Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 November 10

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November 10

Is it alright to...

Is it alright to feed fry (baby bettas) just powdered flakes? or do they also need baby brine shrimp?

Immediately after they hatch the fry will live off there yolk sacks and won’t need feeding. When the fry are swimming horizontally you can start feeding twice a day. Powdered flakes should be okay as long as you don’t overfeed. Be aware that fry sometimes can not break the surface tension of the water, so stir the food in S.dedalus 01:48, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

When we were raising Comet (goldfish) fry, we did it using smashed-up flakes. I don't know if they would have been unable to chew the bigger, full-sized flakes, but making them pre-sized for their microscopic mouths made us feel better about it.

Atlant 19:27, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

hamlet

What was the best production of Hamlet ever made?

Impossible to say. For starters, there have probably been millions of productions, amateur and professional, on stages all over the world (and not just the English-speaking world). Who can say which was the best? If you're thinking of filmed versions, I would rate as Number 1 Kenneth Branagh's extraordinarily enlightening 1996 4-hour version that for the first time on film contained every last word of the play, plus a couple of added ones for good measure; followed hard upon by Laurence Olivier's haunting 1948 version. Innokenty Smoktunovsky's Russian-language version, in the Boris Pasternak translation and with music by Dmitri Shostakovich is also one of the great ones. JackofOz 03:09, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

How about The Three Minute Hamlet? SWAdair 05:35, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

How about Hamlet in Klingon? I kid you not. --Charlene 13:44, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

SWAdair and Charlene, are you seriously nominating these productions as "the best ever"? JackofOz 23:55, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

oil or gas company storage

How does the shortage of raw materials affect an oil or gas company's existance? Would it also be an oppurtunity for the company to grow?--202.133.101.89 02:59, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Shortage of which raw materials? Are you talking about steel for pipelines and tanks? -THB

Storing large quantities of either the raw materials (crude oil, etc.) or the finished product (gasoline, etc.), would have the benefit of being able to deal with supply disruptions in either case, or refinery disruptions, only in the case of the finished product being stored. Storing either would involve security risks, as those products are dangerous, especially when stored in large quantities. Finally, having the capacity to store large quantities would allow the company to engage in speculation. That is, they could increase the amount in storage if they expect prices to rise, and decrease the amount if they expect prices to fall. Thus, they could earn money from price changes, if properly managed. However, this approach entails significant financial risk, as predicting future prices with any accuracy is quite difficult to do. StuRat 04:01, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

A typical major oil or gas firm has reserves, which is oil or gas which is in the ground not yet extracted. Reserves fall into 3 catagories: proven, probable and possible. Proven does not mean that they actually have that much oil, but instead that the company is "reasonably certain" to that the oil is producable given exsisting technology at current prices. Have a look over the article for oil reserves to get a better understanding of the differences. These reserves are worth money, and a shortage of (for example) oil while demand remains at least stable would mean that the supply becomes stretched. This forces the price of oil up as those who are willing to pay more will buy available oil while those paying less will either use less, find an alternative, or wait until more becomes available at a price they are willing to pay (this is the basic principle of supply and demand). As a supplier of oil in this scenario, a high price for oil increases profits for the oil currently being produces while at the same time gives an incentive to the company to find new sources of supply and/or new extraction technologies so that oil that was previously too expensive to produce or not technically available (like deep underwater) can be profitably produced in the future. Such technical investment can also make available reserves of oil that were not previously viable (either on a cost basis or due to technical hurdle) to extract from old oil fields, and can be profitable in themselves through licensing the patent to other companies. The increased profitability of the company due to the shortage of supply could be an opportunity for the company to grow in it's core sector (i.e. extraction/refining) or it can use increased profits for diversification into new sectors (such as BP investing in photovoltaics) growing the company into new opportunities for growth. Robovski 04:22, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

natural skin colour

When I read the human skin color article, it didn't say about the colour of Asians. So, I wanted to know that What is the natural skin colour of Southeast Asians(Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotian, Malay (as in Malaysian), Indonesian and Filipino)? Is it brown like Indians or white like Chinese, Japanese and Korean?

More like Chinese, Japanes, Korean. Of course you can't overgeneralize about skin color in a particular nationality or "ethnic" group. -THB 05:07, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

You shouldn't even generalize. JackofOz 05:34, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

That's overly P.C. Of course you can generalize to some degree. -THB 20:00, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Here's something I copied from the Humanities desk:

Here in the Philippines, there is an old tale, I think among the Tagalog people, that we were created by Bathala, the God of the Tagalog people, by a process of - cooking. As the story goes, Bathala first cooked the first human for a very short period of time, and so the skin turned out white for it was still half-raw. The next one, he over cooked, so the skin became very dark. The last one, he perfected his cooking and so the skin turned out to be brown, thus, the Tagalogs or the Filipinos were created.Moonwalkerwiz 04:14, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

-THB 20:04, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Well - there's a biological basis for this that has nothing to do with social constructions of race. Skin color has to do with a balance of a couple of factors and natural selection. The body can process Vitamin D by exposure to sunlight (weird but true) and light colored skin allows for better Vitamin D processing. Dark colored skin offers greater protection against skin cancer. So populations that lived near the equator for many generations had darker skin because they were exposed to more sunlight (getting enough vitamin D wasn't much problem but skin cancer was) and natural selection favored lighter skin for most peoples who lived in temperate zones. Another factor that affected the outcome in certain areas is that fish are an excellent source of Vitamin D. So a few populations that lived far from the equator such as the Aleuts have medium toned skin because they traditionally got most of their protein from fish - and hence sunlight absorption mattered less for natural selection. Of course back in the days when nobody understood that biology a lot of other ideas floated around that were absolute hokum. Those other notions haven't died off yet so any discussion of the topic tends to raise hackles. Respectfully, Durova^Charge! 08:04, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

The theory recounted by Durova, while commonly accepted as a possible reason for the evolution of lighter skin in the Out of Africa population, does not actually have strong genetic evidence supporting it. Infact, the study the analysed the MC1R allele to ask the very question - "did natural selection favour lighter skin in people who live in temperate zones", couldn't find evidence for that [1]. Instead what they found was the absence of high levels of solar radiation in northern Europe appeared to relax the selective pressure on 'African' MC1R (that produces dark pigment), allowing the gene to mutate into dysfunctional variants (that produce light pigment) without reproductive penalty. The mutations then propagated by genetic drift. In other words, they could find no evidence of positive selection for lighter skin. Of course, this is but one allele, and other human pigment associated genes (like the very interesting SLC24A5) could act under selection of Vitamin D. But in the meantime, this is just a theory that has somehow become accepted as fact. Rockpocket 02:36, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Our Human skin color article has a map of color distributions. Note that this is also reflects some large recent migrations southward in Africa. Rmhermen 16:16, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

nude in Max payne 2

Is this true that there is a nude character in Max Payne 2?

Yes, by using a cheat, according to this site. –Mysid☎ 16:36, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

nude sports

Is it okay that you can organize a fundraising event by holding a nude sports event, like womens' and mens' nude wrestling, boxing and beach volleyball?

As long as a fundraising event is legal and being nude is legal, it would be okay. They're separate issues. -THB 03:37, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Don't forget nude ice skating and nude ski jumping and downhill skiing. Edison 06:12, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Well of course we have a nudity in sports article. --hydnjo talk 19:31, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Not necessarily; a legislative body could theoretically make a law outlawing nude fundraising events in its jurisdiction without outlawing nudity on its own, or fundraising on its own. I'm not aware of any body that has done this, though. As to the original question, it depends upon where the event will be held and what the local laws are there. I imagine that it would be legal in some cities/counties/states/provinces/countries and illegal in others. Chuck 23:49, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Einstein's Go rank

Hello, I would like to know if anyone knows Albert Einstein's exact go rank. This page says he had an "honorary dan certificate" given to him by the Japanese but thats not very specific. Thank you --– sampi ^{(talk•contrib•email)} 03:48, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Finding Articles Made Before Membership

Hello,

I recently created an article that so far has apparently remained unacknowledged. I know that I normally would be able to view it (as in to see why it was rejected, or any other impending status), but I created the article before I became a member. How would I go about viewing the archives so I can actually see the article I created?

(Sorry if its a stupid question...)
Thanks...—Preceding unsigned comment added by Aragoth (talk • contribs)

If you made an article, and it wasn't deleted for whatever reason, then it should be available like any other article. What was the title and subject? Robovski 04:49, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

It was Dust to Ashes and it was for Bleeding Through's first album. I tried searching for it, but I was unable to find any results... When I first created the article, I was taken into an archival space where entries sumbitted by guests could view their articles. Its probably still there, festering, but I am unable to access it... :(

That's funny. You can't create articles at Wikipedia without becoming a member, AFAIK. --Kjoonlee 05:31, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

That's a relatively recent restriction, added as a way of defending against vandalism; Anonymous editors used to be able to create articles; I know, I created a few before first registering.

Atlant 19:21, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, I didn't know about that, nor did I know about "Articles_for_creation/". --Kjoonlee 09:19, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean this? Nobody has actually made it into an article yet. If you create an account, you can copy that information into a new article and then it will be part of the Wikipedia. Or if you'd rather not create an account, I see no reason why I couldn't create the article for you. Dismas|^(talk) 05:33, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Also note that most contributions to Wikipedia are never "acknowledged".--Shantavira 08:55, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

"One of the best metalcore albums" seems POV, otherwise, I guess it's a reasonable stub... 惑乱 分からん 12:02, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I wasn't going to copy it verbatim. The POV material would obviously have to come out and there are some format fixes from what I recall from when I read it a few hours ago. Dismas|^(talk) 13:05, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I've added it. Dust To Ashes. You can decide whether it should have a lower case T. --Tagishsimon (talk)

SAT/College Admissions

If I need to submit the Common App by 1/20, but I can't take the SAT until January, am I allowed to submit the application without the SAT scores and send them later? 70.57.145.135 05:27, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

It would be best to ask the college to which you're applying this question. Each college/university may have their own rules and guidelines that they go by. Dismas|^(talk) 05:30, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Dismas is absolutely correct but in most cases, yes, although your application will not be considered complete until the scores are received. All schools should already have a policy on this. -THB 19:58, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

False Accusations

It has recently come to my attention that the computer I am using at home is being called a "sock puppet" of a certain Mykungfu (I don't even know who/what that is; please explain?). I saw several vandalism notices on the "new messages" header, and I'd like to ask what the problem is. I plead my case; I honestly have no idea what is going on. I think you may have made a mistake. Please...if I accidentally vandalized something, please accept my apologies for that grievous error on my part. Thank you for your understanding. 152.163.100.199 07:28, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

You're sharing that randomized IP with a lot of other AOL customers. The simplest solution is to register for a Wikipedia account. Durova^Charge! 07:34, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh. Sorry. I feel extremely dumb all of a sudden...could someone slap me? Please, admins, could you delete this question before other people notice my stupidity? Thanks.

This isn't the right place for this sort of complaint, but I've also been accused of using sockpuppets by an overly aggressive Admin. Do you have AOL, by any chance ? AOL gives you a different I/P address each time you use it, meaning you are likely to eventually end up with an I/P address that has been used by a Wikipedia vandal. That's when you get blocked. If you have AOL, don't use it for Wikipedia, but use another browser, like Firefox. And pretty much any time you disagree with an Admin on anything they are likely to accuse you of either being a sockpuppet or of using them. I suggest you get a regular account, as they are less likely to block people who have an account and have contributed to Wikipedia. StuRat

Using firefox wouldn't make a difference, DHCP is performed by the ISP not by the browser --froth^{T C} 23:27, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Too late! :) Nolamatic 07:42, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

See also Wikipedia:Advice to AOL users. --Shantavira 08:57, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

No-one (I know) thinks you are stupid. Talk pages of AOL IP users can be very scary indeed. Relax. Welcome. I can't quite tell if you are Nolamatic and have just got an account, or are not, but to free yourself from AOL IP user-page hell, please do get an account. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Incidentally, if an IP address is blocked, are all registered users using that IP blocked? Because when someone using the same IP as me got blocked, I got blocked on this account, but that seems a bit odd. Skittle 19:42, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

They did that to me, too, but I think they stopped doing that stupid crap. StuRat 20:33, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

DH

Hey, anyone know when "Desperate Housewives' is coming back on to air season 3 in Australia? Thanks

I'm guessing it was delayed because the producer is having an affair with the pool boy, while his wife is sleeping with the gardener, Rolando, in an attempt to enlist his aide in covering up the murder of the neighbor's lover, who was killed for attempting to betray his half-sister, who is the secret daughter of the mayor, who, incidentally, is also carrying on with the pool boy. :-) StuRat 19:28, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

It's amazing the pool gets cleaned. --Charlene 13:48, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Hehe - but it will most likely start when the rating season usually starts, in early Feb. It's not delayed, but the hiatus is over the Australian summer (Nov, Dec, Jan) instead of the US summer. Natgoo 19:36, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

THANK YOU Natgoo! And for the others: I don't see why you waste your time making comments like that, I don't diss you, so don't diss shows I like.

That pool boy must be quite something. You must introduce me to him some time.  :) JackofOz 22:55, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Biscuit Manufacturing

202.88.253.194 12:56, 10 November 2006 (UTC)Can I Get Details on Manufacturing of Biscuits ?

Do you mean baking? In that case, you can find a lot of recipes by googling. –Mysid☎ 13:42, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Check Baker and cookie (the U.S. term used for what is a biscuit in the UK. Here, we like biscuits with gravy. Edison 17:01, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Biscuits with gravy?! what do you think of as biscuits? Englishnerd 18:00, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

In the US, a biscuit is a buttery bread roll. Here's two with a sausage patty in between: [2]. What do you Brits call that ? StuRat 18:03, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

THat pic looks like scone to me. A biscuit over here is generally a sweet hardish confection sometimes covered with chocolate some times filled with jam etc. You may call it a cookie. Then of course there were ships biscuits; a staple of the old mariners!--Light current 19:13, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I believe "biscuit" = "cracker". Commercial baking of crackers typically uses conveyor ovens. Those assure consistent results and high throughput. 192.168.1.1 10:15, 10 November 2006 (PST)

I don't think "biscuit" = "cracker". As has previously been noted, what the Brits call a "biscuit", the Americans call a "cookie". However, I don't know what the Brits mean when, if ever, they say "cookie", or what they call a buttery roll: [3], which is called a "biscuit" in the US. StuRat 19:04, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

When you say 'buttery' roll, do you mean a buttered roll, or a roll made with lots of butter? Cos biscuits that are made with lots of butter are usually called shortbread!--Light current 19:14, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

A "biscuit", in the US, is a bread roll made with lots of butter, but very little sugar, which distinguishes it from a UK biscuit. Also, being bread, it contains air bubbles, which aren't present in a UK biscuit. StuRat 19:25, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

He means a roll made with lots of butter, of which the closest equivalent is a scone. Cookie in the UK is usually an oversized biscuit, or of a specific type (such as Maryland choc chip cookies). Natgoo 19:18, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah looks like a scone; BTW scone +gravy = sick, wrong and disturbing! Such a waste. BTW what do we think is the best: clotted cream and jam, or jam and clotted cream? Englishnerd 19:21, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Just butter is fine--Light current 19:25, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I assumed this was referring to Biscuit joiner. -THB 19:53, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

A biscuit in the U.S. (especially the south) is a quick hot bread made with flour, baking powder, salt, perhaps buttermilk, and shortening, not sweet, rolled out about 1/2 inch thick, cut into about a 2 or 3 inch circle, baked until the top is light brown and it rises to about 1 inch tall, and served hot, typically for breakfast, perhaps with eggs and bacon. It might be eaten with butter and jam, or topped with gravy, or eaten with a sausage in the middle. Franchise chicken restaurants serve them with meals, less the jelly or gravy. In the north toast is more commonly served for breakfast instead of biscuits. Edison 20:33, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I've had both what the English call scones and what we Americans call biscuits, and they are not the same thing. Close, but not the same. American biscuits are lighter, more bread-like, and a bit saltier than English scones. So they taste good with gravy. I've also had English biscuits, and they definitely qualify as cookies in the United States, but a particular kind of cookie. English biscuits are dainty cookies, like what you might get from Pepperidge Farm in the United States. I never saw big, gooey cookies (like oatmeal or oversized chocolate chip) in England. Marco polo 20:38, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah big things like that are called cookies over here too. Are you seriously talking about cold, conjealed gravy on bread? Unless gravy is different in the US also?! Englishnerd 22:24, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Who likes cold gravy ? In the US, it's always served hot, on mashed potatoes, meat, or bread (including what we call biscuits): [4]. StuRat 22:29, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

yes but surely that would be a bit runny to put in a sandwhich? Englishnerd 23:14, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Look at the picture in our Biscuits and gravy article. And it is eaten with a fork - not as a sandwich. Rmhermen 23:57, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I knew that American-style biscuits can be silly, but I didn't know they can also fly kites.  --Lambiam^Talk 01:00, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Fly kites ? StuRat 02:04, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, biscuits <> crackers. But I stand by my statement- if the original poster is interested in mass production of large quantities, he or she will need a lot of specialized equipment to both speed up the process, and reduce the variation between batches. Very similar to the question asked some time ago about batch processing vs. continuous processing. Now I suppose making biscuits in small batches, with resulting slight variations in quality or consistency can be a selling point, as it would differentiate these new biscuits from other brands of mass-produced biscuits already on the market. 192.168.1.1 6:10, 10 November 2006 (PST)

the image in Biscuits and gravy doesn't look like gravy; Firstly ist too thick, and secondly, it's white! Is tht normal in the US what is gravy made out of over there? Englishnerd 10:42, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's "white gravy". Follow the link to Gravy in the Biscuits & Gravy article for a brief description of white gravy - although there's no description of "brown gravy" in there. In my experience, biscuits & gravy always comes with white gravy, and is typically a breakfast food. Brown gravy is a dinner (supper?) food, typically served over meat, such as turkey or pot roast. And yes, proper gravy should be pretty thick, about as thick as spaghetti sauce, but of course personal preference comes into play. I loves me some thick biscuits & gravy, preferrably with sausage chunks in the gravy too. 192.168.1.1 10:20, 11 November 2006 (PST)

Just to add to the general confusion, we have biscuits (like the US) in Canada, but we don't eat them for breakfast or with anything called "white gravy". We eat them with dinner, often with stew or soup. They're not always made from buttermilk, though. Often instead of making biscuits we add some extra liquid to the biscuit dough, drop blobs on the surface of the stew we're cooking, cover, and cook them for half an hour or so - those are what we call "dumplings". I think Americans have dumplings too but they cook them in water, not in stew. This is more common on the prairies than out East. --Charlene 13:54, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

So are biscuits dumplings; suet based bread normlly cooked in stew? MHDIV Englishnerd 23:16, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Auto Engine Oil Leak

How do you fix a oil leak in the main seal?

Replace the gasket? --Tagishsimon (talk)

Replacing the rear main seal is very difficult, frequently requiring the engine to be partially lifted. Take it to a garage. StuRat 18:01, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

here's more --Tagishsimon (talk)

Whats the main seal any way?

Given the workspace in most engine compartments, replacing either the front or rear crankshaft oil seals usually requires pulling the engine (and/or transaxle/transmission). About the only things you can replace in situ are the seals on the camshaft and the gaskets on the cam covers and oil pan..

Atlant 19:16, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

So the original question is ambiguous as it doesnt say whether the main seal being refeerd to is the front seal or the rear seal. Is one more main that the other?--Light current 19:21, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Would it be permissible to ask how one might develop such an oil leak? --Light current 19:32, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

The seals just naturally break down over time, but vibration and chemicals in the oil can make it happen quicker. StuRat 19:36, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Is it possible that too high an oil pressure can actually blow one? And what would happen if you blew a seal on the main highway.--Light current 23:55, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

It's normally a small leak, to start with, so you aren't likely to run out of oil before your next stop. Hopefully you will notice the puddle of oil under the car before you do run out. I'd say the oil light will tell you when there's a problem, but don't count on that, they often go off too late to prevent engine damage, if at all. StuRat 01:20, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

The main seals are usually exposed only to the ambient crankcase pressure (which is usually quite near atmospheric pressure), but if the PCV system breaks down, pressure in the crankcase can definitely force a seal out or just plain blow oil past an otherwise-OK oil seal. Also, as StuRat points out, seals do just wear out. Remember how the seal is constructed: It's just an elastomeric ring of some kind pressing on the rotating steel crankshaft. The elastomer is compressed against the crankshaft by a small steel spring that surrounds the seal, but eventually, the seal wears down enough that the spring can no longer apply load to the seal and the seal begins to leak. Also, one bit of grit that, by bad luck, happens to get to the wrong place can rapidly destroy the seal, scratch the crank, or both. It's common for seals to fail (to at least a small degree) somewhere north of 100,000 miles/150,000 km or so.

Atlant 14:42, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

If the reason you want to stop the leak is to sell the car, the best and cheapest way to temporarily stop it is to pour a cupful of dry porage oats into the oil filler - seriously.

That's seriously unethical. And, if you don't care about ethics, consider that the person you sell the lemon to might very well shoot you. StuRat 08:29, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah but do seals like porridge?--Light current 00:03, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

Help! i need help with the ladies

I'm a hopeless romantic trying to get a date.. im a nice 19 year old guy and fairly good looking but i get realy nervous around girls im attracted to and find my self out of words or saying things that dont make sense. what can i do??????

also, i cant dance, and i dont drink.. so dont suggest hitting the night club plz.

Of course, what you're describing is normal. Look at anxiety for some general tips. Perhaps you would be better off meeting girls at parties or by joining groups that girls you are attracted to join. -THB 19:57, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Go to Church. You get some nice girls there who dont drink (much)--Light current 19:59, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

But be careful with Catholic girls, as they have premarital sex as much as anyone else, but sometimes skip the birth control, since "that would be immoral". StuRat 20:25, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm not taking a pro-Catholic stance, but was that ill-considered remark really intended to be humorous, Stu? If so, consider it a total failure. If you have a POV about Catholic morals, here isn't the place for it. JackofOz 05:49, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, since you are a regular contributor, I will line it out for you. StuRat 05:55, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Very much appreciated, thank you. Although I don't see what difference it makes whether I'm a regular or not. My sole concern was that it was potentially very offensive to Catholics in general (which don't include me, btw). JackofOz 05:59, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't feel that non-contributors have a right to criticize the contributions of others, or at least, I don't weight their opinions very much compared with those of regular contributors. I still haven't found anyone who says that they themselves are offended, just that they guess that somebody else may be offended. I'd prefer to avoid guessing, myself, and leave things alone unless somebody is actually offended. But, since you're a regular, I'll even give your "guess" the same weight as somebody actually being offended. StuRat 06:07, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Im not offended, but if it was to be sanitised, replacement of the word 'Catholic' by the word 'some' would have done the trick! --Light current 23:25, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Good point. JackofOz 23:53, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

A good way to meet women, or indeed make friends in general, is to participate in activities that you enjoy; that way you'll have something in common with the people you meet. Religious gatherings are indeed one example; any kind of volunteer work on a cause you think is important would be another, as THB alluded to. -- SCZenz 23:35, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Also avoid referring to them as "the ladies". They are women. Also keep your personal hygene to a descent standard and try to have some sense of personal style to what you wear. The bookstores in your area might have a book club, or there might be other activities you might enjoy that would take you into the presence of women. Try to spark up a conversation and be interested in her - not her clevage or other attractive part of her anatomy. Robovski 06:24, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

I think an "ascent standard" would be more appropriate. :) JackofOz 05:52, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Can one find gals in Churches in the Middle East?

Why, yes, but they may be separated from the men, and in any case it may be socially inappropriate to address them uninvitedly. I'm assuming you don't mean tourists. Unless you're thoroughly familiar with the local culture (but posing this question suggests you're not), it is not a good idea to take the initiative directly.  --Lambiam^Talk 09:20, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner

When will the Coyote catch the Road Runner?Mr.K. 20:25, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Never! If he did, it would be the end of the series. 8-)--Light current 20:28, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

When ACME fixes their quality control issues. :-) StuRat 20:30, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

They probably won't fix their quality, as long as one faithful consumer is remaining... ;) 惑乱 分からん 20:55, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Quality is not the ACME formula for business success, fulfilling senseless and/or obscure customer demands with the requested product in next to no time on easy coyote credit terms is their business model. If Amazon had to come up with a pair of rocket skates or a snowmachine/helicopter in 5 seconds, I don't think they'd be much good either, but they wouldn't have it to you on the never never in less than 30 seconds. Robovski 23:44, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

He already did catch the Road Runner, in Soup or Sonic (1980). Anchoress 23:58, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

OK. Game Over!--Light current 00:03, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Does anyone need me to explain what Never-Never refers to? Oops, I just did. JackofOz 05:56, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't get it, why the redirect to the Outback ? StuRat 05:58, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

The Australian outback is often known as "the never never". There's a famous Australian novel set in the outback called "We of the Never Never". It was later made into a movie [5]. Until now I'd never heard this term used to refer to any non-Australian desert. See also Never never land (last sentence). JackofOz 06:09, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Right, but what does any of this have to do with the cartoon characters, which are set in the US South West ? StuRat 06:33, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

From the last sentence of Robovski's post: "... they wouldn't have it to you on the never never in less than 30 seconds". He seemed to be assuming that never never can refer to any desert area, anywhere, including the U.S. south west. I don't think that's the case. If it is the case, our articles will need updating. JackofOz 06:51, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, thanks for explaining. I've never heard the expression before, except for in Peter Pan, where it has an entirely different meaning. StuRat 07:02, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. JackofOz 07:09, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Interesting. Given the reference to Coyote Credit, I was assume the meaning of 'on the never-never' intended was that of selling people products they will never finish paying for, like paying 50p a month for a TV from Cash Converters. Once again, the endless varieties of language amaze! Skittle 22:36, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

You got it - common UK way of saying 'easy credit' or long-term low regular payment schemes. Robovski 15:37, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

OK Game now over!--Light current 00:45, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

Start button in windows

Why do you end windows with the start button?Mr.K. 20:35, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Because it starts the process of ending Windows. It's perfectly logical really. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 20:36, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

As logical as any other Microsoft feature! Marco polo 20:58, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

It starts the shutdown program--Light current 00:04, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

It's the start of a return to normal life.  --Lambiam^Talk 01:03, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

No, that's the X-button in the wikipedia window. Cbrown1023 01:05, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

it's really cause that is the start of all the programs you can do and supposed to be where everything is accessible from. The links on your desktop, quick links, etc, are all just extra stuff that is added. Plus, Gates couldn't think of anything else to call it. Cbrown1023 01:06, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Because speaking English kills. SWAdair 07:16, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Conditions in Kerala and Tamil Nadu

I will be traveling to Kerala and Tamil Nadu later this month. I have three sets of questions about both states:

1. Do men in these states wear shorts (short pants) other than at the beach, or is this considered in poor taste?

2. I know that the monsoon season is still underway, although it is past its peak. What is the typical weather pattern? Does it often remain cloudy and rainy all day, or does the rain more often come in discrete bursts?

3. How widespread is knowledge of English in these states? Is Tamil understood in Kerala as well as Tamil Nadu? (I know that the prevailing language in Kerala is Malayalam, but I want to assess whether a basic knowledge of Tamil would be useful in Kerala, since I don't have time to study both languages.)

Thank you!

Marco polo 21:04, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Hello, Marco. Here are some general answers to your questions.

Wearing shorts in town would not be considered in poor taste (though this depends how 'short' your shorts are), though it will tend to mark you out as a tourist. Most Indian men wear long trousers. You should be prepared for any eventuality, though, and it's always best to show respect in visiting sacred sites.

The rain during the monsoon tends to come in short, though sometimes very heavy bursts. It rarely lasts for the whole day.

English is widely spoken by all educated Indians, and most ordinary people will have a few basic phrases; so you should get by. Malayalam is closely related to Tamil; so any Tamil you have should be understood in Kerala.

Have a good trip. Clio the Muse 01:54, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

1. It is better to wear long trousers.

2. For the last four weeks or so in Chennai, it is cloudy most of the time and it rains two or three times on most days. This usually continues till early December.

3. In Kerala, you can manage with Tamil or English. In Tamil Nadu, you should be okay with English in cities, but it may be tough in smaller towns. Tintin (talk) 09:04, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

1. Long trousers would be a better choice. Shorts, (as long as they aren't too short), should be fine while in the cities.

2. It remains slightly humid during the day and usually rains in the evening in Kerala. Right now, it is the tourist season here. The climate therefore shouldn't be too hostile for you.

3. Like Tintin said, you should get away fine with English and Tamil in Kerala. In TN too, most people (especially in the cities) should understand English. But be careful to speak slowly. Your broken Tamil, coupled with lots of hand gestures should do the trick. Enjoy your holiday. Cheers!--thunderboltz^(Deepu) 14:41, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

This site is amazing. Jørgen 22:20, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

A quandary

Do they sterilize the needle used in lethal injection? I've been mulling it over, and can't find any consensus. bibliomaniac15 Review? 23:18, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

All needles are manufactured and sterilized at the factory; unless they reuse needles or something the doctor doesn't have a choice between sterile and unsterile needles --froth^{T C} 23:26, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

And the convict gets his arm swapped with alcohol before the injection. See the Straight Dope story ob this. Rmhermen 23:51, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

What? They swap his arm for alcohol? What is the point? So when people say : 'Id give my right arm for a good stiff drink', is this what they mean? 8-)--Light current 23:56, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the word is "swabbed", not "swapped". StuRat 00:52, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Ah that would explian it!!--Light current 00:55, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it probably just boils down to following the standard procedure for starting an IV. There are certain steps that are always followed. Although I don't believe that alcohol makes the blood vessels "rise to the surface", wetting the skin does make them more visible, especially in people with darker skin tones. -THB 00:03, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

The alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol) is used to avoid infection--Light current 00:10, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

And they have to do that to avoid a lawsuit (don't ask me why... if they don't succeed in killing someone thent they can't try again and could get sued...... it's weird...) Cbrown1023 00:56, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Also, in case of a last minute reprieve (when they've administered the sedative, but not yet the poison), they wouldn't want the prisoner to get some infection they have to deal with. StuRat 00:56, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes! And up to the final moment of death they are in the care and protection of the Prison System. This means that they have to give them medical service and meals, etc (which is why they need to sterilize needles and use alcohol). Cbrown1023 00:58, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

In addition, following the normal medical procedure probably helps the staff psychologically, as they can tell themselves "I'm not putting someone to death, I'm just injecting the patient with the prescribed dosage of the proper concentration of the designated solution". StuRat 00:59, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Reading the article on Lethal injection it appears that its a medical technician who tends to start the IV and and a member of the prison staff who actually loads the lethal chemicals. With that distinction in place, it seems to me that it could be argued (though its a weird argument) that for a medically trained person to knowingly expose a "patient" to possible infection would be a violation of the Hippocratic oath, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the IV's insertion. Dina 21:52, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

I can't see any reason why they wouldn't just follow the same procedure for any other injection. You would have to go out of your way to not follow procedure, and thus what seems like a futile act is really just routine and the simplest thing to do. I'm guessing it is a case of there is no real reason NOT to just act like a normal procedure (it seems a little simplistic to say "why bother s/he's going to die anyway") ny156uk 00:05, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, what is there really to gain by not sterlising the needle or cleansing the skin with alcohol? A few spared seconds of the executioner's time. It doesn't compensate for the potential problems described above by far. JIP | Talk 07:54, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, the executioner doesn't sterilize the needle; it comes sterile from the manufacturer. Needles these days are only used once no matter the circumstnaces. The executioner would have to work to make it non-sterile, and why would he? THB is right that alcohol doesn't actually "make the vein rise"; what it does is slightly dehydrate the skin and remove any dirt and oil, which makes finding the vein a little easier. They use alcohol instead of water because wipes already come premoistened with alcohol (again, why reinvent the wheel?), and alcohol removes dirt and oil better than water. --Charlene 14:02, 12 November 2006 (UTC)