Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2008 October 3
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October 3
uncommitted ohio voters
I'm watching vice presidential debate on CNN, there is an uncommitted ohio voters graph, how does this work? --92.227.176.143 (talk) 02:10, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- CNN compiled a group of uncommintted Ohio voters at Ohio State University to watch the debate. As they listen, they have a device that they can move up and down according to their approval or disapproval of that the candidates are saying. X 02:15, 3 October 2008 (UTC)]
- Personally I wish they had given some of those devices to a bunch of chimpanzees—would probably have been more informative, and more entertaining! --98.217.8.46 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 03:20, 3 October 2008 (UTC).
- Instead of "approve/disapprove" it could be "eat poo/fling poo"... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:56, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- Nothing to do with Ohio, but global health guru Hans Rosling has a stunning presentation in which he says, around the 2-minute mark, "I have shown that Swedish top students know statistically significantly less about the world than the chimpanzees." --- OtherDave (talk) 16:15, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- Instead of "approve/disapprove" it could be "eat poo/fling poo"... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:56, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
Hawaii Prepaid Healthcare Act
Out of curiosity, what can people here at the reference desk tell me about the Hawaii Prepaid Healthcare Act? I believe it regulates healthcare insurance in a way not found in anywhere else in the country, and was the basis of a plan to provide universal healthcare under the Clinton Administration. A quick Google search doesn't tell me much, and there's no article about it here on Wikipedia (although I added a mention in the
- The first Google hit seems informative. --Sean 14:01, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
Treasury_security#TIPS
I am searching for foreign currency TIPS, specially in pound and euro. Are foreign governments also issuing securities like these? Mr.K. (talk) 09:42, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- Already found: Inflation-indexed_bond. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mr.K. (talk • contribs) 10:03, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
Titanic (1997 film)
After the part of the film where the dome collapses and destroys the Grand Staircase, the camera rolls down a first class corridor which is flooding and having its doors torn off. I was wondering what's causing these doors to collapse, have the staterooms on either side of the corridor flooded and the pressure is destroying them. Because as far as I can see, the corridor is only just beginning to flood. Thanks --Thanks, Hadseys 12:39, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- Could it be artistic license to make a more exciting scene? Without watching that exact part of the film it's hard to speculate for sure but...water is an incredibly powerful source, with the force of water rushing against a door that has already had unexpected pressure on it, perhaps that would be enough. I suspect it is artistic license though, not a whole lot of hollywood is grounded in reality, and less so is scientifically sound. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 13:26, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- Having watched the scene in question, I'd say you're right, it looks kind of flaky but that's just what film-makers do. --talk email 13:36, 3 October 2008 (UTC)]
- Having watched the scene in question, I'd say you're right, it looks kind of flaky but that's just what film-makers do. --
- So am I right in thinking that the staterooms on the right hand side of the corridor have already flooded and the corridor is now buckling under the oncoming water and from the pressurised water in the staterooms? --Thanks, Hadseys 13:46, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- No there is no reason for the doors to collapse, they should not collapse at all. The authors of the film only wanted to make the film look impressive. I have no idea what would be their explanation of the phenomemon, but it certainly wouldn't make much scientific sense. --Lgriot (talk) 14:50, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
So much was wrong with that film .Please do not take any of it as accurate.hotclaws 23:45, 5 October 2008 (UTC)
Indigenous patterns throughout Central America
Further to the question about blacks in various countries in South America, it occured to me to ask why the gradation of population in
- The situation is not so clear cut in Mexico where gradations of race and racism exist across the country. This is one of the issues of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Rmhermen (talk) 14:55, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- Indeed, most of the power structure in Mexico is decidedly European. The idea that Mexicans are a uniform race of 50% Europeans and 50% indiginous is a bit of a whitewash (pardon the pun). Especially in the south, such as the Yucatan and Oaxaca areas, there a lots of fully indiginous peoples which have not assimilated well into Mexican society. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:54, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
Chinese in Africa
Again following on from a question about Africans in China, how many
- I am a Chinese-born American who has recently backpacked from Cairo to Cape. Here are my impressions of the extent of Chinese immigration:
- Egypt: low Ethiopia: extraordinarily high (thousands of entrepreneurs but also thousands of common laborers who are in construction) Somaliland: low+ I met a Chinese telecom engineer and the locals told me the Chinese government had installed water purification in talk) 00:32, 5 October 2008 (UTC)]
- Interresting impressions. I am intrigued that the Chinese are bringing in their own labourers. This seems historically anomalous. One thing that Africa has in large measure is raw human power. (oh yeah, and raw materials too.) talk) 06:04, 5 October 2008 (UTC)]
- Interresting impressions. I am intrigued that the Chinese are bringing in their own labourers. This seems historically anomalous. One thing that Africa has in large measure is raw human power. (oh yeah, and raw materials too.)
Pyramid
There are pyramids in Egypt and also in various south american countries, 1, are there any in any other places on earth, and 2, why have these two seperate places build similar structures, is there a connection? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:17, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
1. Yes, all around the world. see the article pyramid for checking where. 2. Because it is pretty stable, despite being a high structure. Mr.K. (talk) 15:27, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- No historian thinks that all these forms are culturally connected by historic contact among peoples or through extra-terrestrial interference. There is an authentic cultural connection between the Egyptian pyramids and the pyramids at ]
- Well, I wouldn't say NO historian. No credible historian does, but for an entertaining read, check out psychopathic retangular monoliths that play Richard Strauss music to monkeys, its pretty close. Understand going in that its total bullshit, but its still an interesting case. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:51, 3 October 2008 (UTC)]
- Well, I wouldn't say NO historian. No credible historian does, but for an entertaining read, check out
- Some of those who subscribe to Pyramidology believe in such connections, and also connections to vaguely similar structures in Southeast Asia. I once read an hysterical book (which was also concerned with UFOs and anti-gravity and stuff) which claimed there was a harmonic relationship between the positions of these supposedly-related vaguely pyramidal structures, and thus claimed some pyramid power travel/communications network existed between these. Gosh, I wish I could remember that book's name. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 15:47, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- That was someone other than Hancock... His book is a little more grounded in reality, though not much... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:51, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- I heard someone on the Art Bell show say that the Giza pyramids were a hyperdimensional weapon used to defeat space aliens, or something. (And also to destroy the planet from which the asteroid belt was formed.) Adam Bishop (talk) 21:19, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- That was someone other than Hancock... His book is a little more grounded in reality, though not much... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:51, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- There's a name used in archeology/anthropology for when the same things (pottery, for eg) develop entirely independently in different cultures around the world (generally because the inventions are the most obvious, simple solutions to particular problems facing these cultures) -- but I can't for the life of remember what the term is. But it is a genuine phenomenom. Nothing to do with little green men.86.147.162.163 (talk) 15:59, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- In evolutionary biology, the term is called convergent evolution, where unrelated organisms devlop similar characteristics to fill similar niche's in their environs. (like Dolphins and fish both having fins). According to our article on convergent evolution, and I quote "In cultural evolution, convergent evolution is the development of similar cultural adaptations to similar environmental conditions by different peoples with different ancestral cultures." So perhaps the term convergent evolution is appropriate here too... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 16:29, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
Think about it, what's the safest way of building a very stable (yet impressive-looking) structure which rises to a reasonable height, when you don't have concrete or steel, or even any strong mortar? By having the cross-section of each level be smaller than the cross-section of the levels below it. I don't see much of a coincidence or spookily-mysterious resemblance here. And aside from such basic structurally-constrained factors, there really isn't too much specific resemblance in detail between meso-American and Egyptian pyramids -- Meso-American pyramids had steps running up the sides, and religious rituals were conducted at the top, while none of that was true for Egyptian pyramids... AnonMoos (talk) 22:07, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- It would also have been a straight development of the prehistoric earthen mounds, found im many of the ancient cultures (Hill of Tara, kofun, Poverty Point). --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:30, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
Islam fasting and activities
Besides Ramadan, which others months of the Hijri calender do Muslims fast because their Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) used do? During those months such as Rajab and Muharram, what are the prayers and activities do Muslims do? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.204.74.52 (talk) 15:36, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
- You know, we have an article on Islam. Also, you may want to read the chapter in your World Religions textbook that came immediately before that homework assignment. I am certain the answer will be in there. Good luck on that homework, and please re-read that disclaimer at the top of the page. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:45, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
What is this symbol?
hi, ok it looks like this:
a standard christian cross, with two extra horizontal lines each side of the horizontal line that are curved slightly away from the horizontal line. Anyone know what it is? thanks, --84.69.147.138 (talk) 16:41, 3 October 2008 (UTC)