Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 March 2

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March 2

"Not for Individual Sale"

Why do manufacturers often print on individual food items that come in groups "not for individual sale" or "not for retail sale"? why do they care? what is the benefit or harm? Amirman 00:49, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

One possible reason is labeling laws. If there is a law requiring every manufactured food item sold at retail to contain a list of ingredients and a table of nutrional data, both in English and French, the manufacturer might choose to put all that stuff on the package, not the individual items. In that case the individual items would not conform to the law, so it would not be legal to sell them individually. There may be other reasons. --Anonymous, March 2, 2007, 00:58 (UTC). <- Wikipedia required labeling. :-)

I agree. In fact, I've even seen items that say "Not labeled for individual sale". StuRat 16:48, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

• It might be that, like bulk buying, multipacks are cheaper for the consumer, and hence have a lower wholesale price. Often the retail price for a can of drink might be 50p individually, or £2 for a six-pack, with the wholesale price (that the shop owner pays) say, 25p for the can and £1 for the six-pack. Marking the six-pack cans as "not for individual sale" stops the shop owner paying £1 for the six pack, then selling them all individually. I'm sure I've made that more complicated than it needs to be! England Expects 01:02, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I have bought lots of food without nutritional data that wasn't from multipacks, and noone seems to mind

Smoking and lung clogging, difficulty breathing

Does smoking hand rolled joints of marijuana clog ones lungs and trigger asthma, phleghm overproduction, cilial paralysis more than smoking commercial cigarettes? How much tar does marijuana produce compared to a similiar amount of commercial tobacco? All I know is that I've been smoking pot lately, and my lungs feel really clogged and I have to breathe harder during and after exercise than normal. However, I pretty much smoke cigarettes too, but it seems like my lungs hurt and are clogged and constricted more during the times I smoke lots of marijuana daily. Does anyone know about how marijuana and tobacco compare in their effects on the lungs and aerobic function? Thanks, Hallibrah 03:12, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I remember being taught in grade school that smoking one marijuana joint is the equivalent of smoking seven regular cigarettes; while I'm not sure about that, smoking pot and tobacco will definitely compound the effects of breathing things that are not oxygen, which is definitely a detrimental health effect regardless of whether it's tobacco or cannabis that is displacing the oxygen. V-Man737 04:26, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Yeah. Luckily, I was recruited by my high school a couple weeks ago to talk with middle schoolers about drugs and alcohol, and that was one of the questions we were semi-briefed on. Marijuana IS bad for your lungs. Studies have shown it to be quite carcinogenic, even more so than cigarettes. I don't know about chemicals in marijuana that might cause lung damage, but smoking in general (breathing hot, smoky air with chemicals your lungs aren't suited to deal with) is damaging to your lungs. I know most people (myself included) find that it irritates their lungs a fair amount when they first smoke pot, and I'd expect the only reason it stops doing so is that your body gets used to it by losing sensation in your lungs, not by your lungs somehow becoming immune to the negative effects of smoke. And yes, marijuana is quite strongly connected to a difficulty breathing. It is very specifically banned by my school's Cross Country coach for that reason. And I think it can trigger asthma attacks. But in moderation I don't really think it should be too bad for you. And I'm pretty sure that smoking through those bongs that essentially give you marijuana steam rather than smoke (my brother told me about these excitedly; I don't really know how available they are), is better for you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.108.199.130 (talk) 05:47, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

As it happens, there is a "gallery" on the Wired (magazine) website of the vaporizer devices. Crypticfirefly 06:48, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Obviously, smoking anything is bad for you, and can lead to lung difficulties, but I have heard differing views on how bad Marijuana is specifically compared to Tobacco. While Marijuana does have more tar, the average marijuana smoker doesn't smoke nearly as much amount-wise as the average tobacco smoker does per day (2-3 joints a day vs 7-10 cigarettes). I have also read that one of the main agents in tobacco smoke believed to cause cancer, Lead-210, is not present in marijuana smoke. There needs to be more research and studies done to come up with conclusive results, but it can be hard to do large-scale research due to the legal issues. Despite this, I'm almost sure I read that there has never been a single reported case of lung cancer from marijuana smoking alone (the problem being most that smoke one, smoke the other).

Anecdotally, I am a regular marijuana smoker, and have been for a few years, but I do not smoke tobacco. While I'm sure my lungs aren't pristine or anything, I have have never had specific times where I have had trouble breathing (when not otherwise sick), coughed up excessive phlegm, been woken up coughing, been winded after mere minutes of running, or any of the other typical ailments that a few years of tobacco use can bring. Cyraan 06:25, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

The U.S. government has long been down on marijuana, so I would treat with caution any generalizations about a joint being equal to 7 cigarettes or it being a powerful cancer causing agent without scientific studies published in peer reviewed journals. The U.S. government, which derives substantial tax revenue from known health hazards alcohol and tobacco, has also called marijuana a narcotic, whioh it technically is not. Few people smoke as many joints a day as tobacco smokers do cigarettes (even at the 7 to one ratio claimed). Even though not a user of marijuana, I have always felt that the greatest health hazard of smoking marijuana is that it might lead to smoking tobacco. Edison 07:36, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I've heard all kinds of claims ranging from cannabis (marijuana is such a dirty name for it) being several times more dangerous than tobacco to claims that it actually counteracts the bad effects of tobacco in the lungs. One study said they found that tumors found in cannabis smokers lungs were located deaper in the lungs because these persons inhaled deeper and held their smoky breaths for much longer. Appart from the effects on the lungs one should consider the psychological and social effects daily consumption of weed can have on a person. 81.243.180.135 17:17, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Sidebar Problems

I created a sidebar on my user talk page (User talk:Ryan Keyes), and I made it so people could acess my archive pages. Then it dissappeared, but when I went to edit the page, it was still there. It was in the edit page, but not in the page. Can anyone help me?

--Ryan ^TALK 03:29, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

         Nevermind, I figured it out. I need to put it under the first headline to make it appear on the page.

         --Ryan TALK 03:34, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Jesus' Birthday

What day of the week was Jesus born on? That is what day of the week was December 25, year 0. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rya Min (talk • contribs) 03:39, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

This doesn't answer your question but just to note that the Gregorian calendar doesn't have a year 0. --hydnjo talk 04:20, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Monday, according to [1] − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:19, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It seems that you're asking two different questions, as nobody really knows when Jesus was born; December 25 was picked as a convenient day to celebrate it. Nativity of Jesus#When was Jesus born? gives some information about the shepherds sleeping in the fields as occuring mostly in the Spring (rather than Winter), which is definitely a good narrowing down of the exact day. V-Man737 04:33, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Hm, I'm not quite sure that December 25 was picked because it was convenient. The story I heard was that if he was born on December 25, he would have been circumcised on January 1, which supposedly had some significance (the new era starting on the new year, or something like that). --Trovatore 04:41, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure about the convenience either, after a good reading of the article. At any rate, 8 days after December 25 would be January 2; the article explains the choice for December 25 as resulting from "Calendar slippage" (which probably needs a source and some tone adjustment) from the Winter solstice. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by V-Man737 (talk • contribs) 04:53, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

Actually, the way they counted, 8 days from Dec 25 is indeed Jan 1. They counted both the first day and the last day. I know, it doesn't make sense, but it's true. This counting scheme still survives in some expressions like quinze jours for two weeks. --Trovatore 04:56, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

(Note that this also explains how Jesus could be executed on Friday and rise from the dead on Sunday, "three days" later.) --Trovatore 04:58, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Where did you hear this story about Dec. 25 and Jan. 1? A really old Bethlehem Times? Seems just a bit dubious since the Hebrew calendar doesn't even have those months and starts on a different day (I think). Clarityfiend 05:03, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Look, I never said it was theologically sound, or that it was proposed by the Hebrews. It strikes me as plausible that it could have been used by someone in the early Roman church, say around the time of Constantine (or maybe later, at the time of Dionysius Exiguus), to reckon that Jesus just must have been born on that date. But only plausible; I'm certainly not defending it as established. --Trovatore 05:10, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Of course the Jews never adopted occurrences in Jesus' life into the Hebrew calendar, they rejected him. The Gregorian calendar, on the other hand... V-Man737 05:25, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Jesus was a Jew. The Jews are God's Chosen People. If God wanted to arrange for Jesus' birth to fall a special day, he would probably use the Hebrew calendar, not the Julian calendar of the Roman oppressors. If somebody a couple of centuries after the fact wanted to guess the birthdate, how is that in any way reliable? Clarityfiend 06:25, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

That's the point being made, at least by me. The fact that Jews didn't care about Jesus' birthday is the reason we aren't sure of it today. V-Man737 06:51, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Whom are you arguing with, Clarityfiend? I certainly never said it was reliable. --Trovatore 07:28, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Myself apparently. Am I winning? Clarityfiend 10:20, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes. ^_^ V-Man737 07:14, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Nobody knows his exact birthdate, and he was probably born a couple of years before the non-existent year 0, some time between 2-8 BCE, according to his article. Clarityfiend 04:29, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

And there is also considerable debate about the part of the year in which he was born. --Spoon! 04:32, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Though, as the article linked above states, it probably wasn't in the winter. December 25 really has little to do with Jesus' actual birthday and everything to do with tradition. -- mattb @ 2007-03-02T05:15Z

I've read that Dec. 25 was adopted as his birthdate to coopt the pagan festival of Saternalia. Edison 07:20, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I recall something to that effect as well, but I couldn't provide a reference off the top of my head. -- mattb @ 2007-03-02T07:22Z

I have read that the Pilgrims forbade the celebration of Christmas because it derived from the pagan festival of Saturnalia and they celebrated Thanksgiving as an alternative autumn/winter festival, and the U.S. outside New England similarly did not celebrate Thanksgiving until a Thanksgiving proclamation by Lincoln during the American Civil War. Edison 07:29, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Surprisingly enough, Christmas provides a lot of information about why 25 December was chosen as the date. JackofOz 10:34, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure the date was chosen to roughly coincide with the winter Solstice so that it would be easier for Christians to entice pagans from their traditional winter celebrations. See also Saturnalia. It's pretty clear that it has nothing whatever to do with anyone's actual birthday. SteveBaker 12:24, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Turning away from the "actual birth of Jesus" question to the "December 25, 0" question now.

AD dating starts from 1 in the year that was wrongly computed to be the year after the birth of Jesus. The preceding year would be 1 BC (although scientists, especially astronomers, do call it the year 0; similarly for 2 BC they say year -1, 3 BC is -2, etc.). So the date you're asking about is December 25 (which at the time would have been called VIII Kalendae Ianuarii or some such form) in 1 BC. On UNIX, the command "cal" can display calendars for the years 1 to 9999 AD, using the Julian calendar up to the date when the British Empire converted and the Gregorian calendar after that. It treats the year as always starting on January 1, which is wrong for some time periods but correct for the era of Jesus. And "cal 1 1" displays this calendar for January, 1 AD:

     January 1      
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
                   1
 2  3  4  5  6  7  8
 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31

so, working backwards from this, it would seem that December 25, 1 BC, would be a Saturday.

However, there is a catch. Another thing that "cal" doesn't know about is that in the earliest years of the Julian calendar, leap years were incorrectly observed every 3 years (apparently because "every fourth year" was taken as including the previous leap year in the count; see similar remarks above). This was then rectified by skipping leap years for a while until the extra ones were "used up". It isn't certain exactly when this happened, but 1 AD was during this recovery period. If Joseph Scaliger's interpretation as given at that link is correct, then 4 AD was the last of the skipped leap years, i.e. there was no February 29, 4 AD. In that case January 1, 1 AD, was actually on the date shown by "cal" as January 2, 1 AD. So this day, and also December 25, 1 BC, would have been a Sunday.

--Anonymous, March 2, 2007, Gregorian calendar, 20:42 (UTC).

I am quite sure it was ante diem octavum Kalendis Ianuariis (a.d.VIII Kal Ian)

There is also mithras, and I am sure Sataurnalia was on a.d.X Id Ian, and back then days of the week were named after roman gods.

Matrixism

Is Matrixism a real religion or is it just an alternative reality game designed to boost sales of Matrix related products? 206.188.56.142 03:48, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It seems that the Matrixism article has been suppressed by the Cabal, so I am led to think that perhaps it is a parody religion. V-Man737 04:39, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Frank Lloyd Wright-time of death

For architecture student class assignment need TIME of death for F.L.W. It was April 9, 1959 in Phoenix AZ. We need to knoe the TIME of death. HOpefully before class on Monday. Thanks so very much. Have looked everywhere.

Pat Smith and Travis Smith <email addresses removed> —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.160.4.161 (talk) 03:49, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

Has your teacher given you a means that you are expected to obtain this information using? V-Man737 04:46, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

How is your understanding of architecture improved by learning his time of death? Clarityfiend 05:06, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It may be necessary to search Phoenix newspapers or to obtain a copy of the death certificate, or to get records from the hospital archives if they still exist. His foundation at Taliesen might have detailed info on his death as well. His obituary appeared in the New York Times on April 10, 1959, "Frank Lloyd Wright Dies; Famed Architect Was 89; Leader in Modern U. S. Style of Building -- Stirred Controversy Frank Lloyd Wright, Leader of Modern Architecture School, Dies in Phoenix at 89 ICONOCLAST NOTED FOR STRONG IDEAS Believed Form in Building Should Follow Function -- Once Foe of Skyscrapers. Special to The New York Times.. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Apr 10, 1959. pg. 1, 2 pgs." It said, with a date of April 9, "Frank Lloyd Wright, regarded by many as the greatest architect of the twentieth century, died early today in Saint Joseph's Hospital." He had been admitted to the hospital Monday night (April 4) for emergency surgery to correct an intestinal obstruction. His doctor said he was recovering then he suddenly died. At age 89, he still was accepting commisions and had 65 students. So the best I could do was "early" on April 9, 1959. (This was the same day NASA announced who the first seven astronauts would be.} [2] says he died of a "coronary thrombosis." [3] says he died at age 91 "in his sleep" so I would guess he was found dead when checked in the morning before breakfast was served, but this is conjecture. Doctors usually do rounds early in the morning, and hospital staff usually check patient's vitals in the morning before breakfast. His disciples drove the corpse 28 hours in the back of a pickup truck to Taliesen in Wisconsin. His body was later cremated in 1985 when his wife died, and his ashes were hauled back to Arizona, per the source cited. Nothing more specific was readily available on Google or ProQuest or the New York Times. Check what his true age was at death, per the disagreement between sources. Edison 07:14, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

micro finance

hi i am ajit from delhi ,india and would b visiting saopaulo,brazil from 4 to 11 march 2007. during this period i wish to visit a few micro finance institutions as well as NGOs working in this field. plz provide details . thanx ajitAjitpunia 09:00, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Have you read our articles on Microcredit and Microfinance? There are a lot of external references from those articles that I would expect to lead you where you need to go. SteveBaker 16:23, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Secret Link Between US Presidents And the British Crown

A great number of American presidents have been top members of Scottish freemasonry. They owe all their power to the British duke of Kent, who is the official leader of all the regular masons. Since many of America's founding fathers were linked to the masons [4], does this not compromise American freedom and its ultimate independence ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.157.230.58 (talk) 09:04, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

When the article says he is leader of English Freemasons, does this mean "Freemasons from England" or "Freemasons who speak English"? − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 10:07, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

American presidents owe their power to the duke of Kent? I thought I had heard it all. Clearly, I have not. Clio the Muse 11:14, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

If I were and American, I'd be more worried about Skull and Bones. SteveBaker 12:17, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

This is one reason why I don't try to keep up on conspiracy theories.... There's just too darn many of them! I'd agree though, if there is a cabal, it probably has more to do with Skull and Bones than the Freemasons. Dismas|^(talk) 14:30, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Bob Saget is really behind it all. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 18:34, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

John F. Kennedy was a Roman Catholic. Didn't his allegiance to Rome compromise American freedom and ultimate independence? --ColinFine 20:13, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Everyone is linked to everyone else, and the presidents usually do what they think people want them to do, or what they think their god wants them to do

Japanese eye charts

How do people in Japan get their eyes tested? Do they have hiragana on their eye chart in place of the letters? --Candy-Panda 09:45, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Yep − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 10:08, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Wow they've even got katakana and a few kanji on it too! Domo arigatou! ^^ --Candy-Panda 11:42, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

That's funny! But it's not real. The usual eye chart uses Landolt Cs. The article in the Japanese Wikipedia indicates that there are also charts that use katakana or hiragana, but not the one in the external link... Fg2 22:50, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Oh! Thank you for telling me. :) I had a feeling they might use the C charts... a chart like that with kanji on it would be awfully hard to read when you're short-sighted! ^^; --Candy-Panda 01:29, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Are you trying to teach your Granny to suck eggs?

Ok, I know this statement is all about respecting the experience of older and (supposedly) more knowledgeable people than yourself, but what are the origins of this statement? As a child egg-collector, I learned how to "Blow" an egg, but "Suck" one - never. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.242.40 (talk) 11:12, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

I've never heard this at all. Where is this phrase common? Dismas|^(talk) 14:28, 2 March 2007 (UTC) http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/management/helpdesk/story/0,10801,64410,00.html gives an explanation. A common expression in the UK. Basically an egg can be punctured at each end and the contents then sucked out. Grannys have the experience but kids often think they have invented a long-established practice. Hence the expression means "I know how to do that".86.219.160.80 15:54, 2 March 2007 (UTC)petitmichel

I've been to a talk by Bill Oddie that used this phrase literally, when he describes his childhood days stealing/collecting eggs: he found a very rare egg (possibly a peregrine), but it was so badly rotten that he couldn't blow the contents out. He then proceeded to suck the rotten egg's contents out, and threw up on his collection. After this, he gave up egg collecting! Laïka 20:35, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Aha! So that's the reason you need to teach your Granny to do it! See! There is a good reason. It's nice that Wikipedia can find answers to these age-old questions!  :-) SteveBaker 00:14, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Netflix for Books?

Anyone know if there is a Netflix-like company for books in the UK?

-Grey —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.70.83.95 (talk) 13:12, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

Why not just go to the public library and check books out ? There are also bookstores that buy and sell used books. I don't think mailing books back and forth makes as much sense, since the shipping costs would be higher, and they tend to degrade more with each use (dog-eared pages, coffee rings, etc.) than DVDs. In many cases, the shipping cost of a used paperback would be more than the value of the book. StuRat 16:08, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Although I know of no netflix-like subscription service, most libraries participate in some form of inter-library exchange. So if your library doesn't have the book you are looking for, they can borrow it from one that does. Raul654 16:10, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It seems unlikely - here in the USA, most DVD's cost around $20 and the cost to post them is maybe $0.50 - and you only need the DVD for a couple of days at most. However, a typical paperback book costs $5 and (because it's heavier than a DVD) probably costs $1 to post and takes people a week or more to read. This makes the benefit of renting books much, much less than renting DVD's - it's probably just not economically viable to do it. It might be a bit different for serious textbooks that maybe cost $50 to $100 - but those are a lot heavier to post and are generally needed for months at a time, so I suspect it's still not a worthwhile business model. Have you checked out Project Gutenburg?

See also Book swapping meltBanana 20:15, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

You may not think it is a worthwhile business model, but nevertheless, there is such a business in the U.S.: Booksfree.com. Unfortunately for the person posting the question, they won't ship books to the U.K. Crypticfirefly 17:11, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Mobile Phone

I recently went into Tmobile in the uk and asked for a phone that would work overseas as i would be doing some travelling. they assured me that this samsung would work. so i got a contract and a phone. I then went to South Africa on business. My phone worked for 4 days and then all my calls and messages were barred. I phoned MNT south africa on a land line and they said I would have to contact Tmobile. So when I got back to the uk I phoned thenm up on my Mobile which was then working(Because i was back in the uk) They told me that it was not thier problem. I missed several business meetings and me and my company lost ALOT of business. what can i do about this? I dont want thier contract if my phone is useless. Please help. I am very annoyed and am loosing money. thanks.

Furthermore, after not using my phone for a few weeks, I then got back to a bill of £100. over and above my contract levy. Surely this is not right!!!

At least in the US, the only way out of mobile phone slavery seems to be to get a prepaid plan with no contract. That way your liability is limited to however much you prepay, and you can toss the phone away if they get too abusive. If they have a contract out on you, however, your liability is open-ended. They can charge you for whatever they feel like, provide substandard service, etc., and are likely to do so, knowing you can't leave because you have a contract and/or hefty termination penalty. Essentially the public service commissions set up for land lines have never been applied to cell phones, allowing those companies to engage in all sorts of disreputable activities. One of the most glaring problems is that the coverage areas are not actually specified in the contracts. At best they provide a low resolution map which only shows "current coverage", and they are free to change the coverage as they see fit, but you have no option to discontinue the contract if they decide to stop offering coverage in your area. Thus, you may end up with an expensive contract on a phone that doesn't even cover where you live or work. StuRat 16:03, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm from South Africa and I'm reasonably knowledgeable about our cellular networks.
I assume that in the UK Tmobile gave you a phone and SIM card, and the SIM card was for a UK cellular provider (let's say Virgin or Vodafone - it doesn't matter). When you got to South Africa, if your service provider hadn't activated global roaming for you, then you would have had absolutely no reception and would have only been able to make emergency calls. (By the way there is something called GSM which is the type of network the sims work on, and once again a GSM SIM will only work on GSM networks -- I believe all of South Africa's networks are GSM).
So therefore, your service provider would have had to have activated Global Roaming for you to be able to make (or receive) calls in South Africa, unless... you take out your UK SIM card and insert the SIM card of a South African cellular network (such as MTN, Cell C, Vodacom, or Virgin) which would of course give you a different cell phone number while that SIM card is in the phone. (Also note that in the case of prepaid simcards in South Africa you would have to buy 'airtime' to recharge your account.
Now it's not clear exactly what happened in your case, but I assume you didn't opt for a South African SIM card at any time, and that you kept the SIM card that Tmobile gave you, in which case it comes down to global roaming.
Now, if you had global roaming activated while you're in South Africa, think of it as having your phone literally in the UK, but just having any activity forwarded around the world and through a South African cellular tower and to your phone. That means, that every time you make a call from South Africa, it first connects to the UK and deducts money from your account. Similaraly, any SMS you send actually gets generated in the UK. This means that it's possible that you depleted your account after 4 days, or certain stupid service providers expire your credit after a few days (this is probably not the case but I'm mentioning it anyway), or for whatever reason Tmobile decided to bar your calls from that side.
Now although it's highly likely that Tmobile are the one's to blame, there is yet another possibility: that for whatever reason the South African cellular towers (and their subsequent networks) decided to bar you access. This is highly unlikely and I can't think why they would do that (aside from the remote possibility that you were totally out of range of a tower). Your recourse however is through Tmobile, even if it was South Africa's fault -- they might investigate and find that although they activiated global roaming, there was some reason it eventually failed in South Africa.

Finally, just thinking of some other possibilities, phones can be barred if they're listed as stolen phones - every physical phone has an IMEI - an International Mobile Identification number, and if a phone is stolen it can be listed and subsequently blocked by certain cellular providers -- but this is a longshot, because I don't see how a UK phone would be reported stolen in South Africa.
Tmobile should also explain to you their global roaming and how it works - does it cover all GSM networks, including MTN?
There's also network locking, where a physical phone is told to only work with SIM cards from a particular service provider.

Well aside from that, I'm not sure what else to think. But seen as you're in the UK right now (and not South Africa), try calling Tmobile again with the new information I've provided you with and see what they say.

Rfwoolf 08:34, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

tgi friays restaurants

[[Media —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.14.157.35 (talk) 14:21, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

• are you by any chance looking for the article T.G.I. Friday's?--VectorPotential^Talk 15:13, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Stansted to London School of economics

Whats the quickest and cheapest way to get from one to another? Ken 14:40, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

The Stansted Express runs from Stanstead to Liverpool Street station and takes about 45 minutes. You can then take the tube from there to LSE. In my experience, taking the trains is the best way to get from the London airports to the city. Taxis are expensive (something like fifty pounds to go from the airport to the city) and take a really long time with traffic. GhostPirate 15:57, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

If you are more concerned about cheap than quick you could get the bus from Stansted to Liverpool Street and then another bus (#11?) to near LSE. Would certainly be slower though. JMiall 18:09, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Transport for London has an excellent journey planner into which you can enter your starting point (post code CM24 1QW), your destination (post code WC2A 2AE), and the date and time you want to begin your journey, and it will produce a list of options, each with the time required for the journey. Marco polo 22:59, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Gilt Article virtually copy of another website

I'm not sure what to do about this but the article Gilts#Conventional_Gilts is extremely close to a government website description of gilts. I don't know if this allowed (there are mild changes but looks like sentences/paragraphs are almost like for like copied). I don't particularly mind, just didn't know whethr this is allowed or not. ny156uk 17:13, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

See WP:COPYVIO. It could be tagged as a copyright violation if it in fact is, or it could be rewritten so that the language is not so close to the original. You could post a question about it on the talk page of the "gilty" editor who posted it. Edison 17:28, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

fresh air

if you open a window how long does it take the room to fill with fresh air and clear the room of stale air.jule —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.47.129.177 (talk) 17:39, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

That depends, how big is the room, how big is the window, what is the temperature inside and outside, What is the wind speed outside, is there any other ventilation in the room? Ken 18:06, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Also note that you may never reach a point where every molecule of air in the room is gone (or it may take years, in any case). Having burned food and opened all the windows, I can attest to it taking hours or even days to remove all the burnt smell. StuRat 21:33, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It also depends on whether the air outside is more fresh than the air inside. (Ha ha only serious)

In my experience, opening two 12"x12" spaces in a 20'x15'x12' room (which happens quite a bit to me, as I burn many of the things I cook) allows the room to clear to a satisfactory extent in three hours in the Summer (30 minutes in the Winter, as the cold forces me to reconsider my priorities).

Also, it helps to open a window in another room in the house, preferably on the opposite side on the same floor, to create a breezeway. (is there another term for this, or does this look like a new article for the WP:RDAC?) That usually cuts the time down to about 45 minutes to an hour. V-Man737 02:12, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Can you say, "Ventilation"?Rfwoolf 08:39, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

radio scan frequencys (wilco) marlow, oklahoma. 73055

greg04---could someone please tell me the radio frequency for wilco machine and fabrication in marlow, oklahoma. i live close by and see them talking on their radios. thanks for any help you can give. i could then hear what they are saying while i'm watching them. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.152.161.149 (talk) 18:04, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

Wilco (disambiguation) gives no article about this company (there are millions of companies all over the world); do you know their website? Incidentally, I wonder what they'd say if you sent them an e-mail politely asking them this question. If they decline to tell you, there's probably a good reason that you shouldn't listen in on their conversations. V-Man737 02:02, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Depending on what kind of radios they use, there's a pretty good chance they don't know themselves. Handheld jobsite radios are often programmed with frequencies by the reseller; it's not like the user can pick one up and see what the frequency is. Darkspots 02:32, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Scottish nationalism query.

I am English born and have lived in Scotland for over half my life and intend never to return to England to live as I love Scotland. I also voted for Scottish Devolution and take a non-active interest in Scottish and World Politics. I am a bit concerned that in the forthcoming Holyrood Scottish Parliamentary Elections the Scottish Nationalist Party might just take control as I don't think the threatened subsequent separation of Scotland from the UK would be good for either. The problem is, there are so many questions that need to be answered in order to formulate an informed decision on which political party to vote for; and so many conflicting answers. Can anyone here point me to an unbiased information source that would be able to answer or predict the effects of Scottish separation? Many thanks in advance. CasualWikiUser 18:56, 2 March 2007 (UTC)—The preceding unsigned comment was added by CasualWikiUser (talk • contribs) 18:56, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

The Scottish independence article has a lot of information about the arguments on both sides and the History of the Scottish National Party article has information about the positions of the SNP. GhostPirate 20:00, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Much of the historical prediction (or speculation) on either side is based upon the disputed ownership of North Sea oil resources (See It's Scotland's oil and the references therein for some good information sources). The predictions on either side are hypothetical, but make interesting reading. This, and other fiscal and political considerations for or against devolution (cf. Barnett formula and West Lothian question) are often spun to support either argument for or against separation. Rockpocket 21:04, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Daud Atiyeh Abdo and the Khayat publishing house

Daud Atiyeh Abdo (Abdo is his family name) wrote in the early 1960 A course in modern standard Arabic, which was published by Khayat Book & Publishing Company S.A.L. in Beirut, Lebanon. In the introduction to the first volume, Abdo declares that the course consists of three volumes. I could trace but two volumes. Abdo published another book in the same publishing house in 1969. That's why i'm inclined to assume that if the third volume has never been published, it is not due to the premature demise of the author. I'd like to know whether a third volume has ever been published, and if so - where it can be found. In case it hasn't been published, i'd like to know the reason. I'd also like to know more details about Mr. Abdo, and about the Khayat company. It seems the Khayat company was active solely during the 1960, is this right? If it still operates, how can they be contacted? Thanks. Itayb 19:08, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Sorry if you've checked this already, but googling reveals a lot of people selling the book as a two volume set ([5]). Also, the British Library has only two volumes (and they receive almost every book published in English). So it seems like the third volume indeed never appeared. Sorry to not be of more help. Algebraist 22:36, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, Algebraist. Indeed i'd done my homework before i submitted this query, but i appreciate your comment anyhow. :) Itayb 00:22, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

I was assuming you had, but you'd be amazed how many people don't. Though you can generally tell them by the spelling :) Algebraist 21:06, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Recent article deletion

I am not contesting the deletion of the article, but I just want a few something explaining! The vote was 3 delete, 1 week delete and 2 keep... The problem with 1 of the delete votes was it said it was "self-promotion". Which is the act of promoting yourself or your business... I don't see how my creation of an article about someone else can be this, another arguement half-based their arguement on this. So can someone please explain why it would have been self-promotion? The debate was here. Thanks, Asics talk ^{Editor review!} 20:04, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Delete: this question is not notable. Just kidding. Since I can't access the offending article, I can't say. Clarityfiend 20:54, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Keep: the question seems to have bene asked in good faith, and contains no personal attacks. V-Man737 01:58, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Basically the article had one part that could be promotion, and that was only mentioning his own business, therefore vital in a biographical article. It also mentioned his DOB and a lot of Trivia about him, i.e. Tattoos, girlfriend etc. Asics talk ^{Editor review!} 21:20, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

That sort of trivia is definitely a sign of a vanity article...unless the tattoos were done by Picasso and his girlfriend is Nichole Kidman. Clarityfiend 03:20, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Picasso did tatts?! V-Man737 04:12, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Tatts for tits? 惑乱 分からん 11:27, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Television Buzzing

For some reason I've always had the ability to know whenever a television is on because of a strange "buzzing" that I can hear them emit. There doesn't even have to be any sound playing on the television; just the screen being on is enough. My hearing has always been extremely sensitive, but this is just weird. Is there a word for it? Can other people do it? --Captain Wikify ^Argh! 21:24, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Usually young people can hear it, as it is at the top of the hearing range. However, if you are older than around 25, you are very lucky to still be able to hear it, as the level of hearing decreases as age increases! The Mosquito is a device created to move on young people, as older people can not hear the noise, but younger people can, so it annoys them and encourages them to move! Asics talk ^{Editor review!} 21:35, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

You're hearing the Flyback transformer 71.112.122.214 00:42, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

• I toured a factory last year (aged 27 at the time) and couldn't bear to be near the ultrasonic welding machines. Those showing me around were puzzled to say the least. Turns out I can hear ultrasonic noise that most adults can't. Check out Ultrasonic hearing. Deiz talk 05:17, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Lights in the window

Please help with the history of placing a light or candle in the window. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.12.200.215 (talk) 22:11, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

You will find some general information here [6]. A word or warning, though. The information is provided by a commercial site and is, to say the least, not very profound! But I do not suppose there is really that much more to say, other than that it was probably common practice before the advent of street lighting. Clio the Muse 02:21, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

To (71.12.*.*): You may find this informative: CandleInTheWindow It glibly discusses the historical and spiritual relevance, and provides on-topic cites. (Assumption: you are referring to the common practice in many homes in the U.S.A. consitent with any of various religious traditions. If this is not the crux of your question, you may wish to clarify.) dr.ef.tymac 03:40, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

If its a red light then the husband is out!--88.111.98.95 07:39, 3 March 2007 (UTC)