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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2009 September 6

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September 6 edit

Julius Caesar as tribune edit

As a patrician, how was it that Julius Caesar was elected as a tribune, a position available only for plebians? Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 06:30, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

According to our article, at least, he was military tribune, not tribune of the plebs. Adam Bishop (talk) 07:33, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Then there was Julius' little-known younger brother, Harold, who was also a Tribune. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 08:59, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You are in a sort of Gary Larson mood, aren't you? --pma (talk) 14:56, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe he is Gary Larson. That would explain a lot ...  :) -- JackofOz (talk) 20:44, 6 September 2009 (UTC) [reply]
More like Henny Youngman or Richard Armour. Except for the part about being dead. (Knock on plywood). Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 21:12, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Are you sure you're not dead? Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 17:33, 7 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Political views edit

Hello. If someone please answer the following questions, it will be a great help.

Thanks. AquaticMonkey (talk) 08:41, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Which class are you writing this paper for? :) Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 08:58, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
To clarify the above statement, we've got a policy of not doing your homework for you. Vimescarrot (talk) 09:26, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It is not homework, I am just interested in American politics, and unable to find any suitable reference on the questions asked. I also searched google several times, but did not find a single reference. If anyone is knowledgeable about the views of mainstream American liberals, neocons and libertarians, the three main political streams in the US, please reply. Thank you. AquaticMonkey (talk) 10:39, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
This strikes me as the seed for an endless debate, and should be ignored. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 10:56, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
On the whole, if you cannot readily find an answer to "What are (political grouping)'s views on (topic), it is because said grouping has no consistently articulated views on the topic. --ColinFine (talk) 14:21, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Um, the above pessimism on characterization of political views aside, neocons are generally against drug liberalization, assisted suicide, and cloning. In general I'd say the liberal position on recreational drugs varies by the drug (marijuana, maybe; crack, no). Liberal view on cloning is not clear but leans against it. Prostitution, unclear—some against, some for legalization+regulation. No clue about libertarians and public sex/nudity—probably varies a lot, probably no "standard" position. Don't know Libertarian stances on child exploitation in general—in cases where one could argue the "market" has a hand (e.g. labor) they probably favor the free-market approach, though in cases like pornography I imagine they favor regulation (violation of the child's individual rights). Libertarians are generally against safety regulations—think the market will fix it up. All of the above likely vary quite a bit between individuals though to pretend these categories don't line up with certain political viewpoints is silly. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 17:44, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you very much. This helped a lot in clearing my confusion. AquaticMonkey (talk) 18:03, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I’ll take a shot at it:

Neocons 1. strongly against; 2. against; 3. mildly against;
Libs 4. strongly for; 5. for; 6. neutral;
Libs 7. should be legal; 8. should be legal; 9. should be legal; 10. should be determined by workers and employers. DOR (HK) (talk) 02:41, 7 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It doesn't even make sense to describe the 'neoconservative' view on many domestic issues, because 'neoconservatism' is mostly defined as a foreign-policy attitude. Not a comprehensive ideology. --Pykk (talk) 19:26, 7 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It certainly is incomprehensible to me! DOR (HK) (talk) 06:27, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The word has taken on the sense (in some circles) of "archconservative", which is inaccurate and sloppy, IMO. --Sean 15:59, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Descent of Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor edit

Who was Lothair III descended from? Nothing is mention about his father, Gebhard of Supplinburg, or his mother, Hedwig von Formbach. Were they descendants of Charlemagne or any other previous Holy Roman Emperors in anyway? --Queen Elizabeth II's Little Spy (talk) 10:01, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

For starters, this is a translation from de:Supplinburger:
  1. Liutger, 1013 Count, 1021 Count in the Harzgau, 1013-1031 confirmed/accounted for
    1. ? Luther, Count 1042/1062
    2. ? Bernhard, † before 1069, 1052 Count in the Harzgau and Derlingau as well as Northern Thuringia, 1043-1062 confirmed/accounted for, ∞ Ida von Querfurt, daughter of Count Gebhard I.
      1. Gebhard von Süpplingenburg, † 9. Juni 1075 in the Battle of Homburg an der Unstrut (see First Battle of Langensalza), 1052 Count in the Harzgau, ∞ Hedwig von Formbach, probably widow of a Count Heinrich, daughter of Friedrich von Formbach and Gertrud von Haldensleben (third marriage with Dietrich, after 1090 Duke of the Upper Lorraine († 30. Dezember 1115) (House of Châtenois)
        1. Lothar von Supplinburg, * June 1075 before the 9., † 4. December 1137 in Breitenwang, Tyrol, 1100 Count, 1106 Duke of Saxony, Mainz 24. August 1125 King of the Romans, Rome 8. June 1133 Emperor, buried in Königslutter; ∞ 1100 Richenza of Northeim, † 1141, issue of Henry the Fat, Count of Northeim and Gertrude of Brunswick
          1. Gertrude of Süpplingenburg, * 18. April 1115, † 18. April 1143), buried in Klosterneuburg; ∞ I 29. May 1127 on the Gunzenle Hill Henry the Proud, 1126-1138 Duke of Saxony, 1137-1139 Duke of Bavaria und Margrave of Tuscany, † 20. October 1139 in Quedlinburg, buried in Königslutter (House of Welf), ∞ II 1. Mai 1142 Henry II, Duke of Austria, 1141 Margrave and 1156 Duke of Austria, † 13. January 1177, buried at the Schottenstift, Vienna (House of Babenberg)
        2. Ida, † 3. March probably 1138, buried at Michaelstein Abbey; ∞ Sieghard IX. Count of Tengling (House of Sieghard), decapitated 5. February 1104 in Regensburg
      2. Thietmar, † 1093, 1090 Elect of the Bishopric of Halberstadt
The German article on Lothair III writes that Lothair's father, Gebhard von Süpplingenburg, belonged to Saxon high nobility and to the opposition against Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. ---Sluzzelin talk 13:15, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

number of merchant ship calls in La Valetta Malta edit

Please let me know the number of merchant ship calls in La Valetta (Malta) each year from 1800 to 1807 inclusive mentioning also your source of reference 94.64.181.81 (talk) 10:06, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If such records even still exist, I guess your best bet for finding them might be the National Archives of the Government of Malta. Follow that link for the contact information to submit your request. Best, WikiJedits (talk) 18:21, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos edit

I am looking for help with two questions (see the itemized list there) raised in the peer review of Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos. It would be great if somebody had any input on these. The first of these questions might be answered in Molina Barbery, Placido (1995). Las misiones jesuíticas de Chiquitos (in Spanish). Pedro Querejazu (ed.). La Paz, Bolivia: Fundación Banco Hipotecario Nacional, Línea Editorial, La Papelera. pp. 718 p. :. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) so if anybody has access to this book that might help as well. bamse (talk) 11:43, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Victoria and Albert Museum edit

Who or what is the statue on the top of the V&A? 86.171.234.231 (talk) 11:53, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

According to this (and other sources), it's a sculpture of Fame by Edouard Lanteri. Deor (talk) 13:26, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I wonder how many times a day they get asked whether they have Prince Albert in the can? Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 11:39, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Very rarely,it's not sold over here in the UK...88.96.226.6 (talk) 09:56, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Old Finnish man's logic edit

I once read a story about an old Finnish man. He found a bowl of week-old porridge in his fridge. He thought he'd better eat it and not let it go to waste, but he didn't quite feel like eating such bad-tasting food. So he got a bottle of Koskenkorva vodka, and set it on the table behind the plate, saying to himself: "Eat that porridge and you'll get to drink that vodka as a reward." So he reluctantly ate the porridge, and after he had finished, he looked at the bottle of vodka, and thought: "Well, I managed to eat the porridge even without the vodka, so I don't need it any more", and put it back in the fridge, unopened. Is a similar story told elsewhere too? Does it refer to a specific concept in human behaviour? Does Wikipedia have an article about it? JIP | Talk 17:23, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Miser? Best, WikiJedits (talk) 18:15, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Delayed gratification, but with an extra twist. --ColinFine (talk) 20:26, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Virtue is its own reward? (Not that I regard the enforced eating of possibly toxic food in order to satisfy the desire not to waste anything as necessarily virtuous, or sane.) -- JackofOz (talk) 20:41, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The bottle of vodka could be compared to a catalyst (necessary for accelerating the comsumption of porridge, but not consumed itself during the process). ---Sluzzelin talk 20:54, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
So what happened? Did he die of botulism? Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 21:09, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
So, it's a moral to all the budding botulists out there? --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 11:44, 7 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Go away, son, y'bother us... HalfShadow 17:23, 7 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think folk stories work like that:' And so the man *insert moral here*. Then he puked up his stomach and died the next day' Sort of a downer, see? HalfShadow 21:12, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, too practical for my own good. Pease porridge in the pot... seven days old? Ugh! I was just thinking that the vodka maybe could have come in handy to neutralize the bugs. Someone up north compared me to Gary Larson, and I was reminded of Larson's proposed sequel to Babette's Feast, a story he called Babette's Botulism. Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 21:19, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Or to put it another way, the old man was... "Finnished". Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 21:20, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I remember reading this story, but the protaganist was Scottish and the libation was Scotch Whisky. Exxolon (talk) 22:53, 6 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Hah, I hadn't heard that. Typical Finnish, really! HalfShadow: Nordic folks like downers. Never underestimate the bleakness of their humor.. (An example of popular Swedish cartoonist Jan Stenmark here. The caption reads: "At first she thought he was in the middle of a jump.") --Pykk (talk) 19:13, 7 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It's similar to a carrot on a stick. --Sean 16:02, 8 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
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