Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 February 7

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February 7

Information about birth and family records.

My grandfather's name is John Henry Seitz. He was born in Sulzbach Wurtenberg. Where can I find records on his family? He had two brothers named Edward and Fredrich, and a sister who stayed longer in Germany named Rosa Kubler. John Henry was born on August 22, 1869. He and his brothers came to America in approximately 1893. If you can give me any information my e-mail address is <email address and identifying information removed to protect questioner from spammers and junk mailers> Thanks you very much.70.169.119.99 01:28, 7 February 2007 (UTC)Joan Pollock

Your ancestors appear to be from Sulzbach an der Murr, a village in the Rems-Murr-Kreis (district) of southwestern Germany. A good source for early family records in Europe is often the baptismal record of the local church. If you can travel to this village, you might want to consult the baptismal record for the period in question. Though you would really need to know some German and to be able to read Frakturhandschrift, or Gothic handwriting, in which the records would have been written. Here is a guide to that script. Marco polo 02:56, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

You could try checking the Ellis Island records online at: [1] Rmhermen 03:51, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Running stores, while living in them

wondering exactly WHAT you'd call a shop that doubles as a residence (namely by having an upstairs/downstairs with living area), and if there are any resources on how, the legalities, pros and cons and such -- feb^talk 02:07, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Artists call them 'live-work', studios, maybe l'ateliers. The sex trade industry calls them 'incall locations'. Legalities and restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Anchoress 02:44, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Live-work's redirect told me what I need to know! thanks~ -- feb^talk 03:27, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Hey, I'm glad my answer helped. I didn't wikilink live-work because I didn't think we'd actually have an article on it, lol. However, to be honest I don't think the 'mixed use' redirect is perfectly analogous to what I meant when I said 'live-work', but if it helped you, that's the important thing. To be more clear, my building is 'mixed use', in that the first floor is commercial and the top three are residential, but it is also live-work, in that the residential units are zoned for artists' use, allowing us to treat our homes as commercial/industrial work spaces, with the attendant sound bylaw relaxation and tax benefits. However, the zoning of our building does not allow for people to live in their commercial units. A further however is that such zoning rules vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, so other places might have a totally different set of rules. Anchoress 18:39, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

A "mom and pop shop" sometimes means that, although it can also mean any small business. StuRat 05:55, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I would never refer to a mom and pop shop to mean that...as I have friends who run a shop, a mother father and daughter, which is in a shopping mall :) -- feb^talk 06:09, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Wargames history

What is the history of military simulation?

I was surprised I couldn't find this in the wikipedia. Who ran the first military simulation that was actually serious? People say chess and go were simulations of sorts but I don't buy that they are actually simulations, they may test general military accumen but to actually be of any value in preparing for or studying the results of a particular battle - they would have really limited use.

Thanks for your thoughts,

67.180.130.220 02:16, 7 February 2007 (UTC)Richard Garfield

Have you tried wargaming? It has a substantial history section. Clarityfiend 02:59, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

The dates of Wikipedia have been malfunctioned

The dates of Wikipedia:Reference desk/Mathematics have been malfunctioned for one week. Is it because nobody reported this incident to the management of Wikipedia? Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Mathematics#Contents is located wrongly at the bottom of the contents but not correctly at the top. Please understand that I am trying to help by drawing independent attention so that something can be done. Twma 04:27, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

We don't mind. But I don't see a problem. Perhaps it is an issue with your browser. Rmhermen 04:40, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

This problem isn't your browser, and it's not just affecting the science desk (for example, the computing reference desk is up to 490k because it hasn't been archived since January 20). There is a bot that does the archiving stuff, and apparently it has had some problems recently. The bot owner is already aware of the problem and working on getting it fixed. In the meantime, some people have been adding the headers manually. Dave6 08:56, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Needing Editorial/Experienced Assistance

Hi, I am making some major edits and clean-ups to move the Nancy Reagan article towards FA standards, but the are some things going on with the page characteristics. As I add text or citations, etc., they appear in the edit window but the bottom of the article is truncated. As I am still learning my way around here, some experienced guidance might be nifty. I was also going to ask about whether I can ask legal or medical questions about medical disoprders about suing people, but I guess fromt he FAQ that it ain't allowed. drat...Arcayne 04:53, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

The Wikipedia:Help desk is also a good place to ask this kind of a question; I'll copy your question there. V-Man737 05:01, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Tournament judgements in court?

Has it ever happened in big-money tournaments that a player appeals a referee's decision in court and/or pays a lawyer to advocate? NeonMerlin 06:07, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I think most people would agree that would be poor sportsmanship. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 07:17, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Interesting question. AFAIK the arbiters in all sports are the referee and then the sport's governing body. I wouldn't expect a court of law to have any jurisdiction over a game, as there are few "laws" governing games (unless there has been violence), just the rules laid down by the governing body. However, I suppose it might be possible for a player to sue for loss of earnings or even libel if they thought a wrong decision had been made to their detriment. Does anyone know of any cases?--Shantavira 08:42, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I would expect that the players are forced to accept binding arbitration. Rmhermen 17:22, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

In Cricket, I think questioning the referee's decision (or at least being a poor sport about it) can be judged to be 'bringing the game into disrepute' as happened last year.[2] Skittle 18:52, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Baseball's Pine Tar Incident wound up in court. The umpire disallowed George Brett's ninth-inning home run because there was too much pine tar on his bat. Brett's team, the Kansas City Royals, wound up losing by one run. The team protested the umpire's decision, and the commissioner of baseball upheld the protest, ordering the end of the game to be replayed. The other team, the New York Yankees, went to court and got a preliminary injunction against the resumption of the game. The appeals court threw out the injunction right before the game was about to restart. -- Mwalcoff 00:47, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Car honking for no reason

My friend was walking by his car, with the remote keyless system remote in his pocket, and the car honked for no apparent reason. There was nothing else in his pocket that could have pushed the buttons on the remote. Is there some way (besides ghosts) that a remote's proximity to the car could activate the horn? V-Man737 06:17, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Car alarm could've gone off and failed, or it might have just bumped itself. my cell phone has pretty sturdy keys, not the easiest things to trigger, yet I still pull it out of my pocket with #098623 on the screen from time to time. -- feb^talk 06:30, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

If his pants were tight, he might have squeezed the remote while walking. Marco polo 15:52, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Could be someone playing a trick on him. A friend or family member with the other remote for the vehicle pushing the botton just to confuse him. --ChesterMarcol 18:06, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

It was the barcode scanner in the car's sensory system recognising the remote's barcode and registering another sale.

Uh, okay. There was a short or something in the airbag sensor in my car, which caused the horn to start going off on its own while I was driving. I had to keep pounding on the steering wheel to get it to stop. This did not make the drivers around me happy, I can assure you. But then it started going off by itself late at night and annoying the neighbors as well as waking me out of a deep sleep. After several nights of this, the horn just stopped working altogether. But nobody wants to fix it for me because it involves getting into the inner workings of the steering wheel and they're afraid to touch the airbag. Corvus cornix 21:55, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Is it possable for me to be Jessus christ incarnate ?

David Earl Smith12.201.45.100 06:50, 7 February 2007 (UTC)Can you awnswer questions about an intamint, futuristic, personal lifes question ?

I'm pretty sure Jesus is intelligent to know who he is. Unless jesus got plastered. Is your vision blurry? -- feb^talk 06:57, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I think even the original original gangsta questioned his divinity, at least in his earlier years. Who is this Jessus of whom you speak? − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 07:13, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Possible? Sure. "With God all things are possible." But there are very few established religions that claim that Jesus is on the earth in corporeal form today (heck, I've met a few one-man religions that do ("I'm Jesus! Phineas give the hamster a Big Mac," etc.), but I don't know if that fully counts). messiah and second coming are interesting reads for this; I would under other circumstances recommend Messianic complex, but as of now the article is a stub in the most basic of stages. If you find conclusive evidence that you are Jesus, don't try too hard to get attention, as the truth will make itself known. ^_^ V-Man737 08:28, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I know a restuarant where the guy who buses dishes is named Jesus. One day the boss wanted him and he did not respond to a couple of times when the boss yelled "Hay-soos!" so the boss finally yelld "Hey JEEZUS" get over here and he responded. Not saying it was really him, but it makes ya wonder. Edison 15:30, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I think Jesus would know how to spell his own name. --ChesterMarcol 18:08, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Well, Jesus was actually born in Judea and lived around Galilee. He probably spoke both Aramaic and Hebrew, so perhaps his command of English is not so great. Unless you meant this Jesus. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 06:57, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Can you be too smart to join the military?

I've read that the military does not allow those that score low on the IQ test to enter the military but does the US military have a maximum limit, that is, can one be too smart to join? I remember years ago, someone tried to enlist in the LA (?) police department and was rejected for scoring too high on the IQ test and I'm curious if the US military does such as well. Ripberger 07:20, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

It doesn't seem like there is really a good reason to do so, except perhaps in isolated situations as you described with he LA police department. But this is based on common sense. --Proficient 08:22, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like what you've read may be a satirical commentary on the misrepresented remark made by John Kerry (very good read right here). V-Man737 08:35, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Wasn't this LA police thing from one of Michael Moore's The Awful Truth episodes? 惑乱 分からん 13:19, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

In the US, during times of conscription, such as during the Vietnam War, university students at C level or above were exempted from National Service, the reason being that their intellegence made them too valuable to the economy to die in combat. As a result, some anti-war lecturers gave their entire class C-or-above grades, to save them from being forced into the war.[3] Laïka 14:13, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I absolutely deny the accuracy of the previous post. They would cheerfully draft an "A" student during the Vietnam war. Edison 15:32, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Edison is enitrely correct, but the nugget of truth in Laika's rumor is that until about 1970 there was a II-S student deferment classification routinely granted to any student in good standing. As opposition to the war rose, many college instructors refused to give failing grades that might lead a student to flunk out or drop out of school, at which point he would lose his student deferment and become draftable. If we still had a draft and a student deferment we would be seeing exactly the same thing happening today. alteripse 15:53, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Highly, highly interesting. I would ask Alteripse, DOES it happen today? 81.93.102.39 20:36, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

What do you mean? There is currently no conscription in the United States. Naturally there are instructors who don't like to see people flunk out, and might occasionally bend their standards because of it; is that what you're asking? --Trovatore 03:55, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

From what I vaguely remember of the LAPD incident, the reason that people with exceptionally high IQs are not allowed is because such people might be more hesitant or overanalyze in situations that require split-second decision making such as in shoot-outs or hostage situations (I could be wrong about that, I often am :)). From the Intelligence and public policy article, US Army recruits have to take the Armed Forces Qualification Test and those that score too low are not accepted. I was just curious if you can score too high on it and not be able to get in (and yes, I did just think of John Kerry after I submitted the question :)). Ripberger 22:09, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

The II-S status did not say that you would never be drafted, just that the government was willing to let you pay for your own college education, at which time they would reclassify you 1-A and reap the benefit of your education. Your draft eligibility extended until age 34, as I recall, although in practice they were drafting those aged 19 to 25. I expect a higher percentage of the U.S. army enlisted men had a college education during the draft than is the case now. In December 1969 they initiated the Draft lottery, so the uncertainty was removed. If you had a lucky birthday you were unlikely to be drafted, and you could ask to be reclassified 1-A for that year, and not worry about the draft after that. Because the capsules with birthdates were not well mixed, those born late in the year got the shaft, statistically speaking. There was a significant correlation between birth date and draft priority, such that similar results would be expected by chance alone only once in 100,000 repetitions, per "Statisticians Charge Draft Lottery Was Not Random," By David E. Rosenbaum, New York Times Jan 4, 1970. pg. 66. Edison 22:18, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Please don't assume bad faith in me or anything (and I really don't mean to appear to be rude or anything and if I am, please tell me :) ), but I just want to know if the US military has a regulation or rule that says if you score too high on the military's IQ test, you cannot enter the military? For instance hypothetically speaking, if I were a nuclear physicist with multiple PHDS and I was still within the military's age and health ranges, would they let me have an M-16 and go fight in Baghdad regardless of my high IQ or would they see my IQ has some hindrance that could endanger the mission and others and deny me entering the military? I thank all for their time and answers to my question. Ripberger 08:08, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

I think they would accept you, but you certainly wouldn't be doing infantry work! They would have use for you in other aspects, such as engineering, intelligence or weapons research. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 08:18, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

In the immortal words of my Magic 8 Ball, "Don't count on it." -- feb^talk 08:25, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Art

I've asked my art teacher, but she doesn't really have any idea where I could look for this. I've also taken Anatomy, but again, no luck. I've noticed that in all the books on drawing the body I can find, one specific thing is focused on - the "average" or "normal" form, exaggerated slightly so it's easier to see. However, I'm pretty sure that not all people around me have the same distribution of muscle, fat and bone, nor the same joints and skin as the models I find in textbooks. Anatomy textbooks are the same, except that they include pictures of diseases as well, which doesn't help me. Say I want to draw a pair of hands shuffling cards. How do I indicate that it's a young woman? An old man? A muscle-bound jock? An overweight professional gambler? The advice my teacher gave me was, essentially, "draw a bunch of people and you'll get a feel for it." Surely somebody's written a book on the subject already. Black Carrot 15:24, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

This one is difficult as we don't really have a specific term to go on. The only thing I can suggest at the moment is to thoroughly read the Drawing article here on Wikipedia, it has some excellent explanations and tips on tone/blending, layout, perspective, etc...your teacher is right, though. The best way to develop your skills in drawing is just to practive. Books can offer you some strategies for improvement, but when it comes to artistic subtleties such as these, ultimately it is with further practice that you'll be able to figure it out, once you have a knack for it, applying subtle details and such, etc...so you can develop your own personal artistic style, it will become much easier.

Sorry if that's not the answer you wanted. I understand exactly what you're saying, but it's difficult to find some information for that, maybe you could explain it slightly more in-depth? --Xertz 18:45, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I'm sure I could figure it out on my own eventually, but that's the case with any course I'm taking, the point of a book or a class is to condense clear lessons out of a lifetime of experience so the next generation has a head start. What I'm looking for, more specifically, is a textbook of variations. Everything I've seen, and everything my teacher has seen, goes into exquisite detail on what muscles to expect where, what shape a femur is, that kind of thing, but none of them take the next step and say, "but in one kind of person it will be different this way, in another this way, in another this way." As a result, I could draw a textbook model perfectly with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back if I worked hard and learned what was in the textbook, but if I wanted to draw a realistic picture from my head, I'd be sunk. My training would have stopped halfway. I have no idea what makes a hand look female, what makes a hand look fatty or thin, how the muscles in the hand of a footballer would be different from those of a gambler or a keyboard jockey. I suppose, in theory, I could ask person after person after person from different backgrounds to strip down and move around for me, but how practical is that? I'm a computer science major, this is a hobby, I don't have the time or resources to pursue that. Ideally I would, and I'm sure my pictures would wind up more flexible and accurate that way, but it just isn't possible. Surely someone who's already done it has committed their knowledge to paper. That's what books are for. Black Carrot 20:04, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I think your teacher's advice is good advice. You should practice your art, work with different models (either in person, or from photos), rather than looking for tips and tricks. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 23:28, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

There are many books out there on anatomy drawings, but I think that if you aspire to be an artist, you wouldn't get very far if you refuse to experiment/observe artistically on your own. 惑乱 分からん 23:55, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I think that you've missed my point. I have no intention of being lazy about this, and of course I'm going to work with models. I'm horrified, however, by the disinterest I've been hearing from the artistic community so far (here and elsewhere) in guiding newcomers. (Xertz is the only exception.) I don't want a magic wand, I just want the fundamental received wisdom I can get in any other field of study. I can't even imagine my Calculus teacher saying, "I don't know, fiddle around with the numbers, you'll figure it out eventually." Sure, eventually, but how long would that take? And why do all that, when I could stand on the shoulders of a genius and wind up higher, faster? I notice, however, if I asked, "Does anyone know of a book linking anatomy to art," I would get countless answers, here and elsewhere. The problem seems somehow specific to my desire to know the consistent differences between people from different backgrounds. I know that what I'm asking for is very basic, critical information though, and I don't see how centuries of books could have been written that skipped over it entirely. Do you actually expect every generation to reinvent this stuff from scratch? Black Carrot 01:00, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

I understand what you're saying, Black Carrot. Maybe this list is of use. I can't recommend anything myself, because I have no idea. One other short-cut, to get some support from the giants' shoulders, is not only study the objects, but study the masters (or commercial artists too) and how they did it. Good luck! ---Sluzzelin 01:12, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

You may be misguided if you consider this an artistic community. But maybe not, I can see how it might be considered just that. I think this question would have been more appropriately asked at the Humanities Desk. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 10:40, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, Sluzzelin. I've contacted the people who run the place, but they don't know of anything that would work for me. To Twas - do you have anything useful to say? Obviously I didn't mean Wikipedia was an artistic community, I was talking about the actual artistic community. Some artists do post here. Anyway, the question is still open if anyone has another idea. Black Carrot 02:17, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

Space

If a seed is germinated on earth, the roots go down while the leaves reach upward toward the sun, I assume this has something to do with gravity, thus allowing the roots to know where down is. So, in space, if one were to germinate a seed, a)would it germinate b)would it do so in an effective manner.

And as a second question. Menstration cyles in women are, or so i am told, coincide with the moon, (much like ocena tides) hence every 28 days. How would this be affected in a) zero gravity b)when out of the pull of the moon and c) if one were on another planet which had serveral moons or (b) no moons.

Thanks guys Mr Anonymous 81.144.161.223 16:08, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I doubt it has so much to do with gravity as with the roots seeking soil nutrients and the leaves seeking sunlight. So I imagine that they would do fine in space, see hydroponics? Just a brief mention there. -- Justanother 16:18, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I've moved this question to Wikipedia:Reference_desk/science where you are more likely to get a good response...83.100.250.165 17:08, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

conscription

I heard a rumour that conscription might be brought back in the united states, and the rumour says it is so that the children of government leaders who advocate war would have a chance of having thier own children in the front line and thus make them less prone to support war. Is this true? and what % of the American population would support conscription?

If you mean drafting, it's fairly unlikely. Government wouldn't want that, as tracking down draft dodgers would be more expensive than the extra bodies are worth. Not to mention the potential injury to the economy if lots of people leave the country -- feb^talk 16:44, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Conscription in the United States is a very good article. The rich and powerful have always had the means to avoid it. --Zeizmic 16:53, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

There has been talk among people opposed to the war in Iraq who point out that most of the politicians who support the war do not have any family members in the military whom the war would put at risk. Some U.S. critics have also complained that voluntary enlistment draws mainly those who have few other economic options and thus subjects those people to risk unfairly on the basis of class. Some of this second group of critics propose universal, mandatory military service (or conscription) as a remedy to this perceived problem. I'm not sure how much overlap there is between those who oppose the war and those who want universal conscription, but no doubt there is some. There is not, to my knowledge, any viable political initiative (movement, say, in Congress) to impose conscription in the United States because it is widely unpopular, especially in the context of a war that a majority of Americans now oppose. That said, a change in circumstances, such as the outbreak of war with Iran, might strain existing U.S. troop levels to the point where the United States would face a choice between a draft and something like capitulation. Marco polo 17:15, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

There's little beyond very questionable logic that suggests that you are less likely to support a war if you/your children have to be involved in the war effort. Interestingly, historically being US President is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world (4 of 43 killed?) and so they are already in a 'dangerous' position. The chances of conscription/drafts/national service etc. coming back in the major world economies is slim for, well, the reasons stated above. ny156uk 18:54, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

If I recall correctly, during the Nixon presidency and the Vietnam war there was dicussion at the White House that having the draft lottery wouold lessen opposition to the draft on college campuses. Edison 16:12, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

apple orchard

hi. does anyone know if there is a specific name given to an orchard containg more than one variety of tree. ideally this would be an apple orchard but i don't imagine i can be this specific.

From the Orchard article here on Wikipedia: "An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs maintained for food production."

I haven't found anything about specific naming conventions, but you might want to look through the article in-depth, in case anything turns up. --Xertz 18:13, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Hm, there actually is an article about forest garden, which is a food production system closely related to orchards. You'll probably want to look into this further, but I can't guarantee you'll find the exact information you're looking for. --Xertz 18:15, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Lamborghini XTR

What are the specs on the Lamborghini XTR?

Haven't found anything about the specific car you're looking for. Sure you've got the right name? Here's a Lamborghini specs table, from the article:

Vehicle	Year	Engine	Displacement	Top Speed
350GTV	1963	Lamborghini V12	N/A	280 km/h
350GT	1964-1968	Lamborghini V12	3464 cc	240 km/h
400GT 2+2	1966-1968	Lamborghini V12	3929 cc	250 km/h
Miura	1966-1973	Lamborghini V12	3929 cc	288 km/h
Espada	1968-1978	Lamborghini V12	3929 cc	245 km/h
Islero	1968-1970	Lamborghini V12	3929 cc	248 km/h
Jarama	1970-1978	Lamborghini V12	3929 cc	240 km/h
Urraco	1970-1979	Lamborghini V8	2463/2996/1994 cc	230 km/h
Countach	1974-1989	Lamborghini V12	3929/4754/5167 cc	295 km/h
Silhouette	1976-1977	Lamborghini V8	2996 cc	260 km/h
Jalpa	1982-1989	Lamborghini V8	3485 cc	240 km/h
LM002	1986-1992	Lamborghini V12	5167 cc	210 km/h
Diablo	1990-2001	Lamborghini V12	5707/5992 cc	330 km/h
Murciélago	2001-	Lamborghini V12	6192 cc	330 km/h
Murciélago R-GT	2001-	Lamborghini V12	N/A	N/A
Gallardo	2003-	Lamborghini V10	4961 cc	309 km/h
Gallardo Spyder	2004-	Lamborghini V10	4961 cc	307 km/h
Murciélago Roadster	2005-	Lamborghini V12	6192/6496 cc	330 km/h
Gallardo SE	2006-	Lamborghini V10	4961 cc	315 km/h
Murciélago LP640	2006-	Lamborghini V12	6496 cc	340 km/h
Gallardo Nera	2006-	Lamborghini V10	4961  cc	315 km/h
Murciélago LP640 Versace	2006-	Lamborghini V12	6496 cc	340 km/h
Murciélago LP640 Roadster	2006-	Lamborghini V12	6496 cc	330 km/h

--Xertz 18:18, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

We have mention in Lamborghini Murciélago

Lamborghini have announced two more powerful models, the XTR, a track-only car with a 700 bhp version of the V12, and the LP640 with 640 bhp. Although the XTR is not street legal, the LP640 met the standards and is expected to be introduced in March 2007.

--Justanother 19:44, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Bladestorm:_The_Hundred_Years'_War#Gameplay

The section linked above is a direct copy of the press release..http://www.koei.com/company/pressitem.cfm?id=D035E818-2595-4DC8-95F436326C40BDB3

Given that the article is 'embryonic' and the game has not yet been released, is this ok. Or does a 'copy-edit' violate some principles of wikipedia - note the information is referenced, and is from press release. ????83.100.250.165 18:50, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

No, it wasn't OK. I've paraphrased some of the points in the release and used it as a source so that should be fine. Recury 18:36, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks.87.102.37.185 18:48, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

I've tidied up the references (a little)87.102.37.185 19:09, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

I have a a friend who walks on the front of his feet, without his heel touching the ground

I've tried to do some research on it, but it leads to testimonials of children doing it, or of those with autism/asperger's doing it, or related to gastrointestinal disturbances and whatnot. My friend does indeed walk on the front of his feet, and he says it helps his speed and coordination. My friend is an avid walker (mostly due to not having a car so walking everywhere around town) and an extremely fast runner, so I believe him. Is there any evidence that walking on the front of your feet is more helpful for speed and coordination? Is it bad for your health to walk like that? (he has excellent health, and like I said, is an extremely fast runner). When he stands still, he goes down on his heels. Much help appreciated ! Xhin 18:50, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Compare it to high-heeled shoes if you like. My uneducated guess is that your friend will suffer from this in the future, because the heel is MADE to be the first thing to touch the ground. From its initial impact, the weight of your body transfers down the bones in a natural, rather straight-down way. Touching first with the front of your feet likely puts some weird weight on your knees as they naturally come forward to compensate. Still, whenever I run up stairs I ONLY touch with the front of my feet (habit from my young, young youth when I ran from monsters :)). I'm not an authority, unfortunately. Also, it might be interesting to see your friend's running/walking. 81.93.102.39 20:41, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I preface this by saying am no physiologist/chiropractor- The body's mechanism for running relies on the heel or the entirety of the foot hitting the ground, and then using the ball of the foot to push forward. I imagine that, as 81.93 said above, your friend may encounter problems at some point, probably with the tendons or ligaments of his foot due to overstress of parts that are not normally shock-absorbing. --HassourZain 20:45, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

~EC~ Actually that's not strictly accurate, User81 (and HassourZain). I'll see if I can find the documentation I read recently, that refutes the long-held belief that heel-strike gaits are natural and preferable. Anyways, IIRC the gist of it was that flat-footed gaiters are no more likely, or are even less likely, to suffer from the biomech problems (fallen arches, plantar fasciitis, etc) than heel strikers. Not disagreeing with everything you said, of course, just that one point. Anchoress 20:48, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

What I said was mostly speculative, certainly. It is only very recently in human evolutionary history that upright posture and gait even came to be. In comparison to other limbed, ambulatory animals, the flat-footed gait is similarly new. If you find the documents you mentioned, post them up for all our illumination! Physiological stuff like this is one of my pet interests. :) --HassourZain 20:54, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's most certainly a symptom that is common amongst Asperger syndrome "victims" (I have this syndrome and many people have remarked that it's odd that I walk like this - especially when I was a kid). Aspergers is hard to pin down though - anything from mild Geekiness to full-blown Autism has been labelled as Aspergers. I'd bet good money that was the reason. But we aren't allowed to dispense medical advice here - so you should probably forget I ever said that. SteveBaker 20:58, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Walking on the toes and ball of the feet should put more stress on those components, but less on the heel, of course. The additional "suspension" involved in the feet should also help cushion the legs and the rest of the body from impacts. The person's weight would be a big factor on whether they can walk that way for long. A heavy person needs the use of their full foot to support their weight. Since weight is so important, I suspect far fewer adults walk that way than children. StuRat 13:13, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

I foung this shocking as i too walk this way. I do not agree that is can hurt you to not step with your heel hitting first as dancers usually do this in a manner called jazz walking. have you ever thought to ask your friend if the tendons in his legs were too short at birth? I know..odd question but this was my reason for it. My tendons were too short till i was 4 and then they were stretched...but i still walk that was. it is a habit and it helps me walk better. For me it just doesnt feel right to walk heel first. it is not an uncommon thing. it does not even have to bee called a disease. Some people are just more comfortable walking this way as it is how they learned to walk. it should not effect his health. it hasnt with mine... --Kittycat rox 23:47, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

I've heard it's easier to walk silently if you touch with the ball of the foot first, instead of the heel. -GTBacchus^(talk) 23:50, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Vocational Baccalaureate

Hi, My school (King's College, Guildford offers the Vocational Baccalaureate as a post-16 option, alongside the International Baccalaureate. I've googled "vocational baccalaureate" (with the quotes and it came up with just 630ish results, one of which was saying that with it I could go to a uni in North-Western Switzerland, and another saying that an educational establishment in Iraq would accept me with it! Do you know if it's accepted as a qualification in the UK? Has anyone heard of it before? Thanks very much for your help, Bioarchie1234 19:07, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

It would depend on what you wanted to do, and where. If you want to go to uni, then your best bet is to contact the admissions department of the university you are interested in, and ask them - some will probably accept it, some might not, and it'll almost certainly depend on what course you want to do, too. Go to the University of Birmingham, because I went there and it's awesome. Proto::► 12:41, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your advice, Proto!Bioarchie1234 20:16, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

what are the names of these films?

Theres a series of films that show cities, landscapes, and different views sped up and set to different types of music. They are pretty popular. I think their titles are like one word titles. I need to find these for a project I'm doing ASAP. nyone know at least one of the films?

Answered at Entertainment desk. Please do not post the same question more than once. Clarityfiend 20:23, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Confirmation of Membership

This sounds exciting, effecient and expediant. I am pleased to join such an organization as a member provided that they do not require any set number of perchases a year or membership fee. Sincerely,

Peace Be With You,

BC

You may be mistaken as to what site you are on. This is Wikipedia, an encyclopedia. It is not a membership organization and does not have any items for purchase, nor does it charge any fees for the privilege of working on the encyclopedia. Corvus cornix 21:58, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Welcome, User:BluesDr.! Don't worry, Wikipedia will never ask you to buy anything. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 23:11, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Althought there is that extremely annoying bar at the top of the main page every quarter to show you how much money that you havent contributed. schyler 01:48, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

It's only annoying for a little while. After you click on the "go away" thing, you kind of get used to it. V-Man737 05:09, 8 February 2007 (UTC)