Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 December 27

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December 27

British perception of North Americans

Simple question — how do Brits generally feel about North Americans? I am equally interested in the perceptions of someone who has travelled extensively across the continent, and someone whose ideas are formed solely from watching re-runs of Friends. Cheers. Vranak

Doncha think you should be a bit more specific? I doubt that very many Brits have had their view of Mexicans shaped by watching reruns of Friends. ;-) Anchoress 00:25, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps Vranak means people who live in the North part of America? V-Man737 00:28, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I read somewhere that Mexicans don't generally consider themselves to be North American. So yes -- with that in mind... what do Britons think of Americans, and of Canadians? And is that basic distinction even made?Vranak

That part of the wording in the question is oddly appropriate and perhaps gives a hint at the answer... --Philosophus ^T 05:05, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

How do red-haired men in general feel about books? There exists no feeling such that Brits generally feel like that about North Americans.  --Lambiam^Talk 00:42, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Fair enough! I'm interested in personal, idiosyncratic opinions. Also, I'm sure there are some Britons who are confident enough to speak for their friends and acquaintances, hence the inclusion of the 'generally feel' clause. Vranak

Do the british call themselves Britons? When I think of britons I think of Henry V and longbowmen --froth^{T C} 02:37, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I shall refrain lest I be blocked for all time 8-)--Light current 00:52, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Not good then, I take it! Vranak

No comment at this time!--Light current 00:57, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

One thing I think most of my fellow ctiizens would agree on is that we don't like being generically called Brits. Personally, I am English with some Welsh ancestry. Calling us Brits is roughly equivalent to referring to all Americans as Yanks. Gandalf61 12:11, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I lived in England for a year and most of the English people I socialised ans worked with called themselves Brits. So is it something kind of like black people calling each other 'negro'... it's OK when you do it but not when North Americans do? Anchoress 12:20, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

No, not really. I don't mind being called a Brit, as I am a Brit, but it's not really something used within Britain. It is possible, with an American around, that this was being done a little for your benefit. We do tend to differentiate between English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish more than refer to ourselves as British. Us British affect to dislike Americans on principle, but then when an American is actually present, think they are great, as they sound like they are from the TV and are therefore exotic and interesting. Certain aspects of America tend to baffle us, such as the peculiar insistence to have guns in the family home, why so many Americans are so morbidly obese, the insistence that their country is the greatest country in the world, the whole evangelical thing, the Nazi-like officiousness and lumpen deadheadedness of US Customs officials, and so on. We all like Canadians, as they are perceived as being more laidback and less arrogant, and possibly all smoke weed. Proto::► 13:00, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Serves me right for generalising - maybe it's a generation thing. Well anyway, I would never refer to myself as a Brit or a Briton; I would only ever use "British" on official forms; and I always assumed terms like Brit pop were ironically self-mocking - irony is something that we Brits are really good at. Gandalf61 13:04, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

When playing a web-based game, if I ask "A/S/L ?" (meaning I want to know their age, sex, and location), they never answer with "England" for the location part, but always answer with either "UK" or a specific region or city, like "Bristol". StuRat 15:09, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Please read this carefully. If you read it all, I think you'll find it uncontroversial. I'll assume that the questioner is interested in British opinion of citizens of the USA. Well, I suppose it depends on who you ask. Most intelligent people, even if ignorant of the USA (like me) will assume that its citizens are no different from those anywhere else. Some are good, some bad, some pleasant, some downright rude. Now we do get bombarded by media messages. Some of those (and I don't just mean Friends) indicate that the following points are true of the USA (and I might just exaggerate here):

• Virtually everyone is gianormous (=morbidly obese), there's a Macdonalds on every corner, everyone in any city-centre bar or coffee-shop knows each other and in fact goes there pretty much every day, store service is fantastic, there are no socialists, yet the union movement is very powerful, you're introspective and have no knowledge or interest in world affairs except maybe those of Mexico or Canada, in fact, given a world map, most Americans would probably struggle to identify pretty much any of the green bits (the blue is easy), you're all gun-wielding maniacs, the entire country is full of really stupid voters and, finally, none of you could give a hoot about environmental issues.

Now, I don't speak to many really stupid Brits very often and it could be that if I found one they would believe some or many of the above statements to be true, but the rest of us can filter the daft media messages just about as well as you can decipher the following messages about Britain:

• obsessed with drinking tea, even more obsessed with drinking (warm) beer, full of people with hankies on their heads, full of villains (seen a Hollywood film recently? Odds-on the villain has a British accent), "quaint", simply littered with ancient buildings, a society of appalling service, full of bad tippers, rude etc.

See what I mean? --Dweller 12:54, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Obviously, I cannot say what american people themselves are like, there is variation whenceever a person hails, But most english perople have a certain dislike for america. I think this opinion is mainly based on George Bush, and his obsession with invading, coincidentally oil-rich, middle-eastern Countries. The opinions of English people obvioisly aren't all the same, but most people find the american culture unsavoury; we hear roumours like supermarkets there don't stock any fresh fruit/veg/meat et cetera; and McDonalds is king; ergo the fat problem. People also take problem with the political correctness in America, you can't call a spade a spade. we hear that you can't call black people 'black' but instead negro, or coloured; and there are obvious veins of racism, as per Hurricane Katrina. And there are voids between religios groups. There is a definite feeling of hate from a large body of the conunity about you hunger for oil; apparently global warming isn't an issue?! Stories of America, by Englishmen who have thither traveled, tell of people driving to their next door neibourghs, or down to thel,ocal shop, thigs which shock and appall us, who are used to doing a lot of walking, and being a darned sight less lazy than that! An issue of less turmoil is the thought that you have butchered out language, to us, your accents are twangy and annoying (except for those gentlr homely soulth USA accents, they're nice). Above all, I think that an alienation is our main issue, we know so much yet so little about our cousins across the pond. I'm sure that this is ony one half of ther story, and that there are good points, but this is the view from over here. ALthough, as American Humour goes, friends is rather ammusing. ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 15:31, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

OK, let me correct a few of the misperceptions above. I don't think there is much controversy on invading Afghanistan after they refused to evict Al Queda following their 9-11 attacks. The invasion of Iraq, I give you, is far more controversial. Supermarkets are well stocked in everything, including fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, bread, etc.. You might have been thinking of convenience stores/drug stores, like 7-11, which specifically can't stock things which rapidly spoil, due to their low turnover volume. "Black" is the usual word, with "Negro" and "colored" being quite obsolete. "African-American" is also used. There is racism in the US, but I don't think nearly as much as in many other countries. Religious groups rarely fight. The anti-environmentalism is mainly just a Republican thing, so that will change as the Republicans lose power. Yes, people do tend to drive everywhere, but distances tend to be greater here, the weather is often worse, and walking the streets is not always safe. StuRat 23:25, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

As per my comments above, Englishnerd's description of how "most english perople" feel must be based on "most" people that Englishnerd speaks to... in which case I'm shocked. I don't think any person I've ever spoken with, English or not, has such visceral disaffection for America, tempered only by finding Friends amusing. Oh, and that includes my (English) Muslim friends too, who (gosh horror) also manage to see the world in shades of grey. --Dweller 15:50, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks guys -- fascinating answers. :) --Vranak 15:45, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I am English, live in Scotland, call myself British because I don't then have to explain. Sometimes answer UK when filling in forms, but don't mind being called Brit by anyone else, USA American or otherwise. I have visited Minneapolis, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York and San Diego. As a result of these visits, we have made friends with several Americans, both Black and White, and have had them stay with us at home in Scotland over the past few years. They and the other Americans we have met have always without exception been extremely polite, and well-mannered and have sometimes invited us into their homes for a meal. I have heard loud and offensive people in America, and also Spain, France, Germany, England, Scotland, and Ireland but nowhere worse than London where I used to live and work. We walked home from a casino in Las Vegas to our hotel at 2am with a bundle of money we had won on the roulette tables and we were pretty drunk what with all the free booze they kept plying us with (probably to make us lose our financial good judgement)(it had the opposite effect). We didn't feel threatened or at risk walking home drunk at that time of the morning, though you would never find me walking home in London or Edinburgh at that time of night. And we walked from Pier 39 in San Francisco late in the evening, across Union Square and into Chinatown where we had a very late meal and a litre of wine and then walked to our hotel on Van Ness Avenue. Again, we were tipsy, but we were never threatened, and had no fear of asking a male passerby for directions along the way. The above respondents are correct in only some of their comments, but I think I am correct in saying that of all it's visitors, the largest group to visit the USA are Brits. That must surely inform the original question? And I understand that less than 10% of all 300 million USA citizens have a passport which suggests as implied above that the other 90% have a very insular view of the wider world. And that too must surely inform the original question?

I'm an American and I don't have a passport because it's expensive and dangerous for Americans to travel abroad, although I have traveled throughout Canada (which didn't require a passport until recently). Also, due to the size of the US, and number of cultures represented there, it's possible to go somewhere different on vacation each year and never leave the country, I don't think that's possible in Scotland, say. StuRat 22:55, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh, is it really so dangerous for Americans to travel abroad? Realistically, what are the chances of coming to harm? I'd be more concerned about food poisoning than terrorism. There's a persistent notion that certain places and peoples "hate Americans". I've actually been admonished by other Americans for contemplating trips to locations as broad as Africa - to hear some tell it, the whole continent is off-limits. I doubt most people care where you come from as long as you have money. It's also been my experience that most Americans who travel abroad are the kind who don't conform to the stereotypes, or consciously resist them. Hence, the politeness, the meekness, the cultural and linguistic über-sensitivity. I didn't bother learning passable French before going to Brussels, which mortified my companions, including one who had mocked John "François" Kerry for speaking French. For many Americans, there's a desire to have it both ways - to deprecate Stetson-wearing rubes while abroad, but to vote them into office while at home. Bhumiya (said/done) 01:26, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I would never travel to africa. If my car breaks down in america I can easily walk 50 miles, living off the land even in my city-boy shelteredness. If my jeep breaks down in Africa I'm stuck in what I view to be a hostile area. Most of africa is very environmentally dangerous to humans. I'm confident that if I stroll into a small town in America and ask a few passerby for a quarter to call a friend to pick me up, then I'd get one and quickly find a payphone. Also Africa is too politically unstable for me to feel comfortable; I don't want to get caught in the middle of a revolution or something. Basically I value my safety in America too much to give it up travelling abroad. Yes there's low percentage of risk, but there's even lower in america and it's very easy to get everything I need here. I've been to the carribean several times and I feel pretty safe there with the kind of interests that America has in those tourist areas. I've been to canada too and of course nothing happens there :) I wouldn't have any problem travelling to western europe or australia since they're mostly strong american allies and they have the western theory of justice well-absorbed. Eastern asia it depends; japan is very civilized and china would probably have fear/respect for an american passport. Anyway yeah I agree with sturat, I'm inclined to sit right were I am in safety --froth^{T C} 02:52, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah and we have Lions walking around the streets and gold lying around everywhere ......Here in darkest Africa we in general dislike Americans ( Not as a Person or a people ) but rather the " who made you World Ruler " attitude we perceive they give them self ....all about perceptions ...With (South Africa) and no we do not really have Lions in the streets and no gold lying around ...common sense ;-)

Shockingly, Africa is a very big place. It's a continent. A bit like North America. In both you will find hostile environments where a broken down jeep might be a problem. In both you'll find many many many places where it's not. In both you can find or use a payphone or use your mobile phone. I've stood in very remote areas of rural East Africa, happily chatting on my mobile. If someone wrote "Most of africa is very environmentally dangerous to humans" in Africa it would either be deleted or have a {{cn}} slapped on it. --Dweller 21:04, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks all for responding to my points. The only Americans I ever come into cantact with are the thousands of tourists in the city where I go to School, and ergo, I have no firsthand knowledge of what it's like; Its interesting to see it from someone eleses perspective. One thing I have picked up on it that Americans do seem to have an irrational fear of travel. I would quite happily go to Africa, without worring abot getting mugged/killed/er cetera, MOney permitting. I guess it's all a matter of culture, we are brough up in a selection of ways, and over the pond, you are brought up with different ideals and aims. ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 21:02, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I've heard very few people say they have a fear of travelling; most would go if it didn't take ~7 hours to cross the puddles on either side of us. :-) | AndonicO ^{Talk | Sign Here} 22:29, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

has anyone cured their depression by taking ayahuasca?

I am currently on Lamictal 200 mg and I would like to not be taking this anti-convulsant which is helping me not feel depressed. I have heard good things about ayahuasca as a medicine that can heal people of cancers, but what about depression? Does anyone know of someone who has been helped? —63.194.136.225 01:54, 27 December 2006 (UTC)Monica

Its best to discuss this with your doctor as self medication (especiialy mixing with prescribed drugs) can be VERY dangerous--Light current 01:58, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd recommend against taking it with an eye to self-treatment, particularly without a doctor's recommendation. I participated in an ayahuasca ceremony, from a shaman visiting the village in the Peruvian Amazon I was staying at. While it's an eye-opening experience, the drug didn't seem to me to have any particular anti-depressant characteristics (just hallucinogenic and emetic). Given its illegality outside of such rituals, and the relative abundance of other proven prescription anti-depressants, I'd advise telling your doctor/psychiatrist that the current medication isn't working, and asking about alternatives. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 19:00, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Ecko Cut&sew

What is the Marc Ecko Cut & Sew collection? Is it a more formal off brance of Ecko unltd? Also, they have this buttoned down shirt with a padding down the front, extending from the two shoulders down to the belly-button. Does anyone know what type of shirt this is? It kind of reminds me of a medieval ages knight's jousting undershirts or something. 65.93.160.39 02:04, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

St. Anne's Park Railway Station, Bristol, England

I am looking for information .... photographs if possible .... about the railway station at St. Anne's Park, about 3 miles west of the Temple Meads station in Bristol, as it would have been in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The station was closed down in 1970, and British Rail are not the easiest people to deal with when it comes to getting information going back this far. —Preceding unsigned comment added by John P. Smith (talk • contribs) 05:46, 27 December 2006

British Rail hasn't existed since 1994, so I can imagine them being hard to deal with now. (grin)

There must be a historical society in Bristol... (sound of googling)... Oh, Connecticut. Let's try that search again, there must be a historical society in Bristol, England... (more googling)... yes, there are at least three of them! University of Bristol History Society (I suppose that might just be a social group for history students), Bristol History and Archaeological Society (they don't seem to have a web presence, but the URL gives contact information), and the Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society. Perhaps one of these, or the central public library or university library, would have the information you want. --Anonymous, December 27, 2006, 06:40 (UTC)>

Yep. Here it is now. [1] Looks a bit overgrown! 8-)--Light current 06:42, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Hi John - the "Disused Stations" website affiliated to the Subterranea Britannica project ([2]) is full of useful info and photos about closed stations throughout Britain; unfortunately, St Anne's Park doesn't feature yet, but I suggest you check back from time to time as new entries are added regularly. See this link: [3]. Hassocks5489 09:19, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Does a Wiki-game exist?

I am not talking about a wiki about games, or about a particular game. I am talking about a game which uses a wiki to play it. Most likely such a game would use the wiki to rp out situations and other such things, and it would also use the wiki to document the statistics of the game or whatever. I am asking this because the (general) idea came to mind when I stumbled upon something that seemed to be like this, but actually wasn't. I think a fantastic game could potentially come to be with a dedicated enough creator(s) and without knowing anything about the game (or even if such a game exists) I've wanted to find it and be a part of it. Strange I know. I figured I'd ask here if any of you have any ideas. Sadly, I've found that google is useless for discovering this, although maybe I'm not lucky enough, who knows. Thanks a lot, I'm also posting this is the Computing reference desk to try to get the largest group of people that might know about this. Thanks. Chris M. 06:18, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

google? useless? try the search string "wiki-based game", including the quotes. let me know if any of the results are satisfactory. --64.0.112.1 07:47, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I remember some zombie city wiki kind of game, dont have additional info though. Joneleth 11:08, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

There are a few such games on Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Department of Fun. --24.147.86.187 14:32, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Uncyclopedia has it's version of Zork. 68.39.174.238 21:01, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Which news presenter was involved in a sex tape scandal?

I recall a few years ago the story of a news presenter who recorded a sex tape with her cameraman, which ended up being distributed. What was her name? I checked news presenter and celebrity sex tape, but found no mention of her. Pesapluvo 06:53, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Google is your very good friend! news reporter sex tape brings up Allison Williams as the very first result... Aetherfukz 07:50, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

And is also a bit dangerous -- the tape in question isn't Allison Williams. We reference that in celebrity sex tape. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 15:55, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

The woman in the aforementioned tape is in fact Allison Williams formerly of WVEC. I've lived in the Hampton Roads area my whole life and really enjoyed Ms. Williams reporting. Granted I like the tape a bit more. Dirtypoolfilms 19:46, 27 March 2007

I have seen the "Allison Williams tape" (or at least thats what it was posted as, it showed up a few times, each time with the same name), and while i was never able to find a photo or anything proving exactly who the woman was, I did find a cached news article that was by an Allison Williams of (I think) WVEC (their website has no mention of her, so either its not true, or they removed any reference to her after it happened), and a forum post from someone that claimed he lived in the area, and it was indeed her (none of these can really prove it though). In my opinion, it seemed homemade, and sure did look like the back of a live truck. Cyraan 17:53, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Proof she was a WVEC reporter: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0007/27/mn.21.html This is from CNN.com

comic hero

which super hero was struck on the face my a mallet n scarred for life by his envious enemy

While studying at the Academy of Ancient Art in the Medici Palace, Michelangelo not only developed his genius as a sculptor, but also excited the wrath of his rival, Torregiano, who struck him with a mallet, crushing the nose on his face and disfiguring him for life. Googled your words "struck on the face by a mallet" and found [4]. Does it help ? -- DLL ^{.. T} 19:16, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Superhero? Michaelangelo? I always thought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were extraordinary, but I dunno if I'd call them superheroes. I was actually thinking of Mallet-Face Man in response to that question. ^_^ V-Man737 20:25, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Upgrading to a 720p television.

I've got a 576i (the PAL equivilent to 480i) television at the moment, and in 2006 I intend to buy a 720p CRT. Would my lower-resolution videos -- I have a lot of 512x384 ones -- look worse on a 720p television than on the one I'm using now? Would a media center, such as XBMC, be able to "flesh out" the video and make it look nicer? Would it be much nicer than just a 480p television, if I'm using it largely for these sort of clips? And a final question: can one immediately notice the difference between an Xbox 360 game on a 480i television, a 480p one, and a 720p one? I appreciate any responses. Pesapluvo 11:26, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

If i recall correctly, XBMC (quite possibly the greatest app ever) can upconvert video to 720p or 1080i (It unfortunately cant play content that is already in HD Resolution). As for the Xbox 360, i cant speak from firsthand experience with the console itself, but the difference between video in 480i and 480p is somewhat noticeable, at least for me, a lot of it can be perception. Going up to 720p is a huge difference and quite noticeable. Cyraan 17:38, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Ammo vs Ammo

Is the power of identical bullets consistent throughout different types of guns? For example, since the M4, M16 and G36 both fire the 5.56mm NATO round, is the armor penetration, energy and impact force of the 3 guns almost identical? Jamesino 18:06, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

The type of gun can have an effect on the force of the bullet, depending on what kind of firing system it uses. For example, a simple bolt-action rifle firing a bullet will have a different power than a gun that uses the same bullet in a suppressor system. The suppressor will allow the propelling gases to escape differently, and also depending on the build of the gun (especially in bullpup variations), this could change the speed of the bullet dramatically. In large guns (think Newton's third law), there isn't a lot of kick, so the force has to go somewhere. In small guns firing the same bullets, there is going to be a very large kick, causing a loss of power to the bullet. How much power is saved or lost, however, might be dealt with by a ballistics connoisseur. V-Man737 20:43, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if I completely agree with the above. The power of a bullet once fired is dependant on only two factors: mass and velocity of the bullet it self. Since in the same type of bullet the mass is always the same, then the only variable can be muzzle velocity. The factors mentioned above like suppressors and gun mass don't really have that much impact on muzzle velocity. The factor that determines muzzle velocity (apart from the gun powder used) is barrel length. The m4 article states muzzle velocity of 905m/s while the G36 article states 920m/s, from that you can conclude that the G36 is indeed slightly more powerful. Conversely, the M4 can fire up to 950 rounds per minute, while the G36 only achieves 750, so you can argue which is better.. Vespine 22:26, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah! And barrel length.... Heh. V-Man737 22:29, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Cathedral107 (talk) 07:40, 21 October 2008 (UTC)== What Movie is it...? ==

I was thinking of this one movie i saw one time. I only remember one part. Can you help with the title. All i remember is Astronauts are on a moonbase. Some astronauts are on out on the surface but they have to get in quick because some solar radiation is headed thier way. Can anyone help?

could it be fantastic 4?-Dixie48 20:03, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

No, It's not Fantasic 4, The astronauts are on a moon base, and it's an older movie

How much older? Could you place it in a decade? Was it more action or drama? Can you remember any of the actors? Any lines from the movie? V-Man737 21:12, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Could it have been a TV series, like Space: 1999? Also, you could check out the dozen or so listings in "Category:Moon-related films" (for some reason, it won't let me link to it, so you'd have to type it in the search field). Clarityfiend 23:54, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

UNGH! oh wow, that is interesting... I dunno what's wrong with the Wikithingy. V-Man737 00:07, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

To link to a category you have to put a ":" before the word "category", e.g. Category:Moon-related_films (otherwise, you're adding the article to the category - see Wikipedia:Categorization). -- Rick Block (talk) 00:25, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

What you're looking for is a TV-movie/failed pilot called 'Plymouth'. The IMDB page is:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102681/

I remember that scene you're talking about; one of the astronauts/colonists doesn't make it back inside in time and gets a fatal case of radiation poisoning, leaving him with only a few months left to live. I've always remembered that show, especially the opening. The people lived in a small town near a chemical plant, and as the narration went, "There was a knocking on our door in the middle of the night - it was men in plastic suits. They said that there was an accident at the plant - a bad one. They said, 'take whatever you can carry and don't look back!' Plymouth became a ghost town... and would remain so for centuries..."

Glad to help.

Cathedral107 - 21 October 2008, 2:39 a.m.

Gerald Ford

…Dear Sirs I was watching the News today about the passing of Gerald Ford, you made a comment that was incorrect you stated that Gerald Ford was the only President not elected by the people ( You must have forgotten about Lyndon Johnson who took office upon the assaition of John Kennedy he also was not elected) Wished you get your facts correct thank you <<e-mail address removed to protect you from spambots>> —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.110.92.220 (talk • contribs).

Lyndon Johnson was elected in a landslide in 1964. Gerald Ford was the only president who was never elected to that office by the people. When he ran again in 1976 he was defeated by Jimmy Carter. Antandrus (talk) 20:17, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I think you should remove your email address, or someone will for you. Also, the above statement is true, I believe. I've also been hearing on the news he was indeed the only president unelected. --Proficient 20:49, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually there have been several other vice presidents who assumed the United States presidency. The thing that makes Ford exceptional is that all of the others were duly elected as vice presidents. Nixon appointed Ford to the office after an earlier vice president Spiro Agnew resigned. So although Ford had been a distinguished member of the House of Representatives, he rose to the presidency through an appointment rather than a national vote. This made him the butt of innumerable mid-1970s jokes. In the words of Archie Bunker, He's doing a darn good job for a guy nobody voted for. Durova^Charge! 21:46, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

you made a comment. Are you sure you have posted this to the right website? User:Zoe|(talk) 22:04, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Alec Stewart

(moved here from WP:RD/Math by hydnjo talk 21:37, 27 December 2006 (UTC))

How may of Alec Stewart's 263 catches were as a wicket keeper and how many were as a outfielder?Rugbyball 21:19, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

227 as a keeper, according to howstat. – AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 02:14, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Most intensive task in PS

Generally, what is one of the most processor intensive and slowest task in Adobe Photoshop CS/CS2? (e.g., Radial Blur...). Thanks. Jamesino 21:40, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

• "Convert to HDR" is pretty slow and intense! --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 21:51, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Heh. I have Adobe Photoshop 1.0 and it sucks all the RAM out of my computer whenever I use the smudge tool, especially with large radii. V-Man737 22:26, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

build credit

I have been in Mexico two years and am going to go to college at UVSC. I have heard about student credit cards with low interest rates etc., but where is the best place for me to go to get one? I plan on paying the card off every month anyways and don't need a high limit, I just want to built my credit. SHould I go to the financial aid division at school, through a bank, or what? WHat I really have in mind is to be able to buy my first house by Jan 1, 2008 and I need to qualify for the loan, thats my motive. If I'm way off, just tell me what I need to know if thats possible. Thanks,

Jordan Moody

If this is the UVSC I am thinking of, then I'd recommend going to the local credit union, UCCU. Their interest rate is quite reasonable and the process is very easy. As for qualifying for a loan, getting a car from a prestigious dealer should help with that credit as well, if you can be sure of the payments. The residential boom of late has made it seem relatively easy to get a house, depending on your income. V-Man737 22:50, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

You can either wait until you are in school, at which point you will be innundated with credit card offers, or you could google "student credit card". Most card issuers have them. Compare terms, they are not always better than a regular credit card. Since you are planning to buy a house, you might want to take out a personal loan or car loan and pay it off monthly to build your credit history. Some lenders look more favorably on an American Express card than other charge/credit cards. -THB 00:01, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

cd-r

do cd-r's or cd-rw's hold video, and could they play back on a dvd player

CDs can be specially encoded as Video CDs and played back on many standard DVD players. Check the article linked for more information. McMillin24 _contribs^talk 22:42, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Userbox help

Are userboxes with religious and political beliefs just not included? is there a valid reason like they havent been made? just curious.. (Fethroesforia 22:49, 27 December 2006 (UTC))

Such userboxes have been used for votestacking and are discouraged, please see Wikipedia:Userboxes. -- Rick Block (talk) 23:37, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

The deletionists said they must go, and they were able to stack the votes, so they went. --Nelson Ricardo 01:58, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Wait, I thought that they were all just moved to userspace. Last I knew you could have them on your userpage so long as they weren't "annoying and divisive" or whatever (Granted, I didn't pay too much attention to the fight while it was going down because I was afraid I'd get caught in the crossfire). 68.39.174.238 21:06, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

From what I recall, one of my userboxes was automatically rerouted by a bot; it was not invasive at all since I still have the userbox... And I didn't pay any attention to the fight either. Hm, now that I think of it, the userbox was moved from one userspace to another... Now I'm confused!! V-Man737 21:21, 28 December 2006 (UTC)