Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 April 13

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.

April 13

Hemp powder

how safe is hemp protein powder? any side effects? Will taking affect drug testing?

This sounds like medical advice, which we are not allowed to give. It's possible the hemp article will have some info on that, though. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:26, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Psud whinging about Bugs jumping to conclusions about medical advice

It's no more medical than "how safe is soap? Will washing myself with soap have any bad effects?". They're not asking for a diagnosis, prognosis or even about an illness or disease. --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 03:44, 13 April 2010 (UTC) And further to that, see Kainaw's criterion: "Can the question be answered completely without providing a diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment advice?" Diagnosis: None requested. Prognosis: (likely outcome of an illness) Nope. No illness mentioned. Treatment: Nope. Bugs, I suggest you add the Kainaw's criterion link above to your favourites and refer to it before labelling a question as medical. sorry bugs, bee in my bonnet regarding people incorrectly marking questions as medical, legal etc. --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 04:18, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

To the OP: According to this newspaper article it's very unlikely that you could consume enough hemp protein powder to trigger a positve drug test result. See the article for details. I can't find anything claiming that it is dangerous (in comparison to other protein supplements) --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 04:18, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

This FAQ should be helpful (though of course it's from a manufacturer of hemp protein powder.) --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 04:19, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Help identify flower

Hi. What flower is this? Flower size is about 3cm, grows in a plant. רנדום (talk) 05:31, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Um, never seen a flower grow in an animal before. Don't they all grow in plants? Seriously though, your flowers look like Saintpaulia, aka "african violet". --Jayron32 05:35, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, I added a close up picture to the article. רנדום (talk) 05:43, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

What flower is this?

See the picture here. The bird is a Palestine Sunbird, but what flower is it? . רנדום (talk) 06:17, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Can't nail down the exact genus or species, but it looks like it may be some type of "primrose", which is a HUGE family of plants, see Primulaceae. The size and shape is something like Primula veris (aka cowslip) but the color is different. You'd have to browse through all of the various Primulaceae to find a good fit. It may also be a type of Anagallis, aka "pimpernel". Or something else entirely. --Jayron32 06:31, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm, it doesn't look like any of the above. Here are more pictures of the flower. Any idea? רנדום (talk) 07:16, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Can't name it myself but I suggest you sign up to Flikr and post it on the 'Unidentified Plant' group. I'll be surprised if it not identified within 24 hours. Richard Avery (talk) 13:53, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Which park is the Imperial War Museum London inside?

Yesterday I went to the Imperial War Museum London, and it's inside a park. What is the name of this park?--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 07:05, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I think that would be Harmsworth Park, (properly The Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park) in the borough of Lambeth. Viscount Rothermere, proprietor of the Daily Mail, presented it to the then London County Council for use as a public park in memory of his mother, Geraldine Mary Harmsworth. It was opened in 1934 and in 1938 a children's lido was added. In the park is a section of the Berlin Wall and a Soviet War Memorial.Richard Avery (talk) 07:47, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Looking again I find there is all the info you need in the WP article Imperial War Museum, look at the section labelled 'Relocation'. (and sorry, it is Southwark not Lambeth) Richard Avery (talk) 13:44, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

How did Viscount Rothemere get it? Surely it must have been the grounds of the Bethlem Royal Hospital not long beforehand? Alansplodge (talk) 07:57, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Don't know, but Here and here is some more information about it. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:01, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

PS: According to this site, "the main part of the institution [Bethlem] remained in Southwark until after the 1914–18 war, when the Governors decided to build new premises in rural surroundings. The removal to Monks Orchard at Addington in Surrey was sanctioned by Act of Parliament in 1926. The freehold of the old site was purchased by Viscount Rothermere in 1930 and vested in the London County Council for the formation of a public open space, to be known as the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park in memory of his mother." Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

What a nice fellow. I take back everything I said about the Daily Mail. Thanks. Alansplodge (talk) 12:46, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Hang on a minute - I've just looked at his Wikipedia page: Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere. I retract my withdrawal. Alansplodge (talk) 00:34, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Playing MMORPGs

I've got a new broadband connection, but my service provider allows only 1.5 GB of download/upload per month. I want to start playing online games, especially MMORPGs like World of Warcraft etc. Do these games require a lot of data exchange? Will it consume a lot of my download rations? How many hours of games like these will I be able to play on an average, without running the risk of exceeding 1.5 GB data usage? Thanks in advance... 117.194.230.102 (talk) 10:41, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

1.5GB a month seems like a painfully small allowance, but games generally don't use much bandwidth for normal play. Consider that when you're playing the game it's the equivalent of you browsing random wikipedia articles continually. Perhaps 12-30 KB/s, unless you're doing other things like in-game file transfers or something that will consume a lot more bandwidth. If this wasn't helpful, try asking at the Computer Reference Desk for better answers. 82.44.54.83 (talk) 10:44, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Using those speeds, I get some 18-35 hours. That's only half an hour to an hour a day; even less when you consider other data transfers. To appreciate just how low 1.5 GB of download/upload per month is, that works out to about a half hour of a standard definition DVD movie. StuRat (talk) 12:24, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

The IP resolves to India, if anyone was wondering why anyone would have such a harsh limit. I would agree that this is too low to game effectively. On the other hand, it would allow you to moderate your gaming! :) There's always a bright side. Also, it seems common (with the ISPs I have had) to tolerate use that is slightly in excess of the limit; say 150% or so. This is somewhat dependant on culture, I think, and so I can't urge you to try to use more than your allotted share. 88.90.16.251 (talk) 13:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Look for games designed for dialup users. Those will move less than 7 kilobytes of data per second, giving you at least 60 hours of playtime a month. --Carnildo (talk) 23:23, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Since I come from NZ where 5GB caps are about average IIRC and 1GB not unheard of, I thought there must be some actual experience and testing for this. Sure enough [1] [2] [3]. And eventually [4] where someone from Blizzard gives 6 Kb/s download, 3 Kb/s upload. This gives about 4 megabytes per hour which is many hours of playing time. However this is an average, if you spend a lot of time raiding, in cities with lots of people etc you may find yourself using more. Also a key point highlighted in some of the other forums posts, the patches are likely to add up to quite a lot. (If you do decide to play WOW make sure you disable the P2P option for patches, same of course with anything else that distributes patches in that way.) Of course other internet activities can add up to a lot too, I have a 15 GB peak cap which I (well household) always go over and then spend NZ$1 /GB for the extra so I have some experience. (And the RD is often ~500k IIRC.) On the other hand I also know from experience with some friends that if you don't actually use the internet that much particularly for bandwidth intensive things like viewing video, 1.5GB/month isn't actually that low (their cap is 5GB but AFAIK they don't even get close most of the time, not sure how much they spend but it may even be under 1GB). P.S. While there's such thing as a fair usage data plan here, most connections have hard data limits, if you go over your limit you're either limited to 64kbps or you pay more. I'm not sure but perhaps there's something similar in India. Nil Einne (talk) 23:47, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

If you don't think those limits are low, you must not download movies. StuRat (talk) 04:03, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

No, I don't! I have a 0.5GB per month limit (on internet delivered via a series of microwave links) which I keep within, though I admit that I do my updating of software and a few downloads elsewhere. I find some software such as Adobe infuriating because it performs unauthorised updates without asking. Dbfirs 09:10, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I find this annoying too and have for a long time and you're right they usually don't ask. However in case you're not aware mostly commonly you can switch it off. In Adobe's case, either try Edit, Preference, Updater (for Adobe Reader); or run the updater and look for a preferences option (for most other things IIRC). Of course since the updater is often a seperate app you can disable it from starting at startup, but apps nowadays seem to often just add it back, again without asking Nil Einne (talk) 19:37, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, I've now done that (again). It had turned itself on at the last update. I suppose most people just want things to happen automatically without being asked. Do you know of any software that sits between the operating system and the internet with a whitelist, blacklist and permission list? Dbfirs 11:48, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Who are you referring to? As I said, I always go over my 15GB peak cap usually by quite a bit, even with scheduling most major downloads (like movies) for offpeak times which is unlimited for me so I do find such caps low for myself (well household). However the fact remains, plenty of people are able to keep to such caps, it isn't as hard as you may think if you aren't using such demanding stuff like video, P2P etc and don't actually use the internet that much (remember, many people don't spend several hours a day on the internet for leisure purposes and even many who do may just use stuff like e-mail, Facebook, IM, blogs with some occasional Youtube and more data intensive stuff and may not spend more then say 3 gb /month). This stuff does add up, faster then I expect many people realise however at the same time it doesn't add up to as much as some people guess.

Paying NZ$1/gb does encourage you to not just use data willy nilly, although I suspect most people in NZ don't particularly since they don't have to because they never get close to their caps even without worrying about it.

Even in the US, while the average data usage is likely to be significantly higher, I expect you'll find similar patterns, i.e. most users don't actually use that much (it wouldn't surprise me if it's under 10GB)

Or to put it a different way, IMHO people who don't have to worry about these sort of things have a tendency to both underestimate and overestimage data usage depending on the circumstance. This question is perhaps an example of the overestimate part, the actual average bandwidth usage for WOW according to Blizzard is below the minimum estimation above, and the evidence suggests Blizzard is not far off the mark (although of course many people won't have average usage depending on their playing patterns).

BTW, in NZ the number and usage of legal on demand video services (referring to real TV and movies sort of thing, not Youtube) is fairly limited partially because of the caps. The TiVo launched here recently with a deal with the major ISP for unmetered ondemand service.

Nil Einne (talk) 19:27, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Experiment on copper (I) chloride

Exaplain why? (a)A layer of liquid should cover the salt in the funnel at all times. (b)The product has to be preserved in a tightly stoppered sample tube. (c)Is it necessary to wash the product with alcohol before drying

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to Wikipedia. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. --LarryMac | Talk 11:02, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia article is at Copper(I) chloride. This will give plenty of information on your topic. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 10:47, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

management information system (computer)

What is Simon’s framework for decision-making? How does it help in MIS design?

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to Wikipedia. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. --LarryMac | Talk 11:02, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You might start by reading our article on Herbert Simon. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 13:41, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Indeed. From some Googlation, it would seem this question (which appears verbatim in the assignments of a number of Indian MIS courses) refers to Simon's rather sinister-sounding 1965 work The shape of automation for men and management. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 13:48, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

gettin a manifesto

so hey I been reading in the paper about the new labiur and conservative manifesto and their covers and I was wondering if I could get one sent to me by post as I cant sit down and read those thing through n full on the computer!! i live in england if that a thing but when I go to their website I just told to read online ; I want the book to know how to vote!! Salza boo (talk) 11:36, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, here are the online versions. You could print them from there. If you don't have a printer, you could maybe go to a place that does, like a friend's house or library:

The Labour Party Manifesto: [5].

The Conservative Party Manifesto: [6].

In an interesting example of Conservative Party values, they are willing to sell you a copy, but not to send you one for free. However, if I go to the page to buy it, my Firefox browser goes down. (Read what you will, about their competence, into this.) StuRat (talk) 11:48, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

When it comes to who to vote for the manifestos are a reasonable guide, but remember that they are just some vague promises and only some of them will ever be put forward in parliment. Once in power, many manifesto promises are quickly forgotten. Also, it won't take long for each party to send leaflets telling you all about their candidate in your constituency.

As for how to vote, if you haven't already done so, you will need to register to vote before 20 April 2010 - your local council will be able to tell you how to register. Assuming you haven't requested a postal or proxy vote, you will receive a voting card through the post telling you the location of your polling station (usually a local school). On 6 May you visit the specified polling station, where your identity will be checked and you will be given a piece of paper listing the candidates. You go into one of the small curtained booths and put an "X" in the box next to the one candidate you are voting for. Fold the paper in half, return to the desk and drop your voting paper into the ballot box. That's it. Astronaut (talk) 12:31, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

pocket money in india

how much pocket money does an indian kid aged 17 get on an average per month?

Are you asking about allowance from their parents ? I'm of the opinion that there's a wide range of wealth in India, based on geographic and other factors. Can you be more specific ? StuRat (talk) 12:14, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

No need to gloss "pocket money", since it's a perfectly understandable term in large parts of the world. Clearly there will be differences, but you seem not to have noticed the words on average in the OP's question. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 12:48, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I need to understand a Q before answering it, and I don't know if they meant money received from parents or from other sources. StuRat (talk) 14:11, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

"Pocket money" means money received from parents. That's what it means. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:46, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps where you live, but here it means "any money you have in your pocket, regardless of the source", as in: "I like to keep $20 in pocket money, in case I need to take a cab": [7]. You seem to repeatedly make the mistake of thinking that the def you use is the only, universal def of a word or term. I will update Wiktionary:pocket money, accordingly. StuRat (talk) 17:43, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but it's worth noting that "average" may not be useful. Borrowing some numbers from India#Economy, the overall Indian economy is either the 12th largest or 4th largest in the world, depending on some factor I don't understand. That looks pretty good (and raises our estimate for average pocket money). However, India is also the most populous nation in the world. It's per capita GDP is 140th -- that drastically lowers the pocket money average. That income is also hugely skewed -- over 40% of the population lives on less than $1.25/day. It's safe to say that teenagers in that bracket have no pocket money to speak of. So what "average" do we want to know? The mean of the whole country? That's skewed low by the poverty line but probably doesn't represent much of the actual population. The median? At least it's a real person, but who knows how representative. The mode is all but certainly the pool of $0. Or, as I think more likely (and as StuRat is suggesting), do we want the average for some subset of India, and if so, what subset? — Lomn 13:26, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

(Edit Conflict) I suggest that, although it would be theoretically possible to calculate an average figure, it would probably not be very meaningful. The very concept of "pocket money/allowance" is rooted in a "western" pattern of family, culture, and society followed by only a small fraction of, if you like, "westernised" Indian citizens, anomalously wealthy by average Indian standards.

As you can see from the 'Economy', 'Demographics' and 'Culture' sections of our article on India, some 70% of the Indian population live rurally, and will be making a living from agriculture at, or at little above, the subsistence level. Very many urban dwellers will be working in shop-floor service or manufacturing jobs at low rates of pay (hence the cheap textiles and other manufactured goods that India is able to export to the richer western world).

In these circumstances most Indian minors will probably not only not be receiving pocket money, but will be working for some hours of the day in agricultural labour, or in urban industries, or in some cases begging, in order to make a contribution to the pooled labour and income of their family (if they have one). I also suspect that for most of the (culturally very varied) Indian population, a 17-y-o would be socially and economically considered an adult. Obviously, in a population approaching 1.2 billion, the small proportion of families who do follow a lifestyle that includes the giving of pocket money to their 17-y-o offspring may still represent a sizeable number, but using them to calculate an average figure for the population as a whole would be misleading (and the figure would be tiny), as would any comparison to that of countries with different demographic, etc, patterns. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 13:35, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I'm a 17 year old from Ireland and I get no pocket money at all, and never have. My parents just buy what I want, so long as it's not ridiculously expensive or I want something every other day. I work during my school holidays for money.--92.251.147.169 (talk) 18:21, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

That's nice to know, but how is it in any way relevant to the question at hand? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:29, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

British Law

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. LEGAL INFORMATION. I don't know about other laws, but I think in England all evidence you wish to rely upon in court must be given to your opponent boforehand. Or something like that, I think. So my friend had this hypothesis, that I think that would work, for people to get around that: surely you could just give it to your opponent just before you enter the courtroom. Then you would have stuck within the law but they would be pretty unarmed and you would win, particularly if they had given you thier evdence way in advance. Neither of us have courtcases, or have had courtcases, so our knowledge is based mostly on general knowledge and courtrooms in movies. But would that work? Or have the courts thought of that already and put some time boundary in place? Thanks for any info you can provide. 86.185.145.173 (talk) 13:56, 13 April 2010 (UTC

As I recall, the other party could just appeal to the judge and get an adjournment. You'd only succeed in delaying the trial and irritating everyone (including the judge). - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 14:00, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

A continuance, yes. StuRat (talk) 14:06, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You learn something new every day. Me more than most. - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 14:12, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I learn something new everyday, too. Unfortunately, I have to forget two or three old things to make room. StuRat (talk) 19:19, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I wish you hadn't said that - now that I know the frequency at which you learn and how many things you have to forget, I no longer know the square root of 1764, I don't recall what a "lubbock" is and I've forgotten what the other thing I forgot was. SteveBaker (talk) 00:38, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

See disclosure (the same as "discovery" in the US). StuRat (talk) 14:06, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Generally you can only introduce evidence late (I'm not sure what the deadline is, but it is more than just a minute before the trial) with the permission of the judge and the judge will only give that permission if you only just got the evidence (and couldn't have reasonably got it before) and if it being late won't unduly prejudice the other party. Lawyers are very clever people, so if such a scheme would work, they would all be doing it (sometimes they do try such things, but not routinely). --Tango (talk) 14:14, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

(The US article is Discovery (law)). A court will set a date for disclosure to be complete, which may be followed by a bit of to-and-fro between the parties who allege that they want more info, or more time, or that the other party's disclosure requests are unreasonable. That time is weeks (or for complex cases months) before the trial date; information disclosed after that time is generally inadmissable. If a party were to suppress or withhold material that was subject to the discovery order, and the court believed they'd done it with intent, that party could be considered in contempt of court. If the matter withheld was particularly significant, and the withholding obviously and wilfully egregious, the withholder could be charged with perverting the course of justice, an exceedingly serious crime. In general the legal manoeuvres practised by TV lawyers, with dramatic last-minute disclosures and confessions, are hopelessly at variance with natural justice and with the somewhat glacial pace of modern court proceedings, and would result only in Perry Mason losing, being disbarred, and probably chucked in jail. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 14:21, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Deliberately withholding evidence is part of what got Mike Nifong his career change. (American law, obviously.) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:04, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

See also Ambush defence, a thing which judges dislike greatly. --Tagishsimon (talk) 19:37, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

In family law that is certainly not the case. The opposition can bring up anything they like. Kittybrewster ☎ 21:27, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Is that civil or criminal? Or something special? I think we're talking about purely criminal trials here. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:45, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Thank you very much for all the information you've been able to provide; it has been most interesting and enlightening. 86.176.97.98 (talk) 22:07, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Water Solar Disinfection

If I was to hold a sample of pathogen-laden water in a clear, plastic water bottle and expose it to a day's worth of sunlight, how effective will the Sun's UV rays be in killing some of the pathogens in the water? Acceptable (talk) 14:21, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Not much - those pathogens have been living in the top layers of the lake, stream, or sea from which you drew the water, bathed in a comparable amount of UV that they'd get in the bottle. It's all too easy to get a nasty cryptosporidium from a fast-flowing, inch deep, mountain stream. If you were looking to have the Sun sterilise water for you, you'd probably want to use a solar still, not a bottle. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 14:27, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I drink water from back the mountains here regularly, I've never caught anything.--92.251.147.169 (talk) 22:42, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Not a very useful anecdote. So, what happens when you take your water collected in a high stream, away from industrial and agricultural pollution (you hope) and put it in a plastic bottle, then incubate the bottle at a comfortable temperature for a day or so. The water's sure to have small numbers of bacteria, fungus, alge etc. Given time and nice temperature some of those (which might be pathogenic) might grow or reproduce enough to become an infection risk or toxic. --Psud (talk) 07:24, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I think you’d be better off asking this question on Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Science.--Aspro (talk) 14:37, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Actually, this is an effective and cheap method of purifying water. I just saw this recently in either Nature or Natural Geographic. The key was to lay the closed clear plastic bottles on a metal surface in the sun for several hours. I'm looking for the ref. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 14:46, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

The World Health Organization is very interested in this area of water treatment. They have published a document entitled Water Treatment and Pathogen Control which may answer your questions.--Aspro (talk) 14:50, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I saw it in the current National Geographic Magazine, April 2010, p28. The article states that "6 hrs in the sun will kill viruses, bacteria, parasites in the water making it safe to drink." The program is called SODIS, and look! We have an article. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 14:52, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Portable water purification - I have added the above publication to the ‘further reading’ section.--Aspro (talk) 15:01, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Can a glass bottle be used ? (As a plastic bottle may leach chemicals into the water when exposed to heat and UV light.) StuRat (talk) 16:25, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Glass is opaque (or partially so) to parts of the UV spectrum. Also, this process requires the use of PET bottles, not polycarbonate. See Solar_water_disinfection#Cautions for links to refs. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 16:32, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Alice Bailey

Is there a religion based on the writings of Alice Bailey specifically A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. I realise she is a Theosophist, but is this a religion, and alot of Theosophy is, well, tripe. But I am very intrigued by her writings, is this a religious movements? Any enlightenment on the subject would be appreciated. Thanks

Temporarily Insulating a room

I live in a room that is about 16 square meter in the groundfloor, whose two sides are directly exposed to the outside. Heating works as expected and it is below the window, but the room is a bit cold. The culprits are 3 glass structures. One is the door and the other is a "window" like rectangular space, presumably to allow more light in the room and the other is an actual window itself. The door and the window closes well and there is no heat leakage on the metalic part. The door however, leaked cold air in the frame where the glass meets the metal. I taped this "frame" area, and it has helped a bit. Glass feels cold on all 3 structures. Iam wondering if covering the glass with styrofoam or anything that insulates (even opaque material)can help litigate my misery. Since it is a rented room, iam not allowed to permenantly alter anything or bore or cut stuff. Iam allowed to paste stuff using adhesive tape that can be removed. Please give me a few ideas. I do not know why I cannot tolerate cold, it could be due to the fact that my body temperature is slightly above normal right from the birth.

The "poor man's window insulator" is to buy sheets of the thickest available plastic sheeting at your local hardware store and tape it up inside the window with masking tape, creating a seal. Disadvantage of course is that you won't really be able to get a view out of the window anymore, and it looks like you have thick plastic sheeting in your window. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:00, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I have the same problem and use the same solution, a 3/4" "Foamular 150" Styrofoam sheet, which I place in the window, so it's supported by the sill. This insulates far better than plastic sheets, especially when dealing with single pane windows. I had to cut it to fit inside the frame, then taped it up along the bottom and 2 sides (I skipped the top, since cold air won't rise). That window, right over my bed, was the coldest spot on the wall, now it's the warmest. I use white Styrofoam sheets, but you can use pink if you're a girl (or want everyone to think you are). I placed the ugly side with the labels and warnings on it pointed inside, so they will be covered by the drapes, and everyone outside will see a flat white surface, difficult to distinguish from drapes. While I can't see out the window, plenty of light comes through it. The tape does occasionally come loose, but I replace the tape and it's good for another month or two.

You should buy the Styrofoam well in advance, and let it sit outside or in a garage, since it stinks, due to outgassing, when new. Measure and mark it carefully, and cut it using a utility knife, again outside or in the garage, since this will generate a lot of Styrofoam balls which will stick to everything, via static electricity. The factory edges will be much smoother than you can get using the knife, so place it with one of the smooth edges down on the sill, so it seals better and is supported better. And, fair warning, cutting Styrofoam makes the proverbial "fingernails on a chalkboard" sound, so be prepared. :-) StuRat (talk) 18:11, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

It's been a long time - but many years ago, in an emergency - I found that using sheets of kitchen cling-film over the door and window frames to create an air-gap between the cold glass and the air of the room helped a lot. It works in a similar way to double-glazing. It has the advantage that if you stretch it tight, you can still see through it perfectly well. SteveBaker (talk) 18:37, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You can cut styrofoam using a hot wire gadget, which plugs into a power outlet. They should be available at art-and-craft stores quite cheaply and allow you to shape the panels without mess. Essentially the gadget melts its way through the panel and you avoid the electrostatic foamdust which clings to anything. Googling should find a supplier in your vicinity. --88.117.1.3 (talk) 18:57, 13 April 2010 (UTC), whoops --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:58, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Wouldn't that make a horrid burning plastic smell ? StuRat (talk) 19:01, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Who cares? At least you won't be freezing your patootie off. Bus stop (talk) 19:13, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, if you cut it with a utility knife, instead, you'll still have both your lungs and your patootie. And, if you wear hearing protection, your eardrums won't be assaulted, either. StuRat (talk) 19:16, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Or an iPod playing some VanHalen to keep out the noise :) Googlemeister (talk) 19:33, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

At least in my area (Eastern Massachusetts), it's possible to get plastic film for exactly this purpose from the hardware store. It may very well be the same material as the plastic wrap Steve suggests, but it's sized to fit windows, and comes with double-sided tape to help you mount it. You use a hair dryer to warm it up to stretch it taut, and it's pretty much invisible. Paul (Stansifer) 02:12, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

The exact same product is available in the UK from some DIY stores and works very well - I've had some up for over 15 years. The most difficult part of the job is getting the frame surface smooth and clean enough to take the tape bond firmly (new paint, though apparently dry, tends to shear under the tension). 87.81.230.195 (talk) 15:37, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Plumbing: faucet: replacement parts

Is there a standard system for identifying the correct washer (and other replacement parts) for a particular faucet, enabling a person to go to a store and buy a supply of the correct items, instead of removing old parts and taking them to a store for matching with new parts? (By analogy, a person can buy replacement batteries of the correct type by looking for AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, or whichever type of battery is required, instead of needing to take an old battery to a store for matching with new ones.) -- Wavelength (talk) 20:43, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I know the plumbing sections of DIY stores (who cater to the occasional rather than professional plumber) sell packages of washers in all of the common configurations (I think the one I looked at in the UK had at least five different kinds). That way one could be sure of having the right kind when one opened the tap. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 20:56, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

You're also much better off going to the do-it-yourself store with the parts in your hands and your hands all grimy and with dirt on your pants — that way you get the real machismo experience. Bus stop (talk) 21:03, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but to do that with a tap washer you need to firstly turn off the water (often to the whole house) ; then disassemble the tap and extract the washer ; then drive to the DIY store, find the replacement, buy it, drive home ; and only then fit it. That leaves the house without water for potentially an hour or two, for a five minute job, which 'er indoors isn't going to like. Washers are ludicrously cheap, so having a few wasted ones (which you'll stockpile anyway, in the delusion that you'll find them next time) is of little cost. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 21:11, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

In the past I have taken a photo (digital) of the part required and shown it (using the camera) to the sales person - it worked well both times I did it. OK, washers aren't very photogenic, but the part that they are attached to and an appropriate measurement ought to be familiar to any reasonable plumbing or DIY centre. Richard Avery (talk) 07:53, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Another trouble with tap washers is that they often disintegrate when you try to remove them (either into several bits or into many), so you're taking a bunch of lumps to the shop. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 13:19, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Wavelength, a standard pack of UK tap washers is detailed here; it lists five different types, each in several diameters. I would guess that washers used in other places like the US or China may be of yet more designs. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 13:19, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

If one finds, after purchasing such a pack, that the faucet needs a washer of a certain type and of a certain diameter, could one return later to buy a pack containing washers only of that type and of that diameter? -- Wavelength (talk) 19:17, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Please be very very careful when buying spares for a tap. The manufacturers deliberately choose competing channels of distribution, often changing specifications along the way. So what appears to be the same tap in one store, is frequently NOT the same as the similar looking one in another store. And consequently, the same goes for spare parts and washers. And I know this from bitter experience (in the UK). And from that experience, I have since decided NOT to waste my time and money, hunting for frustratingly problematic spares for leaking and dripping taps. I just go to a few local DIY stores, choose the model I like best, and buy it online which usually gives the best price, even allowing for shipping costs. 92.30.49.228 (talk) 19:51, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Rose tea

I'd like to buy some rose tea in the UK - but not the Twinings brand. Does anyone know of any other brand name available in the UK please that does not use artificial flavours?

I had some Twinings brand rose tea years ago and it was wonderful. But I've just tried some "limited edition" rose tea from Twinings now, and its not very nice, like boiled sweets really. Very expensive, and very disapointing. Its also in those horrible little bags on a string things. Twinings have made the catastrophic mistake of putting artificial flavours in their speciality teas, and they are vile. I predict disaster. Thanks 89.240.34.241 (talk) 21:16, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I would assume Whittards do it - they're a tea company and popular enough to have high-street stores. I'd be surprised if Marks & Spencer don't also do it - at least in some of their large food-stores. Taylors of Harrogate are probably worth a check too. There'll be plenty of smaller brands that do them as well i'd expect. ny156uk (talk) 21:59, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

In terms of teabags Whittard does have rose tea:[8] In ingredients it just says "flavouring", not sure if that is artificial or not. This shop [9] has ceylon tea with "natural rose flavour". If you are happy to use loose leaf tea (and I can testify that it really is worth the extra effort) Whittard does that as well and here are some links to other places: [10] [11] [12]. You can even buy "pure" dried rosebuds from here to mix with any other tea leaves you like. 131.111.185.69 (talk) 22:04, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

At that last link there are both pink and red rosebuds available. A site with that attention to detail is definitely going in my bookmark list.131.111.185.69 (talk) 22:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Google is your friend. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:40, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't really like these type of teas myself so I have little knowledge, but I know that my Mum really likes the Harrods Rose Bud Tea, so I guess it would be good. Though I don't know of the ingredients. It comes in a pink cubic tin that I can't seem to find on their website. 86.176.97.98 (talk) 07:38, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

The problem with the Twinings tea is that as well as having unpleasant and unconvincing artificial flavours, using them in place of rose petals means you don't get the wonderful fragrence that was the best part of drinking the tea. Its a pity that Twinings are now using sub-standard ingredients, while keeping upmarket pricing as well. Its like the Titanic going to meet its iceberg. Perhaps I should grow some roses specifically to make rose tea - I imagine putting the rose petals in a bag with some tea and leaving it there for a few weeks. 89.242.91.98 (talk) 10:39, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Taylors of Harrogate state on their website that their rose petal leaf tea contains real pink rose petals. And it's available to buy online. Warofdreams talk 12:01, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Philadelphia Eagles/ Robert Morris University (Illinois) Eagles- Same Logo?

As I was researching the internet, I stumbled upon Robert Morris University (Illinois) Ice Hockey Website. I could not help but notice that their logo is the same as the logo of the Philadelphia Eagles, the only difference being the eagle is different in color. Follow these links to compare the logos:

http://www.robertmorris.edu/athletics/menshockey/chicago-gold/

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m228/manda42687/Philadelphia-Eagles-Logo.gif

This launched a discussion as to who stole the logo. I was able to find that the Philadelphia Eagles changed their logo in 1996, but found nothing on the Robert Morris University logo or when they began using it. Who designed the logo and which team used it first?Lisamp2 (talk) 22:32, 13 April 2010 (UTC)Lisa

"Stole" is a rather harsh interpretation. Assuming it isn't sheer inadvertant coincidence, given the obvious popularity of the eagle emblem in USA sports, whoever adopted it second may have been paying a deliberate sincere tribute or hommage to the prior user, perhaps because of some connection between the two clubs. In Heraldry (from which the use of such crests or emblems arose) it was and is common for a junior associate, relation or cadet to someone with an existing coat of arms to adopt (under the auspices of the relevant Heraldic Authority) a similar design with minor alterations or 'differences', often a change of 'tinctures' just as in this instance. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 15:26, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't think it's a coincidence—did you look at the logos? They are not coincidentally related to eagles. They are the same logo with the same typography and only the tiniest of changes—clearly either derivative of one or the other or of a common source. The current Philadelphia Eagles logo dates from 1996, according to the Wikipedia article. Look at the Robert Morris Athletics page with the Wayback Machine, they seem to use a similar (but not identical) eagle without the distinctive text (see, e.g. this newsletter from 2005) in 2004-2005 or so. My guess would be that the university one is derivative, just because a major NFL franchise would not be silly enough to copy another logo in such a blatant way. --Mr.98 (talk) 20:14, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I had thought that the NFL routinely allowed US high schools to copy the NFL logo of the school's namesake, but am having trouble googling any evidence of my impression. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:45, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I believe the West Deptford High School Eagles in Gloucester County, New Jersey, use the exact same logo as the Philadelphia Eagles. I think that's the case because I've driven by the town's water tower which has that logo pasted over it and the school's mascot is the eagle..76.116.92.205 (talk) 04:04, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Lighted LED Halo

Where can I buy materials that I can make a halo (for a costume) that lights like LED? --Reticuli88 (talk) 22:38, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

An annular ring of transparent plastic would act as a Waveguide and so could be made to glow. One could be made from "casting acrylic" bought from and art shop. Silver or gold sparkles could be mixed into it. This would be easier than persuading your actresses/actors to be ever-so-good and saintly to the point where they develop their own halos. --Aspro (talk) 22:58, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Get a number of LEDs and wire them in series and form into a halo shape. Connect to battery via a resistor of suitable value. This will then be a halo that looks like lit LEDs (because it is lit LEDs).--79.76.163.157 (talk) 23:25, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Nah - forget LED's - those are so 1980's. Do a Google Search on Electroluminescent wire. It's the PERFECT stuff for this - and you can buy it in kit form with all of the electronics and everything. It's relatively new material and not many people have seen it - so it'll definitely impress the heck out of most people. SteveBaker (talk) 00:06, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Awesome idea, Steve! I found a distributor online and it is surprisingly inexpensive! Thanks? --Reticuli88 (talk) 13:05, 14 April 2010 (UTC)