Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2012 February 17

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February 17

aroused by cartoon characters

Is there a term or label or diagnosis for people who are sexually aroused by cartoon characters? I don't mean the kinds of cartoons that are supposed to be arousing. Rather, characters like Wilma Flintstone or Tinker Bell. 99.250.103.117 (talk) 03:40, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

False premise. It is difficult to see how either Wilma Flintstone or Tinker Bell could be described as being designed to be anything but arousing, given their scanty attire, overt sexuality etc... AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:49, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

The premise is nowhere near false. Regards, Orange Suede Sofa (talk) 03:53, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

See Rule 34. --Jayron32 04:10, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Don't know if there's a name for the fetish, but see hentai. --140.180.4.56 (talk) 04:23, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Two words: Jessica Rabbit :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:40, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

I have to agree with AndyTheGrump that Wilma Flintstone and Tinker Bell#Disney version are odd examples. The latter even says: "Some critics have complained that Disney's version of Tinker Bell is too sexually suggestive." PrimeHunter (talk) 04:52, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Erm, Bugs, I don't think anyone could suggest that Jessica Rabbit wasn't intended to be arousing. I think the real problem is that there is a sliding scale here, on the Hentai - Jessica - Wilma - Elmer Fudd - Simpson's-Cat-Lady vector, where one would go from perfectly acceptable 'normal arousal' to downright 'you what?', but with no clear dividing line. The largest sexual organ we have is the brain, and we are capable of (ab)using it in the strangest of contexts... AndyTheGrump (talk) 04:54, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Keep in mind that Jessica's not actually "bad", she's just drawn that way. :) And it's fair to say that Tinkerbell is hot, and Wilma's nice too. :) Ah, but the real test... Is Wikipe-tan hot? Or is she just cute? Or both? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:05, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Wilma's alright, but I used to love Betty Rubble when I was a kid :D And not in a childish way :D 92.80.18.189 (talk) 19:24, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Eroge. I seriously had never, ever come across that word until I was involved in an AfD for one. Really. Never. --Shirt58 (talk) 07:28, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

defining affinity group or work group as related to the spokes council model

in the spokes council model of organization can an affinity group or working group be comprised of just one person? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.246.211.25 (talk) 07:30, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

It depends on what the general opinion (the consensus, if you will) of the group is. Generally I would think the answer would be "no", but it depends on what they decide. Abeg92contribs 18:34, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Agriculture Innovation Technology Application

Hello, I would like to ask what are the ways to apply a certain agricultural technology? For example I would like to use a technology in South America (pesticides) to be applied in my city's agricultural sector. I am a student in Xiamen, China and my teacher asked me to write a short essay for this. Can anyone give any idea on how agriculture innovations are applied to other countries or agriculture sector? what are the steps for our local farmers to take in applying? thank you! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Warrenzy (talk • contribs) 08:07, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Well, because this is an obvious homework question, nobody can answer you directly, but we can point you towards some sources that might help you. You might take a look at these articles: Agriculture, Pesticides, Natural Resources Conservation Service... just a few off the top of my head. I hope your teacher's asking a more specific question because as you've described it the topic is wide open. Shadowjams (talk) 08:16, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

The main points of my essay are explaining the steps of agricultural innovation application. we were also asked to submit our essay to the local farmers and for those of them that wants to apply overseas agricultural technology would have some base idea on how to do so. I've looked at the links provided but still no clear explanation on the process of application of certain agriculture technology. Is there any other in-depth explanation about the process of application on agriculture technology? thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by Warrenzy (talk • contribs) 10:19, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

In Western countries, including South America, a farm is a business. If the farmer thinks an item of technology will make his farm more profitable, he invests in it (if he can afford it), or obtains a loan from a bank, or clubs together with other farmers to form a cooperative. If her can't finance it, he doesn't use it. In the UK, farmers are able to see the latest products at agricultural shows or in the trade press. There are also associations organised by the farmers themselves that give advice on the latest methods, like The Soil Association or The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers. Alansplodge (talk) 14:11, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Question about legal ethics (conflict of interest)

This is a question about legal ethics, but it's not a request for legal advice. I understand that the legal profession has rules about conflict of interest. Suppose an in-house lawyer of company A leaves the company and later joins company B. If the two companies are later involved in litigation, how does the lawyer previous employment at company A affect his ability to participate in the matter? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.114.98.94 (talk) 08:24, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Refer to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Your question is one of some academic interest actually. The specifics vary by state, and while most states use the MRPC, many have modified them, and some have their own version. The general concept you're talking about is called a "Chinese wall", where the new attorney at the firm is withheld from all information related to the case. That may or not be effective depending on the circumstances. Generally speaking conflicts that affect one lawyer are imputed to every other lawyer at the firm (there are some specific exceptions). However there are some caveats, and also some specific to law clerks, and government lawyers. No matter the direct conflict rules, the lawyer can never be in a situation where confidential information they learned in a previous representation can be used adversely against that client, unless the client consents. There are also "non-consentable" situations too.

It has been a while since I reviewed the rules in detail, so I'm not confident enough to give you a great answer, but your question reads a bit like a law exam final. You might want to take a look at the MRPC because they're straighforward enough and may provide you some insight into what you're asking about. Shadowjams (talk) 09:16, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

613 commandments list only goes to 605

The excellent article on the 613 commandments has a list derived from Maimonides that only goes to number 605. Were some commandments from the list combined without notice or is the list still under construction? it would be possible (but very tedious!) to compare the list in the article with other published lists, including on the Internet, but I hope the editors of the article or someone could provide a short answer.```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.64.27.34 (talk) 14:10, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing it out (and for the compliment to this Project). The list was pruned by a vandal some months ago. Perhaps we should tell him or her that Wikipedia is a fruit tree? Thanks to you, I've now fixed the problem. --Dweller (talk) 14:32, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

The Catcher in the Rye

In The Catcher in the Rye I believe I remember that Holden once thinks about sombody who went crazy because of too much reading. Who was that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.74.50.52 (talk) 14:44, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Its been a long time since I read Catcher in the Rye, but I did some searching on Google, and this page indicates that the notion that too much reading can cause insanity was apparently a theory held by Franz Joseph Gall, a neuroanatomist and phrenologist who apparently influenced Horace Mann, the American pedagogical reformer. Given how schooling plays a central part in CITR, I wouldn't be surprised if such notions didn't influence it, or slip in there in some ways. Just an idea; no idea if it relates or not. --Jayron32 15:12, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Who is David Stevens?

Who is David Stevens who is quoted saying "A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it. The truth is the truth even if nobody believes it"? [1][2] --SupernovaExplosion ^Talk 15:00, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

I don't know, but it only appears in the last couple of years, and not in any reliable sources. It's very similar to "...truth is true even if everyone denies it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone affirms it", which appears have first been used by Hank Hanegraaff. Warofdreams talk 15:35, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

GDP (Output) gap & Okun's Law

In Wikipedia's description of GDP (Output) gap, Y* = actual output, Y = potential output. Yet in the description of Okun's Law (immediately following), Y = actual output, Y* = potential output; opposite designations. Is this an error or are these arbitrary designations? I'm confused! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.102.22.118 (talk) 16:12, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Well, such designations are always arbitrary. Looked at Okun's Law first & didn't see what you meant, but you're right Output gap, while correct, was confusing, so I fixed it to make the notation internally consistent. Y is now actual, Y* potential throughout the article. Thanks.

The idea is that employment & production are positively correlated, in a roughly stable manner. More people working, will do more work, make more goods, provide more services, and vice versa, if GDP grows, employment will likely grow, unemployment decrease. The negative signs appear here & there because it is usually formulated in terms of UNemployment, not employment.John Z (talk) 20:15, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Trying to understand coin collecting

I've recently found a coin collection in the Liberian-centered archive where I work, and my supervisor has asked me to attempt to catalogue them. While I'm not a coin collector, I am an active stamp collector, and this flavors the way I'm thinking of this coin collection. Can someone suggest a coin catalogue that's comparable to the Scott catalogues of stamps? Knowing about the collector-oriented nature of the Liberian postal service, I'm under no illusion that these coins are going to be valuable, and I'm somewhat nervous that they'll not be covered by major catalogues simply because so many Liberian coins (like the seen-on-TV "legal tender" $2 coins featuring US presidents) are produced for the US collector market, just like the stamps.

I've searched online and found nothing; searching here at Wikipedia, the only potentially relevant catalogue that I could find is the Standard Catalog of World Coins, which according to WorldCat isn't owned by any libraries near me. Could you suggest any other catalogues that would be (1) standard reference works for US coin collectors, and (2) likely to cover Liberia? I'd particularly appreciate it if you could suggest a catalogue that's owned by my university library; you can go to the online catalogue and search it after clicking the "Guest access" button. Nyttend (talk) 22:20, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

The Standard Catalog is really it, I am afraid (it is often called "Krause's". That being said, I have a copy of it around the place. If you can post an image, I can tell you if it is in the catalog, and what I can about it. My copy is several years old, I should add. If it is not in there, there is a volume called Unusual World Coins. I do not own that.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:05, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

I have an old edition (only paid a dollar or two for it) which claims to include all world coins from 1801 down to about 1995. During the second half of the 1970s, the coinage seemed to be devoted to promoting some kind of personality cult of William R. Tolbert, Jr.. Beginning in the late 1980s, there began to be a lot of commemoratives obviously aimed at the international collector (Michael Schumacher, Nolan Ryan, Captains Kirk and Picard, etc.). -- AnonMoos (talk) 15:00, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

Nyttend, if you tell us what they commemorate, and the denominations and year, that is plenty of information. Just make a list and email me or AnonMoos. Incidentally, if it is totally unidentifiable (I doubt it will be), both Coin World and World Coin News run columns where they identify odd items. I suspect they get lots of queries. If I had to guess, I'd bet these are Franklin Mint coins from the 70s.--Wehwalt (talk) 15:11, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

For US coins, it's the "Red Book", whose actual title is A Guide Book of United States Coins. Comet Tuttle (talk) 01:46, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

When I posted the question, I'd not yet looked at individual coins; I'd simply found a group of coins and ensured that they were from Liberia. After posting this request for help, I actually inventoried them, listing for each one the date and denomination. To my surprise, many pre-date the Tubman administration (including two from 1847, the year of independence); most of the remainder were produced before Doe's 1980 coup, and the few exceptions are largely ordinary-looking coins — I couldn't find a single one that appears to appeal to foreign collectors. Even more to my surprise, I've learned that my local public library owns a copy of Krause's (can't imagine why it's not in WorldCat), so I'll consult that first; if it turns out not to include the coins in question, I'll come back and ask either of you who offered to help. Thanks! Nyttend (talk) 18:16, 18 February 2012 (UTC)