Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2006 November 21

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November 21

Demographics

Hello, I would like to know what is the source for the information about the demographics of Qatar, Mauritius, American Samoa, and Mauritania. I see it is from the "CIA World Factbook", but what does it mean? Is it valid data, or should I be suspicious about it? In short - how validated is this information? Thanks for answering. 128.139.226.37 11:32, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

It's me again(I have a username this time), If you don't know the answer maybe you can tell me where is a better place to ask this question. HornK 13:00, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

You could start by reading the article. 惑乱 分からん 13:50, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

The Intellegence Agency is usually pretty good about getting their facts straight. X [Mac Davis] (DESK|How's my driving?) 17:21, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

They are good, so long as political pressure isn't put on them to conclude whatever the politicians want them to conclude, as in the Republicans forcing them to say that Iraq had WMD. Those countries listed aren't exactly centers of controversy, so the CIA should be safe from undue influence. StuRat 05:27, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

English Employment Law - Bullying

I currently work for a moderate sized NHS hospital in N.E.England, I am 50yr old nurse, who is on a temporary contract which will end on 7th January, 2006. I am not writing for information for myself, but for my collegues who I shall be leaving behind to a tyrant!!!! She is Chief Nurse who appears to get off on bullying her young staff who are too frightened to stand up for themselves for fear of losing their jobs. I am hoping there may be some kind person who might furnish me with some information to battle this woman.!!!

Firstly, she banned smoking which I can hear most of you say "good, nurses should know better", yes they should but that does not thousands of other people either. The smoking ban covers the inside of the hospital and the grounds, including the staff's own cars, either in the car park or outside on the public highway!!!! Can she do do this? I don't feel she can, but I may be wrong and would be grateful on any information.

Secondly, her other gripe has been nurses sleeping whilst on their hour long break, during a night shift. Now, bearing in mind nurses are not paid during this break, and can work from 20.30hrs to 08.00hrs, I don't feel this is unreasonable, especially as doctors' are paid and are also provided with a comfortable room with a bed to sleep during their break). She recently did a spot check at 01.30am during the night and caught a nurse sleeping sat at a table with her head resting on her arms and a blanket around her shoulders as she was cold. I hear this nurse is to be disciplined. Why I ask? It has been a practice which nurses of all ranks have done for donkey's years and as research has shown anyone who has a 'power-nap' can function much better. Nurses don't exactly sleep next to the patients' they usually go into a sister's office or any area where they cannot stop the running of the ward, and they don't advertise the fact, the collegues who are not on break feel much safer because they know they can disturb this sleeping nurse if their is an emergency So, again I ask why would this nurse want to do this There are many times when you are too busy to have a break and don't have one, but you don't get paid for it, surely it has got to be give and take. Which means not all Bold textGIVE from nurses and all Bold textTAKE from management????

Can anyone help me, I just want to help my collegues before I'm put out to grass. Mandy RN Dip N.

First a disclaimer: we cannot provide legal advice. For legal questions, see an attorney. These are just general observations based on working in a large company. Are the nurses organized (in a union?) the union representative could file a grievance if new rules violate the collective bargaining agreement. If they are not unionized, then is there an employee handbook setting forth the rights and responsibilities of employees and management? That would be a basis for complaint to the higher-ups. In the U.S. it is hard to find nurses, and hospital management wouod probably like to keep the workforce happy when the accomodations desired cost them nothing. It is possible management would side with the bully, or perhaps they would counsel the bully to be more accomodating. As for smoking, I have seen worker spend 15 minutes of each hour on smoke breaks. If smoking in the building is not allowed, then they keep going outside to smoke. There is always the possibility or likelihood that the bullying head nurse would retaliate aganist anyone who stood up to her by filing disciplinary proceedings for any real or madeup shortcomings (most people have something that could be used against them). This could extend to blacklisting, where there is an informal agreement by other employers not to hire "troublemakers" or agitators. My experience has been that it is important to document objectively what was said or done on what date (without being obvious and writing in a notebook all the time) and to keep copies of memos, notes, etc. Documentation helps. Then look for things which are not just unpleasant but which violate stated policy or law, or which open up the hospital to liability, or which have caused workers to leave and seek employment elsewhere. At some point someone might speak to the bully's supervisor. It is not an easy problem to deal with. Good luck. Edison 15:12, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi Mandy. As someone who works for the NHS: As an NHS employee, you can be asked to refrain from smoking on the grounds of the hospital. On the public highway, they cannot stop you smoking on your own time, but are perfectly entitled to do so if you're not on your break. If you've just nipped out for a fag while you're supposed to be working, you're in breach of contract, and they can discipline you. Proto::type 16:08, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Sleeping. Nurses are entitled to use their break however they like, providing they are not causing a hazard. I suggest talking to your union rep; Unison have a representative at every Trust in England and Wales, so you should be able to find him. You don't even have to be a member of Unison just to ask the union rep for advice. The only way the nurse could legally be disciplined was if she was smoking whilst supposed to be working. No doubt she'll insist this was not the case. Proto::type 16:08, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

As for sleeping on break, I suggest they go somewhere beyond the reach of the bully to sleep, like their car. (You said they can't smoke in their car, but how could this be enforced, does the bully roam the parking lot all day searching for violators ?). If the parking lot isn't safe, they can drive to a nearby parking lot outside the hospital. Be sure to set an alarm clock, though ! StuRat 05:22, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Naming the dead

In many cultures around the world, there's a taboo against saying the name of a recently deceased person, or any words similar to it in sound. Is there a standard term to refer to this in anthropology, and is there a Wikipedia article on it? --Ptcamn 14:03, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanatology might be a good starting point. Also try Category:Death customs. - Zepheus <ツィフィアス> 19:02, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, I started an article: Taboo against naming the dead. --Ptcamn 03:12, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Song "Afganistan" by Yusuf Islam

Does anybody have background information to the song "Afghanistan" by Yusuf Islam (including the verses "The disbelieving army is heading for hell" and the like)? --80.219.228.176 14:50, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

The full title is "Afghanistan, Land of Islam." I have read that it was written during, and refers to, the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan of the 1980s. --Cam 04:27, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Pre-soaking

In Home Improvement, Al Borland suggest that the reason someone can't get their whites as clean as their wife is able, is that they're not pre-soaking. Should I soak my whites in hot/cold, with/without cleaning agent and for how long to get the best results (Al doesn't get very specific). --Username132 (talk) 16:13, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Best is with detergent (and perhaps bleach or sodium percarbonate) in hot water. If using powdered detergent, add it to the water before adding clothes so that it dissolves first. Using bluing in the wash, as an optical brightener, will make your clothes look whiter as well. -THB 16:18, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Note: don't use chlorine bleach unless your whites are 100% cotton and linen. Chlorine bleach is not good for polyester or blends and is also not that great for wool or silk. Also use about 1/3 of what the label says to use. Oxygen bleach is much safer for mixed blend fabrics. --Charlene 16:21, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Don't soak in chlorine bleach unless you have such a horrid stain that you were planning on throwing out the clothes anyway. Bleach damages cotton and linen, too, just to a lesser extent. StuRat 05:13, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Chlorine bleach is also not particularly good for the environment. Nil Einne 15:12, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Q: corporations as a life form

Corporations have the status of individuals and of living in perpetuity. One might say "corporations are a global life form." Has this been written about? """"skytop

Corporations aren't alive, so they're not life forms. Their status is legal. You might start with global economy. -THB 17:33, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

I remember reading about one movie where a corporation was described as psychopathic. Someone more knowledgeable could probably fill in. 惑乱 分からん 17:34, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

It was The Corporation, a Canadian documentary. --Mathew5000 18:01, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia's article Multinational corporation is just a stub; there are many directions in which it could be expanded. For example, looking at whether multinational corporations artificially shift income from one country to another for tax reasons. --Mathew5000 18:10, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

I have not heard of any writer specifically speaking of corporations as some kind of life form. However, I disagree with THB. Even if some entity is not "alive" it doesn't mean that it can't be considered as a life form, at least, not life form in the biological sense of the word. Herbert Spencer used to describe societies as organisms with an evolutionary pattern following that of biological entities. This perspective is obviously too general now, but one cannot deny the kernel of truth in it. Stronger societies do damage or wipe out weaker ones (US destroys Iraq; Western culture dominates the world). Moreover, institutions in society look like parts of an organism with certain functions to ensure that society's survival. Read for example works of Talcott Parsons on the different functions of institutions. However, I have not heard of corporations singled out as life forms, but you could probably look at it as an organ of a larger organism which is society. Moonwalkerwiz 23:24, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

It depends on what your definition of living creatures are. If you define living entities as entities that can

• evolve
• multiply
• react to the environment (self preservation like behavior)
• consume other "living entities"
• consume raw resources
• output "waste" material

then in a very loose sense the corporation is alive. 202.168.50.40 00:16, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Human History

Is it possible to determine how many people there have been since the human species came into being (assuming a non-intelligent design/creationist point of view)?

See World population#Number of humans that have ever lived.--Mathew5000 18:19, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

This has been asked many times before. See Wikipedia:Reference_desk/faq#How many humans have ever lived?. The best estimates were around 100 billion. Our guesses appear to be rather educated. :) DirkvdM 07:52, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Rather educated perhaps but IMHO somewhat misleading. How do you define a human? You might say Homo sapiens but you just run in to the same problem. Some taxonomists AFAIK thinks it's silly to give scientific names to old/long extinct 'species' Nil Einne 15:33, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

It would make sense if the further back you go the fewer of the species there are. Humans are an extreme case in that our population has exploded. Note that about 5% of those 100 billion are alive today. For most of mankind's history there were just a fraction of the 5 billion we have now. A (sub)species having even millions of individuals is quite rare. Let me do a little calculation. Assuming 1 million for most of mankind's history and an average lifespan of 100 years (both estimates to high, for compensation) it would take 10 million years to reach those 100 billion. Humans have been around for a lot longer, so that estimate of 1 million on average is way too high. So humans will have numbered more like in their thousands for most of their history, and that sounds quite plausible. I'll ask this at the science ref desk. DirkvdM 07:36, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Ancient coin head direction

Is the following statement true: "In ancient coins (Greek/Roman), if the head faces to the left, it is not a ruler. If the head faces to the right, it is a ruler." I'm looking for a coin (really a copy of one) of Julius Caesar facing left. I can't find one and I think it is because the rulers all face to the right. --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:06, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

It isn't true, because I have seen coins with Roman Emperors facing to the left as well as the right. From memory, those pictured on the obverse facing to the left have included Caligula (37-41AD) and Claudius (41-54AD). Clio the Muse 19:25, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

I think there is something of a tradition for the monarch to switch the direction they are facing, for UK coins at least. ny156uk 19:31, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

IT doesn't mean anything. Usually they faced to the right, sometimes they faced to the left, during some periods coins were issued facing in both directions. Janus looks in both directions at the same time. -THB 21:03, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll keep searching. So far, I've had a lot of trouble finding replicas of old coins. I want a Julius Caesar facing left and a matching Alexander the Great facing right for a plaque I'm making. --Kainaw ^(talk) 21:06, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

It shouldn't be too difficult to fake copies in Photoshop, if you can't find any other examples... 惑乱 分からん 21:25, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

My intention is to mount the coins on a plaque - so I need coins, not pictures of them. The baby's name is Julius Alexander, so I thought it would be neat to mount a Julius Caesar and an Alexander the Great coin on a plaque with his baby photo as a Christmas present. --Kainaw ^(talk) 21:28, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried e-bay? | AndonicO ^{Talk | Sign Here} 21:37, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

There are apparently a few: Google image search unless the pics are reversed. -THB 22:05, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

In the UK, it is indeed the tradition that the current monarch faces the opposite direction from his or her predecessor. There was a famous exception when Edward VIII insisted on a right-facing profile, the same direction as his father George V, because he didn't like his left profile. But then, Edward VIII always did things his way. JackofOz 23:23, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

I guess this applies to other countries with the UK monarch as head of state? QEII is always facing right in our coins. There have been 4 different versions of her portrait Nil Einne 15:29, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Crucifixion of Christ

I am lookiing for a short (1-2 pages) description of the scourging and crucifixion of Christ. I used to have one, and it was a tear-jerker. I am not being cruel. I need this to make a point of the cruelty.

The Stabat Mater (especially Pergolesi's) is a bit of a tear-jerker even though it focuses more on his mother. -THB 21:49, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

If you really want to understand the cruelty then read over the article on Crucifixion, a dreadful mode of execution, no matter who the victim was, and one which bequethed the word 'excruciating' to the English language. Clio the Muse 09:01, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Patient's bill of rights

Can anybody please tell which patient's bill of rights are also laws? Thanks --196.192.38.10 22:21, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

You'll have more luck getting an answer if you state which country, and, if applicable which state/province --Mnemeson 00:06, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Country : U.S.A, State : Texas, Province : any, any ideas anyone, please?

Well you see, some federal countries aren't made up of states, but provinces instead. Hence state/province. Loomis 17:37, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Polynesian cloth

Hi I'm studiyng restauration and conservation of contemporary art and I would like to know something more about the polinesian tapa cloth because I'm restoring one. I would like to know the types of colours used and if someone has already restored one and how. Thank you very much. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.184.120.44 (talk • contribs)

restauration and conservation of a Tapa Cloth

I'm an italian student and I'm trying to save a very old tapa cloth that is falling into pieces.. Can you tell me the types of colour used to decorate a tapa cloth? Do you have any information about the restauration of a tapa from any conservator? Any kind of information i will be pleased. Thank you Mary

Did you start with the tapa cloth article? They are made of wood fiber and dissolve when wet. -THB 01:31, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

The same article also has some information on the colours and dyes used (see under General and under Painting). The external links at the end may perhaps provide further useful information. You may need to know the provenance of the cloth.  --Lambiam^Talk 07:06, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Here is a page with a link to a "Tapa Cloth Conservation Report" (pdf). On cursory examination, the methods used are similar to those that might be used for the conservation/restoration of, say, an aquarelle on paper. Icon – the Institute of Conversation publishes a journal "The Paper Conservator"; Issue 11 (1987) has an article entitled Conservation of tapa cloth and filling voids. Here is a book listed on Amazon that appears to have a section on tapa cloth conservation; if your library does not have it and is not prepared to order it, it seems reasonably affordable as a used book. Finally, here is a page (pdf) about general care for tapa cloth.  --Lambiam^Talk 07:58, 22 November 2006 (UTC)