Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 January 15

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January 15

how many law students are there in the US?

how many law students are there in the US? Please answer to (email removed) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.82.82.184 (talk) 00:28, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Removed email address, you will get your answer here on the reference desk. Royor (talk)

See the "Law Students" section in this pdf from the American Bar Association. Additional in depth info (also from ABA): Statistical Resources, Legal Education Statistics. Royor (talk) 07:00, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Seven Reasons Why I only have left-handed gloves

There are many lists of 'seven reasons for this' or 'seven reasons for that'. Why not six reasons or eight reasons.. What is so special about the number 7 when it comes to lists? Buster Seven Talk 02:35, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Seven has been important in world religions. schyler (talk) 04:13, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I once read somewhere (in a guide to magic tricks IIRC) that when people are asked to pick a number between 1 and 10, 7 is easily the most common choice. Is there any truth to that? the wub "?!" 10:15, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

See http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2007/02/is_17_the_most_random_number.php. Staecker (talk) 13:42, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

7 as a number has plenty of 'hooks' to make it interesting - there are 7 days in a week, 7 days of creation, 7 deadly sins etc. If you like 7 you might like 6. Or if you like numbers you might like the Guardian's Top 10 numbers between 1 and 10 (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observer/archives/2005/05/16/the_all_time_top_10_best_ever_numbers_between_1_and_10.html) ny156uk (talk) 14:05, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

The origins may be Biblical. Apparently, there seven reasons given in the New Testament why Jesus healed". Then again, apparently Plato had his own seven reasons. Then again, there are seven reasons that exist in the history of Buddhist thought.

Then again, maybe it is just because an author couldn't come up with eight reasons. A Google search suggests that "one reason", "two reasons", "three reasons", "four reasons", "five reasons" and "six reasons" each retrieve more results each than "seven reasons" does. Maybe you're noticing all the "seven reasons" but not noticing the more prevalent "six reasons". Kingturtle = (talk) 02:07, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

What was that all about ?

Recently, while watching an instalment of the New Zealand sports programme The Crowd Goes Wild, I saw a film of an incident in which a baseball was hit for a home run, and as it was heading towards a child who was preparing to catch it, an unrelated man stuck out his hand and caught it, giving it to his child. This seemed a bit rude, although it was not clear whether the man knew the other child was going for the ball. What was this incident, and what is the accepted behaviour when attempting to catch a ball as a trophy ? I did here of the incident in which a guy looking for a home run ball for his son screwed up his own team's chance of a World Series - certainly not on purpose - but how many balls do they allow for a baseball game ?

( In the British Commonwealth we all know that if the cricket ball is caught in the crowd it has to be given back, since the nature of the game allows for one ball to be worn out over the course of the play to allow for changes in the ball's behaviour ( Altough back in January 1993, as Auckland hit the winning runs against my beloved Canterbury in what was then the Shell Cup at a one day match here in Christchurch, the ball went for four, and bounced off the embankment steps which were there in those days, and I caught it - but then I threw it back towards the umpires, since I was not sure if I was even allowed the ball then. ) I also would be curious as to find out whether we are allowed balls as trophies at the end of cricket - assuming the ball in question is not part of some record, as was the one given to Richard Hadlee at Lancaster Park twenty years ago, with which he took his four hundredth test wicket ) Thanks. The Russian Christopher Lilly 06:58, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Was the clip of something that happened in North America, or do they play rounders in New Zealand? 92.15.24.16 (talk) 13:19, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Baseball (ball) indicates that "several dozen" may be used during a professional baseball game. The article also talks about what is done with balls that are hit into the stands, today and historically. I can not find a reference right now, but I believe that Chicago Cubs fans traditionally will throw back a ball hit into the bleachers by the opposing team. (Please try to use more meaningful section titles for the benefit of other readers.) --LarryMac | Talk 13:53, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

There have been recent incidents of fans reaching out to catch a ball which a player could have caught, which affected playoff games (Steve Bartman, Jeffrey Maier). That's pretty rare though. If and adult in the stands takes a ball away from a kid, usually the other tens of thousands of people in the stadium will boo and shame him into giving the ball back. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:04, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

In baseball, any blemish on the ball is considered an unfair advantage for the pitcher as he can better throw erratically-moving pitches. The umpire keeps several fresh balls on him to replace damaged balls as well as those hit into the stands or out of the stadium. Pitchers altering the ball (for instance, a spitball or cut-ball) can be suspended. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 15:41, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

That's the main reason but there's also a public relations reason for letting the fans keep the ball. It serves as a memento of the game that you attended and you go home with a great anecdote about how you caught the ball. But yeah, often adults who catch the ball (not counting the "stealing it from another kid" angle here) will give it to their own kid. In some cases, the person will find a way to get that particular ball autographed by the player that hit it into the stands. Maybe months/years later at some autograph signing event or such. Dismas|^(talk) 18:23, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I once went to a cricket match at Lord's in London. I nearly caught a ball that had skipped into the stands. I was surprised to see that the person who did catch it immediately tossed it back to the players. I would have instinctively said "Alright!" and stuffed it in my bag, possibly creating a diplomatic incident. Anyway, the instinctive action of any baseball fan is to reach out to grab any ball that flies into the stands. Some fans have even absent-mindedly gotten in the way of their own team's player trying to catch the ball, such as the above-mentioned Bartman. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:37, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Thank You all for those comments. The incident I was referring to was in a baseball game in North America, but I cannot recall where. In New Zealand we play cricket as well as Softball, at which we have been world champions - the last time being in Christchurch in 2004, just a few hundred yards from the place my sister was living in at the time, so I could walk her kids down to see it. Two years ago Australia upset NZ in the softball world final. I do not know if we play baseball. During Cricket at some more parklike grounds without a permananet stadium, like Hagley Oval and QEII here in Christchurch, spectators will sit around the ground close to the boundary rope, and some kids keen on fielding the ball can get in the way of players, but also players themselves can accidentally run into close spectators in such places. There was also an incident here before Christmas where a girl was hit in the face by a ball that leapt up at her once it crossed the boundary. Certainly if someone not from a given country goes to a game, if they do so with locals, then the conventions in existence need to be explained so that Americans do not accidentally take the cricket ball. In indoor cricket they use composite softer yellow balls, and are not so concerned about how many overs a ball does - worn ones can be bought from such places so they can buy newer ones. In test cricket, the red Kookaburra ™ balls have to be replaced once 80 overs have been bowled, giving the fielding team a crack at the batsmen with ten overs to go in the day. New Balls, like in Tennis, will move faster, and in cricket they will swing better ( although older ones achieve what is known as reverse swing ), but they also come off the bat better, allowing the batsman to use less effort. In one day internationals, the white Kookaburra™ is replaced after 34 overs, leaving just over an hour with a fresh ball. If the ball is lost, the umpires will come out with a box of pre used balls of similar wear. They are very strict on this and occasions of ball tampering - one man was even filmed biting a test ball like it was an apple - and it was assumed that it wasn't because he was an hungred. The Russian Christopher Lilly 06:57, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

In the very early days of baseball, there was a concept parallel to cricket, of trying to use the same ball for the entire game, hence being the "game ball". There was a time when professional ball clubs tried to wrest the ball away from spectators on grounds of "theft", but court cases put an end to that practice, so any ball hit into the stands can be kept by the fan that catches it. Frequest substitution of new baseballs in place of worn balls, which began around 1920, made it much easier for the batters to consistently see the ball, just about the time Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby and other power hitters were arriving. Those factors, along with better quality (and livelier) baseballs after WWI resulted in a revolution of the game, from the inside-game to the power-game. A relatively recent concept in baseball (dating back to the 1970s or so) is throwing a visiting team's home run ball back onto the field, as a remark of disgust or rejection. The only time you're likely to see a ball returned to the field is an act of defiance, not sportsmanship. This is not the case at the amateur level necessarily, as the supply of baseballs or softballs may be limited, and fans are expected to return foul balls to the field. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:02, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Thank You, Bugs, that clears a lot of that up. This seems to me to be unsportsmanlike in the sense of not honouring the other team's efforts - even if they are the oppositon. Here at sports the kids will get autographs of opposing players after the game, especially in provincial games where the player in question is a national rep. What happens if a neutral visitor catches the ball from the away team's homer and decides to keep it ? Do they fence off baseball suppporters and such in North America as they do for soccer fans in Britain ? Here we certainly don't, and most people know how to behave. I can see why a foul ball would go back, and certainly there is greater esteem ( what we here call Mana ), in obtaining a homer ball from one's hero, but why wouldn't a Chicago fan keep a diMaggio homer back in the sixties, since unfortunately he can't hit any more now ? Or especially one that Roger Maris hit in 1962 when he broke the record. Of course no one knew he would break it until the very last run.The Russian Christopher Lilly 04:34, 17 January 2011 (UTC) Many fans will keep these balls because they have a monetary value too.You could read up on the hoohah over the notorious 73 with an asterisk ball http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2001/10/07/bonds_73_ap/ Hotclaws (talk) 05:42, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Two peripheral comments. First: I only watch baseball occasionally, and last year's playoffs were the first time I'd seen a game played at AT&T Park. At one point during one of the games, a home run was hit. Usually a home-run ball goes into the stands, but some stadiums have gaps between sections of stands, and the ball passed through one of these, leaving the ballpark altogether. It was still in sight of the TV cameras and the next thing we saw was three people, who had obviously been waiting for just such an event, racing to be the first to grab and keep it. The interesting part is that they were racing for it in canoes, because the ball had landed in San Francisco Bay! I suppose this happens all the time there.

Second, it also regularly happens in hockey that a puck goes off the ice and into the stands. I read years ago in the book Fifty Years of Hockey by Brian MacFarlane that there was an abrupt change when hockey fans started keeping these pucks as souvenirs. I don't remember when this happened, but I think it would have been about the 1920s, the same period mentioned for baseball above. Before that time they would only bring about 3 pucks for a game. Now I understand it's more like 30. --Anonymous, 08:08 UTC, January 17, 2011.

No, they don't segregate baseball fans, who tend to be a pretty mild bunch. Sometimes, a fan will refuse to throw back a visiting team's home run ball and will get booed for that. Once I saw on TV a kid of about four got a home run ball, and all the fans yelled, "Throw it back!" So he did, but then he started to cry. He wanted to keep the ball. So the fans around him started giving him money instead! The kid wound up with about 50 bucks.

Of course, no one would have expected you to throw back Mark McGwire's record-setting 62nd home run in a season had he hit it in an away game. Nowadays, when a guy comes up who may hit a record-setting homer, they have some chip in the ball or something that allows it to be authenticated. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:05, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, "splash hits" at San Fran are retrieved by guys in kayaks, typically. Throwing one back would probably be impractical. There is "segregation" in that the bleachers are typically in a separate, fenced off or gated area, but that only has to do with ticket pricing. Fans can be rowdy, but it's not confined to bleachers. It tends to be more a function of how much alcohol they've consumed. A few years back there was an altercation behind the visiting bullpen bench at Wrigley Field after some drunken idiot stole a Dodger player's cap from off his head. You don't throw foul balls back, just home run balls, and only if they're hit by the opposition. I don't know that this practice started in the Wrigley bleachers, although it was a key topic in the 1977 play, Bleacher Bums. A record-breaking home run wouldn't likely be thrown back, due to its theoretical monetary value. As it happens, several of the most famous record-breaking home runs (Ruth, 60, 1927) (Maris, 61, 1961) (Aaron, 715, 1974) (McGwire, 62, 1998) (Bonds, 71, 2001) (Bonds, 756, 2007) came at the players' home fields.

Someone has done some research on the returning vs. keeping of foul balls in the major leagues.[1] Although it doesn't say this, the rules change that required substituting a new ball anytime one was hit out of the playing field, might have influenced the clubs' thinking on this. In the minor leagues especially, it used to be the practice that anyone returning a ball would get a free general admission ticket for another game. And as I said before, in amateur play, a ball hit out of the playing field typically gets returned, if it can be found.

One other thing: The MLB rules compel the umpires to prepare an adequate amount of baseballs before the game. They have to rub the balls down to take off the "sheen", and the product they do that with in MLB is called Lena Blackburne's Baseball Rubbing Mud. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:57, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Thank You all again - sorry I have been this late in commenting further, and I hope I can still get a response even if in the archives. I recall seeing the one where the guys in canoes went after the ball - it was probably on our local show The Crowd Goes Wild ( Related to which, one of their reporters, James McConie or James McOnie - pronounced a bit like Marconi - is the one involved with being accused of being a stalker by Maria Sharapova, even to the point that he wore a sign at the Australian Open confirming that he is not a stalker. Certainly Anna Ivanovic does not think so. ) Now what if at a baseball game one was a neutral spectator, and decided to keep the away team's ball ? If that was me, I would, since I know it is not theft - and fancy those people hassling a four year old. But I guess then they learn from a young age where their loyalties lie. Now here, during a cricket match, as I said, we may not keep the ball, but everyone in the crowd will make a great effort to catch it if it goes for six. That is, straight into the crowd. Here in Christchurch at the 20/20 match between the touring Pakistan team and our New Zealand BlackCaps, one local gentleman even won I think 500 or even 1000 dollars for catching a Pakistani six in the stadium. As it turned out there weren't as many NZ sixes to catch, since when we batted we were totally undone. Never mind. We had already won the series. I guess all this serves to show how different we are as much as how similar.The Russian Christopher Lilly 08:33, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

City Map of Aryanah

I'm looking for a city map of Aryanah with the names of the streets. Can somebody help me? In which way can I find the streets (I know only the names of the streets)?--79.210.213.6 (talk) 11:43, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Google Earth with the road option turned on will give some street names. If you don't have Google Earth then on of these may have what you are looking for. Enter CBW, waits for audience applause, not a sausage. 17:40, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Thank you, but there you only can find the names of the main roads. I'm looking for a long time for a map where you can also find names of the small streets.--79.210.209.236 (talk) 10:48, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Hip Flask

I just got a really nice hip flask, problem is that I'm a non drinker and I don't have a trophy cabinet to put it in (so I'd like to use it). Anyone have any ideas for what drinks I can put in it? 121.216.244.184 (talk) 12:34, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Adam's ale would be best. Edit: removed vandalism re-direct. 92.15.24.16 (talk) 13:22, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Uh... Adam's ale redirects to water, but you've piped your link to beer, which might confuse someone who hasn't heard the term "Adam's ale" before. By the way, I agree with the suggestion to use it for water. A hip flask is much more stylish than a Nalgene bottle, although people seeing you drink from it might assume you have alcohol in it and get concerned. -- 174.21.229.4 (talk) 18:20, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Vandalism by someone else, not me. I've now corrected it. When I originally wrote Adam's Ale it came up red. Of course I mean water. Perhaps someone with more patience or know-how than me can identify who the vandal was. 92.15.24.16 (talk) 19:12, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I would hesitate to sling accusations of vandalism. In all likelihood, he was just unfamiliar with the term "Adam's ale", and thought he was being helpful by fixing your red link. Such are the dangers of editing others' posts, however. I've left a polite note on his talk page, informing him of the gaffe, and mentioning such things are better handled by posting your own comment with the suggested fix. (BTW, the edit was easy enough to find by looking through the History tab looking for "Hip Flask" section edits.) -- 174.21.229.4 (talk) 23:49, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Adams ale! No, that doesn't display the right spirit. I'm sure this mutt is a non-drinker as well, yet he has the right idea in case he should chance upon some a weary traveller (such as I). So fill it with mix of Bénédictine & Brandy (in equal parts) for this time of year or a refreshing gin and sherbet cooler for the summer. In the humid tropics, add lots of tonic water to ward off malaria.--Aspro (talk) 18:11, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I take it the hip flask is of small volume. They are usually 100-250 ml.(I've just measured both mine.) That quantity of water is not very exciting, especially if you wish to take advantage of the

spontaneous conviviality inherent in the idea of a hip flask. The OP eschews alcohol. I suggest filling the flask with a cordial: elderflower perhaps, or a concentrate of berries. Then, when the opportunity arises, at a party perhaps, you can whip it out and enliven the glass of anyone drinking water, or tonic. Failing that, you could regift the item. BrainyBabe (talk) 22:56, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I would suggest fruit juice, but it would be difficult to clean and you could end up with a sticky moldy residue inside. 92.29.122.203 (talk) 10:26, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

W. C. Fields used to carry a flask containing "pineapple juice". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:51, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

You could carry espresso in it, if you don't mind drinking it tepid. LANTZY^TALK 05:14, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Street: same direction, different name

I've seen that in Europe, some streets have sometimes the same direction, are contiguous to each other, but have different names. That's sometimes confusing for non-Europeans, who do not expect that you can be at a different street without turning left or right. Is that indeed not heard of in other continents? Quest09 (talk) 12:52, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Just to make sure, when you say "contiguous", you mean that when you keep driving on Alpha Street in a straight line, you eventually end up on Beta Road? Using Google Earth I've just taken a casual look in Melbourne, Australia, and there it appears to happen all the time. It is probably lot rarer in American cities with their usual grid layout. Anyway, I'll happily be corrected by someone who, unlike me, has actually seen the world. 83.81.50.146 (talk) 13:08, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Well, I wanted to say "continuous" indeed. Quest09 (talk) 14:22, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

The American practice seems equally strange to Europeans: having addresses like 9879 Acacia Avenue seems really odd. 92.15.24.16 (talk) 13:26, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes. Well, except in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, where a whole borough shares a street name, so that you can have "12345 Graan voor Visch". 83.81.50.146 (talk) 13:28, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

It's quite common in London, where the city has evolved over 2,000 years with very little actual planning. Sometimes two distinct roads have over time run into each other and become a continuous route, but nobody has wanted all the upheaval of changing the names. Gracechurch Street and Bishopsgate in the City of London is an example, both roads originated in Anlo-Saxon times. In the suburbs, most of the main routes were originally meandering country lanes, with new roads being added later. Obviously there would be confusion if you gave an old name to a new piece of road or a new name to an old one. Alansplodge (talk) 13:49, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

It's not only common in London, it is the norm for countless streets all over the UK. Its uncommon to find streets with numbers over 100, which would imply that you were living on a busy main road, which would not be pleasant. British towns and cities grew by organic accretion (sp?) over many centuries while I think American cities are planned. I recall reading that around the time the White House was built, the grid-roads shown on a contemporary map mostly did not exist and were just green fields. 92.15.24.16 (talk) 14:35, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

In America it is not uncommon for street names to change across county or state borders -- US 522 north of Winchester is known as North Frederick Pike in Virginia, but Valley Road in West Virginia. Since both roads share the same posted route number, there is little confusion. This also happens in downtown areas of some cities, but I don't think it is nearly as common as it is in Europe. When trying to enter Norfolk from the north, most directions tell you to follow US 460 into downtown. What they don't tell you is that the same line of pavement is first known as Granby Street, then Church Street once it crosses a river, then Fenchurch Street close to downtown. Worse, US 460 actually turns onto another road in the middle, all without a speck of signage whatsoever to aid the traveler. Trying to get into downtown using this movement and not knowing where I was going, I ended up on Fenchurch Street at night -- that is not recommended. Xenon54 (talk) 15:20, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Happens all the time in Europe. Strange for me, is the presence of rural back roads with the name 230th street - a name which implies to me a urban street in a huge metropolis; or that the nextdoor neighbour of 9879 Acacia Avenue is number 9717 Acacia Avenue. Astronaut (talk) 16:31, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I live in rural Canada. My street number is 4 digits, even though there are fewer than 30 houses on the road, albeit spread along several kilometers. The house around the corner has a 5 digit number, and its street name is "Highway xx". On the other side of this same highway, which is also a boundary between electoral districts, "my" street changes its name. Bielle (talk) 17:29, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't see what's so strange about things like 9879 Acacia Avenue. ('course I wouldn't, I'm American :-) The house is on Acacia Ave and it is probably 9.8 miles from some established point, usually the end of the road. Many addresses in the US are laid out like that, where your address indicates just how far down the road you are. It's helpful for a number of things including emergency responders, package delivery (UPS and FedEx), and pizza delivery. Additionally, the odd numbers are on one side of the street and the evens on the other. So across the street would likely be 9880. And as far as roads changing names, yeah, that's common from town to town or after crossing a major road. Near me there is a road called Pond Rd. Once it crosses into the next town it's then called Oak Hill Rd. Once Oak Hill hits a major road called Rt. 2, it then becomes North Williston Rd. Another local example is Rt. 7. It is called Shelburne Road in the town of Shelburne. It's still Rt. 7 but within the town, it's more often called Shelburne Road. This helps narrow down what section of Rt. 7 you may be referring to. Dismas|^(talk) 18:17, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Ah, therein lies the rub? I never quite understood how the 4-digit numbering worked, and have never been quite bothered enough to look into it, but I'm glad you explained that. To me as an European, "9879 Acacia Avenue" implies that this Acacia Avenue is one behemoth of a street, what with at least almost ten thousand houses on it :) TomorrowTime (talk) 10:40, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

I have 2 residences. 1 urban, 1 rural. The rural home is in a developement from the 1950's, maybe 100 houses spread out here in there in a gated community. Many, many street names. BUT no two numbers are alike. Only one 1022, 2345, 7635, etc. Easy to find locations.Buster Seven Talk 18:50, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I've seen it a few times here in Canada. In Vancouver, Arbutus Street morphs into West Boulevard for some reason. Clarityfiend (talk) 19:35, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Two things:

• In the U.S, it is quite common for streets or roads to change names along the "main line" of the road; this can happen for a few reasons

• The jurisdiction responsible for maintaining the road changes, so the name changes. For example, along New Hampshire Route 3A at the town border between Hudson, New Hampshire and Litchfield, New Hampshire, the name of the road changes names from "Webster Street" to "Charles Bancroft Highway". If you look to the left side of the picture in this Google Street View: [2] you'll see a skinny green sign that anounces the change from Hudson to Litchfield, that marks the change in road name too, but there's otherwise no obvious reason that the road should change names, its the same stretch of pavement.
• The configuration around an intersection has changed, so what used to be "straight" has turned into a "turn" and visa-versa. In otherwords, if you continue on the road you are on, the name changes, but if you make what looks like a change of roads, you stay on the same road name. Take, for example, this intersection in Raleigh, North Carolina:[3] You are traveling on Creech Road. To stay on Creech Road, however, you need to make a right turn. The road straight ahead is Sanderford Road, a different name, though it is the same "road". At some time in the past, Creech used to be the "straight" and you used to have to make a left turn to go onto Sanderford. However, the local authorities changed the configuration, likely to match or influence the predominant traffic patterns; i.e. it made more sense to allow cars to go straight than to make them make a left turn.

--Jayron32 19:42, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

This is definitely not just limited to Europe. I've seen plenty of this sort of thing in several different urban/suburban regions of the US. MD-355 in Maryland comes to mind; depending where you are along the road, it's called either Wisconsin Avenue, Rockville Pike, Hungerford Drive, Frederick Pike, Urbana Pike, or Market Street, and none of these changes requires a single turn. Voikya (talk) 20:05, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Conversely, I have on occasion been confused by discontinuous streets in US cities: where two streets on the same line, but widely separated from each other, have the same name. There are occasionally discontinuous streets in the UK (for example, where a motorway or bypass has been built, splitting an older road into two) but it is much less common, and they are generally separated by only a short distance. --ColinFine (talk) 20:41, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

US addresses such as 9438 Short Road are not only caused by their habit of never renaming streets that run in a straight line. Something I discovered on moving to the US is that they go up by 100 every block (i.e. at every cross street, which is roughly equivalent to saying "every n metres" given the grid system). So Short Road might have numbers between 2 and 98 until it crosses some other street, and than have 100 to 198, and so on. 9438 Short Road means that it's in the 95th block, which means it's a longish street, but not necessarily anywhere near as long as you'd expect if it had to have 9438÷2 houses between number 1 and number 9438. Marnanel (talk) 21:11, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I guess you'd be awfully confused then by a place I know of where they have three roads with the same name meeting at a point. Reminds me I must send an email to the AA because when they give you a route they don't mention the junction at all in their directions! Dmcq (talk) 21:26, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I wouldn't be at all confused, being English myself. Americans might be. Marnanel (talk) 22:06, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

It's not uncommon for roads to change names in the U.S. as you go from one town or county to another. But usually, there's several miles between each name change. In Europe, the street names sometimes change as often as every few blocks. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:30, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't think anyone has linked to our articles on house numbering and street or road name, which have lots of interesting examples. There isn't any information on the Hoofddorp example, though, so if someone has reliable references, that would be a useful addition. Warofdreams talk 23:44, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

For examples of how many short roads are joined end to end in Britain, on any internet map service just look at the suburbs of any town or city such as for example those of London. According to Answers dot com, "Tolbooth Street in Falkirk is the shortest at only 5 feet long". 92.29.122.203 (talk) 10:31, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Street names in the US do often change names at county lines and other jurisdictional boundaries. And in other cases a local system is extended many many miles to the point of absurdity: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pfly/199823544/ --a photo from the middle of nowhere in the Cascade Range. 635 Place Northeast?? It has something to do with the county seat, very far away. Pfly (talk) 11:03, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

US Streets often change names in mid-stream, and addressing rules are often screwy. Every city has its own way of doing these things, so if you spend time in that city you just have to learn the system. Or take public transportation. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:14, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

The changing of names on a main street is very common in the US. I start my commute to work on Riverside Avenue. It becomes Sylvan Avenue, then San Juan Avenue, without my ever leaving the street. There is one street in Southern California where the north end is Ramona Avenue, the south end is Fir Street, and a stretch of about two blocks in between in Firmona Avenue. Corvus cornix_talk 20:52, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Philadelphia has some well-known streets which have discontinuities in them. In New England, streets generally are named for the next town over that they lead to - since people in towns used to refer to (say) the "Norwalk Road" as the road leading to Norwalk. In short: expect names to be valid for only short distances as a rule, except for Yonge Street in Canada. Collect (talk) 20:56, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

That's a common occurrence in the U.S. as well, from a time when there were relatively few roads and the longer ones often led straight to another city. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:06, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

In the UK some roads change name many times. This road starts out as Harley Hill, becomes Boothtown Road, Queensbury Road, Halifax Road, Ford Hill, West End", The High St. (not shown on map), Sandbeds, Scarlet heights, Highgate Road, and Finally Great Horton Road, and seven of the changes are in less than a mile! Another thing that confused my wife (from the USA) is that the road number is the A647 for most of the length, but becomes the A6177 at one point where the road name does not change, the A647 turns off the Great Horton Road onto a different road. This is also fairly common in the UK, the route numbers often turn of a road, where the road continues with the same name. -- Q Chris (talk) 11:44, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

I live in a suburby residential area where there are only a few main roads and then lots of little subdivisions whose roads go nowhere except the other houses in that small neighbourhood (this causes lots of traffic snarls as everyone in a population of about 30 000 must take one of the five or six main streets that actually go somewhere - a spectacular failure of city planning). But this means that where one of these main streets runs through several subdivisions, it might get different names that match the "theme" of each subdivision. It also means that if two subdivisions lie on opposite sides of a main street, the roads on either side of the intersection have different names because they are in differently themed subdivisions, even though it's actually just one straight road. Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 04:56, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

What is a subdivision please? 92.28.254.64 (talk) 03:06, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Subdivision (land). --LarryMac | Talk 12:42, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Has Duisburg many street names which are used for different streets in different quarters? --84.62.207.101 (talk) 18:58, 20 January 2011 (UTC)

hyperhomocysteinemia

My ten yr. old grandson had a high level of hmocysteine in his blood. Blood work was done because my dtr. has Leiden's and Factor Vlll. So she had her 13 yr.old dtr. tested as well as her son. Dtr. was negative. What advice can you give to lower the level.I just came from your website which states raising the levels of folic acid,B12 and pyridoxine. If she gives him a concentrated B only vitamins, will that help? ANy dietary recommendations?He is a very healthy, well nourished, active in sports(football) child. Will this be a problem only later in life or is he @ risk as a child? Thank you so much for your response. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.70.198.114 (talk) 15:29, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Sorry, but we aren't permitted to give medical advice. You should seek answers to this from a qualified medical source. AndyTheGrump (talk) 15:34, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

A tough interview question.....

I work in a organization and I want to change my Job.... whenever I go for an interview they ask me "Why do you want to change your job, you are with a good organization ?" every time I try to satisfy interviewer with my answeres but it doesn't work.. can anyone help me .. what can be a good answer for leaving a good organization../

Naturally we cannot tell you what the answer is because it depends on your circumstances and so on, but some possibilities would be that you want new challenges, your life circumstances have changed (say you have recently become a parent, you may need a new job), you clashed with someone or something at your old job even though it was a good organisation. These are just a few options. Ask yourself what the real answer is, and then phrase it positively when asked, there must be a reason you are leaving right? 91.85.141.95 (talk) 16:04, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't think there's a definitive answer to such a question without more in depth context (e.g., what type of organization, what is your position in it, how long have you been there, more information about the interviewer, etc.). Giving more context is usually not possible without disclosing a lot of personal information. Also, are you attempting to change your position and responsibilities WITHIN the same organization, or are you looking to leave the company you work for and look for a job with a different company? If it's the latter you need to ensure that your exit satisfies company policy (how much time in advance do they request for resignations) and that you communicate civilly in order to retain potential future positive references.

All that being said, have you considered just telling them the real reason you want to change your job rather than attempt to "satisfy the interviewer" as you put it? If the problem is also that your failure to satisfy the interviewer means you are actively prohibited from changing positions, you might want to diplomatically inquire as to how leaving your current position might be bad for the organization, and whether or not there is anything you can do to mitigate that (e.g., train a replacement). --Quartermaster (talk) 16:08, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

(e/c)The best answer is the truth. If that is a problem there are many positive things you could say, like you want to work with an even better organization, or you think you are better suited for the new job, or you think there are better opportunities in the new job. (Be prepared for follow up questions to all of these; employers are very suspicious of people who may not be telling the truth.)--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:09, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

This comes up a lot, I think. The standard "good" answer is something like, "I enjoyed my work there, but I felt that the position was not fully exploiting my abilities, and I would like to have a job that would allow me to contribute at a higher level," or something along those lines. Of course this only works if you are applying for a job that is at least as demanding as the one you had. Also if you aren't confident that your former employer will give you a good recommendation, you will need to formulate an answer that gives a plausible reason for your difficulties. Looie496 (talk) 17:21, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

The interviewers fear may be that you are only using his organization as a steppingstone to even greater heights. He may want to hear confirmation that should a position be offered it would be accepted with longevity at the core. Assure him that you are not making a temporary change. Also, of course, as stated above, he wants to know if you are a problem solver or a problem creator. Be honest but sell yourself and your abilities. Resist getting trapped into talking negative about your former organization and your fellow employees or talking negative about yourself. Good Luck. Let us know when you are successful.Buster Seven Talk 18:40, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

The ironic thing about working for a prestigious organization is that it is more of a drawback than an asset when trying to find something new. Quest09 (talk) 19:56, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Simple is best: "I am seeking new and different challenges which I can surmount." Collect (talk) 20:53, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

To which the usual reply is "No, seriously — why are you leaving?" or possibly "Oh, you got caught having an affair with the boss' wife?" If you already have a job, there must be some reason why you're willing to go to the time, effort, and inconvenience of sending out resumes and arranging interviews. The interviewer wants to to know that

• you're serious about wanting the job (that is, you're not just trying to get a job offer to use a leverage at you current employer, and you're not just using this interview to 'practice' your interview skills for a 'real' job interview later, etc.);
• you're not a ticking time bomb (you're about to be fired from your current job, your current coworkers can't stand to work with you, etc.);
• you're not a) putting in time until you can retire; or b) using this job as resume padding with the intention of moving on in a few months; or
• you don't have a hopelessly short attention span, and will be able to follow through on tasks in your present job.

Giving a canned, generic response is better than nothing — but not by much. It invites followup questions from a more inquisitive interviewer, and invites a silent rejection from anyone else. To answer this question well, figure out what the difference is between your current position and the one you're applying for, and be positive. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:08, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

If the job is in a different city, you have an easy answer. If you have to put up with long commute times, you could also answer that you don`t want to spend that much time commuting anymore.Quest09 (talk) 18:29, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

ADD NAME TO SAXOPHONIST LIST

I am Greg Abate American Saxophonist musician I would like to be added to the list please. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.229.80.145 (talk) 21:24, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

According to the article entitled Greg Abate, you are already included in the list. See the bottom of the page. I'll check and see if the cataloging has actually worked. Bielle (talk) 21:34, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

And there you are! Scroll down to the second section: 'Pages in category "American saxophonists"' (As an aside, I found that catalogue to be extremely confusing. I have no idea how to fix it.) Bielle (talk) 21:42, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

You are in the list of jazz saxophonists - wow, number 2 - but not in the list of saxophonists (which is largely dealing with jazz musicians, anyway). Unfortunately, I have no idea how to edit the latter :( --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:11, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

I know how! Job done. My congratulations to Greg on being the #2 saxophonist in the world ever alphabetically. The table sorts by first name when you click the column, though. Not sure if there's a nice way to fix that. (Nice = doesn't make the table more work to edit or the page take longer to load.)  Card Zero  (talk) 23:23, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Not surprising since 68.229.80.145 added it [4]. Since the name belongs on the list as long as we have an article (which wasn't created by 68.229.80.145) this isn't a problem. Do note however it's generally not recommended you edit articles about yourself or add yourself to lists or whatever, see WP:COI Nil Einne (talk) 20:59, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Just as an aside: People often ask for articles to be written about them, have their names added to lists etc - but usually these requests go nowhere. It's only because WP had already decided your career meets our notability guidelines that we could come to the party on this occasion. In general, though, such requests are denied. Cheers. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 08:38, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

I've left some comments at User talk:68.229.80.145 Nil Einne (talk) 23:19, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

To make "name" column sortable by last name use {{Sort}}, here. Enter CBW, waits for audience applause, not a sausage. 08:00, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

What enclosed structure has the largest single interior space?

If we measure interior space by the volume of the largest convex solid a structure can hold (without interference from any architectural/structural elements), what enclosed structure would be the largest in the world? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.49.11.68 (talk) 21:30, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Aerium? --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:52, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

Son Doong Cave? --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:04, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

The universe (assuming it is finite)? --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:50, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

In my father's house are many mansions, but the universe is still not "in the world", Cookatoo. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 23:40, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

That is a strange measure of "interior space" since any structural column would greatly diminish it, without decreasing what most people understand to be interior space. Probably some inflated domed structure would fit the particular definition, since air pressure can hold up a flimsy roof like the Minnesota Metrodome (except when the roof tears and it collapses). Edison (talk) 05:32, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

The Minnesota Metrodome could easily fit inside the CargoLifter hangar. Even converted into a resort, the CargoLifter hangar could be the answer to this person's question. APL (talk) 08:18, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

According to List of largest buildings in the world it appears to be the Aerium/Cargolifter structure. 92.29.122.203 (talk) 10:16, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Here's a List of largest buildings in the world, may be of use (though suspect most are just average height but reaaaaaaaaally wide/long. ny156uk (talk) 10:18, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Based on that article there is an obvious claim for the building with the largest usable space to be the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington HiLo48 (talk) 02:22, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

The OPs requirement for measuring by the largest convex solid implies that sub-divided structures such as that would be ruled out. The OP also ask for the largest *single* space. 92.28.254.64 (talk) 03:01, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Per my comment above, a designer of a large space would likely install columns unless there were some requirement forcing him to create a large unsupported span like a domed structure, where unbroken sight lines are desire, or the Vehicle Assembly Building or a blimp hanger or jumbojet assembly building where a large object must move in and out unimpeded by columns. The Vertical assembly building has very largest doors, implying that the cross sectional area is that big, so it might well be able to house the world's largest convex solid. Most of the entries in the "List of largest buildings" will have a vastly smaller measure in terms of a convex solid that can be fitted in it. That list sheds no light at all on the largest unbroken interior volume. We need elevations and sections of the interior spaces of candidate structures to answer the question. Edison (talk) 18:02, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Not really, building a large structure using an arch or dome may be cheaper than having pillars. Are you trying to adjust the selection criteria so that the answer is an American building? The Aerium is 5.2 million cubic metres, the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building is only 3.66 million cubic metres. The Aerium must have a door otherwise the airship would not have been able to get in or out. 92.28.241.29 (talk) 01:10, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

The cargolifter structure was designed as an airship hanger. There's not going to be columns in an airship hanger! APL (talk) 04:34, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

If natural phenomena are included, and if my quick calculations are correct, the Sarawak Chamber is much larger than the Aerium. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:22, 18 January 2011 (UTC)