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May 28

Puducherry

Sir, Is Pondicherry (Puducherry) is a Municipal Corporation? How many Municipal Corporations in India? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.177.173.209 (talk) 02:38, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Our article Puducherry (city) notes that it is a municipality ([[Nagar palika). Our municipality article notes that in "in India, a municipality is often referred to as a town. It is neither a village nor a big city.Usually,a municipality would have 20000 or more people, but if it exceeds 500000 it becomes a municipal corporation". See also Municipal_corporation#India and it's (supposedly) main article Nagar nigam. Gwinva (talk) 03:39, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Modified duration

Hi, what is the standard or benchmark modified duration (of an investment portfolio) for a company? Where may I find this stats? Thank you, 131.170.90.4 (talk) 04:16, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

satisfaction??

how do we raise the level of satisfaction from the end users for a customer satisfaction (in a travel process)survey sent.are there any robust procedures in place we can implement after having tried everything to attain to no avail.how do we list the the priorities in 1,2,3 in this endeavour??anyone —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.95.140.188 (talk) 12:48, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Have you actually asked your "end users" (horrible phrase - use "customers" instead!) what would improve their levels of satisfaction? Have you asked them to list their suggestions in order of priority? Finally, have you implemented these changes? --TammyMoet (talk) 15:11, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Traveling abroad - alone

I have a lot of time now and I want to travel out of my country. The cons are: I don't have a lot of money and I am a female and I will be traveling alone. Where do I begin? fyi - there are no travel angencies near where I live. Also, I don't want to necessarily "backpack" it or hitchhike where ever I go. But I can't travel luxuriously. What countries are not so expensive to visit? Where would it be fairly safe enough for a lone female American to travel? Would you suggest that I locate a waitressing position if I happen to like a country and stay a bit longer? Reticuli88 (talk) 15:23, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It is common, and relatively inexpensive, for people to travel around Europe with an InterRail pass, and to stay in hostels. Frequently one meets like minds in such places, which may make this mode of travel less lonely (for the lone traveller) than more luxurious accommodation. Lonely Planet and Rough Guides cater to this budget-conscious market segment. I can recommend Barcelona (and a specific hostel, if you want). -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 15:35, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Also, a lot of countries will not like you taking a job without the correct permit or visa, so you may not be able to work while abroad. Googlemeister (talk) 15:36, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Places like India and Nepal are cheap, but not the sort of places you want to be a woman travelling alone. Travel itself is expensive, so consider what there is to explore within, say, 1000 miles of home. If you are worried about travelling alone, there are lots of sites like www.TravBuddy.com that can fix you up with someone who wants to do the same as you, and who may have more knowledge and experience.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:54, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Look up the rules for a "working visa" for the countries you want to visit. Most rich countries have a scheme where foreign students/young people can come over and work for a season to pay for travel, as a means of cultural exchange. I know the UK and Australia have lots of exchange students (in both directions), and surely Americans can join in too. Cod Lover Oil (talk) 18:18, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to get a feeling of foreignness without too much expensive travel, I recommend Montreal. Lots of interesting things to see there, and it's certainly no more dangerous or expensive than a U.S. city. Budget accommodations are available. Deor (talk) 18:27, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Working holiday visa appears to be the article for what Cod Lover Oil is describing. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:27, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The United States does not participate in the working holiday visa program. Consequently, few if any such programs are open to US citizens because of a lack of reciprocity. That said, you can sometimes land "under the table" work, which is technically illegal, particularly in countries with a large unofficial sector, such as Italy (not that we would ever advise doing anything illegal). Also, the Interrail pass is available only to people who have been legally resident in a participating European country for at least 6 months. Once again, this is not an option for most US citizens. US citizens can buy Eurail passes, but they are not so cheap. If you are a US citizen looking to travel inexpensively, I don't think Europe is the best destination. It is not inexpensive, in general. Eastern Europe, including Russia, may be an exception. As a male, I can't really assess how safe travel would be in those countries for a single woman. What I might recommend instead would be India. India has a wealth of cultural attractions that rivals the entire subcontinent of Europe. English is widely spoken. The flight to and from India is relatively expensive, though only maybe 50% more than a round-trip flight to Europe. Once you get to India, costs are shockingly low. For example, you can have a room with a private bath for around $12 a night in many places. You'd pay twice that for a bunk in a crowded youth-hostel dormitory in Europe. If you are willing to share a bathroom, you can sleep for less than $10. There may be hostels in India that are even cheaper. A nice dinner at a restaurant in India can cost $1. Rail fares for 100-mile intercity journeys cost little more than a subway (metro) ticket in London or Paris. My sense is that India is fairly safe for a woman traveling alone, provided that you dress modestly (loose pants or long dresses, no tight-fitting tops, a head scarf is even better) and travel by daylight. However, I would recommend going to a large bookstore, finding their travel section, and discretely browsing a few travel guides for key information before making a decision. Marco polo (talk) 18:51, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

From the working holiday visa page above, have you looked at a BUNAC internship in the UK? Cod Lover Oil (talk) 19:27, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I know less about Southeast Asia, but I think that there are parts of Southeast Asia that have attractions similar to India. Specifically, I am thinking of Vietnam and Indonesia. Both have a number of interesting attractions, though neither has India's cultural richness. On the other hand, I suspect that you could probably work your way in those countries as an English teacher, whereas I suspect that that would be difficult in India since so many Indians speak English well enough to attract students. Waitressing in these Asian countries might be possible, but your earnings would put you at the level of low-income locals, who tend to live hard lives (think ramshackle housing without running water in a shanty town). Marco polo (talk) 19:04, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You might also try WikiTravel - it's not a Wikimedia Foundation project - but is run on those lines, so it's pretty good. It has specific itineraries that you can follow (and you can of course chat with people who tried them) - tons of general advice about how to travel cheaply and safely - lots and lots of ideas for places to go that nobody here would have thought of! SteveBaker (talk) 19:08, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Also - this might sound crazy, but it is true - Italy grants citizenship automatically based on that of your ancestors, with no restriction if it's through the male line. Through the female line there is a cutoff point but it might still be possible. If any of your grandfathers, great-grandfathers, etc, were Italian, and you can prove it, you are already an Italian dual citizen. That means you can live and work anywhere in the European Union, with no restrictions. Just call the consulate and book an appointment to have your documents checked. More info here [1] Cod Lover Oil (talk) 20:21, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'd recommend Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales). You do not have to backpack anymore. Nor is it just for youth only, I've been surprised to see several people who look in their sixties or seventies. On the other hand, I do not think an American would be able to get a job in the UK or anywhere in the EU, unless you have special skills or are on some youth exchange scheme. You could buy a tourist rail ticket that allows unlimited travel - I think they are cheaper to buy in the US than in the UK. If you just want to stay in London, then all (I think) the publically owned museums and art galleries have free entrance. The Holland Park YHA is said to be particularly good. 92.15.30.36 (talk) 21:04, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

May I suggest volunteering? In the UK we have Voluntary Service Overseas , but I'm sure you will be able to find similar organisations where you live. A google on "volunteering abroad" brought up other organisations which recruit in the UK. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:30, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What about Australia? According to Working Holidays in Australia US citizens between 18 and 30 are eligible for the VISA if they are "of good character and of good health". Since language isn't an issue, it may be easier to actually land jobs as well. decltype (talk) 00:25, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There was a recent topic about travelling by cargo ship, not sure how it would work out as a cheap way of getting around. In the UK at least its often possible to get very cheap air tickets to places, although as I've never used any I'm wondering if the catch is an expensive return ticket. Perhaps the OP could get a job of some kind on a ship, cargo or liner. 92.15.12.12 (talk) 14:00, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

As TammyMoet says, volunteering holidays are something that might suit your ideas. There are projects in Central and South America, Africa and South Asia that might suit you. Some of them are construction work and skilled labour, but others are community work like immunisations and basic health care, development projects, training, literacy, etc. Most agencies that do the work have internet sites and online applications. If you have a university degree, countries like China, Korea and Japan employ native speakers as teachers and teaching assistants for Primary and High School (but be careful of scam companies offering these). In terms of safety, a culturally aware lone woman can travel in most places. For example, knowing that in a Muslim country it is appropriate to dress modestly (i.e. long sleeves and long trousers or skirt), no matter what religion you are, will keep you safer. Some single lone female travellers wear a fake wedding ring to deter unwanted suitors and to give an impression of the possible arrival of her hulking, jealous husband. Steewi (talk) 04:43, 1 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Applying to Cambridge University

Cambridge University (UK) asks to see the module marks for every AS level taken. There's been a lot of mixed messages about what module marks the university would like, which has left me rather confused. Is there some mark you have to obtain on every module you sat for at AS? Many people seem to believe that this is 90%. In that case, is it necessary to get more than 90% on every module for EVERY AS level you have taken? Or is it enough to get over 90% ONLY in all the modules of AS subjects RELEVANT to the subject you are applying for? So for example: If you take Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Greek at AS, but would like to apply for Natural Sciences at the University, could you still have a realistic chance of getting into Cambridge, if on Greek you have one module whose mark is below 90% (but is still a high 80% mark so good enough for an A), but for every module in every other exam you have sat, you had over 90%? Would be so grateful if someone could sort out this conundrum for me! Luthinya (talk) 17:51, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's definitely worth applying. You may want to get some advice (from your school tutor, maybe) on what college to apply to - they all have different criteria. Some are really keen on excellent exam results (which yours definitely count as, one module being merely very good isn't going to be a problem), some prefer to see lots of good extra curricula activities, some like specialists, others prefer students with broader interests, etc.. --Tango (talk) 18:03, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's also worth noting that in many UK universities, it's possible to enroll onto one degree program - and then almost immediately switch to something else after being accepted. Thus, you might try to get into a program based on whichever subjects you have the most confidence that you could pass - with the plan to switch over to something else once you're enrolled. I went to the University of Kent and there, it doesn't matter what degree you enrolled for because during the first year, all science subject students do the exact same courses and at the end of that year, they get to re-select the exact degree program that they actually want to do. That may not be true everywhere - but I bet it's pretty common. It's amazing how many people switch after just a few weeks of discovering what exactly the subject they've chosen is all about! SteveBaker (talk) 19:00, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That would never work at Oxford or Cambridge. People kill to get in there, they're not going to co-operate with students gaming the system. ╟─Treasury Tag►Counsellor of State─╢ 19:02, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Oxford Chemistry student here: at Cambridge, Natural Sciences is effectively the same course for everyone in the first year, but you can specialise heavily as time goes on. Cambridge seemed (according to my friends) to be more rigorous in their admissions process (read: less dependent on interview) than Oxford but with your grades it's definitely worth applying. My tutors have said that, when swamped with brilliant students with identikit sparkling personal statements, they'll often go for someone who makes a good impression on them. I really wouldn't fret about your Greek grades since you also happen to be an ideal Natsci candidate. Best wishes and good luck, Brammers (talk/c) 22:37, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Just to echo Tango, it's well worth applying. Obviously, have a back-up university, but go for it. They say one of the big factors reducing diversity at the big two universities is that students assume they'll never get in and don't apply. 212.183.140.55 (talk) 19:52, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Cambridge final year natural scientist here - I would consider it extremely unlikely that the slightly lower (but still very good) Greek mark would be taken into consideration at all, if anything doing five AS levels and getting an A in all of them will be taken as a sign that you have good time management and a solid work ethic (which they look for as much as academic ability - which given your marks you have plenty of as well). No one is going to impose a hard cut-off of 90%, they would lose some of their best students on the basis of random chance if they did. Also, I was told repeatedly when applying that the college considers the application as a whole - interview, marks, personal statement, reference, any admission tests - and that a less than perfect performance on one or two of them will never "doom" an application. It's definitely worth applying, it's a great course - good luck! 131.111.185.68 (talk) 15:45, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hitching on a plane

I've found the Airhitch site, that sells cheap standby tickets across the Atlantic for studenty types, but was wondering if it's possible to actually hitchike on a plane as opposed to just being flexible in your bargain hunting. To be precise, I mean turning up to an airport without prebooking anything, and convincing a complete stranger to put you onboard (not necessarily for a huge distance) without them making a profit. You'd have no idea where you would end up, or how long it might take, and at most you would pay gas (kerosene?) money and give some little presents. Can it be done, and how would you do it? Cod Lover Oil (talk) 18:13, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Assuming you're not talking about trying to hitchhike on a commercial airliner, which would never allow this, it could be possible. Many private pilots rent a plane for a few hours with the ostensible reason that they want to buy a "$100 hamburger", meaning they want to fly from Airport 1 to Airport 2, have lunch at Airport 2, and then fly back. Of course, if you convince one of these pilots to bring you along, you aren't going to get very far, and it seems to me that finding a willing pilot would be rare enough that you have to assume you're going to be stranded at Airport 2. I googled airplane hitchhiking and saw some first-person accounts. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:25, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Certainly this will never happen on commercial airlines - the rules imposed upon them are just too strict - and it's hard to imagine the owner of an executive jet just offering you a free ride. So you're down to light aircraft with amateur/enthusiast pilots who just fly for fun. I could certainly imagine finding someone who would take you along for the ride if you paid your share of the costs...but bear in mind, you wouldn't just be paying for a few gallons of avgas. Light aircraft have strict limits on the number of flight hours each component of the plane can fly without mandatory replacement or overhaul - and light aircraft owners and operators track that and treat it as a 'per hour' cost who's value they know rather accurately. Also, unlike a car, the amount of gas the plane uses increases significantly with the amount of weight it's carrying - so it's not a zero-cost thing to pick up a hitchhiker. So most pilots would (I'd imagine) ask for a share of the flight costs...certainly so if they rented a plane (as many do). I think it would also depend a lot on where in the world you were. I could imagine getting a heap/free ride with an Alaskan/Northern-Canadian or Australian bush-pilot - or with the Australian or African flying doctor services where you might be able to earn your ride by helping out with dispensing medicines or hauling Land Rover parts when you get to your destination (I've actually done that with the East Africa flying doctor service in Nairobi when my father piloted for them back in the 1970's). SteveBaker (talk) 18:55, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Someone with a private pilots license isn't allow to take paying passengers, but they usually are allowed to share the costs of a flight with their passengers, so I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few light aircraft pilots would accept such a deal. Whether they would accept it from a random person that turned up at the airport, I'm not so sure. You would be better off trying to find a pilot in advance (there must be web forums for light aircraft pilots, try one of those). --Tango (talk) 19:05, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Also, there would be almost zero point in turning up at an airport - those are places where large passenger aircraft come and go - and the landing fees for small planes pretty much ensures that the only light aircraft there are being flown for some solid business reason and certainly wouldn't pick up a hitchhiker. What you want is a small airfield - which are mostly full of flying schools and amateur pilots. SteveBaker (talk) 19:56, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Not always true, the majority at many small airports is still general aviation if you are in a more rural area. A good example is Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX) Where 65% of the flights are general aviation, and only 16% are commercial. Googlemeister (talk) 20:39, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I have been offered (and accepted) an hour's flying with a friend with a private pilot's license. They wanted to keep up their hours in order to keep their license and asked around various friends for help paying for the aircraft rental. The only problem with that kind of thing as a way of hitching, is the aircraft is based at a certain airfield and needs to be returned there withing the hour. However, there are also air couriers, who supposedly fly for very low cost (or maybe free) in order to accompany some package to its destination. Astronaut (talk) 01:04, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Light aircraft pilots and hobbiests often fly on short notice for charity causes, see Angel Flight for some examples. It isn't exactly "hitchhiking", but it does highlight the fact that it is possible to get someone to take you somewhere. Of course, to use those services you generally need a serious medical condition and the need for transport to a far-away place for treatment. --Jayron32 05:13, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Fake job references

Ok... stumbled on CareerExcuse.com tonight, and thought it was too good to be true. Is it? Maybe dishonest, but I could really use some help getting a summer job. And is there anything similar in England? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.140.52.182 (talk) 20:43, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that's quite something. If we grant that it's not a practical joke, gag site, or scam, I would strongly recommend you seek professional legal advice about your own civil or criminal liability before you use such a service to fabricate references and generate fake documentation in order to secure employment under false pretences. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:04, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, that's the worst thing I've ever seen. One untrue statement of theirs stood out for me: "One final note. Lying on a resume is not a crime. A resume is not a legal document." Although the latter sentence is true, fraud certainly does not require a legal document to be the instrument of fraud. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:36, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed. You're getting money as a result of a lie - that's fraud. --Tango (talk) 22:47, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I think the site's quote might be one of those "strictly true but misleading" statements. Lying on a resume probably isn't illegal, its the taking a job on false pretences that is. In other words you could use the false resume to impress people legally, but not to apply for a job. -- Q Chris (talk) 17:10, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Or perhaps lying on the resume isn't illegal, but sending someone a false resume (to solicit a job) is. So you can use their service to create a false resume, as long as you don't use it. Or the site may just be completely illegal (it certainly seems to be encouraging and assisting in illegal activity). --Tango (talk) 17:30, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

According to the Grauniad, there has been at least one conviction under the Fraud Act 2006 for falsifying details on a CV. Apart from climbing to the top of the job applicant pile through deceit, you may well be putting yourself at risk of prosecution and imprisonment. Brammers (talk/c) 22:44, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

...not only that, but it could easily deny employment to more honest candidates. Nothing really beats the truth when applying for jobs. Simply ask someone who knows you or who you have previously worked for if they would provide a reference, Unless you are some serious fuck-up there really shouldn't be a problem. Astronaut (talk) 00:49, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

... in getting a job on your own merits? Or in getting away with using a false resume? Can you disambiguate your comment, Astronaut. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 00:55, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In my opinion, the lying on your resume or references is not worth it. If you get caught, you could be charged with as crime, and even if you evade legal repercussions, it will do your future career much more damage. Astronaut (talk) 23:48, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The important thing to remember about lying on your job application is that if you are found out, it's grounds for immediate dismissal for cause -- which can have consequences such as ineligibility for unemployment benfits or difficulty finding further employment. --Carnildo (talk) 00:55, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Very true. While it is fraud, few employers would bother with that (unless it was a really highly paid job), they would just fire you. I think the case referenced in the above link was prosecuted because she forged a reference and discharge notice from the Royal Navy. The Crown Prosecution Service are likely to be more concerned about that than a similar offence related to a private employer. --Tango (talk) 01:08, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

As an object lesson in resume fraud, see George_O'Leary#Notre_Dame. --Jayron32 04:19, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

WHAAOE: job fraud, although it's not great. For another salutary lesson, see this Life photo of John Davy, convicted, imprisoned, and deported for fraud after lying on a job application in NZ. He faked a degree and a job reference apparently. You might find this Caslon Analytics article interesting; it has other examples of sacked, embarrassed, sued, and convicted individuals following resume fraud. Gwinva (talk) 05:02, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I hate to say it, but if you were skilled enough to pass off a fake resume without ever being caught, you'd probably not have too much issue finding a job honestly. Just think about when your potential employer sees that French degree and asks you "Pourquoi avez-vous etudie francais?" (forgive the lack of accents). It would be pure luck if you were able to respond. Same for any degree that you did not study, by the way. No matter how careful you are, if you make serious departures from reality, you'll be found out. You can't live a fake life; very few people are that skilled. I shouldn't try to discourage you and just let you get what you deserve, but I'm too nice of a person. Falconus^{p t c} 18:08, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Not to encourage any fraud, but I once looked for a job through a commercial employment agency. When telling about my previous jobs, I exaggerated and embellished quite a bit, but then the mediator phoned the company, and I heard her exaggerating and embellishing my story! I got the job and nobody ever found out that I was not quite as experienced as they thought... Lova Falk talk 18:20, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Heard who exaggerating and embellishing your story? Your previous employer? Were you currently working there? Perhaps they were desperate to get rid of you! ;) --Tango (talk) 20:36, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

No, not my previous employer! A professional job mediator - if I got the job it meant she had done HER job. Win-win! :) Lova Falk talk 08:33, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There's embellishment and then there's embellishment. In my job I look at a lot of resumes, and most can do with some improvement. If the person worked in a job from December 2008 to February 2009, they'll usually show this as "December 2008-February 2009"; but I encourage them to show it as just "2008-09". It's not lying; the potential employer might at first assume it was for much or all of both years, but they might be astute enough to not assume this. When asked for details, the applicant can then say exactly how long the job lasted. But presenting it this way gives the applicant the best chance of making a good first impression, without lying, about the stability of their previous employment; first impressions - not 2nd, 3rd or 99th - are what's important in this game. The only point of a resume is to get you to the interview stage; the point of the interview is to get you the job. In a highly competitive buyer's market, the more creative and impressive a jobseeker can be with their resume, the better. Just as we devote more attention on our talk page to rule breakers than we do to those who play by the rules, it's the people who stand out in the job market that get the attention. Standing out without breaking the rules, that's the catch. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 22:33, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

A lot of jobs require a degree but don't care what the degree is in. Those jobs you might be able to get away with lying about having a degree. Also, some jobs can be done just as well, if not better, by someone with 20 years experience and no degree than someone just out of university, but they require a degree for bureaucratic reasons. Lying about having a degree to get through that loophole could also work. (Of course, I don't encourage anyone to actually do that - even if you are brilliant at the job you will most likely still get fired if you are found out.) --Tango (talk) 20:36, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It hadn't been planning to mention this but it occured to me that it's actually quite relevant considering some of the answers above. There was another case in NZ recently where the offender (even though her name is widely published, I prefer not to mention it for WP:BLP reasons) was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined her $10,000 for falsely claiming she had a doctorate from the London School of Economics. See [2] [3] [4]. While a much lesser sentence, her chance of getting another job in the public sector in NZ are considered extremely slim (the judge said her career prospects in public service now looked bleak and there was a significant loss to her reputation) and I expect she'll have big problems in the private sector as well.

As per my first source, JD has complained about the double standard but, and here's one of the reasons I mention her, as per the sources it's generally accepted that her lie didn't actually make much of a difference to her getting the job, there's no real question she wasn't qualified, and although she did have some problems which lead to her resignation they related to a COI, not her qualifications. Also while she didn't have a Ph.D as she claimed, she had studied towards a Masters, submit a draft thesis which was considered inadequate for doctoral level but above the level needed for a Masters (in the end she didn't do the oral examination and didn't get anything I believe). The judge said said at the sentencing indication hearing that there was nothing to suggest she would not have got those jobs or that she could not do the work and "In fact the contrary seems to be the case, she worked and served the New Zealand public extremely well". See also this Kiwiblog [5], a New Zealand blogger who's views are often quite far from mine.

In other words, there's a fair/good? chance she would have gotten her job anyway even if she hadn't lied and it didn't appear to make any difference to her performance. However she was still prosecuted and punished (while her sentence may sound like a slap on the wrist to some, it's probably helpful to get an idea of what sort of crimes get similar sentences in NZ e.g. [6], [7] & [8]) and now finds her career prospects dim. These are high level and high profile cases but this one in particular echos what was said above, if you do lie and are found out, you will very likely lose your job and suffer the negative consequences that result, even if you performance was fine and may have even got the job without the lie.

Note the first link also mentions how JD continues to suffer the negative consequences of omeone searching for his name and finding the news stories from NZ. In particular he seems to not like [9] (which also discussed the other things he got up to prior to the NZ case) that's the first Google result for him in in NZ, although not for Bing and perhaps not outside NZ.

Nil Einne (talk) 01:07, 31 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

standalone dvd player and text subtitlte files

I burn an avi file and srt file together in a folder and try to play it on the DVD player that can play compressed avi files. But the subtitles are not displayed. Incapability of the player or some file naming problem? Can such players have file name length limitation in recognising subtitles?--117.204.81.235 (talk) 20:54, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know whether your DVD player is capable of using a separate srt subtitle file. The subtitles on DVD films are often embedded in the video. I play .avi's with .srt's on PC players VLC media player and DivX player. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 00:27, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

While DVDs may occasionally use hard coded subtitles for short amounts of different language dialog, AFAIK most DVDs use soft subtitles for normal stuff (like English subtiles for a non English movie or series, German subtitles for a non German movie or series, etc). These are part of the stream and are stored as images (not text like srt and many other subtitle formats although if you're ripping from DVD you may include the original DVD subtitles usually as sub+idx). More details [10].

In terms of the original question, I hadn't thought they would, but it appears some players do support subtitles with avi files [11]. I don't know how likely a file length limitation is since the avi and srt file should have the same file name length. However you could always try something like file.avi and file.srt. Failing that, look into the manual of your player and search for the model number.

Nil Einne (talk) 09:07, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The way I get around this problem is to use a program called "ffmpegx" (this is for a Mac, btw) which combines the avi and srt files. So it creates a new avi file with the subtitles hardcoded. I then use Toast to make a DVD out of the avi file. --Richardrj ^talk ^email 15:06, 31 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

European Currency and Financial Crisis - what Crisis?

OK, so the Euro nations are in crisis - no argument. So how is it that whenever I try to book a holiday in Spain, Greece, France, Portugal, Italy et al, the prices shown for flights and accommodation (from the UK) are way above recent inflation rates. Obviously, as a result, I will choose to stay at home in the UK, which will support the £ Sterling at the expense of my preferred destinations within the warmer Euro area. My question? In the Euro zone, whilst it is accepted that the constituent economy options are severely restricted by EU policy, there are NO restrictions on travel and hotel pricing strategies. So why are Greece, Spain and Italy etc., NOT implementing domestic strategies to keep tourist prices DOWN, thus attracting lots of foreign investment??? Instead, I find that all those economies are INCREASING their tourist rates in the hope that those increases will pay for their earlier profligacy when in fact, all they are doing is deterring those tourists from travelling within their economies (like me), and instead choosing to travel to non-EU countries like Argentina or Brazil or Cuba. Question - how valuable is tourism to solving a deficient economy? 92.30.75.97 (talk) 22:27, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Prices for things like airline tickets, hotel rooms, and restaurant foods are controlled by a lot more than government policy. Some government policies can have some effect on such prices, but the governments of these countries are not monolithic bodies which set prices for hotel rooms. Prices are set by many thousands of individual players who arrive at their prices basically by free-market principles such as supply and demand and other market forces. While the state may manipulate such forces to some extent, they cannot arbitrarily control them. Just because the Greek government may want more people to visit Greece and spend money there doesn't mean they can make it happen. --Jayron32 04:16, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The price for the same 200g bag of mixed nuts and raisins at Tescos UK has risen from 65p to £1.25 in just a few weeks. Perhaps they are exploiting the recent health advice that unsalted unroasted nuts are good for you (in moderation). 92.28.242.45 (talk) 09:33, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Recent health advice? Nuts (unadulterated by salt and oil, of course) have been considered a healthy food for as long as I can remember. --Tango (talk) 20:39, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I can get 20% more Euros per US dollar than 6 months ago. By contrast, the British pound has only moved 6% relative to the Euro. Maybe the tourism industry pricing is responding more to the US and other overseas tourists who have relatively more purchasing power under current conditions. Dragons flight (talk) 09:45, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Airlines are having a hard time staying solvent with the drop in traffic due to the recession and the rise in fuel prices since last year. They have no choice but to cut flights and raise prices. As for accommodations in Mediterranean countries, as you can imagine, people are reluctant to accept a pay cut, which is what price cuts would amount to for the small proprietors who own most small hotels and pensions in resort areas. Even for the larger corporate hotels, their costs are somewhat fixed and they may not have a large margin for price cuts without eliminating profits. In many Mediterranean countries, it is difficult to lay off employees or implement pay cuts. So they are somewhat stuck. I suspect that if you wait until later in the season, you will be able to negotiate lower rates from proprietors desperate to fill rooms. They may be in denial now about the need to do so. As for your last question, tourism could potentially be quite helpful to Mediterranean countries in overcoming their crises. They all need to boost their export earnings to service their external debt, and tourism revenue is similar to export earnings in that it is money coming from outside the country. In addition, these countries already have extensive tourist sectors, so tourism is a natural sector for them to cultivate. Unfortunately, the kinds of policy decisions that might boost tourism earnings (particularly making it easier for employers to lay off redundant employees) are very politically unpopular, and these countries' governments have already had to make many unpopular decisions. The governments will be reluctant to make decisions that could ruin their chances at the next election. In the long run, due to the effects of peak oil, however, it would make sense for these countries to shift their economies away from tourism, which will probably no longer be economically viable on anything like the present scale. My own very unorthodox opinion is that it would be best for the people of these countries for them to default on their debts and withdraw from the euro, then focus their resources on building resilient local economies and reducing their dependence on trade and tourism. Marco polo (talk) 15:36, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]