daf bit: Zevachim 118-119

(Today's daf is Zevachim 120, the last page in this tractate.)

Our rabbis taught: the duration of the tent of meeting (mishkan, tabernacle) was 40 years in the wilderness less one, then 14 years at Gilgal, then 57 years (combined) at Nob and Gibeon, then at Shiloh 370 less one. 39 years in the wilderness is known from torah; Moshe built the tabernacle in the first year and sent out the spies in the second. Gilgal is known from textual math based on people's ages; Nob and Gibeon are also deduced from time periods in text. This leaves 369 years for Shiloh because we know that the Temple was consecrated 480 years after the exodus. (118b-119a)

I don't know what the "N less one" notation signifies, versus just saying a number directly.

(I hadn't realized quite how much time had passed before Solomon's temple. I guess it's time for me to read the post-torah histories more closely.)

questions (Wisconsin)

I have two questions I'm hoping my readers can help me with.

First, what does the Wisconsin collective-bargaining bill say about timing? Does the legislation modify existing contracts in violation of the terms of those contracts, or is it saying that no further contracts will be allowed that stray outside of these new boundaries? The difference matters.

Second, what Google search would have allowed me to answer that on my own? Everything I tried led to lots of news stories and opinions, but even "full text of Wisconsin union bill" didn't get me that. (I'd rather not read the full text if I could find this answer more expediently and credibly, but I'd read it myself if I had to, if I could find it.)

Yes yes, I know that any good that this bill might have done has long since been superseded by the antics of the last three weeks. But I'd still like to know, and I haven't been able to find it on my own.

census meme

I've been seeing this a lot in the last couple days, so what the heck:
( where was I when...? )