Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 August 27

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August 27

Why don't more people talk about the 2002 Gujarat violence riots?

My thanks to the fellow above who brought the destruction of the Babri Mosque to my attention. I never heard about the incident before just like, until months ago, I never heard about the riots in Gujarat, which I learned about in a passing reference in a NYT article about bombings in Gujarat. I'm not the only clueless one, many educated Indians I've spoken to living outside of India seemed to have missed this story. I believe I pay very close attention to geopolitics esp. ones involving ethnic animosities. I don't want to sound self-important, but it seems to me that India might be the biggest ticking overlooked time bomb in the world. Is there the possibility of a civil war?

Again, I don't want to sound so self-important so this is not so much a declaration but a discussion prompt. I just want to know more about a region I don't know much about.

Lotsofissues 01:35, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I certainly heard about it and I'm not Indian and don't take much interest there. Why should there be a civil war? they've been there, done that, result Pakistan and Bangladesh. There'll probably be a few more riots too, how long do you want to go on about them compared to Tibet or Georgia or other such places that are more recent and bigger? 86.9.212.205 (talk) 08:12, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

It's harsh to say it, but for many people, things that happen outside their own country aren't important until the media play it ten times a day. There's a quote from somewhere along the lines of "10,000 dead foreigners are only worth 10 dead Americans (replace with whichever nationality is appropriate)", meaning that the importance of a news story isn't necessarily its magnitude but its identifiability. If it's not in the news, people don't think about it. Steewi (talk) 23:36, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Given the demographic balance in India between Hindus and Muslims, it would be an unequal civil war. There already was one, somewhat glossed over here. I knew some people from the families involved in that partition, I believe the Indian term for the migrants is mohajirs, though I can't seem to reference it right now.

If you or anyone else is interested in a wide view of events in the world, I would strongly urge you to subscribe to The Economist magazine. Don't be fooled by the name - it is probably the best available source for wide coverage of world events. After 25 or so years of subscribing, I'd heartily recommend it. Franamax (talk) 00:58, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Live online TV streaming

(I wasn't sure whether this was a computer question or entertainment question, so I figured Miscellaneous was a good place for it.) When I'm away at school, I don't have a TV, or easy access to one, just my computer. I am unable to access most networks' live streaming features because I don't live in the U.S. I know it's possible to find what I'm looking for through other sites because I watched the Oscars online this year, live, commercials and all, from ABC. I got it by googling "live streaming Oscars" during the red carpet pre-show, which bought me a few hours to find a site that worked without missing any of the ceremony (and it did take me a few hours). Six months later, I don't remember what site I used. It's going to be a little harder to google "live streaming Grey's Anatomy" and find a site that works without missing half the season premiere, and it won't work to google it now, because it's not on right now. Most websites out there that offer TV streaming separate by genre, not network (I guess they assume you're randomly surfing for something interesting, not painstakingly searching out a specific program on a specific channel). So, after that very long preamble, my question is: any recommendations (or better yet, instructions) for where I can find the kind of live streaming service I'm looking for? P.S. Not that I actually watch Grey's Anatomy. I restrict my television viewing to much more intellectual programs. I just used it as an example. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 04:04, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

This isn't the answer you were looking for, but it's a thought: you might be able to download certain shows via BitTorrent and watch them on your computer at the time you choose, rather than having to be online at the exact time the show is streamed. Check the legalities though. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:50, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that's illegal in the vast majority of cases. --Tango (talk) 20:34, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

You can use a proxy server that's based in the US to use websites restricted to Americans. See [1]. Or have a SlingBox attached to a TV in the US. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:32, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't be surprised if someone was breaking the law there, as well, although I've no idea who... --Tango (talk) 02:00, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks everybody for your help. I think I've got it working. I just have one more question: If I find a channel that says ABC News, is that the same as just ABC, or is it some kind of sub-channel that's pure news? (Sorry, don't know much about American TV.) Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 04:27, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

The problem is that TV shows are sold to networks on the basis of licensing in a specific geographical area. So (say) Fox licenses a show for broadcast in the US, it doesn't own the rights to broadcast it in the UK. That was great in the pre-internet-streaming-video era - but that model is breaking down. But until TV and movie production companies get their heads around it, we're kinda screwed. I'd *KILL* for access to the BBC's free TV archives - but they don't let you get at them here in the USA. I watch a lot of TV using www.hulu.com - but I bet they don't deliver content outside the USA. It's anachronistic and a pain in the rear end - but that's how it is. The same problems pop up with DVD region encoding - for much the same reason.

I don't think there are many websites that stream "live" Tv as that would be an enormous amount of bandwidth to pay for. If you live in the United Kingdom or have access to a UK based proxy server then BBC iPlayer offers some programs shown in the past seven days. You can also find many programs on youtube and veoh, though they are not always the best quality. Shame Stage6 got shut down as that was probably the closest thing to what you are looking for. You could also buy a Tv card for your computer, which are cheep and would basically turn your computer into a television, and has the added advantage of being small and easily hideable if the inspectors come round. But personally I recommend bittorrent and mininova for your TV needs - almost anything you could want is on there, just make sure to do it from your schools computers, library or internet cafe so it can't be traced to you. JessicaThunderbolt 20:58, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Romance

My wife has said that I need to be romantic. How do I do that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.183.35.59 (talk) 04:18, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Flowers? Useight (talk) 05:43, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Learn to speak a Romance language? Corvus cornix_talk 07:12, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Being romantic is a way of being, not something you do (although being that way automatically means there are things you do that you may not otherwise do. The difference is that you're doing them as a natural expression of yourself, rather than some add-on to make you seem occasionally romantic whenever you think your romance meter is approaching empty). What your wife probably means is that she has a need to be treated romantically, rather than telling you what you need to be. So it comes down to a question of working out what her needs are, and meeting them, as all good spouses do. Well done for taking the first step, though, and asking how you might go about this. That in itself could be viewed as a romantic thing. I hesitate to name any particular thing, but spouses love to receive pleasant and delightful surprises, when they're least expecting them (it doesn't have to be a big thing like a world trip); and to be shown attention, not for reasons such as you want to have sex; or you want to get into her good books after a dispute; but just because you want to show her that she's uppermost in your thoughts and is more important to you than anyone else in the world. Well, isn't she? Attention can be shown in many ways, starting with just smiling at her when she's watching TV, all the way to ....  :) -- JackofOz (talk) 07:43, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

It's a novel concept, I know...but you could ask her what she thinks that is. A very good friend of mine once told me that the magic phrase for all such occasions with wives and girlfriends is: "So how does that make YOU feel?" Try it - it's very effective. SteveBaker (talk) 16:55, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

As JackofOz says, surprises that show you've been thinking about her and how happy she makes you work well. Pretty much anything that starts with "I was thinking about you today and I..." (ending with "got you that new scouring pad for the baked-on stains" might not work, but even then, it shows you care).

Also, poetry slays. Memorize "She walks in beauty like the night / of cloudless climes and starry skies..." and trot it out at appropriate times. Or try this gem from Shakespeare: "If I could write the beauty of your eyes / Or with fresh numbers number all your graces / The age to come would say this poet lies / Such heavenly touches never touch'd earthly faces" Franamax (talk) 17:59, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

If I started spouting Shakespeare at my wife, she would laugh. Then she'd laugh harder. Then tears would roll down her cheeks. She might collapse in hysterics - certainly normal breathing would be difficult. Much, much later - she'd want to know who "the other woman" is. No Shakespeare. SteveBaker (talk) 04:41, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to agree with the above - surprises are the key. It doesn't really matter what the surprise is (as long as it's something nice), but it needs to be a surprise. Flowers, dinner, a weekend break... --Tango (talk) 20:37, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Carefully planned spontenaity goes a long way. Steewi (talk) 23:38, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Indeed. For some strange reason, they consider it spontaneous even if they know perfectly well that it must have taken you weeks to plan... women... --Tango (talk) 01:59, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Ah, but the idea is to spontaneously think of some surprise for no particular reason other than that you love her, rather than waiting for her birthday or your anniversary to prompt you out of your unromantic slothfulness - and then, no matter how long it takes to organise, it's all still part of the spontaneity. Steve, it's all in how you do it. If you're sitting at the breakfast table buttering toast and discussing mundane affairs or the state of the world economy, and you suddenly blurt out "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate", no wonder she'd laugh. You've got to pick your time and place. -- JackofOz (talk) 08:49, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Romance isn't always the pure unadulterated truth... 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day ? Thou art rather dull and cold, with damp patches expected later on towards the evening' ... Accurate(for a British summer day)? Yes? Romantic? Hmmm...Lemon martini (talk) 12:44, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

It works better in Texas: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art Hot...amazingly hot!' ...there are situations where that could work! SteveBaker (talk) 16:13, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Steve, do give it a try - and as noted, you have to pick your moments and be sincere. "If I could write the beauty of your eyes"... - maybe she'd collapse in laughter, but she would never ever forget it, she would tell her friends and family, she would remind you about it, and she would always remember that you did something silly just for her, and that you made the effort to memorize it and use it. Just - for - her. Silly and romantic are almost synonyms... Franamax (talk) 00:40, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Health from God's apothecary

Dear Sir - Madam.

I'm a new user and hope I'm in the right place to ask my question.

I have a book by Maria Treben, " Health from God's apothecary " in foreign language and so are the names of the plants but they also have names in Latin, like : acorus calamus, chalidonium maius, etc,my question is, where can I get translation of this Latin names of plants in to English. With Thanks, Vlad. --70.10.44.161 (talk) 08:13, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

P.S Plesa explane why is the message on the screen telling me that I'm not loged-in, when I did log-in, is it a different log-in account for posting question ?

For many plants, just type in the name into wikipedia's search box. ("acorus calamus" takes you to Common Sweet Flag). Otherwise try Google - probably enclosing the name in quotes to ensure the name is searched for as a phrase. -- SGBailey (talk) 09:03, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

The Royal horticultural society has a plant finder: here. Just type your search into the box at the bottom of the page. It is a very picky search, though. Doesn't forgive typos easily! Fribbler (talk) 11:48, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Technically - you probably don't want a "translation" of the latin names - mostly they aren't really even proper Latin. But as others have said - type the latin name into the Wikipedia search box and you're very likely to find it. If that doesn't get you there, try typing just one of the words - so "acorus calamus" happens to have it's own article - but if it had not, you'd still have found quite a bit of information by typing in just "acorus" - which is the "genus" of plants to which the acorus calamus belongs.

There is no special log-in for the reference desk - your regular Wikipedia account works for all of Wikipedia. You must simply have messed up your logging in somehow.

SteveBaker (talk) 16:52, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

If I eat enough royal jelly will I turn into a bee?

Or will I start exhibiting bee-like symptoms, appearance and behaviour? Bradley10 (talk) 09:23, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

No, don't be silly. Do you become a cow if you drink enough (cow's) milk? A bee is not a bee because of what it eats, it is a bee because that is what it is. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 09:32, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Not a valid comparison. Most people drink cows milk. No-one has ever eaten large quantities of royal jelly. Bradley10 (talk) 09:38, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I fail to see why. The point is obvious - is there any food stuff of which you know that when consumed makes that person more like the animal that produces that food-stuff? Not that i've ever heard of. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:59, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Sure, there are foods that do that. Hamburgers for instance are made out of dead cows. The more you eat the more unhealthy you are and the closer you are to being dead—just like the cow. --S.dedalus (talk) 05:51, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Well that seems patently untrue to me. If you are close to starvation, eating hamburgers could be quite beneficial, taking you farther away from death. Also, if you are referring to oxidative free radicals produced from eating meat as promoting your early death, they still do not promote an especially cow-like death, just a death due to cellular stress, much like your common or garden-variety fungus suffers equally. Did you have someting else in mind? Franamax (talk) 06:08, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

That's even more silly. "No-one has ever eaten...". Maybe you should try it though, give us a buzz when you have some results. Franamax (talk) 10:06, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

And even saying that "most people drink cows milk" is not correct. Drinking cow milk is only common among people who keep cows and is closely associated with the mutation in the lactase system that allows lactose tolerance into adulthood. The norm is actually lactose intolerance. Franamax (talk) 10:14, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

And besides...MOOOO! (Sorry, couldn't resist? Could this have waited for April Fools Day like my one about turning a frog into a prince medically?) Somebody or his brother (talk) 15:11, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Okay. I re-phrase the statement to read. "Many people eat cows milk. The price of royal jelly is approximately £500 for a 1lb jar, therefore I deduce it would take a rich and dedicated-to-the-investigation person to decide to consume a large quantity of royal jelly. To the best of my knowledge, especially given the complete absence of documented evidence for human-consumption-of-large-quantities-of-royal-jelly, it seems reasonable to assume that it hasn't been done." Bradley10 (talk) 11:11, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

To my certain knowledge, no-one has drunk cow's milk on 28 August 2008 (UTC). I'll keep you posted on whether it turns me into a cow or not. (and see inductive reasoning and problem of induction) Algebraist 11:17, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you would turn into a queen. APL (talk) 13:58, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I understand that too much royal jelly can cause hallucinations. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 14:20, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Are you thinking of a Roald Dahl story? AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 15:35, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

And you need to shop at the discount royal jelly store instead of the high street. I can get royal jelly on the internet at $75 a kilo (further discount when you order 10 kg or more - hmm, maybe people do already eat a lot of it). Franamax (talk) 17:34, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

• raises hand* uh, yes, i have a question. why is this query getting a valid argument? the answer is no. you are obviously a human. A simple food like jelly cannot alter DNA or other genetic material. Now if you asked if eating radioactive sludge would change you, that would be a different story. the juggresurection ^{(>-.-(Vಠ_ಠ)} 18:35, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Unless you count dying as a change (which I suppose I probably would), the answer would still be "no"! --Tango (talk) 01:58, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Don't tell anyone, but my alter-ego is Suffering-From-Acute-Radiation-Sickness-Man! AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 10:33, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Algebraist, we're still waiting for your report on the cow's milk experiment. Not so easy to type with hooves, is it? Franamax (talk) 00:30, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

There were some issues for a while (as shown by the nine-hour gap in my contribs), but I was able to resolve them. Fortunately my country has no laws against cows gnawing on human flesh. Algebraist 00:37, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Complex searching for strange information..

I have a series of items that I am looking for, but I am having a great deal of difficulty finding the proper search combinations. My question for today involves a jigsaw puzzle I used to have, but it was destroyed. The puzzle was a fairly high piece count ~= 1000. The box was a tall box whose base was a right triangle. I know that the company/artist had a number of different puzzles like this. All of them were hand drawn in a cartoonish style. In my particular caae, the theme was skiing. The picture looked like a large poster of a mountainside with at least two to three hundred little cartoon peopl in it. They all wore hats, scarves and boots, but nothing in between. Their actions were typical of novice skiiers. One had run into a snowbank. Another had hit a tree. Some were going up in the lift. This picture, while playing with nudity for it's unusual effect, contained nothing that could be considered pornographic. One of the search criterion I have tried included ("jigsaw puzzle" skiing poster cartoon funny). I get way too many hits and I can't find the approach to thin the response tree. Please advise. OdditiesSearcher (talk) 11:48, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps the puzzle you are looking for is not featured on any websites. I would say that was a distinct possibility, depending on how long ago you used to have it. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:53, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Try searching for 'jigsaw cartoon skiing' came up with this in the first few(http://www.alljigsawpuzzles.co.uk/shopping/p56.htm). It's 1,000 pieces and has lots of cartoon skiiers on - not 200/300 though. Your best bet is trying to find 'artists' that made cartoon jigsaw puzzles (or their work appears on them) and then use google-images to try track down the artist to a skiing cartoon and go that way. At least that's the technique i'd employ. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:57, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

If it helps, I remember this in the vague haziness of my childhood memories...It's coming back to me. I seen it on the wall of a pub in my home town (in poster, rather than jigsaw form) It was like a cross between a saucy British seaside postcard and a Where's Wally puzzle. I can't find it either, but I hold out hope if more than one of us has seen it. Fribbler (talk) 12:01, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I think I remember seeing puzzles in this style too, with the characteristic box shape, but I'm afraid I can't be more help than that. Are you in the UK, because that's where I saw it? the wub "?!" 12:40, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I believe you are looking for the works of Guillermo Mordillo, whose work I remember seeing as posters and jigsaws in the UK when I was a kid. If you go here and click on publications you might find what you are looking for. DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:07, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Yes - I think it was the UK's Daily Telegraph's weekend magazine that published full-page cartoons from Mordillo - many of those seem to have been made into jigsaw puzzles because they tend to be extremely detailed. SteveBaker (talk) 16:10, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Mordillo sounds exactly right. I had two of these (not the one you describe) and they are cartoonish and come in a box with a triangular base. 83.81.50.89 (talk) 07:43, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

INTERNET SCAMS IN GHANA!!

Hi everybody, Has anybody come across an internet scam that they use the Bank that a person banks at,but the scam account is opened in Ghana??No account of course exists. The scam goes like this: three people are involved,a lady contacts you,she says she is in the U.S. army,and it was her unit that was involved with finding Sadam Hussain.Her cut was millions of U.S. dollars,she is a colonel,and she has her Captain open an account in the persons name that they want to scam in Ghana.The account is opened in Accra Ghana.The third person in this scam contacts the person they want to scam,The Bank official with a title of (International remittance dept) to tell that person that the account is opened,but they cannot have access to the funds until they pay a few of a few hundred dollars,and send some I.D.,that fee should be made by a wire transfer to one of the scammers. How they got hold of the persons name,and knowledge that the person does actually bank at the named bank,but only in the U.S. not Ghana I don"t know. Signed:The wise owl. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.86.15.15 (talk) 14:52, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

There are a lot of these scams going around. Only thing to do is to bin them - unread.86.194.250.36 (talk) 14:53, 27 August 2008 (UTC)DT

Advance-fee fraud. Fribbler (talk) 16:23, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Do not start discussions. The Reference Desk is not a chatroom. Malcolm XIV (talk) 18:36, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I removed the name of the bank from the header, since the bank has nothing to do with the scam. Corvus cornix_talk 18:55, 27 August 2008 (UTC)