Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 April 7

= April 7 =

What are some other websites similar to Craigslist?
Are there any other sites similar to Craig's List (i.e., where you can post a classified ad for free)? Particularly, ads for real estate, rentals, apartments, etc. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 06:42, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Gumtree 217.44.50.87 (talk) 08:48, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Indeed, the opportunities for getting ripped off are boundless! Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi  08:52, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * It is just an answer - not a recommendation. 217.44.50.87 (talk) 15:44, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Kijiji, if you're in Canada. Adam Bishop (talk) 10:13, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

I should have clarified: in the USA. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:05, 7 April 2016 (UTC)


 * You can do this to a limited extent with Front Porch Forum. Hrm, red link. Well frontporchforum.com is their address. Dismas |(talk) 18:15, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 03:57, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

Jesus Christ/Antichrist Differences
What are the differences between Jesus Christ and the Antichrist? 86.176.58.197 (talk) 19:31, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Have you read the two articles? There are numerous different traditions, as with many religious topics, and the Bible only has brief references to the Antichrist. Warofdreams talk 19:48, 7 April 2016 (UTC)


 * The Antichrist is yet to come, currently too vaguely defined for worship. The regular Christ has been for a while, and is worshipped like there's no tomorrow. In that sense, Christ is more like Anti than not, unlike the Antichrist. And nobody's ever called Emmanuel Lewis a lord or saviour. The Antichrist shall be a lord, but not a saviour, so can't be a messiah like Jesus can. Just another "false messiah". InedibleHulk (talk) 20:20, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * A man named Emmanuel Lewis Tynoco, while pretending to be a man named Francisco de Torres, once had some "obscure words" to say about the price in which pearls are held, and the resolution of a deal in musk and amber. That apparently meant he wanted to poison The Virgin Queen, in old-timey code. We have an article on his alleged buddy, a Catholic kingdom's doctor who was once the Jewish son of another kingdom's doctor, who said he loved the Queen as well as he loved Jesus, before being publicly doubted and dying for his sins. Edward Coke (of Trinity, sister to Christ Church) called him "worse than Judas", which at the time was worse than "worse than Hitler". InedibleHulk (talk) 21:40, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

Remembrance poppy
The article Remembrance poppy says that the Remembrance poppy is based on a real flower. However, every single picture on the article shows artificial flowers. As entirely non-British, I have to ask: Is the Remembrance poppy supposed to be a real flower or an artificial one?
 * It is an artificial flower, the design of which is based on a real flower. DuncanHill (talk) 20:14, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * The one that blows in Flanders Fields. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:28, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * And grows. But only till they're picked. Then they wither and crumble. Not a good look on a shirt, especially on those who pin for weeks. Prison labour to the rescue! Authentic blackness returned to the centre in 2002, but you still can't make heroin from them. Sometimes you can beat the real thing. Despite lasting forever now, you must never reuse them. InedibleHulk (talk) 23:04, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Sometimes the fake ones return to the rows of crosses. Uplifting story, for a little while. InedibleHulk (talk) 23:20, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * In short, remembrance poppies are always artificial, the original ones were silk, but modern ones are paper, although plastic and enamel ones are available. I have never seen actual poppy flowers used in a remembrance context, possibly because the flowers bloom in the summer and the UK Remembrance Sunday is in November. I have added a photograph of the real flower to the article. Hope this helps. Alansplodge (talk) 12:25, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Or ceramic. These were for a special event, but many of them were sold to ordinary people afterwards. --ColinFine (talk) 15:39, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Indeed. Having read the question more carefully, I have re-written the first sentence of the article's lead paragraph to make it clearer. Alansplodge (talk) 16:02, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Good, but the new wording may be read as implying that real poppies have been used for this purpose since 1921. If that is not the intent, I suggest wording like "...(representing a common or field poppy, Papaver rhoeas) that has..." or else starting a separate sentence. --69.159.61.172 (talk) 23:10, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Okay, point taken. I have had another go, but have avoided using brackets since in my experience, these seem to attract the attention of pedantic editors who have an unreasonable dislike of them. I hope the latest update is acceptable; if not, feel free to change it yourself. Alansplodge (talk) 00:04, 9 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I didn't edit it before because I wasn't certain that that was your intent. --69.159.61.172 (talk) 05:21, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

Languages at school- last post got rubbed for some reason
Whats the point of studying Latin at school?. I mean what the hell use is it in life?--178.101.224.162 (talk) 23:29, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Summoning stuff. It sounds ridiculous in English. InedibleHulk (talk) 00:01, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * Are they forcing you to study Latin in your school? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:44, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Without Latin the OP is unable to read the copyright year on most 20th century movies nor comprehend that their own question contains 4 English words drawn from Latin roots pungere/puncta studiare/studium schola  and usus.. More than 56% of the vocabulary still used in English derives ultimately from Latin, either directly (28.24%) or through French (28.30%). Latin continues to be used to form international scientific vocabulary and classical compounds. See Instruction in Latin and Contemporary Latin. AllBestFaith (talk) 00:59, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * There's a thing called cultural continuity. Shakespeare, Eng. Lit., Greek/Latin, these things. We creepy a$$ crackas are funny this way. No one's making you study Latin, are they? Asmrulz (talk) 07:26, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * What's an "a$$ cracka", and what's creepy about them? (Sounds like a euphemism for a particularly loud fart). Iapetus (talk) 14:34, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * In Florida (and thus the news), George Zimmerman caused a particularly loud fart. Not sure where the dollar signs figure in. There are worse things to be called in the news, though. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:45, 11 April 2016 (UTC)
 * In place of the letter "s", perhaps to get around an edit filter? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:46, 11 April 2016 (UTC)


 * Plus there was the left-wing idea that additionally to imparting purely practical knowledge schools should enculturate pupils in the dominant culture. This was meant initially to promote cohesion (nation states were still a new thing) and social mobility (by removing obstacles to social ascent - who will want to deal with you if you're a clueless neanderthal), but lately somehow got reinterpreted as upper classes trying to keep lower classes down, or, in the case of immigrant kids, outright cultural imperialism. The irony of course is that schools still propagate the dominant culture, only it's not Shakespeare and Latin but "how to identify things as racist/sexist/homophobic from quite a long way away." Asmrulz (talk) 08:02, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * You know who's a socially ascendant creepy a$$ cracka with a clueless neanderthal gimmick covering up a "smarter than a fifth grader" knack for keeping lesser lower voices out of culturally dominant roles which are funny in a way? Brad Garrett. You know what's not funny? Always spotting racism, sexism and homophobia in the same order. InedibleHulk (talk) 08:39, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * It's repetitive only because THEY are likewise repetitive. As to cracka, the OP's IP geolocates to Britain, so chances are his problems with Shakespeare and Latin instruction are best understood from that perspective. It's a legitimate concern, unless one thinks White culture is or must be universally attractive Asmrulz (talk) 09:05, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * You lost me. What's a legitimate concern? InedibleHulk (talk) 09:27, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * whether or not the OP's problem with classical instruction is stricty utilitarian or deeper than that.Asmrulz (talk) 09:42, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * OK, thanks. My best guess on that is "don't know". I now know something called the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance exists, and doesn't give a flying fig (ficus carica) about Latin or Greek. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:53, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * OK Asmrulz (talk) 11:01, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * It's possible to study Latin online now, for those no longer in school. Several study groups use a highly popular textbook for readers of English, Wheelock's Latin: The Classic Introductory Latin Course, Based on Ancient Authors, now in its 7th edition (2011). On the book's website you'll get an overview of its content and organization, the many offshoots and study guides. As for applications, if the sheer enjoyment and satisfaction of acquiring knowledge isn't enough: People who work in the medical field encounter many Latin and Greek-based words, and knowing their root meanings makes remembering and spelling them a relative breeze. Singers of liturgical music and celebrants at a traditional Catholic mass will encounter entire texts in Latin, the understanding of which enhances their experience. -- Deborahjay (talk) 07:41, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * I seem to recall a certain Nigel Molseworth asking a similar question in the 1950's.ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 10:15, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * The most useful applications of Latin are history - somebody needs to be able to interpret historical documents - and linguistics - most languages have grammatical features that English lacks; Latin has lots of such features; if you've learned Latin, you will find it easier to recognise them when you're learning a new language. --Nicknack009 (talk) 10:26, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Ask Boris --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 11:41, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * You might be interested in Mary Beard's book Confronting the Classics - learning to read Latin allows you to read that which was written in Latin (and you don't have to learn tourist phrases along the lines of "Could you tell me the way to the train station?"). Here she is on Why Ancient Rome matters to the modern world; It is the sheer difficulty of learning the Latin language that makes it a great social leveller; and - trying not to sound like Marie Antoinette - Let them learn Latin. Carbon Caryatid (talk) 11:44, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * There are also some older English (And occasionally American) legal terms that were originally Latin based, even if there has been an effort to modernise legal language in the modern era. Corpus delicti, Mens rea(from the full quote. - actus reus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea, Habeas corpus, De minimis being some of the ones encountered more frequently in modern usage. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 13:33, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * Latin is very useful in the sciences. A great deal of scientific terminology derives from, or actually is, Latin (Binomial names in biology, for example), and it's easier to grasp all the concepts if you have some grasp of it. I took Latin (not by choice) at school for 4 years, and failed the exam (GCE 'O' Level), but I still think it's one of the most useful of the subjects I studied.
 * On the Arts side, a good deal of 'Classical' choral works (mostly sacred music) are in Latin, so being even semi-literate in it is useful for both performers and audience.
 * Finally, my school Latin master once told us that while holidaying in Italy, he was able to make himself understood perfectly well by using Latin, but he may have been pulling our legs. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 185.74.232.130 (talk) 14:03, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * What's really the point of studying music or art in school? Why do students have to read Shakespeare? All have pretty marginal benefits in the workplace and anyone who is actually seriously interested in either isn't going to learn much from dabbling about with keyboards/poster paints. But music, art and literature are important parts of culture, and people who don't appreciate them are seen as somehow incomplete (not "well-rounded"), and so schools (rightly) make everyone dip their toes at least. For a long time, Latin (and Ancient Greek) were the same - if you couldn't appreciate the Classics, you weren't complete. Nowadays, the Western Canon has shifted (less Aeneid, more Austen), and people don't generally see an understanding of the Classics as critical. Smurrayinchester 15:44, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * The most important things one learns at school are how to get along with people, how to resolve disputes, how to learn, how to have a healthy relationship with authority figures, how to discipline oneself to do things one doesn't particularly want to do, how to deal with things you never asked for but cannot escape, etc. The most important of these is how to learn.  After you leave school, you'll find you need all of these skills on a daily basis.  Many of the learnings at school come not in the classroom but in the playground.  But none of these learnings can occur outside a context where students are grouped together ostensibly to focus on specific subject matter.  In some ways, it doesn't matter what the subject matter is (e.g. a novelist who learned integral calculus in school will probably never use it after leaving school), but it's the skills acquired through the learning that matter.  In other ways, it matters a great deal what the subject matter is (e.g. how to multiply and divide numbers; the parts of speech; the alphabet; how your country is governed ...).  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  21:35, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
 * I did Latin in school (no, it wasn't mandatory), and it's still useful pretty regularly in my day job as a research scientist. Fgf10 (talk) 00:34, 9 April 2016 (UTC)
 * I also studied Latin. It was moderately useful when studying ancient/medieval history at university. Today, it's pretty much useless. But as my Latin teacher pointed out, so is most of the maths we learned after about age 12. It does, however, help me spell "necessary" and it also helps me bore for England on those oh-so-frequent moments when the gerundive of obligation, the ablative case or the correct way to pronounce "veni vidi vici" pop into dinner table conversation. --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 15:11, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

Shorts- is it true?
I heard a story today that said you can get anti lfatulence shorts that cut out the smell. Is that true or is ti just a load of hot air?--178.101.224.162 (talk) 23:39, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Heh..."load". Seriously, though. InedibleHulk (talk) 00:03, 8 April 2016 (UTC)


 * Absolutely genuine - made by this company http://www.myshreddies.com/ and available from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Shreddies-USA-SHRHPSML-Flatulence-Filtering/dp/B00LIQ7WOM 217.44.50.87 (talk) 17:59, 8 April 2016 (UTC)