Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2007 April 1

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

April 1

Discontinued Action

What does it mean when someone say's they have discontinues action without cost and without prejudice? thanks tre

Although the context of your question is not without ambiguity, it is most likely a reference to legal pleadings under the rules of civil procedure in common law jurisdictions where a plaintiff (or a defendant with a counter-claim) wishes to discontinue a claim against the opposing party, while still preserving other claims. (see e.g., http://www.dca.gov.uk/civil/procrules_fin/contents/parts/part38.htm#rule38_6), (see also, Cause of action, counterclaim). dr.ef.tymac 03:11, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

The phrase "without costs" likely means that the party who discontinued the action is not intending to pay anything to compensate the other party for legal fees and expenses. The phrase "without prejudice" likely means that the party who discontinued the action is reserving his/her/its right to reinstitute the claim in future (if, for example, new evidence should arise). --Mathew5000 03:55, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Aircraft carrier design

Hi all. I've noticed that on every picture I've seen of aircraft carriers, the "island" is on the right side of the ship. Is there any reason for that? Are there any carriers with it on the left? - Akamad 03:13, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Its on the left when the ship is traveling in reverse. 71.100.167.232 03:27, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, here is the wartime Japanese carrier Akagi with the tower on the left. Some others were complete flattops. The Akagi was lost at the Battle of Midway in 1942. Clio the Muse 03:27, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Design standards being what they are, it is probably best not to be a free thinker where aircraft are concerned on the high seas. Pilots and crew would be used to a style, and mass production results in an arbitrary choice. Australians and UK drive on the left hand side of the road and there is anecdotal evidence that this causes accidents both with people from overseas driving here, and people here driving overseas. However, I'm confident there is no hard and fast rule. DDB 05:51, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Yeah that's what I was assuming too. THanks all. - Akamad 11:56, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this information, but the Wikipedia article on flight decks suggests that there is a practical reason for the location of the "island," which is related to the behavior of early aircraft on takeoff. Carom 16:22, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

That's close but it was landing, not takeoff, that determined that the island end up to starboard. Taking off with early planes didn't need a full-length flight deck, so that a conventional superstructure worked ok, so long as you didn't want planes to land back on board the carrier.

David Brown's The Grand Fleet (pp. 116–120) covers the evolution, and I'm pretty sure Norman Friedman's USNI press books on aircraft carriers go over the same ground. Once aircraft carrying ships got a full length flight-deck, the first idea was an island port and starboard with a platform connecting them above the flight deck, but wind tunnel tests showed this was bad, and the first aircraft carrier - HMS Argus (I49) - had a flush deck. However, experience showed that this was not ideal either: an island gave pilots a target to aim at when landing on. For HMS Furious (47) some ideas were mocked up and Brown gives pictures of the models on pp. 118–119. Two islands again - no good - then island to port - much better - and finally island to starboard - best, because aeroplanes with rotary engines could turn better to port to avoid the island and land on the deck than to starboard.

For inline and radial engines it probably didn't make that much difference either way, but once the first couple of aircraft carriers had been built with starboard islands, most people stuck with them. Quite a few escort carriers were built flush-decked during WWII, but only one fleet carrier - the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi - was built with the island to port. Angus McLellan (Talk) 21:10, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Nice info! (I couldn't convince you to update the article accordingly, could I?) Carom 21:21, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Agreed (with Carom). Good and interesting info. THanks for answering my question with excellent detail. - Akamad 12:25, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Literary Influences

Does anyone know where I can find a chart or a diagram of the writers in the literary canon and how they were all influenced by one another, and the various influences they exerted in turn? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 161.13.4.53 (talk) 03:20, 1 April 2007 (UTC).

In which literary canon? My first reaction to this is that it might just be a little too ambitious, as any such chart would be hoplessly complex. Would it be possible to narrow your quest down? Clio the Muse 03:33, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

It is worth noting that the notion of what constitutes "the literary canon" is constantly changing, as new books are written and old ones fall into obscurity. Try reading literary criticism from more than two generations ago and you'll find it peppered with names like Mallarmé, Hugo, Holderlin, etc. Great writers, but very rarely read. The entire idea of a "canon" depends on relevance, and stuff is always losing relevance. I see no reason that a literary flowchart could not be created, although it would itself be a literary work and heavily subjective. I once saw a flowchart tracking the progress of rock and roll from artist to artist, and even though its scope was fairly limited, it was huge and full of omissions. Bhumiya (said/done) 06:13, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

So, Victor Hugo is not much read, Bhumiya? Well, I've not long finished reading Les Miserables hard on the heels of Notre-Dame de Paris! They are both highly engaging, but I have to say that I would not go so far as to describe Hugo as a 'great writer.' A personal assessment, of course. Incidentally, for those who take an interest in these things, the Wikipedia page on Notre-Dame de Paris, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, if you prefer, says that the novel is set 'in about 1485'. It is not. It is set precisely in 1482, during the reign of the 'spider king', Louis XI, who died in 1483. Please forgive this pedantic aside, everyone, which takes us too far away from the point of the question. Clio the Muse 08:00, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I think most literary critics would acknowledge his greatness, but no, I don't think he's widely read at all these days. His work is overshadowed by its Disneyfied spin-offs. Perhaps I shouldn't put him in the same class of obscurity as Mallarmé and Holderlin. A better example might be Proust. Even though he's a more recent vintage than Hugo, there are many bookstores that don't carry his work at all (my college bookstore shamefully among them). Dan Brown, on the other hand - you can find about fifty pounds of his scribblings in any bookstore anywhere in the world. Bhumiya (said/done) 18:40, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Life is certainly too short for Proust and far too long for Dan Brown and similar mush. And please always follow your own instincts in these matters, never the canon passed down from Olympus by literary critics. Clio the Muse 19:16, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

(*cough", *splutter*). :) JackofOz 22:20, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Literature is discussed and examined in Universities. However, the task of assigning values and attributing influence is largely unpopular as an academic pursuit as, by and large, academic attention is focused on the here and now, the cutting edge.

Jane Austen was writing from a time when the novel was, ahem, new. The idea of reading for pleasure is related to the Gutenberg Printing Press and the rise of middle class. Rosemary Day, in her book 'Literacy from the 1500's' points out that functional literacy has evolved. It was considered literate in Elizabethan times to be able to write (yet not read!), but as professional guilds developed, being able to read and write became important.

So before education became areligious, writing was trade related, or for religious instruction. Court intrigue and letter writing flowers with education, and the middle class required insight into the unobtainable upper class. Austen, Bronte sisters, Taylor sisters, Chaucer, Swift and Samuel Johnson bootstrapped the 'novel' into its modern appearance. I've not compiled an exhaustive list, and I've focused on English. A learned person in this area might give a much better answer ;) DDB 10:00, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Chaucer is a contributer to the shape of the modern novel, DDB? I would describe that as an unusual contention, to say the very least, but that word does not seem to serve! You might as easily include Ovid in your succession. In truth, Chaucer belongs to an ancient tradition of narrative poetry, which predates the novel by centuries. Clio the Muse 10:16, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Very true Clio, I stand corrected. I sidestepped the poets, although, clearly, poetry and prose are interrelated. The unfinished novel of 'The Canterbury Tales' is seldom mentioned anywhere ;) DDB 10:26, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Environmental Psychology

DAK Kopec has been very active in bringing Environmental Psychology to design feilds. Recently his book Environmental Psychology for Design (published by Fairchild Books) won the ASID's (American Society of Interior Design) Prestigous Joel Polski prize, but he is not mentioned in your discussions and prominent people of Environmental Psychology.

We appear to have no article for DAK Kopec; generally, if someone is notable enough to go in a list of notable people in a given field, they should probably have their own page first. IF you create that page, and the article passes the notability standard -- that is, if the article can cite effectively, and is not deleted -- add that name to the Environmental Psychology list would seem a fair next step. Doing it the other way (putting his name in the list when he has no page) too often results in deletion, since no one will be able to figure out who the guy is and why he should be on that list. Go make the article, and have fun! Jfarber 13:33, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Franklin Furnace

Thank you i din't understanf i thought it ment that he collected minerals or something thank you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.114.9.197 (talk) 15:43, 1 April 2007 (UTC).

Is there a question hiding in there somewhere? According to the article, Franklin Furnace is a mineral location, not a person.  --Lambiam^Talk 18:07, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

It's another joke, Lambiam, best jettisoned or ignored. Clio the Muse 18:10, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Copyrights and patents

Why can't patents be handled the same way as copyrights in that you automatically have the right and only have to file if someone abuses it? In other words if I invent something or make an improvement and publish it or manufacture and distribute it why can't a simple notice such as "Patented by" just as the notice "Copyrighted by" is added to documents even though filing has not occurred instead of forfeiting my right to a patent due to lack of funds necessary to hire a patent attorney and apply for a patent ahead of time? Nebraska bob 18:23, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Several answers (and remember that the details vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction anyway):

1. Most obviously, the content of any copyright material is the material itself, so it is in principle easy to determine whether or not something infringes it. Determining exactly what has been patented, and what infringes it or doesn't, is much more difficult (and a big part of why you might employ a patent agent or specialising lawyer).
2. More subtly (see the paragraph starting 'Second' of Patent#Rationale, the original reason for governments to grant patents was to ensure that they got published for the public good: the exclusive right (for a limited period) was the reward for publishing.

--ColinFine 19:35, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

There's the choice between filing for a patent, or trying to keep a "trade secret". I don't think that automatic patents would be very workable, or would be good public policy even if they were workable. AnonMoos 22:15, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Patents are monopolies exchanged for disclosure of invention (at least, they are by the late 19th century in the USA — before that they are a bit different, and elsewhere there are different philosophies of patenting). The registering of the patent does two things: it gives some sanction to the specifics of the claims of the patents (something which could not be possible if they were not registered ahead of time — they would provide no security at all for other inventors if it was something which was only litigated in court), and it facilitates the act of disclosure. Additionally, the standards for a patent are much more specific than for a copyright — it is far easier to presume what is copyrighted and why than it is for patents. A layperson can usually, with five minutes of explanation, understand what of their work is copyrightable. People spend years becoming good patent lawyers, the people who draft most patents to be powerful and legal. --24.147.86.187 01:52, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

• Also, automatic patents would mean you could get a patent automatically even though someone else already invented it. The whole protection a patent offers the inventor wouldn't work anymore. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:45, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Long pinky nail

I have often seen men from East Asia who have grown their pinky finger nail very long. What is the meaning of the long nail? I have heard that it symbolizes wealth or good luck, but I haven't been able to verify this. -PullUpYourSocks 20:07, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

How about reading the article Nail (anatomy)? There a small section about it. Flamarande 20:39, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

It may signify that they are wealthy enough to not have to do manual labour. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 22:27, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Just as an aside, it was a custom of Louis XIV's that to be admitted to his rooms, you weren't to be so vulgar as to knock, but scratched at the door with a fingernail. His courtiers grew long pinky nails for the purpose. Adambrowne666 03:19, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Where I am from the pinky nail is grown as a tool to help separate the seeds from the weed in Cannabis --Jcw69 05:11, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Lebanon

Hello there :)

Simple question that I'm having trouble finding. What percent of Lebanese citizens live in urban, suburban, and rural areas?

For instance. 50% live in rrban, 25% in suburban, and 25% in rural.

Thanks for your time and help -Lost Student —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.156.123.136 (talk) 21:34, 1 April 2007 (UTC).

The distinction between urban and suburban areas is arbitrary and not often made for statistical or analytical purposes outside of the United States and perhaps Canada. In most other countries all built-up areas, including what might be called suburban areas in the United States, are considered urban, whether or not they are within the municipal borders of a "central city". According to Encarta, Lebanon's population is 88% urban and 12% rural. Marco polo 22:19, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

(After EC) You will find some fairly comprehensive statistics on Lebanon, and not just on population distribution, here[1]. As you will see, in the year 2000 90% of the people of Lebanon were living in urban areas. There is no further breakdown, though, into urban and suburban patterns of distribution, and I am not really sure how meaningful such information would be. Clio the Muse 22:23, 1 April 2007 (UTC)