Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 December 19

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December 19

Citing a News broadcast

Hi :)

Totally confused on where to start this question - so I've decided Miscellaneous can host my question. Hope this is the correct venue... My question is: How do you cite a news broadcast? For example, with this - how would I cite it? The news outlet is Network Ten News, if that helps. Thank you, -- MST☆R ^{(Chat Me!)} 03:12, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

If you are comfortable with using the citation templates, then {{cite episode}} would be the one you need. For a news broadcast, the most relevent information is the airdate and specific program, but more information is better. Fill out as much information as is availible, like city, station, etc. --Jayron32 03:20, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Hi, Wikipedia has WP:Helpdesks, which help with this kind of thing. Citation depends on the article style. I wouldn't link to that content, as it is a copyvio, and isn't the official channel 10 channel on youtube so we can't trust it. "A well known Sydney bodybuilder has died, after collapsing in a sauna in Thailand…" News Network TEN (Australia) [unknown date] approximately 95 seconds of video. I would contact Network TEN to get the original broadcast date and time. Fifelfoo (talk) 03:25, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Thank you, both :)

Fifelfoo: Network Ten has granted its use, as they have claimed owenership of the video, "For those complaining about ads, Channel Ten has claimed copyright of this video, all profits in the link below will be donated to a heart fund within Australia." - also under the like/dislike bar, it states (now this is from YouTube, not the uploader) : "Contains content from: Network Ten. If it were to be a copyvio, the video would have been removed. Hope that's fine.. Thank you :) -- MST☆R ^{(Chat Me!)} 03:36, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Nevermind, I found the video from Ten's own channel: [1] -- MST☆R ^{(Chat Me!)} 04:24, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Even when it isn't a copyvio, we can't rely on a duplicator to transmit it intact, invariant, and correct. Your citation would be something like:

Andrew Denny (2011-08-11) "A well known Sydney bodybuilder has died, after collapsing in a sauna in Thailand…" Ten News Network TEN (Australia) approximately 95 seconds of video or in Template:cite news format:

• Andrew Denny (2011-08-11). "A well known Sydney bodybuilder has died, after collapsing in a sauna in Thailand…" (Official YouTube video). Ten News. Network TEN (Australia). Retrieved 19 December 2011.
• {{cite news |title=A well known Sydney bodybuilder has died, after collapsing in a sauna in Thailand… |author=Andrew Denny |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qamh60kmXUs |newspaper=Ten News |publisher=Network TEN (Australia) |format=Official YouTube video |date=2011-08-11 |accessdate=19 December 2011}}

If you want to cite a particular portion of the video use |at=0:45 in the citenews template, or just add, "at 0:45" to the end of a manual citation. Fifelfoo (talk) 04:30, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Thank you! :) -- MST☆R ^{(Chat Me!)} 04:43, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Even when it isn't a copyvio, we can't rely on a duplicator to transmit it intact, invariant, and correct. Some duplicators are acceptable, like JSTOR which I see frequently cited. (There are also a lot of cites of archive.org, which I would say is a bit more dubious.) It's a matter of judgment. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:58, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

JSTOR has the cachet of a publisher—yet I've regularly noted failure to duplicate intact, invariant. Compare to Klints Krasy Arkhives. Fifelfoo (talk) 10:08, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Is there a colour standard or convention for left handed tools?

While cleaning up at the school where I work I found a pair of scissors. They were the style that is very common here in Australia as inexpensive domestic scissors. They typically have red or orange plastic handle grips over the metallic frame. But this pair had green handles, which I don't recall seeing before on this style of scissors, and turned out to be left handed scissors.

It struck that it would make sense to have a colour convention or standard to identify left handed tools. Does such a thing exist? Is this an example? HiLo48 (talk) 08:07, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

In Britain, the left-handed scissors used in schools have one yellow and one green handle (with right-handed scissors usually, but not always, having red or orange, like you say), like these or these, but I don't know how universal that is. Smurrayinchester 08:49, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Here in USA the grade school I went to used green handles to indicate lefty scissors. It never occurred to me that this might be a standard. Can't find any evidence of this on Google. APL (talk) 08:59, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

The colours are the other way round in the illustration at Left-handedness#Accessibility of implements and skills, so I guess there is no universal standard.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:05, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

I am a lefty in my fifties in the UK, and I have never before heard of even the idea of colour-coding left-handed tools. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's outside my experience. --ColinFine (talk) 13:41, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

The school I went to coded left-handed scissors with the word "left" stamped on the blades. --Carnildo (talk) 03:05, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

How should they color the handle of a left-handed hammer? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:12, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

If you google [left-handed scissors] it will quickly become apparent that there is no general color standard for either right or left handed scissors. It's possible that individual companies might color-code them. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:16, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

That doesn't help if you are left handed and color blind! --Lgriot (talk) 09:42, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

No. But you can tell by look and/or feel, especially once you put it into your hand. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:50, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Actually, the standard UK colour-coding allows for that, as almost all colour-blind people will still be able to tell the difference between a pair of scissors with both handles red, and a pair with one handle green and the other yellow, even if it's just that the yellow handle is brighter than the green. I assume that's why they do it like that. 86.163.212.160 (talk) 23:54, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Trucks

Sometimes I hear a low humming noise from parked trucks with no engines running. What makes that noise? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.74.50.52 (talk) 10:25, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Could be that they are hooked up to mains electricity to provide power to the cab. --Viennese Waltz 11:02, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

If the truck is hauling foodstuffs, it's very likely to have a refrigeration unit which would keep running even after the cab's engine is off. 76.28.67.181 (talk) 11:08, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Which brings up the question of how they power that. You would need a massive battery collection to power such a refrigeration unit for long. It would probably make more sense to leave the engine running than haul all that extra weight. StuRat (talk) 16:31, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Our Refrigerator truck article says that some are equipped with "small displacement diesel engines" to run the unit. AndyTheGrump (talk) 16:45, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

The refrigeration unit is part of the trailer, not the cab, so it needs its own power supply. (The small engine Andy mentions.) I doubt most cabs are equipped to provide that much energy to the trailer, and besides sometimes trailers need to be left standing on their own with no cab. APL (talk) 20:32, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

In cold climates, trucks will often run a diesel fired heater, both to keep the block warm for easier restart and to allow for cabin heating. I believe that Espar (J.Eberspacher GmbH & Co) manufactures most of these heaters, though I know that Webasto AG makes them as well. -- ToE 20:01, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

A Webasto or en Eberspaecher unit is quite quiet in comparison to the refrigeration unit on refrigerator trucks, which I believe the OP was referring to. Incidentally, (at least in Europe) truck drivers driving refrigerator trucks are aware of this and try to usually park further away from other trucks on large parking lots when they have to take a longer pause, it's considered courtesy and is appeciated in the trucker community (sighs longing for Spring). --Ouro (blah blah) 20:57, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

scholarship

is there any scheme, programme, way of studying abroad in good colleges.i m a 1st year engineering student(Indian national).I mean a scholarship or full financial assistance.please also specify that i can pursue it after my graduation or i can get admission before completing my degree.my branch is C.S.E. please also tell the relevant examinations or selection procedures.any help is cordially welcomed.pls........59.165.108.89 (talk) 15:21, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

For a student from another country to receive a full scholarship generally requires merit, not just need. That is, you'd need excellent grades, extracurricular activities, etc., to be accepted as something like a Rhodes Scholar. Another option might be a work-study program, where you work part-time at a job in your field of study, and attend school part-time. This is how I paid for college. It has the advantage of you having work experience in your field when you graduate, putting you ahead of the competition. It can take longer to graduate, though. StuRat (talk) 16:26, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

For a student from India working in CSE, the most effective way to get into a good foreign school is to gain actual practical experience, by writing high-quality programs. Grades and exam scores do matter, but if you can point to high-quality code that you have written, your chances will be greatly improved. Looie496 (talk) 17:30, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

thanks STURAT ,i have heard about rhodes scho. but i dont know whats the criteria and examination pattern.and isnt there any university programme which conduct examination for admission together with scholarship.part time can be a good option but that depend upon the fee structure of the coolege as in starting no one wil give a job to a begineer that cares his fee and needs pls do rply. thank u looie but after generating a code one needs a exposure also. did u mean that colleges conduct a code competition through which one can get good college,but is that the only way do rply.59.165.108.89 (talk) 13:21, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

The best part of a work-study program is that they will help to get you the job, as it's part of the education program. The employers realize you are new to the job, so pay and expect less than a graduate would get, but it may still be enough to pay for college, or at least a large portion of it, and the experience is quite valuable, too. StuRat (talk) 05:22, 22 December 2011 (UTC)

but, u did not specify that which colleges or universities do so.i have just finished my ist semester exams,so can i apply now,i mean next year.will they admit me from 2nd year or ist yr.and thank u for guidance and sharing ur experience.i hope to get a reply.59.165.108.89 (talk) 13:33, 22 December 2011 (UTC)

Voting in North Korea

The article North Korean parliamentary election, 2009 says that in North Korea, elections have a single pre-selected candidate, and the voter is given two options: either support the candidate by dropping the ballot directly into the box, or oppose the candidate by going into a special booth and crossing out the candidate's name. It also claims (referring to this source) that even contemplating opposing the candidate could land the voter in serious trouble, and actually going to the booth to cross out the candidate's name would be a certain death sentence, as the secret police officers present would plainly see the voter's action. Now my question is, how verifiable is this? Has such a thing actually ever happened? Are North Koreans publicly warned in advance that rebellious actions would have dire consequences, or do they simply infer it? And lastly, even if someone were to actually cast an opposing vote, how likely is the vote to actually be counted? North Korea isn't exactly a role model for honesty in politics, after all. JIP | Talk 23:53, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

That blog says the reconstruction was done by Japan's NTV News (a reputable source) with a 'guy who once lived in the country' (not a good source), but the blog itself doesn't give sources for this news item, therefore the blog itself is not a good source, as I suspect you already know. I can't answer the question(s), though. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 00:34, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

According to the article 99.98% of people voted and 100% voted for the candidate. Rmhermen (talk) 00:54, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Shortly after the election, the population decreased by 0.02%. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:22, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Jokes aside, it is perfectly normal the percentage of people voting for candidate A will only include those who actually voted. Nil Einne (talk) 12:35, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't think it is normal for 99.98% of registered voters to vote or for 100% of all ballots cast be for one candidate. (Zero people in the entire country picked up the pen and crossed out the box) Rmhermen (talk) 13:44, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

I just wonder why the Korean authorities even bother going though the charade of having these so-called elections. Why don't they just say to their people "These are your leaders" and be done with it. The common people know they're not given any kind of choice when they do vote, so it's certainly no skin off their nose. If it's just to fool the rest of the world into thinking it's a truly democratic country, well, we're not fooled, and they know we're not. So, again, what's the point? -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 17:14, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

I heard a NK watching academic say on radio that the country deliberately cultivates an image of being a little bit crazy, with unstable leaders who make weird decisions, just to keep its enemies a little more scared of them. HiLo48 (talk) 19:34, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

In the world-wide history of one-candidate political elections (not elections in organizations) with an alleged support/oppose option, has the candidate ever officially lost? PrimeHunter (talk) 17:31, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

The Soviet Union had a voting system much the same as the NK one described here; circa 1970, around 1-5% of the voters chose to go into a voting booth to mark their papers. However, the resulting opposing vote was (officially, at least) rarely over 0.5%, and that was usually directed against individual unpopular candidates on a local basis. At the village level in ~1970, around one candidate in ten thousand was defeated - not many, but it did happen on occasion. Shimgray | talk | 22:06, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

Did this Soviet Union voting system have any secrecy about whether the voter chooses to oppose the candidate or not? I've understood that in North Korea, there is no secrecy whatsoever. More importantly, were the voters who chose to oppose the candidate safe? I've understood that in North Korea, even contemplating opposing the pre-chosen candidate is a certain death sentence. How was the situation in the Soviet Union? I understand the Soviet Union isn't exactly a role model for democracy either, but even it seems to be better than North Korea. JIP | Talk 21:34, 22 December 2011 (UTC)

I've been wondering the same thing. Seeing as neither the government, the people, or the outside world believe for a moment the people have any choice in the matter, what's the use in pretending? Also, North Korea seems to be even more totalitarian than the only candidate always winning, seeing as anyone who dares to even contemplate opposing the candidate will not live for long. JIP | Talk 17:53, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Even if harsh treatment did not ensue, what's the value of opposing a candidate when there's literally no alternative candidate? -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 18:03, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't know the official North Korean rules but the theoretical idea in one-candidate support/oppose elections is supposedly that if the candidate in the official results receive less than 50% support (which I wonder whether has ever happened) then there will be a new election with a new candidate (or possibly in some systems multiple candidates which may or may not include the original candidate). However, no matter the official details, such elections seem to only be held in places where it doesn't matter what the voters do. As Stalin allegedly said (there are variations and none are apparently confirmed), "It's Not the People Who Vote that Count; It's the People Who Count the Votes". In North Korea I wonder whether they even examine the ballots after the election. I imagine nobody would dare to report to their superiors that they found an oppose vote but didn't know who made it. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:34, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

I would imagine that the North Korean election officials don't even bother counting the votes, but simply declare 100% support for the candidates regardless of the votes, confident that the secret police will already have assassinated anyone who had been seen placing an oppose vote. (This is apparently possible because in North Korea, placing an oppose vote has to be done in public.) JIP | Talk 19:28, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

It's not clear to me they assasinate people before they cast the vote, or that people who have been assasinated's vote is supposed to be struck off. (I don't think assasinate is the right word here anyway, more run of the mill murder.) That being the case, if anyone did vote no, the officials confidence of what would happen doesn't come in to it. However it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't bother counting the vote, or if they did would ignore or perhaps destroy any 'no' vote, simply because they have no desire to make themselves a target by reporting a less then 100% vote, or perhaps because they can't bear to report such a horrific unacceptable unpatriotic thing. Nil Einne (talk) 19:54, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm not saying that part is normal, I'm just saying that the fact the turnout is 99.98% and the percentage of people voting for the candidate is 100% doesn't imply that the 0.02% of people who didn't vote disappeared since it is fairly normal that the 100% would only apply to the 99.98% of people who voted. Nil Einne (talk) 19:47, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

But according to the cited source, voting is mandatory in North Korea, and anyone caught not voting will suffer severe consequences. JIP | Talk 19:50, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Which is of course completely irrelevant to my point. It's also worth remembering 'severe consequences' doesn't have to mean death. In some cases a reeducation camp or simply a rather harsh torture before they are re-released to serve as a reminder to the rest are sufficient. Nil Einne (talk) 19:54, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

The turnout of 99.98% goes far beyond any reasonable levels you'd expect even with mandatory voting. On any given day, somewhere around 0.1% of the population will be unable to vote simply because of being down with the flu. I'm almost certain that they don't even bother counting voters and votes, they simply make sure that a large percentage of the population shows up, and then draw any number they want in the final protocol. And, if you decide not to go to the polling place and your neighbors find out, you stand the risk of being ratted out by a local informant of the KGB or whatever the North Korean equivalent is, and THEN they will teach you a lesson.--Itinerant1 (talk) 01:27, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

That still leaves a lot of people who for whatever reason don't actually turn up, but who are told that everyone turned up, so they know the official reports are mistaken at best, but more likely a bare-faced lie. Or maybe, the reports of the turnout are only for external consumption, and the people inside the country get told nothing except what to think, how to feel, what to do, and who's in charge. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 01:48, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

As for whether they are warned in advance, in such an authoritarian state, people know not to cross the state, no need to tell them. StuRat (talk) 02:22, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

In 2002, Saddam Hussain's government claimed to have won re-election with 100% turnout and 100% support. It is very common for authoritarian countries to hold sham elections as part of a propaganda ploy to claim that they are the real democracies. Hitler occasionally had (rigged) after-the-fact plebiscites on things like quitting the League of Nations and annexing Austria. One thing that few people know about North Korea is that the Kims' Workers Party does not control all of the seats in the Parliament; a few supposedly independent other parties have some seats for appearances' sake. This is in common with the practice of other postwar Soviet Bloc states, which formed "united fronts" between Communists and other, co-opted parties. North Korea has kept up the charade long after splitting off into its own version of despotism. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:57, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

You don't even have to look for extreme basket cases like Iraq or North Korea to find glaring examples of sham elections. Just two weeks ago there were parliamentary elections in Russia. In Chechnya, the electoral commission reported the turnout of 99.45%, with 99.48% of voters casting ballots for United Russia. In Russia, voting is voluntary, and the typical turnout elsewhere in the country was around 50%. (I tried to get this curious factoid, and other reported incidents of election fraud, into the section about voting irregularities in the article about those elections, but I kept getting reverted by a certain editor, who, I suspect, may have been on United Russia's payroll, so in the end I just gave up.)--Itinerant1 (talk) 02:16, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

Apparently Chechnya initially reported 100.3% voter turnout - and then revised the number on the voter rolls. Rmhermen (talk) 21:50, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

historic home origin in noank ct

i'm trying to have a christmas present made for a friend that bought a house in noank ct.rumor has it that a whaling capt built the house in 1916.i found the info on the date of the constuction but cant find the owner.it was built in 1916 but for whom i cant find.the adress is 710 noank rd noank ct.i dont know if that was the number back then or if the road was even named noank rd.i would love some help and be very grateful.merry christmas. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Xtremelyfrank (talk • contribs) 23:55, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

The articles Noank, Connecticut and Noank Historic District may help. Google searches seem only to produce real estate results. ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 02:13, 22 December 2011 (UTC)