Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Humanities/2006 July 21

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[edit] Searching for a Hero of the Soviet Union

I was reading through Lee Harvey Oswald's journal of his time spent in the Soviet Union, and he mentions meeting Pavil Golovacha. A yonuge man my age friendly very intelligent a exalant radio techniction his father is Gen. Golovacha Commander of Northwestenr Siberia. Twice hero of USSR in W.W. 2.[5] - because of Oswald's dyslexia and mispellings, I'm left with relatively no clue who this "General Golovacha" is supposed to be a reference to. If my rudimentary trivia knowledge serves me right, "Golovacha" would be a feminine name anyhow, so is unlikely - but I assume it is a similar spelling, I found a few variations on the name, but none ever listed as commanding anything in Siberia. Hero of the Soviet Union says only 101 people were ever twice-awarded, so it should be a relatively short list of possibilities. Sherurcij (Speaker for the Dead) 02:29, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Could it be something Ukrainian like Golovocho or something similar? User:Zoe|(talk) 02:39, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
Actually, our article on Oswald mentions the name as "Pavel Golovachev". However, I can't find any detailed information on his father the general, except a few mentions of his initials, "P. Ya. Golovachev. (see here, for example). Maybe that will help someone. -- Vardion 05:53, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
Now that I do a proper search, his father is actually in our List of World War II aces from the Soviet Union article — it says his first name was also Pavel. -- Vardion 06:04, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
A million thanks Sherurcij (Speaker for the Dead) 07:19, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ada Bike Rodeo

My grandson took part in the Ada Bike Rodeo this year. Keagan Hull is 2 years old. We heard from friends that a tape ran on this event in the evening news and Keagan was on it. None of our family saw it. We are interested in finding out if it is possible for us to obtain a copy or see this footage.


Sandie Hull

What country are you in? What channel was the news programme on? Your best bet is to approach the channel itself, see if they can let you see it. Maybe their website has archived news programmes or something. Or look for a website or forum dedicated to TV in your location and make a request there. Someone might have it. Good luck. --Richardrj 07:39, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New Here: need something edited

I am having some trouble editing the entry about Tom Cruise. The current version (vandalized, I guess) has stuff about a book about Nazis instead of the actor. Can somebody help? I keep getting an edit conflict. I tried following the instructions on Help:Revertingbut it doesn't work. Help!

  • Wikipedia seems to be a bit broken at the moment. In particular, the page history feature doesn't seem to be working right, and as a result watchlists also may not. I tried unsuccessfully to revert Tom Cruise too. It might not even be vandalism, it might be damage to the database. May be best to wait. Notinasnaid 10:39, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
Yes, I tried it too, no luck. Wait for a few hours (we had a database lock earlier this morning, and could still be seeing aftereffects from that), if it doesn't go away, the place to take this is Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). — QuantumEleven 10:40, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
  • October 20 has the same issue. Developers are working on fixing the issue. - Mgm|(talk) 12:19, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Peer Review of My Flowchart

Please critique this flowchart for its accuracy. If you wish to modify it and submit your own, then do so. Image:Treason.JPG.--Patchouli 13:03, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

What flows where and isn't it a bit too limited to bother making a chart? DirkvdM 14:32, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
It shows that sedition and espionage are subsets and the only categories of treason.--Patchouli 15:39, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
Then it's a hierarchical taxonomy, not a "flowchart". AnonMoos 16:43, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Espionage is not necessarily a subset of treason. If I spy for my country against an enemy I'm not guilty of treason - I can only commit treason against my own country. Plus there are other categories of treason. If I join in an ongoing rebellion I might be guilty of treason but not sedition (or espionage). DJ Clayworth 17:45, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Sedition is also not necessarily a subset of treason. In fact, they tend to be defined, prosecuted, and punished as different crimes. - Nunh-huh 18:07, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

So it isn't a flowchart. I should have called it a concept map.

Rebellion is the second type of sedition. Sedition can involve "speech" or "organization". Rebellion is a part of the latter. Correct me if I am wrong.--Patchouli 18:11, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

A flowchart doesn't seem to be in order here at all. If your point indeed is that sedition and espionage are subsets of treason, whether that's an accurate statement or not, it would appear that a Venn diagram would be a more appropriate choice to illustrate that. Loomis 19:47, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Image:Euler Diagram.svg--Patchouli 21:30, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Ah, you didn't say that the first time. If I may comment on the content, isn't something only treason after you've made a promise (which you then break)? 'Your own contry' is something that happened to you. If you've never pledged any allegiance to that country out of free will, then spying against it isn't really treason is it? That's the problem with conscripts in the army. If they get send out to some war abroad, then, once there, they may decide the other side is the one they should be fighting for. And act accordingly. Afaik (but would I know?) that rarely happens, possibly because it's regarded worse than defection. One Dutch guy decided in the Indonesian war of independence that he'd better change sides. Even though people in the Netherlands now acknowledge that the Dutch army was wrong, he is still not allowed to return to the Netherlands. But I digress. DirkvdM 07:25, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
http://www.answers.com gives two definitions for treason.
  1. Violation of allegiance toward one's country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies.
  2. A betrayal of trust or confidence.

I meant the first one, namely political treason.

The Netherlands is a very tolerant country. If wish I were a Dutch citizen; I would never betray the Netherlands. If an Iranian did betray his country by joining the enemy and fighting against it in Iran, he would be shot to death with a shooting squat or hung. Those folks, especially, the mullahs think of exile as a joke. Even outside Iran, he wouldn't be safe. Shapour Bakhtiar, a former prime minister of Iran, is a good example. He only objected to Khomeini Islamists excesses and execution of dissidents.--Patchouli 10:03, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

You cant use wikipedia mirror sites to cite wikepedia. Answers.com is just out of date wikipedia articles. Philc TECI 11:17, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
  • Answers.com uses many sources one of which is Wikipedia. Here is the citation for the above definitions of "treason".
"treason." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton ::Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 22 Jul. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/treason

--Patchouli 14:04, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Superman - interesting quote

Somewhere on Wikipedia, I found a remarkable quote by either comic writer or artist, on Superman. It was something along the lines of "He is the lost son of a dead planet, forever mourning the loss of millions of lives". Thats a very vague recollection of it. It was said by a major figure I think, someone like Gaiman or Miller maybe, maybe not. It is defintely on Wikipedia, as part of a comics related article. I have scoured for weeks but I just cant see it!

Can anyone help? Its such a vivid and beautiful line, I will be poorer without it.

I'm not sure, but I think the line is "last son of a dead planet...". Your mention of Neil Gaiman jogged my memory that this line, or one very much like it, is referenced in the Sandman comics... I think it's issue #3: Dream a Little Dream of Me from the More Than Rubies storyline. --Canley 05:52, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Article of questionable validity about Albania

Can someone who knows a bit about Albanian history tell me whether or not this article is true or complete bullshit? The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 15:02, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

It is complete, er, horse hockey. It appears to be the plot of Every Inch a King, a 2005 novel by Harry Turtledove. --Cam 15:21, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
Wait, see Otto Witte. Maybe I'm wrong about the horse stuff.--Cam 15:24, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
I'm putting it up for deletion, then.--The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 19:34, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] samoan fa'afaline

Could anyone help with any studies or articles on the fa'afaline in Samoa, the boys who choose the gender roles of females?

See the bottom of berdache for a whole cross-cultural list... AnonMoos 16:39, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Definition of "caravan halt"

Hi, I would like to ask if anyone knows the exact definition of the phrase "caravan halt"? I've looked through every dictionary and encyclopedia I have and I can't find anything. I believe it is a type of rest stop on a caravan trail. Is that right? Thank you. DragonRouge 16:12, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Without context it is difficult to say for certain but yes you are probably right. Whether it means a campsite (for going on holiday) or a caravanserai (for trade route stopping points) is not clear. MeltBanana 22:17, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Court Reporter

Never having been to court, I've often wondered: Do court reporters record testimony verbatim, including obscenities? Or do they "fix up" the language a bit? For example, would this testimony, which I saw on TV last night, be taken down exactly as spoken: "She always be up in my face. I told her 'Get out my face, bitch.' She think she all that. She think she better."?

According to the transcript article, the transcripts that court reporters take are supposed to be exact, but it doesn't cite any sources, and it's a bit of a stub. --Bmk 17:47, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
There was a recent case in Tulsa, Oklahoma where a judge was found guilty of indecent exposure for using a penis pump under his desk during cases he was trying. The court reporter is said to have recorded the whishing sounds the penis pump made in the official transcripts (she was also the person who blew the whistle (ahem) on him). User:Zoe|(talk) 20:27, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
At law school I worked with someone who did court reporting on the side. She transcribes absolutely everything, and I suspect that's required. You'll forgive me if I don't Lexis it, though. --George 05:04, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] JFK, Jr.

We often hear the young JFK, Jr. called "John-John". But I seem to recall, from about 30 years ago, the story that Mrs. Kennedy hated that nickname, because neither she nor her husband ever called their son by that name. They called him John. What happened, apparently, is that once the President brought young John to a horse show, or some other informal event. The boy began to wander away, and the President called "John". John continued walking away, and the President called "John" again. The press either thought "John-John" was his nickname, or wanted to use this cute reference, and so adopted it. I believe that JFK Jr. also hated this name for the rest of his life, and never allowed anyone to address him by it. Can anyone verify this and/or provide some links? Thanks. 66.213.33.2 17:42, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

The articles John F. Kennedy, Jr. and John F. Kennedy mention this, and CNN mention it briefly here. --Canley 23:57, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Juan D'Anyelica?

Anyone know much about Juan d' anyelica?

I created the wiki entry on him, but it is just a stub now. I saw him down in Mexico a few times back in 2001, but haven't been able to find much info on the net about him.

We saw him in Cancun at the Gran Melia Cancun Resort in January 2008 with two other musicians. He is an unbelievable artist. We were able to buy his CD, though short is a great CD although we thought his live music was a better showcase for his talent.

Walt & Judy, Surrey, B.C. Canada

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In April of 2007 he was playing at the mall in the Cancun Hotel Zone - he is still going strong!

I got some short video of him playing with his group. He's excellent. I also bought his one CD Flamenco Fusion and now I wish that I had bought the other one he had for sale also.

He is also on the Wikipedia here..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_d%27Anyelica

Dave, Grabill, IN, USA

[edit] Supertramp's "Fool's Overture" - Who's the Fool?

The lyrics of Supertramp's "Fool's Overture" seem to have a strong political and historical message, and the song seems to include many allusions to WWII. The lyrics are heavily reminiscent of the British position in WWII:

"History recalls how great the fall can be...While everybody's sleeping, the boats put out to sea...Borne on the wings of time...It seemed the answers were so easy to find..."Too late," the prophets cry...The island's sinking, let's take to the sky..."

In particular, a soundbyte of Churchill's famous "Never Surrender" speech is played.

The song then speaks of a "fool": "Called the man a fool...stripped him of his pride...Everyone was laughing up until the day he died...And though the wound went deep...Still he's calling us out of our sleep..."

One explanation I've heard is that the "fool" being mentioned has far more to do with a character in Orwell's 1984 than any actual historical figure. This would be dissapointing, as I would have hoped that the song would have been a real commentary on a real historical figure.

Does anybody have any idea? Just who is this "fool" that Supertramp is apparently refering to?Loomis 21:22, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

A bit of research on Churchill might give you some answers (and no, this song is not nearly as shallow as some suppose). Churchill was in charge of the British Navy during the First World War, but then was disgraced and fell from power. He later advocated firm action against Hitler when others did not, and was ignored. Finally he was chosen in the middle of the Second World War to lead the navy, and then the country. He was credited with the bloody-minded resolve to pull Britain through to victory in that war, but then he was soundly defeated in the election that happened immediately afterwards. He was called a fool, but led the country to victory. Now, what Supertramp exactly meant by their references to all of this is less clear. Churchill was also an emblem of the worst sort of repressiveness (he initially lauded Mussolini, for example, and he was brutal in his opposition to British strikers, and to the various colonies seeking independence). At the very least, an ambivalent hero. Were Supertramp advocating firmness against... (what?)? Or were they using him as a metaphor, searching for a new hero against the fascist repression of the 1960s? It is worth noting that in a video of the song, a long sequence of images of consumer products are presented, but those images appear to be of items from the 1960s, not from the war years.--LimitingFactor 16:16, 7 November 2006 (UTC)
You want us to explain prog-rock: profound sounding nonsense. I know about WP:NPA but prog-rock Gah! Anyway ive calmed down now and a candidate for the fool could be Neville Chamberlain or P.G. Wodehouse or even Oswald Mosley I suppose. MeltBanana 22:33, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
Except for the 'until the day he died' line, I think it actually describes Churchill. As far back as 1934 I think, he was making noise from his place of disgrace on the backbenches (wasn't he actually booted out of the party for a while?) about the dangers of Hitler and German re-armament. He was laughed at, he was called a fool (and much worse). He was called a warmonger and accused of trying to foment hysteria in order to revive his own political career. But, I agree with MeltBanana. It's probably just bullshit strung together in rhyming couplets. :-) --Anchoress 23:09, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
yeah, that's the problem with poetry. With so much stress on form it is hard to follow the content. Which makes it easier to 'fake it', which means a lot of poets do. Which means most people will assume there is no content. Which means most poets won't bother. Etc. Better use verse, but then that doesn't work well in music. Then again ... rap? DirkvdM 07:36, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

uhhh...don't you mean "prose", not "verse"? Loomis