Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2014 May 23

= May 23 =

Executions FYI
Update to an earlier discussion. Back on May 1 there was a question about lethal injections as an execution method in the US. Today the governor of Tennessee signed legislation which will allow using the electric chair in that state, if the drugs used for lethal injection become unavailable. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:33, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * A huge military and executing criminals are two things America is known for - why not combine them? Just have a troop of soldiers line up and shoot them - that way they won't have qualms the first time they have to do it in the field. Dmcq (talk) 09:41, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
 * It takes a lot of troops to continue being the cops of the world. And in general your plan wouldn't work, because most executions are done at the state level, not the federal level. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:37, 24 May 2014 (UTC)

The Long Arm
In the black & white thriller film of the above name, it explains how the exact time and place that a newspaper was printed, can anyone remind me of those details? I do remember that the location of the printing machine was indicated by three white dots in a broken under line which showed that the printer was in Cardiff, that the location of those dots under a specific letter in the "Daily Mail" heading showed the day of printing, but under which letter I cannot remember, and that the content of the 'Stop Press' (The Fudge) showed what time that edition was printed, I think too that there was some means by which of the Welsh newspaper distributors couold be identified, but again, I forget that detail also..85.211.129.35 (talk) 04:57, 23 May 2014 (UTC)

TOEFL and GRE
Are the two tests (TOEFL and GRE) both required simultaneously for admissions into universities, or is it sufficient if an applicant writes either one of them? I'm planning to apply to McGill University for my PhD and I can't figure out if I need to write both tests or just one. 117.194.243.80 (talk) 06:46, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * The best way to get an answer is to contact the university's admissions office. Often the requirements vary by program, so you might also be able to find the admissions requirements on the program's website. K ati e R  (talk) 11:32, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Also be aware that in general you would be much better off going to Europe to do a PhD, better pay, MUCH shorter course, no need to do random classes as well, better quality on the whole etc etc etc. Just saying! 131.251.254.110 (talk) 12:57, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
 * The TOEFL and GRE are different tests that aim to measure different qualities, so it would be surprising if a university treated them as interchangeable. The TOEFL aims to measure English-language ability, whereas the GRE aims to measure general academic readiness. As to whether it would be better to attend a European university, the OP may be taking into account the greater ease of permanent immigration to Canada than to most EU countries for people with academic qualifications and the bridge that a Canadian university would offer to Canadian residence. Marco polo (talk) 15:01, 23 May 2014 (UTC)

Stakeholders of Wikipedia
Where do I find comprehensive information about the stakeholders of Wikipedia? Is there a stakeholder analysis for Wikipedia?

Moreover, I would be interested in communication strategies for each stakeholder. ITKALDKESJDNF (talk) 11:45, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * It depends on what exactly you mean by "stakeholder", but you're probably looking for the Wikimedia Foundation. Rojomoke (talk) 12:34, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * "Stakeholders" such as they are defined in this article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_(corporate)


 * I have been searching for hours in Wikimedia, Metawiki and Wikipedia, but I have not found anything comprehensive. However, I firmly believe that Wikimedia must have a comprehensive stakeholder analysis and communication strategy. ITKALDKESJDNF (talk) 13:07, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Well, you can create a list of stakeholders easily enough by reading the Wikimedia FAC page. I would say the stake holders are (a) the Wikimedia foundation, its Executive Director, and its Board of Trustees; (b) local Wikimedia chapters; (c) the wider Wikipedia community of volunteers, active editors and benefactors; (d) Wikipedia readers. Gandalf61 (talk) 14:16, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
 * The Wikimedia Foundation has multiple projects, mainly Wikipedia, but there are others, such as Wiktionary, Wikitravel, Wikisource, and more! The Wikimedia Foundation runs those projects, and is a non-profit itself. Non profits don't have any stakeholders. Stakeholders usually get the surplus revenues from the (for-profit) company they own in the form of dividends, and a non-profit uses the surplus revenue to fulfill its goals. Therefore, your question only applies if Wikimedia decided to become a for-profit organization. Hope that answered your question! 123chess456 (talk) 14:50, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * "Non profits don't have any stakeholders" - you seem to be using a different definition of stakeholder. In our article, stakeholders are defined as "those groups without whose support the organization would cease to exist". Their relationship with the organisation does not have to be economic or financial. Your definition of stakeholder seems to be closer to "investor" or "owner". Gandalf61 (talk) 14:58, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Agreed, 123chess is using a restricted definition that doesn't cover modern usage. The NSF, NRC, and EPA use a definition of stakeholder similar to our article's, some discussion of the term in this EPA pub here . In that usage, WP readers and editors (e.g. everyone seeing this!) are absolutely stakeholders in the Wikipedia project. We may not be that important individually, but as a class we hold a lot of the stake! SemanticMantis (talk) 15:25, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I suspect he confused stakeholders and shareholders. In modern project management, doing a stakeholder analysis and developing a communication strategy to gain (as much as possible) of their support is part of the project initiation. Of course, no-one is forced to apply these principles, but it's not unreasonable to expect a professionally run organisation to do this. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 22:27, 24 May 2014 (UTC)

Animation of what will happen if humans disappear
Some years ago I saw a short, thought-provoking animation online that showed what the filmmaker thought would happen if humans suddenly disappeared. I can't seem to find it again, although I've found bad ones, long ones and ones that aren't animated. Any ideas? --Dweller (talk) 13:08, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * There are some examples under Human extinction, subsection "In popular culture". Maybe it's one of those? ---Sluzzelin talk  13:20, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * I can only think of the Life After People TV show - of which there are many episodes. It does an excellent job of showing how the world would change over the following days to millennia without us. SteveBaker (talk) 20:50, 23 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Thanks, I found them, but what I'm thinking of is a single, short, animated video. --Dweller (talk) 20:16, 25 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Computer animation, traditional animation, or something else, like time-lapse photography of places abandoned by people ? StuRat (talk) 20:30, 25 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Definitely one of the first two, probably the first. --Dweller (talk) 20:54, 25 May 2014 (UTC)