Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2008 May 22

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May 22

OPEC/economics question

I've just read in an article that: "with oil at $200 a barrel, OPEC could potentially buy Bank of America in one month worth of production, Apple computers in a week and General Motors in just three days." Is that true? Thanks for information.--AlexSuricata (talk) 00:53, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

According to OPEC, they produce 30,451,000 barrels of oil a day. At $200 a barrel, that's $6,090,200,000 (six billion) a day. I'm not exactly sure how you would define "buying". Maybe how much it would cost to buy a majority share? I wouldn't know how to determine that. Paragon12321 (talk) 04:06, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, that assumes that the 200$/barrel prices are pure profit; one of the most common arguments for high gas prices is that oil companies require them to continue exploration, extraction, and development which are very costly. --Haemo (talk) 09:24, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

According to bloomberg.com, General Motors' market cap was $10.7billion, so it would take two days (assuming demand doesn't decrease). Note also that the number of days (only) doubles if the oil price is $100 and here's a frightening headline: Oil Rises Above $135 as OPEC Says It's Powerless to Stop Rally. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:32, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

youtube etc

there are many pirate copies of many songs posted in youtube. Even though we may not get into legal trouble by watching those videos, will we get bad karma and because of that suffer in the next birth or later in this birth? Or is it that music piracy is not a big sin? or is it a big sin? how do music owners think? do music companies and music artists serious about piracy? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.126.55 (talk) 00:59, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

That's a lot of questions. The answers to the first few questions depend which religion, if you have one at all, you believe in and your interpretation of its rules. I'd need more information to answer those. As for the last two, the RIAA takes piracy very seriously. However, they tend to focus on the pirates, not the people watching them. Paragon12321 (talk) 03:56, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if it qualifies as bad karma, but this is my experience: listening to illegal copies of music has often resulted in getting interested in something I didn't know before and, in the long run, buying a lot of music I would not have bought otherwise. So I'm not consumed by guilt. DAVID ŠENEK 09:08, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

If you make decisions that are simply based on fear of suffering as a result of "getting" bad karma, isn't that a sign you've already got bad karma?--Wetman (talk) 18:59, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

In the UAE you would be executed if you publicly say "I'm gay"?

My brother is homosexual and I am really worried. He will go to the UAE; he will not publicly say he's gay but many of his co-workers know it. I don't know all of them and I'm afraid... perhaps; one of them is a bad person and reports him to the Justice. I have read that being homosexual in the UAE is punishable by death. My question is: In the UAE is illegal... being homosexual.. or ..being homosexual and have homosexual sex?. I hope you understand me. Maru-Spanish (talk) 01:59, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I think I get it. According to LGBT rights in United Arab Emirates, it seems like the law says sodomy, actual sex, not just homosexuality. From what I can tell, it depends from Emirate to Emirate, but sodomy can technically carry the death penalty. However, it seems that this may just be a mistranslation of the Arabic law. It can definitely get jail time. In countries like these, the best defense is discretion. I wish the best for your brother. Paragon12321 (talk) 03:51, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Something related to this actually happened; it was on 20/20, and here is a news story. Adam Bishop (talk) 07:29, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

::Does UAE law apply to foreign workers? Julia Rossi (talk) 07:30, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

This must have been an edcon – only just now read adam's article. Julia Rossi (talk) 09:12, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

If you say "I'm gay", you'd probably get weird stares. Not many people there understand English.--Goon Noot (talk) 23:51, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

No. Over 80% of the Emerati population are non-citizen foreigners, most of whom use English as a lingua franca. Law enforcement officers particularly will be versed in English. Ninebucks (talk) 22:48, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Murder?

I was just reading Quintinshill rail crash, specifically the part about how the signalmen could have been charged in either England or Scotland. What if events went the other direction? If I shot someone in England, and they staggered across the border into Scotland before expiring, would I be guilty of anything beyond "unlawful discharge of a firearm"? --Serie (talk) 09:15, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

You could be charged with all kinds of offences, including murder, although without knowing exactly what happened we can't say that you would be, or even that you did anything unlawful. One potential crime clearly lies wholly within England. However, "unlawful discharge of a firearm" is a US offense, not an English one. Xn4 10:11, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Ah, but did you shoot him with an arrow, and was he a Scot? [1] Gwinva (talk) 22:16, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

i Want an 3 page article on topic 'Birds-Feathered Friends,

59.94.152.253 (talk) 09:15, 22 May 2008 (UTC)please ans it i have to put it down in my Project File ,any how within 2 days... i cant find it in Wiki.... It should include details about

1-Birds Human Relations in early as well as in modern century

2-Man opininion on Birds

3-their migration

4-Birds feeds

5-Birds Baths

6-Bird Lovers ex:Salim ali from India

7-Their Development

8-Mans love towards them

Thats allll...

Please! ans my ques. within 2 days otherwise i would be beaten by my Teacher for not completing my Homework!!

Sweet questions. I love birds. However, we can't do your homework for you, although we can give you a few pointers. Have a look at our articles on ornithology (the scientific study of birds) and birdwatching, they might help. However, your teacher would also not be very happy if you copy parts of those articles exactly as they appear here into your project file. You should read the articles, follow the links, find as much information as you can and write the answers in your own words. Good luck, --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:23, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

A couple of more things to look at Domestication, Domestic animal, Hunting, Game (food), Falconry, Cormorant fishing, Pigeon keeping, Peafowl, Dinosaur, Feather. It helps to know that birds are sometimes called "fowl". Busted! at least Bird migration Bird bath and Bird food you could have found right off. For your last question just sit yourself down and think of all the birds in stories, cartoons, movies, songs, video games and on TV. That alone should get you at least a full page.71.236.23.111 (talk) 20:19, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

You should also be aware that, unless your teacher is quite stupid, she will know if you copy your homework from the internet, and you will not get credit for it. Instead, read the articles, take notes about the information you can use, and then write your own article. The process of doing that will help you learn much more, which is the ultimate goal of being in school, right? -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 11:20, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Nineteenth Century China

Does anyone know if the Empress Dowager Cixi and her son Tongzhi attempted any major programme of reform in response to Western inroads? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.77.35.53 (talk) 09:51, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I know little about them, but please see Empress Dowager Cixi (pictured) and our article Tongzhi Emperor, which says "Tongzhi attempted political reform in the period of the Tongzhi Restoration". If we follow the link to that we read "The restoration, however, which applied "practical knowledge" while reaffirming the old mentality, was not a genuine program of modernization". The source of that statement seems to be Wright, Mary Clabaugh, The Last Stand of Chinese Conservatism: The T'ung-Chih Restoration, 1862 -1874 (Stanford, CA, Stanford University Press, 1957), which you might like to get hold of. Xn4 11:01, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

IIRC there's a good chapter on it in the Cambridge History of China vol 10. (maybe by Wright) A snippet at google for Wright's book is "The major thesis of this book is that not only a dynasty but also a civilization which had appeared to have collapsed was revived to last for another 60 years by the extraordinary efforts of extraordinary men in the 1860's. This was the T'ung-Chih Restoration.." It is very hard to overstate the cataclysmic effects of the Taiping rebellion and other catastrophes of the time, not just western inroads, so something extraordinary was needed to recover from them. Not too sure about that statement above; searching for mentality in Wright at googlebooks yields nothing, but it I think it is roughly right. (It is quoted from here[2] Again, iirc, it coincided with some economic modernization - the introduction of a few more modern capitalistic enterprises like steamship companies, this modernization was only in isolated sectors and took time, but eventually took root. [3] is another web reference. John Z (talk) 11:49, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

How many generals in German Army in 1939

Does anybody know the number of generals in German Army as of 1939 ? I know the number of generals who disagreed with mass murder made by German army in 1939 is alledgedly known, I need to know the full number of generals in the Army as a whole to compare. --Molobo (talk) 10:40, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

All I could find was this site. No count of all the generals and no indication it covers all of them...but it gives an idea of the approximate number. I'd say around 150-200 on the site. Fribbler (talk) 11:39, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Secular schools

Are there any members of the HMC that are explicitly secular? If so, which ones? Tiddly pop (talk) 10:52, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Careful, your first link leads to a disambiguation page. I assume you are referring to the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:00, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

One which comes to mind is Sevenoaks School, which claims to be the oldest secular school in the UK, but the full concept of secular education isn't really possible here as it is in some other countries. You might like to look more closely at the overseas members of the HMC. Xn4 11:13, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

What is the largest number for a monarch/Pope in history?

You know, like Louis XVIII? John XXIII? I think these are the largest, at least that I could find, but does anyone know a larger one?209.244.30.221 (talk) 14:01, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

List of popes suggests that John XXIII is indeed the largest number for popes. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 14:07, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Apparently Henry LXXII, Prince of Reuss-Lobenstein-Ebersdorf wins. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:28, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

But note that that family has their own peculiar numbering system which does not indicate 72 previous reigning princes named Henry. Rmhermen (talk) 14:48, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

That is true. Heinrich LXXII's father was Heinrich LI Reuß zu Ebersdorf. From father to son they skipped twenty Henrys. And it was also at number twenty where the popes decided to skip a John. There never was a Pope John XX. ---Sluzzelin talk 16:10, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

These are hilarious. Can you offer a reason why? AndyJones (talk) 21:14, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

No reason, no rhyme for the odd customs of Reuß, but the article on Reuss Junior Line has a bit more on their numbering method and its unusual results. "For example, the sons of Prince Heinrich LXVII Reuss of Schleiz were, in order, Heinrich V, Heinrich VIII, Heinrich XI, Heinrich XIV, and Heinrich XVI." ---Sluzzelin talk 09:43, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

By the way, the article on "the number" you are asking about is monarchical ordinal. It doesn't have any records listed though. ---Sluzzelin talk 16:36, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I agree that the Reuß example is misleading. To slightly rephrase the question (though this might not be what 209.224 is looking for at all): Which name appears most often in one monarchic line, followed by a different ordinal number, but only counting those rulers who really appear in that line. (In the papal contest, John would still win with 21 popes and 1 Antipope.---Sluzzelin talk 16:53, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I'll throw in the Kings Louis of France. 17 uncontested kings (I think), plus Louis XVII who died at the age of 10, was imprisoned, and never reigned, and Louis XIX who arguably was king for twenty minutes. "Louis XX" redirects to Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou who is not king. Still, every single one of the twenty Louis can be accounted for. ---Sluzzelin talk 17:09, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks to all for answering.209.244.30.221 (talk) 13:31, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

David Ricardo

How many children did he have? MilkFloat 14:03, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Eight, according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. They included three sons, of whom Osman Ricardo and another David Ricardo became members of parliament, while the third, Mortimer Ricardo, served as an officer in the Life Guards and was a deputy lieutenant for Oxfordshire. Xn4 14:25, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

(after ec - guessing it is eight now!) Right, I had a poke around and found this. It's an obituary from the time of his death and says he was survived by seven children but with a note that says one daughter had died a few years earlier and I'm not sure if that's included in the figure, or in addition to it. Fribbler (talk) 14:28, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

It should be 8, I wouldn't expect them to include a child that had died years earlier as one of those having survived him. That's 8 that we know of, but there is always a slight possibility that there were more people don't know about.HS7 (talk) 19:37, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Indeed, cads and bounders all of them back then (twirls moustache) :-)! Plus they may have excluded infant deaths, common at the time. Fribbler (talk) 22:36, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

North Yemen

Why is it that North Yemen was called North Yemen, despite the fact that it is clearly no further north than South Yemen - in fact, the northern-most point of South Yemen is several degrees of latitude further up than North Yemen! Why on earth was this case, and wouldn't the distinction of East/West Yemen made much more sense? Ninebucks (talk) 16:56, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I think historically "South Yemen" was connected to the port of Aden, and the long eastward extension was more Hadhramaut than Yemen. The Hadhramaut page even says it extends eastward from "Yemen (proper)". There's also something about Hadhramaut was annexed by South Yemen in 1967. Pfly (talk) 18:04, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I can see two possible reasons: first, the border between the two countries was more nearly east-west than north-south, so it made more sense to describe South Yemen as being on the south side of the border than on the east side. And second, almost all of the population of South Yemen was in its southern part, which is not true for North Yemen. (But, admittedly, almost all of the population of South Yemen was also east of North Yemen's).

Here's a good map showing where the cities are, with an inset in the bottom left corner shows the shape of the former border.

--Anonymous, 17:24 UTC, May 22, 2008, edited later to restore chunk deleted by accident

Check on copyright status of a song?

Where can I see if a song is copyrighted or public domain? And where do I go to license a copyrighted song -- or pay royalties -- or however that works in the music business? Specifically I'm looking for some Christmas music. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 21:53, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Checking whether something is in the public domain is not a terribly easy thing to do—in part because one does not have to register it as being copyrighted. So the goal is to figure out if it is in the public domain, not whether it is copyrighted—if it cannot be unequivocally determined in the public domain, it must be assumed it is copyrighted.

First thing: you need to figure out when the song was first published in one form or another. See this table to see how that is relevant. You can check for copyright renewals in the US Copyright Office here, but the time span you can search for online is limited.

In any case, if you determine it to be copyrighted, you have to figure out who you can license it from. If it is a fairly popular piece usually that means a music syndicate like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC.

Hope that helps! If at all in doubt, hire a professional trained in IP law to make determinations. What I have outlined above is a basic search approach, and is not at all exhaustive. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:56, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your help. Wouldn't it be great if there was an internet site that would do all these things? --70.167.58.6 (talk) 21:59, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Calle Ocho artwork

Does anyone know who painted Calle Ocho? I can't find it so far using google. Spencer^T♦C 23:17, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Googling "Calle Ocho" painting (without the italics) gave me this [4] as the second hit. It's an oil by Ronni Bogaev, done in 1980. If this is not the painting you are looking for, a description of the one you want would be helpful as many painitngs will have the same name. Think of the thousands entitled "Peggy's Cove" for example. ៛ Bielle (talk) 01:42, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

That's it, thanks! Spencer^T♦C 10:51, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

You are welcome. ៛ Bielle (talk) 13:47, 23 May 2008 (UTC)