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The Chicago Tribune just endorsed Barack Obama for President. This is a very unusual move for what many consider to be the conservative newspaper of record in the United States. How long has it been since the Chicago Tribune endorsed a Democratic nominee for President? -- Halcatalyst ( talk) 02:09, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Is Obama the first Illinois native to run as a Democrat, though? It's a bit less surprising since it's his home state (but still surprising). Wrad ( talk) 23:39, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
If The Wall Street Journal ever endorses a Democrat for president, it will be a chilly day in Hell indeed. -- Mwalcoff ( talk) 23:04, 20 October 2008 (UTC)
Alright, I distinctly remember a scene from the film "Seven" where Morgan Freeman mentions that the government red flags certain books in public libraries, so that the reading habits of suspicious people can be recorded. For example, I check out ten books on making bombs, and my name gets redlisted, and my list of books checked out is observed.
Is this actually a system like this in effect anywhere in America? It seems like a gross invasion of privacy to me, but I'm not even sure if it's plausible or a film bending the truth. Wikipedia: be my mythbusters. Kenjibeast ( talk) 03:12, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I'm reading a very interesting novel, Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. There's a passage in the book that it took me a long time to make heads or tails of—I read it four or five times and the best I could get was that the author was possibly alluding to the character worried that her lover will care if he knows she has African ancestry. Later in the novel this is confirmed. Here's an excerpt from the passage:
"You're just a nice boy," [she said]. "You looked at my hands and said they were nice. You never even noticed the blue in the half-moons." He felt the shock, and he knew that she felt the shock in him. Now everything came together in his mind—brunette complexion, dark liquid eyes, full lips, white teeth, rich voice, accepting temperament.
I thought it was interesting that while right after this passage the author has this not matter to the character at all, the part about "accepting temperament" still betrays to my mind some institutionalized racism on the author's part (the novel came out in 1949). I digress. My question is, what is this about "the blue in the half-moons." If it's an allusion to something that is supposed to tip us about African ancestry, it's over my head.-- 68.237.2.254 ( talk) 04:08, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
In fact, Stephen King has overtly indicated that this book was a huge influence on The Stand.
"Economic reforms have an adverse effect on food security." comment —Preceding unsigned comment added by Karanamlakshmi ( talk • contribs) 05:13, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I want data on india's currrent account balance for period 2001-2006 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Karanamlakshmi ( talk • contribs) 05:21, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Key_Indicators/2007/xls/IND.xls see lines 340-359. DOR (HK) ( talk) 06:25, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
View from the Window at Le Gras is the first photograph, wikipedia says. And yet I can barely understand what's going on in that photo! Has there ever been a "modern" photograph taken from the the same place to compare? zafiroblue05 | Talk 07:32, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Impressive... it should be added to the wikipedia article -- PMajer ( talk) 20:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Hello all. Is there an article or category on Wikipedia that displays racial demographics of each state in the US, to allow a comparison of the racial makeup of each state? Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.211.242.80 ( talk) 15:37, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
It was something like that: "We have to to go". "Where?" "I don't know, but we have to go" Can I have the exact qoutation? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.158.196.100 ( talk) 16:59, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Where do I find free lists of foreclosed/seized acreage ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.221.224.43 ( talk) 17:17, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I have this feeling that science fiction is dying or at least in decline. My theory is that the sense of wonder is no longer its semi-exclusive property, what with the rapid pace of technological innovation we're experiencing. Is there anything to back this up, e.g. lower book sales, or other commentators, or am I just turning cranky in my decrepitude? Clarityfiend ( talk) 17:55, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Space opera, of the Star Wars variety tends to drive out science fiction, as does fantasy of the Harry Potter variety. Both offr the reader/viewer escape from the dreary every-day real world. Edison ( talk) 19:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Clarityfiend, I think you're right. I think technology progresses so fast that nothing surprises us anymore, making sci-fi a lot less exciting. Even the SciFi channels hit Battlestar Gallactica series has fantasy elements. Wrad ( talk) 19:48, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I think the proliferation of high technology has made it more difficult to write mainstream science fiction. We have space tourists, GPS, wireless everything, and are working on a cloaking device. Fifty years ago, a story that had anything like those in it would be mainstream sci-fi, but obviously not any more. In order to get that same sense of "wow", an author has to somehow get to the next level of technology or get into a more fantasy-type setting. Sure, you could go to another planet and meet some aliens, but it's been done to death and many aliens (not all) are more about fantasy than anything science based anyway. We've passed a point where technology doesn't really give us a sense of awe any more. Matt Deres ( talk) 16:08, 19 October 2008 (UTC)
What is science fiction? I've never really known, and I'm genuinely surprised by what people have identified as science fiction in this thread. Lost is science fiction? I'm only familiar with the first season or so, but I can't think of a single element of it that seemed remotely scientific. The Dark Knight is science fiction? In what way? Star Wars is not science fiction? I can't think of anything in Star Wars that makes it less scientific than, say, Star Trek (though perhaps that's because I can't see much that's scientific in either one). Our article on science fiction is not very helpful. It says, "Science fiction differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature." But that can't be right. Elves and orcs and unicorns are all unquestionably allowed by known laws of nature. It's warp drives and transporters and time machines that seem to be forbidden. Sword-and-sorcery fantasy has magic along with the broadswords, but I don't know how to distinguish magic from sufficiently advanced technology. Fantasy as a whole certainly isn't struggling, and I'm not convinced this alleged subgenre called science fiction even exists. In some sense every talented author defines a (sub)genre that dies when they do, and I don't think that's a bad thing. It's almost tautological—an author who's easy to imitate probably doesn't deserve to be called great. -- BenRG ( talk) 14:15, 20 October 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for this discussuon - enjoyed it a lot - I've often thought in recent years that sf writing is on the decline - at its best, sf writing is the literature of ideas, whereas in cinema, sf is generally just an excuse to have bigger cooler guns. Adambrowne666 ( talk) 06:57, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
Does anyone know how much money does a porno website make per month and per year generally? What is the online processing service charge fee? Thanks. 72.136.111.205 ( talk) 22:05, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Humanities desk | ||
---|---|---|
< October 17 | << Sep | October | Nov >> | October 19 > |
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. |
The Chicago Tribune just endorsed Barack Obama for President. This is a very unusual move for what many consider to be the conservative newspaper of record in the United States. How long has it been since the Chicago Tribune endorsed a Democratic nominee for President? -- Halcatalyst ( talk) 02:09, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Is Obama the first Illinois native to run as a Democrat, though? It's a bit less surprising since it's his home state (but still surprising). Wrad ( talk) 23:39, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
If The Wall Street Journal ever endorses a Democrat for president, it will be a chilly day in Hell indeed. -- Mwalcoff ( talk) 23:04, 20 October 2008 (UTC)
Alright, I distinctly remember a scene from the film "Seven" where Morgan Freeman mentions that the government red flags certain books in public libraries, so that the reading habits of suspicious people can be recorded. For example, I check out ten books on making bombs, and my name gets redlisted, and my list of books checked out is observed.
Is this actually a system like this in effect anywhere in America? It seems like a gross invasion of privacy to me, but I'm not even sure if it's plausible or a film bending the truth. Wikipedia: be my mythbusters. Kenjibeast ( talk) 03:12, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I'm reading a very interesting novel, Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. There's a passage in the book that it took me a long time to make heads or tails of—I read it four or five times and the best I could get was that the author was possibly alluding to the character worried that her lover will care if he knows she has African ancestry. Later in the novel this is confirmed. Here's an excerpt from the passage:
"You're just a nice boy," [she said]. "You looked at my hands and said they were nice. You never even noticed the blue in the half-moons." He felt the shock, and he knew that she felt the shock in him. Now everything came together in his mind—brunette complexion, dark liquid eyes, full lips, white teeth, rich voice, accepting temperament.
I thought it was interesting that while right after this passage the author has this not matter to the character at all, the part about "accepting temperament" still betrays to my mind some institutionalized racism on the author's part (the novel came out in 1949). I digress. My question is, what is this about "the blue in the half-moons." If it's an allusion to something that is supposed to tip us about African ancestry, it's over my head.-- 68.237.2.254 ( talk) 04:08, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
In fact, Stephen King has overtly indicated that this book was a huge influence on The Stand.
"Economic reforms have an adverse effect on food security." comment —Preceding unsigned comment added by Karanamlakshmi ( talk • contribs) 05:13, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I want data on india's currrent account balance for period 2001-2006 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Karanamlakshmi ( talk • contribs) 05:21, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Key_Indicators/2007/xls/IND.xls see lines 340-359. DOR (HK) ( talk) 06:25, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
View from the Window at Le Gras is the first photograph, wikipedia says. And yet I can barely understand what's going on in that photo! Has there ever been a "modern" photograph taken from the the same place to compare? zafiroblue05 | Talk 07:32, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Impressive... it should be added to the wikipedia article -- PMajer ( talk) 20:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Hello all. Is there an article or category on Wikipedia that displays racial demographics of each state in the US, to allow a comparison of the racial makeup of each state? Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.211.242.80 ( talk) 15:37, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
It was something like that: "We have to to go". "Where?" "I don't know, but we have to go" Can I have the exact qoutation? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.158.196.100 ( talk) 16:59, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Where do I find free lists of foreclosed/seized acreage ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.221.224.43 ( talk) 17:17, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I have this feeling that science fiction is dying or at least in decline. My theory is that the sense of wonder is no longer its semi-exclusive property, what with the rapid pace of technological innovation we're experiencing. Is there anything to back this up, e.g. lower book sales, or other commentators, or am I just turning cranky in my decrepitude? Clarityfiend ( talk) 17:55, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Space opera, of the Star Wars variety tends to drive out science fiction, as does fantasy of the Harry Potter variety. Both offr the reader/viewer escape from the dreary every-day real world. Edison ( talk) 19:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
Clarityfiend, I think you're right. I think technology progresses so fast that nothing surprises us anymore, making sci-fi a lot less exciting. Even the SciFi channels hit Battlestar Gallactica series has fantasy elements. Wrad ( talk) 19:48, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
I think the proliferation of high technology has made it more difficult to write mainstream science fiction. We have space tourists, GPS, wireless everything, and are working on a cloaking device. Fifty years ago, a story that had anything like those in it would be mainstream sci-fi, but obviously not any more. In order to get that same sense of "wow", an author has to somehow get to the next level of technology or get into a more fantasy-type setting. Sure, you could go to another planet and meet some aliens, but it's been done to death and many aliens (not all) are more about fantasy than anything science based anyway. We've passed a point where technology doesn't really give us a sense of awe any more. Matt Deres ( talk) 16:08, 19 October 2008 (UTC)
What is science fiction? I've never really known, and I'm genuinely surprised by what people have identified as science fiction in this thread. Lost is science fiction? I'm only familiar with the first season or so, but I can't think of a single element of it that seemed remotely scientific. The Dark Knight is science fiction? In what way? Star Wars is not science fiction? I can't think of anything in Star Wars that makes it less scientific than, say, Star Trek (though perhaps that's because I can't see much that's scientific in either one). Our article on science fiction is not very helpful. It says, "Science fiction differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature." But that can't be right. Elves and orcs and unicorns are all unquestionably allowed by known laws of nature. It's warp drives and transporters and time machines that seem to be forbidden. Sword-and-sorcery fantasy has magic along with the broadswords, but I don't know how to distinguish magic from sufficiently advanced technology. Fantasy as a whole certainly isn't struggling, and I'm not convinced this alleged subgenre called science fiction even exists. In some sense every talented author defines a (sub)genre that dies when they do, and I don't think that's a bad thing. It's almost tautological—an author who's easy to imitate probably doesn't deserve to be called great. -- BenRG ( talk) 14:15, 20 October 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for this discussuon - enjoyed it a lot - I've often thought in recent years that sf writing is on the decline - at its best, sf writing is the literature of ideas, whereas in cinema, sf is generally just an excuse to have bigger cooler guns. Adambrowne666 ( talk) 06:57, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
Does anyone know how much money does a porno website make per month and per year generally? What is the online processing service charge fee? Thanks. 72.136.111.205 ( talk) 22:05, 18 October 2008 (UTC)