User talk:Mike Serfas/Archive2007

Opium article

Hey I found a great article called "The Social Life of Opium in China, 1483–1999" by YANGWEN ZHENG. I haven't had a chance to get through the whole thing but I thought that you might find it interesting. It's also got some great info that we could add to the article in Wikipedia. I'd be happy to email it to you if you can't access it online but you'd have to enable your email or email me with your email address. Either way just let me know and I'd be happier to send it over to you.--Iosef ^{U T C} 01:24, 9 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This really was a most helpful article - thanks! Mike Serfas

This is an area in which the expertise of the writer leaves me gobsmacked (an useful Liverpool term to be totally astounded.) The whole Wikipedia in itself covers all I would ever want to know. But, out of curiosity, I started to track down whatever has been published. A working list of books which have already been scanned into the Internet -- badly in need of proofreading but life was never perfect -- might be as listed below. I am a working journalist and am totally in awe of the Wikipedia entry. But it might be that there is a sub-section which is the use of opium to subjugate nations. I have checked carefully and this email does not get published. It would be embarrassing. But I want to try and come to grips with it for I spend much time in China and Laos and Burma. Opium still exists. Honest:

Title: The truth about Indian opium Author: India Office, Great Britain. Publisher: H.M.S.O. Year: 1922

Title: The poppy in China Author: Hai guan zong shui wu si shu Publisher: Shanghai Statistical Dept. of the Inspectorate General of Customs Year: 1889

Title: British opium policy and its results to India and China Author: Frederick Turner Storrs Publisher: S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington Year: 1876

Title: Drugging a nation, the story of China and the opium curse; a personal investigation, during an extended tour, of the present conditions of the opium trade in China and its effects upon the nation Author: Samuel Merwin. Publisher: F.H. Revell Year: circa 1908

Title: Agreement between the United Kingdom and Portugal for the regulation of the opium monopolies in the colonies of Hong Kong and Macao Author: Treaty agreement by Great Britain Publisher: H.M.S.O Year: 1913

Title: A philosophical and statistical history of the inventions and customs of ancient and modern nations in the manufacture and use of inebriating liquors; with the present practice of distillation in all its varieties: together with an extensive illustration of the consumption and effects of opium, and other stimulants used in the East, as substitutes for wine and spirits Author: Samuel Morewood Publisher: W.Curry and W.Carson, Dublin. Year: 1838

Title: The Opium Habit Author: Horace B. Day Publisher: Harper's Magazine Year: 1867

Title: Confessions of an opium-eater Author: Thomas de Quincey Publisher: Ward, Lock Year: 1886

Title: The oldest and the newest empire : China and the United States Author: William Speer Publisher: S. S. Scranton; Philadelphia Year: 1870

Title: The morning of my life in China : comprising an outline of the history of foreign intercourse from the last year of the regime of honorable East India Company, 1833, to the imprisonment of the foreign community in 1839 Author: Gideon Nye Publisher: Someone in Canton Year: 1873

Title: The Chinese war : an account of all the operations of the British forces from the commencement to the Treaty of Nanking (1844) Author: John Ouchterlony Publisher: Saunders and Otley Year: 1844

Title: Confession of an English Opium Eater and Supiria de Profundis (Longer edition that the one listed above.) Author: Thomas De Quincey Publisher: Ticknor And Field Year: 1851 I really would not mind this being mercilessly edited but as a book list I think it barely scratches the surface. One day, when I get it sorted out, it might, just, be worth publishing. But not now. Gareth Powell in London but mostly in Asia 217.44.127.131 17:38, 15 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It looks like that article might be getting a Bibliography section shortly. ;) Thanks! Mike Serfas

Opium Addiction

I have replied to your question on the Opium discussion page. Hopefully my reply will help you. --78.86.117.164 (talk) 01:12, 7 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks - this was a very interesting idea. While the Australian site primarily addresses the toxicity of thebaine (and presumably oripavine as well) in strains bred for use as pharmaceutical precursors, these compounds are present at higher levels in other species of poppies. I wonder whether this is one reason why Aulus Cornelius Celsus seemed to prefer to use poppy-tears topically in surgery. Nonetheless, internal use was reported even in the Ebers Papyrus, so these alkaloids can't be the entire explanation. Still, they could be an important factor. Mike Serfas (talk) 17:47, 12 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

WP:CHEMS

No problem for acting quickly—usually we assess articles pretty much on sight, that is by comparing what the article is to what we think it should be. That's what I've done so far, but as this was a requested assessment, I shall do a bit more work to justify my answer! And, more importantly, to try to find ways to improve the article. I also want to see if other wikichemists have comments which I haven't thought of. Best of luck, Physchim62 (talk) 18:20, 26 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Zhang Zhongjing

I found that you merged Zhang Zhongjing to Zhang Ji (Chinese physician) without placing a merge tag and going through discussion. That's not appropriate. I reverted it and ask for discussion about merge. I think that Zhang Zhongjing, not Zhang Ji, should be the title of the article. If you are interested, you may go to Talk:Zhang Zhongjing and leave your opinions. Thanks.--Neo-Jay 20:24, 20 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

To quote WP:MERGE:

Merging is a normal editing action, something any editor can do, and as such does not need to be proposed and processed. If you think merging something improves the encyclopedia, you can be bold and perform the merge, as described below. Because of this, it makes little sense to object to a merge purely on procedural grounds, e.g. "you cannot do that without discussion" is not a good argument."

That said, I didn't mean to prefer one version of the name to the other but only to consolidate two similar articles about the same person under different names. Mike Serfas 23:52, 20 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I see. Merging does not need discussion. And I still argue that Zhang Zhongjing should be the title. Thanks. --Neo-Jay 05:26, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Smallpox

Please note that I removed your quotation from the Smallpox article. The incident you refer to is addressed more fully in Pontiac's Rebellion, and has been addressed on this and related articles in talk pages and discussions. There is also a significant discussion on this topic in Population history of American indigenous peoples. Hope to work with you again. WBardwin 06:27, 4 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hanging fabric in Along the River During the Qingming Festival

It looks like a geological formation, an outcropping of tall limestone rock, a frequent representation in Chinese art. Robcuny 15:30, 3 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

(It didn't look like limestone to me, but I can't say with any certainty)

Baby Gender Mentor

Re your comment on Talk:Baby Gender Mentor, can you direct me to a Featured Article which is about an unreleased video game? Soo 20:11, 13 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Halo 2 was promoted in April for a May release date (for PCs). Mike Serfas 20:40, 13 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Mike Huckabee Merge Proposal

Please comment on merging Mike Huckabee controversies into Mike Huckabee here [[1]] Jmegill (talk) 10:04, 9 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This question appears resolved. I haven't read the articles but generally agree that Wikipedia should not banish controversy from main articles. Mike Serfas (talk) 17:47, 12 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Noise health effects

Hi,

Thanks for your additions to noise health effects (and sorry for screwing up your archiving). Based on your contributions to the page (good ones by the way), you may not now about or use the following, very handy tools. Diberri and the google scholar tools are especially excellent.

WLU (talk) 22:29, 22 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for finishing up the reference formatting I'd meant to flesh out, and these are useful links to keep close by. Mike Serfas (talk) 03:19, 20 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]