IOhannes wrote:

(but there already has been a thread on the issue of 'request's on this mailinglist; it turns out that 'request' translates differently in the various languages, so some people see it as a "question whether it is possible" while for others it is more a "demand" (e.g. something they think they have a right to))

I know it is not relevant to the point here, however just for the record:

It was kind of viceversa: I misused the word "demand" thinking it meant something like a "request", thus unwantingly conveying the impression that I thought I had a right to something.