Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 May 28

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

May 28

I don't understand this

I'm Muslim and I read this Wikipedia article about halal. It says that "It is estimated that 70% of Muslims worldwide follow Halal standards". This is confusing me because I know that I have to keep halal. I don't understand it. Should I believe it. What should I choose to follow? Note: I'm not asking for legal advice and please don't tell me this is legal advice. Thank you. Jet (talk) 03:58, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

"Should I believe it?" isn't really applicable to halal; that's not a matter of faith. As for your obligations as a Muslim, perhaps you should talk with people at your local mosque. As for legal advice, your user page suggests you're in the US, where the First Amendment guarantees that this is not a legal issue. Secularly speaking, observing halal standards is entirely a matter of personal preference. — Lomn 04:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you mean should you believe it from a religious/ethical standpoint or do you mean, "is it credible?" Theshibboleth (talk) 05:42, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

As with all religions there are people who practice at varying degrees and levels of discipline. The question is a matter of personal choice as Lomn says. The article refers to the fact that Halal is something that is practiced by a large percentage of the muslim population. That doesn't mean you have to (or don't have to) follow halal, it means that across the many variants of your religion there are sects that follow halal and those that don't. It's down to an individual to decide whether or not they believe it is fundamental to being a muslim. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 08:00, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

There may not be any entire sects that don't follow halal; it may just be that 30% of people who identify as Muslims are not actually religious enough to follow halal. I remember a friend of mine from Indonesia telling me about his very secular father who decided one year to fast for Ramadan – then told the family's cook to make him pork chops after the sun went down. —Angr 17:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

college gpa

How important is your college GPA? Does it have major effect on getting jobs later in life or is it usually sufficient to have graduated from a good school? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.114.222.188 (talk) 06:30, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I've never known any employer to ask anyone what their GPA was. Nor have I even heard of it happening... Dismas|^(talk) 06:56, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, it definitely has some effect on admission to grad school, and that in turn has an effect on employment later. But supposedly your letters are more important even for that. Free advice, offered as is with no warranty: Don't blow off grades, they do matter somewhat, but also don't duck hard but rewarding classes just to try to be valedictorian, and focus more on understanding the material than on memorizing stuff that might get you an extra two points on the next test. All of which may be out the window if you're trying to get into a first-professional-degree program like med school or law school -- I have a generally low opinion of those programs, but if that's the way you want to go then I guess you have to jump through their hoops, whatever they are, which I wouldn't really know. --Trovatore (talk) 07:39, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

When I hire people fresh from college I do look at their GPA, but that's only part of the picture. It can be a smudge on the record or a gleam of sparkle or it can indicate an upward or downward trend. (And yes, it does contribute to the decision where in the payscale you end up :-$) Later on it's only interesting if it indicates some general good/bad work habits. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 08:49, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

What employers mainly look for is: experience, experience, experience. Not your GPA; not whether you went to a fancy college; certainly not whether you were president of the Glee Club in high school. They want to know what you've done and how good of an employee you were. It's amusing how I see so many young people freaking out over things like whether they're going to make National Honors Society in high school or whether they're going to get into a particular college. The wealthiest person I've ever met -- one of the wealthiest in the world -- is a dropout from an unpretentious public university. Another super-wealthy person I met has nothing but a bachelor's degree from Kent State University, which was, when I was in school, considered bottom of the barrel by snobby kids in the Cleveland suburbs. I admit that graduating magna cum laude from Harvard gives you a good start, but it's really all about how you perform on the job. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 21:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Water bottle design

This may very well be one of the most pointless questions this Ref desk has seen but here it goes anyway... I have a water bottle, basically a Nalgene bottle but not made by the Nalgene company, which holds about a liter. The bottle is just under 4" in diameter and the mouth of the bottle is just under 2" in dia. The part that I don't understand and I've not been able to figure any reasonable explanation for is the fact that there is a small lip on the interior of the bottle that won't allow all the liquid to flow out. You can turn the bottle upside down and this lip around the interior edge of the mouth of the bottle will keep the last little bit, about two tablespoons, from pouring out. Why would someone design a bottle like this? What's the point? Dismas|^(talk) 06:53, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Without seeing the bottle to understand whether it might perform a useful duty I would assume that the design-flaw is a result of either the manufacturing process or stability/rigidity. The difficulty with designing a product is as much in making a machine-manufacturable/mass-producable design as it is in making something that is fit for purpose. I understand the grooves you see in plastic milk-bottles (you know the ones that seem pointless) are to do with increasing the rigidity of the plastic, and you can often spot the seam/place where machinery picks-up/holds products during the manufacturing process on low-cost items as the cost of overcoming the issue v aesthetic improvement is probably not worthwhile. Anyhoo if you could find an image of it someone might be able to offer a more reasoned explanation, but my gut reaction would be that it is due to manufacturing or structural reasons. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 07:54, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I think it is supposed to hold last bits of drink, thus making you buy it more. 89.236.214.174 (talk) 08:19, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Hardly realistic though is it? You buy a 500ml bottle and get 498ml, the 2ml it holds back is not going to make you purchase another bottle. It's not like say a marmalade where getting the last bit out will make it last another week and so slow re-buying, it's a full-use in one-sitting item. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:26, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

If it's one with a screw top then the inner lip will help seal the lid . If you turn over the lid you'll probably find a ridge inside about 2mm or so from where the top meets the side. If you look at your bottle the bulge on top (including the inner lip) will snugly fit into that space. In short the lip will help keep your drink in the bottle when the lid is on and you turn it upside down. Otherwise I'd go with 194. we'd have to see it. 71.236.23.111 (talk) 08:41, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm about to leave work so I'll get pics when I get home. I'd just like to note right now though, the bottle is reusable. I didn't buy it with anything in it. I refill it at home with juice for my breaktime at work. Dismas|^(talk) 10:54, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for the delay. This should work for pics... [1] [2]. You can see the lip on the interior of the bottle in the second pic. It's a smooth lip. Dismas|^(talk) 21:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you not have manual focus? Nice ceiling, shame about the bottle detail :(. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:38, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I think Dismas entered the wrong URL, try this one. It's still out of focus but I can make out a 2 inch diameter cylinder internal to the bottle. I guess it is a half inch lip, such that the liquid retained would be a cylinder of liquid 4 inches in diameter and half inch depth (minus the 2 inch cylinder that woul pour out). -84user (talk) 21:51, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, sorry about the focus. It's a simple point and shoot that I won in a raffle. So, what's the point of the lip? Dismas|^(talk) 21:58, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

No idea about the lip, except that it indeed looks like just plain stupid design. Maybe they expect you to use a straw or something? As for the photos, looks like the bottle was closer than the camera's minimum focus distance. Does it have a macro mode? (Look for a flower symbol or something like that.) If not, you'll just have to make sure not to put your camera too close to the thing you're photographing. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 22:33, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

(outdent) Here are some better pics. I went out on my porch for some natural light and used the macro function. Also found a wasp nest that I didn't know about... anyway... Pics: [3] and [4]. In the second pic, you can see a drop forming on the inner lip. Dismas|^(talk) 22:42, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

OK, nobody's suggested this yet, so here goes...

Suppose you put something in the bottle that's not 100% liquid, like coffee with grounds, cocoa from mix that hasn't all dissolved and reappears at the bottom of your cup, or even an old red wine with a few lingering bits of grapeskin. You don't really want to pour the solids into your drinking utensil, you need a form of decanting, which said lip provides exactly, yes?

-- Danh, 63.231.153.176 (talk) 23:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

It looks as if the neck and the body of the bottle have been formed in separate pieces, which makes sense since they're different kinds of plastic (black vs. transparent; no idea if there's any other difference). Probably they didn't have a way of reliably attaching the body to the very base of the neck piece, so they had to leave part of the neck inside the bottle, forming the lip. It almost looks as if the neck might be two pieces screwed together. If you took the top off, grabbed the neck and twisted, they might come apart. (Just don't twist so hard you'll break it.) —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:35, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Isn't it not Ironic?

In Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic", she sings about things that do not appear to actually be irony at all, like a 98 year old man dying the day after he wins the lottery. Thats not ironic, its just bad luck. Irony is the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention. Has anyone told her this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Copy of a copy cat (talk • contribs) 08:50, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at Ironic (song)#Linguistic usage disputes Think outside the box 09:09, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

And Ed Byrne SGGH ^speak! 09:55, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Off topic, but your definition of irony is exactly the same as the one Bender sings in The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings :) Think outside the box 11:09, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Killing and getting rids of fleas from your home- from cats and dogs.

Please help me. I have tried flea flogger, exterminator, and oil of eucalyptus. I ma a kidney diayysis patients and I need to find a cure to get rid of fleas. Please help. Send help to -email removed-. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.252.25 (talk) 10:52, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

See if you can find Neem oil or order online. Put the oil in a spray bottle and apply. You can also get the pressed out kernels/seeds (sorry I don't know which it actually is. They're like the press cake only they're not stuck together.) Sprinkle those on carpet and along baseboards and in places outside where your pets pick up fleas. The smell takes some getting used to!! You can cover it up some with lavender or mint but it is strong. Some also say that dusting with baking soda works, but I have no data to confirm that. Comb your pets with a flea comb [5] every day in a tub and flush the fleas. Good luck. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 15:47, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

We had a cat which suffered badly from Flea Allergy Dermatitis, and needed to eradicate fleas effectively from both cats and our home to prevent her being ill. Our vet recommended treating both cats monthly with an insecticide containing Fipronil (we used Frontline Spot On Cat, but I believe other brands are commercially available). It works by disrupting the fleas' central nervous system, poisoning them whenever they bite the cat and preventing them from reproducing before they die. The reproductive cycle is broken and over time the infestation dies out. There can be side-effects for a small number of animals, but we observed none ourselves and the cats remain healthy and flea-free with no residual population in the house that we have noticed. With the other treatments suggested by 71.236 above to attack the existing flea population, this may be effective for you. The Fipronil is administered in drop form on the back of the cat's neck once a month. Because Wikipedia cannot give medical advice you should check with your doctor as to whether Fipronil use on your own pets is appropriate in view of your medical circumstances, and whether you would need to take any special precautions around the animals immediately after treatment. -- Karenjc 19:05, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Eskimo

There is a legend that tells that some eskimos get rid off their old-aged parents sending them to the seas on a piece of ice. I think it's just a myth, but is it? 89.236.214.174 (talk) 12:22, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

From the article Inuit : "A pervasive European myth about Inuit is that they killed elderly and unproductive people." This is not generally true. In a culture with an oral history, elders are the keepers of communal knowledge, effectively the community library, and there are cultural taboos against sacrificing elders because they are of extreme value as the repository of knowledge. Fribbler (talk) 12:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

The people still exist and they do not commit senilicide now. There are certainly legends that, in times when the Inuit did not have the resources of the rich South and modern governments to call on, that adults did let elders die, or that elders chose to die in order to free the group of the burden of caring for them. (Cf the British polar expedition in 1912: Captain Lawrence Oates committed suicide, saying, "I'm going outside, and I may be some time" and walked into a snowstorm; his leader said after his death that it was the act of a brave man and a gentleman.)

The idea of the noble savage in relation to the abandonment of elders is discussed here: [6]

Text from Aging and Ethics: Philosophical Problems in Gerontology By Nancy Ann Silbergeld Jecker

The ice-floe legend you refer to may have come from here:

"There is no evidence to support claims that they were sent to sea on an ice-float, and this seems unlikely, as it would be logistically difficult—imagine trying to pull an existent ice-float in to shore, or to create a new icefloat by cracking it away from the ice on the seaside…without accidentally cracking off the wrong section. This popular conception probably originated with the popular work of literary fiction, Top of the World (1950), or the 1959 film adaptation, The Savage Innocents." [7]

Inuit did have a tradition of executing an individual who threatened the safety of the community: Harsh Justice

BrainyBabe (talk) 17:10, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

As a boy I read a book by Peter Freuchen which as I recall described elderly Inuits going out to freeze when they were no longer useful. Not sure which of his books it was. Edison (talk) 19:41, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Watch Type

On this page, there is a photo (4th row down, 2nd across) of a gentleman wearing a watch that looks like a bracelet. What is this watch called? Who makes it? I cannot find it on eBay. Any help would be most appreciated. --Endless Dan 13:21, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

List of Stubs for category tree

I want to get a list of the stubs for all categories under 'Biology' (and also Bacteriology and Physics) for he purposes of using these lists to evaluate a list extracted from an ebook. This is for evaluating some rsearch I am doing for my PhD in computational linguistics. trying to access the category pages directly from a program doesn't work as it is not a browser. Downloading the Biology pages is not what I need, just the list of stubs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DDLing (talk • contribs) 13:49, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Start here: [8]. I /think/ this is the best list of stubs page. You might also have a word with the people who run the stub sorting project, since they're most likely to know where other stubs might be found. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:11, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Endonym map?

A previous question referring to exonyms and endonyms piqued my curiosity: Does anyone know of a map or atlas published entirely with endonyms? It may not be very practical to speakers of a single language, but it would be interesting to see. Thank you. — Michael J 14:05, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Maps of Switzerland often give the name in the regional language(s). German Zürich (not Zurich, Zurigo, or Turitg), French Genève (not Genf, Ginevra, or Genevra), Italian Ticino (not Tessin) etc. In bilingual towns or regions, both varieties are given (e.g: "Biel/Bienne", "Ilanz/Glion" etc.) I'm assuming the same applies to some other countries with multiple official languages (Belgium, Canada, South Africa, ...). I can't remember whether I've ever seen an entire world map printed in this style though. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:37, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Google Earth (mine, anyway) shows city endonyms with the english term in brackets (and un-ticking "alternate place names" even gets rid of the english names). Doesn't show country names at all though. Fribbler (talk) 14:48, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

European road atlases are very often published entirely with endonyms, including untransliterated Greek and Cyrillic. Atlases that also show parts of the Mideast and North Africa, though, generally do transliterate Hebrew and Arabic. —Angr 15:06, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry I can't give you a name or store to try, but I can at least tell you that maps of the kind you want do exist. I had a wall poster at university that showed all of Europe and some of North Africa and the Near East, all in local endonyms. It was not very detailed, though. Matt Deres (talk) 16:34, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I have an atlas that does a fairly good job of this, showing place names in both regular English form and various local forms, with a system of transliteration or transcription for non-latin alphabets. Unfortuantely out of print, it is Rand McNally's "Illustrated Atlas of the World", 1992, revised 1994, ISBN 0-528-83492-4. For example the map of the Baltic Region shows several names for the Baltic Sea, each located near the country in which that name is used, including Östersjön/Itämeri/Baltijskoje More, Balti Meri, Baltijas Jura, Baltijos Jura, and Morze Baltyckie (I'm not sure how to type a couple of the diacritics used -- a horizontal line over a u and a slash through an l). Egypt is shown as Misr (with a diacritic squiggle under the s), the Persian Gulf as Khalij-e Fars / Al-Khalij al-'Arabi (with several diacritics in there). The Sea of Japan is "Japonskoje More / Tong-hae / Nippon-kai". And so on. I haven't seen another atlas that does this. It's too bad this one is out of print because it is pretty nifty. Pfly (talk) 21:52, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Perhaps I will attempt to construct a moderate scale world map entirely with endonyms. I may even place it as an image on the exonym and endonym article. — Michael J 17:47, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Which boss wrote a compassionate email immeidately after 9/11?

I post this here becasue I can't see that Wikiquotes has a ref desk. A beautifully worded email circulated in the days after 9/11. I think it was written by a high-up corporate type (a woman in publishing, maybe?) to all the company's employees. The email said, there are more important things than your job. If you need to skip some meetings to spend time with people you love, go ahead. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Who was she and what has happened to her? Is the text available? I know it's not much to go on. Thanks BrainyBabe (talk) 16:36, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Alot of these are well-meaning hoaxes/mis-attributions. Take a look over at snopes.com. They critique a lot of well circulated emails, especially of this variety. Fribbler (talk) 16:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Just because many are false does not mean that the one I seek is not true. The page mentioned above does not seem to provide any information about my query. Can anyone help? BrainyBabe (talk) 14:02, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

I do not know if this helps, but in the barrage of television programming that immediately followed the collapse of the twin towers, one person I saw interviewed was the CEO of some kind of big-time firm whose offices were IN the twin towers. The company had a two-name title (you know, like Smith Barney or Berkshire Hathaway or something like that; I know this doesn't help much). It was one of those firms people more into money than me are well aware of. Anyway, this guy said he told his surviving employees to stay home, hug their families, be with their kids. Through his sobs, he said they almost all said they had to be there, to come to work and DO stuff. It was much more touching than I expected it to be. Anyway, I'm quite sure it was on ABC's Nightline, or at least on during the time period if Nightline was one of the shows that suspended broadcast. My guess is that it was the night of September 11 or September 12, so perhaps that will give you somewhere to start if this is ringing any bells. Good luck. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 22:46, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

The person that Mitchell refers to is Howard Lutnick, head of Cantor Fitzgerald. The interview he gave was on ABC with Connie Chung. I couldn't find anything about him writing an e-mail, though. — jwillbur 08:05, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Is a penny saved a penny lost?

I've noticed that my school cafeteria has an interesting sort of informal change policy: if you don't have the correct change to pay for something whose price ends in one or two cents, they round down the price to the nearest five or ten cents. (On one occasion, they even rounded a $1:20 item down to one dollar, when I didn't have any change.) However, I've never been shorted any change at the cafeteria. I have two questions about this:

-Firstly, is it at all illegal? -Secondly, is it possible for a business to lose a substantial amount of money by rounding down prices now and then? 207.233.87.236 (talk) 17:33, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

No it is not illegal. Yes, it is possible to lose money, but it is as likely that a) there's enough headroom in the pricing to cope with it and b) it may pay back by encouraging those with 0.7% less than the purchase price to buy anyway. Assuming profit on the item is greater than 0.7%, then profit is still made. --Tagishsimon (talk) 17:46, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

And depending on the purchase volume per day it amounts to very little, potentially as much as is miscounted/lost anyway. I used to work retail and at the end of the day you counted up your box and compared it with your receipts, and you were usually off a bit, anything in the range of a few dollars or so was normal. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:56, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

You only get such prices if you adopt the usual policy in the USA of displaying prices without the sales tax added on ... so $1.99 + 7% tax = $2.13 and the checkout operator might round down to $2.10 or even $2.00. In Europe (and most other countries?), sales tax is already included in the price displayed ... so €1.99 already includes the tax, and there's no potential to round down at the checkout. Astronaut (talk) 22:33, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about "most other countries", but in Canada it's never done that way, and in some provinces it's actually against consumer protection laws. I suspect that's because some shady characters double-dipped on the tax by advertising the post-tax price, then adding tax at the till again and pocketing the difference. Tax can also vary depending on who's buying - tourists, status Indians living on reserves, and other government agencies don't always pay sales tax. --NellieBly (talk) 03:20, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Whereas in most European, Australia and NZ, advertising the GST/VAT exclusive price is likely to be against consumer protection laws, unless it's made abundantly clear. Also, in countries without 1 cents or even 5 cent coins, stores don't always round down. In NZ for example they used to round 1, 2 cents down; 3, 4 cents up when they had 5 cents. (This is often called Swedish rounding). Now without 5 cents, they round 1-4 down, 5-9 up. This isn't in law thought, it simply recommended (enforced?) by the retailers federation, a store is free to round however they want e.g. always round down, always round up, although they have to make it clear what method they use particularly I suspect if it differs from the norm (if they always round down I presume it doesn't matter). Of course, since the vast majority of transactions are probably not cash, no rounding usually occurs. (And yes, most items are still advertised as .99, .49 etc) Nil Einne (talk) 15:27, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Canada, as in many things, follows the US policy on this. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:43, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

In Wisconsin, a merchant may either state prices with or without the sales taxes. If prices as stated include the tax (vending machines, for example), that fact must be clearly advertised (presumably to avoid the kind of double-dipping NellieBly references). --Orange Mike | Talk 16:48, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

If they want they can sell with a €1 price tag for 2 cents or €1,000, the price is just an invitation to bargain, so you can even haggle the price down (Though don't cos other people in the shop will think you're a moron and the people who run it might get annoyed and bar you).--Serviam (talk) 23:09, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

gasoline in diesel engine

what happens when you run gasoline in a diesel engine? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Evant1129 (talk • contribs) 18:21, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdieselvsgas.html --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:28, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, this, this and this might help. Anonymous101 (talk) 18:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

FIRE. 71.74.178.225 (talk) 03:11, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

parapsychological contact

Moved here from WP:New contributors' help page

Please fill in the subject box above, then replace this text with your question, and don't forget to sign by leaving the following four tildes (~'s) in place which automatically formats to your signature once you click "save page" below. 216.174.242.140 (talk) 17:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC) name jerry l capps recently i was contacted by several mediums and several psychics around the world all the big names as in biggest such as anthony carr lee moorehead etc my question is this i have been told by one ri--research in brooklyn that there is a thing called beyonders and i have the ability to heal people by touch how real is this my name is jerry l capps thank you am baffled at such things

(Removed personal contact info) Hi Jerry: we answer questions here rather than individually by email or other means, and contact details should not be added to Wikipedia for reasons of personal security. -- Karenjc 17:47, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I've done some Googling on the specifics of your question. "The Beyonders" refers, among other things, to the nickname of an amateur nonprofit paranormal investigation group based in Michigan; a couple of bands; and a fictional race of beings in the Marvel Comics universe. I cannot find anything linking the phrase to supernatural healing abilities, although I may not have looked hard enough. As for the existence of psychic healing abilities and the effectiveness or otherwise of such methods, this is a matter of opinion: see our article on Faith healing for discussion and further references. You do not state whether the people who have contacted you are asking for anything, and Wikipedia does not give legal advice, but before entering into any important legal or financial commitment it would be sensible to consult a professional advisor. -- Karenjc 18:12, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

book

Who is the author of Goldielocks and the three bears —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.171.129.69 (talk) 20:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

According to The Three Bears, it was composed by Robert Southey. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 20:40, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Or, rather, first published as a Southey composition, but possibly based on older tellings ... and I'm with Byron on Southey: You, Bob! are rather insolent, you know, / At being disappointed in your wish / To supersede all warblers here below, / And be the only Blackbird in the dish. I'm sure Bob didn't claim it as his own, and neither should we. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:30, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

"The earliest recorded version of the tale was found quite recently in 1951 in a collection of early children's books in the Toronto Public Library. The story was published in a homemade book titled, The Story of The Three Bears metrically related, with illustrations locating it at Cecil Lodge in September 1831. Apparently an aunt, Eleanor Mure, had written the story in verse and illustrated it for her nephew from the story she already knew through oral tradition. Mure's version of the tale featured an old woman who intrudes into the bears' home, sampling their food and other amenities (Opie 1974, 199-200)." [9] BrainyBabe (talk) 14:07, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

T-shirt

Hello, I'm a 24 year old guy in the U.S. Do you think I could get away with wearing this shirt without getting laughter or weird looks? The one I have is size XL (14/16) so it fits me fine. 76.8.208.24 (talk) 20:45, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Depends where you wear it. To a Pokemon convention, no problem. I wouldn't recommend wearing it to a wedding, funeral, or job interview though. —Angr 21:13, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

There's a bloke in my neighborhood (or was, I haven't seen him a year or two) with batwings tattooed around his eyes, and that's just the start ... I saw him once in the Kwik-E-Mart wearing Pikachu slippers. You never know about people! —Tamfang (talk) 07:34, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Unless it's a job interview for Nintendo or The Pokémon Company perhaps. And if it's your funeral, feel free to specify that you want to be buried in a Pokemon shirt in your will. And if it'd your wedding and your spouse agrees Nil Einne (talk) 15:18, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Haven't you asked this almost exact same question before? The answer then, as well as now, is sure, you could wear it, and it would look just as silly as some of the other silly t-shirts people wear. I don't think most people would notice or care very much about what you wear, in most cases, special situations (such as those mentioned above) as the exception. In any case, to some degree the deliberate embrace of kitsch can be considered "hip", though you have to realize it is kitsch before that can be the case. If you're doing it earnestly, that's never hip. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:25, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it was asked before. Dismas|^(talk) 21:31, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

This reminds me of the time I bought a T-shirt with a picture of George W. Bush with the text "International Terrorist" from an online store. I did it because I had heard of some American guy that had got expelled from school solely for wearing such a T-shirt, so I felt I just had to get one for myself. When I wore it to the World Bodypainting Festival 2007, no less than three people asked me to pose for a photograph for them. JIP | Talk 21:39, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Ball-thingies on shoes

Do those nice-looking ornamental ball-thingies found on women's high-heeled shoes at the top edge of the shoe have a name? JIP | Talk 21:16, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

?pom pom like [[10]], [11], [12] or would you have an image as to what you mean.--71.236.23.111 (talk) 22:48, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Bots

I would like to know, how do you make your wikipedia bots that can clean up vandalism and the like? I would like to do this on a wiki I am currently a member of and would appreciate it if you told me ow. Any help is grealy appreciated :) --Seablue254 (talk) 22:51, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm no expert on computer programming, so I wouldn't know how to program one from scratch. ClueBot is one of the best anti-vandal bots on Wikipedia, and it is open source. One should simply be able to copy the source and run it on any wiki. For future reference, questions about how Wikipedia works should go on the Help desk, not the reference desk. I hope this helps. Paragon12321 (talk) 01:55, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at the Wikipedia:Bot policy page. Note that all bots must be approved before use. - Akamad (talk) 10:05, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

We have a page on creating a bot. --Milkbreath (talk) 10:23, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Darn. Way for me to miss the obvious. Sorry guys! Thanks for your help! --Seablue254 (talk) 19:24, 29 May 2008 (UTC)