Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 February 11

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February 11

Car insurance questions.

I had a really bad car wreck on Sunday afternoon (not my fault: <expletive><expletive>tailgater "driving" (I use the word in the looser sense of "aiming" rather than "controlling") <expletive><expletive> Dodge Ram monster truck with RV trailer in tow) - my beloved yellow MINI Cooper'S ("ChubbChubb") is clearly a total write-off (and I'm in a fair amount of pain). 8 other cars were also wrecked and several drivers (me included) spent the rest of the day in hospital tied up to machines that go "BEEP" in an alarming manner just often enough to stop your jangled nerves from calming down.

(For those wishing to pay their respects to the poor, departed vehicle...and Dodge Ram owners with a morbid taste for mangled metal...the ChubbChubb memorial Wiki page is here: [1].)

The car is (er "was") 14 months old and in verifiably absolutely pristine condition (I was driving it back from it's 30,000 mile service at the time)...and I'm trying to get some idea of what to expect from the insurance people:

1. To what extent does this depend on the policies of MY insurance company ("Farmers") versus the insurers of the 'at-fault' vehicle ("Activity Insurance") ?
2. Is there some rule by which US insurance companies determine how much they pay out?
3. Is there some threshold of age/condition/mileage below which they'll just buy a new car?
4. If not, do they simply use the Kelly Blue-book value regardless?
5. If they use the blue book - which price do they pick? (There are three: What you should expect to pay/get when buying/selling privately. What you should expect to get from selling to a used-car dealer. What you should expect to pay when buying from a used car dealer.
6. Do they just give you a check for the amount or do they require you to prove how much you pay for a replacement vehicle?
7. To what extent can/should I haggle over the amount if it turns out to be unsatisfactory?

I don't need a 'legal' answer - I'm just trying to be a bit forewarned about what's going to happen. SteveBaker (talk) 04:11, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Sorry to hear about this — hope you heal quickly. Assuming (i) everyone agrees it was 100% the other driver's fault and (ii) the other driver was fully insured, I don't think your insurer has much to do with it; it should be entirely on his property-damage liability coverage. I don't know any of the technical details (I don't think what you pay for a replacement vehicle has anything to do with it, though — the question is the value of the old one). My understanding is that you're almost required to haggle; they're never going to give you their best offer straight up. But I don't guarantee any of that. --Trovatore (talk) 04:33, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Oh, I just noticed the "8 other drivers" thing. In that case my guess is that the insurance of the guilty driver is going to cap out, and you will have to tap your own insurance for the difference. A limit of 50K for total property liability in a single accident is fairly decent coverage — if he wrecked nine cars I'm thinking that's not going to do it. --Trovatore (talk) 04:37, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Is there anything mechanically wrong with it? Or is it just all body damage? What I'm getting at is that it might not be a total write off. Body panels are expensive (I know, 358 days ago I got into a wreck and my fenders were $800 each (pic)) but they might not add up to enough to be a write off. Dismas|^(talk) 04:43, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

The car is a total write-off. It's never going to move again. The engine was pushed under the car - there was an eye-witness who told me that there were five separate impacts to my car as it was spun around and out into another lane of traffic. He said that as he watched it all unfold, he was sure I wouldn't survive. There is not one body panel left completely intact on the car. The driver seat collapsed (it's designed to). The tailgate is pushed hard against the back seats (with my poor laptop scrunched up somewhere between the two). The front end ended up wedged under the truck's wheel-well. Nah - it's a write off for sure. A car that's been through that much would be bent and twisted in ways that would make it impossible to make safe again. The amazing part (and it's a tribute to Anglo/German engineering) was that I was able to open the door and literally walk away. When you consider the amount of kinetic energy in the largest pickup truck on the US roads - towing a 50' RV/trailer...hitting the second smallest car you can buy in the US at pretty much the fastest speed imaginable for a rear-end collision...to get away with nothing more than a severe whiplashing is astounding.

But $50k isn't going to come close to covering the damage! It's gonna cost about $28k to replace my car, $2k for my laptop, probably $5k for hospital and doctor bills(?), a substantial pain and suffering payment, time lost from work, a rental car. Now consider the eight other victims! Is the liability limit really that small?! Wow. Could it maybe be $50k per accident with each of the 9 victims being considered separately? Even so, there are LOTS of cars out there that cost more than $50k and medical bills can get higher than that extremely easily.

As for the 'at fault' thing - I went to the local police department and asked for a copy of the accident report. They said that it's going to take a while to work through all of the who-smashed-into-who bits - so the full report won't be available for a few days yet - but that they are (unofficially) reporting that the Dodge Ram was the 'at fault' vehicle and they went so far as to give me that drivers name, registration and insurance details to pass on to my insurer. I'm sure they wouldn't have done that in advance of releasing the report if there were any other conclusion. Almost all of the other drivers involved (myself included) were at a dead stop on the freeway - so it's hard to come to any other conclusion.

SteveBaker (talk) 05:21, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I don't think that the police assign fault. They'll be happy to hand out citations for offenses like following to close but fault is a insurance term. Giving you the other driver's info is no big deal. When I had my wreck, I had the other driver's info that same night and called my insurance company in the morning. They took the info and pretty much took care of everything. A day or two later, the other guy's insurance company called me to ask me for my version of the whole thing. Dismas|^(talk) 05:32, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, I believe I impacted four vehicles in total...one of them twice (which tallies up nicely with the number of different paint colors there are on my car!). They had 10 vehicles and 10 sets of insurance, drivers name and address, vehicle license, etc data to choose between to give out...but they gave me just this one. So if they weren't formally assigning blame - they didn't make too much of a secret of what they thought! However, this is "back-of-beyond, Texas" and who knows what bizarre local laws there may be? In your case, were the police involved? It there was no injury, they don't have to be (at least, not here in Texas). In this case, I was in no shape to go around asking people for their information - the cop who interviewed me in the Ambulance (I was strapped to a very uncomfortable back-board at the time!) told me that he would collect whatever information was needed and append it to his report. SteveBaker (talk) 06:27, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I see what you mean about him giving you that specific driver's info. And yes, the police were involved. In fact, the road was so icy that the cop and all the paramedics were having a hard time stopping their vehicles and almost fell on their asses dealing with the stretcher that the other guy was in. Dismas|^(talk) 06:54, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

First, I'm glad to hear you're OK. Whatever else happens, consider yourself lucky to have survived. Next, are you in a no-fault state ? Lastly, even if your car is totaled, you might be able to sell off some parts of it for some money, like the wheels, radio/CD player, etc. Some insurance companies insist on getting the old car, if they pay for it having been totaled, but you might be able to strip it first. (If you have some junky old wheels you could put on it, that would be better than just giving it to them on blocks.)

Now for your actual questions: As for when they total a car, they normally do that whenever it costs more to fix it than it's current value. (For an old junker this can mean they total it because it has a scratch.) If they do total it, then I don't think they care how much your new car costs, or, indeed, if you even buy a new car. Most people would use this opportunity to buy a brand new car, however, which will require more money than you will get in the settlement, unfortunately. StuRat (talk) 05:59, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Hmmm...No-fault_insurance#States/Provinces with No-fault Laws says that Texas is not a 'no fault' state.

I did have a car totalled years ago (it was a very ancient pickup truck worth about $1000) - it was dented up fairly mildly but because it was so old, it wasn't worth repairing - so they totalled it. I asked the insurance company what they would do with it (they auction the wrecks off) - and they said that I had the right to by back the wreck at whatever the company set as a 'reserve' on the auction price...which was $200. So I bought back my truck - re-insured it - and drove it happily for several more years, having pocketed the $800 profit! At the impound lot where the car is now, I went to take a look at the wreck in the hope of getting my laptop back out of it (I'd need some serious cutting tools!). The impound guy said that I was allowed to remove anything that was "loose" but not anything that was still screwed, bolted or glued to the car because that would become the property of the insurance company. So, no I'm not allowed to remove wheels, radio or any other parts UNLESS I buy back the wreck. Assuming the same rules apply as last time, I'd get it pretty cheap. I do know someone who is in the market for a MINI Cooper'S engine - and I may well buy back the wreck and sell it to him to save him having to bid at the auction. All of the interior (except the driver seat) and all but the rear window are all intact - those would certainly be worth something to SOMEONE.

So I'm absolutely 100% certain that they WILL total it - but I'm still no nearer an answer to what metric do they use for ascertaining the amount they'll pay me.

SteveBaker (talk) 06:25, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

First, glad to hear you are still with us. An impact which destroyed a car could have scrambled the gray matter. I personally had a good experience recently in the U.S. with GEICO paying in exemplary fashion to fix a car damaged by their insured. Hope you do as well. They should "make you whole." If the guilty driver's insurance is slow to pay, perhaps you might mention that you have started seeing a medical or alternative practitioner every week to address the pain you suffer, with no end in sight, at least until their check clears. Just a suggestion.Edison (talk) 06:29, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

In an at-fault accident, as Edison said the at-fault driver's insurance is required to "make you whole". This generally means that they either pay all repair costs or an amount sufficient to purchase an equivalent car in similar condition (presumably KBB from-dealer, though you may be able to "demonstrate" a greater amount, by providing price quotes for equivalent vehicles, for instance). This is complicated by the amount of damage in this case, which could very well max out the driver's insurance. (He would most likely be personally liable for the remainder.) The good news is that your insurance will most likely resolve all this for you—they pay you, then "recover" from the driver and his insurance. You should also check your insurance policy for any clauses which would help cover the difference between your car's current value and that of a brand new car—in some cases your insurance could pay out in excess of the at-fault driver's liability. Given the circumstances, you'll probably end up involving your insurance company so you might as well get 'em involved early. Edit: There's possibly bad news here too. (IANAL) Because your vehicle struck the other vehicles, if those drivers are unable to recover full damages from the at-fault driver they might claim against your insurance (which is patently unfair, but hardly unprecedented). That's all the more reason for you to file a claim against your insurance and let them sort out the details. – 74  07:00, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I suppose the guys already told you everything you wanted to know, above, and I don't even have my own car yet and am not certain how this all functions, but just wanted to wish you all the best and hope that you get well quickly, Steve. I'd just add this, however: a car is a car, you may like it or love it, but it's still replaceable as anything and is just a car after all. The important thing is that you came out of this alive, no accident is fun. Cheers, --Ouro (blah blah) 08:07, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Steve, responding to your earlier remarks — the pain and suffering is from a different pool of money, the bodily injury liability insurance. That doesn't come under the property liability cap, and the cap is usually quite a bit higher. This is just from my own vague understanding; I'm not a lawyer or anything. --Trovatore (talk) 08:38, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Hi Steve, glad you came out of that with "only" whiplash. Be sure to keep any notes/documents from your doctors in case you do develop any trouble later on. This page has the minimum cover amounts for Texas (ezinearticles.com/?Texas-Car-Insurance---Helpful-Info&id=1962058). You should contact your insurance agent and discuss the case with them. Have them send you claims forms. I think the others have pretty much already covered things. BTW. The police do try to find out who's at fault. Farmers should have an agent you can talk to. (Some of the cheap ones only have fill in this form robots.) They may be able to advise you on whether there's any good reason to contact a lawyer. You can sue for damages not covered by insurance. If the party at fault doesn't have any assets or the amount not covered is rather small the lawyer fee might come higher than what you could gain. Oops some of the above is OR. Used to live and get bumped into by other drivers in Dallas. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 09:11, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Yeah "only" needs to be in quotes. But vicodin and muscle relaxant is an AMAZING combo...bliss in a little orange bottle! Anyway, after talking with my insurer, I'm actually able to answer some of my own questions now:

1. To what extent does this depend on the policies of MY insurance company ("Farmers") versus the insurers of the 'at-fault' vehicle ("Activity Insurance") ?
   • My insurance fixes up the claim using their own rules and policies - then they go to the other insurer for the cash. But since he's almost certainly going to run out of liability coverage in a 9 vehicle wreck, my 'uninsured claim' coverage kicks in and covers the difference from my insurer's money pool. In Texas (which is not a 'No Fault' state), I could theoretically take my own legal action against the driver - but that's not considered to be a good idea because awards are typically quite low and often are never paid. The minimum liability coverage in Texas is $25k - so it's almost always insufficient in any serious accident. The medical costs come from a different pile of money from that coverage.
2. Is there some rule by which US insurance companies determine how much they pay out?
   • No.
3. Is there some threshold of age/condition/mileage below which they'll just buy a new car?
   • Depends on the insurer - but basically, no.
4. If not, do they simply use the Kelly Blue-book value regardless?
5. If they use the blue book - which price do they pick? (There are three: What you should expect to pay/get when buying/selling privately. What you should expect to get from selling to a used-car dealer. What you should expect to pay when buying from a used car dealer.
   • This is where my problems start. They USUALLY use the Kelly Blue book dealer sale price. Sadly, they noticed that the Kelly book value for my 14 month old car is $2000 MORE than the brand new price for the same car (which is certainly anomalous). Hence they are now trying to find a similar car for sale in my area to use as the price they offer. However, this is a matter of negotiation and I believe I can talk them into buying me a new one.
6. Do they just give you a check for the amount or do they require you to prove how much you pay for a replacement vehicle?
   • They give you a check.
7. To what extent can/should I haggle over the amount if it turns out to be unsatisfactory?
   • All parts of the settlement are negotiable.

There are some oddities - the laptop and camcorder that were crushed in the trunk of my car are covered by household insurance - although since it wasn't my fault, they MAY decide to pursue the other guy's insurance for that too.

Thanks guys!

SteveBaker (talk) 03:21, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

A couple quick clarifications:

2. State laws can mandate certain payment amounts (tied to KBB values, for instance), but there isn't a United States standard

3. "New car replacement" insurance covers the full cost of a new replacement vehicle if you meet certain criteria, and may be offered as part of a standard policy or as additional coverage

– 74  06:52, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

$25k? It's barely worth having insurance at all... In the UK the legally required minimum is £250k and the basic 3rd party insurance offered by most companies is far higher than that. So, Texas is basically a No Fault state, just pretending not to be. --Tango (talk) 17:30, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

No, that makes it close to being a "no-insurance" state. If your insurance doesn't cover damage that you're at fault for, it comes out of your pockets -- or your assets and future earnings. --Carnildo (talk) 02:03, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

It's not "close to no insurance". Sure, you can easily go over that. But I'm sure the vast majority of accidents settle for less than 25 grand in property damage plus 50 in bodily injury. If you have a "normal" accident you'll be awfully glad you have the insurance.

Tango, that quarter-million pounds, is that property or injury? Or are they lumped together in Rightpondia? --Trovatore (talk) 20:36, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

@ Tango: You'd be glad you had insurance till they dumped you. Insurance companies don't like to pay. So once they have to, they'll jack up your rates. You won't believe what they'd charge you just for that amount of coverage. In some countries I've been to insurance companies have some obligations to keep you as their customers. In the US they can and will cancel your contract once they get anything but profits from you. Texas is notorious for a state where suing an insurance company is pretty much a hopeless cause. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 04:44, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

hoopla surrounding Hudson River landing

I was reading my TV Guide magazine. It had a little article on the events surrounding Flight 1549. When it came down to David Paterson deeming the survival of all passengers and crew as a 'Miracle on the Hudson', there was a line saying "Quick! Someone secure the movie rights!". My mom is betting HBO would be the first.72.229.135.200 (talk) 06:09, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Okay! Did you have a question? -- Captain Disdain (talk) 06:42, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

It would have to be a very short movie! Between take-off and splashdown was only 6 minutes...and the first two of those were 100% routine! Most of the rest was people standing around shivering while the boats pulled alongside.

(Interrupting SteveBaker) This is simple. There were 155 people on the plane. You pick about 8 people or couples and spend 10 minutes of the movie introducing each one and showing why they were on that particular flight. Then you tell the 6-minute story, but you stretch it out to about 20 minutes by showing things one after the other that happened at the same time. Then you follow the 8 people on board the boats and into the hospital or wherever they went. Now a press conference scene announcing the outcome, music rises, dissolve to Barack Obama congratulating Sullenberger, freeze frame, roll credits. There's 3 hours. You can reach my agent at 416-555-0155. --Anonymous, 08:03 UTC, February 11, 2009.

Don't forget a segment blaming George W. Bush for the bird strike and faulty jet engines. Rangermike (talk) 04:20, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm rather bummed at all of the hoopla over the crew. The pilot did precisely what his training said - no more, no less. He had no other alternatives - there was really no decision to make. No special heroism was required on behalf of either him or the crew - they didn't have a 'cowards way out' - there was only one option. They merely did what they've trained for. Both pilot and copilot would have trained for water 'landings' and for seeking zero-power landing sites after double bird-strikes during takeoff - they spend many hours of simulator training for those kinds of situations (and usually they simulate it at night and in fog just to make it harder!) If they'd done almost anything else and survived, they'd have been up on negligence charges. I saw that they gave the entire crew the 'keys to the city'...but most of them were just strapped down helplessly like the passengers. The credit mostly belongs to the engineers at Airbus for building a plane that could stretch a zero power glide for four minutes from so little altitude - and also not break up or sink after hitting the water at 150mph...that's no mean feat for a machine that's not designed to do that kind of thing!

They'd built the plane with all sorts of little motorized covers that fill in the holes under the plane to slow it's rate of sinking. That's what made the crash survivable in such cold water.

SteveBaker (talk) 06:50, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Look, this is not a debating site, but you really are being way too hard here. It's one thing to train for something like this and quite another to face it in reality, without warning, for the first time after decades of flying. And the flight attendants weren't just along for the ride -- their job is to take charge of the evacuation, and that's what they did. The fact is that this is only the second time that a jet airliner has ever landed on water without loss of life, so don't go talking as if it's easy. Yes, the airplane performed superbly. Yes, the crew did not have a coward's way out. But it was still a supreme professional achievement and I say the hoopla is entirely justified.

By the way, the "ditch button" that operates those motorized covers was never pressed. Reports said that, with all the other things they had to do, there wasn't time. (So score one more point for the engineers that the plane did not sink!) --Anonymous, 08:16 UTC, February 11, 2009.

Just for the record, they don't train "glider" flying water landing for jumbo jets. (At least AFAIK no airline has up to now.) They do ditch the plane and they do one engine lost. They may even do water landing with just one engine. I do think though that the language used in the reports is rather irksome (miracle - give me a break!). It was a pretty amazing feat of flying. Professional reaction by the cabin crew and thank goodness no hysteric panic among the passengers. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 08:49, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, I used to be a flight simulator designer with Rediffusion Simulation - who almost certainly made the Airbus sim that those pilots probably trained on. Sure - they don't train for this precise situation - however they DO train for two different situations: Firstly the "no engine glide approach" thing - secondly water landings (although they may or may not do that in the simulator). The combination of gliding and water landing is probably not on their syllabus - but the two component skills are certainly trained for. SteveBaker (talk) 02:44, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

I don't think Steve is saying that it wasn't a good performance. He's just saying that it wasn't heroic. It's not the same thing, and I agree with him. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 12:34, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, considering that office workers who did nothing more than stand around the wrong water cooler on 9/11 are routinely lauded as "heroes", there's a pretty low bar. --Sean 13:40, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators disagrees. In the press release announcing that the crew of Flight 1549 have beeen awarded its Master's Medal, it says "To have safely executed this emergency ditching and evacuation, with the loss of no lives, is a heroic and unique aviation achievement". The Master's Medal has only been awarded 16 times since it was introduced in 1976.

The part that especially impressed me was the fact that the captain walked the length of the passenger cabin, as it was filling with water, to check that all passengers had been evacuated - not once but twice. That takes more than good training. Gandalf61 (talk) 13:42, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Yes, that's not training, that's good, old-fashioned honour (it may be mentioned in the training manual, but nobody reads them anyway!). "The captain is the last to leave the sinking ship" (the fact that it wasn't intended to be a ship is neither here nor there!). --Tango (talk) 14:07, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

It's excellent flying, but not heroism. Heroism requires bravery. How is doing what was required so save your own life brave? --Tango (talk) 14:07, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Checking his passengers were safe before saving himself is unquestionably "hero" in my book. DJ Clayworth (talk) 19:40, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I doubt he was in much danger by that point, he would have known how quickly the plane was sinking. He probably got cold feet, that's all. --Tango (talk) 20:18, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Okay, alright. What I'm trying to talk about is the squabble over the movie rights to the events surrounding Flight 1549. Since my mom is betting HBO would be the first, who is anybody betting on?72.229.135.200 (talk) 19:36, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

That type of question doesn't really fall within the scope of the Reference Desk. Tomdobb (talk) 19:50, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I think what makes people use the H word is not so much the pilot's actions per se, as the ice water in his veins. Heroism is probably the wrong word for that. It's bloody impressive nonetheless. --Trovatore (talk) 20:33, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Good ol' Cap'n Sully even has a drink named after him now: It's 2 shots of Grey Goose with a splash of water. - Azi Like a Fox (talk) 22:20, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I doubt that.72.229.135.200 (talk) 00:48, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

Maybe a meme, maybe not[2]. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:19, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

If the pilot had somehow bailed out and let the plane crash, killing all on board,rather than attempting a controlled ditching, would he still be considered a hero, as was George H. W. Bush when he did that during World War 2? (Bush claimed everyone else on board was already dead.) Edison (talk) 20:59, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

The Bush article disagrees - saying that Bush and one other bailed out but that his parachute did not open. Also the plane was on fire at the time. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 15:14, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Of course not. There is no way anyone would have believed that everyone else was dead. I doubt anyone would ever fit an ejector seat to a large commercial airliner since it would virtually never be the right decision to use it - the pilot should always try until the last second to save the lives of the passengers, however unlikely success may be. (An ejector seat might be useful during testing, that's about it.) --Tango (talk) 23:20, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

Okay, alright, let's try this one. Which National Geographic Channel program would have Flight 1549 as its subject? Air Emergency or Situation Critical?72.229.135.200 (talk) 02:40, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

Information resources

I would like to make a page about an anonymous artist who is showing his work under his brand name, his work has been vastly spreading. I have been doing many interviews and researches about the artist and his work. My question is: how can i verify my resources for wikipedia when they are not from the internet not books or magazines, they are a results of my own self research? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dualities (talk • contribs) 06:47, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Probably, you can't. We have VERY strict rules about "notability" - and also we strictly disallow "Original Research" (ie your knowledge is worthless here). So almost certainly, there can be no article about this guy until/unless he is MUCH more famous and by then there should be plenty written about him to use for references. If you create this article, I'm 100% certain it'll get deleted within a day. Sorry...but we have rules. SteveBaker (talk) 06:54, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

The notability criteria for artists are:

1. The person is regarded as an important figure or is widely cited by their peers or successors.
2. The person is known for originating a significant new concept, theory or technique.
3. The person has created, or played a major role in co-creating, a significant or well-known work, or collective body of work, which has been the subject of an independent book or feature-length film, or of multiple independent periodical articles or reviews.
4. The person's work either (a) has become a significant monument, (b) has been a substantial part of a significant exhibition, (c) has won significant critical attention, or (d) is represented within the permanent collections of several notable galleries or museums, or had works in many significant libraries.

Them's the rules. SteveBaker (talk) 06:58, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

as far as i know from some critics that the artist is preparing for global work tour with his exhibition, would that be then a credible resources? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dualities (talk • contribs) 08:19, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

and what if the interviews, letters and emails are published online with the contacts of the people that the interviews done with? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dualities (talk • contribs) 08:21, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I don't think that your interviewees would appreciate having their details put online for fraudsters to steal! Sounds like you need to go mainstream if you want to get anywhere with your quest. --TammyMoet (talk) 09:23, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

If the interviews, etc. are published in a reliable source (a recognised specialist website, a magazine, a newspaper, etc.) then that's fine. If you just publish them yourself they we have no way to know you didn't just make it all up (of course, I don't seriously think you did, but we have to be extremely cautious, especially with articles about living people). --Tango (talk) 20:11, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

their email address at least? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dualities (talk • contribs) 10:27, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

If you want to create a well-written and well-sourced resource of this artist, go ahead and do that. The internet is full of space for projects like that. I guarantee you that if the topic is notable enough and your background work is comprehensive enough, someone else will create the Wikipedia article about the topic in question, using your work as the primary source. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 10:34, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

No don't post their email. It will be removed very quickly and I'm sure that they don't want to be spammed. You can't use research that you have done to create or add to a Wikipedia article. As an example there is a person on Wikipedia that I know. I work with one of their relatives. Now I could update their bio based on material that I could get by talking with them but that won't work because there is a rule about OR. CambridgeBayWeather Have a gorilla 13:51, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Evolution Under Attack!!!

Non-question removed. StuRat (talk) 14:32, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Some creationist have created a list of webpages responding to evolutionists' arguments against creationist claims in Index To Creationist Claims! You should do something about this and refute those arguments, especially those in the Biblical Creationism section! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.242.166.182 (talk) 08:51, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

---

The removal is discussed here: [3]. StuRat (talk) 14:45, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Who cares? Evolution will continue to occur whether they argue against it or not. Don't panic. Adam Bishop (talk) 08:58, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

We are doing something about it in most States. It's called science education and apart from some hard core cases tends to be rather efficient. :-)76.97.245.5 (talk) 09:17, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

"If I were wrong, then one would have been enough!" said Einstein on the book "100 Authors Against Einstein" manya (talk) 09:49, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Glass

How do I prove a glass is moulded rather than lead-cut crystal? Kittybrewster ☎ 15:40, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Lead crystal has some information. If it is cast it will often have a traceable seam. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 15:55, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

The sharpness of the edge of the cut is a give away, moulded glass has fractionally more rounded edges to the 'cut'.--88.110.47.4 (talk) 06:59, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

You could always use Archimedes's method to determine the density of your glass—according to lead glass, densities range from 2400 kg/m³ for soda glass to 5900 kg/m³ for high-lead glass. – 74  08:07, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

I come from a glassmaking family, and my grandmother told me that lead crystal rings like a bell when you flick it with your fingernail whereas pressed glass doesn't. I find this does work, except where the glass has suffered a crack. --TammyMoet (talk) 08:43, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

Sorry, I used to think so too, until I got a soda glass cup at a gas station, and it rings just like a $75 hand blown wine glass. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.88.70.244 (talk) 04:28, 15 February 2009 (UTC)

Northern Afghanistan - Climate

What is the climate of Northern Afghanistan (eg: Pagman Mountain region)```` —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.163.106.197 (talk) 18:44, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Some information at Geography of Afghanistan#Climate. Also see this. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 19:53, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Kabul Province#Geography says that the climate over that larger area is considered to be arid to semi-arid steppe, but this is probably too general for the specific area you are interested in. Our article on Paghman District doesn't give details on climate, but it does link to this UNHCR report which says "The area is green with plenty of trees (esp. fruits). However the droughts has affected the area (Qargha dam is almost dried up)." Our article on the city of Paghman also says "The area is green with plenty of trees and fruits."-gadfium 20:17, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

1992 Jeep Wrangler Hardtop

I'm buying a 1992 Jeep Wrangler from a private seller, and I don't have a hardtop for it. Where can I find a cheap one that is in a reasonable distance to zip code 28683, NC?

I've tried eBay, but they are all at least 7 hours away or don't fit a 1992 model. EWHS (talk) 19:52, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

This company may have what you need...try this link:[4] good luck,

10draftsdeep (talk) 20:14, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

JCWhitney, Quadratec, or 4WD Hardware will all have new hardtops. The model you have is known as a YJ by Jeep enthusiasts, so you might want to add that to your search queries. All Wranglers between 87-95 are YJs. Note, hardtops can be expensive and hard to find. Dismas|^(talk) 20:19, 11 February 2009 (UTC)