Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2007 August 27

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August 27

The Problem with Interconnectivity

Hello, and in case this is the wrong section to post please correct me.

I was watching on the news about the so-called "China food product scare" when a startling thought came to me and it deals wih interconnectivity. As the United States is a major consumer of reasources on a global scale and China (another major power) is the main distributor of reasources to other nations my question is this: If China's "product problems" kill people, are a threat to others, etc... Then people would (hypothetically speaking of course) stop buying products from China for various reasons. But, because of the China-United States interconnectivity the market sourrounding China and all Chinese related product would diminish significantly and sooner or later: Major trade between China and United States would cease. The problem with this would be that the United States economy would lose a lot of money via stock and the market would crash (well in theory anyways). Is this realistically possible? Or are China and the United States too connected to be able to cease trade? Would this scenario be possible with other major powers? (e.g oil in the Middle East or technology from Japan) If so what are the possible consequences from an event? Thank you for your time and answers! User: ECH3LON

There has been foreign trade loss in the past at a scale high enough to cause major problems with the U.S. economy. Just think about the gas shortage of the 70's for a simple example. However, I do not see that happening with China. For example, the head of China's equivalent of the U.S. FDA, Zheng Xiaoyu, was recently executed for allowing bad drugs to be distributed (usually after taking bribes from the manufacturers). Perhaps to avoid a similar fate, Zhang Shuhong (head of toy manufacturing) committed suicide after a recent recall of toys from his factories. The way I see it is from the complete opposite view of most economics. The U.S. is "the" consumer. If it collapses, there's no consumer. Factories around the world will shut down. So, it is the best interest of countries like China to ensure that the U.S. remains stable enough to continue being a massive consumer that they can ship endless amounts of goods to. In other words, my opinion is that China is dependent on the U.S. to keep consuming just as much as the U.S. is dependent on China to keep producing. -- Kainaw^(what?) 00:56, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Battle of Crecy

I was reading about the battle of Crecy (today is an anniversary!) and would like to know more about the tactical background. Your page explains that it demonstrated the significance of battlefield fire power, but does not explain how the English came to devise this technique. So what caused Edward the third to abandon the accepted practice of the day, using heavy cavalry as a strike force, and rely upon archers? Jubal Early 00:46, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

According to our article English longbow, the longbow actually originated in Wales, and the English learned from losses they suffered from the Welsh that trained bowmen were very effective militarily. It was actually Edward I who began training a corps of longbowmen based on this experience. Now, this is pure speculation on my part, but the English may have chosen this tactic partly because they knew that the French did not have a force of longbowmen, because the tactic would have the advantage of surprising the French the first time it was used, and perhaps because longbows were easier to transport by ship than a comparable number of horses. I hope that those who know more than I do (e.g., Clio) will correct me. Marco polo 01:26, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

I think it unlikely the longbow was used as a 'surprise weapon' against the French, they were well aware of it after the first encounter, but it seems failed to adapt their tactics appropriately. An army of longbowmen is not something you can simply choose, the English had had compulsory longbow practice since the reign of Edward I. The tactics used had shown success both for and against England in the wars with Scotland, in fact I believe that although the longbows were inspired by the Welsh (who also fought for the English in France) the tactics were inspired by battles against the Scots. I can't point to particular battles, I am sure Clio will, in fact I remember a similar question before. Cyta 08:35, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, indeed, Cyta, I do remember a similar question back in May, concerned, I believe, with the lessons of the Anglo-Scottish Wars, highly relevant to the present matter. Anyway, Jubal, a good question deserves a good answer, so I will do my best to draw out the roots of the great English victory at Crecy.

Those who specialise in these matters will be aware of just how much intellectual energy has been expended on the so-called Military Revolution, brought about, so it is argued, by the introduction of gunpowder. But military revolutions have been occuring, in one form or another, throughout history. The defeat of the Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378AD saw the beginning of the long domination of cavalry over infantry on the battlefields of Europe. By the Middle Ages, in the form of the armoured knight, heavy cavalry had reached the peak of its development, and battles were often won by the sheer force of the charge. Infantry was often no more than an afterthough, made up, for the most part, of poor quality support troops. But by the opening of the fourteenth century it was becoming clear that the old practices were no longer as effective as they once were, as infantry develped effective ways of countering a cavalry charge. The fist clear signs of this were shown on the Continent at the Battle of Courtrai in 1302 and again at the Battle of Morgarten in 1315. But it was the English who were to learn most from this evolution in warfare as a result of their experience in Scottish Wars of Independence, which began in 1296.

This war opened in classic style, when the English cavalry swept aside an ill-disciplined Scottish army at the Battle of Dunbar. But the Scots learned quickly from their defeat. Unable to match the English in heavy cavalry they focused on the development of infantry, armed with long spears and fighting in close formation. This had the effect of producing a thicket that knights were unable to penetrate. It enjoyed an early success at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, the first infantry victory of the war. The following year at the Battle of Falkirk it looked for a time as if the success was going to be repeated, as Edward I's armoured knights were completely unable to penetrate William Wallace's schiltrons, dense phalanxes of spearmen. But Edward drew off his cavalry and ordererd his ground troops, cross-bowmen and long-bowmen, to fire on the Scots, thinning out their ranks until such time as the knights were able advance and finish the job. Unfortunately for the English, the lessons of this encounter were not properly absorbed, with the result that they later suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn.

It was after this that things really began to change, as those who had particular experience of the northern wars began to devise new methods of response. The prototype of the technique later used at Crecy was first shown in 1322, when Andrew Harclay used dismounted archers and spearmen to defeat a force of knights at the Battle of Boroughbridge. Later still, a group of Anglo-Norman adventurers, headed by Edward Balliol and Henry de Beaumont, defeated a far larger Scottish army at the Battle of Dupplin Moor. Here the English placed infantry and dismounted knights in the middle, supported on the flanks by wings of archers. all armed with longbows, to create an effective cross-fire. The long-bow, it should be stressed, was a superb weapon, far superior to the slow and cumbersome cross-bow. A trained archer could maintain a rate of fire that would not be equalled and exceeded for centuries, with a punch that could penetrate both chain and plate armour.

The year after Dupplin the young Edward III went to war with the Scots. Learning from the example of Dupplin, he won the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333, using essentially the same techniques, though with far greater numbers of archers, deployed in wedge-shaped formations. The fire-power was such that the Scottish army was almost completely destroyed before closing with the English ranks. Now the French would have been fully aware of what happened here, as news of the battle spread across Europe; but they still did not appreciate the full significance. Edward had created his own military revolution; and in 1346 his peasant archers, English and Welsh, were to destroy the mounted chivalry of France. Clio the Muse 01:19, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

The questioner would be better asking why the French had not yet adopted the technique. It should not be overlooked that "excessive" use of archers was somewhat looked down on by some, as unchivalrous. A humble peasant equipped with little more than a cheap bit of yew could bring down a trained and expensively equipped knight or even (shockingly) a king. Such a prospect was horrifying... even, to some, contrary to God's natural order. Presumably, the French were less practical and more traditional... to their cost. --Dweller 17:01, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

I have a suspicion that the side which used the longbow lost the Hundred Years' War. Anyway, the French did eventually try to emulate the English, see fr:Franc-archer, although that wasn't until 1448. Not that the Francs-Archers were ever very effective anyway, unlike the other parts of Charles VII's highly professional army. James IV's effort to make archery a national sport in Scotland wasn't a success either. So, why did archery become so popular in England and Wales, but not much elsewhere? I've got no idea, but there must be a paper or two waiting to be written about it. Angus McLellan (Talk) 21:45, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Ah. As the Crusaders had already found out by this time, winning a war is a lot more complex than winning a battle, lol. Especially a war as complex as the so-called Hundred Years' War. You could make a sound argument that the French should have won an awful lot sooner. Then again, historians being the way they are, you could probably flip it on its head and find some half-decent reasons why England should have won, lol. --Dweller 23:51, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Grand Muftis and Ayatollahs

Which Muslim countries have their own official Grand Mufti and Ayatollah e.g. Lebanon's is Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah?

See List of Grand Ayatollahs for a start. I dunno about official ones. --Sean 14:02, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

The article Grand Mufti gives a list of officials bearing that title. Marco polo 20:22, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Iranian surnamnes differences

Which Iranian surnames are meant for Shi'ite Muslims, Baha'i, Zoroastrian, Jews and Christianity?

What makes you think Iranian surnames are apportioned according to religion? If a surname ends in -ian, the bearer is most likely of Armenian descent, and if they still self-identify as Armenian probably a Christian. Other names are for example recognizably Azeri, but while most are Shi'a Muslim, various other religions are found among Iranian Azeri, quite similar to the situation among ethnic Persians, so you can derive no useful information from this.  --Lambiam 08:46, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

the reason I ask this question because I met this Iranian girl and she said her surname is Hosseini, and she is a Bahai. Usually, Muslim have this surname, Hosseini. How could you explain?

Lambiam did just explain. The surname alone is no guarantee of a specfic religion. The girl herself, her parents, her grandparents might have converted to Baha'i from any of the the other religions, or from none at all. Bielle 15:30, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

The Bahá'í faith has its religious background in Shi'a Islam, just like Christianity has a religious background in Judaism. There is nothing strange about a Christian having a given name like Abraham or David, or a surname like Abrahams or Davids; why would Hossein be a strange given name for a Bahá'í, and Hosseini a strange surname? In view of the persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran, I would not expect Iranian Bahá'ís to have a surname flaunting their religion.  --Lambiam 15:43, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

There are given names that are more common amongst Baha'is, because they were the names of Baha'i martyrs (possibly with a gender change, eg. Anisa from Anis). I don't know how common they are for Baha'is born in Iran. Lambiam is correct about the surnames (I'm a Baha'i, and I know many Iranians). 203.221.126.236 17:09, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Picture identification

This seems like a longshot, but can anyone identify the gentlemen pictured in this album cover? I'm posting this here instead of the entertainment section because I suspect it may be real person, possibly a Nazi due to the lyrical content of the title song. Is anyone aware of any Nazis that suffered from facial paralysis or a stroke, as this man seems to have? The liner notes identify the picture as Yellow Head, by Harvey Stafford, but nothing came up on a google search. --Joelmills 01:29, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

It looks vaguely like a young Simon Wiesenthal. But he was no Nazi - in fact, precisely the opposite. -- JackofOz 01:37, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

A little more thorough searching reveals that the artist's full name is Harvey Bennett Stafford, and he also did the cover of The Melvins' Night Goat. He's also edited a book on death in Mexican popular culture, so it seems less likely that the man on the cover is a Nazi and more that it is just an odd drawing. --Joelmills 01:54, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Maybe a younger Charles de Gaulle? It is something of an ambiguous drawing—anyone with a broad nose, thin head, and thin moustache looks pretty similar. --24.147.86.187 01:56, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

The more I stare at that picture I become convinced that he has Horner's syndrome as well. --Joelmills 02:02, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Hey, who's using my picture?Gzuckier 15:34, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

who was tien B

I am interested in any informationn regarding a philosopher of the last centuary named TIEN B (SPELLING MAY BE INCORRECT).

The Category:20th century philosophers does not list anyone with a vaguely similar name. The closest I see is Tyler Burge. Do you have any further information or context? The name sounds like Tien Pei, but I can only find Tien Pei Chun, who is a politician (and garment merchant), not a philosopher. Tien is Wade-Giles transcription for what in Pinyin is Diǎn, but expanding the search accordingly gave no results.  --Lambiam 04:35, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Arnold J. Toynbee? -Arch dude 15:33, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Excellent insight, Arch dude. I bet that's it. Wareh 15:52, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?

Philosophical question on another desk. A.Z. 04:30, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

The last time I heard a tree fall in the woods, it did make a sound. Something like uh-oh. Maybe it was an ent.  --Lambiam 04:39, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

That was funny. A.Z. 04:49, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Only if someone is around to hear it is the obvious question, for how can there be a sound if no one hears it? The even more obvious answer is yes, of course it does. SGGH ^speak! 19:29, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm not really sure what this is doing here, as it has been exhaustively explored elsewhere, with a proper link given at the very outset. Or does the downward trajectory face the same problem as Achillies and the tortoise? There can be no sound until it hits the ground! Clio the Muse 02:32, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

It is here, I surmise, because AZ was not satisfied with the science-based answers that were being given elsewhere, and wanted it addressed philosophically, proper link notwithstanding. --LarryMac | Talk 17:36, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Unless, of course, it falls onto another tree and gets lodged there. -- JackofOz 02:38, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

If a Mime artist is shot with a silenced gun, in a wood, does anybody care? :) Perry-mankster 12:58, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

<old joke alert> If one man talks in a wood and no woman is there to hear him, is he still wrong? --Dweller 16:54, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

• cough* If a tree falls in a forest. Wikipedia is great :) GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:41, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Third French Republic

It is often said that the Third Republic was one of the weakest and most devisive in French history yet it is also the one that survived the longest, lasting from 1870 until the Fall of France in 1940. What I would be interested to know is how it managed to survive the early challenges from the left and, in particular, from the right? Pere Duchesne 05:12, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, you are right, Pere Duchesne, the Third Republic was weak. It's opponents, though, were weaker still. The main challenge, as you seem to have detected, came from the political right, powerful but divided. Although the anti-republican forces had the support of significant interest groups and institutions, from big business to the Catholic church, they lacked unity and coherence; strong enough to defeat the left in the Paris Commune, but not to agree a common political destiny. By 1870 the right was divided between Bourbonists, Orleanists and Bonapartists, who hated each other more than they hated the republic. It might very well have been possible for the monarchy to have been restored in the very early days, for in the National Assembly elections of February 1871 monarchists controlled 400 of the 650 seats; but they could not agree who should wear the crown; so the republic survived, by default rather than design. Although Adolphe Thiers was to lose the support of his right-wing friends when he declared that the Republic was the "form of government that divides us least", it was an essential and abiding truth. Clio the Muse 02:03, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Tax increase penalty

Can the court order a person to pay higher income, sales and property taxes as a penalty for some violation of the law for which they have been found guilty? Clem 08:45, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

I very much doubt it, as in general the judicial system is completely separate from the many and various tax systems. Unless, of course, the law violation was in respect of not paying enough tax. Did you have an example in mind of why they should want to do this rather than simply impose a fine?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 12:05, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Not an example really. This idea originates with a modified version of the Fair tax proposal in which instead of a 25% or 30% flat sales tax rate for each person the sales tax would be adjusted to match each individual's income, assists and liabilities at the point of sale as facilitated by the growing capability of data transmission and processing electronics. Since a fine is a liability one might then receive a sales tax deduction if the system did not have a corresponding rule to prevent it and if a rule were included then it would also be possible to increase the sales tax to include a portion of the fine. Hope that makes sense.

Courts can do any damn thing, but a higher court might well reverse it. this sounds like something that could well be reversed. Gzuckier 15:35, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Courts do strange things, but they can't lawfully do any damn thing if the damn thing is unlawful. Even when a court wants to go beyond its powers, it needs to be able to explain itself, if challenged. While this discourages foolishness, it's astonishing how many bad judges there are - in lower courts, especially. One reason for this is that in many (if not most) countries a good lawyer can make more money as a practising lawyer than as a judge. Xn4 16:35, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

After death, Does everything goes back to the way it was like before u were born?

You know, same thing what we have experienced before we were born, think about it back then u didnt exist u werent alive and after death it is going to be the same thing, you dont exist anymore. we came from nothingness and we go back to nothingess after our body functions stop.--arab 08:58, 27 August 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by TerrorSonghai (talk • contribs)

is this a question? It's like this for everybody except you. Once you die, the entire Universe will spontaneously collapse. dab (𒁳) 09:01, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Myes, good old metaphysics and whatnot. It makes for interesting discussions, but *not* in My Universe. So please, go discuss it in your Universe with My Alternate Self.

But to answer the question, it seems likely that there won't even be nothingness. Pain as you're dying, quite likely, and then, who knows.Nimlhûg 09:23, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

What you will experience after DEATH is exactly what you had experienced before both your parents were born. 211.28.129.251 10:29, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

It is the undiscovered country, whose travellers never return from its borne. (Some thing that we fall off the face of the earth on the journey. Others describe the far shore exactly.) Geogre 10:53, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

The answer to your question has to be 'no'. The world changes in many ways during your lifetime and it doesn't return to its state before you were born when you die. Your actions change the world around you while you live. You touch people while you live in many ways great and small. Your deeds live on in the world you inhabited and your spirit lives on at least in the minds and hearts of those who knew you and those whom you encountered. Your body and spirit merge again with the earth and the human community that gave rise to them. Whether your spirit continues in some other form we cannot know. Marco polo 15:04, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Your contributions to Wikipedia will live on, at least in the edit history.. Edison 15:17, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

In the words of Addison... Xn4 16:01, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Whence then this pleasing hope, this fond desire

This longing after immortality?

Or whence this secret dread and inward horror

Of falling into nought?

'Tis the divinity that stirs within us

'Tis Heaven itself that points out an hereafter

And intimates eternity to man.

To the OP: In the words of dr.ef.tymac ... Uhh, how do you know what things were/are/will be like before you were born? Just because you don't remember it here doesn't mean you aren't/weren't/won't be there. dr.ef.tymac 16:10, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

When you figure out what it was like before you were born, please improve the Original face page; it could use it. Pfly 18:41, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Also, write some books SGGH ^speak! 19:34, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm sure some of you will understand when I say that the image that jumped from my mind on reading this question was that of the sparrow flying through a mead hall. Here is the full passage from Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum;

The present life of man, O king, seems to me, in comparison of that time which is unknown to us, like to the swift flight of a sparrow through the room wherein you sit at supper in winter, with your commanders and ministers, and a good fire in the midst, whilst the storms of rain and snow prevail abroad; the sparrow, I say, flying in at one door, and immediately out at another, whilst he is within, is safe from the wintry storm; but after a short space of fair weather, he immediately vanishes out of your sight, into the dark winter from which he had emerged. So this life of man appears for a short space, but of what went before, or what is to follow, we are utterly ignorant. If, therefore, this new doctrine contains something more certain, it seems justly to deserve to be followed.

You will find this in Book II Chapter XIII, the words of a thain at the court of Edwin of Northumbria, arguing for the adoption of Christianity. Clio the Muse 23:45, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

my wayfaring friend, i would steer your thoughts on these. multiple worlds,multiple dimensions where past,present and future co-exist.that which has passed by cannot be undone and that which is to come takes care of itself, what needs be done and what matters is the now and the choices we make will fate us to repeating nothingness or somethingelse. the only guide is truth and it is incorrigible,it is neither aye nor naye, its both! yet dwells it does inbetwixt for those that truly seek it. clio, i did'nt mean to intrude into your space, but his caption caught my eye—Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.94.11.65 (talk) 14:59, August 28, 2007 (UTC)

It's not my space, 59.94, and you are quite welcome to make a contribution, here or wherever. Clio the Muse 22:37, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Safety in Enugu, Nigeria

What is the level of safety for an American citizen traveling to Enugu, Nigeria?

I first read the Wikipedia article on Enugu, Nigeria and read: "The city's economy has diversified in recent years and is largely dominated by trading, commerce, and small-scale industry. Flying into Enugu today brings no reminders of the capital city that bore the brunt of the military activities in the Nigerian civil war. Enugu is indeed a lovely place. The array of fine resorts and hotels that have sprung up around the city, the natural serenity of its environment, and a near absence of violent crimes have made Enugu a first choice destination for tourists from within and outside Nigeria." However, I then read the U.S. Department of State's Travel Warning issued January 19, 2007 and still current as of today, August 27, 2007. The report is very alarming and can be found at http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_928.html. I then visited Enugu's own web page on safety in Enugu (http://www.enuguweb.com/safety.htm) and that report was alarming as well! I'm wondering if the Wikipedia article on Enugu needs to be edited or if there is information that I am not aware of. Please advise. Thank you. Briandgleason 18:29, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

US embassy in Nigeria may help you? SGGH ^speak! 19:28, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

The State Department's travel advisories and these messages from the U.S. embassy in Nigeria are more reliable than the Wikipedia article on Enugu, which may have been written by a local hotel owner in Enugu, for all I know. I personally considered traveling to Nigeria two or three years ago. I am a somewhat intrepid traveler who does not shy away from countries with some scattered unrest. However, what I learned about Nigeria alarmed me. Regardless of the security situation in Enugu, which may be safer than areas in the Niger Delta to the south or than Lagos, travel within Nigeria is hazardous. You risk being carjacked or kidnapped for ransom in some areas. The road from Lagos airport into the city is supposed to be especially hazardous. My understanding is that it is unwise to travel within Nigeria without a bodyguard and/or a knowledgeable local guide, particularly if you are visibly a foreigner. The country is ridden with violent crime, political unrest, and police corruption. If you have a local contact in Enugu who can meet you at the airport, and if you can fly to Lagos or Kano and catch a connecting flight directly to Enugu without leaving the airport (though Nigerian air safety is also somewhat dubious), you might be okay, but I would email or phone the Lagos consulate (which covers the Enugu area) for updated local information before planning a trip. The contact info is here. Marco polo 20:44, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

If you decide to go, the State Department advises against using most Nigerian domestic air carriers but suggests Aero and Virgin Nigeria as relatively safe carriers. Of these, only Aero offers service to Enugu, departing from Lagos. Marco polo 20:58, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Put a Canadian flag on your backpack. Plasticup ^T/C 01:54, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't think that Nigeria is much safer for Canadians or any visible foreigners. The danger to Americans is not due to anti-Americanism; it is due to lawlessness and the perception by criminals that foreigners are rich and potentially lucrative targets. Marco polo 13:43, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

License

Evidently my driver's license was supsended. It turns out the incompotent government officials sent a letter about a license hearing to the right address, but wrong city--a city I've never lived in.

As such, I missed the hearing (being unaware of it and all), and apparently it will cost a $100 reinstatement fee...a fee I wouldnt have had to incurr if the letter had been sent to the right address. Furthermore, I now have a ticket for "Driving on a suspended license"...whatever that means, which wouldn't have occured if the government had sent the letter to the proper address.

I have no intention of paying for the incompotence of the government on this issue. How can a government agenecy screw up like this and then demand payment from a citizen because of it. In actuality, they are being rewarded for then incompotence with larger fine payments. Can I get out of the ticket & reinstamtent fee by argueing this?

Also, how do I get my license unsuspended? I live in the Arkansas, United States. XM 19:35, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

• As I see it, you have three options.
  • Ask the Arkansas Office of Motor Vehicle to help you. They will expect you to abide by the results of whatever their review process is (which means, you'll probably have to pay) -- or they may even say there is no review, and just ask you to pay. Either way, be prepared to be frustrated.
  • Take the matter to court yourself. Just remember the old proverb that "one who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client."
  • Hire a lawyer who specializes in Arkansas administrative law. The Arkansas State Bar will help you find one.

--M@rēino 20:03, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Also, can't hurt to write a letter to your state legislator, who they are more likely to listen to. Also maybe some kind of 'consumer's corner', ombudsman, etc. in the newspaper or tv or some such. The electric company in CT is now reforming their former 'screw you' approach to consumers complaining of ridiculous bills (5,000 kwh a month for a house?) as a result of the newspaper's airing of one consumer's complaint that launched into a whole avalanche of complaints. Gzuckier 20:13, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

I thought you knew the hearing date? Weren't you telling us last time around? Anyway, if you'd been polite and nice, I suspect you might have been able to convince them to rectify their mistake without fuss. However given your attitude on the talk pages, I'm somewhat doubtful anyone is likely to be willing doing you favours so I suspect your only hope is to actually challenge them which is liable to mean you coming out worse then you are now. BTW I know absolutely nothing about Arkansas or US law but I don't see any reason why you'd be able to get out of the ticket. At most you'll get a rescheduleded hearing. Nil Einne 00:14, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

In the UK, you only need a licence to drive motor vehicles, so you can lawfully drive a horse-drawn or pedal vehicle after losing your driving licence. This is sometimes convenient for drunk drivers. A friend of mine couldn't control her drinking and spent years getting about in a pony and trap. I have no idea whether this is also possible anywhere in the US? Xn4 00:35, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

----

Can a resident with a suspended driver's license in one state, move to another state and get a new valid driver's license, then move back to the original state? In the US. XM 19:57, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

• Probably not. I am no expert on Arkansas law, but most states will still consider you to be driving on a suspended license. In general, states don't look kindly on other states trying to overrule them. --M@rēino 20:06, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

• No and yes. There may be states that are not yet sharing data, but most are now. What you can't do is go trade in your suspended license for a valid in the other state. You can go to the other state, say that you're trying for a new license, get a learner's permit, wait a year, and then get a new one, but you're likely to get flagged even then. So, invest a full year with a learner's permit and then hope, or just pay the danged fines in your home state and wait the allotted time. The state that suspends might, or might not, have an additional fee to pay for having had a suspended license. If it does, you can get around that one thing by going to another state. When I faced this, I lived in a state that did the suspension and then made one pay a very, very high fee to show how sorry one was ($240). When I moved, I only had to pay the original fine ($38) and no "I'm really sorry" fine. Other than that, take your lumps, ride the bus, and pay up. There is no way around it, really. Geogre 20:12, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

This all sounds like legal advice to me. I suggest that XM see a lawyer about his driving-licence problems. Bielle 20:58, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

• No. In my case, the "advice" is to ride the bus and take his lumps. However, whether states are blind to scoff laws crossing borders is more a simple matter of fact, and the fact is, "No, they are not blind." Geogre 11:26, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Poor XM, first he's being unjustly target for speeding while disbelieving in God and now, for no reason at all his license was suspended. My suspicion is that the law says that the mailed notice is merely a courtesy and he's on the hook for it. Perhaps the solution is for XM to sell his car and consider a car-free lifestyle. Donald Hosek 21:51, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Terrible things seems to happen to him, alright, and all because of the fundamental injustice of the universe. It's just terrible how the nation, at least, has it in for him. Geogre 11:26, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

It's worth noting that when I moved from California to Illinois in 1997, I had an unpaid fine that caused the state of California to suspend my license. I was unable to get an Illinois license until I paid the fine. I think I missed the notice about the fine because of the move, but, since I wanted to be able to do things like write checks and drive cars, I paid the fine, got proof that it was resolved and got an Illinois driver's license. Without the interstate move, it becomes a lot easier to do. Donald Hosek 21:09, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Novel discourses

I am trying to find critiques about novels and discourses presented in novels. My aim is to compare or contrast two discourses in two different novels. i need a critique by any valuable or respectable author about this topic (discourses in novels).

Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.239.89.205 (talk) 23:23, August 27, 2007 (UTC)

This questions was asked in a total of 4 different pages including this one. I originally responded to one asking not to crosspost but ended up removing all the other 3 when I realised the author had posted it to 4 pages. (I had considered removing this one too but I decided against it although I won't care if someone else does.) I've informed the author that it is not polite to cross post and also recommended they read the header so they realise we don't do homework. Nil Einne 23:36, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

There is a lot of good literary critiques, but it might suit your purpose best if you begin with The Language of Fiction: Essays in Criticism and Verbal Analysis in the English Novel by David Lodge, and possibly Ways of Reading: Advanced Reading Skills for Students of English Literature by Martin Montgomery et al. Clio the Muse 02:21, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

What definition of "discourse" are you using here? I don't ask to be nit-picky, but it is a term with more than a few meanings when applied to things like literature, and knowing what exactly you mean by it will greatly help in recommending anything to you. Do you mean it in a generic way, like "language"? Or do you have something more specific in mind? --24.147.86.187 03:50, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Indeed. It sounds derived from Bakhtin, but, if we're going to recommend how-to texts, I'd recommend I. A. Richards's Principles of Practical Literary Criticism and Ezra Pound's ABC of Reading. Otherwise, I'd recommend that the questioner stop looking on the web for readymade comparisons. What she or he will find will be unusable, at best. Geogre 11:28, 28 August 2007 (UTC)