Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2007 October 23

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October 23

Here is a silly question

If Muslims astronauts establishes a moon base on the surface of the moon. How do they determine as to when the holy month of Ramadan begins? I don't suppose they can stick their head out and look for a sign of a new moon. 202.168.50.40 03:47, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Well, presumably they would call someone on Earth and ask – also, they could just do as the Koran says: "And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, let him fast the same number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you; and He desireth that ye should complete the period..." That is, they could just pick a month to fast in and Allah would be happy with that. And He's not too much of a stickler about the direction in which you say your prayers, either, it's the thought and effort that count. (Some people of cours disagree and insist on silly extremes of precision.)--Rallette 08:41, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Funny question. If they're smart enough to have a moon base, they're smart enough to figure out when Ramadan is without the moon's help. Wrad 16:05, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

One would assume that they would simply use the declaration of a sighting of the new moon by the authorities in Mecca, which some earthbound Muslims do anyways. It's also worth noting that the first official guidelines for Muslims in space during Ramadan have just been issued, prompted by the launch of Malaysia's first astronaut at the end of the recently concluded lholy month. See Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor#Spaceflight and religion for a fairly good overview and references to external links, though I imagine that someone will start the article Guidelines for Performing Islamic Rites at the International Space Station at some point. - BanyanTree 22:48, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Damn, Rallette, you spoiled my fun. I wanted to ask "on their way to the Moon, if the space vehicle is over Mecca at prayer time, would they have to stand on their heads?" Alas, I have the answer now. Ignorance can be much more fun than knowledge. DirkvdM 09:15, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

• I've always enjoyed the idea that a Muslim near Fangataufa Tematangi in the South Pacific could turn any way s/he wishes and still be pointing the shortest route to Mecca. :) --Sean 19:53, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Iranian Numerology

I don't know if anyone can help me with this but I'm stumped so here it goes.

A friend of mine recently returned from a stay in Iran, while there she purchased a ring for me. It is inscribed with Eastern Arabic Numerals on the topside and Koranic caligraphy on the bottom. She said it is some sort of traditional numerology but is unaware what purpose it serves. The numbers are, as best as I can make out, reading from right to left:687 2468 8642 4286 6824 . Anybody have an idea?

150.108.160.114 05:03, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Actually, Arabic (and Hebrew) numbers are read from left to right. One of the groups is almost certainly in reference to the Islamic associations of 786 (number) (see also Abjad numerals), while the other groups seem to be permutations of the even digits. AnonMoos 13:28, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Well, if you get really technical, Arabic numbers aren't read left to right, they're read right to left, sort of. When they read 25, they read it like "five and twenty", in the end, though, the number is the same. 325, though, is read "three hundred and five and twenty". They used to only read right to left on all numbers, no matter how big, but now that's changed a bit: now only the last two digits are. Still, in western eyes, it makes no difference. Wrad 15:06, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Note that in Dutch and German, numbers are read out in that way too, except with one less 'and'; three hundred five and twenty. DirkvdM 09:32, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

As far as I can tell, Hindu-"Arabic" numerals have been consistently written with the most-significant digit on the left over the last 1,500 years or so, regardless of the direction of writing of the surrounding script (left-to-right or right-to-left), and regardless of whether the vocabulary of a particular language places the tens word before the units word, or the units words before the tens word (when numbers are read aloud in full). Less than two hundred years ago, English often placed the units word before the tens word (at least when reporting ages: "He is five-and-twenty", etc.), but such variations never affected the way that Hindu-Arabic numerals were written down by English speakers... AnonMoos 17:48, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

Influence of abolition

I read with great interest the answer to yesterday's question on the slave trade, which prompted one of my own. How important was the British decision to end the trade in 1807 for the rest of the world? Stockmann 05:43, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I suppose it brought international focus to the whole issue. Britain was not the first country to abolish the trade: the Danish had in 1792, though this was of limited significance. The French went further, abolishing slavery outright in 1794, though later subject to partial reversal. During the course if the Napoleonic Wars the British seized slavers, thus serving their strategic aims, their commercial interests and the wider moral purpose. It was after the war that the real test came. Britain exercised what pressure it could on clients and protégés, including the Dutch, the Portuguese and the French Bourbons, as well as the emerging countries in Latin America. There was also direct action against the Barbary States of North Africa, ancient centres of slaving. It was a slow process of persuasion, policing and pressure that brought a gradual shift in attitudes across the globe. Clio the Muse 02:14, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, Clio. Stockmann 07:31, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

By the way the U.S. constitution in 1789 had a provision preventing Congress from passing a law banning the slave trade before 1808. AnonMoos 09:14, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Denikin's Moscow Offensive

I'm doing some background research on aspects of the Russian Civil War, and have been browsing through some of your pages on the subject, unfortunately not quite as complete as I would have wished! Nothing is perfect, I suppose. What I am looking for in particular is for some more detail on the course of Anton Denikin's Moscow offensive of 1919. Thanks for any help you can offer. Zinoviev4 08:18, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Here are two standard references for you to get hold of. Xn4 15:43, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

1. Lehovich, Dimitry V: White Against Red: the Life of General Anton Denikin (New York, 1974)
2. Kenez, Peter: Civil War in South Russia 1917-1920: The defeat of the Whites (Berkeley, 1972)

P.S. For a short overview, see the article Anton Denikin at 1911encyclopedia.org. Xn4 15:53, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I would, in addition to the above suggestions by Xn4, recommend Ewan Mawdsley's The Russian Civil War (Edinburgh, 1997), specifically Part 2-1919:the Year of the Whites (pp. 115-194). It was in Tsaritsyn in July, 1919 that Denikin issued Order No. 08878-the Moscow Directive, outlining the future projected strategy of the Volunteer Army. The offensive, which began later that season with great promise, was ro fail because of numerical weakness, poor organisation and lack of mass appeal. Clio the Muse 02:41, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

humanities

HOW DO WE WRITE AN ABSTRACT FOR AN AN ARTICLE OR A SEMINAR PAPER? SOMENZÁ61.2.183.171 10:56, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Not in all caps. Skarioffszky 11:17, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

The abstract is summary of the paper. It should stand on its own, be really short and concise, stating what the paper is about and what the results are. It should be an advertisement for the paper that makes the reader want to read the whole thing. Make sure that you state clearly, as soon as possible (ideally in the very first sentence) what the problem or issue is addressed by the paper. Also make clear (very briefly!), if it isn't completely and totally obvious, why that is an important problem or interesting issue. Then give your main results (if they are improvements on earlier results, make clear how they improve them), and your main conclusions: for example, if it isn't completely and totally obvious, why your results should make us happy, or what we can do with them we couldn't do before, or what we know now we didn't know, or why this means we need to do more research.  --Lambiam 15:24, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Roman salute

Was the Roman Salute compulsory in Mussolini's Italy? 86.147.190.207 11:40, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Yes, there was some moves after Achille Starace was appointed Secretary of the National Fascist Party in 1931 to make Italians more militant by, amongst other things, making the Roman salute the compulsory form of greeting. Mere hand shaking was denounced as effete and foreign. The Roman style was also, so it was said, healthier. The Fascist press noted how much better it would be if politicians, like the American President, Herbert Hoover, who had to shake so many hands, threw up their arm in the Roman salute instead! (Just imagine Dubya!) Starace, in justifying the measure, urged all Fascists to lead by example 'among their family and in public.' "It cannot be said", he wrote, "that the Roman salute is being imposed out of false showmanship since it has not been dreamed up coldly by someone sitting at a desk or consulting books. Rather the salute has returned [from Roman times] spontaneously, as a logical necessity in our epoch of squdrism." I have no idea if it caught on. Ah, well, Me ne frego! Clio the Muse 00:11, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

James I of Scotland and Pope Eugenius IV

You are my last hope! I know this is probably a really, really obscure request but I urgently need to know the date of Pope Eugenius' letter to James I (r. 1406-1437) appointing a nuncio to the Scottish court, together with the name of the nuncio in question. I trust you good people, so I hope this is not too much to ask. 193.130.15.240 13:21, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

The Dictionary of National Biography (3rd Google hit for "eugenius james nuncio") indicates the nuncio was William Croyser, Archdeacon of Teviotdale, and that this happened in or soon after 1429. Wareh

If you look in the Calendar of Papal Registers-Papal Letters, vol. VIII, 1427-1447, ed. J. A. Twemlow, 1909, you will find a letter from Eugenius IV to James I dated July 1436 (p. 229-no precise date is given). The legate in question is Anthony, Bishop of Urbino. There seems to have been some delay in giving decision on this matter, and more than one request, for the letter says;

"The Pope was unable to do so quickly, on account of his attention being distracted by divers hindrances and the badness of the times."

This clearly supersedes any earlier missive, but for further clarification on the matter I would suggest that you consult James I King of Scots by A. A. M. Duncan (Glasgow, 1984) or James I, King of Scots, 1394-1437 by E. W. M. Balfour-Melville (London, 1936). Clio the Muse 23:47, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Hey, thanks, man. 193.130.15.240 12:49, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Ecna or Ecne

In the context of Irish foklore who or what is Ecne or Ecna? Irishbard 13:36, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

He was the god of knowledge, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. See here. Xn4 16:00, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I've created a new stub, Ecne. Xn4 16:24, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

National Vocational Competition

I came across a mention of this in an old account of life in Nazi Germany. Any idea what it is?

Look like it's to do with the Hitler Youth see http://ww.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=National+Vocational+Competition+nazi&meta=87.102.7.135 18:25, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

This surely has to be the Reichsberufswettkampf-National Vocational Competition-an annual competition for manual workers on their understanding of their work and its connection with the Nazi way of life. The idea was to demonstrate the loyalty of workers to the regime. Introduced in 1933, it was extended in 1938 to include virtually all forms of employment, as well as students. The winners were presented to Robert Ley, head of the German Labour Front, and to Hitler in person. Clio the Muse 23:25, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Hanlon's Law

This is a follow-up to an earlier discussion on the 15th October 2007 vis à vis malice as opposed to stupidity in the direction of people's conduct or pronouncements. There's an entry for Hanlon's Law but who was the Hanlon that coined it? Any ideas Jatrius 14:58, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Did you have a look at Hanlon's Law? According to the article a certain Robert J. Hanlon submitted it for a book compilation of various jokes related to Murphy's law; see also this external link from the article.  --Lambiam 16:13, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I did and all the article stated was the maxim itself rather than any reference to Mr Hanlon himself. A search of Hanlon brought up several alternatives, mostly sportsmen but none were credited with the coinage. Hence my posting. Strange. Be that as it may, thanks for the reponse. Jatrius 16:40, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Jatrius, did you look at the blog link above? It is pretty explicit about who Hanlon was. He was just some guy who sent in the offer. He apparently died relatively young and is otherwise not terribly notable. --24.147.86.187 01:37, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Some say "Robert Hanlon" is a corruption of Robert A. Heinlein. —Tamfang 18:32, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Fernão Mendes Pinto

He was elected mamposteiro(deputy) of São Lázaro e Albergaria. Is this a village, a church or what?--Tresckow 17:15, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Many things have been named after São Lázaro. Do you have any context such as when and where this happened?  --Lambiam 17:38, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Portugal, the late 16th century. In context with abovementioned guy.--Tresckow 20:54, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

There's someone on the German Wikipedia who uses that exact phrase... oh, wait - that's you. Okay, back to the drawing board. Lambiam wasn't kidding when he said that a lot of things were named for São Lázaro. It turns out there are many, many places, buildings, etc. so named. The Portuguese Wikipedia redirects "São Lázaro" to Lázaro, which doesn't shed any light on place names. I found that the Raio Palace (scroll down to #5) in Braga, Portugal is named after a Viscount of São Lázaro, indicating that São Lázaro was probably a place. The Portuguese WP disambiguates Albergaria, but I think the proper one would be Albergaria-a-Velha, a distrito in Portugal which happens to be near Braga. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that "São Lázaro e Albergaria" is (or was) a place within the distrito of Albergaria. I wish I could be more specific, but the only webpage that Google returns for that phrase is your German WP page. There are no other references to it. 152.16.59.190 04:21, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your effort I hoped some Potuguese would be able to give a precise answer. However I think you are right. Most likely it is a village around Braga. Thanks again.--Tresckow 10:16, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

MBA

What are the conditions related to decision making? How it affects various types of decision making? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ajaya Mishra (talk • contribs) 17:35, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

The page Decision making may be helpful. Pyrospirit (talk · contribs) 23:07, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Low Equity

Hi there, I am a father with a high school education, working as a taxi cab driver. I have 2 two children, 6 and 4 years-old. I want to know is that what are the monthly payments to the City Of Toronto, Government Of Ontario and Government of Canada and what are the social programs provided by the City Of Toronto, Government of Ontario and Government of Canada? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.64.133.152 (talk) 23:34, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

See the answer above to an almost identical question posed on this Ref Desk a week ago on October 16th (#13). I certainly have no more information on the topic for you. Bielle 00:00, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Your local members of the provincial and federal parliaments may be able to direct you to the social-services people you need to talk to. -- Mwalcoff 01:46, 24 October 2007 (UTC)