an all or nothing with electoral college seats a change in just one state can result in a resonably big difference e.g. as happened with Florida in 2000. Things are also often a lot closer in the U.S probably partially because it's in a number of ways more proportional compared to the UK (and as is often the case with FFP) where parties usually have significant majorities regardless of their actual proportional support. For example in NZ we use a mixed-member proportional system, and seats between the major parties are often close enough that you do not know until after election day (it's possible several weeks after) who will form the next government. Nil Einne (talk) 15:36, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Keep in mind the election's not for another 10 months! It's way too early now to tell what's going to happen. It was certainly clear in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 who was going to win before they started counting the votes. 2000 and 2004 were so close, of course, that it was anyone's guess even on the day of the election. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 17:52, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * In the 2008 Iowa Caucus Barrack Obama (for the Democrats) and Mike Huckabee (Republican) received the most votes. Although this is a good indication of who will be fighting for their party's nomination, it still doesn't mean too much. --71.117.34.180 (talk) 19:53, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Because the election is still 10 months away, and because we do not know which candidates will face each other in the election, we cannot know who will win. As others have pointed out, we are now only at the beginning of the process whereby the two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, select their candidates through a series of primaries and caucuses.  At the moment, it is too early to know which candidate will be the nominee of either party.  However, this will probably be known after Super Duper Tuesday on February 5 (the results of which will be known on February 6).  Nonetheless, there will still be another 9 months before the general election, during which time anything can happen.  So even if one or the other of the two party nominees is preferred in the polls in February, a series of events (terrorist attack, military progress or setbacks in Iraq, economic trouble) or changes in the public's perception of the candidates (for example, if one of the candidate is found to have an interest in underage teenage girls) could result in dramatically different results in the general election next November.  Even on the eve of the election, the contest can be too close to call.  Marco polo (talk) 22:22, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Perhaps the best answer now available is that given by betting markets. —Tamfang (talk) 04:26, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Unpledged delegates / Superdelegates
I have similar difficulties understanding the whole candidate selection process. E.g., here at CNN and accordingly here, it says that Clinton has 154 superdelegates "on her side" (or whatever). But Superdelegate says that Superdelegates are not bound by the result of their state caucuses or primary. So where exactly do those figures come from? Is it based on statements of each of the appointed superdelegates? Dorfklatsch 16:48, January 6, 2008
 * The 765 Democratic superdelegates are party officials and elected officials who automatically get a spot at the national convention. Since they get to cast a vote for the nominee without representing anyone but themselves, they can choose whoever they want. They are also free to publicly endorse a candidate in advance, or keep the own counsel until the vote. The ones who have expressed an opinion are the ones listed for Clinton. Now, since all the superdelegates don't always state "I intend to vote for X" publicly, the media come up with their own threshold for deciding what counts as an endorsement, either through polls or though "understandings" their political correspondents have with "insiders". Thus different media outlets come up with slightly different numbers for the superdelegates endorsing each candidate (though they tend to be roughly the same). Its highly unlikely that superdelegates would be in a position to influence the nomination, as usually one candidate has a large enough majority of regular delegates (though of course, endorsements do influence public opinion). However, it such a close race as this one, it is not impossible to imagine that the superdelegates could hold the balance. If that was to happen, there would be one hell of a convention as the candidates went into lobby overdrive. More info here. Rockpock  e  t  22:01, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you! Dorfklatsch 08:56, January 7, 2008
 * You are very welcome! Rockpock  e  t  09:03, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Law Citations
How would I cite a law in APA format? When I cite it in text, do I say Title 8 §1084 (12)(d) or what?

Also, how would I read this out loud: §1804 (12)(d)?

Thanks, --Omnipotence407 (talk) 15:50, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * As to reading it aloud, I would normally pronounce the latter citation as if it were "section eighteen oh four twelve dee". However, I would use a less casual phrasing, say, if I were reading out loud to a copy editor to specify how the citation should appear in print, something more like "section symbol space one eight zero four open paren twelve close paren open paren dee close paren". That would read as "§ 1804(12)(d)" (note that there would be a space after the section symbol). --Metropolitan90 (talk) 07:11, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Best to make it a nonbreaking space. —Tamfang (talk) 04:29, 8 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Which APA? —Tamfang (talk) 04:29, 8 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Presumably the one that created APA style. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 15:10, 8 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Probably "section ten eighty four oh dee", actually. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:54, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

So, would the citation for this be: New York State Educational Law. § 1804 (12) I can't seem to find the appropriate citation for law--Omnipotence407 (talk) 17:58, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

information about a female activitist mentioned in Noam Chomsky film "Manufacturing Consent"
Sarah Luxemburg, or could be Sara Luxemburg. I am not sure of exact spelling. I have not heard of her before and am interested in knowing a little about her. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.52.242.190 (talk) 17:10, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Perhaps you mean Rosa Luxemburg. --Omnipotence407 (talk) 17:13, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Most requested US military job
I was wondering what the most common job requested in the US military was. Im figuring it would be artillery because your in a "relitivly" safe location and still get to fire a big ass gun. Help would be uber appreciated. Bones Brigade 19:37, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I am assuming flying a fighter plane, as you learn to fly, which can be later used as skills to pilot a passenger aircraft. --Obsolete.fax (talk) 20:59, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I read an article awhile back about how lasik surgery had affected US military assignments because now everybody wanted to be a fighter pilot and nobody wanted to work in nuclear submarines, which is where they had originally put people with bad eyesight. Not exactly a rigorous analysis but I thought it was interesting. --24.147.86.187 (talk) 23:15, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Probably the best source of information would be to call your local recruiters. --Omnipotence407 (talk) 23:44, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I doubt recruiters keep that information. They "promise" and "guarantee" you a job, but it all a lie.  I was guaranteed to be a sniper.  Because I scored too high on the ASVAB, I was a computer/electronic engineer.  I still got to go to school for sniper shooting though.  So, it wasn't all bad. --  k a i n a w &trade; 01:22, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * But wouldnt they be able to find out, or at least steer you in the proper direction?--Omnipotence407 (talk) 02:25, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Teen Money
What are some ways a 14 year old boy can make money? I live in a rural area so I'm not able to do many of the normal ways of making money. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 20:03, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I live in a rural area too, and what I did was put a sign up at church with those little tearoff thingies with my number, selling myself for "oddjobs." Doing this, I was able to raise around $1000.  If you are raising money for a certian thing, like a field trip, or something like that, people will give you huge tips.  I used $5 an hour for price, but people frequently raised that, or gave me $20 for less than an hours worth of work.--Omnipotence407 (talk) 21:04, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I grew up in a rural area and, like many of my schoolmates, worked on a farm. Low wages, hard work, long hours but a crash course in a foreign language communicating with migrant workers and stay in shape for sports. Labor laws for farm work may be different than normal child labor laws. Rmhermen (talk) 17:08, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * There are lots of ways to make money on the internet, through organizations that pay you to perform simple, computer-based tasks. In general, I advise you to work for one of the reputable, big-name ones, like Amazon Mechanical Turk, rather than clicking on a banner ad that says "make $$$$ here!!!!111one!" -- if you've never heard of the place, it's probably a scam.  --M @ r ē ino 23:45, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

2 door disel car in NA?
Do manufacturers sell in North America a 2 door diesel car? If so what models do they sell? --Obsolete.fax (talk) 21:02, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Volkswagen Rabbit LS -, Chevrolet Suburban/Chevrolet Tahoe - . Those are just the first two I found while doing a Google search for "2-door diesel".   Corvus cornix  talk  23:10, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Volvo has the Volvo D5 engine which you can get in the c70 there are a few others, though most of them seem foreign. I am not sure the Suburban or the Tahoe quite match as they are 4 door truck vehicles. Dureo (talk) 10:45, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Alberta Law Schools
Does anyone know how many students applied to University of Alberta & University of Calgary law school? And how many were accepted? --Obsolete.fax (talk) 21:04, 6 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Would a call to the admissions offices work?--Omnipotence407 (talk) 00:28, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The information should be on the internet? --Obsolete.fax (talk) 01:40, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Why? Is that what they told you when you called/emailed them? Nil Einne (talk) 17:11, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * After an email to the colleges: University of Alberta says that for 2007 they received 1250 applications and accepted 354. 175 actually began the program. University of Calgary received 930 applications and accepted 100.  University of Alberta does not post this information, and the University of Calgary says that it is on their website here but I do not know where. --Omnipotence407 (talk) 22:08, 7 January 2008 (UTC)