Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 August 18

= August 18 =

Stocks: A public record?
I would like to find out if my private American university holds stock in companies which do business in Israel. How can I go about finding this out? Would it be a matter of public record? --S.dedalus (talk) 07:37, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

My understand (this is in the Uk but potentially is of a simmilar nature) is that shareholders are only held on public record when the amount of stock their own exceeds a certain % of that company's stock. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 08:52, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

It might help if you said which university. That said, if your university has a significant endowment it almost certainly does own stock in companies that do business in Israel as most large international corporations do some sort of business there. —D. Monack talk 11:05, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * In the United States, large investment managers must file quarterly reports of their holdings of public equity securities on Form 13F. Some universities do make these filings, and they are available online through the SEC's EDGAR system.  However, I don't know of any way to take the next step and analyze these holdings to see if the companies do business in Israel.  I believe it is illegal in the United States for companies to boycott Israel.  John M Baker (talk) 14:36, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure but will guess that as a private entity, the university has no legal responsibility whatsoever to disclose its investments. You can always ask for the list, though as D. Monack says, a lot of companies do business with Israel and the university certainly won't have the list sorted in a way that will make it easy for you to figure it out.  John M Baker is referring to the US laws enacted in response to the Arab League boycott of Israel; these laws do seem to make it illegal for US individuals or companies to boycott individual nations; though disinvestment is not made illegal.  (I would link to our article disinvestment in that sentence but the article appears out of control and conflates disinvestment with boycotts.)  Tempshill (talk) 15:54, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * From our boycott article:


 * “However, the EAR only applies to foreign government initiated boycotts: a domestic boycott campaign arising within the United States that happens to also have the same object as the foreign-government-initiated boycott is completely lawful, assuming that it is an independent effort not connected with the foreign government's boycott. Anti-boycott organizations often attempt to claim that domestic boycott campaigns that are not related to a foreign governmental boycott are in violation of these regulations; unfortunately, for them, their claims are untrue, and potentially unlawful. Inducing government action through lies or fraud, attempting to suppress free speech through intimidation, or falsely claiming that a domestic boycott campaign is foreign governmental in origin may, in fact, constitute conspiracy against civil rights, a Federal felony, punishable by fine and imprisonment. Provided that an individual or an organization does not act at the behest of a foreign government's boycott, or foreign organizations responding to a foreign government's boycott, it is completely lawful to choose to--or to choose not to--engage in commerce with anyone they please for any reasons they wish.”


 * My understanding is that it certainly isn’t illegal for American individuals or companies to make consumer decisions up to and including boycotts. I believe it would be unconstitutional to restrict that freedom. Thanks for the responses folks! --S.dedalus (talk) 02:27, 19 August 2009 (UTC)


 * No, the university does have a disclosure obligation, as I mentioned above. (This is under U.S. law, but the OP refers to an American university.)  The obligation arises under |Section 13(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and generally applies if the university has investment discretion with respect to publicly traded equity securities of more than $100 million.  The university may also have to file Schedule 13D or 13G if it holds more than 5% of the stock of an individual public company.  John M Baker (talk) 23:08, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

How to extract Tribulus saponins
can anybody pls help me to know how to get saponins from Tribulus Terrestris?Kinnowman (talk) 10:11, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * you should ask this question on the science reference desk83.100.250.79 (talk) 13:05, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * You should be aware that Tribulus terrestris saponins seem to only have an aphrodisiac effect in rodents, but not in humans. Even if you manage to extract some, chances are you'll just end up with an upset stomach. --Dr Dima (talk) 20:01, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Collier
What is a "Collier" in Italy?64.20.151.144 (talk) 13:20, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * It is a word borrowed from the French language. In French it simply means necklace, but in Italian it is used for a type of necklace, usually fitting close to the neck, like a choker (but not necessarily "Goth", despite what the article says :) ---Sluzzelin talk  14:10, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

'locking' a lever latch door
hi, is it possible to prevent people barging into a room with a lever latched door without having to damage the door/change the door handle, etc.? (coz it's a school dorm i'm talking about) the 'lock' is preferably easy to 'lock and unlock' by me inside the room? (o yea, please don't suggest talking to the people or putting up a sign, coz i've tried those already...) thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.202.252.179 (talk) 15:57, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * I think you should bring it up with your RA or housing administrator and see if you can get a lock put on the door. If the door opens into your room then you could get a simple wedge doorstop, or there are contraptions like this that wedge under the doorknob and extend down to the floor, and are meant for nervous travelers who stay in hotel rooms.  Tempshill (talk) 16:07, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * I doubt that the OP has the right to prevent access within a school property. Ways to discourage unannounced entries could be considered if we were told what might attract people to barge in.Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:12, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Then how would the OP prevent other students from stealing his stuff? Googlemeister (talk) 19:48, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Legal ramification or school-based reprimands usually work. What Cuddlyable3 is trying to say is that since OP doesn't own the room, the school (college?) is not going to allow him or her to place a lock on the door that would prevent school officials from entering the room.  It's not only a fire hazard but, I'm assuming, a violation of school regulations, as it is most places.  Same concept applies to lockers, where the school officers have a right to clip your lock to search the locker, which is their own property. ~ Amory ( user  •  talk  •  contribs ) 20:21, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * How is this any different from an apartment? The landlord owns the apartment, but because you are paying rent, you are entitled to privacy and forewarning before the owner can enter.  Perhaps these expectations are different in other countries. Having only experience with US and Australia.  Googlemeister (talk) 20:27, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Because it's not an apartment, it's a room at school. The legal expectations are different; technically I guess the difference is that a school pupil has no right to "quiet enjoyment" as does an apartment-dweller. When I was at boarding school the only lockable space was a tuckbox (small trunk about 18"x12"x12") to keep snacks in. There wasn't a significant theft problem. (Note that I'm talking about school here, 13-18 age group, rather than university. At uni here in the UK, rooms will have locks and, while staff typically have a right to enter for certain reasons, they don't generally exercise it unless it's really necessary.) I'm not quite sure what the OP means by a "lever latched door", but if it's the kind with a horizontal handle each side that rotates downwards to open, a piece of wood sized to just fit under the handle with the base on the floor will prevent the handle moving and hence the door opening without either damage or taking the handle off the outside. 93.97.184.230 (talk) 21:40, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Unless the handle can be opened by swinging up as well as down... -- Jayron  32  01:02, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * As you point out 184.230 this may not be a boarding school, but rather a university. If so, and if my experience in American university holds true, the school probably has some sort of student rights guarantee. This probably includes a right to a safe, quite, living environment. Talk to your RLA and see what can be done. --S.dedalus (talk) 02:39, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * As the comments above mine state, it's not that cut and dry. Most boarding schools, colleges, and universities have a set of student rights, and that usually entails a fair amount of privacy and "ownership" as far as your dorm room goes.  However, they reserve full ownership of the room, and can, when the time comes, pretty much do as they like, as long as it is within the boundaries of the state and federal law and their own charter.  The college owns the facilities, and when you sign your enrollment agreement, you just agree to live there, not actually have any major rights. ~ Amory ( user  •  talk  •  contribs ) 03:17, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

Try sticking a wedge under the door. DOR (HK) (talk) 09:08, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

If you're just trying to keep miscellaneous blokes out, what I've done is tie a rope (or a shoelace, even) around the doorknob (wrap it around a few times) and clip it to my bed frame with a karabiner (so I can just use that instead of spending thirty seconds tying/untying it when I want to open the door). The bed frame (or desk, or whatever) will have to be pretty close to the door if it opens into the room. But if it opens out into the hallway, you can have it tied wherever you want, as long as it's sturdy. It won't keep someone from breaking in - if the door opens in they can just reach in and cut the rope, or they can just pull/push until the rope slides off the door/breaks/comes untied/pulls the bed or whatever. But if you just want to be alone for a few minutes, it will probably work. ZS 02:55, 20 August 2009 (UTC)


 * A school would surely have a duty to protect the children boarding there. A lock on the door would be a necessary part of this. The school would hold a master key, and have strict and clear policies about the circumstances in which the master key would be used. DuncanHill (talk) 12:05, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Proctology
What draws someone into becoming a proctologist? Anyone a proctologist here, or know one? 209.147.155.17 (talk) 22:40, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * A solid career, good money, and a chance to probably help people? I mean, if you're asking for a sadistic motive, there might be in some cases, but such is rarely enough to sustain a whole career. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 23:10, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * This question was asked recently on the Science desk. Here. APL (talk) 23:30, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Maybe stupidity - if someone expects to grow rich from poking around up other peoples arses...?? I for one will not be paying for that.83.100.250.79 (talk) 23:53, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
 * You (or whoever pays your medical bills) will when you get to be around 50. Unless you like the idea of a slow, painful, and unnecessary death from undiagnosed colorectal cancer. --jpgordon:==( o ) 00:08, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * There's stupidity, and then there's criminality, I see no difference between what you describe and paying protection money to the mafia after getting roughed up because "i don't want any accidents to happen" - not buying it.83.100.250.79 (talk) 00:29, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * You seem to be suggesting that it is criminal to provide diagnostics for colorectal cancer, or other related crippling and/or life threatening conditions. You certainly don't have to take advantage, and I wish you good health in the absence of potentially critical information. // BL \\ (talk) 00:45, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * 83 is comparing Mother Nature with the Mafia??? When it comes to humans fighting against Mother Nature, guess who always wins? Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 01:16, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah, well let's see him get through the rest of his life with a semi-colon... Half  Shadow  02:19, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * As he says, there's stupidity first, and a fine display of it. (I know people who have died because they were too fearful or disdainful of tiny cameras up their butts. Pity, that.) --jpgordon:==( o ) 05:26, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * The difference is simple. Unlike the mafia, doctors are not the cause. Vimescarrot (talk) 10:38, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * The suggestion is that they are liars - making up diseases to frighten people to get rich without doing proper work. Akin to extortion through fear.83.100.250.79 (talk) 12:43, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * I know we all want to assume good faith, but please don't troll the reference desk. Thank you. Livewireo (talk) 13:02, 19 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Colon cancer is a lie? Then what are those folks that thought they had colon cancer actually dying from? Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 13:03, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Don't feed the trolls, everybody. After all, this particular troll will (if he takes himself seriously) be sorted out by Darwin in later life. DJ Clayworth (talk) 13:34, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
 * To return to the subject, there is in fact a whole song about this question. DJ Clayworth (talk) 13:34, 19 August 2009 (UTC)


 * "Doctor, doctor! Why are you trying to write my prescription using a rectal thermometer?"
 * "Damn! Some asshole has stolen my pen!"
 * PhGustaf (talk) 03:41, 20 August 2009 (UTC), who will be here all week.
 * What's the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer?
 * The taste. ~ mazca  talk 10:28, 20 August 2009 (UTC), who will also be here all week.
 * Ironically, Mazca just finished a gig at The Bitter End. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 10:44, 20 August 2009 (UTC)


 * This question has been asked twice on Yahoo Questions recently, it always generates plenty of opinion and little fact!! 86.4.181.14 (talk) 13:44, 19 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Some people are obviously born to it. The proctologist at my local hospital goes by the name of Shatwell! --TammyMoet (talk) 14:08, 19 August 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm sure that some people, while studying medicine, spark a keen interest in proctolagy. There's no real explanation for why someone has an interest. For example, I started on physics in the third grade and became inexplicably pulled toward ballistics and machining in middle school. Now I'm studying to become a gunsmith. —Preceding unsigned comment added by HitmanNumber86 (talk • contribs) 01:19, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Common reason for people entering different medical specialisms are either because someone they know suffered from that condition (and possibly died, or maybe received really good care) or they themselves suffered from that condition (and recovered). Either can have a powerful emotional impact and lead to someone wanting to help the similarly-afflicted.  Maybe the proctologist's father died of colon cancer.