Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 November 24

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Monticello Questions

1. Why did Thomas Jefferson name his house Monticello (little mountain)?

2. How many rooms does Monticello have?

3. How long did it take to build Monticello?

4. Who helped Thomas Jefferson build Monticello?

5. Thomas Jefferson had six children and only two of them survived, who were the two surviving children?

6. Why was Monticello built in Charlottesville, Virginia?

7. Why did Thomas Jefferson travel to Europe and did it have anything to do with Monticello?

8. What happened to Monticello after Thomas Jefferson died?

9. Why does Monticello still exist today?

10. What is so special about Monticello?

if you could answer these ?'s before november 29, that would be great!68.225.230.232 04:29, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps Monticello might be of assistance. By the way, next time start your question at the bottom of the page. -- Sturgeonman 22:38, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

November 24

Smell of woman

I was asking what causd the smell form womans minge and sumbody rubbed it out. were can I go to get anser on this? I need to know plees.

Meh. I deleted it because I believe you're a troll, but I don't want to get into a fight about it. HERE is a link to your original post. Sorry if I was presumptuous with my deletion. Anchoress 03:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

thanks i want know what cause the smell from women who is sexuly excited?

Pheromones. A malodorous vagina usually results from bacterial infection or yeast growth. -THB 03:47, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Particularly, trimethylamine, as I answered in the first instance of this question that got deleted. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 06:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

minge Q moved to language desk.--Light current 14:06, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

And if you call it 'minge' you probably won't even get a whiff of one, I personally find that term repulsive, it has no place in any formal discussion I'm not surprised your previous attempt at this was deleted. The female reproductive organ is a whole other world of amazing, there is not 'one' particular smell to it, the biology that goes on inside there with the various substances and processes is as complex as anywhere in the human body. Vespine 00:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Education in Ontario

from where can i learn all about ontario's educational system. i am from quebec, and moving to ontario, and i have found that ontario's system is way different from quebec. therefore i am facing many problems to find out what level i deserve there.. can I somewhere find about this system.??

Start here: Category:Education in Ontario. -THB 04:05, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

i am 20, and i still do not have high school diploma, i cant go to high school. wat wud be other options for to start over.

One possibility is distance learning; see for example Avon-Maitland Distance Education Centre. You can (within reason) set your own pace, and combine this with having a job.  --Lambiam^Talk 06:14, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The article on GED indicates that it exists in Canada. -THB 06:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

you can attend high school in Ontario until and including the year you turn 21

ummm

Is it true that if a woman has consensual anal sex with you and then later decides that it "hurt too bad" (and who really hasn't been in that situation with a chick at least once), she can now sue you for damages or press charges against you? Pynopoulous 06:11, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

She'd probably get thrown out of court. EDIT: Unless there was serious damage (as in surgery or a long ER stay) AND if the damage required her to lose money (eg. lost time for work). --Wooty Woot? contribs 06:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Rubbish, your not legally responsible for her health, she cant sue you for anything, if it wasnt consentual she may be able to have you arrested, but if it was consentual, its her own fault for consenting, even if it costs her a lot of money. Philc _T^E_C^I 14:44, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

(after edit conflict) If requesting legal advice ask a lawyer instead. My understanding is: Yes, she can sue you and press charges. Whether she stands a chance in court is another matter, unless she claims that she was forced, or that you refused to stop when she told you to, in which case we are talking about (allegations of) rape. Is there a medical report? Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is not advice of any kind, and I have no idea what I'm talking about.  --Lambiam^Talk 06:23, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

BOOKS ON banking business

Are there any good titles on Banking business. 06:54, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Please be more specific. Do you mean investment banking? Do you want books about banks in the UK? U.S.? Australia? Chile? China? Do you want to know how to choose the best checking account, how to start a bank? Thanks. -THB 07:36, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Escorts

What are some good ways to 1) make sure you get a good-looking fun call girl and 2) make sure she doesn't rip you off or steal your stuff, when you order up an escort? Pynopoulous 07:00, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

1. You can't. But you can politely tell her no thank you if, when she shows up at your door, she doesn't look like her picture.
2. Fun is extremely subjective, and difficult to quantify.
3. Use an agency or call an ad you've seen in a reputable newspaper for a while with the same phone number.
4. Depending on your area, check out an escort review board. But be warned that they are often secretly biased in favour of paid advertisers. And they are furthermore often populated by really seedy 'hobbyists'.

--Anchoress 07:05, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I saw on a show that the biggest insult that one fighting porn queen can invoke on another is that she did 'escort'. --Zeizmic 20:54, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

(Discussion about the question moved to talk page Natgoo 10:16, 25 November 2006 (UTC))

• Meet him/her in a public place, and don't visit any private places, and you're not likely to get robbed. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:43, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't know. If I were going to do something with an escort, I would probably prefer visiting a private place. ps, nice work, Anchoress. --Justanother 04:20, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

clicking on hotlink of the article of the day - defect

When I click on the (more..) or the hotlinked name Belgrade on todays' article (11/24/06), it brought me to a page that says "fuck you" - however, the search feature on left side window for Belgrade worked - just thot you should know.... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.175.226.54 (talk • contribs) 13:14, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The page (Belgrade) was vandalised. Our anti-vandalism bot already reverted it almost instantly (half an hour ago), you must have been very unlucky to see it. See Wikipedia:Vandalism for more information. If you see something like this again, you can either revert it yourself - it's easy - or come back in a few minutes when someone else almost certainly will have done. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 13:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

lonely this christmas

can you please tell me if the record was originaly brought out by "Mud", and not by elvis presley.

    Thanking You B.Bradley

• Take a look at Lonely This Christmas. Weregerbil 14:03, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Search for entries which appear in Wikipedia in various languages...

I was wondering if it is possible to find a list of which Wikipedia language versions a search term entry appears in. For example if I was looking for the entry "George Washington", it would tell me that there is an article for this term which appears in English, French, Chinese and so on. Thanks.

If you go to George Washington or indeed any other article, you will find that in the bottom right hand corner of your page it says "other languages", meaning those languages which also carry that article. Hope that helps. Cheers, Jpeob 14:25, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Interesting, it's at the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar for me (down beneath the Search box and Toolbox) ... and I think I use the standard layout, so maybe yours is different. --Maelwys 14:38, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes it is on the left for me too. Thanks for the help.

Alternatively, you could do a google search within the wikipedia.org domain, as in: site:wikipedia.org "George Washington". That would return results from all languages. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 17:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Although that possibly would leave out languages not using the Latin alphabet. 惑乱 分からん 20:06, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

But AFAIK the interwiki links are not automatic: they require somebody to have created them. (Or is there a bot that does it?) --ColinFine 13:40, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

There's an external tool which will find articles with the same title across multiple languages, which generally only works with proper nouns: names of people and places, band names, and so on. See http://vs.aka-online.de/cgi-bin/globalwpsearch.pl?search=George+Washington&timeout=120&minor=1

Hope that helps — Catherine\^talk 01:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Element?

I am doing a report on an element of my choosing. Which one would be a good one? Яussiaп F 15:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Plutonium is one of the more exciting ones at a physical and chemical level (to speak nothing of its applications). This Los Alamos magazine issue about Plutonium talks about some of its remarkable characteristics (see esp. "Plutonium, an element at odds with itself."). --24.147.86.187 15:28, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I once did a school report on plutonium myself. I remember reading that plutonium is the most poisonous element there is. JIP | Talk 15:49, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

That happens to be false, by the way. Plutonium is no more toxic than any other heavy metal. There are many substances and elements more toxic to humans than plutonium. The WP article explains quite a lot on this point. Whether one thinks plutonium is the most "dangerous" (broadly defined) element has nothing to do with its toxicity (it is dangerous from a social point of view, it is dangerous from a carcinogenic point of view, but it is not dangerous from a toxicity/poison point of view, at least not significantly more dangerous than, say, lead). --24.147.86.187 16:19, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Wa'al, it depends on how you look at it. Plutonium is a radiological hazard - an extreme one. Mind-bogglingly tiny amounts, deposited into the right tissues will kill you dead. The human body will aggressively cooperate in migrating the plutonium to the right tissues, if it can. It won't be a chemical toxicity, but you'll face death nonetheless. On the other hand, it will be cancer that kills you, and it won't necessarily be fast. Given medical science advances, the ability to either extract the plutonium from the body, or cure the cancer, may change this in the future. This stuff is all too subtle for the mass media, which just call it the most poisonous element. Yes and no.

Of course, taking a detailed look at the complexity of the "toxicity" of plutonium might be a grand addition to a paper on plutonium. Good luck. Catbar (Brian Rock) 17:00, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

"Depends on how you look at it" — yes, it depends on whether or not you are trying to say plutonium is the most poisonous element on the planet or not. If you are, you're wrong, no matter how you want to interpret "poisonous". Nobody is saying plutonium is "safe" or "good for you", but calling it the most poisonous/toxic/radioactive/carcinogenic/etc. element is dead wrong in all cases. It only becomes remarkable if you less the charge to "dangerous" and refer to its use in nuclear weapons, which is a very different sort of claim. It's perfectly fine for people to have realistic discussions about the health effects of plutonium exposure or its role in nuclear proliferation; it is quite another thing to say statements which are highly misleading and frankly downright incorrect and pass it off as "depends how you look at it." If "depends how you look at it" passes in the weakest sense then you can say anything about the world ("The Nazis were great people, depending on how you look at it"). --140.247.240.219 17:35, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Ok, what is the most poisonous element on the planet? A silly question in a sense, and silly in how it is usually posed in the media, but not so from a practical point of view. Until you begin discussing the basis of your definition of "poisonous", or "toxic", or "dangerous", or whatever media-hot, scary term you want to substitute, you're nowhere. If you're extremely unlucky, one atom of plutonium, shooting off its alpha particle directly into your lung tissue, might cause cancer, which might kill you. But you're in the same position with one atom of strontium-90 in your bone, tossing off a beta particle. If you're unlucky, you'll wind up dead. In that sense, any radioactive toxin has a huge potential to kill, in single atom quantities. But some radioactive materials don't have highly energetic emissions, or don't go into sensitive tissues so readily, so there is a hierarchy of risk. I think most knoledgable people would agree that plutonium is at the top, among likely radiological hazards. One atom of plutonium in the lung is a higher risk than one atom of strontium-90 in the bone, which is a higher risk than one atom of tritium anywhere in the body. Plutonium is very, very, very, very dangerous stuff to have in your body, in any quantity, and in that sense is the most "deadly" material in a list of practical hazards. This isn't relativism in its worst sense, it's risk assessment and it reflects the real dangers of a given material to life in the long term. Catbar (Brian Rock) 18:25, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you're not aware but there are a number of relatively well-defined ways to define toxicity. You can hem and haw all you want but the fact is that plutonium is not under any definition "the most poisonous element" or "the most toxic element." It is not among the most radiologically active or even dangerous elements — you can be exposed to plutonium dust, inhale it, and still probably live two decades before you get any symptoms of lung cancer. A lot better off than you'd be with a lot of substances. You can do a lot of things with plutonium that you can't do with many other substances — you could ingest it, even have it injected into your blood, and the odds are it will pass right through you. I'd take that over exposure to a wide range of substances — radioactive and otherwise — any day. Plutonium has its hazards — of that nobody has doubted — by hyperbolic assessments of it don't help anyone. You speak about risk assessment but don't seem to know much about it. The odds of one atom of plutonium in your lung causing malignant cancer are pretty low (you get exposed to more radiation than that regularly from cosmic rays alone, much less X-rays) — if that's the sort of odds you are considering high, then you'd better not step into an automobile, which is considerably more dangerous for your health. --140.247.240.219 22:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Catbar, I'm not so sure you're right about the relative risk of an atom of plutonium vs one of Strontium-90. Consider that the half-life of Pu-239 is about 24000 years, so if you're going to live another hundred years, there's only a chance in 240 that that particular atom will decay at all. But if you're going to live even thirty years, it's fifty-fifty that the Sr-90 atom will. So the probability of harm from a plutonium decay would have to be two orders of magnitude greater than that from the strontium, which I suppose it might be, but you'd have to convince me.

In general short-lived nuclides are much more dangerous. Radium (1500 years) is far more dangerous than plutonium, and polonium-210 is immensely more dangerous. For a while there was a hypothesis that a significant part of the lung cancer caused by smoking was caused, not by "tar", but by polonium-210. I gather that this idea is not well-accepted these days, but it wasn't absurd on its face. --Trovatore 08:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I would add, plutonium and a flux capacitor make time travel possible. --Cody.Pope 06:49, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Other good choices depending on your interests: Gold, Silver, Iron, Mercury, Thallium, Fluorine, Chlorine, Lead, Uranium, Radium, Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, Sulfur and Aluminum. Unless you want a special challenge, stay away from the Lanthanoids, since they're pretty obscure elements unless you're a specialist. Catbar (Brian Rock) 15:41, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Polonium 210 has now taken on some international significance! --Zeizmic 15:50, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

If you choose a semiconductor there is a lot to talk about on an atomic level. Philc _T^E_C^I 15:56, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Sodium would be a pretty good one. It has some interesting chemical properties (reacting with water), some interesting biological ones (sodium ions play an important role in the nerves and the renal system) and some interesting physical properties (all the most distinctive lines of its emission spectrum occur in the yellow-orange spectrum, so it produces an intense yellow-orange flame), and it occurs in lots of common compounds (sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), sodium chloride (common salt) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)). Laïka 17:32, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I think we should ask the OP how many words (s)he has to write for this assignment.--Light current 19:53, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

And whether that's an upper or lower limit. JIP | Talk 20:41, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. It may be difficult to write 10k words on hydrogen. But not as difficut for plutonium 8-)--Light current 20:45, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

In high school, I had trouble keeping my English language class essays under the given upper limit. On the other hand, in the scientific writing class in university, I had trouble reaching the given lower limit for the practice scientific papers I had to write. That is an example of how greatly the effect of length limits can vary. JIP | Talk 21:00, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Don't you be dissin' hydrogen, yo! Okay, sure, plutonium is toxic and it has some flashy applications. But hydrogen one of the fundamental pillars on which nearly all of modern chemistry and all of biology rests. Without hydrogen bonding, we'd have no liquid water on Earth. Acid-base chemistry relies on those little guys (unless you are dealing with a very liberal definition of acid, see Lewis acid). Magnetic resonance imaging depends almost exclusively on the presence of hydrogen in the body. Hydrogen has been involved in any number of interesting disasters; it's also being touted as the energy currency of the future and a replacement for oil. Hydrogenation is a key process in preparing the tasty and oh-so-bad-for-you greasy ingredients in your lunch. 'Difficult to write 10k words on hydrogen'...Humbug! TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Did you notice the word 'may' in my post? Thats because I dont know the expertise of the OP. Obviously your knowledge of hydrogen is extremely extensive 8-)--Light current 15:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Arsenic has a nice mix of properties and uses, both harmful and beneficial, which would make for an interesting essay. Read the article. Its use in homicidal poisonings add the potential for some mystery. Seejyb 23:10, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I am sorry, I think "report" has been misinterpereted. "Presentation" would be a more accurate word. Яussiaп F 23:38, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

OK How long is your presentation? 5 mins or 1 hour?--Light current 23:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Does it matter? I was just wondering if there was any particular element that anybody found neat. I just want some reccomendations. Яussiaп F 04:42, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I've always liked the name Molybdenum. I know it's used in some steel, but can't tell you much offhand. I just like the word. (Molly Be Denim?) - Rainwarrior 06:48, 25 November 2006 (UTC)* Carbon,it comes in three interesting forms and is the building block of life.hotclaws**== 09:29, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes it matters in that its going to be easier to find a lot to say about the more compelx elements rather than the the simpler ones with the same amount of resarch IMO--Light current 15:13, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Carbon is pretty interesting. -THB 18:53, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

feeding fish

i bred my betta fish and i know that they should have brine shrimp etc. for the fry, but are you able to feed them crunched up fish flakes as well?

That would be like cannibalism except it's fish. -THB 18:01, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't see why not. Lots of fish eat fish. If they don't like it they won't eat it. It's not cannibalism unless they eat their own species (as some fish do).--Shantavira 18:09, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The live food is preferred, but yes, in my experience they will grow on fine flakes. I used to buy the more expensive makes, but I really don't know if that makes much difference. Seejyb 22:53, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The simpsons!

Which is the episode when the simpsons go to the uk??? (and when was it first aired, (date))???

thx--84.66.162.225 19:22, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

The Regina Monologues - first aired 23 November, 2003. Laïka 19:42, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Bah, just beat me to it. Found the answer in Tony Blair, no less :) GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 19:43, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Article says 2003 not 2006--Light current 19:51, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Whoops; that was a typo! Laïka 20:00, 24 November 2003 (UTC)

Wii

I'm an American. How can I get a Wii in time for Christmas without eBay?--216.164.249.59 20:25, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Why? Dont they sell Wiis in USA?--Light current 20:43, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I can't find any; I think they've sold out.--216.164.249.59 20:53, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

It's too late to reserve them, I think. You may want to try online retailers (amazon.com, overstock.com). There'll be an opportunity somewhere, eventua-wii. bibliomaniac15 21:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Shoot! Theyve only just started advertising them on TV in UK!--Light current 22:23, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Besides eBay, you can try asking retailers when they're going to get their next shipment. If you're lucky and get there quickly on the date they give, you might get away with one. They won't necessarily reveal this information though. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 22:39, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Reports I've seen indicate that a number of retailers, having seen their first shipments disappear almost immediately, have held back a small number of units that will be released later - though that may have been for the whole big-shopping-day crush today, and if that's the case, well... best of luck next spring. Tony Fox (arf!) 23:24, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Help fixing a paragraph?

Hello,

I came across passage on the wiki page for the actor, Frank Silvera:

"Morgan Freeman , director/actress Billie Allen and journalist Clayton Riley honored Sivera and his efforts to support African American actors and playwrights by co-founding the Frank Silvera Writer's Workshop Foundation, Inc. in 1973. In existence for over 30 years, the organization continues to sponsor up-and-coming African American playwrights."

The problem with this paragraph is that it does not mention the man who first came up with the idea to pay tribute to Frank by creating the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop, and got the others (who are listed) on board, and who is still running the Workshop to this day. This would be my father, Garland Lee Thompson. Without him there would be no workshop, then or now, and I would like to see that he gets his proper credit in the Wikipedia. I have created an account so I can edit pages, but apparently I cannot edit the page/text that this passage was written in. Can someone please tell me how I can fix this?

Thanks!

Radiodogg

You most likely clicked on the edit link below the text you wanted to edit. The edit links appear above the section to which they refer. Click on the edit this page link at the top and you will be all set.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 23:02, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Userboxes

How do I put an image into a userbox just like the windows series from The Raven's Apprentice? I'd like to make a better "This user uses windows Vista" Userbox, but I only know how to put text in. Please let me know on My Talk Page.

• Responding. - Mgm|^(talk) 16:16, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Cornell U

Hi I'm doing a small project on Cornell University. Does anyone any interesting facts or information about the university? For example, largest stadium in Ivy League or something. Thanks. Jamesino 00:26, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

By "interesting facts" do you mean trivia? If you Google "Cornell trivia" a bunch of stuff comes up. --24.147.86.187 00:57, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I assume you been here? --Justanother 03:07, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Found this here: "The largest indoor natural rock climbing wall in North America is at Cornell." --Justanother 03:11, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi

hi, i am facing many skin problems. i have got many pimples and acne problems. i have consulted docters and they everytimr recommend me some cream, but creams adversely effect on my skin. can u plz help me out. i dont want to look ugly. i cant even talk properly to people when i feel they must be looking my face. please suggest some best and domestic way to clear up my face and body.

What's your age? If you are still in your teens or early teens, waiting it out is probably the best option — eventually after your horomones stop going crazy you will start to clear up. If your doctors have not put you on a prescription medication there is probably a reason, and there are no magic bullets for getting rid of acne other than creams and medications. What sort of "adverse effects" are you talking about? Most acne medications will dry-out your skin to some extent, but it can be a trade-off in symptoms (ones that feel bad versus ones which look bad). --24.147.86.187 01:02, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Wash your face with mild, alcohol-free facial cleansers before going to bed. Apply a doctor recommended anti-acne cream. Do not overwash your face. Jamesino 01:09, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

By 'overwash' I suppose you mean using too much soap. I don't see how to much water could be bad. Btw, if (too much) soap is bad it actually makes sense to rinse extra with water if you use soap. DirkvdM 07:06, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

"Overwash" means to wash to much, I.E to hard for to long and to often each day.AMX 18:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

The issue of 'overwashing' is controversial. There are two issues; one is that touching your face increases blood flow and oil secretion, which are perceived as being negatives (they aren't necessarily); two is that too-vigorously stripping your face of natural oils, over-exfoliating, and overly-vigorous scrubbing can have an adverse effect on your skin: drying it, irritating blemishes, causing micro-tears which can introduce bacteria to the skin, stimulating an inflammatory reaction and more. I'm not saying Jamesino is wrong, particularly since people with blemishes often do over-wash their faces (although this is itself compounded by the over- or improper use of cleansing agents and materials such as scrubs, medicated towelettes, etc), but it is very particular to the individual. Depending on a person's body chemistry and level of activity, using a gentle cleanser and bare fingertips, someone could wash their face for 15 or 20 seconds up to 4 times a day without 'over washing'. For other people, more than once a day is too much. It is important for blemished skin to be clean, and it is also important to gently exfoliate on a regular basis, since blemishes are not just oil, they are also dead skin cells, makeup, dirt, and microbes. Anchoress 08:53, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Also, limit your consumption of oily foods and particularly trans-fatty acids, which can clog the pores. StuRat 10:49, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

There are some treatment tablets that exist that help drying out the sebaceous glands and are available on prescription. These are very efficient against heavy acne. You should see a dermatologist and ask him about them. Keria 11:51, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Is it those glands that make us look like Sebaceans? DirkvdM 07:22, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

SuRat, oily foods only colg your pores if you rub them on your skin! Trans-fatty acids clog your blood vessels, not your pores. Acne is unaffected by what you eat. It's caused by bacteria.

Well, StuRat has this thing against trans-fatty oils and trans-Jordanian oil producing countries. DirkvdM 07:22, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Try eating a heavy trans-fat diet one week and see if your acne isn't worse than when you eliminate them the following week. The difference is quite dramatic. (There is a 1-3 day lag from trans-fat intake to skin condition change.) StuRat 08:07, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I have tried this in the past. I never saw any difference. 128.122.9.70 20:01, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

The best way to keep acne under control, as others are saying, is to 1. gently but thoroughly clean the face two to four times a day, 2. use an acne cream containing 2.5% to 10% benzoyl peroxide (which can be found very cheap at Family Dollar - ClearZit at $!/tube if you live in the U.S.), and 3. in cases of severe acne causing scarring, -cycline drugs are given, such as tetracycline. Sunlight may also be beneficial but benzoyl peroxide and tetracycline make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. When you start using benzoyl peroxide it will irritate your skin a little but within two weeks you should see a huge improvement. -THB 14:05, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

At age 16 or so, I had dreadful acne (infected pustules across my back and shoulders) - swollen, painful boils that were so ugly and huge and embarrassing, I stopped swimming or showering at school. So off I went to the local Consultant Dermatologist who plied me for about 5 years with pills, potions, powders, scrubs, soft soap solutions, pastes, creams and anti-biotics. When those failed, he exposed my naked torso, back and front to extremely powerful ultra-violet light, and then moved on to localised x-ray bombardment. Nothing worked, and I am now badly scarred, can't go uncovered in the sun, and am extremely sensitive to chlorinated water. But interestingly, on one visit to the Dermatologist, he was away to a conference and I was seen by his Registrar (UK junior specialist). He told me never to repeat his advice to the senior doctor, but at medical college, he had been advised that there was no medical cure for teenage acne, and I should instead go for nature's cure, which was to find a "Good Bad Woman", and my excess hormones would find release. So I took his advice, repeatedly, and my spots disappeared, and have never ever reappeared. But I had to find the Good Bad Women personally as the National Health Service didn't supply them on prescription. 81.145.241.215 19:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

That's what everyone used to say in the '50s and '60s -- sex will clear up your skin. They made up some urban-legend bullshit about hormones, but there was absolutely no science backing it up, and there still isn't. For one thing, why wouldn't masturbation work as well as sex? And if you were so dreadfully scarred, how did you find anyone willing to have sex with you? 128.122.9.70 20:01, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I Have been told by 2 Drs that there is no "cure" for teenage acne, simply "calming measures" creams and pills which you can take (dependant on you) which reduce there size and visibility. The best adivce I can give is to use facial clensing wipes(the stuff girls use to remove make-up), the slightly pricy ones you get in good chemists/pharmasits and make sure they have some natural elements to them I.E. ginger extract or essance of cucumber. Belive me I know it sounds silly and un-scientific but its probrably the closest thing to a cure. Use them as soon as you get up in the morning and just before you turn the light out to go to sleep. At no point in the day EVER touch your face. The acne won't go away totally but it will massivly improve.AMX 18:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

My sister had serious skin problems in the face when she was a teenager. I don't know too much about it (not even sure if it was acne) but she got a treatment that involved removing skin, after which she couldn't expose herself to the Sun. It helped, but after a few treatments she stopped because it was a long lasting treatment and not being able to go out is no fun for anyone, but especially when you're a teenager. DirkvdM 07:32, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Stress can be a major contributor. You become worried about your skin, which produces more of whatever hormone which is causing the problem and so it works in a vicious cycle. If you're really desperate, you could try some alternative therapy, like a homeopath or something. Even that won't fix it overnight, but the important thing is not to worry about it, which you don't seem to be doing. Mix Lord 23:24, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

(Ro)accutane. The challenge may be to get someone willing to prescribe it for you. Try to get to see a specialist.

It's purely a question of inputs (food) versus outputs (pimple discharge). See healthy eating. 64.59.144.21 16:54, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Errr, no it isn't see acne vulgarisAMX 15:32, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Guitar wiring

Where can I find wiring diagrams for the insides of a basic electric guitar? -71.212.78.49 01:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Google. The first result that came up for me was this. Guitars aren't really very complicated as far as electronics go. If you have any specific questions about it, feel free to ask. - Rainwarrior 06:32, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Availability of Arab/Middle-Eastern restaurant food and textiles in Toronto, Canada

• In Toronto, how many restaurants serves Iranian cuisine?

• Afghani cuisine?

• Arab cuisine?

• How many stores sell Iranian stuff?

• Afghani stuff?

• Arab Stuff?

(70.53.94.61)

I'd suggest looking here. Anchoress 02:32, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

food (bread) definition

Question moved to WP:RD/L

Information about a specific style of "happy" music

There's this particular style for musical scores that I've been wanting to know more about for years now. I believe they're related to old educational films of some sort, possibly ones related to urban or suburban life in the 50's...

The music has a very distinct happy style featuring violins, particularly the heavy use of pizzicatos. It is frequently mocked nowdays in TV shows such as The Simpsons (particularly Homer's daydreaming scenes), Ren & Stimpy and SpongeBob SquarePants, to name a few. The music is always associated with ultra-happy moments and scenes.

Fortunately, I happen to have a sample of this right here. It's from the game The Sims, one of the tunes for the buying mode. Take a listen (ogg vorbis - 130 kB)

I'm looking for any sort of information about this. A name for the genre, if it exists, would be great! Thanks in advance! ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 08:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

The nearest thing I can think of to a 'genre' is 'nineteenth century Viennese pop', with such superstars as Johann Strauss II. Entertainment, not music. Your Sims soundtrack has more modern elements to it, but the essence and influence is there. But then I'm not an expert in that sort of thing, I just trust my ear. I could be way off track.

Nah, I'm pretty sure it's a modern thing. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 11:04, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure that this sort of thing is related to old educational films per se, but it certainly is cliched, and there's nothing an old educational film does so well as play up on cliche. The Crying Orc 10:39, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Go here and listen to the Tritsch-tratsch polka piece, which is pretty typical and pretty bloody awful (one can imagine the Viennese ladies gossiping). Then you can decide if we're talking about the same thing. ;-) The Crying Orc 10:55, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

No. Not the same thing. May be an influence, but not what I'm looking for. The style I'm looking for is pretty distinct. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 11:04, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't think 19th century waltzes and polkas are really anything like this. I don't think you'll find much like this at all before the 20th century. I have suspicions that this style of music originated in 1950s television advertising, but it's just a hunch. I've never heard of a name for it, but I know exactly what you're talking about. - Rainwarrior 20:06, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Surrender of Hong Kong and Singapore

A couple of years ago, there was a programme on television stating that when Japan surrendered in 1945, in Singapore and Hong Kong, the Japanese refused to surrender to the British. The reason was that they had been told not to by the Americans, and an American navy task force was on its way to these places to seize them from the British. Apparently, the USA wanted bases of their own in the Far East.

When Winston Churchill heard of this, he sent the Royal Navy to blockade these ports, which it did. He asked President Truman what was going on. If the truth was but known, President Truman was not exactly certain but he stopped the American ships. It seemed like it was a plot by high ranking officers in the American government and armed forces. After that it was hushed up for all these years until that programme was shown on British television.

I can find nothing about this on the internet and emailed a department of the British Admiralty asking them for details; I never received a reply.

Hopefully you can help.

Thank you

Ronnie Mackenzie email; (removed)

Hi, Ronnie. Both Singapore and Hong Kong were retaken by the British in 1945. For the Americans, any American, to have acted in the fashion described-and for the Japanese to have responded in the manner you suggest-makes no sense. The US had, and would have, plenty of bases in the Far East. Such arbitrary action would have caused a major breach among the allies at a sensitive time. The whole scenario sounds, quite frankly, like the the plot for a diplomatic thriller. It's certainly not serious history. Clio the Muse 10:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

That would indeed have been a bad thing to do to an ally, but similar schemes happened in Europe between the western allied forces (especially the British, I believe) and the USSR, not cooperating much anymore because both sides wanted to capture as much land as possible. I don't know any other British stations other than the BBC. Was this a reliable tv station? DirkvdM 07:39, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I assume you are thinking of the British landing in Greece in 1944, Dirk? If so, even that was in pursuance of an agreement between Stalin and Churchill, rather than a land grab as such. But it is certainly true that Churchill wanted to save Greece from Communism. On your broader point, Britain and the USSR were 'allies of occasion', no more than that. This can hardly be said of the alliance between Britain and the USA. Clio the Muse 08:39, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

No, I was thinking of the final battles in Germany. If I remember correctly, Montgomery wanted to conquer as much land as possible to avoid the Russians getting too much control, while Roosevelt wanted to go catch Hitler and since he was appointed big boss he got his way. Something like that. DirkvdM 19:02, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for that clarification, Dirk. Actually, this is not quite correct. It is true that the while the commanders in the field may have have wished to advance in military terms as far within their reach as possible, in strict political terms the division of Germany had already been decided at Yalta. It was the US army that capture Leipzig in eastern Germany, but subsequently had to withdraw because this fell within the Soviet zone of control. But even in military terms were was some demarcation: both Berlin and Hitler fell within Stalin's orbit. Clio the Muse 09:30, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Hmm, yes, there was Yalta, but wass it that detailed? I clearly remember seeing a map with Russian troops heaing towards Denmark and troops from the West cutting them off and I believe they were Brits. DirkvdM 04:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, there was a detailed map of areas of post-war occupation, prepared well in advance of the Nazi capitulation. As for the soldiers, read again what I have written above. And in relation to Denmark, the Soviets took the island of Bornholm, but subsequently withdrew. Clio the Muse 10:06, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

river valley in china

i have a question which got me baffled.i am native to a river valley in northern china,what am i?i thot it was the yellow river but thats not it.what cud be the answer.i think its an animal or maybe a plant.i thot it was the northern snake head,but still not tha ansa.plse help.

There are usually hundreds of plants and animals native to most places. The question does not contain enough information for there to be one specific answer.--Shantavira 10:25, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Security tool at Electronics/Phone stores - what is it, where can I buy one?

My son is doing a science fair project involving a cellphone, and for his display he would like to place an actual phone that people can call. My concern is that it will be stolen immediately.
At electronics stores and telephone stores, there is some sort of lock that they place on the back of the phone so that it can be displayed 'securely'. Does anyone know what this kind of system is called, or even better, where I can purchase one? Thanks! 1001001 15:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Problem with all these devices, is that you have to glue something on the back that is impossible to remove. This makes it difficult to use after.... --Zeizmic 20:34, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah... phones don't have any built-in way to secure them (unlike a laptop, which usually has a way to plug in a securing wire). One thing you could try to do is to encase the phone in some sort of box and then lock the box to the table or something like that. You could even make it part of the exhibit — one phone could be in a faraday cage (and thus not be able to receive the microwave signal, though be visible to the public), while the other could be in some other sort of box. --24.147.86.187 20:54, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Uploading images

I have been trying to upload a self-created image for months but I just can't get the hang of the form. (Judging by the response when I asked on my blogging community I'm not alone.) The image is a jpg but when I try all I get is a message saying '" " is not an approved file format' or something like that. It never tells me what I'm doing wrong or how to do it differently. Sorry if this is the wrong forum but I couldn't find one that looked appropriate. Sheenagh 15:15, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

• Answered on their talk page. - Mgm|^(talk) 16:13, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Not quite answered because it hasn't been resoved yet. Why answer on the talk page? DirkvdM 07:44, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

One possibility is that the extension (.jpg at the end if it's a jpeg image) is missing. I have that sometimes (forget the reason) and it's a simple matter of adding it. DirkvdM 07:44, 26 November 2006 (UTC)