Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2020 May 14

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May 14

Writ of mandamus to prosecute somebody

This is about Michael Flynn: as you've probably been hearing, the DOJ wants to drop charges against him, and a federal court is (for now) refusing to let them drop the charges. I looked up "writ of mandamus to prosecute" with web search and found this, which says it's unclear whether such a thing can be done. But, where else can this Flynn thing possibly go, if the DOJ is not willing to prosecute "voluntarily"? Has it happened before, despite what that Ohio page says? Thanks. 2601:648:8202:96B0:3567:50D5:8BFF:4588 (talk) 08:51, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Since no one has responded ... Perhaps the answer you seek is in the difference between the government no longer wishing to proceed, and the Judge no longer willing to be told what to do for purely political purposes. Since the Judge can decide to accept — or not — the government’s assertion that Flynn fulfilled the terms of his plea bargain, he can decide to impose a sentence that was withheld because of that political deal. I may be wrong. DOR (HK) (talk) 20:17, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

nolle prosequi and Rule 48 Dismissal are more appropriate searchs. fiveby(zero) 20:34, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Yeah, the thing that adds complexity in this situation is that Flynn already entered a guilty plea, which means he now has to request that the court allow him to withdraw his plea. Not sure how exactly that interacts with other stuff. For the general question, private prosecutions are barred in the U.S. federal judiciary. If the executive branch charges someone and then decides to stop pursuing the case before a verdict, I believe that yes, the court would dismiss the case. The standard procedure in an uncontroversial case (say, some new ironclad evidence exonerating the defendant) would be that the prosecution would just motion for dismissal and the court would approve. --47.146.63.87 (talk) 22:21, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Date where Longwood Gardens started charging admission?

My understanding from stories I've heard anecdotally off-wiki is that Pierre S. du Pont intended for Longwood Gardens to be free in perpetuity, but that it was forced to start charging admission sometime I think in the 1960's or 1970's, and that this generated a large controversy. The garden (which today charges a $20 entrance fee) understandably doesn't have info about that episode on its website, and I can't find any other online sources on this aspect of the garden's history. I think it'd make an important addition to the history section. {{u|Sdkb}} ^talk 09:18, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

The place to ask this is on the talk page for that article. However, if there are no independent reliable sources to support your claim, it will not be admissible.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:44, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Some details of Longwood's history are in Public Garden Management: a Global Perspective, Volume 1 (pp. 74-75), including the establishment of the Longwood Foundation, but nothing about entry fees.

Horticultural Reviews (p. 305) says: "The formal transition from private estate to public garden occurred in 1946, when the US government gave the Longwood Foundation permission to operate Longwood Gardens as a nonprofit organization".

Nothing else though I'm afraid. Alansplodge (talk) 10:02, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

• I went to college nearby in the mid-1990s, and visited several times. They were definitely charging admission in the 1990s, but it was not outrageously expensive (at least, not on a broke-college-student budget). I found here from 1979 noting $2 admissions for adults, so there's a data point for you. --Jayron32 13:15, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

will begin charging admission to the grounds on Jan. 2...move was taken because increasing crowds have made the employment of additional staff necessary...$1 per person on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Weekday admission will be 50 cents. Children under six...free...The foundation representative said that admission to the gardens was not a new thing. "During Mr. duPont's residency," the aide said, "admissions were charged on Sunday to control the huge crowds, but the practice was discontined[sic] when the foundation began operation after his death." "Longwood Gardens To Charge Admission". Lancaster New Era. December 4, 1972. p. 1. fiveby(zero) 13:57, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Don't see any large controversy yet, brief mention in Philadelphia Inquirer, best found "Longwood Sets Fee For 1973 Visitors". Sunday News. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. July 30, 1972. fiveby(zero) 14:16, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

See also Tax Reform Act of 1969 and "longwood gardens" "tax reform act" 1969 fiveby(zero) 14:44, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

There is a statement by the foundation claiming increased operating costs, and an editorial with "grasping fingers of taxation" in Daily Local News around August 1972 (can't find copies). Best controversy i can manufacture. fiveby(zero)

Thanks for the help, everyone! Nice find, Fiveby! Will add it now. {{u|Sdkb}} ^talk 17:44, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Strange ritual which involves (allegedly) ghosts and meditation

I recently read a short description about a man who went into the woods to pray and to make contacts with the „spirit world“ and who practiced a form of meditation which was supposedly able to connect him to these phenomena. Given that I have never before heard about something like this, I wanted to ask here what this ritual is and how it is called. All I know about this gentleman is that he is apparently someone from Ireland and he self-described himself as a "mystic".--85.4.154.29 (talk) 18:46, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

She's a woman, and not a man, but Lorna Byrne comes to mind for Irish mystics. She's rather modern; do you perhaps have a time frame when this person lived? --Jayron32 19:48, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

I think he lived during the late 16th or early 17th Century. I do recall that a specific form of meditation was mentioned.--2A02:1205:5049:A1D0:C837:56F9:23F:C686 (talk) 20:30, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Sounds to me like plain old "fasting". Not huge across the pond, but some things did cross around that time. Not exactly "ghosts" as most Irish probably view the word, though, living spirit. InedibleHulk (talk) 10:11, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

Another idea I had is maybe William Blake, who was known to report regular contact with the dead and with spirits. He's English, and late 18th-early 19th century, but he's also rather famous and maybe he is the person that the OP was referring to? --Jayron32 14:12, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

I'm not sure to he honest. The claim that one can use meditation to make contacts with spirits surprised me, because I have never heard anything like this before. Is there a method of evocation which involves meditation?--2A02:1205:5049:A1D0:40EF:35FE:72A0:7354 (talk) 20:31, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

When you're hungry and alone in the wild, just listening to animals, wind, water and plants, things get "spooky" around day three. It's not the Indian Indian sort of yoga meditation, but it's still breathing and sitting. Give it a shot, the ceremonial stuff with the sweat, smoke and colour wheel isn't exactly necessary, just emptiness and loneliness. InedibleHulk (talk) 02:16, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

Hey IndebileHulk, do you have links or writings about this? This sounds very interesting!--2A02:1205:5049:A1D0:9D4C:BDE9:A6B2:F953 (talk) 13:52, 17 May 2020 (UTC)

You can start with the article vision quest. --Khajidha (talk) 17:44, 17 May 2020 (UTC)

I envision white men writing most of that, but yeah, it's a start. If you're curious about the female energy surrounding, guiding and keeping time on a boy's manly journey, see the grass, moon and drum. If you're concerned about signs you're getting stuck in the sky, see starvation, hyperthermia and hypothermia. Also, IndebileHulk was my father's name. Call me just inedible (no relation to Justin Credible)! InedibleHulk (talk) 01:12, 18 May 2020 (UTC)

I think that the gentleman in question was Irish and meditated in the forest under what he considered a "holy tree".--85.4.154.29 (talk) 20:32, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

I've got a holy tree in my back yard. The woodpeckers have been drilling it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:17, 20 May 2020 (UTC)

Those are fine for letting the "sun god" through, but not the best defense against "water spirits". Corny puns aside, some things have been revered by humans for so long, pinning the roots certainly to one belief system is virtually (some say sadly) impossible. These include trees. InedibleHulk (talk) 06:49, 20 May 2020 (UTC)

Does lucid dreaming have negative effects?

I recently read about the subject of lucid dreaming. A German scientist claimed that it could possibly be damaging to the brain in the long-term. I wanted to ask if studies have been done on this subject and what their findings were.--2A02:1205:5049:A1D0:BC84:ECB8:2E1F:32F4 (talk) 18:50, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

There's a little bit of that here at Lucid_dream#Risks. It is not a study, but I have heard some lucid dreamers complain about the lack of spontaneity and that they miss the excitement of "free-form" dreams which they can't control. Matt Deres (talk) 19:29, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Thank you very much, Matte Deres!--2A02:1205:5049:A1D0:C837:56F9:23F:C686 (talk) 19:40, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Actual brain damage sounds farfetched (at least I've never heard of it), but because you're not completely asleep during it, it's a sleep disruption and you may end up insufficiently well rested. In some cases it may be a form of hypnagogia rather than REM-cycle dreaming. 2601:648:8202:96B0:3567:50D5:8BFF:4588 (talk) 20:01, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

I am able to do this upon occasion and have only ever had positive results. When I had a nightmare as a child my father said to me that it is my dream and that I should just change it, if I don't want a monster, change the monster into a flower, or something along those lines. Not knowing that generally one is not supposed to be able to do this I have done it ever since, if there is a dream that I don't like, I change it, or if there is one that I do like, I guide it. I am not able to see how there can be any possibility of damage, whether that be long term or short term. The William S Burroughs technique/theory of thinking about your hands, can work, but is generally not of any use to me. 86.186.232.80 (talk) 09:49, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

(EC) On those issues, these may be of interest [1]/[2], [3]/[4], [5]/[6], [7] [8]/[9]. Note that the first 3 are Frontiers Media publications. The second last is MDPI. The last one is this [10]. One confounding factor is lucid dreaming appears to be associated with conditions like narcolepsy [11] [12] [13]. Edit: Just noticed the third source is used in the above article section Nil Einne (talk) 10:07, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

I did hear claims about a connection between narcolepsy and lucid dreaming before. There does seem to be a correlation, although studies on this subject are rarely if ever funded and conducted.--2A02:1205:5049:A1D0:40EF:35FE:72A0:7354 (talk) 20:34, 15 May 2020 (UTC)