Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2019 March 28

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March 28

9/11

Had a national emergency been declared under the 1976 National Emergencies Act in response to the 9/11 attacks? If so, does this declaration still remain in force? Never mind, I've just read the article -- it has, and it does! 2601:646:8A00:A0B3:8455:812B:E0C0:6B54 (talk) 05:22, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

cheapest postal rates

Someone needs to send me a book weighing about 3 lbs (about 1.4 kilos) from US (New York) to Israel. I would be grateful if a user could please let me know the cheapest way and how much will be the postage to send such a book, even if it takes several months to arrive. Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) 17:48, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

Surface mail is cheapest and slowest. Mjroots (talk) 19:24, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

Walking to JFK to avoid paying public transit (sneaking onto one of the airport freeways' rights-of-ways to reach the free part of the Airtrain system without being arrested for suspicion of terrorism might be required), finding people that are going to Israel and asking them to take the domestically-stamped book to a mailbox till someone accepts? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 19:33, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

If the book will fit in a USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate box (interior dimensions: 8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"), it'll be $35.65. If it won't fit in that box, you can ship it as a First Class Package through USPS for $37.50. TheMrP (talk) 19:58, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

As mentioned, the actual cheapest way is almost certainly to find someone willing to take it as luggage on a flight they were already taking, especially if time isn't of the essence. One or both of you could ask around in person, and/or post on locally-oriented pages on websites such as Facebook, Craigslist, and Nextdoor. Make sure to check whether it will raise any customs hassles for them. --47.146.63.87 (talk) 00:37, 29 March 2019 (UTC)

Call the Post Office and ask about the cheapest rates. There used to be an international book rate that was slow and cheap but it looks like it is U.S. only now. There may be other rates still available. Rmhermen (talk) 01:41, 29 March 2019 (UTC)

Mailing rate information is available on the USPS website. If you call a post office they'll just do the same thing you do on the website: enter package information and look at the calculated postage rates. TheMrP presumably got the rates from the website; I get the same rates with the given information about the item. The subsidized rate for books and other publications is Media Mail. I'm not sure if this was ever available internationally, but if it was this is no longer the case. There is an airmail bag service for international mail that is kind of similar, but designed for lots of small printed articles. --47.146.63.87 (talk) 05:41, 29 March 2019 (UTC)

You might be better off ordering the book from amazon.de or some place like that. Or if you don't need the entire book, ask the person to photograph the pages you need and email them to you. Or maybe there is an ebook version you can buy or download. 67.164.113.165 (talk) 10:09, 31 March 2019 (UTC)

Wikipedia pages

how can I get a page made for someone — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hypnotickagon (talk • contribs) 21:43, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

Hello, Hypnotickagon. There is no reliable way to "get a page made for someone", because this is a volunteer project, and people work on what they choose to work on. In order to get an article written about someone (which is how I very strongly recommend you rephrase your question), you either need to do it yourself, or to interest a volunteeer editor in writing it.

Doing it yourself is possible, but not easy for a new editor - and if it is about you or a person or organisation closely associated with you, you are strongly recommended not to try it. See Your first article and autobiography.

In principle, a way of getting somebody else to write an article is by posting at requested articles; but in practice, few of them get picked up from there. A better way might be to find a WikiProject that is relevant to the person, and ask on the talk page of the WikiProject.

In any case, if you are trying to get somebody interested in writing an article, you need to make it attractive to them to do so. I don't mean any kind of reward: that's not what motivates most people here. Rather, you need to get their interest: why would it be interesting for them to write about this person? More particularly, it is a good idea for you to spend the time finding the sources required to establish that the person is notable (in Wikipedia's special sense). If you can find some suitable sources, you can mention them, and it will make the editor's job that much easier; if you cannot find any, then you will know right away that no article can be accepted about the person, however it is written, and you can save yourself and everybody else from wasting time trying. --ColinFine (talk) 00:22, 29 March 2019 (UTC)