Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2012 March 23

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March 23

Bail bonds

I recently posted a bond on or for an/a individual, on a certain charge Before he made it out of jail, they dropped the charge and put a higher Charge the case. Since he did not make bail for the first charge. Will or should I be reimbursed for the bond? How does that usually work? Is thier a law stating any thing about that sort of situation? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Valleybound101 (talk • contribs) 05:22, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia does not give legal advice. Ever. AndyTheGrump (talk) 06:48, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

True, but two of the three parts of this question are asking for legal information, not legal advice. Gandalf61 (talk) 06:53, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) The answers are dependent on where you are. You really need the help of a lawyer who can give you sound, reliable advice based on a combination of practical experience, statute law and relevant court decisions or precedents that Wikipedia editors are unable to know. It gets even more complicated in the U.S. if you didn't post the whole amount of the bail with the court, but instead paid a percentage to a bail bondsman; that percentage might very well not be refundable, but again you should ask a lawyer. —— Shakescene (talk) 07:04, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

You could try asking at the courthouse. --Colapeninsula (talk) 11:22, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Agreed, any answer here is likely going to be inferior to the clerk's office's answer. Give them a call, and have the case number available.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:51, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Così fan tutte

In what language is this opera (Così fan tutte)? I am assuming it is in Italian, but I want to be sure. Thank you. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 14:53, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

At the very bottom of the article, it is listed as being in the category "Italian-language operas," but I do think that should be explicitly mentioned in the intro. --LarryMac | Talk 15:02, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

A-ha ... yes, you are right. I definitely missed that, at the bottom of the page. Thank you! Much appreciated! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 10:58, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Just in case: In the article List of operas by Mozart you find the operatic oevre including the language of the libretti. --91.115.62.54 (talk) 21:34, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Great ... thanks! I had not seen that article. Very helpful ... thanks! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 20:21, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

population...What if?

A chance remark about population started me wondering about something quite scary. If all the wars in the past 500 years or so (or some other significant time period) had not happened,and therefor those millions of people had not been killed in war, would that have had a significant effect on the human population of this planet. Naturally the number of offspring that would have ensued must be calculated. I couldn't find the right place to look. Has anybody done any calculation on that?190.148.134.191 (talk) 16:16, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

There is no way to answer this... All we can say is if no wars had ever occurred, the millions who died due to war would not have died in that way... but we have no way of determining how many might have died due to other causes.

To give an example: Let us assume that the Hundred years war between England and France never occurs... OK, all the people who died in that war... don't die. However, it was during this period that the Bubonic Plague (The "Black Death") swept over Europe, killing millions... if we assume this pandemic still takes place, perhaps it kills all of the people that were "saved" by not having a war. Or perhaps it kills more people than it did in reality. Blueboar (talk) 16:55, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

The population would now be somewhat higher, but, as noted, more people would have then died of other causes. Note that they wouldn't be all the same people who died in the wars, though. For example, starvation might have then killed many others. Note that this is similar to the argument used by hunters, that if they aren't allowed to cull the excess population, they will die of disease and starvation. However, unlike other animals, humans may be able to have an ever-increasing population, due to improvements in technology, although the population growth can't be as fast as we can possibly breed. StuRat (talk) 19:04, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

As regards "killed in war", incidentally; bear in mind that until the twentieth century, disease killed vastly more people in wartime than actual combat. The First World War was probably the first major war where people killed each other faster than microbes did; even then, the seventeen million people killed over four years of war is much less than the fifty to a hundred million who died over two years in the subsequent flu pandemic. Shimgray | talk | 23:00, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

This "What if" scenario lacks information. Just to look at one area, war is a result of human decisions and not like a natural disaster. If there had been no wars then it would be because humans made other decisions, and the result depends on which other decisions they made. For example, would people with efficient agriculture but limited land have been allowed to peacefully move to other countries and control the land? Would they have stayed home to avoid conflict but with insufficient land to produce food for a growing population? Would they have shared their technology with others who couldn't pay properly for it? Would the "less developed" accept foreign technology or continue their own lifestyle? And so on. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:03, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Was it just WWII that had the opposite effect, and do human populations have the equilibrium (closed system) effect that I seem to remember from fruit flies in biology?--Canoe1967 (talk) 04:02, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

These "what-if" questions really fall under Counterfactual history. BrainyBabe (talk) 15:50, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Just a scary thought: what if Hitler started the Holocaust, but not WWII? How many people would have died in it, and for how many years it would have lasted? Seems that war, horribe as it may be, can sometimes be the lesser evil... Cambalachero (talk) 16:28, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Indeed, wars are often justified as saving lives in the long run. It's even more common as a justification for particular very deadly attacks (eg. the nuclear attacks on Japan). It's usually extremely difficult to judge whether such justifications are accurate or not. --Tango (talk) 16:52, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

I'd say fewer people would have died that way, as Hitler would only be able to murder "undesirables" in Germany, and maybe Austria and Italy. The tens of millions of people who died in Eastern Europe would have been safe from Hitler (and many would be safe from Stalin, too, who would have lacked an excuse to invade). Smaller numbers of lives were lost in Western Europe, North Africa, and elsewhere. StuRat (talk) 03:13, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

Shimgray mentioned the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak. As mentioned at the beginning of the History section in that article, it is theorised that the outbreak wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad had it not been for World War I. Therefore, in your hypothetical world, you need to decide what would have happened with Spanish Flu in the absence of the war. That's probably the single biggest factor in determining what the result of removing war would have been on the population. --Tango (talk) 16:52, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Hmmm, what about the effect of accelerated technological innovation due to war? Would there have been more people than in a more peaceful world because of advances in food preservation, transportation, etc.? Clarityfiend (talk) 07:49, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

How long are detentions allowed to be in England High Schools?

How long are detentions allowed to be in England High Schools? — Preceding unsigned comment added by WOLfan112 (talk • contribs) 17:05, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

See this page. The answer seams to be that it has to be "reasonable". Grounds for parental objections are here. Alansplodge (talk) 18:03, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia entry for Timothy Township, Crow Wing County, Minnesota

In the first paragraph on the Wikipedia page http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Timothy_Township,_Crow_Wing_County,_Minnesota What is the significance of the name 'Noonan'? We understand the significance of 'Timothy' as the common grass used for hay for livestock. But the name Noonan is a mystery we are trying to learn the answer to for purpose of an historical interpretive presentation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.100.38.167 (talk) 17:15, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

The "Noonan" addition seems to be a bit of vandalism by an IP editor (some kid named Timothy Noonan?) here. I've removed it. Deor (talk) 19:08, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

foreign universities

So, I have a friend, an american, who is possibly considering studying in a british university. I know that in england university applications have to be submitted rather earlier in the year, back in january preferably, but I also know that it is still possible to apply through the clearing system over the summer. What I am wondering is, firstly whether he would be allowed to simply move to another country at a few months notice to study, and secondly when and how he could go about applying. Also, would it be as easy for him to get in as an english student, or do they take a slight preference to natives over immigrants still? oh and perhaps some idea of how different school grades would convert over might be helpful too, assuming it is allowed at all.

148.197.81.179 (talk) 20:26, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

This page from UCAS would be a good place to start. It would be advisable, if your friend has a particular university in mind, to call the admissions tutor for the course he wants to do and speak to them and discuss what needs to be done. They probably answer all the questions above, and more, on an almost daily basis. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 20:34, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

If it's a British university he's considering, that would also include Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish universities, besides English ones. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 21:26, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Due to the UK's rather convoluted history, we have a situation where education varies rather a lot in the constituent countries. Education is a devolved matter in Scotland and Wales, both of which provide free university tuition to their inhabitants. In Scotland the school curriculum is vastly different to that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with students taking different exams and leaving school earlier than in the rest of the country. See Standard Grade, Higher (Scottish) and Education in Scotland versus GCSE, A-level and Education in England, Education in Wales and Education in Northern Ireland. Oh, and Education in the United Kingdom. All this explanation is to say that when the OP says '...studying in a british university. I know that in england...', he's probably not confusing Britain and England, but merely being cautious about stating that all universities in Britain will require applications in January. However, I can confirm that, if you apply through UCAS, that is the case throughout the UK. But you can still contact the university and see if they can accept a late application. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 22:00, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

He also may want to look into Canadian universities. Closer to home, and I think many have openinings for 'full paid' students right up to the opening days. I think most prefer this status because they make more income from such admissions. Foriegn students in particular, although I forget the reasons why.--Canoe1967 (talk) 04:10, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Ok, thank you all. now all that is left is to look at different universities and try to work out the grades needed to get in, since I know american and english exam grades work out rather differently, is there any way of working out roughly what would be acceptable, or would the university websites also give their requirements from other countries' educations systems as well? 148.197.81.179 (talk) 07:55, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

You could use their websites, email them, or see if there is an independent 'comparison of fees and entry level standards' type website. You may just phone a local university and they may know. If he does decide on Canada, it should be cheaper to take the 1st 1-3 years at a college that has 2-4 year transfer courses to universities.--Canoe1967 (talk) 08:17, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Visa requirements and those sorts of things depend largely on what country your friend is from. If your friend is from the EU or the U.S., Australia, or Canada, I doubt the short notice is a problem. If they're from some other countries it may take longer. Shadowjams (talk) 21:13, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Your friend may also be interested in universities in Europe but east of Britain: a lot now have courses that are all in English -- and that assume students' native or proficiency in English (meaning that the lecturers don't have to speak very s-l-o-w-l-y and thus risk boring the native-English-speaking), cost a lot less than do British universities, and are in places with lower living expenses too. A bonus: From everyday life off campus, your friend also acquires some fluency in Dutch or Lithuanian or whatever. -- Hoary (talk) 12:27, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

Each university will have their own requirements and decisions on how grades from the U.S. compare with British ones; the vast majority - certainly any large enough to regularly receive applications from the U.S. - will list these on their website. There's not generally a preference for UK nationals - in fact, many institutions can be more flexible in taking overseas students, as only the numbers of "home" students are capped by the British government. Although the initial UCAS (admissions) deadline has passed, most institutions will still have places for overseas students. Those courses with vacancies for overseas students are clearly shown on the UCAS website. Warofdreams talk 10:38, 26 March 2012 (UTC)