May 2

Spear

How would

I make a spear that looks sort of real that I could hit people with without hurting them. I was thinking I could start with a broomstick.--154.20.89.16 01:57, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

You should notmore than you think..escpecially if you hit the wrong areas .. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 11:10, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A broomstick is a bad choice for basing a sparring weapon on: it doesn't have much give to it, so even with padding, it can cause serious injuries if you swing----

--209.34.196.154 21:25, 9 May 2006 (UTC) hit people with spears, whether fake or not, and whether you hurt them or not. In general, they do not like it, and might call the police, or your parents. If you want to play with friends ''who agree to play with you'', you might use styrofoam tubes. Make sure you do not aim for the eyes, as they are very easily hurt, or wear safety goggles. [[User:Sandstein|Sandstein]] 04:43, 2 May 2006 (UTC) :: And broomsticks hurt a lot it hard enough. I'd recommend starting with a flexible material, or a material that breaks easily. If you're interested in safety, you'll have to give up on the idea of making it look like a spear: there's no way to get enough padding on the pointy end without making it look like a boxing glove on a stick. --Serie 20:53, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May I suggest a cardboard tube, like the kind that come inside wrapping paper? User:Zoe|^(talk) 01:40, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Many "pacifist warfare" type groups use swords, not spears, and make them from old newspapers, rolled up into a tube and taped to hold them firm. They specifically use only the "cutting" action of the sword and avoid "stabbing", as that can still cause injuries. Which would rather rule out most forms of spear... Grutness...wha? 01:52, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Crime,Detection, and Technology

Science and technology has helped detectives investigate and discover the person which a particular crime was committed by.But could it also be possible that criminals could be using science and technology to stop policemen,detectives, and the courts,etc from discovering, or make it more difficult or unlikely for them to discover, that a particular crime(s) was committed by them?

Please remember to sign all of your posts on talk pages. Typing four tildes after your comment ( ~~~~ ) will insert a signature showing your username and a date/time stamp, which is very helpful.

Yes, this is certainly possible. Many investigative techniques in forensics can in theory be counteracted by an intelligent perpetrator by taking appropriate precautions, e.g. by wearing gloves to prevent leaving fingerprints. In general practice, however, most criminals are not distinguished by a particularly high level of scientific education (or indeed intelligence), though, and therefore get caught and sent to jail. See forensics for more information. Sandstein 04:35, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One of the things in technology that (if it existed) could make it more difficult for criminals to get caught would be the cloaking device.

Then all you need to do is scan for tachyon emissions! ;-) — QuantumEleven 13:40, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If one were intelligent enough to outsmart the forensics agents, one would not be stupid emough to commit crime.

Not necessairily. Mayhap they want to prove their smarts? (While I know this is a fictional example, try learning about Paul Millander from CSI.) 64.198.112.210 18:42, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Friendly Official Wagers

I have a few questions about an article I want to write (and couldn't find anywhere). Most importantly, what to call it.

In North America, during the hockey (NHL), football (NFL/CFL) and baseball (MLB) playoffs, it's common for the mayors of teams that are playing each other to make a friendly wager. They tend to be either for prestige or for food; an example of the former is during the current NHL playoffs, Calgary and Anaheim are playing. The mayors of these two cities have a bet where the mayor of the losing city will hoist the flag of the winning city above their city hall, while wearing the jersey of the winning club and a hat symbolizing the winning city (a Cowboy hat for Calgary, and Mickey Mouse ears for Anaheim). An example of the food wager was the 2001 NFC Championship game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, when Senator Clinton bet New York cheesecake and maple syrup against Senator Mark Dayton's Minnesota wild rice and cheese. The bets are most commonly made by mayors and governors, and, even though many would technically be illegal gambling, are considered good fun, good PR and good sportsmanship.

My questions are:

What would you call this? Political sports wagers? (And do we already have an article; I couldn't find one.)
Does this happen for other sports in North America? I could easily google results for hockey, baseball and football, but not for basketball, soccer or lacrosse.
Does this happen in other parts of the world? I would think that football rivalries in England are far too strong to permit this sort of thing, for instance, but I could be wrong.
Does this commonly happen for minor league sports, or is it a professional sports thing only? While some political figures tend to make more wagers than others, (Gov. Pataki of New York seems to make a lot; Gov. Owens of Colorado "doesn’t enter into bets with other Governors very often", it's pretty common for the major leagues I've identified. Does the same thing happen, say, in double-A baseball, or the East Coast Hockey League? What about college sports?
Does anybody know of the history of these bets, where they came from, or any particularly notable bets? (I seem to recall one proposed bet that was refused, because the mayor (?) of one city stated that there was nothing worth betting for in the other city.)

Any help, or even just a suggestion on a name would be greatly appreciated! I've already found a bunch of "typical" bets, and we don't need a full list of all such wagers, just a sampling, plus any particularly notable ones. Thanks! --ByeByeBaby 05:32, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No help from me, but that's nice material for a new article : try it! Just be bold (and remember we need citation here). Thank you! --DLL 20:41, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Movie Maker

This error appears when I try to import a video into the collection: "The file C:\ ... .avi cannot be imported because the codec required to play the file is not installed on your computer. If you have already tried to download and install the codec, close and restart Windows Movie Maker, and then try to import the file again."

Why is this happening?

Well, let me state what I do know. The .avi video is a conversion from a .mov video. I converted from .mov to .avi using MediaEncoder.

Then I tried importing the .avi file to Movie Maker and that is the error that comes up.

gelo 05:41, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's possible that the codec for the AVI file is incorrect, or not recognised by Windows Movie Maker. You could try the free program GSpot to work out which codec the AVI file uses, and then google for that codec and download it. Jude (talk,contribs,email) 06:40, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I realize this is a little late in the coming, but I've gotten alot of questions concerning this lately and thought I would enlighten you all.

I've heard solutions offered, like using system restores and crazy sites and systems to diagnose problems and issues, and I can personally guarantee that they do not work.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/XP_Codec_Pack.htm

Go there, download the full Windows XP Codec pack. It has no spyware or adware of any kind and is completely free.

And if you're looking for a place to advertize your videos, upload them to youtube and post a link on:

http://www.zemisoft.com

Let me know if this helps anyone. My username on the site is "Liamus"

The Ed Sullivan Show

I have found one reference to a cartoon name onthe show " Jonny" did this little man appear on a TV screen and look like an outline of a man that talked and moved/rolled about? if so what did he do what was is purpose on the show Ed Sullivan had such a nak!

Is this the Jonny that was the ventriloquist's dummy for Señor Wences? It was basically Wences's hand with makeup on it for eyes and lips, with a dummy's body hanging below it. Here's an image of the two of them -- http://www.nnmagic.com/posters_magiccontemporary/images/wences_johnny.jpg User:Zoe|^(talk) 01:42, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sea and salt

which sea is in our world with higher content of salt?

The article on sea water should help. (And no, it is not the Dead Sea, which despite its name is a lake.) (I'm assuming you mean highest concentration, not highest total tonnage of salt.) Weregerbil 10:56, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

On second thought, Dead Sea might also be the answer you are looking for, depending on why you are asking. If this is homework or you are playing Trivial Pursuit, Dead Sea might be what your teacher / the answer card is expecting. Weregerbil 11:01, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If it's homework, writing "The Red Sea is the most saline sea in the world. The Dead Sea is more saline than the Red Sea, but is actually a lake, not a sea" will either get you extra marks or a detention for insolence. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 16:36, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any reason why a lake can't also be a sea? Our sea article seems quite certain that the Dead Sea is a sea. Henry ^Flower 18:14, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"A sea is...a large, usually saline, lake" - Sea --Deep evil 02:46, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Did any Australian cinemas refuse to screen Brokeback Mountain?

I'm currently doing a university assignment that involves writing up a piece about "the refusal of some Australian cinemas to screen the movie Brokeback Mountain", but so far I can find no evidence that any cinemas in Australia actually made that decision (American cinemas, yes, but not Australian ones). And I'm terrible at Googling.

Can anyone provide links or urls relating to any Australian cinemas not screening the film?

It isn't necessarily going to be public. I don't know how the Australian cinema system works, but wouldn't it be more a question of "the cinema manager decided not to book..." and as such, impossible to distinguish a commercial from a moral decision, unless the cinema manager decided to make a public stand too. Notinasnaid 12:59, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's a good point, but unfortunately I have to cite my sources. I suppose it could just leave a bunch of references at the bottom. In fact, that should probably do. Thanks.

While we're on the subject, though... exactly WHY were so many "family" and Christian groups offended by the film?

Because the film portrayed a homosexual relationship, and according to a literal reading of the Bible, homosexuality is condemned as a sin. Conservative Christians were unhappy about sinful behaviour being shown in a film, where it might influence their children. Read all about it at religion and homosexuality, and, more generally, homosexuality. (That was my best shot at a neutral answer). — QuantumEleven 13:32, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've got it down to about 400 hits on Google. But ask yourself this: what made you believe in the first place that there were some cinemas in this category? Was it a reliable source? If so, cite it. If not, suspect it. http://www.google.com/search?&q=%22brokeback+mountain%22+homosexuality+site%3Aau+ Notinasnaid 13:39, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It specifically said so in my assignment question, so it's a little difficult for me to get around. Thanks for your help.

You could start by reading our article on Brokeback Mountain, but the basic reason was that it featured homosexual men in love with each other (and having sex, but I think that was a side issue, quite frankly). According to many Christian denominations, homosexuality is a sin (see Christian views of homosexuality). Furthermore, exposure to depictions, particularly positive depictions, of homosexuality will turn people gay. For one variation on this theme, see this article, complete with Bible citations.

I heard nothing in the Australian media about cinemas refusing to show Brokeback Mountain. The closest I could find was the following article on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) website [1] that cites some Australian religious groups wanting it banned from the cinema. A further search of the ABC site reveals nothing, and the ABC would be just about the one media outlet in Australia I would trust to cover an issue like this. --Roisterer 13:57, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As to Australian film bans, it was certainly shown in cinemas around Australia, and didn't fall foul of the government classification/censorship scheme. As to private cinema owners not screening the film for moral reasons, I checked Factiva, which has archives of all the major Australian newspapers. I didn't find any reports of Australian cinemas refusing to show the film; it was actually very popular here, and there weren't initially enough prints of the film to meet demand. To give some idea of country Australia's reaction to the film, this article from the local paper where I grew up indicates that while the local lads may have been a bit hesitant to go, there wasn't any protests (though the local God-botherers probably weren't terribly impressed with it). --Robert Merkel 13:42, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The towns which intended to "ban" Brokeback Mountain in Australia were Townsville and Rockhampton in North Queensland. You should be able to find plenty of references by Google searching for "brokeback mountain townsville rockhampton". --Canley 14:14, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Divorce

My son is going thru a divorse and was left with all the bills. His house pmt. and credit card bills are more than what he makes he can never pay them off paying $5 and $10 dollars a month on each one.She wants him to sell the house and give her half the equity he has been paying the house pmt.and wants to keep the house the divorse is finial in June of this year.If the house does not sell and he keeps making the pmts. after the divorse(what happens)or what can he do? Thanks, a concern mother, Love you show and here you every day......

Dear concerned mother, this is the Wikipedia, a volunteer-run web encyclopedia. We are not affiliated with any radio or television show.

While we have some very general information on divorce, we don't and can't provide legal advice specific to his situation or jurisdiction, which is what your son sounds like he needs. I assume that you're an American; maybe some American readers can suggest how best to obtain that advice cheaply. On a personal note, I hope that your son resolves his difficult situation. --Robert Merkel 13:52, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

sounds like he's living beyond his means ... either trim lifestyle or increase income.

BigFatDave 12:48, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pronunciation: Dominic O'Brien

How the f*** do you pronounce Dominic O'Brien in Shakespeare's language?

If you mean William Shakespeare, I'm pretty sure his "language" was English. So I imagine it would be pronounced the same way you would f***ing pronounce it. --Canley 14:19, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Good one! 1 buck for discovering that Shakespeare's language was English. Now, I'll be more explicit for morons like you to understand my question. English is not my first language, and since your language is has the most absurd spelling in the world there's no way to know how a word is pronounced just by seeing it written. Now, how do you English speakers (or at least, those people who try to speak English as their native language) pronounce that person's name?

Calm down...! Being rude won't get your question answered, remember that we're volunteers who dedicate our free time to helping you out, so please be polite. And using gratuitous swear words won't win you any friends either.

I'll nevertheless try to answer your question. I'm afraid I'm not very good with IPA, so please bear with me. "Dominic" is pronounced Doh-mee-nik, with stress on the first syllable. For "O'Brien", the "O'" part is pronounced halfway between an "a" and an "o" sound (a bit like the o in "not"). There is a very short pause between the O and the B to indicate the apostrophe. As for "Brien", it's pronounced "Bry-en", with stress on the first syllable. Hope this helps. — QuantumEleven 17:16, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much fella. User:Canley's comment wasn't very polite and/or productive either.

Anyway, I've found this: [[2]]; I hope this can help somebody :).

Brien is pronounced differnetly to Brian, it is pronounced Bree - en (the ee is like the ee in cheese, the last e is like the e hen) Philc _T+C 17:44, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would pronounce it Dom-in-ic, not Do-min-ic and with a different vowel for the o sounds than the one mentioned in the first answer. Is that a British English pronounciation? Rmhermen 17:36, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here is the IPA for how I pronounce it (I live in the States). [ˈdɑ.mə.nɪk ˌoʊˈbɹaɪ.n̩]--Andrew c 21:34, 2 May 2006 (UTC)PS. All that said, if the name is Irish or Scottish (most likely), a native speaker would not use the Alveolar approximant /ɹ/ but a flap instead /ɾ/. The vowel sounds would be slightly different as well. International Phonetic Alphabet for English explains some of the differences in the vowel sounds for a couple English dialects.--Andrew c 21:42, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My apologies, question asker, I did not mean to offend... merely entering into the spirit in which the question was asked (with swearing and no context). How was I to know English was not your first language? And why didn't you just ask how to pronounce "Dominic O'Brien", why the Shakespeare reference? Anyway, I'm glad you found out what you were after. --Canley 09:06, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My apologies, mr.Canley for, by wanting to be slightly humourous, making it rather incomprehensible.

I've noticed that Spanish-speakers often refer to their language as "the language of Cervantes", but I don't think I've ever heard what would undoubtedly be the English equivalent. --Maxamegalon2000 04:31, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Car maintenence - Am I being ripped off?

Hey folks. I wonder if someone who knows their stuff about cars could advise me here.. I own a Volkswagen Polo which has recently gone in for its MOT (test). I have been advised by the garage that it needs to have the power steering hoses replaced (apparently they're leaking) and two sets of wheel bearings replaced. I have been quoted £530 (approx US $964) to have this done.

Now, I don't really know the first thing about cars, but as best as I can figure out from google, the power steering hoses should be about £25 each at the most, and the wheel bearings about £10. That's a total of £70 in parts, plus £45 for the MOT itself leaves £420 for labour.

So the question is, does that sound like a rip-off? How much work is involved in replacing two power steering hoses, and two sets of wheel bearings? Surely it can't take 10 hours to do that - and even 10 hours would be £42 ($76) per hour, which is pretty steep

Any input welcome, thanks! --Noodhoog 14:29, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

£42 per hour steep? A recent survey found the lowest rate at a franchised dealer was £49, ranging up to £140. Replacing a £4 light bulb can cost £66. http://money.guardian.co.uk/news_/story/0,,1711811,00.html, but notice that it uses a cheap journalistic trick of comparing what some people are paid (doctors) versus what the hourly rate to the customer for other people (mechanics). Notinasnaid 14:44, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Blimey.. well, I guess the good news is I'm not really getting any more gouged than anyone else. Bad news is I went into the wrong career. Oh well. Thanks for the info! --Noodhoog 16:37, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The hourly rate doesn't just cover the mechanic's salary. It also covers rent on the building, wear and tear on the tools, taxes, utility bills, and even paying the janitor. --Serie 21:03, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As I tried to look into this, I found many newspapers repeating the same nonsense: "garage mechanics earn more than GPs (doctors)". Is it really so hard to see why this is nonsense? I'm curious now, maybe the journalists are writing in good faith. Notinasnaid 08:54, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(Supplement: according to [3] (PDF), a career projection for experienced mechanic/garage manager is £24051 earnings per year. That translates to £11-12 per hour, though Google searches show others struggling to be paid minimum wage. Notinasnaid

Changes needed in article on Jainism (Years of the Brahma

Hiya,

I was reading your article on Jainism, it ststed that we are now in the 5th downward cyle, however, in some of your other articles and in the book The Holy Science By It is clearly stated and proven that we are now in an upward/positive cycle, hence the discovery of electricity and various forms of technology. I just felt that others reading the article might find this misleading. I visit your site daily. Thank you for expanding my mind.

To comment on a specific article, please use that articles talk page, by clicking on the "Discussion" link at the top of the appropriate article. So to discuss the Jainism article, you should post on Talk:Jainism. --Maelwys 15:18, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

autographed baseball

how much is a joe dimaggio autographed baseball worth?

It looks to be anywhere from $400 - $800 but you will need something like a Certificate of Authenticity to prove that it's not a forgery. I would suspect that without one you would get much less. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:13, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Umpire state building

Could any one please tell me what's the building thats next(close) to the umpire state building, which is very famous and has been featured in many movies and video songs.

There are lots of buildings close to the Umpire State Building, but I suspect you mean the Chrysler Building. See the pictures at those two articles. --Shantavira 17:03, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What, those lousy umps have got a building? --Zeizmic 22:50, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, they have a state. Their state has a building. kmccoy (talk) 03:42, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

thanks a lot Shantavira, you are right and it is the chrysler building.

Citations

Hello...i am writing a paper on Colombia. I have vistied http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/economy_of_colombia. My question is that i need to cite this for the paper in MLA format and i am having difficulties doing so. How do I find all the information about the online article that i need for the work cited list?

See Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia, or, for a citation for the article in question, open it, and click on "Cite this article" in the left-hand toolbox (about halfway down). — QuantumEleven 17:04, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Note, however, that Wikipedia is an extremely unimpressive reference. You would do much better to base your paper on dead tree sources. Henry ^Flower 18:10, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So print Wikipedia out, and cite it..... --Noodhoog 19:33, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, don't. Henry ^Flower 20:08, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It'd probably be more reputable to cite the CIA world factbook, which most of our "economy of..." articles are taken from, directly. Night Gyr 00:28, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms Game Help

I need help finding out where the 11 bloodstones are located and how to get the sword in the stone. I am not sure if there is a bloodstone in each planar level. I have also found a key from the bonus level, 'Torment's Furnace', which I do not know what it unlocks.

Any help would be appreciated.

Gamefaqs has a couple of faqs/walkthroughs for this game here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/920597.html --Noodhoog 18:04, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, but unfortunately, I am unable to go to that site. As well as other like it, so I asked for help here. Most of those sites are blocked by my school's computers. Could you please post the information I need here?

I probably shouldn't be helping you bypass filtering, but you could try this... assuming your school doesn't block Google (and surely it doesn't!) you can use google's translate feature as a proxy by 'translating' from english to english (thus leaving the page unmodified). Simply put http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en%7Cen&u= in front of the URL you want to access. so, to access the site listed above, it would be http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en%7Cen&u=www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/920597.html --Noodhoog 19:40, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately, it seems that doing that is blocked as well. Thanks for the help, though. Can you go to the site and find what I need and post it here? That way I do not have to do any proxy avoidance.

Sorry, no can do. The material on gamefaqs is under copyright, so I can't post them here wholesale, and they're far too big for me to go digging through for specific information. I can only suggest you either try and access them from a non-restricted connection, or get a friend to email it to you. --Noodhoog 20:27, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, thank you for your help.

Apostle Pauls churches

I am looking for a complete list of churches Paul started

Paul of Tarsus#Founding of churches could help. -- Shadikka ^talk_contrib 2 May 2006, 17:41 (UTC) 17:46, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Best Spy Movies

What is considered the best three spy movies ever made? (No James Bond, Please) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Stockard (talk • contribs) .

Do you have a question about Wikipedia, please? Notinasnaid 18:17, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't bite the newcomers; this is a place where you can ask questions about anything. Stockard, you may want to look at Spy film to give yourself a few ideas. SCHZMO ✍ 19:08, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're quite right, and I apologise. I mixed up my pages. But is there something about "Wikipedia is not the place for polls" (or is the questioner looking for an objective answer - and what if the objective answer did include James Bond movies? Notinasnaid 08:49, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, this is not "a place where you can ask questions about anything", questions "about Wikipedia" belong on the help desk. David Sneek 20:20, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Uh, anyway... My top three spy movies ever made are: The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (with Richard Burton), the BBC miniseries of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (with Alec Guinness), and, err, I don't know. My tastes should be pretty clear from those selections. I thought Spy Game was okay but it was not as clever as would normally justify that much dialogue (unlike the LeCarré works, which are always worth it). --Fastfission 20:51, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I always thought that The Sandbaggers was better than any movie. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:04, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm unable to fully answer since you told me not to mention James Bond. When it comes to spy films for kids, I think Cody Banks beats Spy Kids, but the upcoming Stormbreaker will beat both of them. How about The Tailor of Panama? One film I definitely wouldn't mention is Mission Impossible. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:06, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You just did. :--) JackofOz 14:51, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shockingly, that most encyclopedic of all Wikipedia articles, Films that have been considered the greatest ever, doesn't have a spy genre subsection (the nearest fit, "horror/thriller" is entirely about horror films at the moment). --Bth 11:28, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

questions as to why there is a mistake in the defination of"canada's name"

Dear sir/ madam I was reading your site and came across a very upsetting mistake, In reading about Canada, under the defination of Canada's name it says

Canada's name Main article: Canada's name The name Canada is believed to come from the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, which means "Not as good as the USA" In 1535, locals used the word to tell Jacques Cartier the way to Stadacona, site of present-day Quebec City. Cartier used Canada to refer not only to Stadacona, but also to the entire area subject to Donnacona, Chief at Stadacona; by 1547, maps began referring to this and the surrounding area as Canada.

Kanata does not mean NOT AS GOOD AS THE USA!!!! please contact me Thank you Patty Ann

<email address removed to avoid spamming>

Some vandal changed it to say that. It's now back to normal, and was already when you posted. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 18:15, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Converting video files

Is there a way to convert .vcr (ATI File Player) files to .mpg (MPEG-1) files? My video editing software won't recognise .vcr files, despite the fact that my ATI TV card records in .vcr format and this software came with my ATI card...</rant> Thanks, H e rmione1980 18:54, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try MediaCoder. Converts just about everything. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 08:56, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Legal question

Can we please get a section here for legal questions on the reference desk? Also, my employeer (their HR department) sent out an email saying they would give a finders fee of $2,500 to anyone who finds a quality & process engineer who meets a list of qualifications. I found one though my alma mater's career center. He contacted my company & he was hired. This has been 5 months ago and my company has still not paid me (I keep asking but they keep giving me the run around), they finally said the guy was a recent graduate, and therefore he doesn't qualify, even though there was no mention of that in the email they sent. My question is, are they legally obligated to pay (I believe they are since this is a unilateral contract)?, how can I get them to pay? & if I contact a laywer & have him send a letter, can they fire me out of retaliation? If they can, would they? //Lord Westfall199.201.168.100 20:46, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think Wikipedia is really the best place to go for legal questions, and I think establishing a "legal section" would potentially imply that it was (for the same reason, I wouldn't want to establish a "medical section", either -- both of these are pretty contentious areas where giving advice can have major consequences, unlike, say, literature). As to your specific question, I have no idea at all -- it sounds to me like you might want to contact a lawyer. --Fastfission 20:59, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A disclaimer should take care of that. XM Satellite Radio 21:07, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In some places it may be illegal to offer legal advice if you aren't a lawyer. Or so I've heard. So long as this is a talking shop, I don't think anyone can complain. Anyway, the original questions are pretty detailed, and only a lawyer can answer them. For some reason, lawyers giving their time free in Wikipedia are pretty thin on the ground. In addition, laws vary between countries and between US states, so it wouldn't be possible for any lawyer to give an accurate answer without that info... Notinasnaid 21:30, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia isn't the best place for legal questions so I think we should avoid a legal reference desk. On the issue of your $2,500 finders fee, or the absence of it, I'd suggest you raise the matter with your union, if you don't have one you'll probably have to contact a lawyer. I don't know your jurisdiction or laws but I'd expect that if they sacked you just because you threatened them with a lawyer that'd be unfair dismissal & you'd have a clear case against them. AllanHainey 07:48, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

FCC

Why does the FCC cut songs down from their original length to 3 and a half minutes long? I m doing a school report on this.

Why does the FCC edit songs from their original length to 3 and a half minutes long?

The FCC does not do that. Broadcasters like Clear Channel & CBS radio may do that to make programing easier. Why don't you help yourself to a shiny new XM Satellite Radio to avoid this problem? XM 20:59, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh so reference desk answers now come with product placement? =P —Keenan Pepper 22:13, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They certainly do. It... um... adds life to them. Grutness...wha? 02:06, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

YouTube Videos

Is there any way to save videos from YouTube.com to your computer? If so, how? Thanks in advance!

I think the only thing you can do with them is embed them into a web page. SCHZMO ✍ 21:53, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is a program called grab-it you may want to search for. Lord Westfall 22:23, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

http://keepvid.com/ can be used for youtube and many other sites. Save the files with a .flv extension. You'll also need to install a FLV player to run them. Tintin (talk) 01:38, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can I save them as mpegs?

Yes. You just need Riva FLV Encoder, then follow the directions on this page to save the flv as mpeg or avi. SCHZMO ✍ 00:13, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

military records

Must I answer questions on employment applications that ask for MOS Rating, Discharge Status, Discharge Type, commondations/medals, reentry code, etc.?

if you are asking if you are legally required to answer I refer you to the top of the page "If requesting medical, dental, or legal advice, please consider asking a doctor, dentist, or lawyer instead." Jon513 21:49, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wilfredo Gomez

HI IM NOT SURE IF IM ASKING THE CORRECT PERSON BUT I FOUND THESE ARTICLES ON YOUR WEB PAGE OF WILFREDO GOMEZ (THE BOXER)I KNOW THIS WILL SOUND WEIRED BUT I WAS ONCE TOLD THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MET MY MOM ANA NIEVES ALONG TIME AGO ALSO FROM PUERTORICAN DECEND AND THAT HE MIGHT BE MY FATHER.......IS THERE ANYWAY TO GET THIS MESSAGE TO HIM AND THAT BY CHANCE THIS IS TRUE??? IV BEEN LOOKING FOR MY BIOLOGICAL FATHER FOR YEARS ....AND I HAVE ACLOSE RESEMBELENCE TO HIM —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 161.181.53.10 (talk • contribs) .

Please do not write in all capital letters. It gives the impression of shouting. Thank you. SCHZMO ✍ 23:54, 2 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

According to his article he is now in Panama. Finding his address would be a challenge, but if there is any book by him or about him, try writing to the publisher. Be aware that many people make paternity claims against celebrities, so you could have an big struggle. Good luck though. Notinasnaid 08:45, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 3

Philosophy

Is there a style of philosophy that asks questions like 'is this a question?' and moral dilemma questions, if so, where can i find them?

american consuls

who was the american consul in malaya in 1948 during the malayan emergency?

According to this paper (pdf), William M. Blue was the American consul in 1948. It seems from this that Richard Armstrong Poole replaced him in 1949. --Cam 04:58, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What does Newport stand for as in the cigarette brand?

I was just wondering if anyone knew this answer..

Newport, Rhode Island was a major yachting center, so I imagine the people who thought of the brand were trying to associate it with breeziness, coolness and expensiveness. But then again, there's a Newport, North Carolina, so it may have just been named for the local tobacco growing location, like Winston and Salem cigarettes were named for Winston-Salem, North Carolina. User:Zoe|^(talk) 01:49, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Artist

Who is the richest artist in the world?

Britain's richest painter Andrew Vicari.--Andrew c 02:24, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

2006 Sunday Times Rich List values Vicari's fortune at 92 million British pounds or 166 million US dollars. Thomas Kinkade may be the most commercially successful artist in the US, reportedly earning 53 million US dollars from his artistic work in the period 1997 to May 2005. However he has also been under investigation and litigation for business fraud [4]. Bwithh 03:11, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Though by "artist", are we only talking about artist artists? what about musical artists? Bwithh 03:15, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Geez, now we're going to get the 10,000 'richest' questions again from this guy. Where's a pastatute when you need one? --Zeizmic 02:39, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Has "pastatute" become the latest Ref Desk in-joke...? ;) — QuantumEleven 13:29, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently. I wonder what happens when you suitly emphazi a pastatute. JackofOz 14:48, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can't be worse than suitly emphaziing a prostitute. 169.139.224.113 14:19, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I pretty sure a while ago the question was who the richest rapper was, and the answer given was Steve Jobs. So if rapping is an art, Jobs wins. Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Miscellaneous/April 2006 http://www.ntk.net/ballmer/mirrors.html. Jon513 20:56, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Steve Ballmer, not Steve Jobs. Wrong asshole running a tech company. Night Gyr 02:36, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Integrated Wikipedia Internet Browser

This is a suggestion not a question,cant seem to find a better location for it. I push the limits of my knowledge when researching on the internet. I want to find out alot about an advanced subject of anything and read the information. If I dont understand something,which might be 2 principles per sentence at times, I alt+tab over to wikipedia. If we had an integrated browser function which could simply popup and give basic definition and with double click go straight to the extended version. This would greatly help out those of us always pushing the limits of our mind in search of huge gaps in humanity. Im sure once you realize what I am saying you will see the magnitude and time saving ability. More time equals more knowledge. With the huge amount of coverage at wikipedia this could revolutionalize the way people browse. LarryJC

For the effort that you have put into this, you could have read the beginning preamble. There, you would have found all the nice places to put this suggestion (not here!). If I remember, this has been proposed many times. --Zeizmic 02:36, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you're running Windows, Mac or Linux, you may be interested in using the Firefox browser, which has a Wikipedia search bar plug-in. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 08:46, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And, in Firefox, not only do you have the Wikipedia search bar plugin, but if you type "wp Topic" into the address bar, it automatically brings up the Wikipedia article on Topic. I use it constantly - CTRL+T for a new tab, a quick type, and I have the Wikipedia article on a topic I came across and wanted to know more about. (I'm sure there is a technical term for this in Firefox, and a list of other abbreviations you can use like this, but it temporarily escapes me.) — QuantumEleven 13:27, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

WP <topic> is indeed a godsend, I couldn't live without it these days. You can also set up your own ones too - I've added a DS <name> into my firefox for looking up artists on discogs.com. There's a description of how to do custom keyword searches here: http://barragerblog.blogspot.com/2005/08/create-custom-searches-in-firefox.html

Is Jimbo Wales gay?

Is he? --UgghayoX

Have you tried reading Jimmy Wales? -- Rick Block (talk) 04:18, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

More importantly, is Willy on Wheels really a sockpuppet of Jimmy Wales, as you have claimed? If so, please suitly emphazi. --Philosophus ^T 08:48, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I fail to see why it would be relevant. I don't care if he's a dressed up Dalek either. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:57, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Exterminate! Exterminate! —Keenan Pepper 12:39, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why don't you ask him at Talk:Jimbo Wales? Even if he rejects your proposition, I'm sure he'll pretend he's flattered. Brian G. Crawford 16:29, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the article says he has a wife and a daughter. – b_jonas 21:42, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Page Layout

Doesn't anyone else find it strange that these Reference pages appear from bottom to top?I mean,the newest questions are right at the bottom,whilst the oldest are up at the top.Shouldn't this be the other way round? It gets very tiring having to scroll all the way down to look at the answers for our questions.

Hasanclk

There's not going to be a great deal of difference from going to the bottom of the page and working up as opposed to going to the top of the page and working down. I'd suggest using the Find feature of your browser to hasten the search. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 08:29, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try pressing the "end" key rather than scrolling. This will take you straight to the most recent questions. --Shantavira 08:35, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(In Windows, Ctrl+End) Notinasnaid 08:39, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah,the thing is,I'm using a dial-up connection and it takes mE more than 2-3 mins to load the whole-page.But that's just my own problem.Aaanyway.... The thing is,doesn't it make sense that the newest questions are at the top,oldest at the bottom?

It's easy to have wiki-newbies post questions in a new section. And new sections appear at the bottom of a page. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:00, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If a page takes a while to load, I look at something else, like my watch list, while it gets on with it. Notinasnaid 12:18, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Wikipedia convention is to write from top to bottom, so later replies and topics are always lower - it makes sense on talk pages. The Ref Desk is a special case, but I see no need to change the convention just for one set of pages. Repeated use of the PageDown key should solve all your problems... :) — QuantumEleven 13:19, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with the questioner. Setting aside practical considerations, newest first just seems more logical to me. As on the history pages of articles. Jameswilson 00:48, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is an ethernal debate – not for WP:RD but many other places on the web too. I prefer that the newest things be at the bottom, but many other people prefer the reverse. I think either is acceptable as long as the direction is clear. – b_jonas 21:36, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Indian Test Cricket

I have some questions regarding the Indian Test Cricket Team & Cricketers: 1.Who was the first Captain of the Indian Test Cricket Team? Please give full name. 2.In Test Cricket which Indian holds the record of bowling 21 successive maiden overs against England and in which year? Also mention the date and the venue of the match? Please give full name. Thank Yuo in Advance. --Siddhant 08:42, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Look at the articles C. K. Nayudu and Bapu Nadkarni. The former article is currently incomplete. Tintin (talk) 08:57, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

species

what is most intelegence,revolution and unknown behaviour in same species in the world.

Cactus. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 11:03, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's neat, especially because it's a family, not a species. I would have said H. sapiens... —Keenan Pepper 12:38, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How did either of you know what the question was? What do "revolution" and "unknown behaviour" refer to? JackofOz 14:43, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well I'll go for it. The most intelligent species is the mouse, the most revolutionary is the whirligig beetle, and the most unknown is the yeti. But if you want all three qualities in one species, I guess it would have to be H. sapiens. --Shantavira 16:29, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All of you are wrong!!! Its a pastatute...;-DJayant,17 Years, India • contribs 16:58, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My bad. The cactus. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 08:52, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Most intelligent: chimpanzee, most revolutionary: mexican jumping bean, most unknown behaviour: Loch Ness Monster. Personally, I don't think all those requirements can be found in a single species although perhaps some species of insect could qualify. - 131.211.210.12 10:59, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Icons in Internet Explorer Favourites Menu

Whenever I add a new website to my Favourites menu, it is represented by the website's logo or some kind of symbol: for example, Wikipedia is a large W while Something Awful is that website's trademark a grenade. After a few weeks of adding them, however, they disappear and are replaced with a standard IE logo. This is a pity because if all my Favourites had logos next to them it would be easier to find something in a hurry.

Can anyone tell me why this happens, and suggest a way to both maintain the current symbols there and retrieve the old ones?

It happens because Internet Explorer caches favicons (I can't believe we have an article on this!) along with regular web content, and after a certain period, this web content (in your internet cache) becomes replaced with newer material, and the icons get overwritten. You can get around this (I do it all the time when forced to use IE - I like my favicons :)), but it takes a bit of work. Note that Firefox doesn't have this problem (and is a vastly superior browser)... but your question wasn't about Firefox.

What you need to do is open your internet cache folder (find out where it is in IE through Tools -> Internet Options -> Temporary Internet Files -> Settings). It's a big folder, so it may take a second to open. Sort the files by name and view the files by "details" to make the next step easier. Look through the folder for files called "favicon.ico" - they are the favicons of various bookmarks. Note that Windows' rendering of .ICO files is occasinally bugged, so although you'll see miniature versions of the icons next to the filename, they are not always the icons in the file in question! You need to find the favicon of the bookmark you're interested in - the best way of doing this is to look at the internet address from which a given favicon file came from - if you're viewing files by "details", it should be one of the visible columns. If the favicon you're looking for isn't there, you need to go to the website in question and recreate the bookmark, so as to re-download the favicon file from the website.

Once you've found the favicon file, copy it to a different location (a subfolder of My Documents, or something) and rename it to something sensible (like the name of the website it's associated with, such as wikipedia.ico or somethingawful.ico). Then open IE, right-click on the bookmark you want to assign the icon to, and select "Properties". Click on "Change Icon", and select the favicon file you just saved before. Voilà! Your icons will now no longer disappear.

Hope that was easy to follow - if something isn't clear, ask again! Cheers, — QuantumEleven 13:16, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Terrible spyware problem

I have a problem with some pop-ups that are regularly appearing on my computer, spyware ads that ironically offer spyware software. The web adresses shown involve names like "amaena" and "oinadserve".

I've done a full system scan with both AdAware and Spybot, the two most reputed spyware vendors. Neither picked it up. Help?

When I think I might have an infestation, I (1) disconnect from the internet immediately (2) back up anything changed since last night's back up (3) wipe the hard drive completely (4) reinstall Windows (5) reinstall other apps (6) restore personal files but no applications. It's important not to just do a system restore, because that would put back any infection, unless you can be absolutely sure you have a clean backup. Notinasnaid 12:16, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, that's a bit extreme. Sensible as a last resort, but I think there are some more avenues that could be explored first. Specifically, making sure the detection databases are bang up to date and running the anti-malware apps again in safe mode. (BTW, Spybot is currently experiencing checksum problems with some archives; changing the download mirror works but you may have to try a few before you find one that's working for you.) If your spyware's particularly deeply ingrained being in safe mode should hopefully stop it ever getting started and thus doing whatever it's doing to hide itself from them. Of course, if you've had the bad luck to become infested with some brand new bit of malware, and you don't want to reinstall, you'll have to wait for the software to catch up. Spybot have a page for reporting new threats, but for pity's sakes please please make sure it really is new before submitting it. --Bth 12:19, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't seem extreme to me. Given the high failure rate of the so called clean-up tools, and given that I don't know what cracked the security and how many parts it has (I could remove the adware and be left with the spyware), I don't see any reasonable alternative. Besides, reinstalling your machine is good practice for when something breaks. In the end you could have spent longer fussing with tools that might not have done the job. If you aren't able to reinstall, now, today, what would you have done if the hard drive failed? Notinasnaid 12:32, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have fixed several malware-infested computers for the more clueless among my family and friends and have never had to resort to a reinstall -- and I haven't experienced the "high failure rate" you speak of either. I have had to muck about manually in the registry on occasion, but I'd rather that than all the tedious waiting around swapping CDs involved in a reinstall. (I don't really understand your last point -- obviously you'd have to reinstall after a hard drive failure, and backing up is of course a Good Thing, but that's orthogonal to dealing with malware. Choosing not to do something doesn't mean I'm not able to do it.)

The real problem of course is Windows's lack of robustness, which is ultimately the result of various commercial decisions by Microsoft. And of course prevention is better than cure -- installing a decent firewall (and not then blowing holes in it with file-sharing apps) is vital. --Bth 12:52, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You cpuld try Webroot's Spy Sweeper;it's great as well.Also,Spyware Doctor and Spyware eBlaster are worthy mentions.All are available from www.download.com If it still doesn't work,you will have to wash your system and re-install your OS to get rid of the bugs.

I have to go with ol' grouchy Noti here. These things now embed with rootkits, and some instructions for removal involve extensive editing in the registry. If any XP and IE users start getting sick of doing reinstalls, there is plenty of advice available. --Zeizmic 12:39, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Couple of comments. Turn off system restore and then remove the spyware/adware, then reboot. If the sypware was in long enough then it will have also been in the system restore. This also applies to virus removal. The best thing is prevention. Running a firewall and Spybot and Adaware will use up resources but it's better than being infected. Also the addition of a router with firewall capabilities will pretty much stop anything. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 17:48, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Make sure the anti-spyware software is up-to-date then disconnect from the internet and run it. Perhaps being connected to the internet gives the spyware access to reinstall itself after being removed. - 131.211.210.12 10:55, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might want to check out the forums at spywareinfo, where there are many experienced folks who seem to thrive on assisting in removal of these types of infections. You will most certainly be asked to download and run Hijack This and then post the log, so you might want to do that first. --LarryMac 12:33, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tom Selleck

Did Tom Selleck ever perm his hair, or is it natural?

About the Gravitation

What is gravitational field show that work done in gravitational field is independent of its path?

Plz tell me answer Thankyou

This sounds like a homework question, so you may find the answers, in a way that makes sense to you, in your text book. Otherwise try looking at gravitational field. You could have found this much quicker by typing 'gravitiational field' in the search box at the top left of the page. I would imagine your textbook gives you a much better idea of what you need to answer this question. 57.66.51.165 15:43, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might possibly find conservative force relevant, too. --Bth 16:51, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Foreign-currency accounts in US banks

Does anyone know if there are any US banks that offer cash accounts (checking, savings, or anything reasonably similar) denominated in foreign currency? I'm particularly interested in Canadian dollars, but would also be interested in Euros. --Trovatore 18:04, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah Canadian dollars! The US dollar is going down! You'll never find a US bank that knows what a Canadian dollar is. Just try to exchange one there! I know the trouble I've had throughout the years, going south.--Zeizmic 20:22, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Check out this bank. A google search for "currency investing" or something like that should give you some other places to look. kmccoy (talk) 02:06, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lots of Canadian banks will set you up an account in US dollars, and many will do Euros too (and $CDN of course). You should be able to use Canadian ATM cards in US banks too. Maybe you should move all your banking north of the border. DJ Clayworth 17:14, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Information on the stree Dye Row in Anderson south carolina

I grew up in anderson on Dye Row. I would like to find out the history of Dye Row in anderson, s.c.

You're rather unlikely to find someone knowledgable on that topic here. I would rather suggest emailing or otherwise contacting the reference desk of the Anderson County Library (reference AT andersonlibrary.org); they can probably recommend a good source on local history.--Pharos 23:39, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Favorite Team

Just curious (a poll), what is your favorite NCAA Division 1 team?--65.205.179.130 19:23, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Go Bulls! Mike H. That's hot 23:54, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't mean to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but the Ref Desk aint really the place for polls.... now I'll just sit here quietly and say nothing — QuantumEleven 07:49, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know that. I'm still going to answer the dude's question. I refuse to be rude to people on this page like so many other people like to be. Mike H. That's hot 13:53, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Montreal Canadiens rule!!! Go Habs Go! I know they don't play basketball, but hey, an inapropriate question deserves an inapropriate answer. Loomis51 01:32, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

nonborn king

In the Julian May book Nonborn King there is a tune that is embedde in the new grand combat trophy by Firvulag atisans. Tony Wayland laughs and quotes the words "Weia! Waga! Woge du Welle,walle zurWeige, Wagala weia..."

What or is this is tune or song from? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 219.88.34.137 (talk • contribs) .

The song is from the opera Das Rheingold; the words are nonsense. See this page. SCHZMO ✍ 21:20, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's not exactly nonsense - while Wagner wilfully wiggled away from meaning with "Weialala Weialala", the rest of the line ("Woge du Welle, walle zur Wiege") actually means "Flow, ye wave, flow towards the cradle". It was part of Wagner's poetic programme to play with the Germanic concept of Stabreim (alliterative verse) while telling his story of Germanic heroes. Other famous examples from the Ring include "garstig glatter glitschriger glimmer" and "Weiche, Wotan, weiche!" -- Ferkelparade π 17:17, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Confused about Talkerbot Reference on Johnny Hardwick History

In looking at the history for the Johnny Hardwick article, I see a revision that appears to be large amounts of text replaced with blank space. However, looking at the actual historical pages, I don't see that at all. There also appears to be a reference of talkerbot sending a note to me (Victor Engel), but I can't find any such note.

The only edit I made to this article was to add a picture. If someone can figure out what is going on and explain it to me, I would very much appreciate that. I have a feeling like I'm just missing something about the way wikipedia works.

Finally, does the talkerbot reference I cited indicate a bug in the software? If so, should it be reported?

an anonymous user vandalized the page (by blanking it). The bot reverted the article to the last version. It says who edited that article last so you know what it reverted to. Sometimes a vandal vandalizes several times and it is necessary to revert back several edits, so it is a good idea to say who it is reverting to. Jon513 22:36, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not quite. The anon duplicated the article several times here and Tawkerbot reverted it to Victor's edit and left the message at User talk:204.171.48.4. The bot is not actually saying you were the vandal it just says that it reverted to your version. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:40, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By the way the bot does make errors. I reverted here followed by an anon vandalising here. Tawkerbot reverts here but look at the edit summary and look at the line |name=. Then I revert back to the correct version here but of course Tawkerbot leaves me a warning message at User talk:CambridgeBayWeather/Archive06#Exposed at long last. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:07, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Expiration Date on Canned Drinks

Hi, a coworker of mine was leaving the company at the same time as me, while cleaning his desk, he gave me a coke he found. (Note that we've only been working for four months, for an internship-ish program) He said it's probably been sitting there for a while, but if I was feeling "adventurous", I could have it and drink it. I haven't yet since I haven't been able to locate the expiration date. It's a "Classic Coca-Cola". The top just says "Recyclable" two times on the left and right edge. Under the "lift" thing, there's W 11-3 B. (Maybe it means expiration on 2011 March?) Under the can, there's some random DE19056ND (maybe not a 6) 0104 1. I really don't know what it's talking about, and I can't seem to find anything meaningful along the side of the can? Where is the expiration date? How long do canned drinks usually last? Do you think it's safe for me to drink this?

You can try asking coca cola. If you do tell us the answer back here, we're curious. Jon513 23:12, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I lived in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories for 20 years. All our food, except for frozen and fresh food, came into town once a year by ship (around September) due to the high cost of flying stuff in. The food would have a one to two month period before it was past its best by date. So for about 10 months you were eating expired food. Of course when errors were made and too much of something was ordered then you could be eating it longer. The two worst ones were the mayonnaise and condensed milk. They got 3 years supply of mayo and it was still good even at the end. The condendsed milk was a bit worse as they got 6 years supply at once. After the 3rd or 4th year it was clumped up. However, we just put it in a blender and it was still edible. This is not to say that you should drink the coke. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:35, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I probably would have drunk it, but if you're worried, just throw it out. Brian G. Crawford 23:50, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Expired soda often picks up an off-flavor but expired diet soda should really be avoided as many use aspartame which breaks down. Rmhermen 23:53, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Breaks down into what, and is it toxic, or simply bad-tasting? The article aspartame seems to be focused on the fact that aspartame doesn't cause brain cancer. --Serie 00:07, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know if it's toxic, but it loses all of it's sweetening ability, leaving a really nasty-tasting beverage. Seriously nasty. I find most aspartame-containing beverages are good for at least six months after purchase. --ByeByeBaby 01:28, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that in warm conditions aspartame in fizzy drinks breaks down into formaldehyde - though whether that's true or not, I couldn't say --Noodhoog 15:16, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Aspartame is a methyl ester, and can undergo ester hydrolysis to produce methanol, which is indeed oxidized to formaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver. The hydrolysis reaction speeds up if the solution is either too acidic or too basic. (The actual reactions in acidic and basic conditions differ somewhat, but the end result is the same.) Also, neither the methanol nor the dipeptide which is the other product of the hydrolysis are likely to taste very sweet. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 21:57, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't really know, but I think the expiration date isn't on the bottle (or wouldn't be relevant if it would be) because such a drink lasts very long time if it's in the fridge, so if it can go wrong at all, it depends on how much it has been out of the fridge. Anyway, I think Coca-Cola is mostly made of water, sugar, carbon dioxide, and caffeine, so I don't think it could go wrong at all. – b_jonas 21:27, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi everyone, I bit the bullet and opened it just now. It tastes like any ol' regular coca-cola, so I guess it doesn't have a "different taste" just yet. I did some Googling and [5] seemed to give the conclusion of 9 months for canned soda and 3 months for diet canned soda. And of course, they just happen to not tell me where the expiration date is located or how to interpret it (but as I mentioned, I bit the bullet and opened it to drink it anyway). I did take Jon513's comment and emailed Coca-Cola right after I saw the comment, but I have yet to receive a reply, oh well. Anyway, thanks everyone! Rcjsuen 21:30, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I got this email back from Coca-cola.

Thank you for contacting The Coca-Cola Company, Mr. Suen. We appreciate your interest in Coca-Cola brands.

The date on the packaging is the "Optimum Taste Date." This is the date by which we recommend you consume the beverage in order to enjoy the optimum taste. The complete date code is located on the bottom of cans and on the neck of bottles. Since there is nothing in our carbonated soft drink brands that should spoil, we expect that our soft drink brands are safe to consume beyond the date.

If you have additional questions or comments, please visit our website again.

Rcjsuen 23:28, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cereal Prices

I have this school project where I have to design a cereal box from a certain time period. I've done everything but the one thing I cannot find is the price. The cereal is from the late 1700's to the early 1800's. Can you help me find the price cereal would be from that time period?

Thanks in advance!

Well, the BLS's Inflation calculator just goes back to 1913. A nickel in 1913 is equivalent to a dollar today, but nickels didn't exist in 1800. Also, neither did cereal or standardized packaging--both came about during the 19th century, but since your teacher is obviously just doing this for fun you can probably get away with "five cents." Night Gyr 00:13, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This site lists a pound of corn meal or rice at US 5 cents in the 1840s so that would probably be a good number.[6] Rmhermen 00:19, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You would probably be interested to know that breakfast cereals and cardboard boxes weren't actually invented until the latter part of the 1800's. The first cereal to come in a cardboard box was Kellogg's corn flakes, though at first the cereal was directly in the box and the bag was wrapped around the outside.--Pharos 23:59, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 4

Airplane Emergencies

If an airplane blows a tire, or has a hydraulic problem shortly after liftoff, why can't they just fly to thier destination instead of wasting fuel and landing at the same airport?

In short, Murphy's Law. a blown tire or a hydraulics malfunction may only be a symptom of a much greater problem, and so it is advantageous to have a landing area close at hand.

If you're talking about malfunctioning hydraulics, keep in mind that without hydraulics you cannot control the plane at all (all the control surfaces are moved through hydraulics) - so I'd imagine you'd be relieved to get on the ground as soon as possible! As an example of what happens when the whole system fails, see United Airlines Flight 232 - and the fact there were any survivors at all is only because the pilot was insanely skilled. A similar case, but with a much worse outcome, was Japan Airlines Flight 123. — QuantumEleven 07:39, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Basically yes but some other things may factor into it. The laws governing aviation in the country that the aircraft is flying in. The severity of the problem combined with the distance to the next airport, as decided by the pilot at the time, which may be questioned afterwards. And the type of airport that the aircraft has left as opposed to the destination airport. In the example above an aircraft leaving somewhere like Kugaaruk Airport is more likely to come and see me at Cambridge Bay Airport because we have better emergency services. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:42, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you are landing with a blown tyre then you will want a long runway and all the emergency equipment ready. Now if your destination airport is as well equipped as the one you just left it may be tempting to go on, but suppose you have another problem en route, such as an engine failure, that may force you to put down at the nearest airport which may be less well equipped. So better to go straight back to where you came from. Plus do you really want your passengers to spend eight hours of a flight wondering whether they are going to die at the end of it? Having said all that planes will sometimes go to a nearby airport rather then the one they left if it is better equipped. DJ Clayworth 17:07, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

looks like fun

wtf are these, and where can i buy a pair? they were recently featured in a commercial for a product i dont recall.

See Poweriser -- which I found on the link you provided! Thanks for asking, though -- I keep seeing that and keep forgetting to look it up! --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 03:20, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was wondering how the song being played is called. It's cool.

That would be Real World by Matchbox Twenty -- Ferkelparade π 12:43, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

? on internet hits

is there a way to see how many hits an article i am writing is getting?

No, I'm afraid not. It's very hard to implement because of how the Wikipedia servers are arranged, plus, as I'm sure you have no doubt noticed, the servers are overloaded as it is... — QuantumEleven 07:32, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

square feet to ton

how many square feet to a ton. for instance i have 475 square feet of ground that i want covered with ground cover [pebble rock],at 30 dollars a ton,how many tons do i need?

It depends how deep you want the pebbles, and what the average size of a pebble in the mix is. Also, the type of rock is probably important. -- Run! 07:21, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

about 1 inch deep the average size is about 1/4 inch diameter

The type of rock is indeed important -- the answer will depend on the density of the rock. The volume you're looking at (475 square feet by 1 inch high) is just under 1.5 cubic yards. The mass you need is this figure, times whatever the density is. This site gives densities for various rock types that suggest 2 tons / cubic yard isn't a bad guess for the sort of rock you might be using, so I'd say 3 tons as a first approximation.

However, the density will differ depending on how closely packed you have your ground cover -- the density of rock in general will be higher than the density of small bits of rock with air gaps. Assuming spherical pebbles, there's a factor of

\pi  \over {\sqrt {18}}

, roughly 75%, so it'd be 2.25 tons.

Because of the various uncertainties involved, you might be best off determining the answer experimentally -- just mark out a square foot and cover it, then weigh the rocks used and multiply by 475. --Bth 11:08, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you aren't familiar with this kind of work, you might like to check http://www.pavingexpert.com/gravel01.htm. This suggests that under your gravel you need a 3-4 inch sub base. Just dropping an inch of gravel should be fine for a reduced weed bed, but not for a path beyond the lightest use. Notinasnaid 17:32, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Woman to climb Mt. Everest twice?

Does anyone know which woman has climed the Mount Everest twice?

Please mention the source of your answer and if it is an article in Wikipedia, please also mention the section of the article.

Thank You in Advance.

--Siddhant 07:10, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At a guess I'd say Jan Arnold, the wife (now widow) of Rob Hall, though that article only confirms one completed ascent. Grutness...wha? 07:35, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I want answers with perfect proof please. --Siddhant 07:51, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, in that case, I did what you could have done - used a google search. That turned out to be somewhat inconclusive, with several conflicting claims:

Santosh Yadav is the only woman to have climbed Everest twice (source [7])
Cathy O'Dowd is the only woman to have climbed Everest twice by different routes. (source [8])
Ellen Miller has also climbed Everest by two different routes (source [9])
Lhakpa Sherpa is the only woman to have climbed Everest three times (source [10])

I suspect that Yadav was the first but not the only woman to have completed this feat, and that therefore at least four women have completed the double ascent. Grutness...wha? 08:14, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Due to the lack of oxygen, you speak less on top of the Everest. Someone wants to take a tour with his wife ? --DLL 21:44, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oldest airline. Still in business.

I want to know, which is the oldest airline in the world still in business?

Plese mention your source of answer.

--Siddhant 08:01, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There may be older ones, but Lufthansa is the first one that comes to my mind - founded in 1926, still operating today -- Ferkelparade π 08:14, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

KLM, founded 1919, considers itself to be the "world's oldest airline". Another candiate may be Avianca, also founded 1919. — QuantumEleven 08:38, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know this was asked before. There has to be a better way to search through the archives. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:53, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I recently learned that Google's "site:" parameter is much more powerful than they generally make out -- you can specify arbitrary amounts of precision in the URL to search under. Using "site:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk_archive" for "oldest airline" shows that this came up on Miscellaneous on February 24 and you did indeed answer then. --Bth 09:27, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow! We officially give you the 'Hint of the Month' award. You are now allowed to make up a new word for our inside jokes. --Zeizmic 11:49, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bth, my browser has problems opening the archive. I performs an illegal operation. (Microsoft knows why). Can you copy that specific archive here or copy it to my talk page.

And I don't understand what Zeizmic means.

--Siddhant 13:19, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

~~Zeismic~~ Bth said that the same (or a very similar question) had been asked on the Miscellaneous Reference Desk (the one we're on right now) on February 24th, and he provided a link to the archive page with the relevant question (and answers) on it. If your browser can't open that page there is something strange going on - try closing and re-opening it. If that doesn't work, restart your computer. If it still doesn't work, download Firefox.

As for Zeismic, don't worry about it - some of us volunteers on the Reference Desk have inside jokes... need to keep ourselves entertained between questions somehow... ;) — QuantumEleven

At the top of this page, there is a link to Ref desk archives. The last answer, in the link that you can't read, says : ":This article says that KLM may not be the oldest and this "might" be the first airline to offer the first fare paying flights. CambridgeBayWeather ". --DLL 21:36, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There should be a separate sub-page for all the inside jokes on the Ref Desk... so that we can read them whenever we are stressed.. !! ;-) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 10:02, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Unbelievable as it sounds, this page exists: User:Cernen/Reference desk in-jokes. Also check out our Association on meta. — QuantumEleven 10:32, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And are you aware of the non-ref-desk-specific Bad Jokes And Other Deleted Nonsense section? Plenty of material there to wile away many a long day at work. --Bth 11:59, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What the....!!!!! This place never ceases to amaze me.And i knew about the bad jokes thing.i was thinking about the ref-desk jokes.Thanks a lot! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 13:04, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

BJAODN (Bad Jokes and Other Deleted Nonsense) is possibly the most dangerous place on Wikipedia... once you start reading page one, you don't want to stop until you get to page forty-six... ;-) (have fun, Jayant!) — QuantumEleven 14:03, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Article Page Visits. How to find out

i was just looking at one of the articles that i created today and was wondering if theres anypart of the toolbar or anywhere else i can go and check to go see and find out how many people especially unique visits there have been to any giver article, perhaps the article on iraq or gay marriage are very popular and chinese are is not, i was just wondering, any ideas? Qrc2006 11:08, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This has been asked several times in the last couple of days and unfortunatly the answer is no. You could google the article and see how near the top it is, which would give you an indication how it compares with other web pages with similar info. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:14, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can anyone tell me the name of this song?

Here [11]. Thanks

I noted down some of the lyrics (which weren't that easy to make out) and Googled them. It's called 'Real World' by Matchbox Twenty. --Richardrj 14:02, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much. I tried to do what you did but English is not my first language and the lyrics that were probably more unique to the song were ununderstandable for me.

format of telephone area codes in the UK

Why do UK telephone area codes have an initial '0', while North American codes don't? What's the purpose of that leading zero? I looked here [12] but it didn't help. Thanks. --Richardrj 13:57, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I imagine in older times it signalled to the exchange that the call should be routed as a Trunk call (i.e. to another telephone exchange) rather than routed locally within the same exchange. It does have the same significance now, although I guess digital exchanges would cope better with more complex routing tables which did not follow the 0=trunk protocol. THe more interesting question, then is why US codes don't. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I don't think thats right as a few years ago at least some area codes didn't have the initial 0 but it was added to them all, I think along with another number in some areas. Also I think, but am not sure, that before calls were routed electronically the U.K. telephone exchanges (& routing area codes) were completely different from those used today. AllanHainey 14:16, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can you give any examples of area codes that until recently had no initial 0? In my mind, they have all done for many years. --Richardrj 14:43, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The 0 serves a specific purpose: it allows you to dial local numbers without the exchange. For instance, suppose your number was 01234 56789. In the UK you could dial 01234 56789, or if you were already in the 01234 area, you would just dial 56789. So, why the "0" in the area code (STD code as it is called)? The reason is simple: local numbers could start with any digit between 2 and 9. Suppose there were an STD code of 5678 (no zero). If you dialed 56789, the exchange at this point doesn't know whether you are dialing the local 56789, or the STD code 5678, and starting a number with 9. It's confused. Hence, the 0 allows the exchange to make an immediate decision about whether the number is local or remote.

In fact, the US system is pretty much the same except that this initial code is rarely written down, and it is usually 1. Local numbers in the US never start with a 1. So if you dial 234 5678, the exchange knows that this is local. If you dial 1 234 5678, the exchange knows this is a distance call, to exchange 234, and a local number that starts 5678. The reason the 1 can be left off in written numbers with such impunity is that US numbers are a standard number of digits, while UK numbers are variable length.

STD, by the way, stands for "subscriber trunk dialling", i.e. the ability of the caller to directly dial a number in a different exchange. It replaced an older system where the local operator could do this, but the customer couldn't, and that in turn replaced the system where each local operator had to call other operators to get the call put through - sometimes a long chain. In the days before STD, numbers were commonly written out as something like "Whitehall 1212". This is what you would have to ask the operator for. Notinasnaid 16:40, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Allan, they had the 0; it was the 1 that got added to lots of places a while back - eg STD code 0225 became 01225. Jameswilson 22:49, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where is my millions

Question Deleated!

New Passports

Hi, i have just today recieved a brand new (UK) passport. as well as all the ever more complex anti-fraud stuff (like never ending bird hollograms!) there's a chip on the back page. i'm assuming in a post 9/11 world most countries issue passports with chips in them but what sort of information do they store? when i next go through an immigration desk, will they scan the chip to get access to that information and, if they've done that, what advantage does it have in checking who i am that an ordinary photo doesnt have? in short then, why? thanks andrew...

See biometric passport. It's basically security theatre, in my opinion. --Robert Merkel 01:43, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When I got my UK passport last year there was no visible chip but I put it in the microwave for a wee while anyway, just in case, to fry any RFID chip or electronics. AllanHainey 15:29, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, you are on our list! --Zeizmic 17:38, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hainey, why did you cook your passport, if they had put any electronics in it would probably just void your passport if you fried them. Are you one of those people who thinks that the government is trying to take over the world by implanting chips in our brains when we give blood? Philc _T+C 23:03, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I fried it because noone said we're putting this in your passport & it was an easy step to make sure there wasn't anything in it. I wouldn't void my passport by doing so because any chips weren't disclosed as being there (also noone ever overtly scans them, just looks at the pictures). I'm not a conspiracy theorist & don't wear a tinfoil hat but I've a healthy level of paranoia & an awareness of the range of stuff various governments have done to their citizens without telling them (injecting with radiation, dosing with LSD, bugging phones & electronic communications, etc)and I wouldn't put it past them to put RFIDs or chips in the passports, as indeed they've just done (though openly at least). AllanHainey 11:17, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fair enough, but if the government is giving you weird treatment, doesnt it genreally mean youve done something, like set up a people smuggling drug ring of prostitutes, or something, because as far as I am aware there havent been any mass LSD dopings by governments bugging everyones phone (except in police states maybe) Philc _T^E_C^I 22:51, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(Seriously)Just a side note, the gov't IS going to take over the world by implanting chips in our brains. They already started the prototype for using an implant chip for keeping track of everything your do (credit cards, etc) and they said that the best place to put the chip was in the forehead or the back of the right hand. Thanks to my teaher who pointed out the ref. --JD (will someone answer the question I posted about the fun section?)

Governments can't take over the world, your an idiot, if they did, it wouldn't take long for them to be overthrown, plus there is more than one governments, no one country has enough resources to take over the rest of the world (no not even the US, even though bush has the ego for world domination... and the ignorance). A passage from the bible is hardly of relevance, firstly, that passage is reffering to religion in anceient history, not a current government conspiracy on world domination, and isn't it illeagel for teachers to plant such ridiculous ideas into the minds of impressionable youngsters, I was under the impression that teachers weren't meant to discuss there political views, and most certainly not state them as fact. Philc _T^E_C^I 19:40, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Myself

Hello, I have two "things" that I could have some help with, the first one: Whenever I play football and I kick the ball to hard, I seem to pull one of my quadriceps. Is this just because I have not streached out properly or is it because I am kicking the ball wrongly?

the second: whenever I talk to someone or in front of a group of people, my face goes all red! Is this because I have no self confidence or I am embarraced? Is there anyway I could prevent this?

Thanks a lot daniel 18:51, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For the first I would seek medical advice from a doctor. At the very least you should speak with your coach. For the second, this is a common problem when you are younger and for some people they never grow out of it. One thing I did was to join an organization that involved public speaking. Now I have no problem with getting up in front of the public and making speeches. Just practice talking with people. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:51, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Remember to stretch before practice/games/etc, it keeps you from pulling muscles. Also, a psychologist or a psychiatrist could help with confidence issues.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 20:57, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For the second, I would mention that this might simply be a personal trait, something that helps define you as an individual. Honestly, the right ladies should find it cute (assuming you're male). Additionally, (I Am Not A Doctor Or Otherwise), it might be a physical response to some nervousness you have. Practice makes perfect! Engage in conversation as much as you can. Overcome your fears and the symptom may vanish. If it's really a concern, you might be interested in seeing a counselor/psychiatrist, but honestly, I sincerely doubt anyone you talk to notices. People are far more concerned with their own lives than the shades of others' faces :). --WasteOfTime 02:02, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Happenings of the late 1700s to early 1800s

So aorry for double posting! I just forgot to put a title on hte previous one, making it hard to read or see. It's me from the cereal project again. I have to include a timeline on the cereal box of important happenings in the world during the time period. Do you know of any important happenings from the late 1700's to the early 1800s? Sorry again for double posting!

Thanks so much again!

Try 1700s and 1800s CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:47, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The 1700s and 1800s articles deal with the decades, not the centuries. The 18th century and 19th century articles might be more helpful. --Cadaeib (talk) 22:21, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

David Hackett Fischer has written a book on price revolutions called The Great Wave or something. Maybe you should look to see how much grain cost back then.

As for crazy stuff in those years, American and French Revolutions? Napoleonic wars?

The Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the invention of Gas Lighting by William Murdoch in 1790's, the French Revolution. AllanHainey 15:37, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bobhouses

where did the name "bobhouse" come from?

Presumably because you have to bob down as you go in or out. Though I suppose a guy called Bob might once have built a particularly impressive one. --Shantavira 07:33, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ice shanties don't move - while the ice is frozen at least. This seems to be a rare word used mainly in New England. Maybe that helps narrow it down. Rmhermen 14:15, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

titles

why are titles of a book important? full answer using (identity and labels)

Because we wouldn't know what we were reading otherwise. Do your own homework. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:13, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I, Ref-Elf, hereby give the honour of the Stupidest Question of The day to this question. Congratulations.!! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 14:48, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Careful, I think people try hard for that prize. --Zeizmic 22:32, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How about you give us a "full question using identity and labels". JackofOz 23:22, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Paper Dust

Are there any health issues that may come up from inhaling paper dust? If so what are the symptoms?

From a search: "Cellulose and paper dust is classified as nuisance dusts because they do not pose any significant health hazards." I suppose if you got a snootful, you wouldn't want to light a match.. --Zeizmic 23:52, 4 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 5

Gas mileage

Lets assume that the speed is constant. In which situation would i use more gas?

Going:

67 miles in 1hr 23mins

Or

80 miles in 1hr 18mins

MISSING VARIABLE You made absolutely no reference to the gas efficiency of the vehicle in question.

If you rode a racehorse 67 miles in 1hr 23mins, you'd certainly use less gas than if you rode a tank going 80 miles in 1hr 18mins. It would appear that you haven't quite cut and pasted your homework assignment as precisely as you should have. Loomis51 01:16, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For most engines, the one with the lower speed would be more efficient. Rmhermen 00:59, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How can the speed be CONSTANT while you travel further (80 miles) in less time?

Air resistance in CARS.

Aero Drag:

Fd = Rho * Cd * A * V^2

For .26 drag coefficient Fd = .002558 * .26 * 21.9 * 30^2 = 13.1 lbs.
For .20 drag coefficient Fd = .002558 * .20 * 21.9 * 30^2 = 10.1 lbs.

Rho = constant to adjust for normal air pressure, convert from Metric 
to American, and to account for the ½ normally present in the 
formula Fd = ½ * Rho * Cd * A * V^2
Cd = coefficient drag
A = vehicle frontal area in square feet
V = velocity in mph
Fd = aerodynamic drag force in lbs.

As I understand it: each car has a speed at which its engine is most efficient. It is not the case that simply slower = more efficient. Going faster or slower than that speed is therefore less efficient. So the answer depends on the specific car. Notinasnaid 09:51, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Isn't that what the gearbox is for, to let the engine run at (near) its optimal efficiency (and at an RPM at which it can operate in the first place). Which would bring us back to the air resistance analysis. Weregerbil 10:44, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was talking about overall car efficiency, not engine efficiency. That would take into account engine efficiency, gearbox, tyre friction and wind resistance. But if we just take engine efficiency, and posit that a car has a peak efficiency at a particular RPM; then in a steady state that RPM can be translated into only as many speeds as the car has gears. So, typically there are five speeds at which maximum engine RPM is maximized. Now, as the speed increases, so does the drag. So, at peak efficiency of RPM, the lowest wind resistance occurs in first gear. But the distance covered, for the same number of engine revolutions, is much less in lower gears. So the peak efficiency of the car depends on wind resistance, peak efficiency of the engine RPM, gearbox and on other drag factors. I understand that engine efficiency will have a peak; in fact there will be an efficiency graph for each gear. I don't think that the statement "the lower the speed, the greater the efficiency" holds up. Notinasnaid 11:03, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There's an interesting graph on http://eartheasy.com/live_fuel_efficient_driving.htm. It shows two peaks, perhaps for different gears (as US graph, it may assume an automatic gearbox). Of course, it oversimplifies; not all cars will have the same graph. Notinasnaid 11:05, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please notice that my answer agrees with Notinasnsaid's graph. Some seem to have interpreted my statement as a general case, not as specific to the two examples given. Rmhermen 14:09, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pants.

Would it be legal to, say, wander around St. Paul, Minnesota without my pants? Or dress, or skirt, or shorts, or kilt? Just shirt and underwear? And maybe trenchcoat? 172.147.55.9 02:31, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not a lawyer, but I don't know why it would be illegal if your genitals were covered. It would be like walking around with a swimsuit on. Dismas|^(talk) 04:03, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here's the relevant statute. Sounds like it could at worse be a misdemeanor, if they decide it is "indecent" despite not showing genitals directly. In some states getting convicted for indecent exposure can get you "sex offender" status, though I don't know about Minnesota. In any case it probably isn't worth it. --Fastfission 04:10, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What if I wore a trenchcoat over the shirt and undies? ±172.147.55.9 04:16, 5 May 2006 (UTC)![reply]

Won't matter as long as you keep that trenchcoat closed, you flasher, you. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 05:15, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Were you planning to do this in January? If so I think you might have to worry about shrinkage that was discussed earlier. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:30, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shrinkage#Slang. Just thought I'd whip the link out there... Dismas|^(talk) 11:44, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I, Ref-Elf, hereby give the honour of You Have to Try it Out To Answer it Question of The Day to this question. Congratulations! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 06:01, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Aussies

Do you pronounce 'Z' as zee ? Tintin (talk) 05:27, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Like most countries speaking Commonwealth English, they pronounce it as "zed". See Z.-gadfium 06:29, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Zee" has a bit of a foothold in a certain demographic, but it's not a standard pronunciation. JackofOz 07:09, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, now, that's just unnecessarily tantalising. Which demographic? --Bth 11:46, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was being deliberately vague because I can't verify this assertion. Just my personal observation of certain people aged between about 18 and about 30. It's by no means universal in this age group, but you hear it enough to notice. JackofOz 12:03, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps it's the ones's who were raised by Sesame Street? Notinasnaid 12:53, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ouch! I was taught 'zee' by a legitimate real life teacher in an elementary school in the states. (Assuming we're the demographic you're talking about. It's not our fault the rest of the english speaking world is starting to come around to some of our improvements.) ;-) -LambaJan 22:27, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lambajan, some changes are improvements, and some are just changes :--). JackofOz 23:20, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Notinasnaid, the ones's who were taught by Sesame Street to write ones's are the same ones's who now teach English to American school kids - and run the world. :--) JackofOz 23:20, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seriously though, American linguistic influence is incredibly powerful and American English will probably become the world-wide standard form of English eventually. But only over my dead body. JackofOz 23:20, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Amen to that, Jack. It'll be Zed 'till the day I die. Same goes for the inclusion of the "U" in words like ColoUr, NeighboUr, HonoUr etc... Loomis51 01:09, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

TIME ZONE - LONDON - YEAR 1949A.D.

Please let me know time zone changes during the Year 1949A.D. as I wish to know the London Time Zone used at 0200hours London Standard Time on 17 October 1949A.D. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.143.10.137 (talk • contribs)

That would be GMT - ever since the concept of time zones developed, London has been in the same time zone as Greenwich. Our article on British Summer Time tells you that summer time ended on 30 October in 1949, so on the 17th of that month, the clocks would still have been one hour ahead. -- Ferkelparade π 17:02, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

<after edit conflict> Curious question. See British Summer Time - On 17 October of that year the UK was still on BST and was therefore 1 hour ahead of GMT. 17:08, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

To clarify Ferkelparade's comment London is only on GMT for half of the year and at the time we are talking about it wasn't on GMT. It was one hour ahead. Jooler 17:17, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To become totally nitpicky, London would then still be in the same time zone as Greenwich - which, strangely, is also one hour ahead of GMT during summer time :P -- Ferkelparade π 17:25, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why Stangely? Greenwich is in the same timezone as Greenwich because Greenwich (London Borough of Greenwich) is in London ? Jooler 01:11, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, strangely because Greenwich is one hour ahead of Greenwich time (GMT) during summer time -- Ferkelparade π 15:46, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can confirm the 30th of October thing. My parents got married on 29/10/49 in London, and apparently got quite a bit of ribbing from their friends about timing it so they could have one hour longer in bed the following morning. Grutness...wha? 02:27, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Slot Machines: Designing

I am trying to design and program a couple of slot machines for use by guest of an IRC chat room that i own. I think im able to do tyhe actual programming, but im having a problem with the actual setup. The problem is i want this slot machine setup to be as realistic as possible. I have read the wikipedia article on slot machines and know that it should give 85-95% of the money back to the player. My wish is to design a game similar to "Money Honey" games found in the united states and supposedly australia. (it is a game which has 5 reels, a "Wildcard" which is available on some reels, and a second screen which will randomly come up and allow a free mini game or free spins.) It would be most beneficial if i could see the layout of all 5 wheels of a digital slot machine along with its payout table. however, its probably information which is unavailable for fear of using it to know about the machine "too much" ? I only want to use the information to substitute with my own symbols, and maybe id change the payout table slightly so that there is no association with the origional game. ive found some images of some 3 wheel slots with help from a friennd.

http://i24.ebayimg.com/02/i/05/45/13/0c_1.JPG http://i9.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/f4/fa/e0_1.JPG

but first of all these images are only three reels, and theres no payout table shown. Maybe im asking for info thats not available, but the full point of asking this is that im trying to design a machine and i have problems with trying to figure out the statistics of being able to pay back 85-95% to the player, and how i should place the symbols on each reel etc. If anyone has ideas please help, it is very well appreciated!

172.148.221.65 17:45, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This may not be the answer you're looking for, but there is an excellent website called the Wizard of Odds which deals with gambling statistics and the like. It may not have exactly what you're looking for, but would probably be a better resource than Wikipedia for this type of thing (and the author is good about answering questions). Good luck. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 07:26, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Random Phone number Generator

Is there any website that can generate valid phone numbers?

Can you specify a bit more? What do you want it for? And do you want a website guaranteed to return a phone number that might get picked up (in which case there are various directory enquiries sites, at least for the UK that I suppose you could feed postcodes and trial house numbers, though for very good reasons the number of requests per day for a given user are highly limited), or just a phone number of the correct format for some locality? Are you aware of 555? --Bth

Because folk are constantly relocating, disconnecting, and reconnecting, there is no way to check a number is valid (i.e. connected) without dialling it. --Shantavira 09:21, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you are asking this because you want to build a device for randomly dialing people to ask if they want to buy products then I recommend beating yourself on the head with a large piece of wood until you promise yourself that you will never do it. DJ Clayworth 17:54, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Now, that was funny..! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 18:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am looking for a particular movie

Hi,

is this the right place to ask for a particular movie?

Wouldn't it be great if there was a special talk page just for this, where people could say : i saw this film or series some time ago and I wanna know what it was?

Anyway: it's this French chess film, where a little genius chess player, a bit clumsy and not so quite attractive ends up playing a tournament against a snobby more handsome chess player, and a beautiful lady is the price. He wins by playing a trick on the other one : he touches a piece, which results in punishment, but ultimately it is a trap, and in his advantage so he wins. The snobby player doesn't accept this, and even wants to fight him. However the little chess player decides not to marry the woman. In the very end, we see him, early in the morning, outside of a castle in the mountains, playing against himself with huge pieces. Then he jumps off the rocks.

I have been looking for five years now. Please help me I will be very happy!

Evilbu 18:34, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A search of IMDB for movies with chess as a plot keyword and French as a language of production leads me to believe your film might be the 1984 Best Foreign Picture Oscar winner, La Diagonale du fou, released in the USA as Dangerous Moves. The capsule descriptions make it sound like a film with a strong political subtext, rather than the romantic one you describe, but it's one of the few French movies with chess as a main plot element. --ByeByeBaby 19:41, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I found La Partie D'Echecs; the plot summary mentions that a young girl is the prize. It is set in 1828. If neither of these films is the one you are looking for, additional details (such as the time frame depicted) could help. --LarryMac 20:06, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

USS Vincennes, May 1939

Hello, I'm trying to find out where the USS Vincennes was in May of 1939. More specifically, I need to know if it was in San Fransisco during the few months before leaving for Hawaii, (or at any time between 1936-1940.)

Thank you very much.

Yes, if you count Mare Island as San Francisco - see USS Vincennes (CA-44), section on operations in '39 Rmhermen 20:06, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Polls

Is there anywhere on Wikipedia were I can post or answer polls?--Porsche997SBS 21:37, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, if they're unrelated to the building of the encylopedia. For polls which are relevant, see Wikipedia:Current surveys.-gadfium 23:49, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks!--Porsche997SBS 02:59, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

william cameron menzies

I have a painting or sketching of "the hooded falcon" signed by william cameron menzies what do i have? thank you michelle heston

The Hooded Falcon was a Rudolph Valentino movie that was not released. William Cameron Menzies was a art director but it's there is no listing for him working on that film. However, he may have worked on it as he worked on both of Valention's "Cobra" and "The Eagle". See also Cobra commentary.

need help

what is it called when you are a 22 year old woman, but you have child like tendencies?

immature?

I'd agree with immaturity. Being childish, infantile, and juvenile would also work. If you're after physical characteristics rather than personality, neoteny/Pedomorphosis are more applicable. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 23:57, 5 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bear in mind that some childish tendencies are normal and healthy, especially if you are under stress (or drunk). --Shantavira 09:29, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The question referred to "child like" tendencies, which may be referring to something very different, eg. innocence, naivete, trust, curiosity, wonder, love. The whole Christian religion requires child-like qualities of its adherents: "Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven". Or something like that. JackofOz 09:51, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The term ingenue might also be a possibility, depending on in which sense you mean "child-like". Grutness...wha? 13:14, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Berkshire Hathaway

I wonder how much BRK.A and BRK.B will drop if Warren Buffet (in his mid-70's) were to quit/die/become seriously ill? Are there any historical instances of a very respected individual in the investing world dropping out of a company because of personal circumstances? I'd like to see what happened to the stock after that. -snpoj

Certainly there are precedents for that situation but BRK is rather a unique stock. I think we will have to wait and see. Rmhermen 00:31, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hey snpoj...got you message, thanks!

If I were an investor in Berhshire Hathaway I wouldn't worry much. But then again, I wouldn't start investing at this stage either. In fact, I'd probably start to sell my stocks slowly, reaping my rewards while watching how the stock moves in price.

I wouldn't worry too much about Buffet's mortality because the company is essentially a holding corporation, it holds such a variety of stocks that it's virtually the equivalent of a mutual fund. Each of the many companies it holds stocks in are governed by their own set of directors and officers, all of whom Buffet obviously has confidence in; however:

BRK's past performance has certainly been "priced in" to the shares by the "street", so the price that you'd be buying them at now is very likely more a reflection of past performance than a prediction of future performance (that's why I wouldn't buy them...they've done so good in the past that people are likely overpaying for them now just in the hope that they'll continue such a phenomenal performance; and:

Like I've always stated, the "street" has certainly priced into BRK's shares the fact that Buffet is in his 70's and won't be running the company forever, meaning that the price of the shares reflects whatever concerns you may be worrying about.

I always remember what one of my favourite professors said: The key to investing is to "buy low, sell high." Unfortunately most unsophisticated investors seem to be focussed the wrong way, they essentially try to "buy high, sell higher."

BRK's stocks are hot now and that's why I wouldn't buy them. If I did, I'd essentially be hoping to "buy high, sell higher," which is never a good strategy. The stocks to look for are the ones that seem to be cheap now, but have the potential for really appreciating in value. Of course, it takes a committed stock analyst to comprehensibly study the annual reports of each company and figure out which stocks are best to buy. As I don't have the head or the patience for that sort of thing, I leave it up to the mutual fund managers, who are experts at reading financial reports and are paid to watch stocks 24/7, while I can spend my time doing whatever it is that I do best.

Buy low, sell high!

Good luck snpoj! Loomis51 01:01, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

interesting, thanks again for the comments. Not sure I'm totally convinced that buy high/sell higher is a bad strategy. Like you say, it's too much research and analysis for someone who doesn't do it as a job to find a company that is so undervalued that you'd be buying low and selling high. I may consider putting money into a mutual fund, though. When researching companies and buying stocks and checking my %-gain/loss every day when I get home gets boring or too time consuming, I think that's the next step. -snpoj

May 6

Manhattan, island of mysteries

1. Does anyone know what the big metal canisters of nitrogen on the corners of 5th Ave & 43rd and 45th are? Theres a pair at each corner which have been left out there for months - maybe a year or more? they even seem to be leaking a little (frozen nitrogen on the outside).
2. Where to buy a decent Cornish pasty and Scotch egg and pork pie in the city which never sleeps?

Bwithh 01:00, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That would be water freezing out of the atmosphere, not leaking nitrogen freezing. The tanks will offgas gaseous nitrogen to maintain pressure, though that is a design feature not a leak. Many industries use liquid nitrogen. Rmhermen 01:54, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I, Ref-Elf, hereby give the honour of A Pair of Questions Which Are Completely Unrelated to Each Other to this question. Congratulations! (I am in the mood for giving away awards today!) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 06:06, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is a rather tenuous Manhattan connection, but I think the award is richly deserved, Jayant. This reminds me of the line from Field of Dreams where the Kevin Costner character, talking about his wife when they first met, says something like "We had nothing in common except she came from Iowa and I had once heard of Iowa". JackofOz 09:45, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sound like Myers of Keswick (634 Hudson Street) is what you're after. They have a wide range of British foods. According to their website, they stock all the foods you mention. --Canley 02:42, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pedro Lopez -- hoaxer or not?

We have this guy included in List of hoaxes, and have a Hoax category on his article. It's not obvious why. Anyone know? Moriori 01:19, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See the links on the talk page for more info. Rmhermen 02:01, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The word hoax is not mentioned, in the article, or on its talk page. Moriori 02:38, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try this link from the talk page: [13] Rmhermen 03:41, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The word hoax does not appear on that link either. Wikipedia seems to be the only site categorically stating it is a hoax. I'm not saying it is not, but we should not be saying it is without reputable references. Moriori 03:51, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Golf ball damage

How can I stop a golf club from using it's driving range while I attempt to work with them to find a solution to golf balls striking my home causing damage? Would this be through the courts via injunction, or some other kind of temporary, or permanent, action?

IANAL ANWB (And Never Will Be), but the first step might be to talk to the club owner. Tell him you want him to put up additional meshes around the driving range. If he says no, threaten him with litigation (you DO have a valid complaint, so threat of litigation is appropriate). If this fails, meet him in court, and get your injunction. A judge will listen, and hopefully give him, at the very least, a deadline to implement measures to reduce damage to your property. Or I could be full of it, what do I know? --WasteOfTime 02:07, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We had a similar incident in my city. Somebody built their new home in a vacant lot next to #3 in a private club. I think all the fancy new super clubs and nasa-balls allowed the duffers to really start whapping their house. They eventually got a court order, but I still don't think it's resolved. --Zeizmic 12:48, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Zeizmic, that story kind of reminds me of idiots who move in next to an existing airport and then complain about the noise. --Nelson Ricardo 17:33, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The remedy you would seek would be called an interlocutory injunction. However, I tend to agree with Nricardo. Didn't you realize you bought a home in the direct path of a driving range? If I were the judge, I wouldn't grant the remedy, but merely restate the age-old rule:caveat emptor.

A driving range and an airport are two different things. Extra netting and other precautions can be installed to minimize the loss of balls. Of course, this will cost the range owner money, which is probably why a court order may be necessary. — ßottesiηi ^{Tell me what's up} 18:37, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What analogy can you come up with to explain the meaning of analogy?

--WasteOfTime 01:53, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't suppose our article on analogy would help to get you started? — QuantumEleven 09:00, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OOO! I looked at the article and really like this one. I think it'll probably work perfectly for you.

In anatomy, two anatomical structures are considered to be analogous when they serve similar functions but are not evolutionarily related, such as the legs of vertebrates and the legs of insects.

-LambaJan 18:14, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

9/11 and the Internet

What effects did September 11 have on the internet and the use of the internet?

This smells like a Homework question to me.. Do your own homework.. And this page gives you something to start on. Best of luck.! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 05:01, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And this also gives you a lot of information. I found both of them by just searching for 9/11 and effects on internet on google. You can find a lot more also by trying out other searches. Jayant,17 Years,

India • contribs 05:04, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. And this isn't a homework question, I just wanted to know.

Oh, well.. I guess anyone could be wrong once in a while.. ;-D .. And you are welcome. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 05:55, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One thing you might find interesting is that after 9/11 all US federal government sites dealing with things relevant to national security were required to go over all of their content and remove anything potentially useful to "terrorists". Los Alamos National Laboratory, for example, removed public access to all of their old technical reports (even though most of them were declassified 45 years ago), and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory no longer provides access to their old Environmental Impact Reports because aerial images of the lab or descriptions of where their hazardous materials are kept are on the "don't give out" list. Most of these things are still unclassified but have been labeled "Sensitive But Unclassified" -- it's not illegal to have them, but the government isn't going to give them to you. I imagine similar things have happened elsewhere with government sites. --Fastfission 15:16, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Regular expression web search engine

Are there any public web search engines that support search by regular expressions?

http://www.exalead.com seems to. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 06:05, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ask.com claims to as well. --Shantavira 09:34, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

John Titor and hackers question

why hackers didn't tried to find john titor by searching the pc of titor, the he posted the forums????

If you are trying to ask why hackers didn't try to find John Titor via his IP, I'm sure they did. And I'm sure you would get a better answer by asking at one of the forums dedicated to this nonsense, which are referenced in the article. --Shantavira 11:22, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

socrates

I am trying to find the ansewer to Socrates claim that moral error occurs only as a result of ignorance. Any help would be greatly appreciated.....

Tons of hits on Google for this; try typing in socrates "moral error" ignorance. Here's an interesting one, in blog form: http://dissoiblogoi.blogspot.com/2005/11/i-didnt-mean-to-do-it-so-what.html Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 07:18, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

volcanos - mt etna

Please help me find a site where I might find the answers to :-

What were the effects of the volcano (mt etna) on people plants and animals, and what did the people do before, during and after erruption?

What measures were taken to reduce the effects in the future?

Many thanks Kim

Our own article on Mt. Etna gives a lot of information. And this page gives the health affects due to Mt. Etna. And also check out our article on Volcano. Hope that helps you. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 07:01, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You also might find this interesting. And a quick google search for Mt. Etna effects of eruption gives you a lot of hits which you might find very useful. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 07:05, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Right Mix

http:// files.liquidlight.co.uk/rightmix/loader.swf —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 199.31.3.197 (talk • contribs) .

You haven't really asked a question. If you are trying to advertise your game, please do not use Wikipedia as a vehicle for advertising. Thank you. SCHZMO ✍ 15:36, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Format so it can't link out. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:49, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Iranian

How many Iranians Live in Canada?

According to the 2001 census, there are 88,225 people in Canada that are at least part Iranian. 73,450 are 'completely' Iranian and 14,775 reported as Iranian and another ethnic origin. - ulayiti (talk) 17:05, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

These numbers are also reflected in the article List of Canadians by ethnicity. Weregerbil 17:12, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Five Pence Piece

Looking closely at a British Five Pence coin, I noticed in tiny letters, just below the Queen's head, the letters IRB (or maybe IRE). It only seems to appear on some 5p coins. What does it mean? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 14:26, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It also appears on two pence piece; you can see it in this image. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 14:28, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The first thing I noticed was the designer's name: Ian Rank-Broadley. JackofOz 14:54, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When you say it is only on certain 5p coins, is it that the ones without the letters have an older picture of the Queen? But if you could please send me some coins (with and without the letters) to look at, I can offer you a more considered opinion -- particularly £2 coins, on which the letters also appear... :) Arbitrary username 16:26, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, of course! Yes, it the newer ones. Obviously the other designers didn't feel the need to sign their coins. Thanks! smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 19:35, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Titanium Dioxide

I recently purchased some chewing gum that contains some Titanium Dioxide as one of the ingredients. Being unfamiluar with this ingredient I was wondering how the Titamium Dioxide would react in the body? I don't wish to ingest something that is harmful. Please let me hear back from you as soon as possible.

I don't think it will do any harm becuase, if it did, then, under the Sales of Good Act, would be illegal to sell. And, from our article on titanium dioxide, Titanium is used as a white food dye. In that use, its E number is E171. The white color of toothpaste is that of titanium dioxide. It is also used as a tattoo pigment. So it just makes the gum white. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 17:06, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is not harmful. At least not in the amounts in which it is present in food. --BluePlatypus 23:15, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This question probably should have been posted to the science desk. --Chapuisat 20:25, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Heather Poe

I would like biographical info on Heather Poe,I have a friend that thinks they knew her parents.

Try looking it up. If that doesn't work, google is your friend.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 20:18, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, if this "Heather Poe" is a nobody, you won't find information on her anywhere.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 20:19, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Blacking up"

hi, an ethics question for you: if its OK for able-bodied actors to play a disabled characters, or straight actors to play gay characters (and vice-versa), why is a white actor playing a black character not done anymore and can be considered racist? any thoughts.....andrew

Well the actor who plays Will in Will and Grace is not gay in real life; he has kids. At least I think... Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 18:11, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes I believe he is straight. But having kids is no proof of a person's sexuality one way or another. JackofOz 02:12, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Because taking a white person to play a black character's role implies you think black actors are not able to play the part. - Mgm|^(talk) 20:41, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Well, no, because I would assume that disabled people can play disabled characters, likewise for gays and gay characters. I would assume the answer is because you can tell that someone is white just by looking at them. I know you can make people up so you can't tell the difference nowadays, but what's the point when you can hire someone of the right ethnicity in the first place? --Sam Blanning^(talk) 01:46, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I assume the context of the question is film and TV. No such conventions apply in opera (or in theatre more generally). In opera, it's more important to have the right voice; looks are secondary, which is why there's no problem having whites singing Madama Butterfly (Japanese) or Turandot (Chinese) or Otello (moor); or black-skinned people playing white or Asian characters; or full-bosomed mature ladies singing sickly consumptives such as Mimi or Violetta. JackofOz 02:12, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well I assume that "whites playing blacks" taboo is a result of the old minstrel shows, which depicted very racist character arctypes. Deathawk 04:36, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Eric McCormack is definitely out as a straight actor. DJ Clayworth 17:46, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How can I find a software for VOB?

I need to convert a Windows Media file into a VOB (DVD Video Object) because I'm trying to burn it onto a DVD and the burning program won't accept my Windows Media file. Can you tell me if there's any software I can use? (I also posted this question on the mathematics reference desk here but maybe that was the wrong place for a computer question.) Jonathan ^talk 17:50, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There might be something here CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:17, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

performa invoice

What is a "performa invoice"?

Please remember to sign all of your posts on talk pages. Typing four tildes after your comment ( ~~~~ ) will insert a signature showing your username and a date/time stamp, which is very helpful.

A mis-spelling of "Pro forma invoice". Google will explain to you what this is. Sandstein 19:51, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Football League?

Hi,

Bit of a random question here but I'm told you can ask anything.

What is the largest town in England and Wales not to be represented by a club in the Football League? Premiership? What about if you include the Conference?

Many thanks, --86.130.25.206 20:22, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This get's my vote for the question of the week. I think that for The Football League it might be the second biggest city Birmingham as it looks as if both of their teams are in the Premiership. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:38, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For the Premiership, maybe Sheffield? - ulayiti (talk) 21:44, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Leeds is bigger than Sheffield, List of English cities by population CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:46, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think I have it. Dudley looks to be the biggest without a team in either the Premiership or the Football League. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:53, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It looks as if they also qualify for the entire question. Dudley Town F.C. is in the West Midlands Regional League Premier Division and looks to be the highest ranked team they have. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:07, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I, Ref-Elf, hereby give the honour of Question of The Week to this question. Congratulations! (Although another question might be honoured with the same honour in the near future, that shouldn't take away any sheen from this honour. ;-P ) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 22:02, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dudley is a bit misleading though because it is part of the West Midlands conurbation which does have lots of teams - West Bromwich Albion must be all of five miles away. The largest urban area without a team in the Premiership or Football League is Aldershot (243,344). They play in the Conference. Warrington (158,195) is the largest urban area without a team in the Prem/FL/Conf at all. (Warrington is a rugby league town). Jameswilson 23:03, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As of today, I'd have thought it was Oxford, but it is smaller than Dudley, surprisingly, and also Basingstoke and Telford - Telford United is no longer in the conference, AFAIK, and Oxford United has just - in a piece of poetic symmetry - been replaced in the league by Accrington Stanley, the team they replaced in the league back in the early 60s. Grutness...wha? 23:41, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And Telford isn't a city anyway. It's more of a penal colony for Shropshire. Slumgum | yap | stalk | 23:47, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I did think of the West Midlands conurbation but the question was about towns. And Dudley appears on the List of English cities by population. If you look at List of English districts by population then you see that the Metropolitan borough of Kirklees is without a team in the Premiership and I suspect that London Borough of Croydon (340,200) may qualify as they appear to only have non-league teams. It just depends on what way you define the original question. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:27, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

True, true. The local govt boundaries have been changed so frequently the word "town" is difficult to apply with any consistency in England. The List of English cities by population is interesting but not really helpful because it produces weird results such as Newcastle only being 21st or Portsmouth being smaller than Southampton. List_of_conurbations_in_the_United_Kingdom corresponds better to the reality as it takes the whole built-up area in each case, whereas the other one splits up some but not others. Jameswilson 00:46, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And technically, I think that many Croydonians would regard Crystal Palace as their "town"'s team (certainly that's what it was regarded as when my mum lived there - but that's some time back). Grutness...wha? 06:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, thanks very much for all those wonderful answers. By the way it was me who asked the original question - I just forgot to log in first. Apologies. I don't think I'll take Dudley as it's just part of the conurbation, and as Jameswilson points out, West Bromwich Albion must be only five miles away. I'm more interested in conurbations really - not London boroughs or cities-inside-cities but whole urban areas. So tell me - out of all the possible answers you've given - Aldershot, Oxford, Telford, Basingstoke, which one is largest? Thanks again for putting in the time and effort to answer totally random questions. Question of the Week? Are you serious? --Mark J 09:44, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Don't get a swelled head! That, and a buck might get you a small cup of coffee. --Zeizmic 13:44, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Aldershot. Jameswilson 23:17, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please answer this time

I asked this question six monthes ago, and I still do not have an answer. Could some please put my mind at ease and provide one? I would really apreciate it. The question is as follows:

When uploading an image from source deemed to be an Original Video Animation, should we use the tv-screenshot templete or the film-screenshot templete, or does it matter? TomStar81 20:39, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hm, apparently the {{screenshot}} template is deprecated. The best thing you could do is make a {{ova-screenshot}} template specifically for this type of material, since it's neither from television or from a film released in theaters. Assuming you took the screenshot from your own tv, the tv-screenshot one could work too. Just add a note explaining the situation after adding the tag. The copyright rules for regular film and tv and OVA don't differ anyway, so using the other templates can't hurt. - Mgm|^(talk) 20:47, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd say film, because it's analagous to a straight-to-video movie in the west. Night Gyr 20:49, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was thinking film myself, since the OVA would roughly corospond to an American direct to movie or direct to DVD release, but I was not sure that that would be legally acceptable. I will see about creating an OVA template for this type of visual media. Thanks. TomStar81 21:21, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

i have old money

Hi,my name is Denise i have money i've found for over ten years i wanted to see the history of the money all i have on it is some china words on it and if you hold it up to the light you can see a lady picture on it so it is real.thank you!

                                           70.149.191.82 23:57, 6 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You'd need to show us some photos of the money, and more information on it (the date, country of origin, colour, size,etc...)--valuefreeperson2

May 7

Internet Browser

I'm looking for a browser that is simple, has no frills or features and is free and is a small download (0-1.5mbs) I just want to use it for looking at websites that contain text, pictures and maybe eventually Flash but nothing else really. It should also work on Windows ME. Can anyone suggest one? --172.146.101.35 00:46, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are plenty to choose from. You might like to look here to start with. --Shantavira 08:07, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mozilla Firefox isn't really as bloated as some people say it is. Or you could try K-Meleon. —Keenan Pepper 08:14, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know why you need the brower to be that small. Hard drive space can't be an issue at that size. If you have a slow connection speed you can leave it running overnight, or you can order the open cd which contains many useful free programs (including Firefox). I would recommend Firefox, and if possible getting rid of Windows ME. Jon513 15:25, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a Firefox user myself, but Opera (browser) is slightly leaner. Sum0 19:24, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Get lynx, or e-links, or use telnet.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 19:54, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

HEY!I will never use that evil firefox. I'm against it. I hate mozilla. Plus, it's too big. ----172.147.33.50 01:08, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Toothpaste

I hate mint flavoured toothpaste, but it's the only type that I see at stores. Now, I've read the article on Toothpaste, and I know that there are other flavours, but WHY is toothpaste mint flavoured? Who got the bright idea to make my breath smell like mint leaves? I'd rather have toothpaste that is unflavoured. --anonymous.

Makers of consumer products do countless hours of market research to determine what flavors and types of products to offer. My guess is that unflavored toothpaste would seem pretty gross. Mint, of course, has long been used to freshen breath, and therefore people associate it with fresh breath. Most people have smelly breath when they wake up, so they want something that will make their breath smell fresh. -- Mwalcoff 02:09, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are different kinds of mint flavors too. I don't particularly like spearmint (though it's better than morning breath), but I find peppermint rather tasty. This entirely personal opinion brought to you by --WasteOfTime 05:53, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Forget the stores. Toothpaste is a rip off. Googling "make your own toothpaste" brings up hundreds of suggestions. --Shantavira 08:14, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are other flavours: there are various herbal toothpastes, and when I was nobbut a lad we had fruit-flavoured toothpaste, which may still be around. Henry ^Flower 11:53, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I, Ref-Elf, hereby give the honour of The Most Thought Provoking Question of The Day to this question. Congratulations! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 18:21, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This site sells toothpaste in such flavors as Vanilla, Bitter Chocolate, Caramel, L'Espresso, Pumpkin Pudding, Green Tea, Indian Curry, Tropical Pineapple, Darjeeling Tea, Cinnamon, Rose, Honey, Lavender, Lemon Tea, Cola, Fresh Yogurt, Monkey Banana, Kiwi Fruit, Strawberry and Blueberry. User:Zoe|^(talk) 21:15, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, Indian guy. I guess that I can always use baking soda. But I still hate mint- no matter what subtype you want to call it. --anonymous

Red-eye effect in photography

Does anybody know the technical term for the "red-eye" effect in photography? I thought that it began with "hemo-", but I might be totally wrong. Please, please, please, if anybody knows, I'd greatly appreciate it. (I doubt that I'll be able to sleep until I find out!) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.57.168.48 (talk • contribs) .

Please don't post the same question on multiple reference desks. If your question is about the word for something, the correct place is the language desk. —Keenan Pepper 04:57, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

CTU window manager

What X window manager do the CTU workstations use on 24? —Keenan Pepper 08:11, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At a guess, I'd say they just use Hollywood OS. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 14:55, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Does Australia have any government-controlled spy satellites?

Like, for surveillance? I know we have communications satellite, for cable TV etc. But do we have any of those cool ones like the Americans use for war operations and so on.

If the article on spy satellites is up to date (which is not guaranteed) the answer would appear to be "no". And the really cool ones you see on 24, where Chloe can get you live TV feed from any random street corner at a minute's notice, nobody but Hollywood has those :-) Weregerbil 11:18, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is not uncommon for satellites to have a undeclared military purpose, although this is often something of an open secret. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that Australia could covertly have such a program.--Pharos 23:19, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt the Australian government operates spy satellites on its own, but as a signitory of ECHELON and the UKUSA Community, Australia has almost total access to the satellite intelligence of the USA and UK. Australia also runs a satellite ground station at Pine Gap which is a joint operation between Australia's Defence Signals Directorate and the US National Security Agency. --Canley 01:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmmm. I would think that "total access" might be somewhat of an exaggeration, but you're basically right. However, in most cases where Australia might want satellite imagery of its local region it would probably be in America's interest to provide it. Australia does have one cool toy that lets us keep an eye on our neighbours that very few countries have; the Jindalee over-the-horizon radar, which lets us watch aircraft and shipping movements over very large distances to our north. --Robert Merkel 07:18, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

XviD to SVCD

What's the best way to convert XviD encoded AVI files to SVCD? --Phil 1970 12:36, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Best" may be a bit difficult to answer unless someone who has done a serious comparison happens to read this. May depend on whether you want freeware or commercial software, whether you prefer a simple program or you are prepared to learn how to twiddle with programs' settings, ... For video how-to's I usually go to videohelp.com; click the "convert" tab on the left, select "AVI to SVCD" on a dropdown. Weregerbil 15:38, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The simplest option would be to use XMPEG.

Break words, but not lines?

In HTML,   breaks words for purposes of CSS text-transform:capitalize; but not for purposes of line breaking. Is there a space that behaves the same way, but is zero-width (e.g. to go after a slash)? Seahen 14:42, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am not sure what you are asking, but it seems that you want to a have a character capitalized in the middle of a word with text-transform:capitalize;. You want to do this by placing a zero-width space in front of that letter. I doubt very much that there is such a character. Even   does not have universal support on all browers and sometimes won't capitalize the next word. Why not just capitlaize the letter? Text-transfrom capitalize only makes the first letter capital it does not affect the other letters! If you need the letter sometimes to be captial and sometimes not, and you want CSS to affect it, use a span tag for the letter. Jon513 15:51, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

~~It's not as simple as span classes: I'm using wiki, so AFAIK I can't just define a new class. (Or can I? I'm an admin on the wiki in question.) Seahen 20:11, 7 May 2006 (UTC)~~[reply]

Update: I've found a way to do what I wanted using a span class at the site's MediaWiki:Monobook.css. So now this question is academic. Seahen 23:59, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is a zero-width non-breaking space, now replaced by the word joiner. You can also use something like {{nobr}}. --cesarb 03:19, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

J.D.Farrar

I have recently come into possession of a number of glass slides of a world trip taken in the early twentieth century. They start in what I believe to be Egypt continue through India, Tibet, Australia and Canada. Amongst them is a picture of a notice board displaying notice of election in the Northern Territories, Australia warning that voting is compulsory and failure to register or vote will result in a fine not exceeding two Pounds. The name on the bottom is J.D.Farrar but the date is just too small to identify. I would be obliged if someone could inform me as to the period when this person was holding this office as it will make dating of these slides possible. Thanks in anticipation, Marstafitta.

This is Joshua Dayson Farrar who was the Senior Electoral Officer for the Commonwealth of Australia from 28 August 1924 to 17 April 1930.[14]. There are three elections this could be referring to: 15 December 1925, 8 December 1928 or 7 December 1929.[15] --Canley 01:49, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks very much for the information. It is good that someone has taken the time and trouble to date photographs with so little to go on. Thanks again, Marstafitta.

Corrector plate for C8 telescope

Hello,

I have a Schimt & Casgrain Celetron 8 (Orange tube). Last night I drop the telescope and broke the corrector plate. I'm looking for someone or a business that couls provide me with a replacement.

Does anyone know where I could get one?

THanks,

Yves (From Canada)

Oops! Try here. --Shantavira 16:42, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Long Lasting Lipstick

I have a couple of sticks of long lasting lipstick. I tried them on my hand and rubbed gold on them. (That's the way to test for lead in lipsticks.) They both had lead. I was wondering if the lead in the lipsticks could hurt me, or if it's too insubstantial to really do anything. Thanks for the help!

Try reading this article that will show the common myths involved with what you are talking about. Hope that helps! --Matterbug 19:27, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

According to the reliable Snopes on this page, the amount of lead in lipsticks is next to nothing and not dangerous. Sum0 19:30, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, the lipstick story is a hoax, with respect to the lead content as well as to the way of testing for it. In the line of gold, however, a test for lead has been developed using gold nanoparticles and a DNA-based enzyme on a test strip. This would eliminate the problem one has with chromate causing false negatives in previous tests, as well as being cheaper. [This] is a newspaper article, the work was published in Jan 2006. --Seejyb 22:11, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The elderly and savings theft

Here in the UK (I don't know if customs are different in other countries) you often hear about elderly people having their life savings stolen from their homes by burglars - substantial amounts of money in most cases. While this is terrible, it begs the question: why don't they just keep their savings in a bank like everyone else? I think someone told me once that it was because of the Depression and that people who grew up in the 30s don't trust banks, but this seems unlikely to me. Thanks lads/gals. Sum0 19:35, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In this matter, for once I think that asking any elderly relatives of yours might give a better answer than asking people on Wiki. Just find an old folks' home or something along those lines. ;)

For one thing, it's probably only a minority of elderly people that do so. For another, elderly people generally have less education than younger people, and may have a poorer understanding of the curse of inflation and the miracle of compound interest. And, finally, the number of elderly people who get their life savings stolen in this manner is probably very small; it's the rarity of this type of crime that makes it tabloid fodder, rather than it being representative of the amount of crime being perpetrated. Identity theft and shoplifting account for far greater financial losses than this type of crime; on a related point violent crime is overwhelmingly performed by young men, mostly towards other young men. --Robert Merkel 06:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also bear in mind that fifty years ago most people were paid in cash, there were no ATMs or credit cards and all one's shopping had to be paid for in cash. And people couldn't get around so easily to get to a bank. For most people there was simply no point in having a bank account. --Shantavira 07:28, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They might remember the Great Depression, when some banks failed, taking depositors' life savings with them. -- Mwalcoff 08:35, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Um, dude... the original poster already mentioned that... ;) --Dismas|^(talk) 08:38, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

greeting and business etiquette

In Iran, what is their greetings and their business etiquette?

A Google search resulted in a number of relevant pages, of which the first one is a nice guide to business etiquette in Iran: Iran Business Etiquette, Culture - Doing Business in Iran at Executive Planet. –Mysid 11:55, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

banning user from commenting.

how do i ban an annoying user from commenting on my user page? is this possible? am i allowed to revert any edits the person makes to the page?--Manboobies 20:05, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can do pretty much whatever you want (to within limits) to your user page. In particular, you can revert any edits by anyone. Furthermore, your user page can be protected or semiprotected. If you want your user page to be protected, say so, and I will do it. -lethe ^{talk +} 20:10, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, if I protect your userpage, then you won't be able to edit it. And if I semiprotect it, then logged in users will still be able to vandalize. Also, let me suggest for the future that questions about using wikipedia normally go to the help desk. The reference desk is for general knowledge questions. -lethe ^{talk +} 20:15, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, banning someone from talking to you should only be done in severe cases of personal attacks or incivility. Protecting your userpage means no one else can contact you either and since Wikipedia is a community project being able to talk to you is essential to the site's success. - 131.211.210.11 08:00, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No it doesn't; they can still use your talk page, which is where they're supposed to be contacting you anyway. Skittle 15:49, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How to work in a computer magazine

What do I have to do to apply for a job in any kind of computer magazine? such as PC World or any magazine about games? Thank you.

Working in journalism is often all about contacts, but if you're new to the field, initiative will be all you've got to start with. If there's something specific you have in mind, most magazines will have business information listed near the beginning in small text in a sidebar (there's an actual word for this, but I can't recall what it is right now). There you'll find names of people on the staff, contact information, and the like. Try writing or calling to ask about job opportunities. You may also have some success by contacting the journalism or computer science programs of a local university; if you take the time to write a polite email to a professor, he or she may be able to point you in the right direction. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 00:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To begin with, you can start by just writing stuff and submitting it to various magazines. Most computer magazines have relatively few staff-writers. It's probably more likely you'll get a full-time job through free-lance contributions than through a formal job application. But in either case, it'd be important to have on the resume anyway. --BluePlatypus 03:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

BluePlatypus and Tijuana Brass have some good points. Probably the most important thing you can do to improve your chances of working at a computer magazine is work on improving your writing, learning about the broader craft of journalism, and improve your technical background in computers (not that a severe lack of technical understanding has ever stopped some of the more famous "computer journalists"). If you're still in school, joining the school paper (if your school has one) would be one of the best things you could do.

One other possibility, if you buy (or your parents buy you) a lot of computer games already, is to start a blog and review them on it. But concentrate on doing a professional job - use correct English, make sure you get any factual content right, and try to make your work appealing for readers. Having a well-read blog about a topic would be a good demonstration of your abilities to a potential magazine employer. --Robert Merkel 06:00, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

to publish a book in New York

 hi,

 My name is Raul Carrasco, I am living in New
 York City, and I make  books in 3 dimensions ( like
 the  "Magic Eye") I have more than 25 thousand graphics,
 I would like to publish. What do you recommend?
  
  thanks,
 
  Raul Carrasco

You might want to check out our article on print on demand services. However, we are not a business directory, so you'd be better off checking somewhere else if you want to find a local publisher. In NYC, that shouldn't be too hard. Night Gyr 23:06, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Inexperienced users and talk pages?

Are inexperienced users on Wikipedia and similar wikis more likely to edit talk pages than any others? (Inexperienced users can probably be detected by being anonymous, not signing their comments and not using wiki markup where called for.) Seahen 23:56, 7 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikis vary greatly, but based upon my limited experience at Wikipedia, talk pages are used far more often by experienced users, who will post messages to try to reach consensus, collaborate, ask for suggestions, thank people, add warnings, or just to talk. Also, while an anonymous IP address will often indicate an inexperienced user, that's not always the case (some editors don't create accounts, or it may be in use by an editor who isn't logged in). Another imperfect way of determining experience is by checking their edit count... more contributions often means more experience and understanding of how Wikipedia works, but not always. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 00:01, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why, then, do so many talk pages (such as Talk:Adversarial system until just now) consist entirely of unsigned comments by IP addresses, with no Wiki markup and lacking such abbreviations as CVG and copyvio? The combination of these things makes them look to me like an inexperienced user. Seahen 00:05, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We're talking about a generality here. Any user, anonymous IP to bureaucrat, could get on a page and edit it hundreds of times if they so desired. Some pages will attract more attention, especially controversial ones. Vandals, whom are typically inexperienced, may accumulate an enormous amount of edits. Just depends on the person. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 00:13, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm no expert, but I have an account; yet I haven't the foggiest idea what CVG means. --LarryMac 01:11, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana, of course. We talk about little else over at WP:AN/I. Henry ^Flower 14:19, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 8

First North Western

Three questions please:

What were the dates of the franchises?
What was the fleet size?
How many stations did they own?

Ive tried looking at the article, but none of this information is there. Thanks in advance DannyM 17:13, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know the answers, but I suggest you post this question on uk.railway on Usenet (or Google Groups, if you must). Chances are someone there will know. --Richardrj 10:27, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for you help Richardrj!!! DannyM 17:58, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

disabling images on internet

Is there a way I can surf the net without viewing in any photos ? I would prefer disabling photographs only and not icons . but if thats not possible I'll do with disabling all images . Thanks 212.138.47.14 10:30, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on the browser you're using:

In Internet Explorer, select Tools → Internet Options. Go to the page Advanced and scroll down to Multimedia. Uncheck Show pictures.
In Mozilla Firefox, select Tools → Options. Go to Web Features and uncheck Load Images.
In Opera, click on the camera/eyeglasses in the upper-right corner or press the G key.

–Mysid 10:48, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Note that all these will disable all images. The browser has no way to tell the difference between a large icon and a small picture. — QuantumEleven 13:11, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In links... do nothing. —Keenan Pepper 12:44, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

On Business Letters

What are the formats for composing a letter of recommendation? Say, when one is to enter an institution or corporation.

Using a Google search I found the following, among others: a Letter of Recommendation Guide at boxfreeconcepts, and even a free template in RTF format. –Mysid 11:48, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Forms of address - armed forces

Are female officers in the British and US armed forces addressed as "ma'am" where a male officer would be addressed as "sir", or is "sir" used for both? Walton monarchist89 11:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

According to The Soldier's Guide (PDF, 428 pages), US army field manual 7-21.13, "we train soldiers to say sir or ma'am when talking to a higher ranking officer" (page 178). –Mysid 12:24, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference, in which case it's "Sir!" ;-) --Shantavira 12:43, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Land height and Sea level

Does anyone know of an on line resourse where I can determine the height of land against sea level for the whole of the UK? I'd like to enter a post code and get the result if possible, can't afford to buy loads of OS maps!

Could someone please let mw know on [email address removed]

Cheers.

I'm sorry, but I have removed your email address for your own good, to prevent it from getting into dozens of email spam lists (this is a very popular site, also among spambots). The questions are not generally answered via email. –Mysid 12:41, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can get online OS maps (in annoying little chunks) at http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/ It's a bit difficult to read the altitudes on the contours, but it's possible with perseverance. And the search engine takes postcodes. Middenface 13:52, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are public domain Digital Elevation Models (DEM) (or Digital terrain models) that you can download, either for the entire globe or for a particular area. Check the USGS site at http://edc.usgs.gov/products/elevation/gtopo30/gtopo30.html, for instance. These data are usually keyed to latitude/longitude, not postal code, of course. Another potential source is NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission: see http://srtm.usgs.gov/ or http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/. Also, if you need higher spatial resolution (e.g., altitude every 50 meters or better) you will have to purchase these data (probably at a substantial cost). Search Google for DEM and DTM for more links. --Michel M Verstraete 11:54, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

LIfe insurance beneficiary

My father in law passed away over 30 years ago. I recently found an insurance policy of his. I cannot find the company online. National Educators Life Insurance Company out of Fort Worth, Texas was the company. He took the policy out in 1949 when he entered the service. He named his mother as beneficiary. She has since died. He married and had three children and never changed the beneficiary. After all this time, who would be the rightful owner to claim the $1500.00, his children or his brother which was the heir to his mother's estate?

To find the insurance company (or its legal successor), check with the Texas Department of Insurance. Middenface 13:47, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not a lawyer but I'd say if his mother died after him the claim to the insurance payout would be part of her estate & pass down to your uncle in law. If your father in law's mother died before he did the claim to the insurance money would pass to his heirs, probably in accordance with the terms of his will if he had one. AllanHainey 15:22, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

state colors

What is Connecticut's state color? Dana

The lack of a state color on [16] leads me to believe Connecticut does not have a state color. I can't think of a state that does have a state color, but I could be wrong. --Chapuisat 20:19, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Connecticut's not listed on Wikipedia's List of U.S. state colors, and I couldn't find anything relevant in a Google search. It's possible that Connecticut doesn't have any official colors: if the Connecticut state legislature hasn't adopted any colors, then there aren't any official colors. Chapter 33 of the Connecticut State Code (specifically sections 3-105 to 3-110) defines all sorts of official emblems and symbols of Connecticut, down to a state shellfish, state tartan, and state cantata--but no state colors. Chuck 20:21, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Printer Problem

Hey, everybody..

I' m using a HP LaserJet 1020 printer ( yeah, from the 17th century ).... The trouble is , it takes 3 or more days for the thing to print 5 pages !!!!! I tried hp.com and that forum of theirs, but no can do... I just installed a "new" driver...the green light kept flashing for a while

, then it just stopped....

I even tried to copy the file to Microsoft Word ( someone said that sometimes helps)... well it didn' t. So I keep looking for "guru" to help me out of this .... shit !!!...... please......?? Felix.Italic text

I gave this question a heading.. Maybe the Rollers in the printer are stuck... At what speed is the printer supposed to print the pages? Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 14:46, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Insurance or funding forinvestment

What are some choices for investing in educational policies for my 6 year old so he will have money for college, or I can get to it if an emergency arises.

You will need to tell us what country you are in before anyone can answer that. Frankly you are going to be better off going to a financial adviser. DJ Clayworth 17:34, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ashlee Simpson

Did she get her nosejob before she hosted the mtv australia music awards? or after!?(sorry) .--Cosmic girl 17:50, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

She got a nose job? --Zeizmic 00:04, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

she did! --Cosmic girl 01:44, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm pretty sure it was after, the show was in April and the magazines have been saying she got it at the beginning of this month. -- 134.29.182.50 19:33, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

cool! thank you :) --Cosmic girl 16:26, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

LOOKING FOR A GRADUATE IN CONSTRUCTION.

<Company name removed> IS LOOKING TO HIRE A GRADUATE IN CONSTRUCTION. NEEDING TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT OR TALK TO SOMEONE THAT CAN HELP ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I WOULD LIKE SOMEONE FROM SOUTH TEXAS UNIVERSITY IN SAN MARCOS. I CAN BE CONTACTED @ <phone number removed>. MY NAME IS <removed>. I AM THE SUPERINTENDANT OF OPERATIONS.

I finished High School!! Please...O PLease take me in! I promose not to break anything! Oh, wait.... This question deserves an award! Here it goes! I, Ref-Elf, hereby give the honour of The Question of The Day Likely to Get The Most Number Of comments Rather Than Answers. Congratulations! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 18:45, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. Remember the Likely part of the award. I am not sure that some other question might get it in the near future.

Please dont write all in capitals it gives the Impression of shouting and it wont give your question any special status or something. And this is an encyclopedia and not an Ad Agency. And please dont give your personal details on a public forum. I wouldn't be surprised if your house was broken into tomorrow or you start getting threatening calls on your telephone. And you are better off looking for people to hire on the many Job sites on the internet. [17] is a good place to start. But probably the best thing to do is to post an ad in the local newpaper in the area. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 18:57, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It seems to me if you want to hire someone from South Texas Univeristy in San Marcos the place to look is San Marcos, not wikipedia. --Chapuisat 20:13, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

self retracting

I am looking for any information regarding the making or design of anything that retracts into it's self. Mostly projector screens but cords, pins or measuring tape will work. I want to understand how they are built and what they use

A builder tape measure works with a spiral of metal "tape" attached at the inside end to a spiral spring. As the tape is pulled out the spring winds up. When the latch is released it pulls the tape back inside. -- SGBailey 22:00, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A retracting FM aerial is a series of hollow cylinders with an inwards lip on the top end of each cylinder and an outwarsd lip at. the other end. This means that when extended, each section limits its motion with its bottom end against the next bigger cylinders top end. When retracted the cylinders all align bottom to bottom and top to top, generally pushed against some mounting endstop. -- SGBailey 22:00, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When a lousy politician says something incorrect, he sometimes retracts. Good politicians never do it. --DLL 19:54, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Noodles and Spaghetti

I've read both noodles and spaghetti. They leave me a little confused - are they the same thing or is there some subtle difference? -- SGBailey 21:53, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think "noodle" is the general term for the thin strip of pasta itself, while "spaghetti" refers to the dish with the sauce and noodles. SCHZMO ✍ 22:24, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Spaghetti is one type of noodle, but by no means the only type. I disagree with Schzmo that the sauce is also required for "spaghetti"--boxes of spaghetti are commonly available in supermarkets (at least in the U.S.)--with the dried noodle only, no sauce--and labelled "spaghetti." Spaghetti is a long noodle with a round cross-section, and wider than, say, angel hair pasta. See also List of pasta. See also pasta, although there's currently some dispute on Talk:Pasta about whether pasta is a type of noodle, or vice versa, or some other relationship. Chuck 22:47, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Spaghetti is one specific shape of pasta, using a dough (pasta=paste) made from wheat flour and water (sometimes eggs too). Noodles (different language) are made from the same dough, but grains other than wheat may be used, e.g. rice. So spaghetti is a specific kind of noodle, but most noodles are not spaghetti. --Seejyb 23:09, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

While all spaghetti is noodles, all noodles do not contain the same ingredients as spaghetti noodles. For example, there are oriental "glass" noodles which I believe do not contain wheat flour. DDGordon --70.230.198.110 21:32, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mutually Exclusive National/Flag Colours

The question about Connecticut's state colours (colors, sorry) got me thinking. Australia's official national colours were proclaimed in 1984 as green and gold, yet our national flag is blue, red and white. Are there any other examples of countries or states with mutually exclusive national colours and flag colours? JackofOz 23:19, 8 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Typical Aussie - forgets his smaller neighbours across the Tasman... New Zealand: flag, RWB; national colours, black. A case could also be made for blue being the national colour of India: although the wheel on the flag is blue, it's hardly a major colour of the flag. Grutness...wha? 01:22, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, I suppose NZ's colours could be considered black and white, with white being part of the flag. The Netherlands have orange as their national colour, so that one definitely counts, though (althout it used to be on the flag a few centuries back). There are quite a few countries which have a major and minor colour for their national colours, and which don't have the main colour on their flag, only the minor one. NZ probably falls into that group, along with Italy and Tonga (both of which have blue as their main national colour). Grutness...wha? 08:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do your governments actually decide this is going to be our "national colour", what is the purpose in having a national colour? AllanHainey 10:04, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mostly no (although it sounds like Australia might have). But national colours are very useful to stop your national sports teams having to compete nude :) Grutness...wha? 12:30, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd like to see that, Grutness, but that's just me. On 19 April 1984, Bob Hawke's government made a swag of official declarations about our national symbols, including for the first time giving official status to our national colours. Allan, the same basic purpose would apply as proclaiming a national anthem, or a national flag, or any other national symbol.

To clarify, my question is about cases like Australia where there is an officially proclaimed set of national colours that have nothing in common with the colours of the national flag. The national colours shown in our article don't tell us which have official status and which are de facto. JackofOz 13:06, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Italian national team always play in blue, whatever the sport, so it must have some significance, but it's certainly not from the flag. Jameswilson 03:39, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Verily. Thanks. JackofOz 08:55, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

information about final fantasy...

in the final fantasy series, there is a status effect calld "paralysis" and nowhere on the internet tells how to cure it. what is the cure to paralysis?

I don't know anything about FF, but here's a result of a quick search on Google (regarding FFXI):

Spell Name: Paralyna

Level: 9

MP Cost: 12

Description: Removes paralysis from target.

–Mysid 06:42, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've only played FF8 all the way through, and I don't think it had a 'paraylsis' effect. It did have being turned to stone (can't remember the proper name), which could be cured by the 'Soft' item. There was also the 'Stop' effect, which I think could only be cured by the 'Remedy' item, which cures all status effects, and I'm sure there's a spell that does that as well, but I can't remember what it's called now. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 10:57, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Esuna removed all negative status effects, IIRC. -Howard Train 04:48, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on which specific Final Fantasy game you're referring to. If you could tell us which one, it's much more likely we could come up with a definite answer. Flea110 01:05, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Painting plastic car bumpers

How come I see so many bumpers with the paint peeling off and grey or black plastic underneath? I know that replacment bumpers come like that, and that originals may be extruded in colour, but why is the painting so pathetic? Anybody know how to spec the paint job, if my bumper falls off? --Zeizmic 00:08, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I put the same question to the panelbeater who redid my car. He was supposed to be "good" and does the Mercedes and BMW fixes for the insurance companies locally. He said that it is impossible to get the paint to stay on as it would on metal, because the bumper bends with impact, and then springs back, which the paint cannot do, so the bond gets stressed and broken. His claim was that he makes the paint layer thicker, so that the membrane does not crack that easily, but warned me that it works only for small bumps, and I may then see a "bubble" where the impact occurred. --Seejyb 07:53, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 9

Question about Firefox

I don't normally use Firefox but because of where I've been editing I can't install Maxthon. I open a page for editing and make my edits. When I try and click either "save page" or "show preview" the whole thing jumps up and is no longer under the mouse and I have to click it a second time. Is there any way to stop this and is there any way to speed up Firefox? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:58, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The easiest way is to use Microsoft Internet Explorer, which everyone finds works best. --LED [GMT -12,04]

I use Firefox and have the same problem. The button will work the first time if you hold it down a bit longer, or if you just press enter. SCHZMO ✍ 01:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'll use IE if you explain to me how to get its tabs to work. I need to be able to click on 50 tabs one after another. That's why I use Maxthon it's faster than Firefox, has tabs and is compatible with IE. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:02, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Judging from this discussion, I'm guessing that LED is none other than Bill Gates! ;) Dismas|^(talk) 09:53, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind, I found the administrators password under the anti-static mat. I can install what I like now. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:10, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I wonder about your network security... Also, Maxthon is just IE, therefore it sucks as much as IE does.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 21:02, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am using Firefox 1.5.0.3, and I don't have this problem. What version of Firefox are you using? Perhaps upgrading will help. Jon513 16:54, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm at home now and have the latest version here without the same problem at work. I'll check in a couple of days when I go back to work. Thanks. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:32, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks that solved the problem. The work computer had 1.0.7 and once I upgraded the problem vanished. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:18, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

pizza pops

almost everyone knows what Pizza Pops are but there are hardly any websites about, and no wikipedia article on them‽ What's the deal with that‽ I realize that I can make an article about them, but I'm too lazy. --233.3.29.04

Hahaha, nice use of the interrobang. The deal is probably just that: almost everyone knows what they are, so there's no need for a description of them. What information would people want to know about Pizza Pops? I don't know, so I'm not going to start an article, but I'm sure there's someone interested enough... —Keenan Pepper 04:01, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Come on Keenan, in that case why is there an article on Cat or Dog (I bet more people know about them than Pizza Pops), especially seeing as we have an article on Hot Pockets. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 04:38, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, people might want to know things about cats and dogs, like their binomial names or whether they will really die if you feed them chocolate. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything about Pizza Pops you would look up in an encyclopedia. If you want to know what they're made of... read the box. —Keenan Pepper 05:53, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Other people are lazy too. If you're too lazy to start an article, why should anyone else put in the effort that you're not willing to expend? Chuck 05:37, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have I been living under a rock for too long? I've never heard of them. And frankly, just going by the name, I don't think I want to have one either. Dismas|^(talk) 05:56, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't heard of them either. Let's make a stub. –Mysid 06:45, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay... how about:

Pizza Pops are things that everyone has heard of, except for Dismas, Mysid, and Grutness. It is claimed that they are less well-known that cats and dogs, and come with detailed information on the box (unlike cats and dogs). Mild health concerns have been attributed to Pizza Pops, including article-writing lethargy and a disturbing tendency to interrobang. If this occurs, consult your doctor.

This fairly pathetic article is a stub. But that's OK because people won't look here for information on Pizza Pops anyway. You can help Wikipedia by just ignoring it. Move along - there's nothing to see here.

Grutness...wha? 08:35, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Somewhere there should be a rule that articles should avoid having a list of examples, because everyone will come along and add another item to the list even though it wasn't supposed to be exhaustive. In other words, my name should be on that list of people who haven't heard of Pizza Pops.-gadfium 09:41, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you to whoever BJAODN'd that! That's the funniest thing I've read on the Ref Desk in some time! Dismas|^(talk) 09:51, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What on earth are pizza pops, from the name I'm thinking it must be a cross between a pizza & a popsicle (icepole); or perhaps an exploding pizza. AllanHainey 10:07, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They are a tiny frozen calzone, of the inedible variety, useful for stuffing teenagers for their pre- and post-dinners. Pizza pop may be trademarked. The generic name is 'hockey puck'. --Zeizmic 12:01, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

ohh this keeps getting better. Where's Jayant to give this question an award? Calzone... wasn't that Jon Seda's character in Homicide: Life on the Street? Grutness...wha? 12:34, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I see! "Pop" as in "pop it into the microwave" not as in "freezer pop" or "lolli pop"... That sounds much less nasty now. Dismas|^(talk) 13:18, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Look the red link turned blue. The original question was right there is little information on the product to be found. This is the only mention at either General Mills or Pillsbury oficial sites that I could find. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:55, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've never heard of Pizza Pops... Vitriol 11:51, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Me neither... Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 20:04, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please add me to the List of Ref Desk Contributors Who'd Not Previously Heard of Pizza Pops. --LarryMac 20:14, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can't believe there still isn't an article yet. You people are all talk! —Keenan Pepper 01:04, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What are you talking about? I created the article on the 9th May. See my reply above. I even went out and spent CAN$6.35 to buy a box so I could include a picture and get a nice message from the orphanbot. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:44, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh. I guess I just typed in "Pizza Pop" and didn't see anything in the search. Sorry!

Haha, I had no idea that interrobangs exist - I think they're a fairly brilliant idea. I like the visual effect of ?! better than that of ‽ though. At any rate, I'm off to go enjoy some Pizza pops. --Codeblue87 05:32, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To suitly emphazi this I have now created Pizza Pockets. Enjoy. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:41, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

gas plant

nigeria has been flaring her gas oil as she has been doing for years past,why has nigeria not develop her gas plant?and what is the future of the plant.

Gas flare might be a start, but in general, the only thing that can be done is to freeze the natural gas and send it by ship. This is very expensive, and is a limited market. Not many cities want these ships nuzzling up to them. --Zeizmic 12:05, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Mosquito on shop corners

I'm sure many of you brits have heard about the mosquito that is placed on shop corners to stop youths gathering. The sound can only be heard by people under 20 years of age. I know that somewhere you can buy something that can transmit his noise when it is turned on. You can carry it around with you. It is pocket sized. Where can I buy one of these from. It's sure to annoy my mates. Cheers

A quick google search gets this sponsored link: jne marketing -- Run! 16:11, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is only the one where you put on walls. There is a prank version that is POCKET SIZED and is a lot cheaper

That is sooo neat! I need to attach one to the fridge light. --Zeizmic 16:55, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Our article on the Mosquito suggests it has undergone only limited testing. It might be wise to wait for some objective results. This distributor promises other models currently in preparation. I've been told that playing classical music is also effective! However, something tells me that there are more fundamental problems that need addressing here; there is no shortage of street corners. --Shantavira 18:47, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Ok, so I've looked at the article about the book, but I wondering if anyone has heard of any scientifically and historically sound books that disagree with Diamond's theories. I'd like to have some dissenting opinions in my giant anthropology-history project. Ductape Daredevil 15:53, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Differing how? It's not that hard to find somebody who argues that differing success is the result of inherent differences between the races, but among mainstream anthropologists, Diamond isn't that far out. The criticism section has a good start. Night Gyr 01:19, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rose identification

I would like help in the identification of a rose that is multicolored. It is a large, non-fragrant rose that is red with hints of pink, and varigated with a lot of yellow. The back of all the petals are yellow. This is not a Tequila Sunrise nor does it contain anything that resembles orange. It is a large bush and is growing in Central California. Thank you for your help! 206.171.187.2 16:32, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is difficult to answer this without a picture, as there are over a hundred species, and thousands of varieties. Have you tried our rose gallery? Or try some of the links referenced at rose. --Shantavira 18:32, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looking for a Johto Map (Pokémon GSC)

Hello. I am looking for a map of the Johto region in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and/or Crystal Version(s). There is no particular reason why I am looking for it; however, any and all maps will be welcome. I thank you so much for your concern. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.178.84.11 (talk • contribs) .

A map of Johto in the Crystal Version can be found here. SCHZMO ✍ 19:34, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your help, but I'm online at school and the filtering will not permit me to view this page. Sorry, but thanks anyway. :-)

Do you have any other pages that might help me out? Thanks, even if you don't.

Well, this is called a map. don't know if it's what you are looking for.By the way, I found it by typing 'Johto' into the search box on the left and clicking 'Go'. Skittle 20:24, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Image:Pokemon_Johto_map.png

I changed it to a link to reduce page loading times and before we get into trouble with the "fair use" copyright. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:59, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try Johto in the Bulbapedia, there are three different depictions. SCHZMO ✍ 21:07, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is a popular sociological even going on today?

And again, I thank you for your concern; however, I am looking for an actual in-game map. Sorry for all the hassle. :-( Nolamatic

Instant Messengers

Hello, I use more than one Instant Messenger such as GoogleTalk, AIM, MSN Messenger, yahoo, skype, and a few others. I was wondering if there was a program that could make it so that all the IMes would be together. Thanks --Zach 21:46, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try here and look for "multi-protocol" in the "type" column of the first table. --Howard Train 22:08, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Trillian takes care of all but Skype and GoogleTalk must be paid for. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 04:58, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

google talk is free. it is based on Jabber. You can acess google talk from any service that supports jabber, however you can't get the talking part to work unless you use the google program (which is free). Personally I like Gaim. Jon513 16:44, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

blue murder

where does the phrase come from and what meaning does it have?

[18] -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 04:54, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe it's short for "bloody murder." Brian G. Crawford 04:55, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The origin of this one is said to be a play on the French morbleu. The related to get away with blue murder must have the same source, but has no overtones of fear or terror, merely good fortune. Blue is occasionally added to words to strengthen them, e.g. blue blazes, blue funk. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 04:57, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe its for the murder of Blue-blooded people or the aristocrats, or murdering someone very important or occupying a high place.(?I am not sure though??) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 07:04, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When the veryhotgreenhouse effect shall be completed, I think that we won't see the blue sky any more. Murdered by clouds. --DLL 20:30, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Authors?

How do you find out who wrote an article on Wikipedia, for use on a bibliography?

Thanks!

--Sorry mrjones 22:47, 9 May 2006 (UTC)Jessica[reply]

Please see Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia, or click "cite this article" in the toolbox on the left. -- Rick Block (talk) 23:11, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No one person can be held responsible for writing an article, depending on what style you are using (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, etc..) you just put the article name or Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. See Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 04:52, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Invisible Text/Strikethrough

How do I make text invisible except when editing? And also, how do I strikethrough outdated text on appropriate pages?--Porsche997SBS 23:01, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would use <del> and </del> surrounding my words to get a strikethrough,
 and <!--- and ---> to surround invisible text.

They would look like ~~this~~ and . Slumgum | yap | stalk | 23:17, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks!--SS 420 19:47, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or if you're lazy like me. you could use <s> and </s>for ~~strikethrough~~, saving you from typing a whole four characters ;-) Tonywalton | Talk 12:18, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 10

Which college?

What college should i go to if i want to program video games? --orphan frequently 00:17, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The DigiPen Institute of Technology is the leading specialist school. It will be extremely competitive to get in though. Bwithh 00:54, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

yes, i found that right after i asked, and though I'm sure I'll get in, does anyone have a second option in case my application gets lost or something? --orphan frequently 01:30, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you're open to less specialized schools, there are lots of computer science departments across the country worth looking in to. US News complies a variety of lists that rank schools for various criteria and in different categories, which might be a good start. - user:rasd

Anywhere except Bolton University. Trust me. --Howard Train 11 May 2006

Pam?

Martial Art

Is it there any Mexican Martial Art and What is its name?

Hasta la vista, baby. --Zeizmic 00:42, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, there is that old trope in film where every time an American gets lost in Mexico, all the Mexicans stand around, laugh and say "Hey, gringo!" in the most menacing voice possible. Brian G. Crawford 01:34, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Boarder hopping. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 04:50, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Best I can point you to is lucha libre (mexican wrestling), also try looking up tinku, which point to mexican tiger fights which involve hand to hand combat. Dessydes 05:31, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Boarder hopping: A type of activity mainly practiced in frat houses on the movies. --Zeizmic 16:16, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What/who is Mozilla Firefox?

Hey, what is the symbol for Mozilla Firefox? Isn't it a fox? Is it a dinosaur? Is it a girl? If anyone knows why a dinosaur or a fox, pls tell me . --yaya

Well, you could check out our article on Mozilla Firefox, specifically the section Branding and visual identity. Jude (talk,contribs,email) 04:48, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

ITs a fox man! A red one hugging the Earth. Just check Firefox next time. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 04:49, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know-I HAVE read the article, but I find all these other logos just by searching google images that claim to be Firefox logos(Whoa, is this a conspiracy or what?). What's goin' on? --yaya

The official logo for Firefox is the one at the top of the Firefox article. Some Japanese manga artists created Moezilla, personifications of Firefox and Thunderbird, but these are in no way official (and I have only encountered them on Wikipedia, although that's not saying much). "Firefox" is the name of a red panda, if I understand correctly, so someone at some point must have made a panda logo - but, again, it's not official (and I've never seen it). Hope that helps! — QuantumEleven 07:01, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The reason you may have thought the Firefox logo was a dinosaur is that the dinosaur is the logo for the Mozilla Foundation. It's a separate entity from Firefox though. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 07:46, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks a lot, that cleared it up for me. --yaya

List of Colleges for BBA in India

Hi, Could you please provide me with information or a list of undergraduate colleges in India which offer course in BBA.I particularly need some colleges from North India.

--Fareeda

Try using a search engine. I got some results from Google. People have asked here about business schools in India, and there really isn't anyone here qualified to give an answer that I know of. Brian G. Crawford 18:12, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where is the 'fun' section?

There used to be a section called 'bad jokes' full of rejected articles-and they were SOOO funny! But now where did it go? --JD

It's at WP:BJAODN or Wikipedia:Bad Jokes and Other Deleted Nonsense. -Canley 06:19, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind. As I browse throught this ref desk, I've already had a lot of laughs. --JD

Half Life 2 patch

Does anyone know if there's a patch/mod for the game to make the female characters nude or topless??

Hmmm.. I dont know..But let me know when you find out.. ;-) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 07:06, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Google finds nude mods for HL2, e.g. Alyx Nude Mod for Hald Life 2 at digg. –Mysid 07:25, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The link on that site is 404. :( --Kurt Shaped Box 07:29, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Damn. I'm at work so I didn't want to try the links in a page named like that. –Mysid 07:36, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Alyx is overrated anyway. Everyone knows that the hottest female character in HL2 is clearly Judith Mossman - MILF! MILF! MILF! --Kurt Shaped Box 07:49, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

She doesn't look Filipino to me... --E ivind ^t ^@^c 02:50, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Treatment of Gift cards / gift coupons in Accounting

How do we treat the gift cards / gift coupons issued by companies in Accounting ? If gift coupons are printed in advance, are they treated as stock ?

I'm going to guess that the answers to these questions lie somewhere in your text book or other reading material for whatever class you're taking. Although we will be happy to help with your homework, we don't do it for you. With that being said, you may find the article on stock of interest. Dismas|^(talk) 09:42, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am not studying for anything right now and nor does it relate to my area of work. I was thinking while I was using a gift card I had and thought of the question. It is not fair to 'think' that all questions raised are related to one's work.

Well, then it was my mistake since the general format and "feel" of the questions made me think that you were asking questions directly from some homework assignment. Dismas|^(talk) 09:51, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also, to answer the second question first... No. Stock is ownership in a company while a gift card is just an amount of money that the company has promised to redeem at a later date. Dismas|^(talk) 09:53, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect that's "stock" in the UK sense (US: "inventory") rather than in the sense of equity. Not that I have any idea. Tonywalton | Talk 16:55, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A gift certificate creates a debit; it's unearned income until the certificate is redeemed. So in standard double-entry bookkeeping, cash is credited and unearned income debited. When the certificate is redeemed, inventory is debited and unearned income credited. This has the same net result as if inventory were originally debited and cash credited. The exception is that the gift certificate might not actually be redeemed. In that case, if there is an expiration date, the debit can be erased by another transaction. Otherwise, it remains on the books. --Halcatalyst 22:18, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

SEX

If you get easily offended, please skip this, but I have a bunch of questions which I'm dead serious about asking and being answered. I do not consider this vandalism, as I am not maliciously editing someone else's page, or creating false articles. I would just like to know a few things. Since watching some porn, I would like to know:

What is the fastest, easiest, and least emotionally painful way to get laid?
How do I get 2 girls to have sex with me at the same time?
How do I get a girl to masturbate in front of me (especially naked)?
How would I get one of the girls at my local strip club to sleep with me?

Any assistance would be most appreciated.

Any answer besides "Lots of money" is going to require a significant amount of time and getting to know the women with which you want to engage in these actions with. Money would probably work the fastest for the first three. The fourth depends on the girl since, having dated strippers in the past, I can tell you with some confidence that not all strippers are also part time prostitutes. You don't mention how well you know this mystery girl, if there is in fact just one, so it's hard to say much more. Do you at least know that she's single? Or will that not matter with the particular girl? etc. Dismas|^(talk) 09:48, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

1. Prostitution is the fastest and easiest (if illegal in some jurisdictions). As to the emotional pain caused by any particular method of having sex, we are hardly in a position to judge how you feel about such things. Beyond that, you could try internet contacts; there are websites that seek to link people seeking long-term relationships, and also people seeking a short-term hookup for casual sex.

2. Ask nicely! Seriously, some of the adult contact internet sites let you search for people seeking sexual encounters in all sorts of forms. The :number of men seeking to have sex with two women may, however, far exceed the number of women interested in having sex with another woman and a man at the same time.

3. Form a relationship with a girl, and, again, ask nicely! You might have more luck if you discuss with the woman concerned what kind of things please them sexually, and act on those as well...

4. Mostly, you can't; at least, you most likely won't be able to form a relationship with them. Those women make thousands of dollars, often by deluding men that they are romantically interested in you when all they are interested in is getting you to pay them lots of money. Undoubtedly, on occasions strippers do form romantic relationships with people who visit their bars, but by all reports it's rare. Alternatively, some women at some strip clubs may be prepared to sleep with you if you offer them enough money, but it's equally likely that they'll reject your offer and have you thrown out of the club for good as I understand it. --Robert Merkel 09:52, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Woman's perspective?
Any ideas on oral sex?

And if you're on a budget (how did I guess?) you get a load of towels and use your imagination. With practice, it is possible to train your imagination, and you save a lot of time and money!

Got plenty of time, trying to save on towels.

I'm sure most women wouldn't mind masturbating in front of you provided you were in a relationship with them. If you're naked too, that wold help them feel less self-conscious. Best option: suggest masturbating in front of each other as foreplay. Strip club wise: You could offer them money, but you may get banned from the club. I doubt any stripper would casually fuck or befriend someone who visits her club, so your chances are poor there. Threesome-wise: Suggest it to a girlfriend, and make sure its a hooker or someone you'll never see again so you won't make things uncomfortable, make your girlfriend jealous or make her suspect you have a crush on said woman. If your girlfriend refuses, I strongly advise you to just forget about it. How would you feel if your girlfriend asked you to participate in a threesome with another man? Consider that first.

Wikipedia is WP:NOT an escort service! Find your own pastatutes! Seriously though, I once knew a guy who screwed a crack whore bareback in a parking building for $20. I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but if you're willing to exploit drug addicts, you can open yourself up to new vistas of debauchery in no time! Brian G. Crawford 18:39, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

lol, good one brian, and i know what wikipedia is for (this isn't necessarily for you brian), which is why i chose this page and not some other talk page or some serious article.

Ha, all those good answers and he insults our little page, to boot. Well, go try Boarder Hopping, and Interbang yourself.

I answered your question. If I hurt your feelings with my answer, maybe you shouldn't be asking such questions of strangers on the internet. Brian G. Crawford 22:52, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I never said you hurt my feelings. Did I hurt yours? The first sentence commends the joke (and supposedly the suggestion). Besides, I do this not simply for me, but for the rest of extreme nerdom as well.

I have to say, after reading this question, the first thing that came to mind was that this had to be a parody of certain feminists' conceptions of pornography's effect on men. My second thought was that this might actually be a sincere query, in which case the whole debate would acquire a very interesting wrinkle. And my third thought was that new Burger King commercial ("I am man / I am incorrigible...") --zenohockey 04:04, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Transcontiental Car Hire

I'd like to hire a car in the UK and then drop it off in the Netherlands. I don't even know where to start looking for a service like that - any ideas? --Username132 (talk) 10:58, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hertz do it - tick the 'returning the car to a different location' box and type 'Amsterdam' (or wherever) into the field. I tried a few other companies (Avis, easycar, Atlas Choice) but they don't seem to - you should ask them for confirmation though. Natgoo 12:12, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

However don't forget that since the UK drives on the left and the Netherlands on the right, the car hire firm might not be too keen to do it as they'll end up with a RHD (UK style) car in Amsterdam that they'll either have to send back to the UK or have trouble hiring out. It might be easier to hire a car in the UK as far as the ferry port then hire another one on the other side. Tonywalton | Talk 16:52, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

With the big bonus that you won't have to pay to get the car over the Channel. DJ Clayworth 17:46, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They don't allow footpassengers on P&O Ferry Hull to Rotterdam, besides which what about my car-full-of-stuff? I want to emmigrate by I want a safe way of transporting my computer and other stuff. The ammount it costs through box-transporting companies, it'd be cheaper to just buy new things over there... :( --Username132 (talk) 20:49, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

France and a couple of other continental countries (Belgium? The Netherlands may be one too, but I'm not sure) has a really clever program called "achat-rachat" in French (buy-rebuy). I've done it twice in France and this is how and why it works: In France there is an incredibly high sales tax for nationals buying new cars. Something like 30%. So companies like Renault and Peugeot have set up a system whereby a foreigner (i.e. a Brit like you) can "buy" the car, with an agreement to resell it several weeks later (or whenever is convenient). This is great for them because they're then able to resell the car as a used car to their own citizens, who now won't have to pay the tax. It's great for you because as a "foreigner", you're not required to pay the new-car tax, and basically, you get a brand new car for your entire trip, at a cost that's even better than a rental. I don't know where you live in the UK, but if you could take an easy trip across the Channel, you'd be able to pick up one of these cars in Calais quite easily. Just go to the Renault or Peugeot websites and inquire about their "achat-rachat" programs. Believe me, it's a great deal and I'd look into that if I were you. Loomis51 23:18, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Inexact about the tax rate: as far as I know it's 19.6%. The 33% rate for "luxury items" (which included cars, for some reason, even after car got totally commonplace) stopped decades ago. (Now, I suspect that there indeed are dirty tricks to play with taxes, but it's probably more complex.) David.Monniaux 19:58, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

o_o

[19] What's that a picture of? It's someone's avatar on a web site (shrunken, obviously) and I fear it's breaking copyright. This site is basically run by one guy with a job stacking shelves at Barnes and Noble, so being sued would break him. Vitriol 11:40, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't recognize it offhand, but I'm pretty sure the guy has nothing to worry about. As long as it's not being used in a commercial manner (he's not selling t-shirts with that image on it, for example) it's highly unlikely that the company owning the copyright is really going to bother to try to sue a "guy stocking shelves at Barnes and Noble" just because he allowed one of the users on his website to use the image as an avatar. --Maelwys 13:36, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Paranoia! Paranoia! Vitriol 13:38, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Large organisations don't sue people for giggles, it is a costly procedure, so it is generally only done if financial gain can come from the situation. Philc _T^E_C^I 21:59, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, that doesnt stop them sending out Cease and desist letters to whomever they please. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 09:50, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It looks a lot like Babs Bunny. —Keenan Pepper 01:00, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Johnny 5! -LambaJan 18:39, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Drought

To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this question may need to be suitly emphazi'd.

drought are caused by semi-permament warm weather.how are people gong to remove it???

Please suitly emphazi. Vitriol 12:13, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Start from drought and its "see also" and "external links" sections. Weregerbil 12:38, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I love how useless the word semi-permanent is. —Keenan Pepper 01:08, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

He he. A bit like slightly pregnant, or the ubiquitous very unique. JackofOz 10:09, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Peter Gale (ChuckleVision)

Can anyone please help me with this matter? I need a screenshot or photo of actor Peter Gale who played Mr Carrington-Smythe (pronounced "Smith") in ChuckleVision. Thank you.

--82.198.250.67 12:35, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

history

hi what is the oldest native american tribe that is still around today? Any ifo on them?

Your question is very difficult. Paleo Indians or Clovis people did leave ancient material as tombs. But there are no means to relate them to existing tribes.

Those did not write nor did they leave plenty of grave goods, pottery, &c. Try the linked articles and search some of those keywords on a pop'lar engin'. --DLL 20:19, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

1985 Oldsmobile El Dorado Biarritz

My husband needs to know the firing order for this vehicle or maybe have a copy of the owners manual

Try this. Also, I am pretty sure that the El Dorado is a Cadillac model. --LarryMac 15:17, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

LarryMac is correct; the El Dorado is a Cadillac. The Oldsmobile equivalent is the Toronado. (The Cadillac El Dorado, Oldsmobile Toronado, and Buick Riviera were all built on the same platform.) —Wayward ^Talk 09:10, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

UN

Was the Session of UN general Assembly that took place in 1949 is 2nd,4th or 6th? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 196.200.102.42 (talk • contribs) .

It was the 4th session of the General Assembly [20]. SCHZMO ✍ 22:09, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

documetries in india

how far documentries in india are successful and if somebody wants to make career in documentries' script writing then how can he get in to that?

Egypt

What are the main languages and literacy in Egypt?

Arabic is the main language; the CIA World Factbook says:

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.7%
male: 68.3%
female: 46.9% (2003 est.)

--jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 16:24, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

have you tried looking at the article Egypt?

Address Information

Dear Sirs/Madams,

What is Lech Kaczyński's mailing address? Thank you.

Stanislaw W. Dziurzynski, AIA

Assuming you mean the President of Poland

Pałac Prezydencki

Krakowskie Przedmieście 48/50, 00-071 Warszawa

Kancelaria Prezydenta RP

ul.Wiejska 10, 00-902 Warszawa

According to http://www.prezydent.pl/x.node?id=1011892 Tonywalton | Talk 17:06, 10 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Map of the Johto Region (again)

Sorry, but none of the suggestions were what I was looking for. I was looking for an actual in-game map that shows all the towns, the people that are in them, and the Routes. Sorry for the inconvenience, but thanks for your concern! Nolamatic

Have you tried buying some sort of game guide? 64.198.112.210 16:50, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 11

creating a page (with an image)

Good Evening,

I very recently created an account (after about three months of bieng consistantly satisfied with the overall quality of the material that is presented) I am interested in creating a new page. I belive I understand the process (as I got to the new page creation screen) but I seem to be unable to enter/submit a picture. If you could please tell me how to do so I would really appriciate it.

Thank you

Have you read through Help:Contents/Images and media. You need to upload your picture first. You can't link to it offsite. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:39, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

suppressing a table of contents

Hi. What template do I add in edit mode so that the table of contents does not appear? I recall seeing something like {{NTOC}} but that's not working. This is my first question. Do I need to return here to check for answers, or will it appear on my user page? Thanks Ghosts&empties 06:14, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'll answer the second question for you. You have to check back here for answers as most of us will reply to the questions over here so that others can also read them. As the question gets older, some of the users might reply to it on your talk page. But its better to check back here everyday until the question is archived. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 06:19, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look at Help:Section#Table of contents (TOC) and Help:Magic words for __NOTOC__. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:07, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think CambridgeBayWeather has answered your question - if you have any more questions about how wikipedia works and how to us it, then the Wikipedia:Help desk is the place to go. Hughcharlesparker 15:07, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Citibank NA

In the name Citibank NA, what does NA stand for? Similarly for Citibank FSB. Thanks!

"NA" stands for "National Association" [21]. I believe FSB is "federal savings bank." -- Mwalcoff 06:53, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I thought that FSB was "full service bank". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:01, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I see there are two types. There is Citibank FSB and Citibank F.S.B. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:09, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's no guarantee of accuracy, but a Google search on /"Citibank federal savings bank"/ gets 9,360 hits, while a search on /"Citibank full service bank"/ gets zero. -- Mwalcoff 09:10, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It stands for "north america." Brian G. Crawford 06:51, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I emailed them and "FSB/F.S.B." is "Federal Savings Bank" while "NA" is "National Association". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:20, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ancient China

I am doing a project for school. I was just wondering if anyone knew when EXACTLY did the Chinese hero, Houyi ( or Yi ) shoot down the 9/10 suns? Thank-you for helping. =)

see Houyi and Yi the Archer. in Yi the Archer it says that he was a contemporary of Yao (ruler) which would place him around 2333BC-2234BC. Jon513 18:43, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

how can i set up an unique bid auction site?

i would like to set up a auction website, using the unique bid method, probably the highest bid wins. i would like to offer people the little things that matter, which people need but can't afford, example, short family holidays, subscriptions to educational tutorials, online courses etc. how do i go about setting the entire bidding process?

what type of software do i need?

how do i write up a business plan for this type of auction business?

your help and any help from the wikipedia community is highly appreciated.

thank you and may God bless.

This is beyond the scope of the kind of answers provided by the Reference Desk. You would do well to find a business consultant to pursue your interests. Good luck. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 07:59, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help needed for creating articles.

Hello, I have lots of articles which i would like to create in wikipedia. But the problem is I just dont have the time to format them according to the standards which wikipedia follows. So what kind of message can i put up on top of my article, so that any volunteer could format it later? Also could you give me a link to such an article which is "unformatted"? And also, how can I use images in my articles.Thank you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Oglethorpe1983 (talk • contribs) .

For formatting help, add {{wikify}} or {{cleanup}} to the top (or just drop me a line on my talk page and I'll help you myself). An unformatted article is just one that doesn't have the headers, wikilinks, and so on. Finally, try WP:IMAGE for instructions on how to use images; be sure to understand how licensing works before uploading a bunch at once. Oh, and you may want to look over WP:INTRO for some good beginners' advice. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 07:56, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Give me a shout as well, if you like. You'll also find that some recent changes patrollers will tend to wikify (to a greater or lesser extent) new articles as they see them come in. As long as the article isn't so badly formatted as to make no sense at all (and I'm certainly not saying yours will be!) and aren't straight cut/pastes from somebody's website you'll probably find that the kind and helpful Wikipedia community will pitch in and help. If you want to see articles that have been tagged for wikifying, see this. By the way, it's usual practice to sign edits on talk pages and pages such as this one by putting ~~~~ after your edit. this expands to your user name and the time and date of the edit. Tonywalton | Talk 10:30, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What species of penguin appears on the coat of arms of the Arturo Prat Antarctic Naval Base?

Just curious. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 07:58, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

~~Looks like a gentoo penguin to me. —Zero Gravitas 09:08, 11 May 2006 (UTC)~~[reply]

Actually, I just checked the archives to see if anyone else had ever bothered to actually ask that; someone did a few months ago and they would seem to be Adelie penguins. —Zero Gravitas 09:22, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes! Someone actually asked it again! Okay, now I'll change it to something even more ridiculous (or less, it's all good). —Keenan Pepper 00:44, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can we have a page where we can suggest and possibly vote for example questions? And possibly either a forward queue of them so that the next one always be ready if someone asks the current one? – b_jonas 13:31, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And, for future reference, I think it's China, according to the World review of fisheries and aquaculture 2004, which can be found by the path (Fishing fleet, Fishing#Commercial fishing, Fishing industry, FAO Fisheries Information, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, Full report 2004, part 1). – b_jonas 13:42, 12 May 2006 (UTC) (Someone asked this too, see #Fishing fleets – b_jonas 15:56, 18 May 2006 (UTC))[reply]

Dang, didn't find this one in the archives. There goes my clever idea. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 06:45, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Name of Tristan da Cunha

I'm tossing up between the miscellaneous and languages desk for this one, which has puzzled me for a while. The explorer was known as Tristão da Cunha to the Portuguese and Tristan da Cuña to the Spanish... so how did the island end up with this peculiar hybrid name? The article on the island says it was "Anglicised to Tristan da Cunha", but simply anglicising it would surely have removed the very un-English Cunha spelling... Grutness...wha? 08:53, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect it's not a hybrid name, and that Spanish has got nothing to do with it. With foreign names, it was quite a common practice to anglicise the given name but not the surname, eg. Pyotr Tchaikovsky used to be called Peter Tchaikovsky. If the choice was between changing the odd Cunha or the odder Tristão, the latter with its funny diacritical that the English don't understand would definitely come off second-best. I think it's probably as simple as that, Grutness. JackofOz 10:03, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

printing problems

hi, i want to print some of the quests, but some of the pages do not print anything. for example; the paradox tower quest----prints out pg. #1,4,& 5. pages 2, 3, & 6 are blank. there are other quests that do the same thing. Why is that and how to i fix it? thank you. vicki

I am not sure what you are tring to print, but if it is a wikipedia article clicking "Printable version" on the left under the words "toolbox" should help. However it seems like it might be a problem with your printer or printer setup. Jon513 18:35, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Complex financial concepts in Local Government finance.

I am looking for examples of where and how to use Complex Financial concepts relating to Local Government Finance. Can you help please? or guide me where to look? > > Thanks

Perhaps enumerating what you consider "complex" financial concepts would help, but as is, this reads as if the proper answer is found in your textbook. — Lomn Talk 12:49, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lotteries and other gov sponsored gambling might be a good place to start. Govs seem to say gambling creates wealth when, in reality, they only transfer wealth. They typically justify them by saying all proceeds go to some worthy cause, like education, but omit that the exact same amount the lottery contributes is no longer contributed by the general fund, meaning there is no net increase in education funding. Negative effects, like gambling addiction, bankruptcies, etc. must also be figured into any calcs along with the cost of having an oversupply of gambling establishments. StuRat 00:59, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Finding inventories

How to find the inventory in "SIMPLY ACCOUNTING PRO 2005"?--86.62.212.97 13:50, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You would probably get a quicker answer if you check out the companies website or email them. --12.106.14.201 16:52, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When in doubt, try Google. Luigi30 (Ταλκ το mε) 18:01, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Funny Girl Movie

What year and month was the movie Funny Girl shown in Philadelphia, PA, and when was it shown again at a later date if so.

Thanks,

Crf1

The Internet Movie Database lists the US nationwide release date as Sept 19th 1968 so I imagine that is when it first showed in Philadelphia. I don't know about later showings. --Chapuisat 14:57, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, except the same page I just mentioned says it had a limited re-released on August 31st 2001. --Chapuisat 14:58, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can go to the Philadelphia Public Library and get microfilmed copies of the Philadelphia Inquirer or other local newspapers for the relevant months in the above answer. If you are willing to browse through the movie pages, their ads and listings will obviously tell you every day the movie was shown.--Teutoberg 20:26, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sherbert/Sorbet

I have run into much trouble in trying to define if Sorbet and Sherbert are in fact the same thing, or two different iced treats. Any information would be greatly appreciated

Short answer: it depends on where you live. See the articles on sorbet and sherbet. —Zero Gravitas 16:43, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who'd want to ice sherbert? It tastes lovely as it is! Grutness...wha? 08:17, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here in Australia, sherbet is a sugary powder used in kid's lollies (candy) and sorbet is a delicious fruity iced dessert.

Yeah, howzat for an answer! Lol (lipop) JackofOz 13:46, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Assassination

It seems to me that it would be incredibly easy for anyone (let's say, any member of Al Queda) to kill the President of the United States (or any other high-ranking person). He's often out in the open, and it seems that it would be a simple task for a disguised suicide bomber to get close enough, or a gunman to run up and start firing, or a sniper to shoot from (in an urban area) hundreds of nearby windows or rooftops. But it doesn't happen: how come? Of course, any assassin would run the risk of being caught, but many terrorists/assassins throughout history didn't make a serious attempt to escape.

(In case any worried FBI agents are reading, don't worry - as a young, white, middle-class student living in the UK, I doubt I'm even going to meet the President any time soon.) Sum0 16:36, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not quite as easy as it might seem. Don't think that the only Secret Service/other protective people there are the Dark-Suit(ly-Emphazi)ed Guys With The Radio Earpieces trotting alongside the limousine. They'll have people on those rooftops and in those windows, or at least looking through them, and dogs on the ground sniffing for guys with bombs. And it's probably a safe bet that anyone close enough to see the President has had his/her picture taken several times, been through at least one (c)overt metal detector, and if at all suspicious-looking been put through 42 other kinds of scrutiny as well.

Any sufficiently creative person could find numerous security holes, but it's probably enough to keep the run-of-the-mill Czolgosz wannabes far enough away. —Zero Gravitas 17:05, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Comparing American security to Israel's I am very surprised that there have not been thousands of terrorist attacks everywhere. There are no guards at stores or restaurants and it would be very easy to kill many people and not get caught. I guess there are very few crazy people interested in killing people. Or perhaps they are caught by the FBI before they have a chance to do anything. Jon513 18:30, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's the thing that I wonder. Presumably there are plenty of people out there who want to kill the President (or the Vice President, or the Prime Minister, or even dear old Kofi Annan). The Beltway sniper just needed a small port in the back of a car to kill several people (and not get caught for a good while). I'm curious how security is managed, because it seems to be a mammoth task. Sum0 20:11, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nobody's killed any British PM lately either! (Or ever for that matter)--Teutoberg 20:30, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, I beg to differ! The thing which sparked this off in my brain was something I saw in On This Day on the main page today: on May 11th 1812 Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated by John Bellingham.

That's right. Curious how most well-read non-Americans could rattle off the names of the 4 assassinated US presidents, but ask them about UK Prime Ministers and most would probably say none of them had that fate. It always surprises me that Spencer Perceval is not better known, if only because of the manner of his death. JackofOz 21:23, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's pretty wild. I had no idea. And lots of Americans can name the four assassinated presidents and their assassins, not to mention attempts on Reagan, Jackson, Ford, Bush I. And the Federation President in Star Trek VI.--Teutoberg 22:29, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am the FBI. I am coming to get all of you for even speculating about this. Muahahahahaha!

Speaking seriously here, the president usually appears in areas where the secret service has already check for traps. Aside fro the men in black snipers, undercover police officers belonging to local and state agencys, and when aplicable military personel all work to guard the man. I remeber when Clinton came to El Paso back in 1996, he landed near the airport, and every twenty seconds or so my class saw buses filled with Secret Service personel all over place. TomStar81 05:52, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are two other things to remember. One is that there is a third branch of protection, namely various agents and infiltrators out there finding out who intends to assassinate the President. The other is that Al Quaeda may have decided, possibly very sensibly, that killing the President isn't worth it. The purpose of terrorism is to make people feel afraid, have each person thinking 'that could be me', and thus make concessions in return for safety. Killing the President probably doesn't have that effect, since the President is a special case. But it would stir up the wrath of the people, so the backlash against the killers would probably be bigger than the benefit. Which may explain why most presidents are killed by lone nutcases rather than foreign enemies. DJ Clayworth 18:23, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

White Buffalo

I am tring to learn about the meaning of the white buffalo.I know that it is a sacred animal to indians and I am tring to find out what in means. I have heard that it means that the world is coming to an end. However I believe it means something else. And I'm not sure what I think it means something good any information would be great and would be greatfuly welcomed.. THANK YOU Rowena

did you try White buffalo? perhaps the links there can help you. Jon513 18:31, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hahn Family

I am trying to find out everything that is available to be known about the Hahn family thier personnnel life and business that they had the Hahn shoe store mainly in the Washington DC area.

Thank you.

the reference is answered by volenters. We might take a few minites of our time to run a google search, or share something from our personal experience. We might even take the time to freeze a jar of Mayo for you. But it is unlikely that anyone will put in real effort for find information for you. here is [[22], one search] for you, but that isn't much of an answer. If you are interested in spending money to find the answer to this question you can look online for organizations that find people or try google answers. Jon513 15:50, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

THE SONG PROMISED LAND

COULD SOMEONE PLEASE ADVISE WHO SANG THIS SONG. ALL HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

A search at The All Music Guide resulted in a whole bunch of hits on that title. Chuck Berry wrote and performed a song called Promised Land, but it was also performed by many others, such as The Grateful Dead and Dave Edmunds. There are dozens of other entries for the same title. If you have more detail about the song you're asking about, such as style (rock, gospel, electronica, ...), when and where you might have heard it (on the radio, in a movice ...), etc, that might help narrow it down. Please do not type in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, it is like shouting. --LarryMac 19:04, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Searching Wikipedia for Promised Land also brings up something, like Promised Land (song). ––Mysid ^(t) 19:21, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And don't forget the great cajun/swamp rock version by Johnnie Allan (who we sadly don't seem to have an article for). --Roisterer 02:45, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

thank-you everyone who responded and sorry for shouting.

hello

I need to find a Vietnemse family who recently moved to Carmel,Indiana. I am not sure how to prounce much less spell the fathers name but I would like to get an address or phone number. I am close to the family and they have no way of contacting me. Please let me know how I can find their address or phone number. Thank you. 19:11, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, but it's virtually impossible to find information about somebody without their name. --Saxsux 19:28, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you know any of the Vietnamese family's friends or neighbors, you could try asking them. SCHZMO ✍ 19:58, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If your friend has a hard-to-pronounce Vietnamese name there's quite a good chance it's Nguyễn; if not, see Vietnamese name for some other common alternatives. If any one those names rings a bell, then is your chance to go to directory assistance.--Pharos 02:18, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lyrics

Can someone give me a list of writers of Rock lirycs?thank you

A complete list? And define "rock". Does Bernie Taupin count, for instance? --Robert Merkel 04:02, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Captain Beefheart. --GangofOne 04:49, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is a list of about sixty of them at list of composers#Pop and Rock. --Shantavira 07:52, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

i gots a couple of questions for you

hello wikipedians where ever you may be i have a couple of questions for you. THE FIRST who is Tesia Samara.I just read the martyr article and ended up with a red link.I plan on writinf an article about this person and it will obvislouy help to know who he or she is. THE SECOND is i just finished reading the article about Carl Panzram.and i would like to know if his autobiography is still availble or if it is out of print i really want to read it. HUGS AND KISSES FROM Sockboy3.

From google, I seriously doubt whether Samara deserve a place in that list. The book, Panzram : A journal of murder is available in Amazon Tintin (talk) 05:17, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 12

EWTN portrayals of Saints

I wonder if, when they lived, Saint Augustine of Hippo was as white as Saint Ephrem was black? I wonder how EWTN portrays Jesus? -Snpoj 01:36, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Most people would call typical EWTN images conventional... or perhaps traditional. --Halcatalyst 20:35, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Colitas

What are colitas?

In wikipedia, colitas translates to cannabis cultivation. But if you are thinking about the song, Cecil Adams of The Straight Dope concludes that it was intended to mean 'little buds'. See this Tintin (talk) 02:40, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Or are you thinking about colitis? JackofOz 02:57, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you

As in "The girl with colitis goes by"? --Shantavira 07:56, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I assume this question comes from the opening lines of Hotel California:

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air

Since I was a kid at the time, the most sense I could make of this is that they were referring to a Coleco air hockey table, LOL.

StuRat 16:29, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Delete Accounts

How does one go about deleting their old account, or go about getting their account deleted, if possible?

I'm not sure you can "get an account deleted". In any case this is a question for the Wikipedia:Help desk (questions about editing on Wikipedia), not the Reference desk (questions in general). --Fastfission 04:24, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have you read Wikipedia:User page#How do I delete my user and user talk pages?? This is about the nearest that we come here to actually deleting a user account - it is usually taken as a sign that "User X has just left the building". Grutness...wha? 08:28, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Because of the license under which Wikipedia operates, accounts cannot be deleted - if you don't want to use it anymore, just don't log in anymore (and, if you wish, create a new account). See Deleting your account. — QuantumEleven 14:51, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You may also wish to read Right to vanish, which describes a process by which you can vanish from Wikipedia to some small degree. However, I will quote from the page: "these measures afford a degree of practical obscurity ... [but] they will not stand up to assault from a persistent investigator". Jude (talk,contribs,email) 01:40, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fine tuning ultrasonic welding horn

Get me relevent notes for this topic. If you have a book make a pdf of it and let me know.

Wikipedia ** bcoz its free ***

it looks as if that is fairly easy to find using google, including pdf files. Next time try add things like questions and the word please. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:40, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Education trends

People complain that places like grade schools are being dumbed down, but that higher education becomes more competitive. Is this because of the increase in population, or what? --elpenmaster

This is going to be pure conjecture on my part... If we operate under the assumption that primary and secondary education quality is diminishing but that admission and grading standards for universities remain the same, it becomes more challenging for students to be admitted and complete the degree successfully. However, I'd favor another explanation: There may a growing trend in the United States for a larger percentage of people who complete high school to seek higher education. (Perhaps not increasing dramatically over the past couple of years, but maybe over decades.) Additionally, I would imagine that local school districts are created and expanded more rapidly than universities. DavidGC 11:12, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This varies by country. My favourite measurement is the 'opportunity' for the children of new immigrants, or some other struggling group, to succeed with the standard education system. Canada does quite well here, the US, not so well. --Zeizmic 11:43, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How well immigrants to the US fare with the education system really depends on where they're from. Asians and Indians do very well, Latin Americans not so well. As for Canadian immigrants, I don't know? :)--Teutoberg 21:54, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

UN general assembly meeting

Can u tell me when & where the 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th & 6th sessions or meetings of UN general assembly taken place?

~~As far as I can tell,~~

~~1st: Lake Success, New York~~
~~2nd: Lake Success, New York~~
~~3rd: New York~~
~~4th: New York~~
~~5th: New York~~
~~6th: New York~~

~~I'm not sure if that's just where the documents were printed though~~AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 09:48, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please note, the link you are using is actually about Special Sessions of the UN, which is very different from a General Assembly. One page that might help you is here, which indicates that the first General Assembly was held in Westminster, London, on 10 January 1946. You can find a page that gives a history of the building and also talks briefly about the first assembly being in London here. DavidGC 11:28, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

First meeting(s) were in London in Central Hall Westminster, an old Methodist Church, just down the way from Westminster Abbey. Not sure when they moved out of that venue. Check out the Central Hall Westminster page and this UN Milestones page:

http://www.un.org/aboutun/milestones.htm

-Snpoj 11:34, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh ok my mistake. AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 13:06, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How much is a 200GB hard drive, really?

When you buy a hard drive, it's measured differently. When I put a 200GB hard drive in my computer, how much space will I actually have?

If I recall correctly, the conversion for GB is (size in bytes) / 1024^3

Therefore for a 200GB drive you have roughly 200,000,000,000 / 1,073,741,824 = 186.26GB

To be sure, though, you should probably check with the manufacturer or maybe someone else here can be more sure of their answer, since I don't feel comfortable starting out with exactly 200,000,000,000 in this calculation, as it feels like it should be slightly more than this... perhaps this varies on the drive? DavidGC 11:59, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I guess it might vary slightly by the actual type of hdd. The best guess is to actually put it in the computer and ask. For example, my "80 GB" hard drive has exactly 80026361856 bytes of space, which is about 74.530 GB. (It might possibly have a very little extra hidden space where the hard disk hardware stores a list of bad sectors or something like that.) – b_jonas 13:13, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might find Hard_drive#Capacity_Measurements useful and interesting. --Halcatalyst 20:19, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might also want to note that the operating system that you install will also take up a percentage of the hard drive space, depending on the operating system. On my 80 gigabyte hard drive, Windows XP Professional took up about 6 or 7 gigabytes, meaning that I actually had around 74/73 gigabytes of free space. Jude (talk,contribs,email) 01:49, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I just have 2 GB. Kinda puts things in perspective doesn't it? :) - Mgm|^(talk) 10:47, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It will all become worse when they will start to measure the size in TB. – b_jonas 19:04, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Daughter Insurance

Hi, an odd question here, given that in India & China (& a lot of other less developed countries) there is a cultural preference for a son rather than a daughter (& at least in India there is a great deal of effort & expense to screen/guarantee the gender a a child), and as in China they're only allowed one child, has anyone in those countries ever proposed or sold 'daughter insurance'. Basically pay your premiums, if you get pregnant & have a girl we'll pay out, if its a son no payout. It seems like a useful product to have, especially where there are limitations on family size. Obviously there are a number of practical problems but I can't think of anything that couldn't be solved by an insurer placing restrictions on the cover/who & when policies can be sold, so am I the first to think of this or what? AllanHainey 11:28, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm unsure of whether this exists, but I imagine that those who would be most concerned about the gender of their child would be unable to afford this. If you've spent much time in India or China, you're probably aware of the level of poverty experienced by the lowest classes, and they would almost certainly rather spend the little money they can get on food, clothing, and shelter, which most of the lowest classes would view as a luxury. I'd be interested in how the Chinese government in particular would respond to something like this. DavidGC 11:39, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think insurance works that well on 50-50 odds, because of the admin fees. Normally, it's only good for 1:100 or rarer events. Perhaps, this is better left for a country's social policy, such as a 'baby bonus' for daughters, if it is thought that having 90% males is a problem in the making. --Zeizmic 11:47, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How does sex feel different from masturbation?

I don't suppose someone could describe it? (from either a male or female perspective)

I don't think anyone will be able to generalize very helpfully, mainly because it's impossible to describe a feeling except in terms of other feelings, but also because the difference depends so much on the particular circumstances. Sometimes sex with another person is far better than masturbation, sometimes it's not, especially if you only have a single bed, or your partner snores or smells (very common after sex!), or the bed gets wet. One major difference is that one has to be prepared to relinquish some control and take the other person into account. --Shantavira 15:35, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A few months ago I read a study in some newspaper that sex is 400% more stimulating than masturbation. Very impressive. I don't know how they got that sort of figure though. Ashibaka tock 22:58, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's as simple as this: Masturbation is a microwaved Hungry-Man Salsbury steak and soggy veggies tv dinner. Sex is a rare, aged porterhouse with all the fixin's at Peter Lugers--Fuhghettaboutit 23:05, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can't eat porterhouse every day, though. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 23:16, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's true. It's too expensive;-)--Fuhghettaboutit 23:30, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah yes, I remember now: a Chateaubriand for Two, and Italian Kisses for dessert, and afterwards, well who can tell... --Seejyb 23:58, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sex is just like masturbation, although suitly emphazied in all the important places. --Howard Train 05:13, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Masturbation is what you have to do, sex is what everybody else is getting. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:43, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Haha, burn. I'd say the difference is about 30 minutes. Battle Ape 09:11, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In sex, you have both hands free. --BluePlatypus 01:05, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sex is wetter, and better. TheMadBaron 08:30, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki Definition

What is a wiki?

See Wiki. -- Run! 21:47, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 13

How numbers were expressed in ye olde times

Hi, I understand that in, say, the 18th Century, the number that we now say as 'twenty-one' would have been expressed as 'one-and-twenty'. How, then, would they express the number 4181? I asked this question in Humanities, and didn't really get an answer - someone referred me to the vigesimal page, which was interesting and helped a bit, but I'd really like an explicit answer on this -- how would the number 4181 have been expressed in conversation in, say, 1690?

Thanks Adambrowne666 03:18, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can look in electronic versions of the King James Version of the Bible, written in 1605-ish. Search for words like "thousand." Here is one: [23]. And on Wikipedia, for instance, Number of the Beast says "his number is Six hundred three score and six."--Teutoberg 04:46, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And in electronic shakespeare, [24]--

King Henry V

Act 4, Scene 8

KING HENRY V-

This note doth tell me of ten thousand French/ That in the field lie slain: of princes, in this number,/And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead/One hundred twenty six: added to these,/Of knights, esquires, and gallant gentlemen,/Eight thousand and four hundred; of the which,/Five hundred were but yesterday dubb'd knights/So that, in these ten thousand they have lost, There are but sixteen hundred mercenaries--Teutoberg 04:52, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Good answers, thanks Adambrowne666 10:21, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How many times are you going to ask this question? --LarryMac 14:08, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

British Army Generals

Was there a British Army General about 1925 in charge of the 1st Bn Baluch Regiment. If so was his name Gen. Laurer or Lawrer . This from a signature in a book . Thanks

At that time the Baluch Regiment appears to have been known as The Baluchistan Volunteer Rifle Corps and it either became the 10th Baluch Regiment in 1945 or the 10th Regiment is the only Baluch regiment extant. I don't know who the commanding Officer was but you could try to contact someone at this site & they should be able to either help you out or point you in the direction the 10th's regimental historian who should be able to tell you if the 1st was amalgamated into the 10th at any time. AllanHainey 14:34, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I believe that usually a regiment would be commanded by a lesser rank than a General. Traditionally a Colonel would command a regiment, IIRC. DJ Clayworth 18:12, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

my question about UN not yet answered

I have raised last 3 days abt the session of Un General Assembly. However, sofar i didn't get satisfactory answer. Let me leave the past questions & shift to specific question. I want to know the exact dates, month & year that the 6th session of the UN Gneral Assembly took place?

Is this page of any help? –Mysid ^(t) 09:52, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The sixth session of the General Assembly met in Paris from November 6, 1951 through February 8, 1952 [25] in a "temporary steel structure" built between the Palais de Chaillot and the Eiffel Tower. [26]. --Cam 03:30, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, steel is only temporary. And for us, humans ... --DLL 19:47, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Film trailer

Hi, is there anyway for me to actually download the low quality of the trailer here? I right click it and save targert as, but when I do that it just download the link and WMP just downloads it a tiny five-second bit at a time and wil tkae absolutely ages! Is ther any other or quicker way to do this? Thanks, Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 15:14, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You'll have to download the actual MMS stream using a tool like Stream Down. Give the tool the stream's URL, in this case mms://streaming.strawberries.nl/Fortissimo/Snow_cake_promo_350K.wmv. –Mysid ^(t) 16:26, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bio for actress Patrice Jordan

I have been watching a 1997 Steven Segal movie, "Fire Down Below", and I am curious as to the eth nic background of Patrice Jordan, who played Natalie to Kris Kristopherson's Orrin Hanner. She appears to be part filipina, but I can find no information discussing her background. True, she didn't have a major role in the movie, therefore she is probably not very well known. Thanks for your help. CD Kirk

According to IMDb, her name is spelled Petrice Jordan, which may or may not help you locate more information about her; IMDb lists no other credits for her at all. --Metropolitan90 05:25, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

invisible symbols now visible ( word ) ?

Hello , I'm facing a minor problem with microsoft word , there are some strange symbols on all my documents - things that should be invisible .. I cant even copy them to show you what I mean . When I press space I get dots instead of blank spaces , dotted rectangles around footnote partitions ... and so on . What I need is the way to make them disapear again they are very annoying !.. any clue ? Hhnnrr 15:51, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They are control characters which have accidentally been turned on. There should be a pressed button with a "¶" character somewhere in the upper part of the screen – clicking it off should solve the problem. –Mysid ^(t) 16:30, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks , but I've looked everywhere and I cant seem to find it . Where is it exactly ? Hhnnrr 17:07, 13 May 2006 (UTC) Found it ! Thanks alot Hhnnrr 17:16, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There should be a >> button, which will give you more buttons. Failing that, click Tools > Options > and uncheck all the formatting marks. --Shantavira 17:16, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think that there was a toggle in the View menu until version 2002. Now just type "Ctrl + *" or Tools > Options as Shantavira says. --DLL 19:45, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

BT Yahoo browser

What browser do BT Yahoo offer customers when they sign up? It isn't IE --iamajpeg 16:22, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seems like they have a custom browser called BT Yahoo Browser (screenshot). –Mysid ^(t) 16:48, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Chances are it's IE with a custom skin. If you actually have this browser, you can go to this page and it will tell you what browser you are using. --LarryMac 14:16, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seriously, don't even consider BT for anything. Their customer service department is completely incompetent and only slightly better than their engineers ability to keep appointments. I'm not being very NPOV here but BT are bad, do yourself a favour & don't have anything to do with them. AllanHainey 14:23, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Heh, too late, but I haven't needed to use customer services yet so that's something. Unfortunately that link only pointed out the version of IE that I also have installed (I can tell because it's a special Tesco version :p), thank you all anyway --iamajpeg 16:22, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All UK telecoms companies are as bad as each other. This is what I was told by the escalated complaint man at BT when I whined at them, and now that I am temping for another one I can confirm it. --Bth unlogged in 07:10, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, that page isn't working! It says Netsacpe something, but I'm using Firefox! I haven't even got any Netscape stuff on this computer! 64.198.112.210 20:13, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Firefox is based around the same engine as Netscape. In fact, the Mozilla gecko is the layout engine of some old version of Netscape with a few features. Many programs can't distinguish between Netscape and Mozilla. Also, many sites are designed to assume it's a Netscape user when it's not an IE one. Computerjoe 's talk 20:18, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

GTA San Andreas

Hi, my friend once showed me how to deploy a paracheute (I cant spell) and I cant figure out how to do it. Does anyone know how to do it? 70.39.37.218 16:23, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Google suggests it is done by pressing the left mouse button (PC) or the circle (PlayStation). –Mysid ^(t) 16:43, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm guessing this turned into a messy situation a couple of times???

Name of the first Pokemon TV series.

You know how the original Star Trek is called "Star Trek: The Original Series"? Well, I'm looking for a similar tag to help me clarify that I'm talking about the original Pokemon TV series, and not any of the sequels or spinoffs. Does such a thing exist?

Our article on Pokémon tells that it is "often referred to as Pokémon: Gotta Catch Em All to distinguish it from the later series". –Mysid ^(t) 16:36, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Text Messages in the UK

Does anyone have statistics on how many text messages are sent per person per week in the UK? Cheers

According to [27], a total of 32.5 billion SMS's were sent in the UK in 2005. Assuming everyone in the UK sends text messages, it would make 10 messages per person per week. Assuming e.g. that only 80% do it, it's 13 messages per week per person. –Mysid ^(t) 18:01, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Question about immigration to Australia

Within the next few years I intend to relocate to Australia, possibly for the long term. I read the Immigration to Australia article, but I was wondering if there was anything that would interest or apply to American citizens in particular. I don't think many Australian immigrants are American and I was wondering why this is the case. Any general advice, however obvious, would be most appreciated. Thanks! Bhumiya (said/done) 18:16, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As I'm sure you know, moving to Australia is not like moving to Atlanta. Immigration (even to Canada) is expensive and time-consuming. Australia is also on the other side of the planet, making it hard to Americans to move their stuff there. Not only would you be thousands of miles from your relatives and friends back home, but with the time zone difference, it will be hard even to call them. It's also a different culture, where they don't play our kind of football and probably don't have your favorite breakfast cereal. I'm sure Australia is a wonderful place, and I'm not trying to discourage you from moving there. I knew a guy in high school who moved to Australia and apparently really liked it. But to answer your question about why more Americans don't try it, I'm sure most people who migrate between countries have quite strong motivation for doing so. Most Americans probably feel comfortable in their current surroundings and see little reason to change countries. People in places like Honduras, on the other hand, are willing to crawl hundreds of miles through the desert to work for $5 an hour as dish-washers in Colorado because it's presumably so much better than living in Tegulcigalpa. -- Mwalcoff 03:15, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have no vital or pressing reason to emigrate, but why limit myself to territory controlled by the U.S. government? I'm young enough to handle it. I've moved around a lot in my day, so the prospect doesn't worry me. I don't have much stuff to move, so I'm not worried about that either. My main concern is not cultural, cereal, or logistical, but legal: I want to know everything about Australian immigration policy concerning American citizens, if there happen to be special rules or agreements in place. Would my status be very different from, say, an immigrant from Asia or Europe? Are there special rules about employment I should know about? Bhumiya (said/done) 05:40, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In Australia, your status as an expat from the United States would make you no different than an expat from any other country in the world in the eyes of immigration officials. I'm assuming you're looking at trying for permanent residency. This is a lengthy process, and your first step may be trying to get an Australian company to sponsor you in obtaining a 457 visa, though you'll need to check out the immigration website in order to find the immigration track that would be right for you and your circumstances. Bear in mind that the process will be expensive, and that you will probably be paying much more in taxes here than you're used to doing in the States, so you'll need to be mindful of this as you're planning your budget for living expenses with a new job and salary in mind.

As a side note, the only agreement I'm aware of that is unique to U.S. Citizens is a double-taxation agreement, which basically means that once you hit 181 (or maybe 183) days within Australia between July and June of any year, you'll be paying taxes to the Australian government at the Australian tax rate. 180 days (or maybe 182) or fewer within Australian borders during that time, and you'll be paying taxes to the U.S. government at the U.S. tax rate. DavidGC 06:18, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Bhumiya (said/done) 00:01, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help!!!

I accidentally made the font on my wikipedia page huge! Everything is magnified and it's really annoying! I have Windows XP and AOL, how do i fix the page? Its only this webpage that's big... PLEASE email me back at (email removed)!

~James R

In your browser, try going to view, text size, normal (or the equivalent, depending on your browser.) Hyenaste ^{[citation needed]} 18:32, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know if it makes any diff, but under AOL 7.0 keyword "Preferences" there is an option to change "Font, Text & Graphics". Of course, they change everything for no apparent reason with each new version of AOL, so this may not apply to your version. StuRat 18:48, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Plugged Ears

I am sick right now and my ears are plugged. What can i do to get them back to normal? (not chewing gum or blowing air out with my nose plugged)

Blow your nose. If you've got any nasal spray, use that.

Recommend you put a scarf on and some clothes, and go stand outside for a bit. Change in air pressure, moisture and etc can do wonders. Remember to ventilate once in a while, and to drink lots of fluids. 213.161.189.107 21:10, 13 May 2006 (UTC)YourMommyOnWiki[reply]

If music be the food of love, play on.

Aloha! I'm trying to find out what the piece of music played on this user movie is. I've tried the regular things: googling random lyrics and asking the uploader, with no hits from the former and no reply from the latter. Anyone out there recognise the piece, or even the group playing it? 84.65.36.17

Watch the end credits in the video. Weregerbil 22:31, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

US Horse Cavalry

When we the past horse mounted all attacked me and by The United States Horse Cavalry im arrested what should I do?

Stop taking drugs. User:Zoe|^(talk) 22:30, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seek medical advice first. Slumgum | yap | stalk | 22:34, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And after that please suitly emphazi. --82.207.202.16 23:13, 13 May 2006 (UTC) (unable to log in because distracted by juicy pastatutes)[reply]

I've but known as some he less stories was than acheiving desirable his horse at traders as in he counter farming was day mounting mines. Just don't do it too much, it can be addictive. – b_jonas 16:10, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, now seriously, the original question from the history makes more sense:

When and where was the last "horse mounted frontal attack" made by The United States Horse Cavalry? And aganist whom?

Shame on User:205.188.117.68 who has replaced it with this bullshit so fast that no-one could notice the original version. – b_jonas 16:24, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not entirely sure of the answer, but I'd have to guess sometime during the Indian Wars. The United States Cavalry article may also be of interest. — TheKMan^talk 16:43, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And aganist whom ? In a war, I'd say agonist. --DLL 19:36, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Australian jobs

Hello I am doing a report on Australia and I want to Know What jobs AUSTRALIaNS have?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 205.188.117.68 (talk • contribs) .

Australia is a continent (as well as a country) so its hard to understand what you mean without a lot more detail regarding the parameters of the report. It's akin to asking "what types of jobs do American's have?" You see the problem? In any case, you can look at the article on Australia I already linked for general information on the country. --Fuhghettaboutit 22:21, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As the previous answer says, most people in Australia work in similar jobs to those of any other developed country. There are some industries which are possibly quite different to those of other countries, such as agriculture and mining.

See Agriculture in Australia for an overview of the wide range of different types of agriculture there. To me, as a non-Australian, I think first of the stockmen riding horses across vast dry Stations. They are quite different from cowboys or guachos, their equivalents in some other countries. Looking at these links may help you.

We don't seem to have an article on Mining in Australia, but mining of uranium, gold and diamonds are all major industries in Australia. Perhaps someone else will be able to give you some useful links on these jobs.

~~Note to other people answering this: the IP address of the questioner seems to be in Melbourne, Australia.~~-gadfium 22:51, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Odd, every tool I use reports the questioner's IP address (205.188.117.68) as America Online in Sterling or Reston, Virginia. DavidGC 06:29, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My mistake, I used a broken whois which seems to report every address as being in Melbourne. I'll use the one in WP:VAND in future.-gadfium 06:41, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know whether this is appropriate for your project, but this Australian Bureau of Statistics page gives an indication of what proportion of people work in different parts of the workforce. Note, like other advanced economies, the proportion of people working in primary industries - agriculture and mining - is quite small, as is the proportion working in manufacturing (and in fact Australia's manufacturing sector is smaller than most). Most Australians work in the service sector. --Robert Merkel 23:18, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Having lived in both countries, my impression is that people in Australia work in pretty much the same jobs as people in the United States, except the economy is on a smaller scale. DavidGC 06:32, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 14

Kate's Tool

Forgive me if this is the wrong spot to ask, but is Kate's Tool broken or something? It keeps saying I have 1951 edits for a few days now. Pacific Coast Highway ^{blah • my tracks} 01:56, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

On Interiot's edit counter, data from en.wikipedia.org is no longer regularly updated...it is probably the same with Kate's tool. Try using Interiot's javascript counter for a more updated count (it manually counts your contributions). SCHZMO ✍ 02:20, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. It says I have 1984 edits. I wonder if that's a sign of something? Pacific Coast Highway ^{blah • my tracks} 04:20, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm, I'd figured by Kate's tool that I'd made around 9,500 edits. The Javascript counter tells me this is my 10,002nd edit. Bah, if I'd have known, I'd have done something more interesting for my 10,000th edit than adding a category to Cyclic nucleotide. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 13:51, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The English Wikipedia is no longer replicating (well, it is, but slowly, currently replicated up to Replicated up to 2006/05/11 15:05:03 as of 10:43, 15 May 2006 (UTC)) to Zedler (the toolserver), so your edit count is likely several days out of date. You might want to take a look at Interiot's 2nd tool, along with Flcelloguy's tool, which both get the edits directly from your contributions, instead of from the replicated revision table on zedler. Jude (talk,contribs,email) 10:43, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help me kill time on rainy days

OK, this isn't really a Reference Desk question, but I hope that with all the questions I have answered, I can be forgiven this minor abuse of the page.

When I was younger, I loved to play games on PCs. I loved the Sierra "Quest" games, Ultimas VI and VII, Civilization 1 and other fun diversions.

I have bought very few games in the past 15 years. I had little time for game-playing in recent years. I did buy one of the Warcraft games and Civilization III, but found them somewhat boring.

I now have a lot more free time and wouldn't mind killing some of it with some decent games. But there are so many hundreds of games out there that I don't know where to begin. I'm not averse to action games, but I'm not really interested in a game where all you do is shoot people. An online game where you play against other people might be worth trying, but I don't want to get involved in anything where I'd be expected to be online every day or for hours at a time. My computer is several years old, so anything that requires the latest and greatest equipment is out. Plus, I see no reason to spend $60 on something new when I haven't played the stuff now being sold for $20.

Any ideas? -- Mwalcoff 05:22, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you want something fun and interesting on the conquer-the-world-with-subtlety track (àla Civilization), I would recommend Europa Universalis II. The game is about 5 years old, so it should be both affordable and easy to run.--Pharos 05:32, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Get involved in Whack a mole. You could see this as a game where all you do is shoot people, but they're live people, and some of them are quite inventive. (I see you already do play this game sometimes). Alternatively, join New Pages Patrol, and try to save some of the articles being created.-gadfium 05:46, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I recently discovered Laser Squad Nemesis, which is extremely cheap (I paid $8, including shipping), runs on low-rent hardware, and is designed specifically to appeal to "old school" gamers like me. If you liked X-com, you will like Laser Squad. Raul654 05:48, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'll probably get smacked for this, but a couple slightly older games you might find interesting are the original Dungeon Siege (RPG) or either of the first two Thief games (1st person sneaking, killing is sort of discouraged). And although it's technically a first-person shooter (a genre I usually hate with a passion), No One Lives Forever will always have a special Austin Powersish place in my heart simply for its sense of humor and wacky 1960s spy movie parodies throughout. DavidGC 06:44, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the ideas so far. Please keep them coming. For the record, I have a 1GHz P3, so stuff from around '02 should still be OK. -- Mwalcoff 08:03, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Transport Tycoon is addictive, and so is its open source port OpenTTD. –Mysid ^(t) 08:55, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I recommend Simutrans. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:41, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you can find a copy of it and can get it to run (it takes a bit of fiddling, use a DOS emulator like DOSBox), Master of Magic plays like Civilization I, but with Wizards and spells and fantastic creatures. It's utterly marvellous and has, in the past, chewed up large parts of my day. I think Home of the Underdogs has it - which, by the way, is a great site for finding those very old games which you can't even find on eBay anymore. If you enjoy fantasy role-playing games, I can very strongly recommend the Baldur's Gate series (start with Baldur's Gate I and work your way through the series from there) as well as Planescape Torment - they both have fantastic stories and are very very well done. You should be able to pick them up on eBay. If they're your thing, the X-Com series (especially the first two games, it went downhill after the third, IMO) is a nice combination between fighting an alien invasion on a global scale, and then going down to the fine detail and fighting it out on a landscape. It's third-person and turn-based, so nothing like a first-person shooter. You ought to be able to find these on eBay as well.

Alternatively, as gadfium pointed out, we love people with free time on their hands - join Wikipedia! Fight vandals! Write articles! Upload pictures! Make the world a better place! (come on. You know you want to. ;-) ) — QuantumEleven 09:44, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Useful. I was reading the Thief article and found 3 of 4 offical links were dead. Fixed now. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:54, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I like Age of Mythology very much, both single-player and multi-player. It is playable even on slower machines (a pentium-II-based celeron is too slow, but a real pentium-II or a pentium-IV-based celeron is fast enough), and with older graphics cards. – b_jonas 19:02, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Editing Wikipedia is sometimes perfect on a rainy day. --DLL 19:32, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And who wouldn't wanna play in the rain on a rainy day.!!! (Not recommended to do it everyday though) ;-) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 19:59, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the Myst games yet. They are great ways to spend the time. --Richardrj 08:01, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Good idea. Which should I try first? IV, "Uru" or the I-III compilation? Is it like a movie where you really should watch the original before trying the sequel? -- Mwalcoff 13:47, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You don't really need to play the first few, unless you find it hard to pick up a story. My favourite is Myst 3: Exile - recent enough to still have stunning graphics, but before the series got too stereotypical and commercialised. —Vanderdecken∴∫ξ φ 16:45, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you liked Civ I, then you might enjoy Colonization, which is a Sid Meier game exploring the European settlement/invasion of the Americas that was released between Civs I and II and is available as abandonware. I love it to bits and recently went back to it for a very entertaining month of colony building. However in the interests of NPOV, I should point out that you may find it overly micro-managerial, the fact that the only route to victory is to successfully acheive indepdenence too rail-roaded, and the way it models the treatment of Indians (rather stereotypical) and slavery (completely omitted) deeply offensive. --193.38.88.6 09:06, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Good suggestion; I already have it though. -- Mwalcoff 13:34, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm currently addicted to Rome:Total War (well, as addicted as my timetable allows). It's more-or-less historical (always a great plus in my opinion), should just barely run on a 1Ghz machine, allows sweeping world conquest while at the same time being quite challenging on the economic side, and looks gorgeous. If you have any kind of interest in antiquity, try it - you won't be disappointed -- Ferkelparade π 13:45, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And if Rome: Total War won't run on your PC (I very much doubt it), the predecessors Medieval: Total War and Shogun: Total War are also excellent. They combine strategy-scale planning (a bit like Civilization, but simpler) with real-time battles (in the vein of Command & Conquer).

I imagine you probably have more than enough suggestions for all your rainy days! :) — QuantumEleven 17:51, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Myst, the rest of the series, and all the 'knockoffs'. My mom has a lot of fun with those. If your computer is old enough, and you can find copies, 7th Guest and 11th Hour were cool, and so was Lost Eden. Oddworld: Abe's Oddessey sticks out in my memory as well. Course, those are all from, like, the 90's. (Except the Myst stuff) 64.198.112.210 20:21, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I like Theme Hospital, Rollercoaster Tycoon and Civilisation 2: try them. Computerjoe 's talk 20:24, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(no heading)

Dear all, I am translating a book and I need you help. What is silent auction item? Does anybody know?

Have you looked at Silent auction? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:59, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I think it's it. Actually I'm translating from English (Silent auction) into Russian, but just didn't know what it was

Stupid question

Hy you guys! I have a question and i would need an answer as fast as possible. Do airplanes have a key for locking them up, and how do they lock up(if they have a key where is it placed).--Captain ginyu 08:53, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looking at the instrument panel of Cessna 172 (see image), it would seem there is an "ordinary" place for the key in the lower left. –Mysid ^(t) 09:03, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Most aircraft doors do, I called a pilot and asked. Plus the three that that are parked out here do. I can't believe I've worked around thm for 30+ years and never noticed before! CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:08, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, both of you.--Captain ginyu 10:39, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, but what about big planes? Does a 757 have an ignition key and a door lock? Or do they now use keyfobs? --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 17:14, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Didn't Jerry Seinfeld ask this question in the opening to a Seinfeld episode? -- Mwalcoff 18:36, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is it so much better dramatically if the hero steals the airplane with the key and flies it himself than simply forcing the pilot to fly the plane? – b_jonas 18:52, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have been told that tanks do not have keys, and I believe that this is the same for all military equipment. Jon513 19:04, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It would be embarrassing not to have the key when you needed the tank. --Halcatalyst 21:45, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I just another doubt, Do the airplanes have some sort of an ignition key or something that only the pilots carry? So that the air hostess or some of the other crew members couldn't try to start the flight just by watching which buttons the pilot presses everytime he takes off. I know its far-fetched but, just a thought. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 21:40, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At first I laughed like a maniac, but then I realized that I, as an aviation fanatic, cannot answer this with a 100% certainty. However, my answer is a clear NO to all big aircraft. In smaller Cessnas and such, a key is required for IGNITION, exactly like any internal combustion engine. In electrically powered aircraft, there are no keys apart from door-keys and such. 213.161.189.107 22:10, 14 May 2006 (UTC) Henning[reply]

This provides some information on securing aircraft. You need to scroll down. And to Captain ginyu, as you can see this didn't turn out to be a stupid question. I've worked at airports for over 30 years and never even thought about locking up an airplane. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:35, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As far as a large jet like a 747, you don't need one. You can't actually start the aircraft from the pilot's seat. A small car-like machine, called an APU (auxillary power unit, sounds right), comes out to the aircraft and gives power to one engine. Batteries would be too heavy to carry around since they're only needed when starting the aircraft. Once the APU gets one engine going, the other engines are started via the power that is generated from the first engine.

Smaller aircraft like a Cessna 172 are started with a key and have door locks. Dismas|^(talk) 04:21, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, what do you know, we have an article on them... Auxiliary power unit. Dismas|^(talk)

Hmmm, I must always have understood this wrong - Dismas, are you sure about that? As far as I understood it, an APU is an auxilliary turbine mounted in the tail of a large plane, which produces electricity and compressed air when the plane is on the ground (so the lights and instruments can run even when the engines are not running). It's this compressed air which is used to start the main engines. However, I imagine that some external power source (from a truck, or a power plug) is needed to start the APU. Can anyone clear this up? — QuantumEleven 06:05, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

After doing a bit of research I've found that we're both right. I was just hasty in saying that the 747 would need the truck type of APU. There's this link at HowStuffWorks that basically describes what you were saying about a turbine in the tail. Though older jets required a truck type of APU to get their engines started. I made the mistake of using a 747 as an example. Our own article on the Boeing 727 says that it was one of the first to have an on-board APU:

Another innovation was the inclusion of an APU (auxiliary power unit), which allowed electrical and air-conditioning systems to run independent of a ground-based power supply.

Dismas|^(talk) 08:29, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What can i say, CambridgeBayWeather must be right that this is not a stupid question... It's a miracle i even looked again at it after those two answered in the top...--Captain ginyu 11:33, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Silent auction item

What is that?

Please specify your question. From what language are you translating, and what is the word in the original language? –Mysid ^(t) 08:58, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See Silent auction. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:00, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That question recurs periodically. --DLL 19:30, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lauren Bacall

What do they mean by saying that Lauren Bacall was always mixing drinks for Bogie? Are they characters in a film or...? I know that Bacall is a film star, but good god, who is Bogie?

Humphrey Bogart? –Mysid ^(t) 08:59, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think yes, they just called him that way, something like a pet name ) I suppose there should be an article on Bogart in wikipedia. Thank you for such a quick reply )

There is an article, click on the name above. –Mysid ^(t) 09:08, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yup, definitely Humphrey Bogart.—Vanderdecken∴∫ξ φ 16:46, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Effective Ways of Studying

Im sure many of you are quite well educated. In your experience what study methods have you found to be the best? Which methods help the formula and facts stick the best in your head?

Reading. Sorry, couldn't help myself. --Ouro 10:51, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It depends highly on the person. I like to read on a bus or a train – places where I would have to sit still anyway. Somehow it reduces stress and makes concentration easier, as there is nothing else I could do instead. I also read additional material like Wikipedia articles (critically, when they tell things that my books don't). Sometimes I think aloud, sometimes I write about the subject (e.g. in the form of Wikipedia articles :). –Mysid ^(t) 11:22, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Remembering. Henry ^Flower 11:26, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

's somewhat true what Mysid wrote - writing things down makes you work them over in your head, thus enabling you to remember them easier. I do not know where this is from, but I remember a saying - it stuck, and, at least for me, is true: Tell me, and I'll forget; show me, and I'll remember; involve me, and I'll understand. --Ouro 11:44, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The best studying method for you really depends on your own learning style. Generally, people learn better through one or more of 3 different learning channels: visual, auditory, or (for lack of a better term) tactile. In testing, I scored nearly equal in all 3 categories, so my preferred study method might not be right for you.

What I did was that all through the semester, I would be writing down major concepts onto note cards. So, if there were a certain number of identifying symptoms for borderline personality disorder, I would write those on one side of the card and on the other side of the card, I would write "Identifying Factors for Borderline Personality Disorder." Then, in the couple of days preceeding an exam, I would lock myself up in my room with my stack of note cards and spend a few hours lecturing to no one about whatever it was I was studying. When I no longer needed to look at the other side of my notecards while lecturing, I knew I had it down. This method combined visual (writing, reading the cards), auditory (listening to myself talk), and tactile (teaching the material) methods and was by far the most effective technique for me. DavidGC 12:20, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How about mnemonics? They are very helpful for remembering formulae and lots of other stuff. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 12:28, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I completely agree with DavidGC. I read my notes out loud until I can explain my notes (not just recite them without thought). I think this helps because it makes sure that you really understand it. If you don't understand it, you can't explain it. --Think Fast 22:26, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you're studying for an exam and need to memorize stuff for the exam, get up really early (if the exam is in the morning) - like 5 or 6 hours before, and dump-load all your notes into your primary memory by continually reading/cycling through your crib notes as many times as possible.This sounds contradictory to the "get a good night's sleep and then go straight from bed to the exam" advice generally given, but it was actually the advice given to me by my best university supervisor (who said it worked for her). worked pretty well for me. Good, well laid out and neatly written and colour coded, crib notes or notecards are vital of course.Bwithh 22:31, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This works too, especially if you don't have enough time to do a more thorough study spread over a couple of days. I did this the first year or two of my studies and it worked somewhat, though for me it was not quite as effective and the downside was that I was unable to remember most of it a couple months later, whereas I can still remember most of what I studied with the other method. (Retaining the information I learned was at least as important to me as doing well on exams, so any method that helped me remember the information long-term was usually given precedence.) However, each person is different, and the best method for me might not be the best method for someone else. ==DavidGC 03:01, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When learning something "parrot fashion", some of us find it easier to do it backwards - e.g., if you're learning a poem by heart, start by memorising the last line. That way, you end up moving from the newly learned material (the first line, which is still fresh in your mind) to the material you're most familiar with. TheMadBaron 08:56, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can a PDF document be considered a hard copy?

In my simple mind, a hard copy of a document is a printed, ready-to-use version that - to explain it bluntly - cannot easily be altered so that it is not noticeable. Can a secured PDF document, which are AFAIK also not easily altered without proper software [but this would also apply to e. g. Word documents, only Word is much more popular], be considered a hard copy? This is mainly out of curiosity. Thanks for the help. --Ouro 10:42, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To me they are hard copies. Unlike Word documents, PDF's aren't meant to be altered at all. After reading Adobe's pages, I started to doubt even Acrobat could edit PDF's (they don't mention it anywhere). –Mysid ^(t) 11:28, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I had always thought that Acrobat _is_ the tool to edit PDFs with, have never seen or touched it though. I myself, when working on a document, sometimes use Adobe Photoshop, as Photoshop allows you [on a limited scale] to edit and save PDFs. --Ouro 11:41, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Acrobat (not Reader) can be used both to edit PDF documents, and to protect them from further editing. heqs 10:59, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Hard" or "soft" copy refers to the nature of the media carrying the data in question and is not related to whether or not the content can be easily changed. A hard copy is only a printed document and is not a digital copy in any form. Definitions can be found at Wiktionary, at dictionary.com, and at Merriam-Webster Online. A PDF is a soft copy when displayed on your screen or otherwise in its electronic form, but a printed version of that same file is a hard copy. As an example, if someone asks for a hardcopy version of a PDF file, they would be indicating that they want a printed version.DavidGC 12:04, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A good clarification – I shouldn't answer things I know too little about... –Mysid ^(t) 12:17, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed - thank you for the insight, have a lazy Sunday. --Ouro 12:25, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Germs

Is it true there are no more germs on your genitailia than in your mouth??--—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.114.224.62 (talk • contribs) 12:35, 14 May 2006.

I'd say it depends on how recently you last showered/brushed your teeth, as well as what you've been doing with the two parts in question. It may be worth noting, however, that not all bacteria are evil disease-causing monsters. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 13:15, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is a sticky question (sorry, couldn't resist), as it really depends on the hygenic conditions of the individual's mouth and genitals, as well as the medical condition of the person in question. It is possible to contract a disease from the secretions of genitalia regardless of how thoroughly they have been cleaned, and there are some diseases that can be transmitted in this way that would not normally be transmitted through the mouth without the presence of oral bleeding. IANAMD however, and am not familiar with any studies that have compared cultures gathered from genitalia vs. cultures gathered form the mouth for levels of pathogens, so perhaps someone else can give a more definitive answer or point you in the right direction. On that note, you may wish to ask this question over at the science desk. DavidGC 13:22, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The amount of germs is less important than the type of germs. I would thousands of harmless (or good) germs over one pathogen any day. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:35, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Becoming a Rasta?

How do I, as a white man officially convert to Rastafari? Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.71.14.79 (talk • contribs)

As there is no centralised Rastafari organisation, there is no official method of conversion to Rastafarianism, irrespective of race. Oldelpaso 15:22, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So, how do Rastafarians become Rastafarians in the first place? Is it 'simply' a matter of accepting and following the Rasta teachings and way of life and identifying yourself as a Rasta? --84.71.14.79 16:54, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, man - you gotta accept Jah's love with your own heart and soul. Fix yourself up some natty dreads, burn some herb and kick back and chill to some smooth, smooth reggae grooves. Of course, you don't have to do that to be Rasta but given the choice, why wouldn't you? :)

Don't matter if you're black, white, red, yellow or bright green - Jah love is one love. --212.126.156.103 17:41, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

FWIW, where I live the country's best-known rasta is of Hungarian/white South African descent. We are all one in Jah's eyes. Grutness...wha? 07:19, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See the external links at Rastafari movement and Mansions of Rastafari for more information. --Metropolitan90 03:40, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

need article on binuclear families

we have nuclear family to describe married couples, but there needs to be the addition of binuclear families,

there are already a few places online using the term

http://www.bcfwp.org/Conference_papers/AhronsPaper03.doc

http://www.successfulstepfamilies.com/ecommerce.php/mode/view/id/15

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393306224?v=glance

http://www.ipfw.edu/phil/faculty/Strayer/Ethics%202%20Divorce.ppt

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1893033&dopt=Abstract

http://www.divorce90210.com/article-gooddivorce.htm

http://www.wycan.org/pressarchive.html

http://constanceahrons.com/the%20good%20divorce.htm

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6251458.html

and even in current college lesson plans http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=13319

Looks like you've pulled together some sources and know a bit about the subject, so perhaps you could write a stub if you think it's needed. If you're not comfortable authoring an article yourself, you can request that it be added by adding "binuclear families" to the first section ("Anthropology, Sociology, Class Structure") of this page. --DavidGC 17:54, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

MothersDay

When did Mothers begin?

Presumably, mothers began sometime after the beginning of women and about the same time as the advent of children, though the actual date is unknown. Information about the history of Mother's Day, can be found here. DavidGC 18:17, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd say "mothers began" with the evolution of sex. Before that, there were parents, but no fathers or mothers. —Keenan Pepper 20:16, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

^That, was funny!! :-D Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 21:36, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh dear... you might as well try to answer these questions:

1)What came first, the chicken or the egg?

2)When or what is the origin of language? Luthinya 11:21, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

1) If 'the egg' is defined as a chicken egg and a chicken egg is defined as an egg from which a chicken hatches, then the egg. If a chicken egg is defined as an egg laid by a chicken, then the chicken. If 'the egg' simply means an egg, then the egg was first.

2) The origin of language is the conditions from which language first arose. This happened about the time language was arising. Some people think it arose as a form of social grooming, to replace nit-picking (...) and was possible because of the slight synesthetic abilities of most of the human race, meaning that some words/sounds would be easily understandable immediately. Skittle 15:40, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Risky business

Does anyone know what the World record is for the highest INAUGURAL parachute jump? I'm looking to do something for charity and would like it to be different (to say the least!) Plenty of people do a parachute jump or tandem skydive. Thanks for any help. Simon

Hmmmm, I dont know the answer but I have a question related to this. Whats an inaugaral parachute jump? ( No joke intended or anything, Its a genuine doubt.) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 19:16, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's "inaugural" as in first ever. Can't find the answer though but here's some records that you could try for. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 19:36, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So, Hes asking the height of the first ever parachute jump? or what? Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 19:45, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I'm confused too. If it's the first ever jump, then whatever height it was would be the inaugural height record. Or are you talking about the the highest first jump by any one person? JackofOz 19:52, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think he means the highest jump of anyone's first time --Codeblue87 20:07, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, I think Codeblue is right. If thats the case, this makes for a very interesting question.But if you are gonna do it for the first time, you'd need a license to do a solo jump from a certain height, you need to jump from lower heights first to earn the license. And the license is for the effects of low oxygen at the higher altitudes, which I am sure would need special training first jumping off from lower heights. Of course, you could just jump from a very high height to make sure that the records yours, but you would most probably pass out in mid-air, which i might add is the major cause of death for most of the sky-divers. This didnt probably answer your question, but best of luck anyways. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 21:34, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, but how would he get get to that height without his licence? A 747's out, as we found out a couple of weeks ago.

I've never understood the whole sponsored charity event thing. Just ask people for the money, don't jump off anything, and add the money you save to the pot. Henry ^Flower 21:56, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do you really need a license? This would seem to indicate not but I would expect that you would need one to be an instructor. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:13, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The original question does not specify a particular country, and I'm doubtful that every country that has parachuting would require a license. DavidGC 02:06, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, I thought i read in an book that every sky diver required to have a license. Oh, well I suppose i could be wrong. But still, if he was going to jump off some great heights, he should get some kind of practise, secretly atleast. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 05:03, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It might be useful to research the first and second world wars. There must have been a case when someone like an army general on a transport flight, or a journalist, or an untrained observer had to bail out when the plane was hit. --Howard Train 11:42, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Any Tips?

Hii,

I am leaving off to Kuwait this saturday and probably stay there for a month or so, and I was wondering if anyone could have any tips about how to deal with the local people over there. And what things I shouldn't do so that I dont invertently(?) offend anyone.? The article doesn't give all that information. And also any suggestions about what kind of clothes I should wear over there. My dad's already there and hes telling me that the temparature is almost 50 Degrees centigrade. So, any suggestions? Thanks a lot! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 21:47, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For this sort of information, you're probably better off checking out Wikipedia's sister project, a travel guide called Wikitravel. The page on Kuwait is here: http://wikitravel.org/en/Kuwait. Have a great trip! --Canley 03:28, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, Thanks a lot for that. Thats a great site. But it doesn't tell what to wear, or does it? Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 05:08, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Two questions

I have 2 questions. 1. The bridesmaid looked at the young man seated at table 6 (does that mean that at American marriages all tables are ennumerated?)

2. those gray number 10 envelopes terrified me because I was in debts (why gray, what is number 10?)

Thank you

1) yes, guests are assigned to a specific table. unlike foreigners, we disdain chaotic celebrations. 2) not sure why gray. #10 is a standard business-size envelope in the U.S. --Nelson Ricardo 22:03, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much for the information )

Numbering the tables at wedding receptions is a popular thing in the U.S. It is supposed to help the guests mingle and the two families get to know each other. A table will usually have some members from the grooms side of the family with some from the bride's. Dismas|^(talk) 04:09, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Alternately, I've been to a number of weddings (in Canada) where tables were numbered (or places were otherwise identified) to put similar groupings together; for instance, friends from the groom's work at one table, the the bride's relatives from her mother's side at another and so on. The theory, I reckon, is that people who know each other are the most likely to want to chat anyways, and that this is the most fun for the guests. (The only weddings I've been at that mix the tables, I was in a "remainder" (e.g. 14 school friends, but tables of 8 mean one table with 6 school friends and two others), or the newlyweds were trying to set up a couple.) --ByeByeBaby 04:28, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Job of the drummer..?

Hii,

I just got this doubt while listening to Snow Patrol's You Could Be Happy. Many bands perform the acustic versions of the songs and sometimes record entire albums of them. And I was wondering what does the drummer during the whole album? Does he just sit around ans watch the proceedings? And in that case does he get his share of the money from the album? And do they mention his name in the list of band members in the leaflet inside the album? And since everyone in the band does not play an instrument or sing or anything, can they still call themselves by the same name they got by, or think of a new name? (I know the question is weird, but this 'is the Misc. reference desk, right? ;-D) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 22:01, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some versions of acoustic songs may include the drummer playing the drums as well. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:10, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or the drummer could play softer percussion instruments to go along with the acoustic instruments. For example, the drummer could play drum set for the regular version and bongos for the acoustic version. —Keenan Pepper 23:06, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The drummer does was drummers usually do - hangs around with the musicians from rock 'n' roll bands... :)

Oh, What about the songs with only acoustic guitars. I've heard entire albums without drums. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 05:06, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Almost all of the band spend almost all of their time hanging around, or somewhere else completely. Much modern music is recorded over and over, one instrument at a time. So even in a rock track, the drummer might play the drum track once, then perhaps the bassist, listening on headphones to the drum track, adds the bass. Now the guitarist, perhaps for weeks on end, and finally the singer. It's rare (but not unknown) for a studio recording to just be the band sitting down to play all together. Whether the band sit all around is going to depend on their commitments, how much they like one another, and whether the pub is open. Sometimes an album is recorded without the individual musicians ever meeting. Notinasnaid 07:41, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, cool. I didnt know that! Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 16:38, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Talent Agents

Could you please tell what do they do in a talent agency? and who is a talent agent )

See Category:Talent and literary agencies and Category:Talent agents. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:28, 14 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Basically, a talent agent helps people find jobs, especially in the entertainment industry. If someone is looking for people to be in a movie or play or whatever they will call a talent agency, describe the type of person they are looking for (male/female, old/young, etc.) and the agent will provide a list of that agent's clients. Dismas|^(talk) 04:05, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Back in the day

And also what can it mean% If you are telling stories from back in the day (I am interested in the second part)

It means a story from a long time ago.

Normally, it is 'back in my day', as in grandpa telling stories to the kids about walking to school 10 miles through 10 ft snowdrifts. --Zeizmic 12:59, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have often encountered, or used, "Back in the day". In fact, more often than 'Back in my day', since it tends to be used semi-ironically to refer to a past time, so is used by a wider variety of people. I remember, back in the day, when people reported excitedly about the information superhighway... Possibly short for 'back in the days (when)' Skittle 15:34, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 15

Trip to Japan

Question copied from the Japan-related topics notice board

What would be the most likely, and surprising, aspect of living in Japan for the first time? I don't know what to expect and being American, I am a little nervous. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.26.104.217 (talk • contribs)

I'll give a short answer for now. The biggest obvious shock will be language. It is extremely easy to function in Japan knowing nothing but English, though while it will generally be enough to get you what you want walking around in the cities, it won't always be easy to communicate/make friends with normal people. If you're the type of person that gets lonely quickly you might want to find out the local foreigner spots where you'll likely find people similar to you.
There's no reason to be nervous though, it's as safe, clean, and welcoming a country as the US is (most Japanese are petrified about going to the US, thinking it like a virtual warzone) and if you keep an open mind about little things (like little grey things in your food that you've never seen before, and of course, the Japanese toilets) then you should be able to have an enjoyable stay. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 00:23, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Japan is a great place to visit and to live, and Japanese culture is fascinating and I'm sure the average Japanese is nice and polite, but honestly, the biggest shock to an American may be the "Japanese Only"/"No non-Japanese allowed" signs found publicly displayed at the entrance of some entertainment establishments such as saunas or restaurants. This may be disconcerting, but remember that multiculturalism and ethnic mixing is relatively new to Japan. (and I would say that Japan is significantly safer and cleaner than the US) Bwithh 00:25, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Now I'm not going to defend Japan on this, but according to the (now famous) Debito Arudo, there are only 15 such locations in Japan (out of tens of thousands), and of those I'm not sure how many would actually inforce it if you were well behaved. Besides, those are all in the most remote rural (and backward) places in Japan, and I doubt he'll be heading into that. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 05:30, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmmm... my friend who just got back from Tokyo 2 months ago, said he saw several of these kind of places in the city. He didn't go anywhere rural. Bwithh 22:23, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also the Debito Arudo article says that there are 15 locations given as photograph examples on his website, not that there are only 15 in Japan!. Bwithh 22:25, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Um, just went to his website, and there are more than 15 examples now and some of the examples are in places like Tokyo.Bwithh 22:29, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I must assume that the places you are referring to have not gone legal with their un-warranted entry rules. The locations Arudo was initially listing had gained legal permission to refuse non-Japanese citizens, which is very different than an establishment that just has a pissed off 90 year old manager. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 06:29, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I might add, as for the toilet customs, the same applies for German toilets found around the Soviet-line (Erzgebirge and such). I was absolutely horrified anyone would make such toilets, it was as if perhaps Gestapo designed them to be able to analyze your poo and check for any anti-socialist activity. My reaction to seeing the Japanese ones were nothing short of shock.

I would suggest the racial ~~homogenity~~ ~~homogeneousness~~ lack of variety. If you're used to somewhere like the US where you always see a mixture of black, white, asian people etc, it's a little weird when everyone you see is the same. But the real weidness comes after a few weeks when you catch yourself thinking "woah, a foreigner" after seeing one on a train.

And even worse when you see the same foreigner and think "gaijin!" :) — QuantumEleven 17:54, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The thing I find most disconcerting about japan is the objectifiacation of tweenage school girls as sex symbols. Philc _T^E_C^I 20:18, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've been to Japan a number of times, and I have personally found more than 15 "No Gaijin" clubs. Mostly near ports the US Navy (or US Military in general) visits. As to the toilets, look for the handicap-friendly stall if there is one, and carry your own TP!

BigFatDave 23:35, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Snugglies

Hallo dear all! One more question, what is Snugglies? Didn't manage to find it

Looking up the term on dictionary.com revealed no matches, though searching for it at ask.com got several hits. Can you give us the context in which it was used? --DavidGC 03:37, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, it is Snugglis, it should be some kind for a game for kids, according to the context (Have a baby - be ready for Snugglis)

Snugli is a brand of baby carrier manufactured by Evenflo. You can find more information about it here. From the Google search I ran, it looks like it is commonly misspelled snuggli. The correct plural form of this product would be Snuglis though I am seeing a lot of occurrences online of people referring to them as Snugglis, which would be a logical (though incorrect) way to spell it. --DavidGC 04:17, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Snuggle means hug. Thus snugglies are something that are to be hugged, or maybe hug themselves. I imagine it's some sort of children's product, plush brand or something. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 05:48, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

bett

One more question, if anybody can tell. I see in the same book, she made a scene worth Bett Davis (what grounds for such a comparison?!

Please be clear and specific with your question and sign your question with --~~~~ --DavidGC 04:23, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect you mean a scene "worthy of Bette Davis". Davis was an actress "renowned for her intense, forceful personae and artistic versatility". --Shantavira 07:59, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Red Fox

I would like to know if red foxes live in the Patagonian desert. 68.237.175.21 04:20, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Culpeo, which lives in Patagonia, is sometimes called a "red fox" (zorro colorado), though it is a different species than the Red Fox. --Cam 04:46, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

[strike Strictly speaking, it is not a different species], but a different genus (the branch superior to species). The Culpeo (Pseudalopex culpaeus) belongs to Pseudalopex, the red fox (vulpes vulpes) belonging to Vulpes. They are both canines, being in the family Canidae. Nitpicking scores! 213.161.190.228 10:17, 15 May 2006 (UTC) Henning[reply]

In what sense is that not a different species? I don't get it. --Cam 12:52, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I thought it best to specify that despite the Culpeo being NICKED "red fox", it is only as related to foxes as, say, a wolf is. It is a different species the way we normally use the word "species", but I used the word according to Scientific Classification. That way, different "species" are Red fox/Arctic fox, while different "genus" are Pseudalopex/Vulpes (respectively the different genus for the Culpeo and the red fox). Henning 13:33, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Business question

I'm not too well versed in business speak, and I'm trying to figure out the relationship of a company and it's subsidiaries ... in Japan.

I'm pretty sure it's arranged like this:

Watanabe Production Group

Watanabe Productions Co., Ltd.

Watanabe Entertainment Co., Ltd.

many others...

Group info More profile info

What I can't really figure out is what the Watanabe Production Group exists as. Should I expect any entity called Watanabe Production Group or is it just a phrase they are using to classify all of the related companies? If so, does that make Watanabe Productions Co., Ltd. the parent company of all the others?

Also, Watanabe Entertainment was created in 2000, and seems to be a split off of Watanabe Productions (or Watanabe Production Group). I think it's rather safe to assume that they are trying to use an Americanized system, though it would appear that way primarily just on the surface. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 05:39, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, don't refer me to the English wiki articles, because I'm the one who wrote them - -;;. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 05:40, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Generally speaking, the "Group" organization would include the upper executive management team and their support staff, who collectively oversee all subsidiary companies within the broader organization. There should be a CEO, General Manager, or some other such titled position in each of the subsidiary companies, such as Watanabe Productions Co., Ltd., but each of these people would ultimately report to someone in the management team at Watanabe Production Group. (Note, I am not familiar with this organization. This is merely a generalization based on my own experiences within my own organization and in working with several Japanese companies. For example, I do business with someone in New Zealand who is CEO of a subsidiary company of a "group" company located in Tokyo, and their overall corporate structure is as I've described. For family-owned companies, the original family members generally maintain ownership of the "Group" company through share holdings, and the other companies remain subsidiaries of the "Group." Thus, when one of them dies, ownership is passed to next of kin, while the subsidiary companies and their management teams remain undisturbed.) --DavidGC 08:48, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ok thanks. That's exactly what they seem to be, a family company, and Watanabe is just one of the thousands of oversized super-companies in Japan, so I'm sure a generalization wouldn't be that far off.
Through all appearances though, it appears that Misa Watanabe (who is one of the original founders) is the Director/GM, though all sources list her as the head of Productions Inc., Ltd., which leads me to believe that "Production Group" is just a moniker for all of the related companies under the family name. I'll try to look a little bit further into the family. Thanks again. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 06:18, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where can I find an online article database

I remember once coming across an online database that stored hundreds of thousands of articles on all subjects, but I can't seem to find it any more.

I ask because I'm doing a university assignment on Princess Mary of Denmark, and I need to analyse an article written about her which ideologically positions the reader. I can remember having to write something similar in Year 12, and the article was written about the royal wedding - by a middle-aged woman, who was just gushing on and on about how it was such a magical fairytale. If I could find that article again, this essay will be an absolute breeze. Battle Ape 11:03, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It just struck me so hard... is Crown Princess Mary of Denmark of any help? Probably not. Was this an English article? Could you explain what "ideologically positions the reader" means in this context? Henning 11:16, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know myself, so this will be a fun assignment. It was the kind of wishy-washy "Fairytale wedding" article you'd find in Woman's Weekly. Don't worry, though, I think I've found a good danish substitute. (And the wikipedia article would be no good because it's supposed to be NPOV). Battle Ape 14:08, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Distance Learning Institution Recommendations

I know I have already placed this request a few weeks back on another FAQ, but since the response has been somewhat unfruitful I have decided to try once more. Does anyone know of an English (and by that I mean imparting its courses in Enlgish) distance learning/open university institution that allows under-18s to study Mathematics and Physics- with other related subjects- until the Bachelor's Degree? It would be great if the fee was fairly cheap and affordable also- our purse is kind of tight at the moment and I am not yet certain of my venture. Still I hope all turns well. I'm a teenage Chinese girl studying in a private school with Great Britain, if that helps. Luthinya 11:18, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I did a little ringing around for you. Norwegian universities (if you want to travel abroad) are as cheap as they come, while still holding a rather high standard. Basically, you do not pay to enter the school (perhaps a fee of up to... max $100 for one period (two periods in a year), not even that. Food and shelter is not covered, but as a compensation, food and shelter aren't always the cheapest things in Norway. I'd say a typical student's flat could cost you... well, $400-700 per month. Dormatories (is that how it's spelt?) usually come in far cheaper, and sharing the commodities and/or bedroom, you might get as low as $300 or so, at least I have seen such prices.

BUT, and there are a few big buts (pun intended, because I am cheap): If you are to enter a Norwegian university, you have to prove that you have education equivalent to high school. If I did not misunderstand the lady on the phone, Chinese students need to show the equivalent of high school plus a year on university. As you are studying in Great Britain, I have no idea what rules apply, but you should probably be able to send in a request for special evaluation. The perhaps biggest but (pun intended, again) is that at LEAST NTNU (one of the universities) do not teach maths/physics Bachelor level in English, only Master. I think the same applies for the other universities, but I am not sure. The best thing for you to do, if interested, might be to send a swift email with some questions.

Here are links to some Norwegian universities:

www.uio.no (biggest, located in the capital, some expensive flats)
www.uit.no (far to the north, gets cold during winter)
www.uib.no (geographically closest to you, with ferries travelling Bergen-Newcastle)
www.ntnu.no (squat in the middle of Norway, emphasizing on maths/physics)

Good luck! Henning 12:11, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Two edit conflicts in a row!

The Open University are highly-regarded in the UK and most courses have no age requirements and fees of a few hundred pounds. Otherwise, I recommend asking around your local colleges to see if they will allow you to do a Higher National Diploma - the credits invested in an HND can be put towards a degree later on. There is probably a careers advisor at your school , and if you talk to them they should be able to help. Even if there isn't, there will be a local careers service who can give you the same information. Your school will have the information. Good luck. --Howard Train 12:13, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you're not a UK or EU permanent resident, however, the OU fees are much higher- generally about 1400 pounds per course. Henry ^Flower 22:51, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The University of South Africa is a entirely distance- learning university, with fully recognised degrees. Total cost for an undergraduate BSc in mathematics about 110 US$ a year. The low cost is partly to try to enable tertiary education for as many as are able in post-apartheid SA. Requirements would be about an British A-level, I think, but I see O-level is mentioned for some special courses. See Admission requirements for foreign students. I have not heard of age being any factor in being admitted for a course, only your prior qualifications. --Seejyb 21:34, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much, these advice have been greatly appreciated. The only problems are that my school demands upon me upon full-time education so I can't really wander off to Norway... and it doesn't really approve of girls studying formally in material beyond their years, although I have recently achieved an A* in an A-level mock my maths teacher gave me in jest. None of this is intended to impress anybody, it merely shows my desperation in attempting to achieve formally in a level of education fitted to the efficiencies of my didactism without having to be constantly pursued within the anxieties of autodidactism. If my school does not formally approve it is unlikely that my dad will approve of an Yr 8's somewhat indeterminate whims either- in fact, I am beginning to wonder if it in reality of excellent judgment to consider these alternatives at all. Luthinya 21:39, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You don't need the school's permission to do the Open University courses. Maybe also contact the Further Mathematics Network or the Millenium Mathematics Project to see if they will connect you with tutors/mentors who can give you specialized higher level online teaching. When did they introduce "A*" grades for A-level? Bwithh 22:20, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You should ask my grade 8 teacher. He was the one who marked the paper and gave it the A* status. Luthinya 11:53, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cows' milk/dairy farming

A friend of a friend, who is a vegan, says that he doesn't drink cow milk (and presumably other kinds) because the cows are impregnated, they carry the calf/ves until they start producing milk, and then the calves are killed (either by abortion or slaughtered after they're born, I don't know which). This smelled a bit fishy to me, because I'd never heard anything about it, and it would seem impractical to impregnate the cows so much (couldn't hormones be used?). The article on Dairy farming says "Most dairy farms sell the male calves borne by their cows", which suggests that although the impregnation method is used there's no killing involved. So:

In dairy farming, are the calves borne by the dairy cows killed?
Wouldn't it be possible to use hormones to induce milk production?

Thanks lads/ladettes. Sum0 14:37, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You say "Most dairy farms sell the male calves borne by their cows", which suggests that although the impregnation method is used there's no killing involved.

Now, what do you think happens to all these male calves? Do you think they get sold as pets to loving families? Or do you think they're used as veal? If you have a herd of cows and want them to produce milk all the time, and enlarge your herd, you need them to give birth every so often. You could inject them with hormones, but then you wouldn't get the female calves (which you want) and you would be injecting hormones into your foodsource. I don't know how it is in America, but in Britain it is illegal to inject certain hormones (like growth hormones) and antibiotics into dairy cows. This may come under that.

So yes, thousands of young cows are a byproduct of the dairy industry. They are made into veal, ie killed, because what else are you going to do with them? And if you do not eat veal, but eat/drink dairy products, then the veal will be exported. Certainly this used to happen through shiploads of live calves being transported in horrific conditions, but I don't know if that's true anymore. They may be slaughtered in Britain now and the meat exported, but I don't know. Skittle 15:19, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I always love these arguments, because they can go on forever: If we didn't use any products of domesticated farm animals, they would go extinct. Would they be happy with that? Could we feed everybody with veggies, and no animals? Why eat farm products at all, since the fields displace forests? --Zeizmic 15:29, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well yes, but if you're not eating meat specifically because you don't agree with killing animals for food, it would be hypocritical to consume dairy products. If you were vegetarian for other reasons, or had no problem eating veal, then it is different. If you're not eating meat because of fields displacing forests, then you need to find another way to feed humanity. If you imagine that milk is produced in a milk factory and nothing is killed, then you are sadly mistaken. Incidentally, my brother's goal in life is to find an alternative use for pigs so that he can run a pig farm without having to kill them :-) Maybe someone needs to do the same for cows. Skittle 16:52, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What, does he just enjoy the smell of a pig farm ? I know of one non-lethal use for pigs, they can be used to sniff out truffles, a fungus considered to be a delicacy. This method of finding truffles is used in France. They could also be raised to be sold as pets (particularly Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs) or used in making movies. StuRat 03:29, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

He just likes pigs. I think he was thinking more mass-production than truffle hunting, and more sustainable than the film business. Pets would be his favourite, but he'd have to restart the trend and really persuade people to buy them and keep them when they grew up. We're wondering about pig dairy farming, but what to do with all the young boars? Skittle 10:30, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pig milk sounds rather unappetizing. It would have to taste better and/or be healthier for him to sell it, especially as it would likely be more expensive than cow's milk, since dairy farmers have bred cows and perfected techniques for maximum production over centuries. StuRat 15:48, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not vegetarian (though I wouldn't mind cutting out some/all meat), so the question is moot, but I suppose I'm not too comfortable with the idea of milk being responsible for killing widdle baby cows. But I eat grown up cows, so I guess that's just hypocritical. So the majority of male calves born from dairy cows in Britain are used for veal? I hadn't thought of that. Some research [28] suggests that some calves are raised for veal in the UK, presumably some are exported to Europe for veal (now that the beef ban has lifted) and some are "likely to face an early death." So I suppose that wraps that up. Thanks! Sum0 17:15, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Since my girlfriend works in the dairy industry in the U.S., I have some knowledge of what goes on over here. If the calf is a female it is either raised and added to the herd or sold to a farm that will add it to their herd. Male calves are sold. I've never asked where/who they're sold to or what purpose their sold for though. Dismas|^(talk) 05:19, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"If we didn't use any products of domesticated farm animals, they would go extinct." That's an interesting assertion. Is there any reasoning behind it, or is it from the same school of thought as "if we didn't milk them, they'd explode"? BTW, I think everyone should stop milking mosquitos immediately. TheMadBaron 09:13, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can't think they'd go extinct. Wild boars can live quite happily on their own, chickens are just a kind of pigeon, cows eat grass and have no predators... sure, a lot would die, but extinct? I don't think so. Sum0 18:13, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The domesticated versions of most animals likely could not survive on their own. For example, domestic chickens typically can't fly well, as that was not a goal of the breeders. This would make it difficult for them to escape predators and survive on their own. (While there are natural flightless birds, they typically have some other way to avoid predators, like being huge enough to defend themselves, fast enough to run away, or living in Antarctica, where there are no natural predators.) StuRat 06:13, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Voting on Wikipedia

Where can I vote for administrators on Wikipedia?--Porsche997SBS 19:30, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Go to Requests for Adminship, but make sure to familarize yourself with the voting guidelines. -Mysekurity^[m!] 20:53, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks!--Porsche997SBS 21:38, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Football edit: accurate?

Is this edit, made by an anon (the IP address's only edit), accurate? --zenohockey 19:33, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can confirm that Green was a Freshman at Nebraska in 1995 and find his rushing total of 1086 yds [29], but I don't see anything specifically stating that he was the leading rusher (and with Nebraska being such a running-oriented team, with ~400 yds/gm rushing, it's possible he wasn't). However, in the absence of contrary rushing totals, I'd let it stand. 20:48, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

New born Foals

Someone told me that new born foals are born with full size legs. That is the length at birth is the length at maturity. I tried to find out this information but obviously I'm not looking in the right place. Can you let me know where to find this information or just let me know if this is accurate?

Foal has some pictures. Their legs look smaller than their mothers', but maybe every generation gets smaller and smaller, so that soon the animal lovers' cry will be "Don't step on the horses!" --Zeizmic 22:14, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Inaccurate. You can tell someone the following: A young horse has epiphyseal growth plates in all the long bones (see illustration at [30]). These are growing areas where bone gets added on to the existing formed bone making the long bones longer. These fuse (stop growing and disappear as recognisable growth regions) at different ages for different breeds, in fillies sooner than in colts. Until all the leg bones have fused, leg length increases with age. After that the bones can only get thicker. --Seejyb 18:03, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

baby greens

What kind of food is baby greens? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 83.237.40.68 (talk • contribs) .

Well, since they are a type of salad, baby greens would be a vegetable. SCHZMO ✍ 21:23, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Deleting a raft of unused templates

I've found about 50 or so templates which are unused, but the current means of proposing templates for deletion is unwieldy and unsuitable. What should I do? Fake User 21:34, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You don't need to do anything. They aren't hurting anyone. Henry ^Flower 22:43, 15 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for removing them! Fake User 00:01, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 16

love

What you would call this love when a male student like the female teacher?

A school-boy crush. User:Zoe|^(talk) 02:14, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A tabloid goldmine. Howard Train 02:25, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fear

I really enjoy painting, drawing and writing, but I can't seem to get over this strange fear. I have this great idea in my head and I can see exactly how I want something, but I soon as I start, if something is not perfect I get frustrated. I know practice makes perfect and don't worry about mistakes and blah blah. I'm afraid to start because what if it's not perfect? This is causing me to never finish anything... The preceeding unsigned comment was added by 172.192.133.64 at 03:21, 16 May 2006.

On your next attempt, instead of trying to make a perfect piece of art, don't try to make a piece of art at all. Instead, paint or draw only as an experiment designed to allow you to discover the areas in which you are most likely to make mistakes. Once you have gotten the feel for which sorts of areas you are most likely to error (and you may have to paint a few projects in order to find this pattern), then and ONLY then, try painting a piece similar to one that you did before, and see how many attempts it takes before you begin to see improvement. --DavidGC 02:49, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In relation to writing, creating Wikipedia articles is good therapy for that fear. You can be guaranteed that no matter what you write about some subject that we don't yet have an article about, someone will come along and change it (hopefully for the better), and then you can continue the process. Making a start is just one step, but it makes a significant psychological difference between having started and not having started, and it gives you energy and motivation to make the next step, and the next ... JackofOz 03:02, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also see obsessive-compulsive disorder and perfectionism (psychology), especially the External Links section on each. --zenohockey 03:07, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A technique that I was taught: The Ten-Minute Mess: Draw a recognisable picture of a given theme, in ten minutes. Be strict about the timing. You are not allowed to erase or add anything after that. Then look at it and see if you can do better in a second 10min session. And so on, increasing the time when you feel you can. You are supposed to learn that, while no perfectionist is ever really satisfied, you can start and finish things within the time constraints that your life imposes on you, i.e. realistic atandards and expectations. Unfortunately I have no reference for this, and I don't see how this can be applied to writing. --Seejyb 21:32, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Unsigner, you have to disappear. When you feel beauty and try to express it, the only impediment is you. Do not try to remember techniques, remember beauty. --DLL 19:00, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's wonderful advice! I concur 100%. Practice the other suggestions when you want to practice so that, with better honed skills, you can better disappear when inspiration comes. It's like you're a lense and the more you polish yourself the less imperfections will be all over your beautiful creation. -LambaJan 00:23, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest you draw several versions, each hopefully an improvement on the previous, until it's "good enough". That way, if you mess up any particular version, it's no big deal, that just becomes a "practice" drawing. I believe many famous artists used this method, starting with very crude sketches. I use this method for writing, too. Fortunately, it's now much easier to revise each version on computer than when I used pen and paper. Don't believe me ? Check out the history on my diseconomies of scale article, which I revised some 19 times, along with improvements from others. StuRat 07:43, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Your local price of gasoline

I thought I would take a poll on a topic of current interest: What is the price of gasoline/petrol in the country where you live? I found figures for some countries, it helps a lot if you know what the local media will call it and how they measure it. I started a table in the "Usage and pricing" section of the article gasoline which everyone can add to and the curious can ponder. -- Beland 03:04, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here in Florida it's three dollars a gallon and we're all whining about it (even though I understand it's a lot more in some countries). —Keenan Pepper 03:35, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm confident your intent is for people to quote from media sources in their respective countries for this information, but there's going to be a strong tendency for people to contribute data to the table by running down to the local service station and checking the price, which would qualify as original research. As a result, you'll probably need to keep a close editing eye on this to ensure it's properly sourced. (Sorry, I know I'm not really answering your question, just offering a note of caution.) --DavidGC 03:37, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In my home town, which is in Southern Finland, the average price is 1.375 € per liter or 6.70 USD per US gallon. I agree that such a table would be difficult to maintain and verify. –Mysid ^(t) 07:05, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In India, a litre of petrol costs around 50 rupees. So, i guess thats about 1$ and 20 cents per litre. Oh, man..guess i should start learning to walk again now... :-) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 07:17, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

About £0.97 - £0.99 per litre, depending on the type & where you get it. That's for the U.K., specifically England as there is some variation throughout the U.K. Bear in mind though that about 75% of that price goes to the government in tax. AllanHainey 08:18, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's US$6.90 - US$7.04 per US gallon, just out of interest. Diesel fuel is running slightly more expensive. Tonywalton | Talk 11:46, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In Norway, it's bouncing in the vicinity of $2,5 per liter (10/38th of a gallon I think). Strangely though, among all the countries in Europe, the mean Norwegian is the one who has to be at work for the least time to buy... well, it was some certain amount that I can't remember. Apprx 10 hours for an Italian, 4-5 for a Norwegian.

Last time I took the bus past a gasstation it was around 11-12 kroner per liter, which is around US$1,8-2,0, so I have to question your calculation of $2,5 per liter [31][32]. --E ivind ^t ^@^c 02:01, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In south Texas, U.S., I paid $2.73 (£1.45) a gallon for diesel a few days ago. If I've calculated correctly, that's about 0.72¢ (0.38p) a liter. —Wayward ^Talk 09:05, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here in New Zealand, petrol is $NZ1.70/litre (that would be about $US1.20 or UK65p/litre or $US4.50/gallon US - about the same as India, by the sound of it). Diesel is a lot less, ($NZ1.24 litre, converts to US86c or UK45p/litre or $US3.25/gallon) but there's an additional road tax on diesel vehicles (charged by distance) which evens the cost out to about the same amount. Grutness...wha? 09:43, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is that an additional tax on all diesel vehicles (such as cars) or only on commercial ones? Rmhermen 15:57, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All diesels. My car is a diesel and I have to pay it. Grutness...wha? 01:56, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In Candada it looks like it's running at CAN$1.04 litre or CAN$4.73 (US$4.08-$4.25) a gallon. Which means that at the moment our prices are not too bad compared to the rest of the country. We only get gas here once a year and means by the delivery time in late August it will be getting close to $1.50 litre - $6.83 gallon. I wonder what it would be like in someplace like Kugaaruk, Nunavut where there the gas is flown in or if we didn't get it subsidised. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:31, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's $4.73 an imperial gallon. In US gallons, it's Can$3.94 or U$3.53. -- Mwalcoff 22:34, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, you're getting a deal. It's $1.21 per litre in Vancouver, BC.--Shandon 23:15, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might want to use this site as a source: http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices/price.html . That way we avoid the whole OR problem. --E ivind ^t ^@^c 02:07, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here in Sorrento, Australia it's $1.40 a litre.

Guiness World Record citation please

I am sure that someone out there has the Guiness Book of World Records. In the Cane Toad article, there is a claim that the Guiness World Records contains the size of the largest Cane Toad. Could someone verify this, and give me the information neccesary for me to cite this claim (title, publisher, edition, page it is on, authors (?) & ISBN). Thankyou --liquidGhoul 05:45, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Someone else may be able to answer this question, but if you need an answer immediately, you could try checking at the Adamstown or Hamilton libraries for the 2005 edition of this book. It appears that the book is currently checked out from the Newcastle city library, but it is on the shelves at Adamstown and Hamilton. If you're writing a scholarly article, you should probably do this to be safe anyway, as not actually looking inside the book yourself can be a bit risky. --DavidGC 08:19, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Don't know why a library didn't cross my mind, I am in one almost every day! I just checked the uni library, and they have one. So I will check that out in the next couple days. Thanks --liquidGhoul 09:09, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

whakatane

im 11yrs old and have to rind the island 80kg north of whakatane any one konw

See our article on White Island.-gadfium 09:07, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Anotations in Wordpad

Is there anyway to annotate in Wordpad? I mean the kind where you go through the article and there are numbers above occasional phrases, and down the bottom all the numbers have citations for the phrases. You know what I mean; Wikipedia articles use this style of referencing, I just don't know what it's called. I need to know how to do it in Wordpad.

While you can do this in Wordpad manually, by typing in the reference numbers in the text, and then adding the proper references at the bottom. However, it's tedious, and you have go through the numbering again if you ever insert one in the middle. Automatic references are a thing of advanced word processors - Microsoft Word does them (as Footnotes or Endnotes), and so does the free OpenOffice.org Writer. LaTeX also does automatic refences. I suggest you use a proper word processor if you're going to write a document with references in it, it will make your job an awful lot easier. — QuantumEleven 13:12, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Problem is I have Windows XP, which for some ludicrous reason doesn't include Microsoft Word (believe me, I don't use Wordpad out of choice). I don't mind going through and doing it manually, since I don't use that many sources anyway. But the problem is, the numbers I type in are the same size as the rest of the words. I want them to be slightly smaller and higher up, like an asterisk. Is there any way to do that?

Wordpad doesn't seem to support superscripts. For the record, operating systems in general do not include a full featured word processing application. If you really need the footnoting capability but don't want to spend any money, the OpenOffice.org suite is probably your best bet. --LarryMac 15:23, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure if you're making an ironic point, but the reason your copy of Windows XP doesn't come with Word is presumably because you didn't order it: an extra $100-$300 charge. It is far cheaper to buy with a new computer than to buy later. Notinasnaid 17:50, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In some parts of the world $300 is a month's salary. I agree with LarryMac about getting OpenOffice. You will have similar capabilities to the Windows Office suite, for free. The download is big, 76+ meg, so if you have a dial-up connection set a night apart for it. It should be worth your while. --Seejyb 18:53, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OMG! OO does not help when you want to suppress line ends. Just say to Word : replace ^p with " ". OO does not create hyperlinks in summaries ... I miss some of these things that make the world so cool. Am I addicted! Also, if someone has ideas about that ... --DLL 18:55, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Replace "$" (regular expression search must be selected) with " ". I've never used summaries in Word or OOo, so I have no idea thereof, hyperlinks in TOCs, footnotes and Indexes aren't a problem. --Seejyb 15:07, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Believer (movie)

Hi, I have a question about a song from the movie The Believer. In the movie, after that gang of skinheads fights in the middle of the street they end up in a... how do I call it... a room where survivors from WW2 retell how the Nazis abused them. Then, that skinhead leader is having a sort of flashback or something (that will occur again in the film), and in that flashback he sees himself as that elderly man, and as if his child was bayonneted. During tose flashbacks in the film, a song is playing. Very slow, without words, more like of a howling, seemingly produced by a woman. If someone knows what song i am talking about, please write the songs name, and does it even exists outside the film (The IMDb has no soundtrack listing for that film).--Captain ginyu 12:50, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The soundtrack, by Joel Diamond, is listed on Amazon. Track 12, Nazi Flashback seems like a likely candidate. TheMadBaron 17:24, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks.--Captain ginyu 20:26, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fastest fish?

I once watched a documentary on National Geographic where they showed a fish that could plane outside the water and to do this it needed to develop really high speeds, making it the fastest animal in nature. I don`t really remember the speed, but i think it was something like 800 km/h, or 800 m/s, i cant recall. What is the name of this fish and what speed can it reach?

Raul Dominican Republic

800km/h is a phenominal speed, nothing in nature could reach that speed, especially in the water. The fastest animal in the world is the Peregrine Falcon, reaching speeds of 320 km/h. This is during its hunts for food. --liquidGhoul 14:12, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At a guess, it sounds like a flyingfish. Our article lists a top speed of about 60 km/h, which is about 17 m/s. — Lomn Talk 14:31, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think that in National Geographic they talk about the fish reaching 800 km/h for only a fraction of a second, or only a couple of seconds just to make the gliding possible. I only wanted to know if some marine biologist out there, or some specialist could clearify this for me. Raul

The sailfish is usually regarded as one of the fastest fish [33]. MeltBanana 17:39, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can't develop really high speeds for a fraction of a second, because you have to accelerate to get there and decelerate after. What the program probably meant to say was that the fish developed very high acceleration for a fraction of a second. It wouldn't be too surprising to find a TV show mixing up velocity and acceleration, or failing to distinguish metres per second from metres per second squared. Notinasnaid 12:13, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The only thing that goes 800 km/h is a jet airliner - no animal gets even close (even an animal in free-fall, never mind how it got there, would only reach around 250 km/h). 800 m/s is nearly three times the speed of sound, not even Concorde can manage that. The SR-71 managed to fly that fast, but few other things in the atmosphere can. So you can safely assume that either 1) you remember wrong, or 2) the TV reporter was wrong, either adding a few too many zeros, or (as Notinasnaid said) mixing up speed and acceleration.

As a final note, even an acceleration of 800 m/s² is pretty hefty - that's the equivalent of 81 Gs. Not being a marine biologist I can't rule out a fish managing to produce this kind of instantaneous acceleration, however, it smells a bit fishy (sorry....! ;-) ) to me. — QuantumEleven 14:58, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The fish can't speed that much, but maybe a part of it, its tail, still can. See whip (no info about speed, you have to imagine). --DLL 18:49, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

<pedantry>"The only thing that goes 800 km/h is a jet airliner".... um, rockets, intercontinental ballistic missiles, the space shuttle.... "nothing in nature could reach that speed".... the universe expanding, light....</pedantry> TheMadBaron 17:31, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Meyers Konversations-Lexikon

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN I have a 5th edtion set of these encyclopedia's printed from 1893 to 1897 the books have never been open they still have the wax paper between the pages with art work on them their wrote in german i was wondering if you could direct me in to where i mit be albe to sell them an there value any help would be helpful thank you laurence meisner

A site like eBay or Craigslist would be better than here. The Wikipedia is NOT a classifieds guide. Computerjoe 's talk 14:42, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

An antiquarian bookseller would probably be even better. A complete set, 5th edition seems to be going for around USD $400 or more. --BluePlatypus 21:40, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Food chains prospects in India

Dear Sir or Madam

> > Our CHEVIOT Group is a well renowned and professionally managed export > oriented industrial house of Calcutta, India. We have our interests in jute > textile industry, tea gardens and leather garments. Now we are seriously > contemplating to enter fast food chain in India in collaboration with some > renowned international food chain. > > We are very keen to look into all reasons that will go in favor of our > venturing into this business all over India. Since it is unknown field for us > and you are international experts on the subject therefore, may we request you > to kindly do us a favor and give us your detailed views on the grounds that go > in favor of our venturing into it all over India even though some > international chains have already entered India.

I am afraid that the Wikimedia Foundation is not able to help you with this request. As an organization that relies entirely on volunteer work, Wikimedia doesn't have the resources to research questions unrelated to its projects.

However, there is a page on the English Wikipedia where various volunteers try to answer questions such as yours, called the Reference Desk <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk>. Instructions for using the Reference Desk are on this page.

Though there is no guarantee that they can provide an answer, they are often able. Please be specific in your question so that others can better assist you! Sorry I couldn't be of more help; good luck in finding the answer to your question.

Yours sincerely, Joanne Benson

-- Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org --- Disclaimer: all mail to this address is answered by volunteers, and responses are not to be considered an official statement of the Wikimedia Foundation. For official correspondence, you may contact the site operators at <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>.

try looking at Economy_of_India Jon513 17:32, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One consideration is that India contains a rather substantial Muslim population, some of whom may object to any foreign fast food franchise, especially an American one, to the extent of committing terrorist acts against the property, employees, management, owners, and customers. StuRat 07:29, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't suppose you can name a single terrorist attack in India against a foreign-owned company? Superm401 - Talk 13:04, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, but there have been numerous terrorist attacks within India, including one on Parliament, and there have been terrorist attacks in other countries against fast food restaurants and businesses owned by foreigners, so it would seem it's only a matter of time before such businesses are targeted within India. Assuming that since it hasn't happened yet, it can therefore never happen in India, is not reasonable. StuRat 20:01, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

power consumption of desktop pc

my question is: generally how much power will the desktop pc consumes for 24 hours. how much it consumes if the monitor is turned off and the system is running for 24hours. how much power it consumes if it kept in standby for 24 hours

There is no simple answer. Surely it depends on the type of monitor, type of chips inside the PC and amount of USB devices. Various factors play a role. Computerjoe 's talk 14:40, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A Google search for "typical PC consumes" suggests (rather alarmingly) anything and everything between 60w and 1000w. One suspects the lower end of this range, but as Computerjoe says, it varies a lot depending on your configuration.--Shantavira 15:00, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The effect of the computer is usually described on the PSU. Add that to what it says on the back of your monitor, and you get somewhere around 120W + 45W (LCD-screen) (Henningklevjer 17:33, 16 May 2006 (UTC))[reply]

Is that a little low? Most modern PCs probably use a 300W PSU at least, and the most powerful can use up to 600W+. But I don't really understand PC power, so I presume not all that wattage is used at once. Plus I forgot a lot of what I learned in Physics. Sum0 18:09, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The PSU rating is for peak output. A computer will usually only use that much power for a few seconds during startup, when it's spinning up the hard drive and testing to make sure everything works. Actual power usage varies depending on what the computer's doing: playing a game might take 150+ watts of power more than simply sitting there does. --Serie 20:26, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It also depends on what OS you run. I once made an experiment: turning on my laptop on full battery, logging in and letting it do nothing. Windows XP kept running about 1 hour 15 min (and I had set the black screen screensaver to turn on in 1 minute) before the battery was out, while Mandriva Linux went on for about 3 hours and a half. Cthulhu.mythos 11:33, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use?

If I edit a picture uploaded on Wikipedia as fair use, cut out a piece of it, and upload it - is it still in fair use? The picture in question is a book cover. (Henningklevjer 17:18, 16 May 2006 (UTC))[reply]

I don't think cutting part out affects the fair use situation here one way or another. Of course the fact that someone claims fair use on an image doesn't make it so, and you can't judge whether an image is fair use until you know what it's being used for. A book cover would be fair use for identifying the book, or where the cover itself is being discussed. For anything else, probably not. Henry ^Flower 17:36, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Using a book cover to identify a book is not fair use unless there is critical commentary; see Wikipedia:Fair use#Images. –Mysid ^(t) 08:02, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use isn't a magic label to stick on pictures. Fair use is a particular use of a picture in a particular situation. Notinasnaid 17:38, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you edit a picture, you need to release it under the same license it had before the edit. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:38, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Talk page protected?

(I think this goes in this section, since I don't personally have any sort of dispute over this) I noticed that the talk page for Userbox is protected and redirects to the article (which is protected and states that the article has been deleted). If it is set up like this, won't it be impossible for anyone to figure out why the article has been deleted?

The page has been protected so that no one accidently redirects it to Wikipedia:Userbox. Article names, in this case Userbox, are not allowed to redirect to Wikipedia name space, in this case Wikipedia:Userbox. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 18:51, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Man with the Rubber Head

By Georges Melies. Anyone know where I can find a video of it online? Vitriol 19:02, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How do I source Wikipedia?

I am doing a term paper and have used info from wikipedia, how do i source it?

See Wikipedia:Citing wikipedia. Frencheigh 19:51, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: do not cite Wikipedia as a source in your paper, unless you want your tutor to laugh you out of the class. Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information. Henry ^Flower 20:00, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, term papers should use mostly primary and a few secondary sources. You should not use any encyclopedias as references for any term paper. They are a good starting point to explore around and (if an article has references) find some starting points and that's it. — Laura Scudder ☎ 20:07, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This applies even to hardcopy encyclopedias, but even more so here. --DavidGC 11:16, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanx! "...starting point.." LOL- its due tomm!

Well, good luck with that then. ;) --DavidGC 11:16, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sceem going on in africa

i want to no if there is a sceem going on in africa..?

Yes, there is. Bwithh 22:55, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might find Advance fee fraud useful.-gadfium 04:52, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are schemes, screams, and scams, going on all the time, pretty much everywhere, but fortunately the world remains totally free of sceems, so far. Can you be more specific? --Shantavira 07:21, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oy...Speedy Delete? but it looks professional...

I was doing some new articles patrol, and normally I trust my nose for what's obvious db-quality; but this (Christina Noir) is just beyond words. It's a new account, its first article done in one edit (edit summary says "Created original content), it looks like it should be notable, but I think this is non-notably porn-star wannabe. Maybe I know it should be speedy-deleted, but I'm totally weirded out by how well done the article is (and maybe the subject matter)... Anyone want to confirm this is deletable? I've probably nominated something like 200 speedies (but I have no records since they're, well, gone) and this is the first time I've wanted to ask and see if someone agrees. --Bobak 23:18, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looks fairly non-notable to me. However, there are some assertions of notability in the article, and I'm not sure this would meet the CSD criteria listed for "Unremarkable people or groups/Vanity Pages," which is the only section I can see that would be applicable. Why not prod it and if removed, take it to AFD?. You can use as some fodder of unimportance, this google search showing that her name returns only 83 unique google hits[34]. --Fuhghettaboutit 23:42, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Note that in one of his edit comments on the image file, the user says he is Noir's husband. --Cam 23:47, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"She is an ardant animal lover and at one time had 3 cats, 1 dog, a rabbit and 2 pet rats" - I'm sorry for having a dirty mind but this line in an article of this nature has conjured up some very disturbing mental images for me... :) --Kurt Shaped Box 23:53, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks guys. I'll prod it and see if it moves :-p --I think part of my is nervous I'm going to have a battle with the creator of this article following me around. I can think of better topics of conversation of "what happend to you today, Bobak?" "Me? Oh I got into an online battle with a dude who posted an online encyclopedic article about his porn-star wannabe wife which I felt was non-notable or worthy of encyclopedic inclusion." "Why on earth were you looking at it to begin with?" "It was a new article." "Do you search all the new porn star articles?" "Well, she wasn't a porn st--wait no...I mean...drat I suck..." --Bobak 00:53, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like an ad to me. "You've never heard of this person? Well roll up folks, hear all about it." --Seejyb 07:27, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Obvious vanity page created by a close contact of the subject of the article with no sourced information and probably from original research. Probably should be AfD'd. --DavidGC 11:20, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

UPDATE: I prodded the article last night, but it was removed. Thus I have promoted it to AfD, here. -- Bobak 16:13, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 17

White shirts in NBA playoffs

Does anyone know why the spectators at the New Jersey Nets/Miami Heat game were all wearing white? I've looked at a couple places, but I have no idea. Labor day? :) -01:04, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

I believe (and I'm not absolutely sure) the reason is that the home team's organization asked the fan to wear a certain color shirt for the playoff game to show support for the team; white seems to be the most common color for this. Again, I'm not absolutely sure about that. Thanks! Flcelloguy (A note?) 02:00, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, but it wouldn't make sense that both Nets and Heat fans would join in... I couldn't find anything, just a couple of mentions that it did, and something in relation to the "theme" of the Playoffs this year. Not exactly sure what the "theme" would be, but anyways... -Mysekurity^[m!] 02:55, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

It may be descended from the Winnipeg White Out. Chuck 20:08, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

National anthems and the United Nations

I once saw a bunch of heads of state at an event and their respective national anthems were played for each of them. The UN Secretary General also participated and an "anthem" was played for him - does anyone know what piece of music this would have been? Peter Grey 05:17, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps this link at nationalanthems.info would be of interest. –Mysid ^(t) 06:22, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Should we add that information to List of national anthems? -- SGBailey 11:37, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd say no. The list does include some anthems of places that are not nations per se, but they are at least geopolitical entities. The UN may be an organisation of nations/geopolitical entities, but it itself is not a geopolitical entity. The OECD, OPEC, NATO, the IOC and lots of other organisations of nations that have anthems would fall under the same heading. JackofOz 02:29, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed. The UN is not a nation. --DavidGC 02:16, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Baby Boomers

Greetings, Since the Baby Boomers are now reaching the age of 60 this year,I was wondering how many will be 60 each day this year. 2006. My husband and I missed the Baby Boomers by a couple of years. I say we are the last children raised by Victorian parents, what our title is I don't have a clue.

Thank you very much for your time and efforts. Patricia

What generation you belong to isn't clear based on your description, but you might find a list of generations useful.

Also, according to Post-World War II baby boom, as of October 1946, there were 339,499 babies born. There are likely no day-by-day statistics from that time, but assuming a constant birthrate and extrapolating the rest of the year, we can assume a birthrate of about 1,100 a day in 1946, so maybe 1,000-1,100 is a pretty good guess, without getting into details of how many might have died early, in Vietnam, etc. KWH 05:51, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Err.. I read that quite a different way. There were 339,499 babies born in the month of October in the USA. That means that in October 1946, there were 10,951 children born per day in the USA alone, let alone the rest of the world. JackofOz 10:08, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wups. It looks like the Census Bureau has done their homework and they claim 7,918 Americans are turning 60 each day this year, along with assorted other statistics.[35]. KWH 14:17, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sometimes the term "Beat Generation" applies to people who grew up in the 1950s (U.S.). --12.217.186.109 15:43, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And I've heard the term "the greatest generation" applied to those who lived through WW2. Personally, I think it's silly to divide people up by "generation", as you could just as well declare a "hippy generation" born from 1950 - 1965, if you wanted, it's all entirely arbitrary and meaningless. StuRat 07:10, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Which is probably why many of our articles on generations are such a mess... :) — QuantumEleven 07:54, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps we should define a generation covering people who define silly generations. And then suitly emphazi it. —Zero Gravitas 08:27, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

to see things

could someone explain why mountains appear a lot closer sometimes than at other times and why the moon rising of the horizon is very large but when it gets up very high it gets smaller but is the same disdance

For the second question you'll be needing Moon illusion Phileas 08:06, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For the first one, I believe it's because of the amount of haze in the atmosphere: more distant objects are seen through more haze, and so look fuzzier, so we develop an assumption of fuzzy=distant, clear=near. On a clear day, the mountains are clearer, so seem closer. For the same effect on the moon (nice segue) see point 5 at Apollo_moon_landing_hoax_accusations#Issues_of_photographs_and_film. Henry ^Flower 13:48, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

right. also when there's more side-lighting on the mountains, giving them an appearance of more texture, they'll appear closer than when the lighting is from the front. Texture is an important monocular depth cue. These are just some of many such cues (in fact, I know of one occasional WP editor whose writing his PhD thesis on this subject right now...). Grutness...wha? 01:17, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Color could also have an effect. The mountains are more likely to look purple at dawn and/or dusk, and hence look farther away. StuRat 07:17, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help pages

I want to know how old the help pages are. If they just "became" as Wikipedia grew older, or if there was an intent to make these help pages?

The reference desk has been around since october 2002. See http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Miscellaneous&oldid=391382 and probably earlier - it appears to have been moved there from somewhere else on that date. -- SGBailey 16:09, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help pages change frequently, being divided and merged. Try "history" on one of them. --DLL 18:38, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thans, but im not quite pleased. How did they "become", was it an intentional development, or did they just appear one after another when wikipedia grew? What im trying to find out is if they were planned and asked for? Or if wikipedians just filled out the blanks about help that they missed when they were new? Sorry if my first question wasnt clear enough.

Based on recent new features, I expect new help info was added as they were needed. Whether we started with a basic help file or whether even that was wiki created, I don't know. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:44, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The "nostalgia wiki" preserves the content of Wikipedia as of December 2001, a little less than a year after it was started. They had How does one edit a page and Tips on contributing to Wikipedia ("First, make a list of everything you know. Then, write an article for every item on that list.") and a few more, back then. The rest has grown organically. At times, like high-tide marks on a beach, our help system does show the remnants of several previous well-meaning attempts to overhaul the whole shebang, and there are always stray bits that are uncategorized or out-of-date, but for the most part our help pages have grown organically as people see the need to clarify various things for future users. — Catherine\^talk 21:44, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

French version

Good morning,

I love your Encyclopedia. Just wondering if there is a French equivalent. Besides working on graphics, I also do quite a bit of metadata editing for an image data base for Parks Canada in both official languages.

Thank you

André Guindom Manager Multimedia Centre Parks Canada Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Certainly: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accueil . Henry ^Flower 13:21, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looking for a video clip of Dick Solomon's famous speach from "3rd Rock from the Sun" (in its entirety) on "Guns don't kill people; physics kills people"

Does anyone know where I can find a video clip of Dick Solomon's (Jonathan Lithgow) famous "Guns don't kill people; physics kills people" speech from "3rd Rock from the Sun"? AND what is the name of the episode? I saw an internet post that indicated it's from Season 4, but I don't know for sure.

The speech is made to a group of school kids on career day. Dick's booth is right next to the Police Officer Don's booth, and the two of them are competing with each other to draw more kids to their booth/career. When Don says, "I've got guns," all the kids run over to his booth.

Dick then goes into a speech whose timber and meter come directly from "The Music Man" when he made his speech about the evils of a pool table. The kids run over to Dick's booth as he concludes his speech with the VASTLY publicized quote, "Guns don't kill people; physics kills people."

However, Don wins the final bout as all the kids run back to his booth when he dangles his handcuffs in front of the kids and shouts, "I've got handcuffs!"

I would prefer to find a free video clip (with sound, of course) of his speech.

Thanks for any help offered. --Rattshaman 13:53, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My best guess is that the episode is The Physics of Being Dick from season 3. (And may I just mention that I'm pretty well done with seeing the word/name Dick after that search!). I'm afraid I can't help you with getting the video clip, but the season 3 DVD set seems widely available in the US and the UK at least. You can get a small wav file here though. --LarryMac 14:41, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, LarryMac!

--Rattshaman 01:09, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try searching for the exact episode on a torrent search engine

Tylenol PM

I was just wandering. On a Tylenol PM wich side is the sleeping part, and wich part is the tylenol part? The white side ,or the blue side?

As with most drugs, these are just artificial colorings to make them look good.--Shantavira 17:39, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Gibraltar (march)

Does anyone know where I can hear online for free the British march Gibraltar by Lt-Col Richard Waterer? Thanks--Keycard ^(talk) 17:16, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A recording of Glorious Victory by William (?) Kendall would also be nice! Thankyou--Keycard ^(talk) 17:19, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looking for Windows DVD/Game/Book Catalogger

I'm looking for Windows software that is more or less the same sort of functionality as the Mac's "Delicious Library," a program that allows you to keep a record of your DVDs, games, books, etc. What I want is sort of like an iTunes that I can list my stuff on so I can see what I have without digging through all the binders and whatnot. Any tips?

This is definitely NOT an endorsement (I am but a humble searcher); you might want to look at ReaderWare. --LarryMac 21:01, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh yeah, it most likely is nowhere near as nice looking at Delicious Library. Sorry. --LarryMac 21:03, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is the largest bear in the world?

?

Have you read our article on bears? It answers the question, noting that "largest" and "heaviest" have different answers, depending on what your exact criteria are. — Lomn Talk 21:19, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Polar Bear or Kodiak Bear? Zakarahiah 21:21, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Homemade remote control!

I was wanting to create myself a little toy of destruction and mayhem, and I want it to be remote controlled. LED or other ways of doing it, I don't know, but I was looking for some accurate, detailed instructions on how to make them. Like how some bomb plans are set up, only... bit less dangerous. Information ought to include what materials are needed and just really plow through everything. I basically plan to use an electric engine (as simple as they get) to turn some wheels, along with perhaps two or three additional functions that are mostly "on" (wheel engine), "start-idle-reverse/start-reverse" (gun turret, for instance) and the occasional "Booyeah!" that fires a flamethrower, along with what is needed for the flamethrower to turn deadly. I don't know if I need to lit some kind of match myself, but if that's what it takes... Henning 21:21, 17 May 2006 (UTC) Thanks![reply]

Lego mindstorm robots might be a good way. – b_jonas 23:07, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yabbadabbadoo! Thanks in ounces and pounds :) Henning 10:13, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or, if you want to kick it up a notch... KWH 02:27, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who is the fastest guitar player in the world?

? any ideas? Zakarahiah 21:22, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What does "fast" mean in the context of guitar players? --Serie 21:43, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm guessing it refers to very fast, highly technical playing, ala shred guitar. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 22:57, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt there's an objective, unambiguous way of measuring such. The Great Kat's website has a link to [36] this page claiming to list the "10 fastest shredders of all time". Some of these people are rather, um, interesting characters, not least the Great Kat herself. --Robert Merkel 00:50, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Though not what you'd normally consider shred guitar (not metal, to start with), listening to Robert Fripp's fast arpeggios on I advance masked surely puts him into world class for speed guitar. Grutness...wha? 01:22, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seconded vote for Fripp. His playing on 'Fracture' is pretty damn swift as well. But the first names that came into my head for speed were Vai and Satriani. --Richardrj 10:50, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But usually the fastest doesn't mean that they are good. I've know people who play scales soo fast that they sound like chords! And it kinda doesn't sound too good. A simple, well placed scale or a solo at the right moment in a song sounds much better than random shredding throught out the song. But, thats just my opinion. :-D Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 11:50, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Besides, any pretty good mandolin player can shred the hell out of any but the very fastest guitarists. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 13:51, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ywing Malmsteen (spellling) is the fastest, at if i recall correctly, 25 notes a second. Pretty fast.

this is just hearsay, i'd have to do some searching to back this up: apparently malmsteen only hit 24 notes per second. some british guy had just picked up a guitar and did nothing but double-tapping for six months, and he hit 25. 71.31.102.60 16:38, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What do you do............

What do you do if,a girl thinks you are psychotic and boring,and other people don't that way of you,but shes the only one,but then yet she wants you to apoligize to her for walking up to her locker the wrong way,and slamming her books even though you respectively picked them up,and even though she still likes you some?

Dre

...you dump her? Vitriol 22:40, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seems to me the two of you don't understand each other very well...what is the reason you have this relationship?--24.80.70.174 22:46, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Psychotic and boring" seems like a contradiction to me. Seems like you could be one or the other, but not both. —Keenan Pepper 02:31, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, when you rip the still beating heart from the girl you've been stalking, they don't typically yawn. :-) StuRat 06:57, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The thing is though,i know for sure i'm not psychotic because,i'm not!!Besides, shes the only person thinking that way of me. Now boringness, we both were at times,she probably,won't admit to it though.But, i been found a way to overcome that,now she is just gone against me,i hope we make up in the future..........

I would suggest that you detach your emotions from the situation. You can't control what she thinks about you. You'll be better able to assess where she is and where you are and what should be done about it when your mind isn't cluttered with emotions. -LambaJan 00:45, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Capt.John Davis

hi i just finished reading the Albert Fish article and i just wanted to know how much if any of the content of the letter he wrote is confirmed truth.

It's true. You can search google for albert fish letter and it will give you various websites with the letter. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 | T | C | @ 03:08, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is it possible the questioner is asking whether the details (say of the meat shortage in China at the time) described in the letter are verified?--Shandon 15:40, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

to avoid the light pollution

I'm involved in a project in Brasil to build several houses at the moutains in the State of Rio de Janeiro. This place has a beautifull sky at night. You may see lots of stars so dark is the area. I read some time ago that there is a city in USA that in recognised as "the most beautifull sky at night in USA" due to special kind of public and private illumination. Would you help me to find out the name of it?

I suspect this website might be your friend: http://www.darksky.org/newsroom/mediacov.html --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:07, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This may save you some time. I don't know if Flagstaff, Arizona has specifically been recognized for its dark sky, but I do remember that the street lamps there had special fixtures to focus all of the illumination downward towards the ground. I suspect that this is largely due to its famous Lowell Observatory.--Tachikoma 13:51, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Author of this site

I am sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you could tell me who the author of this site is. I am trying to cite this website for a school project.

Thank you

Everyone can be an author! This causes some problems, however, so I'll leave it to more competent people to explain :) Vitriol 00:11, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See Citing Wikipedia for more information on who writes Wikipedia, and why it should not be cited for school papers, but merely a starting point for further research. Good luck, Mysekurity^[m!] 00:41, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

It can't hurt to cite wikipedia if you check the sources the article is based on, but in that case, citing the sources directly is probably better anyway. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:48, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 18

Susanna Moore

Susanna Moore is referred to in your entry as an American crime writer. She is not a crime writer. She has written seven books --- three novels that make up a Hawaiian trilogy; a travel book; a novel about a murder in New York; a novel set in 19th-century India; and a novel that will be published next year. I know because I am Susanna Moore.

Hey Susanna, while we tend to like to keep our entries free of edits by their subjects (see Wikipedia:Autobiography), if you feel you can add to the article with verifiable sources and factual additions, please feel free to do so. You may cite Amazon, or anything else that can back up your claims. I see that you are on an AOL account, and thus you might want to create an account, for a number of reasons. Happy editing, Mysekurity^[m!] 01:43, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Slight update undertaken, but I'm not familiar with the subject. Apologies for howlers introduced. --Tagishsimon (talk)

coins

I'm curious as to what the term,,{Uncirculated} means. The actual word in coin talk.

Means it has not been released into circulation (e.g. released by the Mint to banks to distribute to business and the public). Wll generally be in pristine condition and may be a design that was never circulated, which would presumably give it a premium. See extended article at http://www.goldsovereigns.co.uk/prooforuncirculated.html --Tagishsimon (talk)

Hey, I'm a coin expert, sort of, and Uncirculated is a coin which like Tagishsimon has yet to reach circulation. These are generally proof or commerative! If a coin reached circulation but is good quality, the term EF is (excellent fine, I think) used. Computerjoe 's talk 18:52, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To add to this, uncirculated coins should be free of the nicks and blemishes that ordinary coins pick up in the course of everyday wear. Uncirculated coins aren't minted in any special way; they just haven't been circulated.

Uncirculated coins are a step below "proof" coins, which are specially minted in a way that gives a mirror-like finish to the background, and a frosted look to the sculpted parts of the coin. It's a very striking effect, if you've never seen a proof coin before. Proof coins are made specifically for the collector and investor market, and they generally come in special packaging. --Tachikoma 23:34, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Adding on to what I said earlier... if I remember correctly, the scale for grading a coin goes like this: poor, good, very good, fine, extra fine, uncirculated, brilliant uncirculated, proof. It's been many years since I've thought about coin collecting, so I could be wrong. There's also a newer grading system that uses a numerical scale to rate a coin's condition. More info can be found in the article Coin collecting. --Tachikoma 14:00, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Molybdenum Disulfide

I read in the information in Wikipedia that Moly in powder form as used in oils and greases has a particle size range of 1-100 (I don't know how to say this, but likes like a backward written YM) and I am interested in how that measurement compares to micron. I have a 10 micron oil filter and would like to use some powdered Moly but it needs to be able to pass through the filter. I know someone out there can help me and I am "Thanking you in advance for your help and wish I could be as smart as you are." Thank you ever so much and "Have a great day!" Kent

That's a micrometer. It is the same as a micron. Weird, huh? --M1ss1ontomars2k4 | T | C | @ 03:04, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean μm ? That does indeed mean micrometer, with the symbol μ (the Greek letter mu) meaning 1/1,000,000th. StuRat 06:48, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't μm mean micrometres? A micrometer would presumably be a machine for measuring very small things. But yes, same thing as micron. Skittle 13:58, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ooh, look at me, I'm from an different country and I spell things weird. —Keenan Pepper 15:52, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, I thought SI units were internationally spelled to avoid confusion. I thought that was part of the point of international units. Obviously if it's an International/American difference, then I retract my comments, but I thought that the Système International would be consistent. Skittle 16:11, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is an American/British spelling difference. Most "-re" words in Britspeak are spelled phonetically as "-er" in American English. Oddly, there are exceptions, like "acre" (perhaps because "acer" might be taken as someone who aces a test). I suppose we would have to make it fully phonetic as "ayker" to make it clear, and we Americans aren't willing to go quite that far, yet. StuRat 16:22, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, the spelling varies between countries. For example the Portuguese for kilometre is quilómetro. The symbol is still km though. Jameswilson 01:06, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fishing fleets

Er...this is kind of dumb, but what country does have the world's largest fishing fleet? It's featured as an example question on WP:Q, but it doesn't give the answer -_-. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 | T | C | @ 03:05, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I searched through the archives to see where it was originally asked (it seems the question used to be quite a bit stranger, until someone answered it and it was changed), but I couldn't come across a correct answer.
It seems that Japan may have the world's second largest fishing fleet, and Russia used to have the world's largest fleet. Spain is apparently number 4, and I have a source that says Asia has the worlds largest fleet, which is a bit silly.
All that really remains is the US and China, and I'd put my money on the US, since China gets a lot of its seafood from Japanese ships. 61.25.248.86 03:21, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To throw another possibility into the mix, South Korea has a very large fishing fleet - larger than Japan's, ISTR. Grutness...wha? 06:31, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know Norway's fishing fleet reigned supreme in size not too many decades ago, but I don't know about today. Wikipedia is lacking on this area. Henning 13:59, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The answer is at the previous example question #What species of penguin appears on the coat of arms of the Arturo Prat Antarctic Naval Base?. – b_jonas 15:56, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sleep

Moved to science. 61.25.248.86 06:36, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

England's highest waterfall

Hi Can you help me ? There seems to be several sites all claiming to be England's highest waterfall !! is it Canonteign Falls, Caldron Snout, High Force or Gaping Ghyll Many thanks in advance Regards Dennis

Dennis J O'Gara

The High Force article goes some way to clarifying this: Despite popular belief, it is not, at 20 metres (70 feet), the highest waterfall in England: Cautley Spout, in Cumbria's Howgill Fells, is almost 180 metres (600 feet) high; and Hardraw Force, in North Yorkshire, has an unbroken drop of 30 metres (100 feet). http://www.rabycastle.com/high_force.htm does state that High Force is "reputed to be the highest unbroken fall of water in England", (they seem not to have noticed Hardraw Force) so the term "highest waterfall" is open to interpretation! Not a good one for a pub quiz; there'll be people with several "right" answers ;-) Tonywalton | Talk 09:47, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know the nationality or the intention of the original questioner but it may be worthwhile pointing out that England and the United Kingdom are not the same so there may potentially be a higher waterfall in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland which you may also be interested in. AllanHainey 11:31, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Train travel in eastern Europe (prices of...)

I am considering travelling by train through eastern europe (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary & Romania) next year and though I can find timetables for most of my legs I'm struggling to come up with any prices (I've looked in Lonely Planets, Rough Guides, etc but they mainly concentrate on longer journeys). I could do with these to compare with Interrail/Eurail/Domino passes. If anyone could advise on fares for the following legs I'd be extremely grateful( no concessions, day fares). Krakow (Pol) - Levoca (Slo), Levoca - Bratislava (Slo), Bratislava - Sopron (Hun), Sopron - Budapest (Hun), Budapest - Cluj-Napoca (Rom), Cluj-Napoca - Brasov (Rom) and, Brasov - Bucharest (Rom)... Thanks in advance... DPM.

I suggest you talk to your travel agent - it's their job to give you information like this. — QuantumEleven 12:55, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hadn't thought of that! however, last time I was in a travel agents (in the UK) I came to the conclusion that it was their job to sell the holidays they had on offer but ask for some 'other' information and they look at you as though you have two heads (I don't). Maybe I'm being cynical and over-generalising but I just dont trust them... Thanks...DPM

Travel agents are not information bureaux and I would have some sympathy with one who politely declined to give you this kind of information. But to be honest, I don't think travel agents would be likely to hold information on individual train fares in eastern Europe anyway. You could maybe try the tourist boards of the individual countries, or the websites of their train companies. Try booking tickets online and see what fares the sites throw up. --Richardrj 14:44, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

[37] is a useful site for advice about train travel in Europe. Deutsche Bahn [38] gives times for trains all over Europe and some prices, though coverage varies from country to country. Oldelpaso 17:27, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Speaking out of personal experience. Any train travel [excluding cross-border travel] in countries that are generally east of the Euro-zone in Europe is quite inexpensive [e. g. a one-way ticket from Gdańsk to Kraków [cross-country, ~600km] for an overnight train would be something like 12-15 Euro, maybe a little more; a student, like me, can travel the distance for 9 Euro :) ]. Cross border travel is a different story, because the tarifs are not really compatible and it is usually advisable to sit in a compartment with an experienced and English-speaking traveller. Booking tickets online is something I have never done even here at home [I'm Polish] and would not consider, it is easiest to just go to the clerk at the train station. Be careful, however, because sometimes the people will want to cheat you out of your money. Moving further south - the Czech Republic and Slovakia are a completely different story, I have never had trouble communicating in English or German at the train stations or even with train conductors.

If there is something you'd like to ask about travelling in Poland [or ask any other question related to my home country] - feel free to do it. --Ouro 22:34, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If it comes to more than 100 quid you are probably better off buying this instead. Jameswilson 01:09, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

whatever you do don't but a Eurail/interrail pass (i forget what they're called). there are SO many train fares you have to pay extra for

In my experience, this depends on the country though. I had one when I was in Germany, and I never had to pay a cent for any of the trains there, including the high-speed ones. --DavidGC 10:57, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Article deleted contrary to policy?

Only a few days ago I created an article on the book "Successful Praying"; I took the effort to make fair-use copies of the cover, type in the entire page of contents, and find a link to the book on the web. Now, without any notice at all, I find that the page has been deleted. This makes me extremely angry to have an article which I put all this effort into thrown away without any procedure. It seems that this was clearly against the Wikipedia:Deletion_policy since it should have been obvious that the article was none of the "Speedy Deletion" candidates, and at least Wikipedia:Assume_good_faith would have given the benefit of the doubt. Surely the admin who did this should know better. I'm pissed off enough with the admins heavy-handedness to just never come back to Wikipedia.

I cannot find out who did it (because the page does not exist any more), or can I?

Thanks for any help.

Brusselsshrek 12:36, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is what I found from the logs: DragonflySixtyseven deleted the article on May 18, 2006 at 03:28 UTC, stating "article much too spammy" as the reason. –Mysid ^(t) 12:51, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A table of contents is not an encyclopedia article. It's is a table of contents (and in fact it is copyrighted). Rmhermen 16:29, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Consumer Durable Goods

I Want 2 know briefly about Consumer Durable Goods

Have you looked at consumer good and durable good? --Richardrj 14:06, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

NBME Question bank - STEP1 USMLE

NBME Question bank - STEP1 USMLE hi, i am lookin for question bank series book, that is used to prepare for step 1 USMLE exam. Can any one let me the latest edition details along with the author name. If it can be referenced to publications then can u please let me know the publisher name.

thanks.

User Talk Pages

Hi

I've noticed that many Wikipedians have small rectangular boxes on their talk pages which say some things about themself e.g. This user is male, this user is a Manchester United fan and so on.

How do you put these in and is there a list of boxes that can be put in.

Thanks in advance

Sam

See Wikipedia:Userboxes for instructions and a list. --GraemeL ^(talk) 15:57, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Termoli in Italy

A stage of the Giro D'Italia cycle race finished in Termoli this week. The commentator on the television station stated that one of the International Time lines passes through a building that was pictured. It resembles a small Castle. Can anyone confirm this? and is it open for visitors.

Regards Dave H

Is that the building shown in our article? The map in the Time zone article shows all of Italy in one time zone. Rmhermen 16:25, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

He was referring to the 15° E line of longitude, where local time will be equal to clock time, 1 hour ahead of Greenwich. These are not normally called "International Time lines", though. --Shantavira 18:54, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This was my first experience of using Wikipedia and I am impressed with the result. Thankyou very much I'll come back again.

Regards Dave H

Death by cake and tickling

Me and my friend were discussing crazy things and my friend said that there is this cake that you can buy and you must sign a contract so that you will not die becuase there is a large amount of calories in it. Is this true? Also, out of humor, is it possilbe to tickle someone to death? Thanks, Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 16:52, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How does the contract save you from death? –Mysid ^(t) 17:02, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It doesn't save you from death (the way I worded the question), but you must sign it to prove that, if you eat the cake, you will not die. Probably so the maker of the cake is not sued... Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 17:20, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I used my best googelizing and can't find this anywhere. It sounds like a local marketing gimmick. --Zeizmic 17:41, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Inspired by your title, if you were to tickle someone while they were eating, causing them to choke and die, you'd have tickled them to death. I'm not so sure about the feasability of causing death by laughing, but Douglas Adams has a character die of it, so it must be true. --Sam Pointon United FC 18:15, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is a place in Adelaide (au) where I bought a fiendish confection called "Death by Chocolate". It was a kind of ice cream. I have wondered if that is a local name, or a recipe found elsewhere. --Seejyb 19:40, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Death by Chocolate" is a popular name for desserts here in the U.S. Dismas|^(talk) 19:46, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also a very popular name in New Zealand. Grutness...wha? 01:46, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Death by Chocolate is a popular cake in the U.K. TheMadBaron 23:17, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think it's possible to die from eating something, no matter how rich -- unless you choke on it or you're already sick. In theory, you could consume too much caffeine if it was a chocolate dessert, but this calculator indicates that a 100 pound person would need to eat over 750 chocolate bars. It's a neat marketing gimmick; I've heard of similar gimmicks for hot foods. Seriously, though, I think that death by cake and tickling has to be the best possible death ever. I'm changing my Living will. --ByeByeBaby 20:52, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ever heard of Fugu? :) User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:56, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fair enough, there's a wide variety of potentially poisonous, toxic and/or infected foodstuffs. And also, you can apparently be suffocated by a sufficiently angry/bad-ass live octopus. I'll clarify - I don't think it's possible to die from eating too much food or too rich a food. You'd puke first. --ByeByeBaby 04:21, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Apparent some Celtic communities had a ritual known as "Death by Cake", although a better name for it would be trial by cake (similar to trial by fire). A victim accused of lying would say an oath along the lines of "If I have lied may this cake choke me". As the cake contained large bits of nuts, fruit etc., there was a good chance of dying! smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 18:37, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is apparently a curry powder that one needs a doctors certificate to eat as it is so hot, whether this is true i dont know, as i dont eat curry or food that hurts me.

Fruits of Heaven

Hello! I am eager to know if there are fruits that can cause the blood pressure to be lowered? The answer to this question will mean a lot to me. a person who is dear to me is sufferinng of constant fluctuation of the blood pressure. Hope This query will merit beneficial respponds from you. More power. Thanks!

Please do not look here for medical advice, although you may get it. What you might be searching for is 'Natural means of lowering blood pressure', as opposed to prescribed drugs from a doctor. This is dangerous, controversial territory. --Zeizmic 17:36, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bananas. IANAMD. TheMadBaron 23:52, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

i need ur help

my name is mussarat rahman. i am a student of fatimah jinah women's university pakistan. i doing masters in behavioral sciences and currently am doing a thesis on

A study the relationship between internet addiction and personality type

for screening net addiction i m using INTERNET ADDICTION TEST of Dr. Kimberly young. (IAT) and to assess personality type im using EPQ which measures Extroversion, introversion nuerotic traits in people.

sir i do not have the psychometric properties of this EPQ test.im using a version which has 90 items. i do not know its validity or reliabily or when or how it was developed or its cut off score. while searching through for this test i came across ur name on iternet im hoping that u would be able to help me out in this matter of finding its reliability validity etc. i would be much much obliged. ps i am in urgent need of this information which is not available to me frm pakistan and would greatly appreciate ur help.

Try here]. Jameswilson 01:15, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Did you try Trait_theory ? --DLL 21:43, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why do you contribute to the wikipedia?

So im doing a schoolproject about wikipedia.com and tought it would be nice to have some actual information from contributers why they spend hours or more helping the community and lazy assess such as me getting free information. Thank you for your time and hope you'll feel like answering this. and dont get me wrong i really appricite the work you do and i owe all contributers big time.

/Patpau

Because it's fun, we get to show off our knowledge and occasionally spar with other contributors (who generally have a brain and can come up with a good argument). Sometimes we learn things too. Salons are out of style, but relatively anonymous public forums are good safe fun.--24.80.70.174 19:22, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We do it because we enjoy it, because we feel like we are really benefiting something and making a difference. We also enjoy the communal side of things (See Wikipedia:Esperanza for an idea of that). The best solution to your homework would be to work in Wikipedia for a while and see for yourself. Da niel (‽) 19:41, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Keep in mind however that some people think Esperanza is A Bad Thing. Adam Bishop 02:32, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I like teaching but don't like people. I like learning new things in part so that I can keep up in conversations with my brother and father who both know everything. I like working on computers and various other technological things and this gives me an outlet for that which is simple to learn and do. It gives me something to do while I'm at work building the technology that makes this encyclopedia possible. It gives me a chance to do a good turn daily. And I took an oath years ago to be helpful (and 11 other things) which I try to live up to. Dismas|^(talk) 19:44, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I used to write articles, but found that this is much less work. --Zeizmic 20:54, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Haha, I concur! Seriously, I get a buzz from writing a block of informative text and pictures in an article, seeing my work up there for all to access. I also get to mix with nice people and interact with the inner workings of the Wikipedia bureaucracy. Sum0 21:01, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well you should take a look at Wikipedia:Why on Earth would I want to contribute to a wiki, Wikipedia:Who, Why?, Wikipedia is a MMORPG and Wikipedia:Why Wikipedia is so great. I do it because I enjoy it. I do it because it's fun to learn new things by running through the "random article" link to help fix articles. I hope that someone will find something I edited useful. I suppose I also do it to show off the fact that I actually know something and I'm not just a pretty face. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:59, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Contributing is a delicious addictive frustrative showoffive passion. What did you do before knowing Wikipedia ? Forget it.

I'm contributing here to improve my english ; to improve my wiki and encyclopedic skills and help the french WP if possible. The forum side is interesting also.

Patpau, when you ask reference deskers, you have RD answers. Try contributing yourself, and feel free to ask anyone in their talk page : e.g., people who edited (see the "history" tab) articles that you like. --DLL 21:40, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Look at this still active survey. Tintin (talk) 02:13, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the great response! /patpau payback,it's taught me stuff so I pass on what I know---hotclaws**==(81.136.163.210 10:28, 19 May 2006 (UTC))[reply]

Discrepancies

How do you report a discrepency or invalid fact found

I assume you mean in an article. There's a simple answer. Remove it! Click "Edit this page" at the top and find your discrepancy in the source text. You can either remove it or correct it. Be sure to maintain a neutral point of view. If it is too big for you to correct, report the problem on the talk page (Click "discussion" at the top). Don't worry if you make a mistake, everyone does. Da niel (‽) 19:38, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

1. Edit the article to fix it, if you are really confident of your facts. Be sure to include an accurate edit summary.

2. Otherwise, or if your changes get undone ("reverted") start a discussion on the talk for the specific article, proposing the change and indicating what you think is the problem. Be prepared to justify your facts with sources. Notinasnaid 19:34, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

US Military uniforms

On US military uniforms, why are the stars on the right side of the flag? A Clown in the Dark 20:09, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The flag is only reversed on the right shoulder; since soldiers are considered to be "moving objects", the flag is mounted in the same way as if they were flying a flag from a pole while moving forward; in other words, the stars are towards the front. This means that on the left side, the flag looks "normal", where on the right side, a reversed flag is used.

This site has a full article. --ByeByeBaby 20:43, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's what you get without a proper symmetrical flag :) – b_jonas 16:29, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How to search for material in WikiMedia

If I create a link in a talk page or elsewhere to m:Help:Footnotes as I have just done here, it works and it takes me to that help page in the MediaWiki Handbook. However, if I enter that same link into the search box on the Wikipedia Main Page, I get told that the page cannot be found. In fact, if I go to http://www.mediawiki.organd use the search box there, I also get told the page cannot be found.

I have had the same sort of trouble trying to search for images in Commons using the search box in Wikipedia.

How should pages or images not in Wikipedia itself be searched for? Must I start an account in those other Wiki organizations (like WikiMedia and Commons) in order to search for content in them? Where is there a write-up or a help page that tells us how to access material in Commons or in Wikimedia?? - mbeychok 20:17, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You do not need an account to search.

You need to go to a specific wiki to search it. Sometimes, interwiki links or replications are useful and used, as language links or some pages here, coming from Mediawiki. --DLL 21:28, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

m:Help:Footnotes is a page in Meta-Wiki, not Mediawiki. As DLL said, you need to go to Meta to search for a Meta page. (You can access all of Wikipedia's sister projects from Wikipedia's main page; just scroll down to the second-last section.) To search for a page in the help namespace, though, you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the search results page, select the "help" namespace, and click search again. --Cadaeib (talk) 01:17, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Removing/Archiving Warnings

In WP:VAN, it says that removing warning from one's talk page is a form of vandalism. Does archiving the warning the same day you receive it not have the same affect? So my question is, how long does a warning have to stay on your page before you can archive it? Thank you in advance for any help. Ch u ck^(척뉴넘) 20:23, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Imagine that you issue a warning to someone. Depending on the severity, how long would you like the blame to last ? If that one made sound excuses and corrected himself, improved his conduct, &c. ? --DLL 21:20, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I take it this is a hypothetical question? ;) The answer is, no time. If you archive the same day, then your talk page will be blank and visitors will know that all your interactions are in the archive. What you can't do is selectively delete warnings, as that would be misleading. Henry ^Flower 21:24, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where does it say that on the page? It really shouldn't. If a warning is removed, then the reader has clearly seen it and acted on it. You can treat it as that the warning has been received. Kim Bruning 21:29, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Under 'Types of vandalism', it says "Removing warnings/Removing warnings for vandalism or other issues from one's talk page may also be considered vandalism." Henry ^Flower 22:09, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where that runs into problems is it says ...page may also be considered vandalism. but would be better if it read '...page are also considered vandalism.. The idea behind it, in my opinion, is to ensure that the next person that goes to leave a warning knows that there has been others before. Of course finding a blank talk page should prompt you to look at the history. I don't think that I've seen a block issued over the removal of warnings though. Also I know there is a least one bot that blanks old vandalism warnings. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:12, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest you ask this on the Wikipedia:Helpdesk instead of here. – b_jonas 16:43, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As an administrator who frequently deals with this sort of stuff, if you archived the warnings (i.e. moved them to a subpage rather than deleting) and you left the last couple of months interactions on the talk page I'm sure it would not be an issue. DJ Clayworth 17:26, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Janet Guthrie

When did Janet Guthrie retire from racing?

The article on Janet Guthrie states when her last race was in the info box on the right of the article. Dismas|^(talk) 22:19, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mammal with the longest tongue:body ratio

Random curiosity (and watching my cat groom herself have provoked this question: what is the mammal with the largest tongue length:body length ratio? --Sam Pointon 22:09, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Surely Gene Simmons. Henry ^Flower 22:12, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Our article says Giant Anteater. Rmhermen 22:48, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Google

Is there a way to force Google to look for "U.K." as opposed to "UK"? When I type in "U.K." it just takes out the periods but I want to find the instances with periods. Dismas|^(talk) 22:40, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I really wanted to find out the answer to your question because damn but that would be useful for spelling corrections and other matters, Unfortunately, I think the answer is no, according to a number of websites I looked at. See, for example, [39] and [40]. --Fuhghettaboutit 23:32, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I seems that you are not the only one witht this problem [41]. Google seems to do that will all letters separated by periods. I assume that it is searching for both U.K. and UK if that is any condolence. Jon513 21:39, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can use the - sign to tell Google not to search for a certain term. So searching for U.K. -UK should do the trick.

May 19

books

How many books are based on the films?

If you mean novelisations, then lots of them. Grutness...wha? 01:49, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

American Baseball Jackets

I have a beautiful old American baseball jackets - the white leather sleeves of which badly need cleaning. I'm scared that the green of the jacket may bleed if I wash it and dry cleaning is not an option here. Anybody have any ideas. Thanks

This has some suggestions but also includes some warnings. Look at the first warning where it says that you could change the colour of it. Try googleing "leather cleaning" for more suggestions. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:49, 19 May 2006

Thanks a million to he or she who replied.... it's easy when you know how I suppose....

(UTC)

CBW's user page photograph shows a boy, maybe grownup now. --DLL 18:57, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sill unanswered - NBME Question bank - STEP1 USMLE

hi,

i am lookin for question bank series book, that is used to prepare for step 1 USMLE exam. Can any one let me the latest edition details along with the author name. If it can be referenced to publications then can u please let me know the publisher name.

thanks.

It might help if you explained what you're talking about. What's a "USMLE"? At a wild guess the "US" bit might be "United States" but it could as well be "Unsupported Scaffolding". Don't forget that Wikipedia is read and edited by people from all over the world! Tonywalton | Talk 10:46, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Greetings, future doctor personage. USMLE: United States Medical Licensing Exam. And, personally, if you're asking for prep materials for the USMLE at a Wiki reference desk, I'm more than convinced I'll never ask you for medical treatment...at any rate, you could always check Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 10:59, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ancient Sparta

Did Ancient Sparta have wheels?

When Sparta was a military superpower the wheel was already a few thousand year old invention. Famously, the Spartan princess Cynisca was the first woman ever to win an event at the Olympic Games; she won chariot racing twice. So yes, Sparta was on wheels!!!! Weregerbil 07:30, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

User:Sparta on wheels!! :) — QuantumEleven 09:07, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Does Wilmington, Delaware, have wheels? (oh, I couldn't think of anything better) Sum0 21:06, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shoot. I thought I was being creative on humanities when I made that joke. You'all beat me to it. -LambaJan 00:50, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who is J.N.L.?

"1991 - J.N.L., is born on May 27, 1991, commencing the life of the greatest person to ever walk this earth."

Who is J.N.L. and why is this person the greatest person to walk the earth?

(I was looking up May 27th and this was listed last in the birthday section.)

It's vandalism, doubtless referring to whoever inserted that little remark, and has been deleted. Thanks for spotting it! —Zero Gravitas 06:34, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

highest mountain name

Hello, could someone please tell me what the highest mountain in a range is called? I need it for my 8 year old daughter homework, I have searched internet and discovered heaps of facts about mountains but can not seem to find this answer. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks, fiona

I don't know if geologists have a special word for it, but for a 8 year old could it be peak? Weregerbil 07:40, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At least the highest point of a hill or a mountain is called the summit. –Mysid ^(t) 07:41, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think there is a specific word for this, unless it is a very obscure one, and suspect she has omitted the name of a specific mountain range from the question. --Shantavira 08:26, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

recruitment

how does egroups and forums help in recruitment process

They help to ensure that a company never hires someone who is so lazy that they ask an internet forum to do their homework for them. — QuantumEleven 09:06, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

regarding blue chip

what does the trem blue chip company mean????

See Blue chip. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:43, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Johnny Thunders death conspiracy theories...

I'm looking for detailed information about the various conspiracy theories that surround the death of Johnny Thunders. I know that some people claim that he was murdered but I have been unable to find out exactly why they believe this is so. Anyone know the full story?

Since when do conspiracy theorists need evidence? Sad but true. Superm401 - Talk 12:55, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

IMO, people generally come up with conspiracy theories about someone's death if they idolize that person so much that they don't want to accept the fact that he/she could have been the object of accidents, crime, disease, etc. just like anyone else. --DavidGC 11:06, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yea, they are attempting to suitly emphazi Mr. Thunders. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:07, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who invented the first automatic transmission?

Who invented the first Automatic transmission for a car?

See automatic transmission; there's a section about the history of the devices. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 08:41, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Using public wi-fi for internet banking, credit card purchases etc.

Hi! I was wondering whether it is secure to use internet banking or credit cards via public wi-fi (e.g. in public parks etc.). I've heard that it isn't a good idea, but why? If it is done over https (secure http) then isn't it already encrypted? Thank you!

I think it's the same issue if you plugged your laptop into a sleazy hotel Ethernet drop. You might be susceptible to other attacks. If you have a hardened Linux machine, designed to plug into strange places, then you are reasonably secure. --Zeizmic 12:43, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Er... no you are not. There is a well-known fraud that was demonstrated on The Real Hustle, whereby a fraudster sets up a laptop and spoofs the log-in screen of the hotel's wireless portal system. Because the fraudster's laptop is in the same room as those wishing to log-on to the hotel's wireless network, users see the fake SSID as a stronger signal and choose that over the real portal. If you then enter your credit card details into the screen to pay for your access, you are actually giving your credit card details to the fraudster. Jooler 02:38, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh dear. Unfortunately I missed that episode. I was mainly thinking about free wi-fi that is available everywhere. Is it still easy for a third party to spoof pages? Thank you!

Free wifi available everywhere? Where do you live? Jooler 09:10, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you're connecting to an https site (or anything else using ssl, for that matter) and it is being spoofed, you will get a warning that the certificate supplied by the server isn't signed by a known certificate authority (unless you've been silly enough to turn the warnings off.) A malicious third party can still spoof the pages, but they cannot spoof a valid certificate from a known CA. -- AJR | Talk 17:04, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

IMNSHO, I don't recommend using wi-fi for anything other than editing the Wiki. At least until it's proven to be a more secure method. So, please...ah...don't do it for your own sake. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:11, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

immigratiions of the past

Can you refer me to any information source on the web that would tell me about the laws in effect during early mass immigrations of Italians, Poles, etcd. etc....??

I'm just trying to understand how the mass influxes werehandled in those days? Were the laws the same?? that all immigrants had to get visas??l Or were many of them illegal?? Howardback 13:52, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Each country has its own laws, and they develop with time. You will need to be much more specific about which country and what years to get a useful answer. But I think we can safely say that in many countries immigration laws are quite likely to have changed since "those days".--Shantavira 14:17, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are you talking about immigration into the US? If you're talking about, say, 100 years ago, I'm not sure if the US government was organized/centralized enough to have a visa program. The Ellis Island article may give you a starting point.

As far as I'm aware, boats from Europe would stop at Ellis Island, and the passengers in steerage class had to give some sort of proof that they weren't criminals and that they had some means of supporting themselves (whether it be a marketable skill or family connections in the US). The immigrants were also discreetly observed by doctors who would check for certain ailments.

Passengers who could afford a personal stateroom were assumed to have sufficient financial resources, so they were able to skip the interview process.

You may also want to check the Angel Island, California article for information regarding early immigration from Asia. --Tachikoma 14:35, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See also our articles, List of United States immigration legislation and Immigration to the United States which have more detail. Rmhermen 15:18, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

English author Rudyard Kipling lived in Maine for a time, and wrote that his American neighbours spent all their time complaining about the "dregs of Eastern Europe" coming to the US. Jameswilson 00:20, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Premiership goal scorer

Who is the all time leading goal scorer in the premier league of England?

According to FA Premier League#Top scorers, it's Alan Shearer with 260 goals. --GraemeL ^(talk) 14:34, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bear in mind the the Premier League only dates from 1992. We don't appear to have figured for the Football League First Division, which iuntil 1992 was the highest level of English football. Jooler 02:32, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

FWIW the record for the league in total (old divs 1-4, not the prem, champ, and leagues 1 and 2) is AFAIK still Arthur Rowley's 434 goals in 619 games between 1946 and 1965 for West Brom, Fulham, Leicester and Shrewsbury. Grutness...wha? 05:46, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Past life experiences

I seem to be able to remeber past life experiences such as being a slave in America and dying in WW2 Nazi Camps.

Is this normal, i suppose not but would like to know more about these memories that i cant explain, or that definatly did not happen to me in this life. They generally are only glimpses of my seroundings as i died, and are not altogether morbid, but rather peaceful. Is this just me, have i imagined it (i dont think so) Please, if anyone could help me i would be truelly greatfull

Thank you

For first aid, try past life regression. I'd also suggest confabulation, false memory and daydream but that's just my opinion. Weregerbil 16:05, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That is very helpful, but i did not imagine thses things, they are as real as what you had for dinner yesterday. It does not bother me, i am a normal functioning person, with no traumatic events in my life besides the usual. and there fore not confabulation.

I would believe they are very real to you. However, I have had many very realistic dreams which I would swear were real if they didn't clearly violate logic. Sometimes it's only halfway through the next day that I realise something didn't happen yesterday but in my dreams. I also hear music that isn't playing as clearly and loudly as if it were. So things can be very real, but not based in reality. Skittle 16:50, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Did you see our article on reincarnation? There are lots of external links there you might be interested in following up, and there are loads of books on the subject.--Shantavira 06:24, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm unaware of the particular statistics, but the fact it's not "normal" isn't really relevant. That's because not everyone in the world believes in reincarnation. If the feelings are peaceful and don't disturb you, I don't think you really need any help. If however, they are caused by some problem in your life (relationship problems, depression or something else) and meant to relax you when you're stressed (the brain can do strange things), it could help trying to solve the real issue that's bothering you. And while you may believe the memories to be true, I think it can still be useful to follow up on weregerbil's suggestion and make sure you rule out those other options. Skittle was quite right in his assessment. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:26, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you want an interesting discussion of the various ways to think about this specific issue (remembered past lives), from an anthropological perspective, try Being Changed by Cross-Cultural Encounters: The Anthropology of Extraordinary Experience (DE Young, J-G Goulet, eds, Broadview Press, Peterborough Ontario, 1994). The specific relevance is an extensive discussion of how culture-bound is our interpretation of feelings like these. In the west, the cultural interpretation is simple: these feelings are produced by the brain and do not reflect actual memory of actual experience. But other cultures have other categories of "reality" with which to interpret this sort of thing. Personally, my brain only seems to work in western mode and I acknowledge Weregerbil as the arbiter of reality on this one, but if you ask this question in many other places you will get a very different response. alteripse 11:41, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Exam Guidence

hi,

Can anyone tell me the GUIDE which ll help me in preparing for USMLE.

What?--XenoN e on (converse) 16:41, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You may want to look at some of the external links in the article USMLE, or ask around in the university. – b_jonas 16:51, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Greetings again, future medical personage. If I see this question again, I'm deleting it. Multiple questions aren't allowed. As for your answer: try looking at http://www.usmle.org or using Google next time. I wish you luck on your exams. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:20, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

JRR Tolkien's world

I wanted to know if the world and races in Tolkiens books like Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Did he come up with all these concepts alone or were there myths or legends about elves and goblins and trolls and ect before he wrote these, and if he did come up with all these races on his own and they are entirely fictional, how come so many others have used these races or species in thier books games and movies, id this not plagerism?

Thank again guys.

For the most part, these existed before Tolkien; however, the characters of many post-Tolkien authors are based on Tolkien's interpretations of the myths. I added links so you can read more about it. See also dwarves (Tolkien's personal spelling of dwarfs, now quite popular.) Rmhermen 16:37, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some creatures were Tolkien's pure creations: hobbits, orcs, ents, and barrow-wights. Orcs have appeared in other non-Tolkien works, but Hobbit is restricted and the term, halfling is often used instead. Rmhermen 16:47, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the films, Orcs are all cockneys. I'm sure Tolkien did not invent cockneys.
Mordor#Naming says that it means "Black Land". Tolkien was a brummie (i.e. from Birmingham), and an area nearby is referred to as the Black Country, which Mordor is sometimes called.
Slumgum | yap | stalk | 02:06, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cockneys? I never noticed a single Orc saying he was off up the frog to the rub :-) Tonywalton | Talk

It's worth remembering that Tolkien was a professor of ancient language and literature. Though he was clearly the inventor of much in his trilogy, there is also a considerable influence from the myths and legends which went before him. He did not invent elves, goblins, and dwarves (nor did he invent the barrow-wight, Rmherman!), but several of the races and all of the languages and legends he contrived as a backdrop for Middle Earth were his own work. Grutness...wha? 05:53, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

According to one theory that I've heard (and this was direct from Christoper Tolkien, JRR's son, so is likely to hold water) Tolkien started with the Elvish languages and wrote the rest of his work to give a "historical" bakground to the peoples who would have spoken those languages. He was also interested in creating a mythology for England, as opposed to Celtic or Saxon mythologies. Certainly some elements of LotR are common to many stories (the concept of a small group of companions undertaking a quest against overwhelming odds and triumphing, for example); Tolkien took these and created a mythology with some pre-existing and some new elements. As for "plagiarism", who plagiarised from whom? Did Stephen R. Donaldson plagiarise the horses called "Ranyhyn" from JRRT? Did JRRT plagiarise the Maiar from Richard Wagner's Valkyries? Of course, Wagner plagiarised these from Norse mythology… There are literally thousands of words that could be written on this, so I'll stop. Tonywalton | Talk 11:08, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some of the main sources of inspiration were Norse and Celtic mythology, Arthurian legend, the Kalevala and Beowulf. --BluePlatypus 00:03, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

birthrate

is this a trick question. idont know. what country or state if any, has an official zero birthrate?? vinny b thanks u.

Vatican City. Henry ^Flower 18:02, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But about 26% of Vatican Citizens are Swiss Guards or lay persons and they allowed to marry and procreate. The birth rate is not actually zero. Official population growth in 2004 was 0.01%. Bwithh 18:56, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are the Guards' wives citizens, too? Do they live in Vatican City? User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:13, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Guard wives and children which reside in the Vatican City are citizens. There are some special rules though: See Search for "Vatican citizenship" in this link until you get to part II, Section B, Point 12:http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/WorkingDocs/doc04/EDOC10070.htm Bwithh 21:10, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Population increase is not the same as birthrate (I don't imagine there are any maternity hospitals in the Vatican). A population increase could just be one more person becoming a citizen.

Our article is rather confusing. The Demographics section says "Almost all of Vatican City's 921 citizens live inside the Vatican's walls", but then "At the end of 2003, 552 persons held Vatican citizenship". If you trust the latter figure, "61 were cardinals, 346 were other clergy, 101 members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard and 44 "were other lay persons". Henry ^Flower 21:08, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some contries in southern Africa have a negative birth rate due to Aids and TB and Malaria. Very Sad.

Again, you're confusing "negative birth rate" with "negative population growth rate". A negative birth rate is mathematically impossible. It would mean that the number of infants born would be exceeded by the number of infants "unborn", a term which, in of itself makes no logical sense. Loomis51 19:30, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"the number of infants "unborn", a term which, in of itself makes no logical sense." - see unbirthing. I'm going to go take a shower now as referencing that article makes me feel dirty... Raul654 19:58, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oddly, there are several hundred Google hits for "negative birth rate", some from respectable-looking sources. Henry ^Flower 19:55, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tallest mountain in the United States

I am aware that Denali (Mt. McKinley may be the highest mountain in the United States but when measured from base to peak it is not the tallest. I am trying to find out what the tallest mountain is. Please let me know if anyone knows the answer to this. Thank you.

One state too soon ... I'd imagine this is what you're looking for. --LarryMac 18:10, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's all in how you measure it. Mountains are usually measured from sea level if memory serves me correctly. If the mountain is in a mountainy environment, finding a single base can be near impossible. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:18, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Topographic prominence would be an another means of measuring height, though this increases the relative standing of McKinley. — Lomn Talk 13:48, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The tallest mountain from base to peak in the US is Hawaii's Mauna Kea, but most of it is submerged. It is even taller than Mt. Everest. Reywas92 00:17, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why most Search Tips

To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this question may need to be suitly emphazi'd.

Weird question but worthy

If ever a "question" needed to be suitly emphazi'd, this would be it. --LarryMac 19:39, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Circumcision nostalgia? ---GangofOne 06:58, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do you really long for more questions on circumcision? Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:12, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I do enjoy the occasional cutting remark, so a discussion would be OK (hopefully a somewhat briss conversation, without actually cutting it short). :-) StuRat 18:33, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See the articles on weird, question, but. and worthy. Also, articles on trouser snake and Canis cardiganis may assist those of you with questions about foreskin removal. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:26, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why don't we have an article on the elusive sweater puppy? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:12, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Curious

Is it possible to (comfortably) be mastrubated by breasts?

See mammary intercourse. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 22:35, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Mastrub" is a good euphemism. Slumgum | yap | stalk | 01:28, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I knew this sounded familiar. From m:bash:

<AdamBishop> "The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testement) encourages mammary intercourse in Proverbs 5:19."

<AdamBishop> dammit. That's not what that says.

<silsor> which is that, the one about taking pleasure in the breasts of the wife of your youth?

<AdamBishop> it's on Mammary intercourse

<AdamBishop> and Proverbs says "Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love."

<AdamBishop> I'm pretty sure the original does not have the Biblical Hebrew phrase for titty fucking

Hehe. Good 'ol user:Adam Bishop Raul654 01:31, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Damn you, m:Bash! Adam Bishop 02:37, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wait, just a sec... Why, yes. Yes, it is possible. --DavidGC 02:59, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You old dog, DavidGC. JackofOz 03:24, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(mischievous grin) :) --DavidGC 14:48, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes it is possabl, but your wife, girlfriend need to be well endowed, or you need to be not. Great fun especially when it is accompanied by a BJ.

Removing posts from the Google Groups archive...

I wish to remove all usenet posts from the Google Groups archives made using a certain email address (an old one of mine that no longer works). While I know the procedure for doing this, is there a quicker way to list the message-ID of every single post made using that address than trawling through the archive thread by thread and post-by-post after searching for the address in question? Thanks. --84.69.16.94 22:15, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Orange Phone Contract

I have an 18 mnth orange phone contract that doesn't expire for another 10 months but I'm going to live in Holland in less than two months. They say I can't transfer the contract to another country. My friend suggested closing the bank account before I leave but I'm sure that would have some repercussions. What is suggested? --Username132 (talk) 22:30, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

relax! i dont know what the situation is if you're living in holland(although why you got a phone contract is beyond me) but i'm going to brazil in the summer and orange have said that they'll suspenf my account until i get back. i ithnk the maximum time limit might be six months tho. you could always downgrade your phone plan (i.e take off insurance and got to the lowest tariff) to cut your losses.87.194.20.253 23:54, 19 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

you might be able to sign the contract over to another person - a friend or relative, say Bwithh 01:19, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to live in Holland for at LEAST a year if not for life so suspending my account is no good. The phone isn't insured and I think I'm already on the lowest tariff. I really don't think the contract is transferable, and it seems like a crap deal to ask someone to pay £20 a month for someone elses old number complete with annoying people contacting them who they don't know. --Username132 (talk) 13:57, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You still have time to get another phone and inform your friends and family of the switch, so the new owner isn't bothered by calls meant for you. I know I'm one of the few, but I'm pretty sure there's someone, like me who doesn't have a working mobile phone and who'd be willing to take on yours. If the contract isn't transferable, either have that person pay you and continue paying Orange yourself, or get out of the contract at the earliest chance you get. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:16, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 20

Owning a Jackdaw as a pet?

Is it still legal to own a captive-bred Jackdaw as a pet in the UK? If so, does anyone know of any people who breed them? AFAIK, these corvids were a very common household companion bird until the introduction of parrots/parakeets a couple of hundred years ago. Thanks. --Kurt Shaped Box 00:41, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ref: Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 3 - Part I. Birds which may be sold alive at all times if ringed and bred in captivity. Includes Jackdaw in the list. --Seejyb 05:39, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jackdaw pets are sometimes strange. --DLL 19:06, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:34, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Calories in alcohol? (header added)

we have had a recent discussion regarding alcohol. My friend who is a PhD in chenistry contends that there are no calories in alcohol. Are there calories in pure alcohol? thomastjmwblatyahoo .com

Obviously ethanol has chemical energy, because it burns. The question is whether the human body can break it down and release this energy, and I think the answer is yes. —Keenan Pepper 01:02, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The body obtains energy from alcohol quite efficiently: ethanol 29 kJ/g; carbohydrates 17kJ/g. --Seejyb 01:41, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The confusion I think is that alcohol doesn't metabolize like carbohydrates ~~or proteins both of~~ which convert to blood glucose or proteins which convert to amino acids in order to feed all those hungry cells. Instead, alcohol's energy skips ~~the blood glucose~~ those cycles and feeds the cells more directly. Since alcohol skips the conversion to blood glucose or amino acids it is thought by some to have no caloric value. One ounce of 80 proof alcohol contains zero carbs and zero proteins but does have a caloric value of 64. --hydnjo talk 04:19, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe I'm wrong here (it was a while ago I studied this), but if memory serves me, proteins do not convert into blood glucose either, they convert into ketone bodies which enter your blood and serve as fuel. This is the reason why your breath starts smelling like acetone when you start starving (as protein metabolism only kicks in once your liver glucose stores are depleted). --BluePlatypus 23:58, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Blue Platypus is correct. The protein actually breaks down to amino acids which are used directly as an energy source. It is only when there is an excess of amino acids that they are stored. Alcohol however, cannot be stored and is readily used as an energy source. Sorry for my misstatement above which I have edited. --hydnjo talk 11:48, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Blue Platypus is not correct about the ketone bodies. These derive from breakdown of fatty acids, not proteins. Proteins are mainly catabolized by the citric acid cycle. There are several entry points, for the different amino acids. --Vibo56 12:23, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See effects of alcohol on the body#Metabolism of alcohol and action on the liver though this is not very detailed. Google for "alcohol metabolism" and you'll find plenty of detailed explanations. Gdr 12:37, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mercenaries and Defense Contractors

What is the difference between the "defense contractors" in Iraq and common mercenaries? -Chile 03:25, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The words of a politician who wishes to avoid using the term 'mercenaries' in his speeches? --84.67.5.153 07:08, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To give a more helpful answer, you'll be wanting this. --DavidGC 11:14, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No difference in what they do, just thinking though, do defence contractors get slightly less money because they've got a fancier job title? AllanHainey 08:54, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A Defense Contractor might include a firm carrying out civilian work (such as building base infrastructure) for the military. But it's probably just a euphemism. DJ Clayworth 17:31, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As DJ Clayworth says, a contractor is someone under contract to do *something*; a mercenary has a very specific job. See Executive Outcomes Raul654 17:34, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

books

Hi there, I would like to know that how many books are based on films and would give me the list of those books.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of films not already based on books have had novelizations produced. --Robert Merkel 07:19, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You (or someone else) have asked this above, with the same title. You might want to read the answers there. – b_jonas 20:46, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Business Development Manager

What is the Primary Role of a Business Development Manager? What are the basic functions and extentof his rolein the Company? Thank you very much.

To identify strategic sales & income stream opportunities, and develop the relationships with internal and external customers to turn them into reality. Just having been one myself....--Shandon 09:18, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Western Hockey League,coach for 1989-90 season,tri-city americans

I would like to know who was the head coach for the WHL Tri-city Americans for the 1989-90 season?

Michael Hach

It was Rick Kozuback [42] --Cam 15:51, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

control

Hello:

I am a university professor from Israel. Recently, I have found myself using Wikipedia more and more, and I wanted to express my great appreciation for your project.

I was wondering of how control of contents is maintained, especially in academically oriented entries. I searched through your pages and understood the control mechanisms pertaining to vandalism (which is not my concern at all) as well as the on-going interactive dynamics between authors and other users. Still, my question remains: What are the safeguards against faulty, lacking, misleading, biased information, etc.

Thanks, Prof. Benny Shanon The Hebrew University Jerusalem

--128.139.226.37 09:22, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Often, groups of people who know about and are passionate about a subject in question - they watch pages and remove inaccurate information . That, and the fact that all factual information must be second-hand (i.e. it has to be cited from a respected source) --iamajpeg 11:00, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This, and a range of related concerns, is addressed at Wikipedia:Replies to common objections. It's only fair to say that a number of other academics don't share your appreciation of the Wikipedia, and some prohibit their students from citing it as a source (a matter we address, with some sympathy to their point, at Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia). Personally, such objections seem to stem from unease with the process ("I can't believe a bunch of random nobodies can produce anything worthwhile") rather than a proper examination of the result (when such studies are done, such as Nature's comparison of Wikipedia and Britannica, we tend to come out fairly well). But really, the best way to know what kind of sausage you're eating is to help in the making of the sausage. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 11:29, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is a peer review process and a feature article process where articles are heavily reviewed. but this only takes places for the better articles. Jon513 21:23, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding the process : it's as natural as ants building anthills and men, pyramides. Results are always a large basis and a steep top. So WPs are robust and seen from afar. --DLL 18:58, 21 May 2006 (UTC)--DLL 18:58, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Citing your sources is the main way to go to prove your info is accurate. If there's no sources, I usually dig deeper rather than to trust the wikipedia article itself. If you know where info came from you can go check if it indeed did come from there and whether the source is reliable in your eyes. _ Mgm|^(talk) 10:11, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The safeguards against what you mention are simple: community spirit. We all keep each other in check. And, when that fails, we opt for the "spiked nails 2x4" or (my personal favorite) "rolled-up newspaper" approach: "No, you're wrong, dillhole! -SMACK!-" Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:03, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

macroeconomics

what is a boom.........Examine the consequences of a boom.........How might high interest rates remedy these consequences?

Heh sounds like homework to me :p check out boom, economic cycle, interest rates, your textbook.... don't get random people to do your work! --iamajpeg 10:52, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do your own homework. --DavidGC 11:17, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A "BOOM" is a VERY loud noise. The consequences of a boom can be ringing in the ears. High interest rates won't help. Loomis51 22:53, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's also interesting to point out that the word "boom" often comes before the more ominous "sha-ka-la-ka sha-ka-la-ka." Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:09, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki link button?

Sorry if this is obvious somewhere but I couldn't find it.

I was wondering if there is a "wikipedia link" icon/button/graphic which can be added to a web article to show a quick link to a wiki article?

I was thinking perhaps the jigsaw-globe with a swooshing arrow... just small enough to drop into an external article or document (such as a blog or website) and act as an immediate, recognizable cue to the reader that the article writer is directing them to Wikipedia for more information, and a direct link to the relevant Wiki article, to replace long winded "see wiki entry blah blah blah" links.

If there isn't such a thing, can I be credited with being the genius to invent the idea (small dry lol) My name is Mark Walton, aka Marnok. Just a small entry in the history books will be fine. One or two volumes. Nothing ostentatious. Statue no larger than life-size, please.

There are some, and you're welcome to add to the collection. See Wikipedia:Miscellaneous FAQ for details. -Rholton 13:41, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To be more specific: Wikipedia:Banners and buttons. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:08, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Those are exactly what I was looking for ; thankye!

Speak English

for countries where english serves as a second language, why do you have to speak english? thank you. Carlrichard 12:28, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Most likely becuase it is the second most spoken language in the world; see English language. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:15, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is your question? Why do you need a second language? I'd think the benefits of that would be obvious. Or are you asking why they use English as a second language and not something else? --BluePlatypus 23:54, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You don't have to speak English if you don't want to. (At least in free countries). Loomis51 22:51, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, English isn't a second language in the Netherlands, but I think we Dutch speak it because you can make yourself understandable to so many people with it. Chinese may be the most spoken language in the world, but most of those are Chinese. If you know English you can talk with people from loads of different countries with just the one language. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:06, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Just to put things in perspective, I have many Chinese born colleagues. However I often hear them speaking English to each other. At first I had no idea why they didn't speak their native language to each other, but then learned that not only are there several Chinese languages (most notably Mandarin and Cantonese) but more fascinating was the fact that it was explained to me that most Chinese speak only one of the two major Chinese languages and not the other, and, when for example, a Mandarin speaker and a Cantonese speaker meet and try to communicate, even in China, each not understanding the other's language, they use English as the only common language of communication! Loomis51 10:15, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

ad with a song of some kind

there's an ad where there's a whole lot of bouncy balls going down a really steep street in San Francisco. i can't remember what the ad is for (it might be for sony. or maybe colour printers) but there's a song in it, what's the name of the song?

What country are you in? That might help narrow it down… Tonywalton | Talk 13:29, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know the ad you're talking about, but I can't pinpoint the song. I can, however, tell you that the advert is for a TV, probably high-definition, and the brand begins with a V. --Sam Pointon 13:35, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, some more random information: the singer on the song is male, with a thin-ish, reedy voice, and he's accompanied by at least one acoustic guitar, possibly two. --Sam Pointon 13:38, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I remember this ad playing in the U.K. It's for the Sony BRAVIA. According to our article on the subject, the song was Heartbeats, by The Knife, and performed by José González. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 13:39, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Alright, so it didn't start with a V, but it did have a V in it, and starts with a voiced labial consonant. So, I was sort of right. --Sam Pointon 14:00, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Roof-rack Compatability

We've got a roof-rack that was bought to fit a Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta is gone but will it fit Corsa? We cannot try and see because I wont be trying it until I'm six hours away from home at Harwich with my friend waiting at Harwich harbour to pick me up for the car ferry across. If it didn't fit, I'd be screwed. --Username132 (talk) 13:51, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't suppose you can drop by your local Ford dealer and ask? They'll probably know... — QuantumEleven 20:28, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Egyptian Gods and Days of the Year

I would like to know which Egyptian Gods were assigned specific days of a month which they ruled over during a year and the month and days they ruled over. Anubis rules the days of May from the 9th to the 26th, I think. I would like to find the correct information, a book or even a link would do.

I found this information on a card in a store called Scarab, which closed last year and I have been having difficulty finding this information. Any assistance is appreciated.

Thank you,

Anubis Girl

In all the time I spend reading about Egypt, I haven't come across anything like this. There were festivals to honor certain gods throughout the year (which I guess this card refers to), but overall gods were assigned specific subjects to rule over, like Osiris over the underworld. Besides, any idea regular days can be assigned to a specific god are flawed, they had a different calendar all together. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:03, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Title change

How can I add or change a title? The one in question is, Battery Maufacturing Association, it's about a car that was built called a Hazelcar. The article is about the Hazelcar but it's not in the title, so by putting in Hazelcar it doesn't come up, please advise, thanks, Arthur.

The best solution to the problem you've discovered might be to create a redirect page, as changing the title of the "Battery Manufacturing Association" article is probably not a good approach in this case. I've created a redirect page for "Hazelcar," so searching for that should now redirect you to the "Battery Manufacturing Association" article. For information on how this is done, see Wikipedia:Redirect. --DavidGC 14:44, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Gwigle

I'm playing an online game called Gwigle ([43]), it basically tests how well you know and can use Google. The thing is, I'm stuck on Level 1.d. I'm guessing all the pictures are by the same artist, but I can't identify them. Any ideas? Thanks :-) --Saxsux 15:51, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The paintings I recognise are all by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. --Roisterer 16:02, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Brilliant! Thank you! --Saxsux 16:07, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I've got stuck on the next level too. I've had a look on Google Finance, and tried various companies whose name ends with "Incorporated", but no joy. --Saxsux 16:17, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Plug the following into a search engine: "31.92 May 12 close Incorporated" --LarryMac 16:56, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I'd better start thinking for myself now. --Saxsux 17:06, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

pixel

the bigger the picture, the more the pixel? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Torrasque (talk • contribs)

No. Read pixel. – b_jonas 16:16, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

==Helloooooooooooo!!! Is there anybody? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.232.218.227 (talk • contribs)

Why, of course there is, this is planet earth, isn't it? Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 20:30, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If size of pixel stays same, then bigger the picture, more the pixel. If pixel made bigger ( = change screen resolution, for instance from 1024x768 (many smaller pixel) to 800x600 (few big pixel) on same size screen) then with same number pixels, a bigger picture. ok --Seejyb 20:34, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

<blinks> huh? Howard Train 06:16, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

He talk pretty one day. ^_^ Cernen Xanthine Katrena 06:48, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Break Down of Net Worth of US Population

Please provide either a break down of the amount of individuals or households by net worth in the United States by reasonably small increments up to $1,000,000,000. Example:

$0.00 to $10,000 equals 5,000,000 people (or 2,000,000 households) $10,000 to $25,000 equals 10,500,000 people (or 4,250,000 households) $25,000 to $50,000 etc. $50,000 to $100,000 $100,000 to $150,000 $150,000 to $250,000 $250,000 to $500,000 $500,000 to $1,000,000 $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 $2,500,000 to $5,000,000 $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 $10,000,000 to $15,000,000 $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 $20,000,000 to $25,000.000 $25,000,000 to $50,000,000 $50,000,000 to $100,000,000 $100,000,000 to $250,000,000 $250,000,000 to $500,000,000 $500,000,000 to $750,000,000 $750,000,000 to $1,000,000,000 Over $1,000,000,000 I've tried to find this using a variety of searches, but couldn't locate anthing that showed it in this form. I'd appreciate whatever help you can give me. Thanks, Douglas McMillen

I haven't researched this myself, but the U.S. Census website would probably be the first place I'd check. Hope this helps. --DavidGC 08:09, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

M.A.Kuhli

Who is M.A. Kuhli? Article: Semantic feature Help!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.232.218.227 (talk • contribs)

That reference (along with most of the article) was added by user:212.138.47.20 at 21:47, on January 7, 2006. It was then removed a half hour later and replaced with the words "currentlly no info. at this time." by user:212.138.47.23. As both IP are registered to "Internet Service Unit, Saudi Arabia" it is quite possible that it was the same user who wanted to revert his (or her) own edits. I could not find any reference to any M. A. Kuhli, on the internet but it is quite possible that I would have to search in Arabic to find anything. I would say that the veracity of user:212.138.47.20's edit is questionable and it is possible that there is no M. A. Kuhli. Jon513 20:48, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Anyway - thank you very much! :)) Actually, I consider M.A. Kuhli could be Arabian linguist, but who knows...

Al-Kuhli, Muhammed Ali, Brigham Young University - Laie, Hawaii, seemed to write about teaching English as second language (TESL) e.g. "The TESL Teacher and English Prefixes," by Mohammed Ali Al-Kuhli. But that was 1977, so no electronic format available. See this page That was fun. --Seejyb 21:09, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, I already did that. That was the only thing that I found about him on the net :( Perhaps i should search in library or somewhere else, but unfortunately I have no time. On monday I must defend my BA paper... and in my speech I should mention who is the orignato of semantic features. - According to Wikipedia's article Semantic Features - it is mystical Kuhli :(

Hint: say that you found the information in a library, not on Wikipedia. Henry ^Flower 21:44, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd be careful doing that. You need to reference accurately your sources of information. If the panel asks you where you sourced something and you can only answer vaguely that it was in a library somewhere, if they're doing their job right they'll tear you apart. You might be better off stating honestly that you've been unable to find the source of a particular piece of info. After all, your thesis isn't supposed to be infinite in scope. --Hughcharlesparker 10:46, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try Dr Muhammed Ali Alkuhli, who seems to have also written an Arab-Eng dictionary? The publishing house is Jordanian, looks like --Seejyb 23:04, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This page has the 1977 article scanned online in PDF format. I don't know how to link to the PDFs directly, but if you search for Kuhli you will see the article in the results. --Cam 03:41, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Reptile names

My son is working on a paper for school. We are having some trouble finding reptiles that start with the letter "u". If you can help us I would appreciate it.

He is also looking for a reptile that starts with a "q". Help us if you can. Thank you. Stacy

Some browsing in Category:Reptiles turns up the Uropeltidae, or shieldtail snakes. On Q, I pass. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 18:59, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I also found a U, but no Q. Uropeltis, another kind of snake. Jon513 19:01, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

here a turtle that starts with a U but you are not going to like it. And if dinasaurs count there are few with a U and a few with a Q in Category:Cretaceous dinosaurs. Jon513 19:08, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Queen Snake = Regina septemvittata; Urutu or Yarara Parker's pit viper = Bothrops alternatus. I'd imagine that there would be other Queen-named reptiles. --Seejyb 21:22, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Queen snakes are real? How cool. I had always assumed they existed only in Charlie Brown's imagination (like a sort of American equivalent of drop bears). JackofOz 23:31, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, no. Drop bears are real. Haven't you seen the Bundy commercials? --DavidGC 08:12, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah yes, how forgetful of me. They must be real, they're on TV. (lol) 8-) JackofOz 11:34, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you can include extinct reptiles, then one of the largest of the pterosaurs was Quetzalcoatlus. Grutness...wha? 02:39, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We have this : Urodele amphibians. --DLL 18:32, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

yeeeah, but amphibians aren't reptiles - they're amphibians :) Grutness...wha? 07:27, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hyperlinks

Hi, could someone please give me RAM File link name for the three video link names (so I can download them using an external application) on this page. The names are: Dawn French: Vicar of Dimbleby Terms and Conditions apply and As far as you'll get from the standard 9 to 5. I tried getting them myself, but Real Player took too long to find them. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:53, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

open the page then view source and search for ".ram". For the second one I found http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/broadband/video/nb/frenchsaunders_s4ep1p3_16x9_nb.ram. good luck. Jon513 20:35, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

food allergies

Since soy lecithin is a fat source, can foods containing soy lecithin be consumed by someone with a soy allergy as allergins tend to be protein based?

good question. According to Anaphylaxis Campaign there is currently no definitive answer. However the answer (PDF) appears to be that there is no need for people allergic to soy to avoid soy lecithin. Remember: The reference desk is not a replacement for a doctor! Jon513 20:28, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed. My own experience with allergies confirms that there is currently no definitive answer. As far as I understand it, there is technically no reason why soy lecithin should trigger a soy allergy. 204.16.41.2 17:19, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oldest trick

What's the oldest trick in the book?

And does anyone know where that expression comes from? — QuantumEleven 20:26, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think the whole banana incident, where a banana is placed skin-side up and someone walks on it and then falls. Not sure about the origin of it though. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 20:58, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sexual attraction. Henry ^Flower 21:42, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

trick (n.), (slang): "An act of prostitution.", "A prostitute's customer.", or "A session carried out by a prostitute with a client." The oldest recorded trick I think is in the Epic of Gilgamesh but I am not sure. Or if by "the book" you mean the Bible the answer is Tamar (Bible) with Judah (Biblical figure). see Prostitution#History. Jon513 21:59, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"The book" is definitely the Epic of Gilgamesh but "the oldest trick" could be a few different things. It could be when Gilgamesh had the temple prostitute Shamhat seduce Enkidu so that his herd of wild animals spurned him and he turned into a man, or it could be when Gilgamesh and Enkidu promised Humbaba gifts and their allegiance in return for his seven protective auras, but then cut off his head. —Keenan Pepper 22:49, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Was the Epic of Gilgamesh really a book, or was it written on stone or something? Jon513 23:30, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Clay tablets, actually — TheKMan^talk 23:32, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The tiles on my roof had plenty of writing. I opted for shingle. --DLL 18:28, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Getting your pickpocketted by a prostitute on a night out in Manchester. Or is that just me? Howard Train 02:25, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(lol) That's just you, Howard. Most suckers get their pocket picked. :--) JackofOz 02:36, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Then, how come prostitutes never get pickpocketed? (SCHWING!) Cernen Xanthine Katrena 06:52, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How to work as a translator?

That's it. I think it's very easy for me to learn languages... so... what do I have to do to work as a translator?

Well, you should probably learn the language first, fluently. Unless you're raised bilingual, you'll probably need to be able to show some kind of credentials that you know the foreign language. (Such as TOEFL for English) Apart from that, it largely depends on what kind of translation work you want to do; translating poetry is very different from translating technical manuals, which is very different from translating advertising copy, which is different from subtitling movies and so on. If you want to translate literature and poetry, it would certainly help to have a degree in that. Most large universities have courses in translation as well, which would be recommended. For translating technical documents, it would probably be good to have some kind of credentials in the relevant field as well. Legal documents are a whole world unto themselves, where there may be legal requirements. E.g. the EU has a system of acreditation for translators. So literature and copy have the lowest formal requirements, but getting the job is largely a matter of reputation and experience. On the other hand, specialized translators are much better paid. --BluePlatypus 23:20, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For example, if I wanted to be the translation of foreign football players in interviews, what should I have to do? Thanks for your information.

Okay well, while I don't have any direct experience of that, my impression from reading newspaper articles is that those translations aren't usually very good :). In many cases they're done by the (sports) journalist themselves. Newspaper/magazine content where they're not in a hurry to publish and where accuracy of translation is more important (Say, a literary essay for the Sunday paper) would typically be translated by an outside translator. But for things like interviews they'll just do it in-house and translate a translation if they don't have anyone who knows the source language. (E.g. A Norwegian paper might use an American TV channel's English translation as a source of an interview conducted in Chinese) So for that kind of work, it'd probably be more important to first be a journalist, and have the knowledge of a second language as a bonus. --BluePlatypus 23:49, 20 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think its usually pretty informal in English football. If a footballer signs for an English club and he doesnt speak English he'll probably bring over a friend or relative who does. Or the club will find someone bilingual who lives in the local area - not a qualified translator necessarily. Jameswilson 01:17, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 21

How do you check whether a company with a certain name exists?

There may be several reasons why I may wish to do so. For example: 1. I receive a package or letter from a company named Crystal Inc. and wish to check whether there really is a Crystal Inc., to verify the package/letter is legimate. 2. I may wish to register a company Henna Inc. and obviously must know if there already is a Henna Inc. in existence. I would prefer a way to search an online database of company names online, but could you recommend me a good website? --58.185.148.139 00:23, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To the best of my knowledge, there isn't one. And without knowing what country you're in, helping you will be hard. Two things spring to mind, though. If you're in the UK, every company is registered with Companies House and they carry records of every legal corporation and business in the country. I guess most other nations have something similar; if you let us know where you are we could look around for you. The second thing is that if you are querying a credit card transaction, the credit card company are able to check if a company is legitimate for you. This may be of use. Without knowing what your situation is, it's difficult to help you further. Howard Train 07:09, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting question. What if 58.185.148.139 wanted to register his Henna Inc. as a multinational/international corporation? If Google knew such an online database, perhaps Gmail would not have all that trouble in the UK and Germany. P.S. The IP's from Singapore.

This is almost identical to a question asked before by J.L.W.S. The Special One and it used the same company name. See: Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Miscellaneous/April 2006#How do I check if a company name is available for registration?. My answer to this is the same as last time. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:01, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is no such thing as a multinational or international corporation, from a registration point of vew. This is just a common name for a corporation that can provide goods or services in more than one place. The corporation itself would be registered in one place, or might have associated companies with the same or similar names in other countries, owned or set up by the same people. (One reason to set up companies in other countries is that it is extremely difficuly, legally, to employ someone who does not live in the same country). You cannot register a multinational name. You have to register it in each juristiction separately. Researching new product and company names to make sure they are not used anywhere is a major and expensive task. Notinasnaid 10:07, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Another thing you could do-correct me if I'm wrong-is just google the company name, could you not? Unless you do not have a computer (which you obviously do, judging by the fact that you are asking this question), most companies that are not a one-person type thing have some sort of website or at least reference on the Net, it being a rather large thing. Just my opinion.

hospital phone number

trying to get the phone number of the Life Care Trust Hospital in Lagos Nigeria the address would be nice also thanks dennis

As with all questions regarding contact with Nigeria, it's incumbent upon us to remind you of Nigerian 419 fraud. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 01:07, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Stains on Plastic

I just moved into a new apartment. On the third day everything in my apartment that is made of plastic had a stain on it. A white microwave now has dark stains that make it look dirty but the stains do not wipe off. Plastic waste cans have stains. Plastic hamper has stains. Blinds on all the windows have stains. I'm very concerned. The landlord doesn't think it is a problem and won't come to the apartment to look. Could this be a moisture problem? We have had six straight days of rain in our area. How can I find out if it is some type of a mold? If anyone knows anything about this type of problem, please help me. Thanks you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Theresea bauer (talk • contribs) 02:12, 21 May 2006 (UTC).[reply]

First, I should ask your next-door neighbours if they have the sam ething. We had the opposite problem. After moving from an old house with ninety years of accumulated British damp in the fabric, to a new, dry house, all of our furniture turned white - and four years on the white stuff on the underside of tables and chairs still comes back a month after you wipe it. Unbelievably, the wooden furniture is still drying out. Jameswilson 03:15, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Generally, if it's some type of mold it would wipe off with a damp towel. However, some types of mold can be stubborn. Have you tried using a mold remover on the inside of the plastic waste can? (on a spot you won't be able to see in case the remover itself leaves a stain) One other thought... if this is the first day you've been in the apartment since the rains have stopped, is it possible that the stains were always there but that you can only see them now because the lighting is better? --DavidGC 08:20, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The 3 day period and the blinds are problematic. I was going to chip in with the comment that we got stains on many articles that had been wrapped for transport in printed plastic or paper. The clue was that in one cases we could read the reverse print, as well as the different colours of ink. Those all lifted with alcohol. --Seejyb 23:14, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

looking for my ancestors

Hello I am sorry to bother you with a question. I have looked and researched my ancestory every place I can think of and all i can come up with is that it comes from spain area. I was able to find out up to three generations ago. My family have a coat of arms wich is a blue cross just like the red one from the templars except its blue. My last name is Talamantes. I was hoping maybe you may be able to help me. If you can i would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you Lost Talamantes

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.44.243.170 (talk • contribs) 07:16, 21 May 2006 (UTC).[reply]

Have you seen this one, citing a museum ? Museums can offer interesting data. --DLL 18:23, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried a forum like [44]? Rmhermen 18:34, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Excuse my scepticism, but are you sure that it's your coat of arms? There are any number of websites for business out there who'll be happy to sell you a picture of the X family coat of arms, or even "the coat of arms for the X surname". That information is completely meaningless since different families can have the same surname and the arms would not belong to most people with that name. In my experience, most people who do have a coat of arms (i.e. nobility) tend to know exactly who it was granted to, when it was granted and how they are related to that person. Anyway, to answer your question, there is a huge number of books on how to do genealogical research, and websites and magazines and whatnot. However, it is not something which can always or often be done on the web. Most places and countries have yet to put their birth-records online. --BluePlatypus 23:30, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Uploading pictures

I don't know how to upload a picture to Wikipedia. Please can you tell me how? I'm really eager to help on WikiProject Harry Potter. Thanks!! --Username222 03:03, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have moved your question to its own section. When you edit a page like this, please click the appropriate link to do so, as your question nearly got swallowed up by a discussion about stains on plastic.

The Reference Desk isn't really the place for this sort of question: any questions about browsing or editiing wikipedia should be directed at Wikipedia:Help desk. Over here we deal with the suitle emphaziation of pastatutes and the practicalities of using a small sheep as a lawnmower.

Wikipedia:Uploading images whould have everything you need. It's always good to see someone turn up who wants to contribute. Good luck. Howard Train 07:03, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A word of caution, to save you time and frustration: please do remember that any pictures from films or books are likely to be copyright, and you need to understand copyright before you can upload anything created by someone else. Notinasnaid 09:07, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

audio

Hello, I'm not new to wikipedia but I am new to putting audio into articles. Is there a article related to this? I haven't been able to find one. - Mtmtmt 11:33, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look through Wikipedia:Media and m:Help:Images and other uploaded files. That should have most of the information you need. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:51, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have actually looked on both of those pages. I am using this code now. But there has to be a better way to add just one file.

{{multi-listen item|filename=Qbr0.ogg|title=Opera Section|description=This is a low quality audio sample.|format=[[Ogg]]}}

It would appear not. I checked Ludwig van Beethoven and there is a single instance near the top and it's coded in the same way. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:17, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To link inline, you can do this: Audio file "Qbr0.ogg" not found Henry ^Flower 15:23, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

tree grape

I love to see the tree grapes that are planted near other plants so that the pigs will die.

This sentence I found as translation from a hebrew text. Could anybody tell me what a plant this could be? Thanks Kersten

Well tree grape redirects to Bastard cobas and Amazon Grape is possibly the same as the Amazon Tree Grape. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:12, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What Hebrew text are you refering to? What cruel sadist would want pigs to die? Loomis51 22:47, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Based on this I guess it's bastard cobas that was referred to in the text. I suspect that they were talking about Boar rather than the Domestic pig. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:24, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

contact lens

Hi there,

I would like to know that when it comes to cosmetics contact lens, how many types of cosmetics contact lens that are available in stores because I'm making a movie about a vampire girl who lives in a mansion.

Try this: http://www.argoth.co.uk/acatalog/four_eyez.html

If you want to know how many lenses are available in stores, asking your local optician/optometrist stores is the quickest way to get your answer. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:09, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Semantic features

Who is the originator/founder of semantic features, i.e. plus, minus, plus-minus and zero features?

Have you read through Semantic feature? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:28, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's pretty much gone now as it was either a thesis, copyvio or original research. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:47, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not interested in historical data :( I need to know more about the person who developed the understanding about these +/- and other features. - Maybe there is someone else except this mystical Kuhli? Thank you in advance! :)

Does Wikipedia have a browser search field?

Is it possible to add a Wikipedia search field (such as Google and other search engines offer) to my browser's address bar?

Try this. --hydnjo talk 18:52, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I tried using this link to add a search field to Mozilla but when i do it, nothing happens. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Which browzer are you using? --Seejyb 22:02, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.3 (for OS X).

In the left of the search bar, you can see a little icon that shows what search engine it is using, it shows a boxed G signifying google by default. Click on that icon, and a small menu should appear. In that, the last entry is called "Add engines". Click on that one. You will see a page with a list of some search engines and other sites. Select wikipedia from that. – b_jonas 23:09, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The color green and high IQ

Is it true that the color green is preferred by people with high IQs? If so, why? --Trivia man

Well, I believe I remember reading that the folks who put together the book No One May Ever Have the Same Knowledge Again: Letters to Mount Wilson Observatory [45] (a collection of zany letters written by cranks to that observatory) said that a disproportionate number of the crank letters were written in green ink. So maybe green isn't necessarily associated with high IQ, but perhaps those who think they have high IQ, but are infact just weirdos. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:26, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We have the right to remain silent...

That's funny!! I wonder if pink is the preferred color of dim-wits. My ex-fiancée loved the color pink. Turns out she wasn’t very bright. Hence the ex.

Back in the good old days before IT wizardry, green pens were associated with auditors, but I doubt that says anything about the IQ of auditors as compared with the rest of humanity. I once heard in a seminar that if you want to make a good impression, don't wear a brown suit because "brown is the colour of failure". I never understood why anyone would think that. JackofOz 02:12, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All the editors at one publication where I worked used green pens to edit our draft articles rather than the usual red because they had attended a seminar which told them that green was a more authoriatative colour than red. I don't think they knew the logic behind the statement but as management had spent money on them attending the seminar, they thought they should follow at least one of the recommendations. --Roisterer 02:34, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is an interesting theory, but I seriously doubt that it holds true across countries and cultures. Various colors have different connotations in different cultures, but the genetic component of intelligence remains virtually the same around the globe. The average high-IQ person who's grown up in Ireland may have very different feelings about the color green than the average high-IQ person who's grown up in Afghanistan, for example. --DavidGC 07:07, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

- Well, my favourite colour is green and my IQ is in the high 120's, but that could well be just chance. smurrayinchester^(Talk) 08:42, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Film critic

Random question: how does one become a movie critic? (as in for a newspaper/magazine) 165.123.179.157 21:57, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just start writing reviews. Send them to your local newspaper, or the local advertising free-sheet (or some in-house publication, such as a school or college newspaper )- most of these are run on a shoestring budget with one or two journalists (who also do other things too). Tell the paper you'll either work for free or (if union rules don't allow that) for the union scale. Write good tight copy, light but informative and with enough opinion for it to be interesting and worthwhile, but not so much it's just you ranting. If it's anyway half decent they'll publish it. Keep this up for a few months, build up a decent body of work, and maybe you can graduate to some publication that's a bit more credible. Somewhere along the way you might like to get a qualification in journalism, writing, or media, but if you plan on making a career of it you'll be judged on your work much more than your credentials. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:50, 21 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might find the biography of James Berardinelli of interest; he started from scratch as is now a respected critic. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 02:00, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Italian-American Sentiments on War on Terrorism

I am curious if there have been any studies done on the feelings specific to Italian-Americans on the current War on Terrorism. I am looking for graphs depicting changes in voting patterns and information about any sort of ethnic movements towards stopping or supporting the war. If anyone has ideas, please help.140.192.206.123 00:00, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Aren't we generations past the time when Italian-Americans were a "political block" on national issues? I suspect that socioeconomic status, residence, and education are far better predictors of attitudes to these political issues than where grandparents came from. alteripse 16:42, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

replacing the m16

does anyone know if there's an assault rifle on track to replace the m16(in the u.s. military)? i understand that the xm8 was slated to do so, but that program was cancelled late last year. have we moved on to another model, or have we decided to stick with the m16 for the time being? thanks

Objective Individual Combat Weapon program has a bunch of links to various initiatives and prototypes in this regard. As the article notes, you can bet the US Army will come back from Iraq and do some fairly major thinking about its infantry doctrine, so in the meantime the M16 is going to be around for a long time yet. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 01:16, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There's a page about the MR-C, which is apparently going to be the US Army's next standard infantry weapon, but I'm not sure how true that is. I would be surprised if anything is set in stone: in fact, judging from a Google, I'm not even sure if the MR-C exists. Sum0 22:03, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 22

taxonimy

the taxonimy of chicken for example the kingdom class ,order....

Please type "chicken" in the search box. -- Rick Block (talk) 00:27, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or click here. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 02:55, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or even wikispecies:Gallus gallus. – b_jonas 11:41, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hm. I would have thought the species name Bawk bawk to be more appropriate, but I suppose those aren't latin words. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 07:01, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Big Tobacco

What are Big Tobacco's yearly profits?

See Tobacco industry#Tobacco companies. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 01:59, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Charmed

Just out of curiosity, how many times has: the front door been blown off, the attic been blown up, and the house been blown up in Charmed? Thanks --Zach 01:49, 22 May 2006 (UTC) What's the insurance rate like???? hotclaws**==(81.136.163.210 10:17, 22 May 2006 (UTC))[reply]

Laura La Plante

I have been told that I am related to this person. My mother told me that she was an American Indian & changed her name when she became a Movie Star. I am trying to find our what kind of Indian she was & if I truly am related to her. I don't know how to find this information & would be greatful for any help you could give me.

Thank you,

Cyndi Nable

Well IMDb says she was born Laura La Plant (i.e., same name without the E) and doesn't give any info about her background, which doesn't help much... Grutness...wha? 07:45, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Our article is at Laura La Plante. This site gives a bit more but no mention of ancestry. Rmhermen 13:52, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know if there is any relation, but it is interesting to note that in La Plant, South Dakota the racial makeup is apparently 100.00% Native American. --Lambiam ^Talk 21:49, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

who is hartline?

I live in burleson texas, My last name is Hartline. how did you come to be named Hartline Washington?

Are you asking this question because you found the article Hartline, Washington? If so, please note that this is an encyclopedia with around a million entries, and the information we have is in that article. Notinasnaid 10:02, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A Darkling Plain

When will the book A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve be released in Australia? It is impossible to find info about this series on the Internet.

It appears from this Booktopia page that the book will be published by Scholastic, so you might want to go to their home page and click on the "Contact Us" link so that you can ask them. --LarryMac 14:30, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Theological Cosmology/Cosmological Theology

I wish to study the correlation between religion and science, ie. the world was created in 7 days and 7 days of the Brahma equalls 7 trillion years. Although these figures are not correct. This is the type of thing. Big Bang's relation to the Word Aum ect. I realize that this question is not as clear as it could be, but that is why i wish to study the subject. Is there a course that one can do? would i need mathamatics, Cosmmology alone requires Differential and intergrated Calculas. I cant do these, but i just want to be able to explain the principles. Please Help.

193.115.175.247 14:35, 22 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

Gerald Schroeder has written several books on this topics. There might be more. Jon513 17:35, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lots of people are interested in these topics. A Google search on religion cosmology yielded 3,420,000 results. Of course, you have to be discriminating in any web search, and not just because there are so many possible sources. --Halcatalyst 22:44, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Gaints

Sorry, to hog all the space, but i got another question. In Genesis 6 I believe, there is a passage concerning the Nephilim. Giants of great renown ect. They are also refered to through out the Bible as Amelekites or Zummzummatis and varios other names. There are also myths in Scandanavia concerning the Nephilheim, Giants... What i would like to know is, is there any relation between these two (fictional?) characters. And is so, what. Basically, I want ANY info on them as what I have read on Wiki and other places just seem to give the same explanation as the Bible. They were apparently still alive and Kickin when the Israelites went to the promised land. Is there any Archeology? ANY Info Please. 193.115.175.247 15:13, 22 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

See Giant (mythology) and Nephilim there is no known connection, and I don't see why it'd be likely, given that the idea of giants seems to have sprung up in quite a few cultures. I don't know where you got the idea that "Nephilheim" would be a Norse name for giant. The term is jötunn (plural jötnar). The idea that the name Nephilim actually meant real giants isn't totally accepted either (see that article). In any case they're pretty dissimilar myths. The Greek Titans would be a much more similar one. --BluePlatypus 16:18, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think you miss understand my question. In scandanavia there is a myth concerning Nephilheim, who were giants, the similar spelling and pronunciation of Nephilim, is quite striking Being scandanavian and hebrew, and both describing the same phenomenon. Please elaborate if any one can. Thanks again Wiki.

193.115.175.247 16:26, 22 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

Niflheim, as it's spelled does not mean "giants". It's a place (as heim meaning "land" implies). The words aren't really very similar, they have completely different meanings and etymologies, and not very similar pronunciations. --BluePlatypus 18:34, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In Nephilim, the part -im is the Hebrew plural form. In Niflheim the part nifl means something like "fog", "mist"; it is related to Latin (and English) "nebula" (see http://yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzn00500.html). --Lambiam ^Talk 21:38, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ukrainian Wax Birds

I found 50 wax birds at a garage sale. Under your website, the Pysanka article said "some of the eggs were emptied and a bird's head made of wax with wings and tailfeathers of folded paper attatched. These doves were suspended before icons in commemoration of the birth of Christ." I'd like to know if I have these birds, but don't know how to send you my picture of them to see. Could you give me the source of where this inofrmation came from for me to find out? I can't seem to find any more information about these birds. Only eggs. Thank you for your help. Deborah

Hi Deborah. Unfortunately, the user who wrote the bulk of the article, including a description of the birds, was an anonymous user, so it is probably going to be impossible to contact that author. The only thing I can recommend is a search of Google or other search engines for terms like pysanka, bird, and "wax head." Sorry I can't be of more help. --DavidGC 05:42, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A question of appearance

Can one change Wikipedia's skin?

see Help:User style. Also if you are logged in you can click preferences at the top then skin and change the skin. Jon513 16:27, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

IDGR needs care and a good translator german -> english

At the moment IDGR is descripted only from the perspectiv of its adherents. But its a quite controversial subject. Would be great if somebody who knows german and englisch very well could translate the passage [46]:

Negativ, nämlich als unzulässige Vermischung von Konservatismus und Rechtsextremismus, werten einige den Anspruch des IDGR, Kontakte, Vernetzungen und ideologische Berührungspunkte zwischen rechtskonservativen Personen und Organisationen mit rechtsextremen Gruppen aufzudecken. Betroffen sind davon neben Vertretern der deutschen Neuen Rechten vor allem Gruppen, die dem rechten Rand der Unionsparteien zugerechnet werden, etwa das Institut für Staatspolitik oder das Studienzentrum Weikersheim. Deren Anhänger werten die Darstellung des IDGR als Versuch, auch demokratisch gesinnte Personen und Gruppen in die Nähe rechtsextremistischer Bestrebungen zu rücken und halten ihn daher für ideologisch befangen. - Claus Wolfschlag, unter anderem Autor der vom IDGR als rechtsextrem eingestuften Wochenzeitung Junge Freiheit, kritisiert, die Website diene vor allem der Diffamierung rechtsstehender Persönlichkeiten. Wolfschlag und andere Kritiker stufen einige Autoren des IDGR als Linksextremisten ein.

Tanx a lot in advance. Foreigner

Very political. A WorldLingo gets:

“

Negatively, indeed as inadmissible mixture of Konservatismus and right-wing extremism, rate some the requirement of the IDGR, Contacts, To uncover cross-linkings and ideological points of contact between right-conservative persons and organizations with right-wing extremist groups. Concerned of it above all groups are, beside representatives of the German new ones rights those the right edge of the Union parties to be added, for instance Institut for state politics or the study center Weikersheim. Their trailer rate the representation of the IDGR as attempt, also democratically gesinnte persons and groups into the proximity of right-extremist efforts to move and consider it therefore ideologically embarrassed. - Claus's wolf impact, among other things author of the IDGR as right-wing extreme classified weekly paper the boy liberty, criticized, the Website serves above all the Diffamierung of personalities to the right. Wolf impact and other critics classify some authors of the IDGR than left-wing extremists.

”

Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 17:08, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, its better than nothing. Think we should use it for a while. Foreigner 07:18, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Blimey, who wrote that, a lawyer or a journalist! With a sentence structure like that, I don't think online translation tools have much of a chance. Let me give it a shot...

“

Some describe the activities of the IDGR, to uncover contacts and links between radical right-wing individuals and right-wing conservative groups and people, as being based on an unfounded connection between conservatism and right-wing extremism. Particularly groups of the German New Right (Neuen Rechten) and on the right wing of the German conservative party are affected by this. These groups accuse the IDGR of trying to write off democratically inclined groups by linking them with right-wing extremism, and therefore see the IDGR's actions as being ideologically motivated. Claus Wolfschlag, the editor of the weekly mgazine Junge Freiheit (described by the IDGR as being an extremist right-wing publication), has criticised the IDGR website as serving to merely to defame personalities on the political right. Wolfschlag and others also view some of the IDGR's authors as left-wing extremists.

”

Hope that helps! — QuantumEleven 08:56, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Helps a lot, thank you v e r y much, I'll do away with my own work in IDGR and take this one. Foreigner 09:35, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

theres trouble with SlimVirgin who doubts the passage is correct. Please see the history of IDGR Thanks a lot in advance Foreigner 07:17, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sailing By

Where can I download the whole of this for free? Or can't I? Thanks--Keycard ^(talk) 17:14, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

download what?Jon513 17:26, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To download WP, we a page have for ... Let me if I find can it see. --DLL 18:00, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia database is an easy redirect there. Weregerbil 18:07, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You might be interested in the unfinished Wikipedia 1.0. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 02:11, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, he's talking about Sailing By, the tune played on BBC Radio 4 just before the shipping forecast. Far as I can tell, he's looking for a complete version of the tune to link to on its page. --Richardrj 05:26, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that's right. Does anyone know?--Keycard ^(talk) 07:22, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It looks like the 2 singles that were recorded are protected by copyright, and we never mess with copyright here. --Zeizmic 17:54, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

clothing at discount stores

I like to shop at Marshall's and TJ Maxx. My son doesn't want me to buy his clothes there because he thinks they are substandard quality, "not the real thing", or made just for discount retailers. Is there any truth to that? (Aside from the merchandise that is marked "irregular")

Certainly being made for alternate retailers and "not the real thing" are applicable, as I presume your son's complaint is that you're not buying him Designer Label X. However, it's up to you, the person who earns and is responsible for the money, whether the "real thing" is appropriate to buy -- that is, does Designer Label X have features or quality superior to Discount Label Y (aside, obviously, from the label)? Assuming it does, is the extra cost then justified? As for quality, that will depend greatly on specific type/brand of clothing (and may vary largely within a brand). Your best bet is to consult Consumer Reports or another consumer advocacy source for unbiased comparisons. Alternately, perhaps you should find some means of your son buying his preferred clothes via his own resources. — Lomn Talk 18:25, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is a parenting issue, and from experience it can be a challenge. He needs some education as to what a designer label means, including a full discussion of social significance of clothing and teenage group identification, relation to "fitting in", some of the sweatshop sources, etc. You could do what a parent of a teenage girl I knew many decades ago did: for his birthday, give him a stack of designer labels with the explanation that if the label is what is important he can put them on anything. Make him cut the quality pretense and deal with the real issue, which is the social identification aspect. Don't dismiss it as unreal, but make him discuss it. No matter how much money you have and he has, he will always be able to make himself feel fortunate or deprived by the things he can afford or can't afford. Don't be ashamed to explain exactly where that limit is for your family's circumstances and tell him it is up to him how much of a deprivation it is. Help him understand that money spent one place is not available for something else and for nearly all of us money is finite, and the challenge is for us to live with the limits, make some choices, and not let feelings of deprivation ruin our lives. These are the real issues to discuss, not the quality of one brand over another. Good luck. alteripse 21:00, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think part of the issue being raised is whether the cheaper designer brands sold at TJ Maxx etc are real. In my experience with TK Maxx (a sister brand to TJ Maxx) they are, but they may not be the most up-to-date 'in season' versions, they may be hard to find in the size you want or they may be irregular. They won't tend to be made of different material, or less well made, or less 'real'. Skittle 22:28, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Read Archie comics! They are the secret of life! (teenage only.. or perhaps nothing...) --Zeizmic 22:34, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Working/Moving in/to Brazil?

I am considering moving to Brazil, what are the work requirements for foreigners?

Thanks for the help,

- J. Alpar

Google for Brazil immigration. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:50, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How is a soccer ball made?

Which plastic material is used to make a soccerball and through which process? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.176.63.16 (talk • contribs)

What part of our article on soccer balls do you need further clarified? — Lomn Talk 18:29, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

this question accidentally deleted earlier, restored by me — Lomn Talk 18:30, 22 May 2006 (UTC) [reply]

Xbox 360

is it possible to transfer music from my computer directly to my Xbox 360? by ethernet, for example? thanks

Not that I can see. You can however install a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) media server (via software like Windows Media Connect) and stream it over the network/ --Blowdart 10:11, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

User Talk Page

So I have to leave all bot messages (such as those regarding copyright issues) on my user talk page forever, even after I have resolved the issue? --Nmajdan 21:23, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nope. Whatever gave you that impression? You can pretty much do as you wish with your talk page. It is only other people's talk pages that you should desist from revrting, pruning &c. Many people make archive pages and store their old talk. Some people weed it out. Some people throw it away. Go wild! --Tagishsimon (talk)

If you look at the history of my User Talk page, you will see another user restored some of the notices I deleted and said in his comment: "(adding a welcome and replacing all notices (you are supposed to leave them on your talk page))." So that's what gave me that impression. Thanks for the info. --Nmajdan 01:05, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I guess http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Talk_page#Etiquette would be the best link to policy in this area. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Deleting other users' comments on your talk page is often considered hostile or a mark of incivility and is discouraged by Wikipedia policies. It is not really "your" talk page, it is a Wikipedia page where users can talk to you about you, so deleting their comments is essentially showing disrespect to their contributions. Archiving to separate pages, however, is perfectly acceptable. Deletion of certain templates is also acceptable after those issues are resolved, but see the above article for more info. --DavidGC 05:47, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I understand about deleting other user's comments, but I was more referring to the automated bot messages. --Nmajdan 12:33, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would recommend archiving, but if you really want to delete it, make sure it's completely resolved first. - 131.211.210.12 12:18, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 23

Anyway to turn off sound in Mozilla Firefox?

Hello, Is there any way to turn off the sound in Mozilla Firefox, meaning that I am able to listen to my media player and when I go into a website that has sound, that sound doesn't play or is muted some how? Thank you

If you're using Linux, have you tried using different sound servers? --KJ 01:45, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

NoScript is pretty good at not letting things play. --212.202.184.238 01:51, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shotgun infomation!!

Where did the word shotgun originate from? Also how do you determine the guage of a shotgun?

Thanks, Casey Mcinnis

See Shotgun. Tijuana Brass^¡Épa!-E@ 02:10, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

New York's Finest Taxi Service

Did it really exist or is it just a myth? 68.52.56.111 01:56, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I assume you mean from the movie The Usual Suspects? Isopropyl 02:05, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But of course New York's Finest are the police, New York's Bravest are the firefighters, New York's Brightest are the schoolteachers, New York's Strongest are the sanitation workers, and New York's Safest are the cabbies. Yes, the Big Apple is the capital of superlatives, and I have not made a single one of these up.--Pharos 05:47, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who are New York's Toughest then? There are three streets in Manhattan named after the Finest, Bravest, and Toughest (after 9/11 I think). Who are the Toughest - perhaps the local National Guard? Bwithh 08:06, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My mistake. the avenue is Avenue of the Strongest. So they named it after the sanitation workers ( so it wasn't a 9/11 thing then, as I was told before) http://www.wasteage.com/mag/waste_avenue_strongest_honor/index.html Bwithh 08:12, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(Also, New York's Boldest are correction (prison) officers.) Bwithh 08:10, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, yes, I'd heard of the "Boldest" ~~but not the "Toughest". I don't know, maybe Port Authority Police? They were more directly involved in 9/11. Also, "tough" is sort of a word associated with the waterfront.~~--Pharos 08:17, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well there goes my nice theory.--Pharos 08:18, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

NEW YORKS finest taxi service is when a youth who cannot be arrested commits a minor crime to get the police to take him/her home to thier parents, rather than organizing a lift with afriend or paying for a real cab.

Create a subject page

how does one go about creating a new page or a subject? hypothetically "the history of guitar worship." thanks

Please see Wikipedia:Your first article. -- Rick Block (talk) 04:18, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please create this article, as a fellow muscian i too worship my axxe. Rock on! 193.115.175.247 09:50, 23 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

Once you're familiar with the rules and ways of Wikipedia, go over to Help:Starting_a_new_page (it's at the bottom of the page that Rick Block recommended) and you can start creating it for real. Just don't leave the page blank or it might get deleted. freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 12:40, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would just call the article Guitar worship if I were you, there shouldn't be a need for a "History of..." article unless the base article is too long and complicated. --Canley 02:59, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

washing hair

yo sup my friends, does washing your hair make it grow faster? Does conditioning it? basically id like to know how to make your hair grow its fastesest! yo catup dogs

joe jackman

I think it doesn't, but your hair might look denser or longer if it's washed. – b_jonas 09:32, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rumour has it that if tou crush the pill and put it in yor shampoo, it will increase hair gowth, or if you are a girl, just take it and it will increase hair growth. I am a guy with long hair, and it worked for me about 4 years ago. It still takes years. 193.115.175.247 09:51, 23 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

I always think hair grows faster in summer than it does in winter. Anyone else noticed this? --Richardrj 10:01, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a guy with long hair as well. I've never heard that washing it makes it grow faster but I have been told that if you trim it that it will grow faster. I've never understood that but it's what I've been told. And for me, having the longest hair has never been the goal. It's just easier to manage than getting haircuts all the time... Plus there are the women who ask if they can run their hands through it. I really like that part.... :-) Dismas|^(talk) 10:06, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

seconded :) Grutness...wha? 13:15, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

thirded, most decisively. Howard Train 23:21, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look at 10 Hair myths, 25 hair myths and a whole google of hair myths. It appears the #1 myth is "Cutting Hair Makes It Grow Faster and/or Thicker" - False. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:36, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See this site for reasonably balanced info; the FDA approved meds really work.

There is a wonderful story (physiology legend?) about a hermit or woodsman or whatever, who would once every few months take his rowing boat and cross the lake / river to visit the nearest settlement for some feminine interaction (no doubt under the guise of selling beaver pelts or buying supplies:)). The story goes that he found that on the return journey his beard would be growing at a noticably faster rate that before, and then over the next week return to it's old rate. This tale is related as an illustration that testosterone makes a man's beard grow faster. What it does not say, is that testosterone can make the scalp hair fall out faster.

The "pill" story is valid, though I don't know about the application method. A side effect, it gets more of the follicles in growth phase at the same time, so that when they go into the resting phase later on, you get a sudden "coordinated" excessive hair loss all over the scalp. --Seejyb 21:45, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Taking vitamin pills makes your hair grow faster and better...and also, there is some truth to the 'washing it often' myth, since hair folicles are free to transport vitamins when they are not clogged by dirt or dead scalp cells... I think I read somewhere that old men are bald because they don't have a good circulation on their scalp and also their androgens do something to clog the circulation of nutrients to the folicles. --Cosmic girl 05:45, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One Tree Hill

One tree hill is my favourite show, and I live in Australia. It showed season 1 on ten up to about episode 11. I checked the article and it said it now plays on fox 8, i don't have foxtell and I miss it dearly. Is there any chance that ten will bring it back on?

Probably not. It rated very poorly, and The OC is now Ten's dominant "teen soap" program. Battle Ape 14:30, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you're desperate, buy the DVD's, though I'm not sure there's a region 4 release. If your DVD player plays region 1 NTSC discs, you can get the DVDs from Amazon amongst a number of other online retailers who'll ship to Australia. They won't be cheap, though. --Robert Merkel 15:30, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

name that tune

could someone please tell me who wrote this song or what the title is. i can't seem to find anyone familiar with this. the song goes as follows.

                         there's s new world somewhere
                         they call the promised land
                            
                          and i'll be there someday
                          if you will hold my hand
                          
                          i still need you here beside me
                          no matter what i do.

it is definitely not the *promised land*. i tried that version already and it is totally different. all help would be appreciated.

It's Sonny James' I'll Never Find Another You, written by Tom Springfield.

There's a new world somewhere they call the Promised Land
And I'll be there someday if you will hold my hand
I still need you there beside me no matter what I do
For I know I'll never find another you
There is always someone to reach across they say
And you'll be my someone forever and today
I could search the whole world over until my life is through
But I know I'll never find another you
It's a long long journey so stay by my side
When I'll walk through the storm you'll be my guide be my guide
If they gave me a fortune my pleasure would be small
I could lose it all tomorrow and never mind at all
But if I should lose your love dear I don't know what I'd do
For I know I'll never find another you
[ guitar ]
But if I should lose your love dear I don't know what I'd do
For I know I'll never find another you another you another you

freshgavin ΓΛĿЌ 12:33, 23 May 2006 (UTC) thank you thank you thank you i love you.[reply]

BTW the best known version of that song is almost certainly that by The Seekers. It went Top 10 in a large number of countries in about 1965 (No. 1 in the UK, too, ISTR). Grutness...wha? 13:12, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

who ever you are you're the best. sonny james just didn't have the same melody. the seekers did. thank-you

Oh man. That song is one of the stickiest earworms ever. I'll have that in my head for a day. Thank...you...very...much. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 16:14, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

United States Congress

I am looking for my Congresstional District Number and Who my Representative is. I also need to know who the two Ohio Senators are.

Did you look at Government_of_Ohio#State_Politics? The answer to your last question is there. --Richardrj 13:14, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The map on Ohio Congressional Districts and the List of United States Representatives from Ohio should get you the first. Rmhermen 17:22, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You may also be interested in Ohio United States Senate election, 2006; the election for DeWine's seat will likely be one of the four or five closest in the forthcoming midterm elections. Joe 21:31, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Literature articles - exploring themes, motifs, symbolism etc.

I was wondering if exploring ideas about novels, such as themes, symbolism, motfis etc. constituted as a violation of Wikipedia's policy of: "Do not write articles that present your own original theories, opinions, or insights, even if you can support them by reference to accepted work."

More specifically in relation to AS-Level exam texts, such as "The Miller's Prologue and Tale", "The Spire" and "Spies".

Some of those above have explanations about some of the themes and motifs in the novel/poem. I would argue that adding theme explanation etc. would not go against this policy because although it is open to interpretation, there are still recognised points of view which are taught in schools.

What are your thoughts as to an 'official' ruling? Thank you.

Presenting interpretations that have been published is fine. As you said, they are recognized interpretations that are taught in school, therefore they aren't original to you. -user:rasd

Thank you very much. Sound reasoning. -user:JohnKingsnorth

Just be sure to source them. User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:05, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

inserting a "contribute to editing" box

I am looking for a box that I have seen on some pages that is inserted at the top of a page to ask for help in contributing to the content of an article that is new... I started Ken Hart and would like to insert that box on the page...could you direct me to the location of that code..if it exists. I regret that I have only short intervals of time throughout the week to devote to editing, but am sure in time I shall become familiar with these sorts of issues..My main concern at this time is to get a solid base for the "Ken Hart" entry as I have contacted others involved in his life that shall supply me with verifiable data to get the listing to a place where others can assist in its evolution. By the way, Ken Hart would have loved Wikipedia....THNX--ZorroZ 17:17, 23 May 2006 (UTC) == Wikipedia==....AWESOME--ZorroZ 17:38, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Someone put a template on there. If you look at Template:Importance there are a list that might be relevant and also the main section Wikipedia:Template messages. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 17:40, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is the specific way to get a contributation into Wikipedia

I am sorry and do not know where this question should go. I have looked high and low for the method to get a file into Wikipedia. Every other question is answered but not this. I have a specific article from another web site with the authors permission to post on Wikipedia. Do I go so some page that says edit this? Then save it from there? I have created web pages so know how to upload. But Wikipedia is a mystery to me. Have a nice day

To input anything to Wikipedia, you do what you did to post here. You click 'edit this page' and type, or paste, the words in. If you need to know how to code something in particular, looking at the source (by clicking 'edit this page') on other pages may help. You can play around in the WP:Sandbox to experiment.

When you say 'a file', do you mean a lot of words? These you would copy and paste, but it would be much better to reword the section yourself. This is because anything you submit to Wikipedia like this becomes free for anyone to use as they see fit, as long as they reference Wikipedia, and the site-owner may not be so happy with that. If it is a sound file or a picture, there are specific ways to add them which involve loading them onto the Wikimedia servers first (I think). If you could clarify what you're asking, I can be more help. As can other people. Skittle 18:31, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay. Wikipedia:Media is probably the page you want. Note it says you have to be logged in to upload files. This means you need to sign up using the link at the top right of every page. All you need to give is a username and a password, no personal information. It is immediate, without even email confirmation, so it's quick and easy. Skittle 18:37, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You need to have an account to create a new page or to upload a media file. If you want to create a new page but do not want to create an account, then you must ask someone else to do it. -lethe ^{talk +} 18:48, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ask whoever gave you the permission to post it to Wikipedia whether they would be happy to have the material editable and available for free distribution (which are basic Wikipedia requirements). If they still think that's okay, make sure it is worded as an encyclopedic entry like the articles listed in WP:FA for example. Something that violates basic rules of WP:NPOV or WP:NOT may get deleted. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:22, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

sales rate of british newspapers

what is the daily sales rate (approximately) of these British newspapers: "The Northern Echo", "The Herald",and "Daily Star"?

Northern Echo 173,000 The Herald 74,000 Daily Star 780,000 (NB its called circulationif you need to search for any more). Jameswilson 22:16, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Windows Movie Maker

I thought someone here might know this. I'm trying to put a video I edited in windows movie maker onto a powerpoint presentation I made, only Windows Movie Maker files are not compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint. Do you know any video converting programs I could use that are compatible with Windows Movie Maker so that I could put my videos onto my powerpoint?

Thanks, Anon

Try MediaCoder. It's free and can convert most major video formats. Good luck. Tijuana Brass^E@ 23:16, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Foreign legion engagements

It will be unfruitful to ask "Where is the foreign legion now?". However, Darfur stands out as a highly important conflict today, with absolutely horrible acts of genocide and whatnot (and might I say, horrible ignorance from the world). Is there any chance that legionaires are in Sudan? Were there ever any in Rwanda? How exactly does this body act when regular soldiers of the country are practically not allowed to engage? Any information about where they might be would be nice. Henning 21:58, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The deployments of the French Foreign Legion can be found under Current Deployments. I would presume that to avoid an international incident the actions of the Foreign Legion are held to the same standards as the regular army. Sum0 22:09, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The French have never had influence in the Sudan, and they generally commit the Legion only to former colonies and other related territories where they have strong interests or ties to one of the parties. Chad, on the other hand, is a French community country and the French have some close involvement. Trouble there might prompt foreign legion intervention, if only to evacuate Europeans. alteripse 00:45, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can I change my user name?

After a very bad experience on Fidel Castro page, I want to disappear. If I am going to contribute any more to Wikipedia, I must have a new identity that can't be traced as I don't want contact with any of those people again. KarenAnn 23:10, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

See WP:CHU to change your name. In the future (and I hope you'll stay), please post other Wikipedia-related questions to the Wikipedia:Help Desk instead. Thanks. Tijuana Brass^E@ 23:14, 23 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

WP:CHU is for when you want to have your old edits attributed to your new username. If what you want is a clean break from your past, just stop using your old account and register a new one. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 11:38, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And if you do that, read the unclean guidelines on WP:SOCK. – b_jonas 21:15, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You could always ask Fidel Castro for help with disappearing, but he's too old to do anything to you. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:47, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 24

Specialized high schools and regular high schools

Question: Are specilaized high schools a form of acedemic segregation/discrimination?

To take the specialized test you are suppose to pay for the test. How would the poor people get achance to take the test and get into one of the spcialized high schools? --205.188.117.68 00:49, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They don't - poor people always get screwed over in life. Everything in this society is decided on the contents of a person's wallet and the names of the people that he knows, not the contents of his heart and mind. Some of those schools would probably take a kid who counted on his fingers and couldn't spell his own name if his parents 'donated' enough money - whilst a bright kid who happened, by sheer luck the draw, to have been born to poor parents will have to fight extra hard for everything in life and probably still end up getting nowhere. When these two hypothetical children grow up and get jobs, guess who'll be working for who? --—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kurt Shaped Box (talk • contribs) 01:05, 24 May 2006 (UTC).[reply]

Commentary aside, and to try to answer your question... It depends on the area. In many areas, such tests are administered free of charge to those who can demonstrate that they are unable to afford them, though this may vary from country to country and, within the United States, from district to district. If this is true for you, you should speak with the organization administering the test, to see if they have special allowances for people in your situation. --DavidGC 03:52, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

From the taxpayer's POV, why should they be forced to pay more for a few students who feel they need a specialized school ? The most famous such school might be the New York School for Performing Arts (now the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, apparently the old name was too easy to remember and spell), featured in Fame the musical/movie and TV series. StuRat 13:21, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dangerously close to veering off the subject, but the advantage to paying for those students that can benefit from additional education is that it increases the supply of scarce skills (doctors, engineers etc) and benefits the community. It's pretty common worldwide to tailor publicly funded education to the level of the person receiving it, which is why we get academic streaming, scholarships, kids being advanced or held back years etc. Most such schools are science-oriented. Performing arts schools are really an exceptional case.

I also suspect that the additional cost of the specialist education may not be that much, especially if it enables a bright student to learn in one year what they would otherwise take two to learn in a regular school. Also some bright kids perform better and behave better in a challenging environment than in one they find boring. DJ Clayworth 18:14, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Good answer, but when put in terms of spending less on the majority of students, to finance a few special students, this seems rather elitist. StuRat 18:48, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Business School

Just curious, Do you need to take the GMAT (Business standardized test) for undergraduate business programs, or only if you are applying for graduate business school? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 168.16.141.209 (talk • contribs) 03:57, 24 May 2006 (UTC).[reply]

The GMAT is a standardized test given to those seeking to study business at the graduate level (MBA). It is the business school version of the GRE. --DavidGC 04:00, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In fact if you bothered to check what letters "GMAT" actaully stood for, in the first line of the article you'd see that the "G" stands for "Graduate". Loomis51 09:19, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Adding a URL Link

How do I add a link to another Website for something I just added to one of your pages? I looked through the directions, but they were too complex to follow.

In the form of [http://www.notreal.ca explanation] which turns into explanation. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:53, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cigarettes

How many packs of Marlboro cigarettes are in a case? 10? nondescript 07:27, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If I remember correctly, Marlboro has several different packages. Which one do you mean? I think the easiest way to check, is visit your local seller and check the label or ask. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:15, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

- I'm trying to compare prices for cigarettes sold at different gas stations, but some advertise by the pack and some advertise by the case, and I can't get to a gas station right now. nondescript 08:51, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In most of the US cigarettes are sold in packs containing 20 cigarettes and cartons containing 10 packs. --hydnjo talk 12:23, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I take it you are trying to maximize your ratio of carcinogen exposure per money spent ? :-) StuRat 12:32, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In that case, just go and inhale exhaust fumes surely? Completely free! Skittle 11:24, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ten packs to a Carton,
Twenty 'rettes to a pack,
Best that you don't smoke them
Lest you end up in black. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:45, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's how we answer questions here - here's some answers from other people and the responses they received:

Q) I have a question about obesity... A) Why don't you just have fat and cholestorol injected directly into your heart?

Q) I have a question about gambling... A) Why don't you just pile your money up and set fire to it?

Q) I have a question about alcohol... A) Why don't you just go lie in the gutter and piss yourself?

Q) I have a question abour parachuting... A) Adrenalin junkie? Why don't you just go lie down on the freeway at night?

Welcome to Wikipedia Gardar Rurak 08:42, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Aw, now Gardar...come come. We're not all like that. Just me. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 08:14, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Interior Decoraing

Hello! My name is Rebecca and i am in yr 8! I am currently doing a project on Interior Decorating! I really need some help as i cannot find the answers i need anywhere, I know it says "do your own homework" I tried very hard too and looked everywhere!! If you could help with some quick answers that would be greatly appreciated!!

1) Is interior decorating common in Australia today?

2) Is it more common than it was 30 years ago?

3) What are some of the forces/factors that may influence the way this occupation is conducted in the future?

Thankyou, Very Kind and Desperate regards, Rebecca!!!! (210.50.112.13 07:38, 24 May 2006 (UTC)??)[reply]

I'm not sure why interior decoration wouldn't be common in Australia compared to any other country in the world. Every house has some form of it, even if it's not done by professionals. If you're talking about professional interor decorators, I would guess it's more common now than 30 years ago simply because people have more money to spend, but again I can't be sure as I'm not an expert. I think the third question is the easiest of the three. Think of how technology is constantly getting better and better. Think of how things like flat screen televisions and other things like that can be used in interior decorating. If you need any more help, I suggest you look up an interior decorator in the phone book or visit a local IKEA store or something similar. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:13, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Rebecca, I'll do my best but I'm not an expert! Firstly, I get the impression that the term "interior design" is used more often than "interior decoration" these days, although they mean kind of the same thing. If you mean as an occupation, I'm not sure if there are more people employed as interior designers than in the 1970s - possibly not as DIY (do-it-yourself) seems a lot more popular now that it was 30 years ago, so people do their own work rather than hiring a decorator (this may help with question 3). Some factors you can also consider are the popularity of makeover TV programs like Changing Rooms and Better Homes & Gardens, and also the rate of new houses/apartments built in Australia over the last 30 years. Good luck, hope this helped. --Canley 08:09, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mouse Help

How do you catch a mouse in the home without killing the mouse?

Build a mouse-friendly mouse-trap as I did a few years ago. If you google it, I'm sure you could come up with a few designs. When I did it, I didn't have internet access yet, but there's quite a few books on those things too. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:05, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And don't forget to drive far, before you let them go in somebody's backyard. You'll be surprised how soon they show up again... --Zeizmic 12:11, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Victor company make a mouse-sized live-trapping product. Try your local hardware store. --hydnjo talk 12:16, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I find mice seldom travel alone, so you likely have several. And don't forget to check the traps frequently, or the mice could die of dehydration. StuRat 12:23, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've used a simple plastic grocery bag suspended from a frame as a live trap. You need to get the mouse out of the bag before it claws its way out, but fortunately, a mouse in a grocery bag is rather noisy. --Serie 20:25, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Prior to having cats, I used to leave little foodscraps in the bottom of the bath - mice can get into the bath, but the sides are too slippery for them to climb out. it's also easy to clean away any, erm, mouse business afterwards. Grutness...wha? 06:06, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

AHH the old addage of to build an better mouse trap just bear in mind that nw mice will be able to smell that mice once lived there, and so you will ore than likely gey more mice afterwards, unless you can find out where they came from, but well done for not wanting to kill them 81.144.161.223 14:36, 25 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

"Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door...be a better psychiatrist and the world will leave a beaten psychopath on your doorstep." StuRat 22:14, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Put down lethal mousetraps and have someone else remove the dead mice. Out of sight, out of mind. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:43, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

copying book covers is copyvio?

Question about copyvio, I have had the article Successful Praying dropped for copyvio, but I have done the identical thing for the article The Cross and the Switchblade, that is, I have scanned the front/back cover of the book. Is that not copyvio? What is the exact guideline for book covers? I know there's a lot of general stuff written here about copyvio, but what is the story on book covers? Can I or can't I copy them? The book covers for the Successful Praying article were scanned at exactly the same resolution or size as the book cover for The Cross and the Switchblade for which nobody seems to be saying anything. Thanks for clarifying. Brusselsshrek 11:15, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would have thought scanning the cover of a book for use in an article on that book would be fair use. AllanHainey 11:26, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Generally speaking, an entire article will not be deleted because of a copy violation problem with a graphic used in the article. Rather, only the graphic would be deleted. It is possible that the problem with the Successful Praying article had nothing to do with the graphic used. If the article contained large portions copied from the book or from a review of the book, that would explain it. However, looking at the deletion log, the reason given was that the article was "spammy," but without seeing specific examples of how this was the case, that reason is not very helpful. --DavidGC 11:40, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The thing about fair use is that you need to use the absolute minimum. So, for the latter article, I'd suggest:

Remove and speedy the back cover image altogether
Downscale the front cover image to exactly the size you want to use it on the page (I'd say no more than 300px in the longer dimension) and present it in the article with "framed" rather than "thumb" syntax
Add a copyright notice on the image page (saying it's copyright the publisher) and a source (saying you scanned it)
Add a fair-use rationale for the image's use on that specific article (there's no such thing as a "fair use" image, a priori - a given image is fair use on a given article, providing a reasonable case for that fair use is made). Some examples of a reasonable rationale are at Wikipedia:Image description page#Fair use rationale - simply adding the tag isn't enough. In practice most fair use images on wikipedia don't have a good rationale, don't have proper source and copyright info, are too large, and are used in inappropriate articles - but (eventually) their days are numbered. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 11:45, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As was brought up in the deletion review, the copyright problem was with including the table of contents and having it make up the bulk of the article, though having the back cover as well as the front was also a problem. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 16:54, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm at least partially to blame here. I should've been clearer when I deleted it. The "article" was pretty much a table of contents" which is neither encyclopedic nor allowed by copyright. So I was of the opinion there was no article. Book cover images can only be used on articles discussing the book. Even if I considered it an article, the article didn't discuss the book, so the image had no valid fair use rationale. If someone can write an article about the book, I won't have many problems, but a back cover is definitely a no no. It doesn't illustrate the article. If it's low-res as fair use images should be you can read any letters, making a back cover pretty useless. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:20, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pokemon Colloseum

I can't trade pokemon between GBA and Gamecube. Why?

While the Game Boy Advance and the GameCube are both made by Nintendo, the games for those systems are quite different. The systems are different and so the games are altered to make them run on each system (similar to why PlayStation 2 games don't work on an Xbox). - Mgm|^(talk) 12:15, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mr. Dean Anderson, I don't think that's what he's asking. I believe the question rephrased is: why can't I trade pokemon between my Colloseum save and my Pokemon save on my GBA. (Or something. I'm not good at rephrasing questions.) Response: Check the link between your GBA and your Game Boy, or read the instruction manual that came with either game on how the exact process works. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:41, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Knowlege

They say that every one learns something every day. Today i learned that there are mammals that lay eggs, i thought this was very odd, I would like to know whhat other people have learned. What did you learn today?

See above. AllanHainey 14:02, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That some people take clichés WAY too seriously. Just curious though, what mammal lays eggs? Are you referring to the platypus? Because I believe the jury is still out on that one. Loomis51 19:26, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Loomis, read the featured article.... Or just the intro on the main page. As for me, I learned that Loomis doesn't read the main page often enough. :-) Dismas|^(talk) 19:54, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I learned many things today. One, as stated above, that people take clichés WAY too seriously. Two, that the short-beaked Echidna is in fact an egg laying mammal. Three, that Dismas can be an annoying pedant. And four, that I forgive him anyway because he's apparently into Floyd like I am, and I can't possibly have ill feelings towards someone with such good taste in music. (BTW, will you you be coming up from VT for the Roger Waters concert up here in MTL in September?) Loomis51 21:56, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All monotremes lay eggs. JackofOz 01:42, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here's a useless fact or two about monotremes. In prehistoric times, there were both toothed and untoothed monotremes. All we have left now are untoothed ones. All living monotremes have Latin names as their common names (platypus and echidna). But that's not all - the common name of the platypus may be a Latin name, but it's Latin (taxonomic) name isn't platypus - since that scientific name was already in use for another type of animal when the platypus was named. Grutness...wha? 06:09, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well thanks alot guys and girls, that was very interesting, and yes pink floyd are one of the best bands ever!!! rock on and listen to more slayer 81.144.161.223 11:50, 25 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

parametric resonance

I wish to create an article oncerning the above. But some one has my name, so i cant login, this is un fair as it is my name and i dont wish to change it to some odd handle so...

Parametric resonance occurs in a mechanical system when a system is parametrically excited and oscillates at one its resonant frequencies. Parametric excitation differs from forcing since the action appears as a time varying modification on a system parameter. The classical example of parametric resonance is that of the vertically forced pendulum.

For small amplitudes and by linearising, the stability of the periodic solution is given by :

ii + (a + B cos t)u =0

where u is some perturbation from the periodic solution. Here the Bcost term acts as an ‘energy’ source and is said to parametrically excite the system. The Mathieu equation describes many other physical systems to a sinusoidal parametric excitation such as an LC Circuit where the capacitor plates move sinusoidally.

Or some thing along those lines any way

193.115.175.247 14:16, 24 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

There's already an article Parametric resonance. Please do improve it. Notinasnaid 14:54, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks alot dude, couldnt find it earier, must have been a type 0. Now done, i think.193.115.175.247 15:16, 24 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

But some one has my name, so i cant login, this is un fair as it is my name and i dont wish to change it to some odd handle so...

Presumably the person who shares your name thinks much the same. Get over it & choose a new name, dude. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Dinarics in Serbia and Montenegro

From the Dinaric race article:

According to the Dinaric model, Dinarics are to be found today in the mountainous areas of the western Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, most of northwestern Bulgaria, northwestern Republic of Macedonia and northern Albania).

Between Serbia and Montenegro, would it be safe to say that mountainous Montenegro is the more Dinaric of the two? I’m asking because we may soon have to replace Serbia and Montenegro with simply Montenegro once the latter officially declares independence, and because Serbia from what I know is mostly plains, except for Kosovo.

While not being able to answer your question, i do find it interesting, after having read the article. Is this not politically incorect aand comlpletely racist, to classify people so?

Why would you want to know. We are all People.? 193.115.175.247 15:22, 24 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

Not at all racist. Racism is a much misused word but it is basically the imputation of stereotypical characteristics (usually negative) to a particular race or the characterisation of one race as inferior (or superior) to another in a particular way. It isn't the recognition that there are different ethnic groupings characterised as races. AllanHainey 10:24, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rare Parrot Flower from Thailand

I would appreciate any help someone can offer. I received an e-mail with several photos of a gorgeous orchid-looking flower and it was merely described as the Parrot Flower from Thailand. I'm not sure how to include the photos here, so all I can do is describe that the hollow flower dangles from a stem (which continues inside the "bell" of the flower as the pistil) from a leaf group above and has a "head" that is magenta (with a green tendril mimicking the beak), a white neck/breast area, with an orchid-purple "rear feathers" and "wings". My searches have come up empty on finding more information on this flower, if that is its correct name (one search showed a photo of a completely different-looking flower), genus, where and how grown. If possible and not outside the allowable scope of questions, I'd also like to know if you are able to purchase plants anywhere. Thank you very much in advance for any help you can offer. 16:56, 24 May 2006 (UTC)Annie6078 16:56, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looking at this forum, it appears to be a type of impatiens. (If that picture matches yours). Take a look and let us know. -- LarryMac 17:48, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(Found an alternate space for my question.)

Thank you for posting. You are certainly right about it being an impatiens, but still having trouble locating this exact one. Thank you for at least getting me into the right category anyway (that they are not forms of orchids). Much appreciated. If anyone has any further info, I'd be grateful. Thanks!

Consent Form? [header added]

how can i get the parent consent form so i can fill it out .

The school that gave you it. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 18:01, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Consent for what exactly? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:39, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Radio Times for week starting 27 May

Could someone tell me what Alison Graham's preview for the Doctor Who on Saturday night says (27th) in fair detail? Thanks v. much.--Keycard ^(talk) 17:35, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Most of this info is from Alison Graham, but some is taken from an article on page 10 of the magazine:

{{spoiler}}

When the Doctor (dressed as a Teddy Boy) and Rose arrive in '53 for the Queen's coronation, they find a mysterious street where everyone owns a TV; despite the fact that most places only had one TV per street. They investigate the mysterious TV salesman, and the strange continuity announcer on the screen (Maureen Lipman), who is a member of a mysterious alien group called "The Wire", who can apparently eat people watching television. It will also somehow end with a fight on top of Alexandra Palace, and there will be a subplot involving a pushy father. SMURRAY|IN|CHESTER 19:42, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks very much! It sounds great.--Keycard ^(talk) 07:41, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Discursive essay

Yes, even although it is slightly a homework question, but here I go. I am having to write this discursive essay and I need to write about something slightly controversial. I already done one on police brutality, and would prefer not to do it on something slightly clichéd, like capital punishment. Any ideas are much appreciated. Thanks, Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 17:58, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is controversial depends to a great extent on where you are. US? Europe? Australia?. DJ Clayworth 18:06, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you already "done" one on police brutality, the next step seems to be to do one on proper English, in particular the correct conjugation of the verb "to do", as well as the various colloquial variants. It's certainly contoversial enough, as some people (call them English purists) tend to look down on anything but perfect grammar and syntax, while others (such as myself) tend to welcome such unorthodox additions to the language as contributing to its richness. Loomis51 19:20, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I recommend choosing a topic that has no relation to where you are. The most controvercial issues tend to happen in places very far from where you live, which is why they don't get the attention they should, and your president is allowed to do really sketchy things without tripping any moral laser-beams.

Some examples I can think of are Human Rights issues in China, the divide between rich and poor in developing countries, continuing genocide in many African countries, etc. Human Rights Watch is a good source for articles on very controversial issues. freshofftheufo ΓΛĿЌ 05:52, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are dozens of human rights-type questions: treatment of women in Islamic nations; treatment of Aborigines in Australia; treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay; human rights abuses in (pick any of a couple of dozen countries here)... then there are environemtal-concerns things: policies of major governments towards big business re pollution, global warming, misuse of wilderness areas etc; Japanese and Norwegian attitudes towards whaling, etc etc etc. Any number of meaty topics to get working on. Grutness...wha? 11:52, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Australia has just sent troops to east timor, at the indonesian governments request, however, east timor should belong to Burma, not indonesia. THis is controvercial in my oppinion.81.144.161.223 11:58, 25 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

Err, your lack of awareness of history is the only controversial thing here. Australia has sent troops to East Timor at East Timor's request. East Timor has been an independent nation since 20 May 2002, it no longer forms any part of Indonesia. A lot of lives were lost in their struggle for independence. JackofOz 08:59, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

GRUNTNESS, that would be Indiginous Australians. Racial slers are offensive, although i am sure you did not mean to offend.81.144.161.223 14:49, 25 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

I thought 'Aborigines' just meant 'the first people there'. I've heard it used for many different tribes and people in many different places, but mostly in Australia. I was unaware that it was considered a racial slur by anyone, and I don't imagine Grutness did either. In fact, it took me a few moments to work out what you were refering to. So just to both reassure you that it was unlikely to be intended as a racial slur and to remind you that sometimes you need to be specific about these things. Maybe explaining "Blah blah consider 'blah blah' to be a racial slur, so you might want to avoid it in the future". I can see 'Indigenous Australians' as being more inclusive, as it implies Australianship of the people referred to, but fail to see how 'aborigine' is a racial slur unless it has often been used as an insult. Which I assume it has. Skittle 15:02, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you read the wiki article on the indiginous people of australian is states in there that this is a racial slurr, but i get your meaning. Sorry if I caused any offence. Justa pet hate of mine. Futher more, please see wikipedia main page right hand side, Australia deploys troops. to refer to my previous controversial subject. When will east Timor be free of persecution. We did a good job in South Africa, maybe something just as beautiful can come out of this horrid situation.

The term Aborigine is an officially accepted word by the peoples themselves, and is not regarded as a racial slur in Australia. The only alernative word used to cover the peoples as a whole is Koori - and even then that usually only applies to those living in New south wales, and if I'd used that, it would not likely have been known by the questioner. Similarly, if I had referred to "Indigenous Australians" it would also have included Torres Strait Islanders, who are another matter entirely. If I had used the word "Aboriginal" as a noun, it would have been a racist comment, but I did not. Please do not insult me with unwarranted accusations. Grutness...wha? 02:07, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By any reasonable account, there is absolutely NOTHING offensive about the term "Aborigine". It is simply derived from the Latin ab origine meaning "from the begining." Of course it may be possible for some paranoid Aborigine to consider the term an insult, but that certainly does not automatically mean that the term is a racial slur. This is PC gone absolutely MAD. If a Serbian for some absolutely unexplainable reason resented being called a Balkan, would that make the term "Balkan" a racial slur? If a Scot for some reason resented being referred to as a Briton, would that automatically make the term "Briton" a racial slur? If a Zulu citizen of South Africa for some reason resented being referred to as a "South African", would that make the term "South African" a racial slur? Please! for the love of all that's good and holy, please! STOP THE PC MADNESS!!! Loomis51 02:23, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I agree. Let's get real. Merely stating that a person is a member of a particular racial group is not being racist, any more than stating that the Queen is a woman is being sexist. Racism comes in where people discriminate improperly on the basis of race, in situations where race is irrelevant. "Aboriginal" used as a noun is certainly not racist, Grutness. It is used interchangeably with "Aborigine", "Aboriginal person", or "indigenous person". The full name of the former government body representing the interests of indigenous Australians, ATSIC, was "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission". If this was offensive, the name would certainly not have endured. JackofOz 09:12, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just going by what it says at Indigenous Australians. Grutness...wha? 06:55, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

-takes your soapboxes away and beats you all with newspapers- Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:38, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Euro

Please help me. My son is doing a report on Italy and the teacher has asked the following question. I have tried to answer it but cannot find the information to help me son answer it.

Guestion: Explain the money unit and how it is used?

Can you please help??????????

Thanking you in advance for any help you can give us.

Thank you, Mrs. Smoke

I'm really not sure what possible confusion there could be. The Euro is the unit of currency in most of Europe, just as the US Dollar is the unit of currency in the US. I must be missing something as the concept seems way too simple to actually be so confusing as you make it seem. If you could expand on what's confusing you, I'd be glad to (try to) answer. Loomis51 19:10, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Money can be exchanged for goods and services. --BluePlatypus 19:25, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The symbol for the US (as well as the Canadian, Australian, Honk Kong etc...) Dollar is "$", whereas the symbol for the Euro is "€". Loomis51 19:43, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Money is nice, It's fun to have money. Loomis51 19:43, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Money is one of the least important things that you will ever have contact with. Trust me. --Ouro 20:00, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I disagree. Without money you can't buy food. Without food you die. Loomis51 20:59, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

- Who says you have to buy food? ~~There are other legal ways to get it.~~ Anyway, what I meant to say is, one definitely should not be too money-focused, as the world is today. If you have it - okay. If you don't - make it, but do not overly care because that's a waste of life and energy. --Ouro 21:16, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who ever said I focused my life on money? All I said is that it's better to have it than to not have it. Of course I agree that if the acquisition of money is your all-consuming desire, you'll probably lead a pretty empty life. Many things are more important than money. Love, happiness, companionship, knowledge, self-actualization...that's what life is REALLY all about. But all things being equal, it's still better to have money than to not have it.

In any case, what countries are you talking about when you say there are legal ways to get food without money? Perhaps in the developed world, where both philanthropists and taxpayers contribute their MONEY to help feed the poor, it's possible to get food legally without money. But tell that to those starving in the third world. A couple of Dollars, or Euros, or whatever currency you wish, means the difference between life and death. Loomis51 21:33, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As an example of how to get food for free without taking the money given by philanthropists and taxpayers, see Freeganism. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 04:37, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The question may be referring to the fact that when one travels in Italy, one still sees places quoting both euro and lira, so that a client may be told that that's about 1,000,000 L, but he physically pays in euro, and receives his change in euro. Between 1999 and 2002 both could be used. The lira is, however not legal tender any more, but the conversion shown is apparently to help the older population to get a feeling for prices (Where I live, miles have been non-official for >40 years, but older persons still sometimes ask how far a place is in miles - it gives them the right "feeling" for distance.). Also, a euro in Italy is the same as a Euro in Germany, so that the idea of an "exchange rate" and "different countries' money" is not "used" any more. I can't think of how else one would make sense of the question. You may get some answers if you search for "lira", and follow the conversion process. --Seejyb 22:13, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, skip that - what I meant to say, is that money's not important. I agree with what you wrote (the part about many things being more important), and my answer was not meant as a personal attack. Sorry if you took it that way. To provide an answer, however - one can be fed by friends a little while ;) Anyway, we've drifted from the original question just a bit ;) --Ouro 06:08, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd say that if the question was "Explain the money unit and how it is used?", it's a very poorly phrased question. You can't explain a money unit. You can tell someone about it and investigate it, but explaining it is just plain *******. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:07, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No worries, Ouro. I didn't take anything personal. I must say though that I noticed that you're from Poland (which is, incidentally, along with the Ukraine, where my ancestors are from). For some reason (perhaps because of decades of communist rule), there seems to be a stereotype from Europeans in general, and in particular those Europeans from behind the former "Iron Curtain", that ALL North Americans are obsessed with money, have no appreciation for art or culture, and basically live an empty, materialistic, plastic and superficial existence, compared to the "superior" European understanding and appreciation for true "culture" . I've always resented this stereotype. The thing about North Americans that sets us apart from Europeans (especially eastern Europeans) is our sense of "individualism", a concept that many Europeans simply can't grasp. By that I mean that North Americans are far more heterogeneous than Europeans. We come in all shapes and sizes. Some of us are indeed empty, materialistic, plastic and superficial morons. But at the same time there are many of us who are so creative, so artistic, so ingenious, so appreciative of the finest things that life has to offer, and, perhaps most importantly, so capable of constantly endeavouring to create newer and more inventive and more unique ideas and philosophies and artforms that we put our European counterparts to shame. That's what North America is all about. After all, (I know you're not Russian, but just as an example) how many times can you read Pushkin or Tolstoy or Hemingway or listen to Chopin or Tchaikovsky over and over and over and over before you finally realize that these people were true innovators, and that the thought of dwelling on their works ad nauseum rather than moving on and creating new, innovative and unique works of art or philosophy would have these geniuses of the past spinning in their graves? Loomis51 02:02, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tea consumption

Being an avid fan of Earl Grey tea, I wanted to ask you guys out there, out of personal experience/investigation/whatever, how much tea can/should be consumed daily? I pretty much lead a sedentary life, and on an average day I have noticed that I consume some six-seven generously sized mugs of tea. This would amount to 1,5-2 litres daily. I do not see any adverse effects of this, have searched the Wikipedia, but just wanted to raise a question... is it too much? I usually just need to have something to drink or consume, and tea does not really make you fat, so there. It is generally not strong tea, and not tea from teabags, bleh, because I like to taste tea and not something you use to remove rust. Any comments/opinions will be appreciated. Thanks a bunch. --Ouro 20:05, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

probally better than drink that much soda. Jon513 20:20, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The caffeine and sugar might concern you, but it does contain antioxidants. I'm not sure how much tea I drink a day but I've been drinking a few cups a day for practically forever, and I've turned out fine! Sum0 20:53, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I do not add sugar at all, sometimes a little lemon juice, but just sometimes - once in a few days. I practically never drink coffee, just to add some info :) --Ouro 21:08, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tea without milk or sugar is calorie-free. The only risk is the level of caffiene, but that's considerably smaller than the equivalent amount of coffee IIRC. --Robert Merkel 22:32, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tony Benn consumes 18 pints a day, and is a spry 81. (He has Guillain-Barré syndrome, but it dosn't seem to have been caused by the tea). Henry ^Flower 21:35, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As far as caffeine goes, 200-300 mg/day is considered "average, moderate", that is 5-8 cups black tea = 1.2-2 litres, depending on strength. No harm has been shown, if persons do not have symptoms or other diseases. On the contrary, some consider the moderate use of caffeine to be beneficial. Combinations of excess tea/coffee (caffeine), medication (diuretics) and other illnesses (intestinal or kidneys) can do things like cause excessive potassium loss, with heart and muscle symptoms. Excessive liquorice and the bergamot oil found in Earl Grey Tea can then aggravate the potassium loss. Definitely not a problem in normal persons, but if it really worried me, and I felt I must have a personal answer, then I would ask my Dr to do my serum potassium level, and if that were normal not let it bother me again. --Seejyb 23:17, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's all good. Don't lose sleep over it (so to speak). Tea's better than nearly all the alternatives, and seems to provide at least a little protection against lots of bad diseases out there. alteripse 02:15, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the valuable insight everyone. --Ouro 06:12, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Following on from Henry Flower's comment on Tony Benn's tea consumption, he once calculated that he'd drunk enough tea in his life to float a battleship in, so it is unlikely to do any harm. AllanHainey

The Lethal Weapon Films

Will there be a fifth Lethal Weapon?

I sincerely hope not! Grutness...wha? 11:48, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dun dun DUUUNNNNNNNNNN... Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:34, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Question Regarding Requirements to File Suit

I live in Florida. I think there is a legal principle that requires that the state give permission to be sued. Is this correct and if so, what is the name of this legal principle?

I believe you're thinking of sovereign immunity. -- Mwalcoff 03:27, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

MIME in hotmail

I do not want MIM in my hotmail. Do you know how to eliminate it. Thank you. ************* (telephone number and address removed) 207.224.52.183 21:58, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It would help if we knew why you wanted to "eliminate" MIME. —Keenan Pepper 03:19, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps he doesn't like mimes; Vetinari didn't either. --Ouro 06:10, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean MIME in incoming mail or outgoing mail? MIME is normally specified by the sender. You might find this webpage helpful.--Shantavira 10:13, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You have to hang your PC upside down in the web spider pit with a sign reading "Learn the code." Sum0 20:19, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

tennis

Hi there,

Does This site have any pictures of Women's official clothing for tennis?

What do you mean? We have lots of pictures of professional tennis players playing on the WTA tour - for a random example take Martina Hingis, so presumably their clothing meets regulations. Is that what you want? --Robert Merkel 22:34, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Clothing

Hi there,

I need to know if there is a best website on Ladies' tank tops, Capri pants, Sandal(any type) and mens' clothings?

What do you want to do? Buy those items? Look at photos of them? Trade patterns on how to sew them yourself? It might help to be more specific. In any case, have you tried searching using Google or Yahoo search? --Robert Merkel 22:44, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Civilization IV

Would anyone happen to know how to create a civilization on Civ4, or work XML for that matter?

There's a tutorial built into the game, which should be enough to get you started and winning on the easiest level.

There are many sites devoted to the game, which you'll find using Google. Our article on Civilization IV contains links to some of them. I looked to see if we have a Wikibook, but Civilization Wikibooks has such books only on earlier versions.

For XML, read our article. There appear to be some links to basic tutorials there-gadfium 04:44, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at some of the bigger fan sites (I frequent CivFanatics, but there are others), especially their forums dedicated to mod-making. Civ4 being so very moddable, there are a ton of tutorials lying around on these forums. Good luck! — QuantumEleven 08:06, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

THanks a lot. However, gadfium describes a tutorial. Is this a tutorial for modding or for playing the game?

I may have misunderstood your question. The built-in tutorial explains how to play the game.-gadfium 09:14, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Russian roulette

Would it actually be illegal for two (or more) consenting adults to play a game of Russian roulette? Don't worry, I'm not thinking of playing myself - just a bit of idle curiosity... --Kurt Shaped Box 23:38, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The person who supplied the weapon could probably be charged with assisting a suicide, which is a criminal offence in most jurisdictions. A more adventurous prosecutor could well prosecute everybody who played and won on the same charge. --Robert Merkel 23:57, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It was illegal for Darren Brown on his own. I don't think the number of players really matters - Mgm|^(talk) 12:04, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It obviously depends upon the jurisdiction applicable. I presume the above applies to the US - it may be different in Afghanistan or ... Also certain countries impose laws on their citizens regardless of location, so just travelling to a R.R. friendly ountry may be insufficient to make it legal. -- SGBailey 13:13, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've heared that some magician would do it in a live performance, but of course that doesn't count. – b_jonas 18:49, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, seriously, I'd think it's a form of duelling, and duel is illegal nowdays, so I think no. – b_jonas 18:53, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Leads me to a question: (Don't lecture me on visiting the Russian Roulette article, the answer isn't there) What's the whole point of the "game"? I suppose certain adrenalin addicts (and the most extreme of those at that) could possibly derive a thrill out simply engaging in the insane activity of putting a loaded gun to your head and pulling the trigger, but there must be something more to it than that. I always sort of assumed that the point of it was that the players basically put all their worldly possessions at stake, and ultimately the "winners" split up the "pot" of the "loser". Am I onto something here? It seems to me that ultimately there must be some sort of monetary motivation, as money can make otherwise "normal" seeming people to do extremely insane things. If not, what possible incentive could their be to play such a game, for even the sickest of people. Anybody have any ideas? Loomis51 01:20, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Most of the Russian Roulette deaths/injuries I am aware of (going on what I've read in the papers over the years), have been either drunken guys trying to out-tough-guy their buddies and running out of luck, or stupid kids doing something that 'seemed like a good idea at the time'. I don't recall hearing of anyone ever playing with a clear head for financial gain - that's not to say that it's never happened, of course... --Kurt Shaped Box 02:37, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 25

Chairmen of the Board at Chrysler from 1955 to 1995?

What are the names of all the Chief Executive Officers/Chairmen of the Board of Chyrsler Corporation from 1955 to 1995?

Let's see. Does Chrysler say? No. How about Chrysler Group's corporate official site (in the External links section). No. From that site, the "contact" link has a "other questions about the company" link that goes to a swell web form that I suspect you can fill out. -- Rick Block (talk) 05:18, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rick, seeing as this is a place to ask questions and get answers, your sarcasm seems misplaced. --Nelson Ricardo 13:58, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Believe or not, the intent was not to be sarcastic but to demonstrate the process by which I would find this answer. I agree this is not the place for sarcasm and spend as much time as I do here (and at other question asking places) because the general tone has in the past drifted toward outright hostility toward newcomers. The official policy is Wikipedia:Please do not bite the newcomers. Thanks for the reminder. I apologize. -- Rick Block (talk) 02:14, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dun dun DUUUNNNNNNNNNN... Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:32, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

An animal name beginning with U

Can anyone help me find an animal name that begins with U other than unicorn??

Uakari? --Slumgum | yap | stalk | 01:32, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Urchin? --HappyCamper 01:33, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ungulate? --Slumgum | yap | stalk | 01:37, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Uromastyx? --HappyCamper 01:39, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Urania moth? --Grutness...wha? 11:47, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There also is the urutu snake, the urial sheep, and (if you're looking for extinct animals]), the ultrasaurus dinosaur. Of course, there's the umbrellabird, there's a bunch of animals with underwater in their name, like underwater frog, and urubu is a kind of vulture (and urubu a tête rouge is how you say turkey vulture in French!) СПУТНИК^{ССС Р} 01:40, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

June 6, 2006

Are there any planned events for this day, seeing as it's 666? Would devil worshippers consider this an important day?

In the US it's the premier for the movie The Omen. --Think Fast 02:59, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It isn't 666, it's 662006 or 6606. AllanHainey 10:31, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You beat me to it... I was just about to point that out... Well, anyway, this demonstrates just a small fraction of the extent to which people will go to see some sort of coincidence in things. There is no cabal! Dismas|^(talk) 10:40, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See ISO date for 20060606. -- SGBailey 13:06, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, it's 2006-06-06. --Nelson Ricardo 13:56, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is both 2006-06-06 and 20060606. I quote "The standard permits a hyphen separator between date elements, and a colon between hours, minutes, and seconds.[2] For example, 2006-01-06 may be written 20060106 without ambiguity." -- SGBailey 18:35, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In another curious coincidence, a few weeks ago it was 01:02:03 04.05.06 --Aramգուտանգ 16:25, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We have quite good articles on dates. Why don't you check out June 6 and 2006 and possibly even June 2006? – b_jonas 18:47, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Trans Canada Highway EP, an EP by Boards of Canada had the 06/06/06 release date but it was changed because of "satanic activity" according to Warp Records. The album has nothing to do with that though. :3

AFI plans to release somethign on 6/6/6. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:31, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

AFI? Do you mean AFI (band)? That article mentions 2006 June 5 only – b_jonas 20:28, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

AFI (band), yes. The fanscape e-mail I received says 6/6/06 too. I had been wondering about this date for over an year now. I was thinking some black metal bands should choose this date for releasing stuff. So far all I've heard were the abovementioned Damien movie and the new AFI album.

Windows Media Center Data Storage Location

Where does Windows Media Center keep the shows you record with it? Are these protected from copying somehow (DRM, etc.)? --WasteOfTime 02:24, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Windows MCE, by default, stores recorded television shows in this folder: "X:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Recorded TV" ("X" is whatever drive letter Windows MCE is installed on). You can copy them with little to no restriction from there. Alternatively, you can also use Search to look for files with the *.dvr-ms file extention. --Dadadoom 23:51, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fantastic, thanks. I did a little more hunting around, and while I couldn't find the location (I can understand why they would put it in "All Users"), I did find a few references to dvr2wmv or something like that, which would make it easier to play on my other computer. Thanks again! --WasteOfTime 02:44, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Funeral

When you talk about the number of people who attended a funeral, do you count all the people who came to pay the respects, or just those who attended the final trip and burial ? At the moment, I am involved in an argument at Talk:M._G._Ramachandran#Guinness_Book_citation. Going by the book, I am right, but he does have a point that the number of attendees look too huge. Tintin (talk) 02:35, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Did they remember to count the guy in the casket? --WasteOfTime 03:50, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you think about it logically, the largest funeral attendance would be limited by the size of the hall, because to "attend" implies that you actually entered the establishment and viewed the ceremony. I wouldn't say you have to stay for the entire thing, but people standing outside shouldn't really be counted as "attending". There could be two records: highest attendance, and highest turnout (as in the highest number of people who showed up in the area at the time of a funeral, whether they got in or not). freshofftheufo ΓΛĿЌ 05:32, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In this particular case the funeral was held in the Marina Beach which is half a kilometre wide and can hold that sort of a crowd. But the question is more like whether it assumes that they were present there at the same time. This link about Nelson's funeral (which the Guinness book calls the longest funeral in England) seems to hint that it need not be a single gathering. Tintin (talk) 06:01, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Smallville Music question

hey, this is something that has really been bugging me. it is more likley that someone from Australia would be able to answer this as it is a question from the episode that aired last week. i think it's from the third season, may be the fourth. it's the season that introduces Lois Lane. it's from the episode where Lionel Luther switches bodies with Clark with the use of the kryptonian stone. the scene where the prison riot is happening and Lionel and Clark are about to face off, there is a song playing in the background. i'm wondering if anyone can tell me what the name of that song is and who sings it

I didnt catch it last week, but the episode was Transference featuring "Pain" by Jimmy Eat World. If this wasnt it, I suggest checking out the fan sites and seeing if they have the info your after.

PS excuse my poor wiki formatting--Anklepants 10:19, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A special hiring question

Would it ever be useful to pay a friend some bucks to help you hook up with a girl?

What kind of an answer do you expect...?! — QuantumEleven 08:04, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Setting aside the prostitution question for a moment, could you explain what you mean by "useful"? Dismas|^(talk) 10:22, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

True friends will do that for nothing. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:00, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Reputable dating agencies seem to do a good job. I know several people who have found life partners that way. Doesn't sound like something a friend would charge for, however, unless there were expenses they were covering. Notinasnaid 12:18, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By useful i mean giving money to the friend to help you hook up.

That only seems useful to the friend, who ends up with your money. What service do you anticipate getting from your friend, for the money paid, that you would deem to be of use. (Do not confuse the service with the end result. Put another way, what magic wand do you think the friend might wield in order that you get hooked up?) Meanwhile, I suggest you just relax. My experience is the less you crave hooking up, the more likely you are to get hooked up. Just one of life's interesting paradoxes. And you should also consider the possible downsides: friends are sometimes unfriendly. You'd hate to end up being thought of as the dork who paid someone else to get you a girl. That, I suggest, would not add to your reputation. --Tagishsimon (talk)

My friend basically would talk to the girl since i am just afraid to speak myself. He knows her well so she would be easily convinced.

If you're too afraid to ask her out yourself, then you're not mature enough to date. Come on, the worst she can say is no. As long as she's not a b*tch (which you wouldn't want to date anyway) she'll be nice if she turns you down. Just be polite and don't freak out.

If your friend is a pimp, I'm sure your plan will work. alteripse 23:23, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This girl is a plain general female. She is sensitive to anything.

Dude, if you’re afraid to even talk to the girl, then what’s the use of hooking up, let alone paying someone to make it happen?

I suggest you get that issue (being afraid to speak to her) handled first, then go ask her out yourself.

I like the idea of asking an encyclopedia advice about dating--Anklepants 10:33, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not just an encyclopedia. THE encyclopedia. 20:58, 29 May 2006 (UTC)Gardar Rurak

observatories vs portals

I have come across numerous web pages while researching that claim to be "observatories" for particular subjects. For example: UNDP has "ICT for Development Observatory," or the "Canadian Cultural Observatory", and countless others. What I cannot determine is the definition of an "observatory". How does it differ from a "portal"?

The sudden glut of "observatories" seems to indicate this is a growing trend in the world of internet communication technology and I am wondering if there are any evaluations that have been done on the effectiveness of observatories for gathering and disseminating information?

Many thanks--198.62.158.205

To the extent there is a difference, in my understanding, observatories tend to be organisations that actively research an area, and publish their findings (and tend to be established by organisations responsible for policy). Portals are particular sort of website organising and offering links to subject matter data. Clearly portal owners need to do some research. And, thus, an observatory might have or run a portal; a portal may or may not be associate with an observatory. All that said, I doubt there are very good specific definitions either of Observatory nor Portal. --Tagishsimon (talk)

ARTIST SEARCH

On a scale of 1-10 I am probably a 2-3 for computer litereacy . I have done exhaustive searches with no success so far. In 1993 or 1994 I lived in South Beach Fl. One day I walked into an artists studio there in South Beach.The artists name is Louis More'. At that time he was in his early 20's and a master. I saw a portrait of Lorenzo de Medici; a sculpture of Jesus Christ on the Rock; also other sculpture and other works in oil,water, pen and ink etc.Reading some of the literature there informed me that he was a master on the level of Michaelangelo and some even went so far as to say he might be the reincarnation of Michaelangelo which he did not care for.I am trying to find out what has become of him and if he is still working.So far I have found no record of him at all. If I remember right he was commisioned to do the artwork for the Summit of the Americas logo for one year in that time period. Any help with this would be really appreciated. THANK YOU. J.C.C.

I haven't found anything either. I suspect some of your info is wrong, for example, could his name be spelled "Luis Moore" ? StuRat 19:33, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why not try 1994 Miami Summit of the Americas and use the contact section to see if they can tell you who he was. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:44, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not an edorsment but friends reunited might have him listed.193.115.175.247 13:39, 26 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

There's a (most probably Mexican) painter and sculptor called Luis Moré, but the only info I could find in Google about him is that there was an exhibition with his artwork in a "Phidias Galerías de Arte" (Phidias Art Gallery) in Mexico.--RiseRover|^talk 10:27, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

addiction

does wiki come with a health warning? i find it very addictive. hahaha

No, but we will happily diagnose the problem for you. Skittle 15:15, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Go on then? I am very curious now :-)

Always check out links. To be more specific, click here.--Shantavira 17:27, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

457,8023 maybe i am hahaha

copied from my dA journal: Warning: Common side effects include, euphoria, numbness, loss of voluntary muscle control, weezing, light headedness, fainting, and bladder control problems. Some rare cases included bloody nose, vomiting, and minor cases of death. Please talk to your doctor if you have any conditions including heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure, failure to obey gravity, or the inability to think. If so, Wikipedia may not be suitible for you. Not for intended use on zombies. Wikipedia articles are not intended for internal or external consumption. Please keep all packaging away from retarded wombats. Thank you. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:28, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Warning - The Wikipedia reference desk may contain nuts. Grutness...wha? 01:20, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh horrors, no! Not a 'May contain nuts' joke. 'You don't have to crazy to work here...' Next thing you know, we'll all be wearing loud shirts and deely-boppers. Skittle 23:36, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Change of season

Every spring and autumn, the skin starts to peel off my hands much like athletes foot, it is a disgusting as it sounds, it started when i was about 13 and still happens, does any one know why, or know any one that has the problem ect I do not want to visit a doctor as i work as much as possable, is there a herbal remedy? It is not really a problem as it goes away in a a month or so...Any one?

Medical Disclaimer It's most likely a fungus. You can also get it on your toes. My wife has it, and after many years, she's finally going to a doctor. Most likely she will have to go to a dermatologist, and get the fungus-killing pills. I, however, am on the watch for the little bits that keep attacking me, and I kill it off immediately with Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Oil). --Zeizmic 16:03, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Compressed DVD

i have a DVD which shows the size to be 4.7GB but when i copy it on my hard disk to make its copy, its size increases to 6.7 GB. previously i had DVD which had data of 9 GB on it. it was not dual layer or any rare type of DVD. Do you have any information about this type of DVD and i have a DVD writer so how can i write a 9 GB DVD [not dual layer DVD]. is there any special software or DVD writer used for this type of DVD?

Muhammad Hamza

This sounds weird. It would be helpful if you gave some details about the data source (a data dvd? a commercial video dvd?) and about which operating system you are using, and exactly what you are doing when you "copy it on your hard disk" (drag and drop? using a specific copy command? Using some ripping program?). --vibo56 19:42, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My article keeps being redirected, then disappears

I edited a page Desknote. Someone rewrote it, renamed it to Desktop Replacement Computer and redirected Desknote to Desktop Replacement Computer. Therefore, the many computer pages that reference Desknote end up on the Desktop Replacement Computer page. Today someone who has not been involved with the article deleted my section on Desknotes in the Desktop Replacement Computer page.

Therefore, I created a new page called Desknotes with my desknote material in it. For several hours the Desknotes link on other computer pages linked to my page. Now suddenly my new page has disappeared. Links to Desknotes on other computer pages now go to Desktop Replacement Computer. My new Desknotes page has disappeared again!

I have looked all over for a solution to this problem but can't find one. I have been searching for weeks through all the Help and Technicaal Help section.

Please tell me where to go for help! Someone said to contact my Wiki bureaucrat but I don't know who that is or how to find out. KarenAnn 15:59, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

You're already doing the right thing -- discussing it at Talk:Desktop replacement computer. (What a dreadful name!) --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 16:10, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

- I have discussed it there many times. I have no influence in the decisions there. KarenAnn 16:24, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Having looked at the history and your article, and Desktop replacement computer, I'd advise that 1) an article named "Desknote" is unlikely to be retained. There is an article on the subject matter, but under the title of Desktop replacement computer. I do not know which is the more likely terminology, but I note that the article has a longer history and more contributors than your article and your naming convention. I see that User:TomTheHand suggested that your article be merged with Desktop replacement computer and User:RasputinAXP undertook the merge, giving as his edit summary "redirect, information between articles is identical.". 2) After looking at your content, there may be some info that did not get merged into the Desktop replacement computer article. But I'm not suprised, for instance, that the Free Dictionary quote, which makes up about half of the article, was not taken across. Wikipedia is perfectly capable of providing a definition - it does not need to borrow one. And so I'd say: don't get discouraged. Your edit history shows that you're putting a lot into wikiedpa. Sometimes your articles get folded into other articles: it just goes with the territory. I'd recommend making whatever improvements you can to Desktop replacement computer, and then move on. best wishes --Tagishsimon (talk)

restraining order

In the last few weeks i have been walking down the road and this man has come up to me and accused me of ignoring him, he says that i used to sell drugs on his behalf, and now i just blank him. I have NEVER sold drugs, or used them. He says that if i blank him again he is going to hurt me, break my nose to be more specific. But if i dont blank him the same will happen i am sure. Can i get restraining order? or have him arrested? i dont know his name or where he lives he says his name is Khan. but there are thousands of people called that. What can i do? i am a pasafist. and i am scared. I live in the uk so uk laws apply. please help me wiki. thank you.

Using threatening behavious towards someone is illegal. Make a statement at your local police station as soon as you can, giving them a description of the man and details of the times and places he accosted you. Also see if you can find someone to walk with rather than be on your own in that area. --Shantavira 17:33, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yup, seconded. If there is, for instance, a mentally disturbed person within an area, the police may well already know his identity. But the first place to discuss your concern should be the local cop-shop; they /may/ also be able to provide you with some better advice on how to handle the situation (although I grant they may as easily be rather useless). --Tagishsimon (talk)

What do you mean by "blank"? Do you mean give a blank stare? Is it a self-censorship thing? I'm confused.--SeizureDog 07:33, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How can I get my article back?

What happened to my desknotes article? I put a lot of hard work into it. Where is it? KarenAnn 16:33, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

You just asked that, and it was answered above! Notinasnaid 16:37, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's not your article, by the way; editors don't own articles they've created. Henry ^Flower 18:44, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Corporate Email Project

I'm attempting to do some research - but don't know where to start. We want to be able to send our monthly corporate newsletter via email to our 350+ CPA clients. Obviously, this can't be done via MS Outlook. Under what heading / topic would I find some research literature to show me how to do this.

Thank you!

-Terry

Why cannot it be done in outlook? I don't know how many email addy's each Outlook email can have, but even if you have to break the dispatch over several emails, all sent to BCCs to hide the real emails from other clients, then clearly it is possible. I doubt you'll find much specific literature, since a property of most or all email clients is the ability to send things to multiple addresses. There are other systems, such as subscription based email systems, but I'm not sure you're in that sort of area yet. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I agree. It seems that a regular email client limit on these types of thing is in the hundreds. You might need to send it out in 2 or 3 goes, but what's the big deal. If you are really interested in a another way to do it use php, but that seem unnessisary. Jon513 18:07, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some tips to avoid problems with your project.

1. Do not, absolutely do not, ever send a single message to a list of multiple customers (unless you fully understand what BCC means and how to use it). This will give all of your customers a list of all your other customers, and could leave you open to legal action. You need to send one message per customer.

2. Check the total size of the mail you plan to send. If it is more than about 100K it is likely to be unwelcome.

3. You can expect dozens and dozens of returned messages, undeliverable messages plus some replies saying "remove". Be sure you have a policy in place for making sure customers never get sent another one; again, you could have legal consequences if you overlook this next time.

4. Consider putting your newsletters on your web site instead. That way your customers and potential customers will also be able to see current and past newsletters at any time, and the amount of text e-mailed is much smaller. You can just e-mail a little note saying "by the way, we have a new newsletter... table of contents ..."

5. Be sure you don't try to use any fancy e-mail features as there are a huge variety of e-mail systems in use, some rather primitive. Some people will get their e-mail on mobile phones, so don't think of fancy stuff with graphics. Notinasnaid 18:15, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The merge document feature in MS Word can do it. If you have the program, look for hlep on "merge e-mail". --Seejyb 00:28, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oops, hlep won't help, help will:) --Seejyb 00:30, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

US Navy Ratings and Ranks

Hello,

I am currently looking for a complete list of ranks and ratings that are found aboard ship in the US Navy. Even the listing on the official Navy site is incomplete.

Can you help me out?

Check out United States Navy officer rank insignia and United States Navy enlisted rate insignia. However, the ranks you're expecting to find may be enlisted specialization, (not that the E scale is exactly "rank" either). There's more to those. -user:rasd

Thanks, I had already seen those.

The thing is that I am really looking for a listing that includes everybody from the Captain and Executive Officer to the Supply Officer and Store Keeper. Yes, I need the enlisted specializations but I also need the specializations for the Officers and I need to know if they are found aboard ship. It would be particularly helpful if I could find out which class of ship they are found on, but I have given up on that pipe dream.

I am still looking.

Thanks for your time.

Maybe what you're looking for is Military Occupational Specialty. There are several useful external links there as well. --Halcatalyst 00:12, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

International investments made by UK companies

I need to find some statistics on UK Companies investing overseas (not in the UK itself)over the past 5 years. They can be private , Governement or both.

I need to know where (countries) the investments were made, what type of industries were the most popular and $ amounts. Also need to know if UK corporations, or Japanese, are the largest investors in the USA.

Thank you in advance.

Glenn

UK companies are not obliged to file information on their overseas investments to anyone who might want to collect statistics. Notinasnaid 07:16, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tiffany Teen Body measurements

What is Tiffany Teen hips measurements?

All the information we have on Ms. Teen is located at, surprisingly enough, Tiffany Teen. If the article doesn't have the info, maybe some of the links do (they may not be safe for work, but you probably already knew that...). FWIW, if she floats your boat, who cares what her exact measurements are? --Robert Merkel 23:40, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

4aE(e). Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:24, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

hi (bird of paradise flower diagram)

i would like to know where could i get a bird of paradise flower diagram with all its labeled parts?

Fixed useless title. StuRat 21:23, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No title is ever useless, simply vague. And, as for the diagram, this sounds like a homework question. I'd check the Flower article. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:20, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think "hi" was about as useless as a title can possibly get. StuRat 02:04, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"4-F" US draft induction status ?

When the selective service act was in force, an individual who was drafted for the military had to have a physical exam prior to being inducted. If he was rejected, he was said to be "4-F". What was the meaning of "4-F" and how did it originate?

AJ

Actually it was IV-F (Roman numeral four). There was a very long hierarchy of these classifications, I, II, III, IV with various letters, with lower Roman numerals being more available for the draft in extreme circumstances. These circumstances were never invoked as far as I know, and in practice I believe that only I-A's were ever drafted (although I-A-O's, a certain type of conscientious objector, were drafted into non-combat roles, and for all I know there may have been other classifications for the doctors' draft and nurses' draft). For more information see Guide to the Draft by Tatum and Tuchinsky (easily found on Amazon; you can get a used copy for about three bucks plus S&H. --Trovatore 22:32, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look at Selective_Service_System#Classifications. --Halcatalyst 22:38, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Yeah, looks like I could have remembered wrong. I don't have the book handy to check. Anyway it appears they're using Arabic numerals now (see http://www.sss.gov/classif.htm ). I still think Tatum and Tuchinsky used the Roman numerals; maybe this is something that's changed since the Vietnam era. There are definitely some Sixties classifications that are missing, like II-S, the one for students. --Trovatore 22:42, 25 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, you're not wrong. This morning I happened across a Selective Service "Notice of Classification" from the mid 1960s. The numbers are all in Roman numerals. II-S is there, of course. --Halcatalyst 16:20, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actionscript help

http://img336.imageshack.us/img336/1818/picture10gg.png

that actionscript code seems to work fine when i export as a flash 7 swf, but when i export as a flash 8 swf, it doesn't work properly. what needs changing?

chris

Even though I used Flash all the time, I never focused much on actionscript. Sorry. Try asking your question [here].--SeizureDog 07:35, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 26

continued from Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Miscellaneous#ARTIST_SEARCH

(title added by Halcatalyst 19:32, 26 May 2006 (UTC))[reply]

I've been wondering if I don't have the wrong name myself. I have checked under the name Luis Moore even tho I could have sworn it was More' with an accent mark . Thanks for you're response. Anyone else have any ideas ??I also wondered if he might have passed on but I don't know how to find out. I vaguely remember something about him continueing his studies , maybe in Europe but don't know how to do an international search either.J C C [curious]

"Response to "4-F" Status

I don't know how to thank the responders to my question so I hope this will get to them. Thank you. AJ aka Enrique7

You can directly contact any user on their talk page by clicking their user name and then the discussion tab at the top. To add a new thread, click the "+" tab at the top. On the other hand, if you ask a question here, and someone responds, they'll probably notice anything you say in response. -- Rick Block (talk) 01:49, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shrek music

what is the name of the song/ music played in the background while the dragon is chasing shrek, fiona, and donkey in the first shrek movie?

The IMDb has a list of all the songs used in Shrek. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126029/soundtrack

It's a bit of a montage composed of bits of music from The Matrix and some James Bond music. Listen very carefully and you can hear the variations. I don't think it has a title, but if it does, you'll find it on what's called an "Original Motion Picture Score," which is different from an "Original Soundtrack" or "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack." Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:18, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

exercise-related question

Are there any exercises you can do to increase flexibility of the body, or to lose weight in a particular region (say, face or belly)?

Join your local Gym and get yourself an instructor. They should know everything about exercises. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 08:24, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If it's your belly that's being affected, stop drinking beer. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:16, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Flywheel Safety

How fast can you spin a 14-inch and 16-inch diameter (15kg and 20kg respectively) metal flywheel before it breaks down? Will it be safe to spin them up to 1800 rpm? Thank you!

roumelle

It depends on the composition of the metal. Some metals, especially some alloys, will withstand much higher centripetal forces than others. alteripse 05:25, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In principle, however, a metal flywheel of that size could be made to spin at that speed. Ones fitted to automobiles are in the same ballpark with regards to size and mass and routinely spin to much higher speeds. But that's no guarantee your particular one will. You'll either have to ask the supplier you bought the flywheels from about maximum safe speeds, or figure out a way to test it (SAFELY!!!) yourself. If you did test it, you'd want to test it at substantially above 1800 rpm to make sure there's a comfortable margin of safety for operation at that speed. --Robert Merkel 06:34, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at some indicative RPM numbers in Flywheel energy storage. Don't try to build one at home though; if your flywheel comes apart (it will do so without warning) the shrapnel will do Very Bad Things. Weregerbil 09:49, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They used to talk about these things for cars, but I think the Bad Thing, and gyroscopic effects kaboshed the idea. --Zeizmic 12:16, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Plus there's all that weight to lug around. --212.202.184.238 17:15, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Language change

How do you translate the articles here to a different language?

Well, the best way to do it is by hand, if there is not a version in a different language available. However, should there exist versions in other languages, try looking at the interlanguage links usually located in the left sidebar of any article. You can also ask at the Language Reference desk for help with translations.

If you were looking for a link to an automatic online translator then my recommendation is - do not use them, as usually crap comes out. --Ouro 07:29, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They get translated the same way they get written. By people who volunteer to do it. --BluePlatypus 20:47, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Photography courses in Kolkata

Dear Sir/Maam, I wanted to know about short term courses on photography ( still as well as videography )and whether they can be availed of in Kolkata. If so, i would be grateful if u could give me some details and also the contact number and address of the person holding the course. Thank you. Advitya Chopra

I would suggest searching on Google for "photography course Kolkata" or visiting a Kolkata information centre or library. There may also be photographic magazines available in Kolkata which might provide a sourceof information. -- SGBailey 10:11, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

BTW, Kolkata is the new name for Calcutta, India. (Learning the names once was hard enough, I sure hate having to relearn the names of cities every few years !) StuRat 14:10, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul not Constantinople, been a long time gone, oh Constantinople... Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:14, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's nobody's business but the Turks' :) User:Zoe|^(talk) 22:57, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I still prefer to call it Byzantium, especially since it's the root word for Byzantine. StuRat 14:23, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How can I buy wholesale candy?

I was doing a repair job and the customers house was loaded full of candy and promotional junk. When I gawked at it he said he owns a chain of gas stations and some grocery stores and that when he goes to "food shows" companies give him free junk in hopes that he will stock their product. He also gets some amazing deals at these shows. When I left he gave me a bag full of candy and a couple of little items.

I want to get free stuff too. I can pretend I own a store. How do I find out where these food shows are? Do I need a special license to go to them? How do I get one? How do I find a wholesale distributors so I can turn my apartment into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Wouldn't it be easier to get a job? In the time it takes you to find a show, travel there and back (travel expenses!), and collect samples, you'll make enough money to buy candy that will let you be in a sugar coma the rest of the week. Weregerbil 09:42, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wasn't this a Simpsons episode? --Zeizmic 11:43, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Look at it this way: having to pay for candy may prevent you from becoming obese, losing your teeth, getting diabetes, and dying young. Not so bad when viewed this way, is it ? StuRat 13:56, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pretending to own a store is securities fraud, isn't it? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:13, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not if you set one up =P --mboverload @ 05:58, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

query about gothras in saraswat brahmins

We want to know that Are jhingran or zhingran brahmins sarswat bramhins?

I'm sorry but the English in your question is so poor I cannot work out what you are asking. However maybe Brahmin has the information you seek. -- SGBailey 10:08, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I read the question as are jhingran brahmins (alternate spelling zhingran brahmins) also known as or classifiable as Saraswat Brahmins? Neither article addresses the question, sadly. We have no definition for jhingran brahmins. Google does not seem to be much help, e.g. [47], [48] --Tagishsimon (talk)

wet dreams

Hi I hope this is an appropriate question to be asked, if not i am really sorry and please delete this! I am nearly 14, and hit puberty at the end of my 12 years. I have never had a wet dream before, I've had erotic ones but are they counted as wet dreams? and my main question is, if i havn't had a wet dream yet will i still get them or...? From a very confused teen

There is nothing we don't discuss here.. Believe it or not, we have a nifty encyclopedia here that has everything! I just looked at Nocturnal emission, and, boy, was it interesting. --Zeizmic 12:12, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For the avoidance of doubt, you may or may not get wet dreams. It does not matter one way or another - they're not things that you have to have, nor is there anyting wrong with you if you do not have them. As normal with this sort of subject matter at your age, relax, don't worry, and keep asking questions. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I am 24 now and i have never had one, there is nothing wrong with me. I have dreamt about wikipedia though...mmmm comments?

accoridng to Wikipedia:Are You a Wikipediholic Test that doesn't quite make you a wikiholic. Now if when you woke up you found that you really were editing wikipedia in your sleep, then you would be a few steps past wikiholic into regualar old insanity. Jon513 15:54, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or having an odd reaction to Ambien. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 16:00, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mmmm...Ammmmmbiiiiieeennnnnnn... Cernen Xanthine Katrena

Well... if you dream of Wikipedia and it turns out to be a wet dream - then I'd say you're Wikipediholic. 20:50, 29 May 2006 (UTC)Gardar Rurak

bullets on games =

some time after the bullets hitting the wall on games they disapear, why??? Why they doenst stay there forever (or one disappear after the 100000 bullet)??? Those bullets would give a huge cost of perform on the game????? Thanks for the awswer. :)

Yes, they don't think the performance hit is worth the added detail of rendering spent bullets. Perhaps in the future, with more powerful chips, they will decide it is worth keeping track of all those used bullets. StuRat 13:47, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For every bullet hit it has to add a new texture on the wall, which increases the load on the chip. Since no one really cares about bullet holes for more than 30 seconds they just dissapear. --mboverload @ 05:55, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Had an idea i wanted to share. In some wrestling games, shite as they are, one can edit ones character to whatever body shape you like. Some fighting games are faster than others, why not make a game where the more you play, the more your character gets morphed and faster, making you better, 'twould rock!

The answer to your question could be one of two, either 1) Economics prohibits the development and production of a game with those characteristics as surveys may have shown there is no market for it. 2) You are the first to have the idea. 213.237.73.162 07:50, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some games along this line already exist. In GTA:SA, for example, your character's body will morph in response to the amount of physical activity performed as well as the amount of food consumed. Not eating over an extended period of time will decrease fat to the point of starvation, at which point muscle mass begins to decrease. Presumably, other games have incorporated similar features as well, though none come to my mind at the moment. --DavidGC 05:21, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

identify part of a poem

Hi, Some years ago I read part of a Rudyard Kipling poem quoted in a book on the great game, unfortunately it didn't give the name of the poem & I haven't been able to track it down. Can anyone identify it. From what I remember it goes like:

A skirmish in a border station,

a canter down a dark defile

The crammers boast, the squadrons pride

Shot like a rabbit in the ride

Ten thousand pounds of education

drops to a ten rupee jezail.

Thanks AllanHainey 13:43, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A first Google search reported me that it is "scrimmage" and not "skirmish". A second Google search with the correct line reported this link. The title is Arithmetic on the Frontier. Cthulhu.mythos 14:34, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

NB - At boarding schools, those boys who were aiming to become army officers were put in the "Army Class" to prepare them for the entrance exams. Jameswilson 22:44, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who invented the shower?

This may seem like a very strange question but i have looked everywhere for the answer and i really cant find it! Who did invent the shower, because they were a genius.lol

how do i make a page that is very important?

Neolithic development from the Waterfall. either that or i dunno, but apparently the greeks invented the toilet, as a plank of wood that you sit on and 2hundred years later the romans invented the hole. HAHAHAHAHA. sorry

Some say Greeks and Romans invented the shower[49], others go as far as attribute shower-baths to one man, Sergius Orata[50] (who apparently also invented central heating and oyster cultivation — we'll need an article on him if those things are verifiably his inventions!). But people have been standing under waterfalls, and putting water in jars and pouring it over themselves for a long time before that, so also depends on your definition of "shower". Weregerbil 18:42, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ismael Lo

For the life of me, i dont know how to create an article, so i am gonna put it here, if any one is willing and able to create an article for it please do so. Thank you:

Ismael Lo is the Baladeer of africa, often called the african Bob Dylan for his use of harmonica and acoustic guitar. Having lived in both spain and africa. He paints sings and acts.

His greatest hit to date is called Dibi dibi Rek.

He is not scared to tacle serious issues in his music, known as Mbalek, in which he discusses topics as varied as HIV/AIDS famine warfare, and the superficial/materialistic (they go by looks rather than emotion sorry limited vocab) atetude of african woman to thier men.

One of the greatest figures of the modern African renaisance. He has recored with artists such as Marian Faithful among others.

The spelling of his name is Ishmael with an : on its side above the e, Lo with a ^ above the O.

Please enjoy editing this Article. I have tried to be as accurate as possible, but it will clearly need a clean up, so if you know him WOW! or know his music or if you just want to know more, and add more, have fun trying to find anything about him on the WWW as i had some trouble myself.

Thank you

Relax. Take a look here to find basic instructions on how to write an article. Feel free to browse around the Help pages if you need help. And, be bold! --Ouro 17:28, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki main page

I read wiki all day while at work, now to attempt to hide this, i use a small window, but wiki's main page recently has come up in a small window, but with large text and pictures, therefore making me scroll around the page to read the fetured article among other sundry. how can i chang this? Thanks ONCE AGAIN wiki! 193.115.175.247 16:17, 26 May 2006 (UTC)Anton[reply]

I'm not sure if the following applies to your specific problem: I've noticed that if I click on Printable version in the Toolbox at the top left of the page (below the exploding greek 3-d football puzzle, navigation box and search box), then the font can be enlarged or shrunk with the usual browser commands / icons. The page shrinks. --Seejyb 20:51, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is that what the logo is? An exploding greek 3-d football puzzle? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:10, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, definitely. This is a copy of a writing I have, which I can now reveal due to the passing away of the writer. (It is a bit long, but I have included some personal notes so that you can clearly see the trustworthiness of my communication):

"Hello Seejy my friend, I am writing since I could not safely talk about this Weekipedia picture you showed me at the game on Friday evening - there are ears all around, hey?. As you guessed, the original one was invented by the coach's assistant at the Hellenicos football club, so I have first hand knowledge here. It was battle tested in their match against the Trojanos Soccer club. The wily coach's assistant had hidden an armoured (shielded from the shock of kicks) Rattus graeculus inside the ball, and this creature deviously rolled the ball past the Trojanos goalkeeper. This happened three times before the goalie smelled it - the R graeculus, that is.

Needless to say, when the subterfuge was discovered, something like a war broke out, but fortunately the only casualty was the Hellenicos striker, who cut the back part of his foot on a broken coke bottle (This is where that strict rule comes from that bottles at games may now only be used for drinking fluid out of. Fortunately for you and me they have not specified what fluids, hey? Hehe.). The Trojanos were given the confiscated "ball" and now keep the original "greek puzzle football" , partially disassembled as you can see on the photo, in their trophy case. The R graeculus was donated to the neurology laboratory at the medical school, where they study the effect of boxing - I fail to see how a sport of gentleman can be related to being inside a football, but ah well, scientists, you know, eh?

The picture has obviously crossed the world. Note the devious way in which the coach's assistent hoped to conceal the origin of the ball, by placing cryptic non-greek characters on various panels, suggesting that maybe the Madridos or the Peking Bulls had done the deed - clever, eh? Trust me, due to the circumstances I have described, the design predates the Weekipedia use by few years, but Hellenicos, for fear of their unsportmanship being more widely known, has refused to register any patent claim on the design.

I tell this to you as a secret, and please keep this so, since my complimentary game seats may be compromised. Also the coach's assistent has since been promoted to club president, in spite of this single failure in his otherwise reliable secret game plans. However, like Aristotle, I am not afraid of speaking the truth.

Your spraying friend in the seat behind you, Tsakalakos X.

P.S. I have found a silicone bathing cap with a white and black soccer motiv, which I shall give you at the next game. It would look better than the pink shower cap which your wife gave you, and would still protect you from the spittle I spray when I get too volubly excited about the referee. TX"

Cernen, if this doesn't convince you, what will? --Seejyb 13:23, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I bet you're glad you asked now. BJAODN, anyone? Grutness...wha? 01:29, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So dark the con of man, is it? Mmmm. Yes yes, BJAODN and all that. Ha ha ha. >_< I'll NEVER ask questions at HIM again. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 08:24, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

vacation arbitrarily reduced

My brother-in-law works as an engineer for a large U.S. corporation. He received notice that his allotted four weeks of vacation were reduced to three. (1) Have you heard of this happening before? (2) Is it legal? Employers can hire and fire at will, but can they arbitrarily reduce benefits such as this?

My own thoughts: Yes, they can, because there is no actual contract. Common practices have led to expectations, however, and by smasing them they will have to deal with very angry employees. (This same company asked employees to volunteer to take unpaid leave last year so they could save 1 million USD.) --Halcatalyst 16:45, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm an engineer myself, I find that the US is open to letting the companies do anything to an employee. On the other hand, this leads to more jobs being created and generally higher wages for engineers. The only defence is the free market, if a company treats its employees badly, they will leave. --Zeizmic 17:24, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Messing with accrued vacation is a big no-no. Is this vacation he's already earned? If so, he should contact the state dept. of labor. If this is for future policy, then I believe there is no recourse. --Nelson Ricardo 17:43, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt he has already accrued the vacation hours, but I do know he negotiated the four weeks when he joined the company a few years ago. But I think all those with four weeks are affected. He's looking to see if he kept a record of that. --Halcatalyst 19:23, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

IANAL but isn't there an implied contract? If there isn't, then what is to stop the employee arbitrarily deciding that they are going to take five weeks of vacation? But seriously, consult a lawyer. If that sounds expensive, find out if anyone else is affected by this decision and get everyone affected to split the cost of a lawyer. In another first-world country you wouldn't get away with it. DJ Clayworth 20:21, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind an implied contract; I'd be very surprised if vacation time wasn't specified in the contract he signed in the first place. It's definitely in mine, and I can't imagine signing anything that doesn't give me the right to take time off. Ironfrost 06:57, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In fact, four weeks is specified in his employment agreement. So, it's a clear violation. --Halcatalyst 17:21, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

begonias

what is the difference between dark leaf and lite leaf begonias, in relation to sun and shade planting i live in central oklahoma

thank you carla bilyeu

Not that this will help all that much, but the article on the Begonia is fairly helpful, with enough external links to keep you busy for a while (including a link to the American Begonia Society). Alternatively, you could visit a nursery or hardware store in your area and ask your question there. Perhaps a Wikipedian horticulturist will answer your question. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:08, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wheatley and District Friendship Club web Page

As a member of the Wheatley Friendship club I designed a web page promoting the village of Wheatley and the services of the Wheatley Friendship club. I am sending you our Web site http://www.mnsi.net/~kencrew With a question if you would approve making a link to our page under the heading for Wheatley. I am not quite sure how I would go about this if you did approve. For your information the Chatham Kent tourist and events has just recently made addition to their site. Under the Village of Wheatley.

You should probably ask on the article's talk page. Go to the article in question (I'm not sure which Wheatley you're referring to, there are a number of them throughout the UK and at least one in the US), click on the link at the top of the page which says "discussion", and ask your question there (by clicking on "edit this page" and putting your question at the end of it).

However, I should add that Wikipedia is not a collection of every link related to a town or village; the editors will generally only agree to add links that they consider particularly helpful to anybody reading the article. The websites of clubs located within a town, as a general rule, probably wouldn't fit into that category. Sorry!

Finally, at Wikipedia, everybody can contribute to the encyclopedia. So if you notice some way in which the article on your town can be improved, we encourage you to do so! --Robert Merkel 23:50, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Searching

heading added by Robert Merkel 23:49, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

ho to clear search history

Film at 11. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:05, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

New zip codes

It appears the US postal service is changing or adding 60 zips for the country including where i live in PA. What other major areas in the USA are getting their zips changed if anyone knows.

Dunno about specific areas, but you might be interested in our article on ZIP Codes, which discusses the processes for changing them. --Robert Merkel 12:49, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nekkid.info

What can you tell me about the website nekkid.info? Alexa lists it under Wikipedia's "other sites owned," but it doesn't (much of) any content, and while it currently its traffic is too low to be ranked, it has periodically had some spikes where many people went to it. What's up? zafiroblue05 | Talk 21:18, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Somebody must have hacked Alexa. It seems to be a porn site. --Halcatalyst 21:50, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is another site there said to be owned by Wikipedia, searchbastard.com. On their actual pages on Alexa, the ownership of both is listed as a company in Las Vegas.

I'll try to inform the WP management. --Halcatalyst 23:50, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually (shocking!) those domain names are in fact registered by Jimbo Wales (Bomis, Inc.). [51] [52] KWH 18:08, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

history of number

What numbers were known by the ancient mesopotamian,egyptian,greeks and roman ?

The section on the history of numbers has good information for you. --Halcatalyst 21:46, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

jungles vs rain forrests

I have noticed that in the last several years, the term "rain forrest" has seemed to replace the word "jungle". Is this part of the PC world or is there some other reason, or am I just paranoid. enrique7

Jungle and Rain forest =) --mboverload @ 05:52, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 27

Gay Aryan Skinheads (GASH)?

Does anyone have any info about these guys (apart from what the name of faction implies)? I've searched the web and usenet and come up with very little - other than them being mocked by other skinhead factions (Aryan and non-Aryan) and the odd post from lonely-sounding gay Aryans trying to find where their local GASH brotherhood is...

The Wikipedia Gay skinhead article mentions only that they exist. I'd really like to find out more about them. I'm neither gay, a neo-Nazi or a skinhead but the concept is intriguing. Thanks.

mean German body measurements

What is the mean hip breadth and standard deviation for German males and the mean sitting height and standard deviation?

Thanks you very much!

Marilyn

Fifth degree drug distribution charges?

According to This article, "Randle [...] is now charged with fifth-degree sale of a controlled substance." I've heard of first degree murder, or second degree burns, but where can I find information about the different degrees in this situation? --WasteOfTime 01:58, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, for this you need Google. :D The news appeared in the Star Tribune, located in the state of Minnesota. (Each state in the U.S. has its own criminal code.) Give Google a search for 'minnesota fifth-degree drug', and you find Chapter 152: DRUGS, CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES of the Minnesota Statutes. You're looking for 152.025 Controlled substance crime in the fifth degree.

Frequently criminal codes will classify related crimes into different categories according to their severity; Minnesota drug crimes run from first- to fifth-degree, with the latter considered the least serious. Note that some states use different language for their categories, and draw the boundaries between categories in different places. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 03:03, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OK wow... you guys rock :). Ooh wait! Follow-up: New Question :) --WasteOfTime 05:42, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mac software on Windows

I've searched all over the interweb, and I'm stumped. Does anyone know of a way to open iChat .chat chat logs on a Windows machine? Apparently, mIRC should be able to, but it doesn't. I'd like some sort of reader that can run on a Windows machine, or some way of exporting the .chat file to a .doc/.rtf/.pdf, for example? Also, I just got a friend's iPod and want to be able to copy music to and from it, but can't stand/can't install iTunes. Is there some plugin to Media Player Classic, VLC, or (*gasp*) Windows Media Player, or possibly a new program, that will allow me to connect to it and allow me to use it? Thanks in advance, Mysekurity^[m!] 02:14, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

You should be able to access an iPod just like any other USB storage media. It works fine on Linux. —Keenan Pepper 06:59, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But can it hold songs correctly? And as for Linux, what would you recommend for Ubuntu in terms of transferring the files successfully? (And do you know about a possible Linux port of iChat?) -Mysekurity^[m!] 19:49, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

I don't know much about iPods. One time I wanted a song off someone's so I just hooked it up, mounted it, found the song and copied it.

iChat is not open source and Apple has no reason to make a Linux port. What's wrong with Gaim? —Keenan Pepper 23:02, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's not iChat itself that I care about, it's the data contained within the chat file. The words are of no big interest to me, but there are several pictures which I am trying to get off. Having no Macs or desire to come in contact with one, I guess I'm stuck for the moment. I was able to open it on a friend's Powerbook, but couldn't extract any of the data. -Mysekurity^[m!] 06:04, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

No idea about iChat, but you cannot just copy a song onto an ipod as an external drive and have it be accessible to the iPod for playing. (Yes, you can copy it on as a file, but it will not show up when you try to access your music.) It is probably unlikely that any non-iTunes software can do this -- Apple keeps this aspect of the iPod pretty proprietary, and won't, for example, let you copy any songs off of an iPod (something which would be easily compromised if there were 3rd party software which could write music to an iPod). I could be wrong about this -- I haven't checked it out extensively -- but this is my hunch. --Fastfission 03:07, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have the cable as of yet, but once I do, I'll get back to you. I've heard all about their unwillingness to work in this sense. It makes sense to me in a business light, but it's one more thing to add to the list of things to love about capitalism. -Mysekurity^[m!] 06:04, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

EXTEREMLY possible! Google Yamipod =) --mboverload @ 05:50, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thankya! Much appreciated -Mysekurity^[m!] 06:04, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

singapore 1998 tiger's cup

Hi i would be very much appreiate if someone could tell me which are the chinese singapore football player that playing in the 1998 singapore tiger's cup..

(e-mail address removed by Cernen; naughty, naughty)

Thanks

Let me see if I can assist you. The article on the Tiger Cup offers nothing but interesting details on the unsportsmanlike conduct of two teams during the 1998 rounds. There's an external link there [53] that leads to something, but I'm much too lazy to look myself. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 07:14, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Stock Exchange

I was just reading Stock exchange "The Future of Stock Exchanges"

I envision a system set up by an exchange where individual users have accounts and they buy and sell between themselves over a secure internet connection, doing all the asking and bidding themselves through specialized software, with no costly middleman (brokers or market makers). And yes, I believe that even a trade under $10 is costly...

Is this a reality? If not, are the exchanges dragging their feet? It wouldn't be that difficult to implement...especially as some exchanges are already entirely ECN and others, I think, are at least hybrid.

Also, I don't understand the arguments for the "specialist" system:

"specialist system proponents cite the role of specialists in maintaining orderly markets, especially under extraordinary conditions or for special types of orders."

what is an "orderly market"? How could an electronic market be less orderly than the open outcry?

?perhaps this is what is meant by special types of orders:

"Trading 25,000 shares of Lucent stock (recent quote: $2.80; recent volume: 49,069,700) would be a relatively simple e-commerce transaction; trading 100 shares of Berkshire Hathaway Class A stock (recent quote: $88,710.00; recent volume: 450) may never be."

How can one be different than the other? If the volume's 450 or 49 million it shouldn't change based simply on the exchange style. If you want to buy...you'll buy and if you want to sell...you'll sell.

Furthermore, an entirely electronic exchange doesn't stop the so-called "Upstairs Market" or even a manual, human "specialist" exchange. In fact, if all the information were on a public, electronic system you could set up a specialist exchange in your basement. It would be like setting up off-course betting like in The Sting. Let the institutions do whatever they want with their human specialists it's not my money.

But of course at the same time, with the current system, you could make an auxilliary electronic market in your basement too...

Anyway, my point is that when it comes down to it, anyway you look at it, when I make a stock order I have to pay a premium for some joker to do what a computer could do faster, more accurately, and much cheaper. Why is this so? Where is this not so and can you sign me up?

Any commment would be appreciated. Thanks, -snpoj

A few ramblings:

Exchange without brokers: that's technically possible, check your local laws though. It isn't as simple as "let the customers trade among themselves". At a minimum you need to manage their money (accounts and purchase limits so they don't play with money they don't have). Need to do corporate actions (splits, IPOs, mergers, delistings, dividends, ...) Customer support / help desk.

Then extra stuff that is hard to avoid: People to take orders over the phone ("my computer broke and I need to sell, what do you mean I can't place an order over the phone?!"). A front office who know the important customers and maintain good relations with them. If you have margin accounts someone to watch over them. Experts on derivatives, commodities, etc if you offer trading with those. Legal, development, accounting, treasury, management. Etc. You can go without some of those but what about when your competitors start offering what you don't...?

Separate exchange / brokerage helps with some of that: if you want a no-frills online-only service you can get that; if you want a full service house with mutual funds, pension planning, loans, etc you select another brokerage. A wider selection of products in addition to just trading helps keep the brokerage alive even at times when the market stagnates (something that can start suddenly and last for a year or ten.)

I have worked at an online brokerage; it's a lot about people even when the majority of orders go through the net.

450 million vs 49 million orders: for a little traded stock a big order can create a price swing. Dump those 100 BRK-A's at market price and the stock will seriously crash. You want specialists who know the market, know the big players, and can help find someone interested in a big trade. They can also look out for any illegal price manipulation or other irregularities. Make decisions to suspend trading on some stock. Handle whatever special circumstances occur. Weregerbil 10:08, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Severity of degrees in medicine and law

Why is first degree murder more severe than higher (numerically) degrees such as third degree murder (Manslaughter? At least in New York), while first degree burns are less severe than their third degree counterpart? --WasteOfTime 05:37, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Boy I royally screwed up this question before; it should be okay now though, apologies :). --WasteOfTime 05:47, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And why is a lieutenant a lower rank than a major, yet a major general is a lower rank than a lieutenant general? --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 06:47, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It should be interesting to note: there is a difference between First and Second Degree Murder, in that, with First Degree Murder, the sentence is more leinent than Second Degree Murder, where the sentence is typically twenty-five to life without parole. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 07:18, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Er, that really strongly depends on jurisdiction. The definitions and sentences for first-, second-, and third-degree murder are different – sometimes very different – in each country (in the U.S., each state makes its own rules.) See our article on murder. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 12:39, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As a prefix, lieutenant- signifies a deputy of or officer ranking immediately below the officer named (e.g. lieutenant-general, lieutenant-colonel). An ordinary lieutenant is the captain's lieutenant. The major, on the other hand gets his function / position from above or more, i.e. he is more than the captain, he leads over the captain (but below colonel, or lieutenant-colonel - who is stand-in colonel). Where major general comes in, is more mysterious, he/she once (and in other countries) would have been major over the brigadiers, colonels et al, which would be a rank of major-brigadier. But the US has dropped (never used?) the term brigadier, and now the word general (implying a general or flag officer) is used as part of a rank description, while the major (over brigadiers, colonels etc) is retained. See this page on rank for useful explanations. --Seejyb 22:54, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Huh? Who says the US has dropped the term brigadier? --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 17:30, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, wait, I see. Brigadier by itself. Never mind. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 17:34, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

According to the Wikipedia entry, the rank of Major General is an abbreviation for Sergeant Major General, and Sergeant Major is of course a lower rank than Lieutenant. If your source is correct, possibly the article needs to be edited? Ironfrost 16:13, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know that the term Sergeant Major General was used for a while, as a title for the most senior non-commissioned rank in the army, the Big General's sort of "personal" Sergeant Major, through which he communicated his wishes to the non-officer part of his army. I thought that was changed back to the title "Sergeant Major of the Army" - "There Is Only One" sort of. The term "general" itself gives me problems, I interpret it as meaning that the officer is not in command of a specific unit as such, but sort of "General"ly outranks anyone from more specific units or formations, such as artillery, infantry, cavalry. The "lower" officer ranks would then have specific special structured units which they are in charge of, not "general"ly in charge of a mish-mash of different fighting units. Being unable to find good primary sources for the original use of the word "general", I am clutching at straws here, and the military histories do not seem to do better, except they don't admit it. Perhaps we'll never know. I'll look into the rank thing you mentioned, and write to the necessary persons for clarification. --Seejyb 22:12, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Burn issues: Degrees in terms of burns is generally abandoned, they represent a randomly introduced way of describing clinically recognisable severities of burns - 1 was little, 2 was more, 3 was a lot. Nowadays burns are described as deep, involving the full thickness of the skin, so that there are no skin elements left that can form new skin, or superficial, where there are skin elements still alive, which can then regrow to help cover the wound. There are combinatons of these in any single patient.

IANAUSL. Legalese: A "Degree" system to be more prominent in the USA, while elsewhere one comes across more verbally defined terms, using desriptive words as opposed to symbols. What ever description is used, the words or symbols are seldom clear enough for the layman (me) to figure out exactly how serious the offence is considered. Therefore specific research would be required for every case. The confusing idea of degrees (the word as such being undefined as to the amount or the direction of up-ness or down-ness) can be illustrated by noting that Celsius originally set 100 degrees as the freezing point of water, and 0 degrees as the boiling point. --Seejyb 23:14, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rock

I need to know the cost of freebase cocaine in Los Angeles, San Jose, or San Francisco. I'm not looking to smoke it, I just want to know how much it would cost to buy something like that. Think of it as comparison shopping with a twist. And no cracks about jail time, either. Nobody wants that. (Moral reservationists: "I'm doing this for a school project." Yeah, that's it...a school project.) Cernen Xanthine Katrena 07:31, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here are the prices from 2001. All you need to do is figure in the rate of inflation. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:07, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here's one that's a bit more up-to-date for Southern California. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:10, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Experimentalist, this one. Thank you much, Cambridge; once again, you've come through for me. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 08:40, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Map

where i get the clear and real image of Qatar locations?--82.148.104.226 11:47, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here is a link to a map of Qatar from the CIA World Factbook that shows major cities: Image:Qa-map.PNG SCHZMO ✍ 12:52, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Another useful source is Microsoft Encarta's world atlas. If you want something more detailed and don't want to pay, you could visit a research library, most of whom will have good map collections. Otherwise, there are a number of commercial providers who can provide you with reasonably detailed maps of just about anywhere, for a price. --Robert Merkel 12:59, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And you can go virtual touristing. Weregerbil 18:08, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Academy award quote

Who was it that said "You like me! You really, really like me!" when recieving their Oscar? Oskar 12:09, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sally Field - although the line is often misquoted - checkout the article for the exact working - Peripitus 12:25, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Glazebrook Station, Warrington

I've written part of the article for this, but one detail is missing. It's in the GMPTE area, but is on the western extreme. Any idea which zone it would be in? Thanks, sorry it isn't worded well. DannyM 12:42, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are you sure zones are used at Glazebrook railway station? The preceding and following stations do not seem to be allocated to any zone, neither is any zonal data given on the official websites.--Shantavira 13:28, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I've read it's in GMPTE, so wondered if it was zoned, but wasn't totally sure. I know Birchwood railway station (preceding station) isn't in the GMPTE area as Glazebrook is the westernmost station of the executive and Birchwood is also my nearest station.Sorry! and thanks for the response DannyM 13:50, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Learning Dutch in Australia

I live in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Are there any educational facilities to help me learn Frisian or Dutch anyone could recommend? I intend to emigrate to the Netherland and I'd like to be able to speak the language.

If you want to be understood in most of the country, I don't recommend learning Frisian. Only some people in Friesland speak it. Anywhere else in the Netherlands, you'd be looked at as if you spoke Chinese. I'm going to leave the recommendations to my Australian friends. - Mgm|^(talk) 13:46, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At this point I'd like to point out that most Dutch people laugh when they hear that somebody is learning Dutch. This has its explanation in the fact that most of them speak English - so to me this would be the language of choice if I'd want to be understood in the Netherlands, the second being German, which Dutch is quite closely related to. --Ouro 14:25, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that's kind of an exaggeration. Certainly you can get by with English in the Netherlands, no doubt, but the Dutch, like most people in the world, think that it's a good thing if you want to learn their language. In particular if you're going to live there. Indeed, I'd think it's rather sad if you didn't take the opportunity to learn the language. There are also more reasons to learn a language than simply to make yourself understood. --BluePlatypus 20:45, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, learn the language. There is an organisation called The Associated Netherlands Societies in Victoria Inc. C/- 45 Kent Avenue, Croydon 3136 Phone No. (03) 9725 0945 Mobile 0404 666 234. They active promote their Dutch heritage and would no doubt be eager to help you find an appropriate tutor. --Seejyb 22:45, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

BluePlatypus, I totally agree with you on the last one - definitely. I am also eager to learn languages, and not only for the purpose of being understood by others. Well, maybe I did exaggerate a bit with the English-in-Netherlands bit, but still - there's no worry that you won't be understood by the majority there if you know English. Which, say, for Poland, would not necessarily apply in general. --Ouro 08:13, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Learning languages is certainly a great idea - but one might as well go about it in a practical fashion. Most people from small countries speak a second language - because they have to (globalization bla bla) so you should really consider why you would want to learn it. For instance, French, Russian and Persian are IMHO both fascinating and beautiful languages - AND you can use it on a much wider scale. Of course, if you are really interrested in the Netherlands - go for it! Or... if you're interrested in someone from the Netherlands... Gardar Rurak 20:38, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looking for old Chinese RPG...

I'm looking for the name of an old turn-based strategy (some element of RPG) game.

Platform: Windows 98

Language: Traditional Chinese

As far as I can remember, it plays like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, but in 2D. Like FFTA you command a small party which grows as you progress through the campaign. This is interspersed with pseudo-3D battle sequences whenever characters engage in combat. Between fights, you are taken to a screen where six or eight tents are arranged in a vague circle, where you can save/shop/heal/revive etc. before the next fight.

The main protagonist is a blue-haired sword-wielding character.

That's all I can remember, but any and all suggestions of what the game might be, or where might be a good place to start looking, are more than welcome! Thanks in advance.

--131.111.8.96 00:16, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Awful helicopter crash!

Look at this video:

http://www.funnymovies.net/movies/view/589/

When did that happen?

I suspect that is the December 9 1999 crash of a CH-46 Sea Knight while landing on USNS Pecos. Eleven survivors, seven missing presumed dead[54]. Sample Google keywords for more information: Sea Knight Pecos 1999 crash. Weregerbil 18:04, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

anyone else here think that "funnymovies.net" needs a more accurate name? :/ Grutness...wha? 01:36, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not really, but they should stop hosting films in which people die. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:46, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Earthquakes not at plate boundaries

How are they possible? I was under the impression that collision, transformation, diversion and conversion were the only things that could cause quakes. How can you then have earthquakes in regions near the middle of a tectonic plate?

Wikipedia has an article devoted to that type of earthquake. See Intraplate earthquake. SCHZMO ✍ 20:24, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I started that! I would suspect the recent Indonesian earthquake is a blind thrust earthquake, because it did so much damage for a 6.2, right in earthquake country. --Zeizmic 21:39, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where is the edit counter?

I have seen links to an "Edit counter" on some user pages. Where is it? And how does one get to access one's edit count? - mbeychok 19:57, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here is a link to User:Interiot's edit counter on the Wikimedia Toolserver: [55]. However, data from the English Wikipedia is only updated sporadically and different namespaces are updated at different rates so it's not very accurate now. I suggest you put Interiot's javascript edit counter on your user javascript file to get an up-to-date count (the tool manually counts your edits each time). SCHZMO ✍ 20:22, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Vinegar

So, i've been looking around at some Dare Websites and see myself as a bit of a daredevil. So heres a question; Are there/what are the potential health hazards of drinking a large amount (lets say 1 litre) of Brown Malt Vinegar (the cheap stuff) in say 15 seconds? Strange question, i know, thanks :) -Benbread 21:11, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'll do it if you give me five bucks. -LambaJan 02:55, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This MSDS sheet is on 7% acetic acid, about the right amount for conventional vinegar. There's another one here. I doubt that drinking vinegar is going to do much harm, as these sheets seem to be concerned only about inhalation of vapors and not about any toxicological dangers. Then again, I don't think they anticipated somebody drinking it out of the bottle. -D. Wu 06:37, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting answer, thanks :) Got myself some very cheap 0.17GBP vinegar but on tasting i expect a pint of the stuff would be very easy to drink - maybe i should try 500ml of Balsamic Vinegar... -Benbread 17:43, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Paul Frank's DOB

When is Paul Frank's date of birth?

What does a cold sweat feel like, and what is it?

Just what the title says, I couldn't find a proper answer at sweat. I have had a very icky feeling for a few months, not continous, where it feels as if... well, I THINK that I am feeling a warm chill through my body resembling what comes with panic. I'm not able to identify it, though, and I am becoming very, very tired of it. The sides of the back of my neck are affected, so is my spine-area and my thighs, and to an extent my face. Does anyone know what this is...?? Henning 22:59, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So, lemme see if I understand. (Before we begin: just because I'm wearing medical scrubs as I write this doesn't mean I'm a doctor. I only play one in the bedroom. >_> ) You define "icky feeling" as a sort of sweating, except the sweat is cold, and it's sort of...chilling, like when you feel you're about to get hit by a bus or murdered or something like this? I'd suggest visiting a real doctor. Probably a neurologist or a psychiatrist (I'm not implying that I think you're crazy, but you did mention panic, and whether or not you feel panic consciously may not be the issue). >_< Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:12, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cold sweat: sweaty, cold clammy skin, often paleness, especially of face and hands - acute panic or fright. Associated with other symptoms you have not mentioned. A feeling of hotness, blushing, red hands, is not usually called a "cold sweat" - more usually constitutional (that's the way your body is "made up"), chronic anxiety, fear. Associated with a different set of symptoms. Or you can have both cold and hot sweats, at different times, and it can, amongst other be psychologically triggered, but maybe not. Normal sweat is associated with getting rid of increased or increasing body temperature - overdressed, exercise, excessive ambient temperature, increased body temperature due to a fever. As Cernen suggests, for unusual sweating of recent onset you should seriously consider seeing a Doc, instead of asking us - start at your general practitioner (there are no "cold sweat specialists"), who may suggest some basic blood tests etc, and go from there. Generally, do not take recent onset physical symptoms as "psychological". If you have had some psychosomatic symptom for your whole life, and you know what brings it on, and it has not changed recently, that is a different issue. But as Cernen suggests, for unusual sweating of recent onset you should seriously consider seeing a Doc, instead of asking us - start at your general practitioner, who may suggest some basic blood tests etc, and go from there. Generally, do not take recent onset physical symptoms as "psychological". It would be grossly unfair on of us at WP if you took some therapeutic or diagnostic advice here and eventually discover you really have some treatable illness which has progressed because of unnecessary delay. Don't diagnose yourself. --Seejyb 21:25, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Home construction

In reference to facts regarding a home, such as lot size, square feet, parcel number, etc., what is meant by "Construction quality: 4" ? Thank you.

Uh...are you asking because you saw this on an auditor website, and want to know what it means? Please, for the love of God, SUITLY EMPHAZI!!!! Cernen Xanthine Katrena 08:29, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

T'would be a weird country indeed that has a quality rating in it's building code (Oh, it's much cheaper using 'crappy quality'). Normally, you can go by date of construction, and general condition. --Zeizmic 21:42, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Zeizmic, thanks for your courteous response. That's basically what I needed to know.

Yes, I'm much more courteous than that other person... --Zeizmic 00:46, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

An article on this site:Residential Design and Build Magazine describes their "out of 5" grading, but that would presumably be a composite of many sub-assessments. They seem to say that by their system a satisfactory quality house gets 4.6, while a construction awarded 3 or less "needs looking into" (and presumably for the occupants to be "getting out of"). The USA has adopted the International Residential Code for construction, and that is a book which you would have to buy or get at a library. Descriptions of subsections, such as electricity or flooring can be found by laborious searches from site to site, but nowhere can I find a concise summary. After looking for answers to your question, which interested me personally, I realise that there are contracters out there who are serious about doing the best they can for the consumer, and very much aware of the value of a good reputation. So for future home owners in the USA thing look to be improving, but as always, at a cost. --Seejyb 21:47, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If that's basically what you needed to know, why didn't you ask that? Your question is confusing. >_< 12.72.245.172 11:18, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Map making

How are makes like this one created? image:LocationCuba.png Is there some sort of model your suppose to follow or just cut and paste it from the world map?

It's done by an automatic bot. --mboverload @ 05:46, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Really? K ilo-Lima|^(talk) 18:17, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, there is. Most of the maps on Wikipedia are derived from the high-resolution Blankmap-World.png at the Wikipedia Commons. -D. Wu 06:43, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

city government

The town in which I live doesn't have a mayor. From what I've been able to tell so far it is run by something called a "select board". What would this form of government be called and do we have an article on it? Dismas|^(talk) 08:23, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Assuming you live in the US (as I am American and must keep up stereotypes that EVERYBODY is American, y'know), you may not even be in a town, but a township, where there isn't a centralized governing body; the county pwnz0rz your t0wnz0rz and you have a panel of people on the county seat. Or something. I forget. But that's the best I can offer you. Cernen Xanthine Katrena

This is the town meeting form of government; in fact, in some of the New England states (don't know about Vermont, though) it isn't even possible not to be in a town. See also Board of Selectmen. —Zero Gravitas 08:46, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, Zero G. That pretty much sums up what I was wondering. And yes, Cernen, I'm from the U.S. (I live in Vermont as Zero G seems to have picked up somewhere) but I thought that the question need not be country specific and I may get a greater range of answers which would give me a "world" view as well as a country specific answer. Dismas|^(talk) 09:07, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Somewhere" in this case is the instance of {{User Vermont}} on your user page. ;) —Zero Gravitas 17:45, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Figured that but I've also mentioned it here before that I live in VT. Dismas|^(talk) 04:58, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I should point out that in some U.S. states (such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey), townships do have centralized local governments. The definition of "township" varies by state. — Michael J 16:24, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And in some states like Nevada, a township is simply an administrative subdivision of a county; so Las Vegas, for example, is both a city and a township. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 17:22, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

White people with phoney Jamaican accents

Is anything funnier?

Dis da reference desk, mon!

Yes several things are listed as being funnier. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:59, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Funnier things, I don't think so! Try saying "Beer Can" without making it sound like you're Jamaican and saying bacon ;) -Benbread 13:01, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

WP:BJAODN for one; m:bash for another, mon. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:03, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Life of Brian--Fuhghettaboutit 15:05, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sports hunters who come to the Arctic in the middle of Winter, when the place is covered in snow, wearing camouflage for use in the forest and Wikipedia:Suitly emphazi. But not people who over indent. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:11, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This guy is indeed very funny, but someone else beat him in the polls. --Shantavira 15:12, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think you'll find This Guy is much funnier -Benbread 16:34, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Somebody's into black comedy --Ouro 17:05, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Funniest Joke in the World is clearly funnier. And Jar Jar Binks, the sci-fi equivalent, was not funny at all. --Robert Merkel 05:21, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The P-P-P-Powerbook, people accidently being interviewed live on TV when they go for a job interview. Incidently, shouldn't this whole discussioned be BJAODNed? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 08:33, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

climatic regions

hi, i am trying to study for my geography exam in june. to help me with my studies, im using previous geography exam papers. one question that has come up that im not sure of is: 'what are the characteristics of a climatic region, give an example'. i have looked through my geography books, but cannot find any references... any helpp on this matter would be greatly appreciated. thank you for your time, olaf steel

I don't know if we have articles on climatic regions per se, but we have excellent coverage of biomes (when I did geography that was how they classified the world, and perhaps that's what's really meant when your teacher says "climatic zone"). What differentiates them is primarily temperature and rainfall (which is generally a function of latitute and proximity to the ocean). That in turn causes different types of plants and animals to live there. Middenface 11:34, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When I was at school we used older exams to help prepare and the best place to ask is usually the instructor. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:01, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Windstorm

Hi there i am trying to find the name of "asian windstorm" for a crossword solutionit has 5 letters - b(maybe)?ran, have tried searching every where but with no luck. hope you may be able to help me thanks chris:)

Barat? David Sneek 12:41, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

~~Robert Fripp~~ never copy and paste if you've failed to do the "copy" part first! Let's try again... Buran is the Uighur name for a sandstorm whipped up by a desert wind. it also appears to mean blizzard in Russian if this is anything to go by. Oddly, the only article we had in Wikipedia on the wind is at de.wiki. Perhaps we need an English one? I've made a tiny stub... Grutness...wha? 12:49, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Star Trek

What are the 12 ships of the Star Fleet, original series?

If I'm not mistaken, it's 12 ships of the same class as Enterprise - not Starfleet (or United Earth Space Probe Agency) as a whole. I am not sure to the names of them. Computerjoe 's talk 14:44, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I refer you to Memory Alpha and say that you should check their search box. I can name a few, if I think your question is what it is:

USS Enterprise
USS Defiant

...that's all I got. So much for a few. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 15:06, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Constellation is the one eaten by the planet-eating thing, and there must be a Constitution (the namesake of the class) even if it is never seen. Oh, now that I think of it, of course we have a list - Constitution class starship. Adam Bishop 15:37, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Philadelphus

Hi! I need help finding a word definition!

No one seems to know & I have been looking for 4 months!

I found a reference to what may be the 1st chronology. It's from 1593 by R.Harvey and in it is the word, "Philadelphus" but it is not a reference to as shrub which is the only reference except Ptolemy that I can find but still no word meaning.

Any help or leads are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

J. Pollack

deleted e-mail address Halcatalyst 18:59, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ptolemy II Philadelphus was a Greek-Egyptian king]. --Halcatalyst 18:59, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's literal meaning in Greek is loving one's brother. In English usage, according to the OED it is a shrub of the genus so called, belonging to the family Saxifragaceæ, native to southern Europe, North America, or Asia, and generally bearing white or cream flowers, often fragrant; also called mock orange or syringa. But you say it is not a shrub? In that case can you give us the context? --Shantavira 19:18, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Philadelphus, or a defence of Brutus, and the Brutans history is a book by Richard Harvey published in 1593. The Brutus in the title is Brutus of Troy, and the book is a "response to George Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum Historia (1582) defending the Tudor view of Arthur's historicity." [56] --Cam 06:51, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Listing TV Episodes

I haven't been able to find the answer, what is the policy on the order that TV episodes should be listed on these "List of --- episodes"? For many TV series episodes air in a different order depending on where you live, I figured I would ask this after someone completely changed the "List of All Grown Up! episodes" when I did them based on the order they aired in the US(and it is a US based show). TJ Spyke 19:40, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For most there is a logical order (either from the story arc or from the production number). Only without that would airing order seem like a sensible ordering (and the first airing would make most sense). Firefly (TV series) is a good example - the shows are shown in the order the producers wanted them shown in, not the half-assed ordering Fox actually used. That's the same ordering, incidentally, used on the DVDs of the series. Middenface 22:29, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cow

What is a "cow"?

Cow --mboverload @ 20:55, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Don't have a Cow: Used when someone was "going ape" or perhaps being a "spaz." Example: So I took your book by mistake, don't have a cow about it. 60's Slang. --Halcatalyst 02:21, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Same era. On a student examination, "bull" is faking ideas with no detail; "cow" is spewing detail with no idea. --Halcatalyst 02:25, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"To be cowed" means to be repressed because of fear of an overbearing person. User:Zoe|^(talk) 19:20, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Kosi project of india

I want some information based on the kosi project at Bihar, India.

hey..im studying in 10th grade..i was given geography work to write about kosi project in india..can u help me with dat..freezing hail

That was an interesting read. Type 'kosi project' in Google, and read. You probably won't get much official information, since it looks a top ten in the Large Dam Hall of Shame. --Zeizmic 01:05, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Privacy of user account

Hi Ive just googled my my janeshiva and found i have been listed as a user of wikipedia and TOTALLY do NOT want to have my username for wikipedia show up on google. Please can you either inform me or perform a privacy block on my janeshiva account so it will NOT come up on a search engine. My ID number is 274334 and username is janeshiva

Your co-operation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Jane

But you created a user page for yourself on 13 May, and put your name on it. Like everything else in Wikipedia, that is open to Google. That's the only reason you are listed currently. If you do not want your name to appear, you should choose a new account which does not include your personal name. Notinasnaid 23:12, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't understand what's upsetting you. If someone googles "janeshiva" and finds your user page, all they can see is that your username is janeshiva (which they must already have known in order to search for it) and that you've asked this question on the reference desk. There's absolutely no personal information. —Keenan Pepper 23:25, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at m:Right to vanish, m:Privacy policy and Wikipedia:Changing username. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:43, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is like saying you want your name in the phonebook, but don't want people to find you. Just get a new username. --mboverload @ 02:53, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you put {{db-owner}} on your page someone will delete it for you pretty quickly, if that's what you want. --HughCharlesParker (talk - contribs) 20:14, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Medal of Honor

R 670-1 section 30-5 'Wear of the uniform by Medal of Honor recipients': Personnel awarded the Medal of Honor may wear the Army uniform at their pleasure, except under the circumstances in paragraph 10-1.

What is in paragraph 10-1?

The Medal of Honor is not to be worn while engaged in civilian employment, extremist or protest activities, when wear would bring discredit on the armed services, or any other time prohibited by regulation. The relevant paragraph is actually 1-10j. --Haakonsson 11:35, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 29

United States Senate

How Many members are Catholic.

24 according to Adherents.com [57]. Rmhermen 00:37, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Licensed Professional Engineers

How many state registered/licensed professional engineers (PE) are there in the USA? -- Paleorthid 00:28, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The National Society of Professional Engineers website says that there are 2 million practicing engineers in the U.S. but doesn't mention how many are professional. Rmhermen 00:36, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. Do you still have the url to this info handy? I was unable to locate any population (other than 50K members) on the NSPE site. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates 1.45 million (employed?) engineers [58], so I would be interested in seeing the 2 million number in context. -- Paleorthid 05:29, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

FAQ was the page. Rmhermen 20:41, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where do I post a picture of an unknown object for subsequent identification

I have an object that I would like to post a picture of so that someone can identify it and provide information about it. Can someone tell me if/where I can do this on Wikipedia? Thank you. 2Aces

this is probably the best place. Upload the picture using the "Upload file" link in the toolbox (at the side of the page) then link to it here - say you called it "Thing.jpg", you'd add a link like this: [[Image:Thing.jpg|thumb|right|200px]], which would make a 200-pixel-wide image of it at the right of the page. Grutness...wha? 01:35, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Grutness, here it be. I bought this at a garage sale only because it looked really old. It has a moveable magnifying glass on one side and a heavy brass counterbalance ball on the opposite side. The magnifying glass can be positioned anywhere around the "bird cage." 2Aces

My guess. A flower planter. The glass is to magnify small flowers, like some orchids. Rmhermen 02:16, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think that's right. What a cool thing! I'd have scooped it up immediately if I saw it at a garage sale. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 23:07, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What's the measurement of the wire hoop and does it look like there is anything missing or broken off? I'm wondering if it's a floor globe holder. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:33, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hoop is 17" in diameter and 23" high, definitely large enough to hold a globe. Pretty sure it is intact with no missing parts. I'm checking with some antique dealers to see if they know anything about this thing, and will post whatever information I receive from them. 2Aces 17:51, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well 16" floor globes seem to be a popular size. I lost the link but try google "antique floor globes" or something like that. One of the links might let you contact them with the picture and say if it is a globe holder. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:47, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like an antique globe holder to me. The magnifying glass is proabably used to zoom in on smaller countries and details. Wizrdwarts 23:04, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Citing from Wikipedia

How do I format Wikipedia as a source in APA style?

Each article page has a link on the left-hand side called "Cite this article", which will provide a number of citation styles (including APA) for that article. — TheKMan^talk 03:07, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Baby pigeons.

Why don't we see any baby pigeons?

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_015b.html —Keenan Pepper 05:47, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thats neat i never knew the adult pigeons flew to mountains and ate tourists, gives u a whole new perspective on life. Joneleth 06:08, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What? Where does it say the fly to the mountains? They eat tourists wherever they find them. User:Zoe|^(talk) 19:23, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Does the foreskin of a male penis act (in any way) as a contraceptive?

Hi,

I was talking to a mate yesterday, and he mentioned that the foreskin of the penis can act as a natural contraceptive.

I don't really understand how, and therefore don't believe him.. I had a look at Foreskin, but couldn't find anything remotely towards contraception there.

Thanks heaps,

--Deon555|talk 03:07, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh! This is an easy one. The answer is obviously "no". The sexual organs evolved to maximize successful fertilization during sex. Next question. -lethe ^{talk +} 03:14, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Absolutely not. During sex, the foreskin does not cause semen to transfer any differently when compared to a circumsized penis. If what your mate told you were true, there would have been no childbirth prior to the invention of circumcision. --DavidGC 05:46, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No it doesn't, but I recall reading in New Scientist that the glans may have evolved its shape in our ape ancestors to act as a kind of scoop, to remove semen that was deposited by another male with a shorter penis. So maybe the glans acts as a contraceptive, if you can persuade someone with a longer penis than you to have sex with your partner immediately afterwards. Though I'd stick to condoms and the pill. --Howard Train 06:30, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I don't believe for a second that the foreskin is in any way a contraceptive. Who comes up with these things anyway? --mboverload @ 07:15, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But suppose you were to pull the foreskin forward as far as possible and then use some thread to tie it closed. Would that not work as a sort of contraceptive? Whoops. forgot to sign. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:49, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't it be easier to plug the little hole then? I think you'd need a lot of foreskin for what CBW is suggesting although it may be possible - perhaps even for added pleasure on the part of the woman/man on the "receiving" end - this would have to tested further though. Would this qualify as bondage? Gardar Rurak 20:12, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, you could cover the whole thing, with, lets say, something rubber, and it would plug things good. --Zeizmic 00:49, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Guys, What a great help ;)

""If what your mate told you were true, there would have been no childbirth prior to the invention of circumcision"" lol.. that pretty much fixed it :P

Thanks Guys.. --Deon555|talk 00:49, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This would work too. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:05, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Racing

Can someone tell me why all racing circuits (auto, hores, dog, track meets, etc) travel in a counter-clockwise direction? Thanks for your help.

I must admit ive never seen a hore race so i cant say. Joneleth 06:03, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_113b.html. The short of it is that not all races run counter-clockwise, and those that do just happened to start a trend. -D. Wu 06:49, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Need Legal Help in Italy

Hello. I am located in the United States, and looking for a law firm located in Italy that has expertise in dealing with Internet law. Specifically, I need to approach a search engine located in Italy to persuade them to remove a defamatory listing. My name is Peter Sklar, my telephone number in the United States is redacted. My email address is redacted. My business web site is www.beginningsworkshop.com. The web search engine I need to approach is www.Mailgate.org. Thank you for your assistance in making an appropriate referral. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 152.163.100.199 (talk • contribs) 04:48, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

If, as I suspect, you have an issue with a usenet posting, sueing Mailgate will not get you far and is as likely to result in further scorn & ignominy. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Exec Officer

What does a CEO and or high level exec do all day? I know they have to manage the people under them, but this cant take 8-10 hrs per day... 12.183.203.184 07:07, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

According to a family member who is a CEO, he takes naps in the afternoon. Tijuana Brass^E@ 07:25, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was being serious. I would really like to know. I think I would make a good exec, as I think I exibit good business judgement, but I fell there MUST be more that I dont see, because you can't make decisions all day--I mean, I cant imagine making 8-10 hrs of decisions/managing activities. 12.183.203.184 08:20, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, but realize also that for every decision, you should be informed about what you are deciding on. So they should spend at least a bit of their time reading reports and research and such in order to make good decisions. And that would take some time I would think. Dismas|^(talk) 09:43, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Depends a lot on the size of the company, too. A CEO in a big company has people who do most of the decision making for her -- a CFO, a COO, and so on -- and she'll not be managing anyone but a handful of top level people (if even that). A huge amount of her job will be strategic planning rather than any day to day stuff -- what markets to explore, what products to launch, what other businesses to court, and things lie that. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 23:06, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And in addition to researching and keeping up with the relevant field, an executive spends a lot of time in meetings explaining and defending his or her decisions. After you've made the best business decision of your career, for example, you still have to convince the board of directors and your managers that it truly is the best for the company. And most of them probably think they can do your job better than you, so if you cannot clearly and persuasively get your decisions across, you will be out of a job soon. The CEO's who are good at that do get to take a lot of afternoons off for golf, though.

Among other things, the CEO of MSO Washington spent a lot of time wrecking his computer and asking me why MSN wouldn't work. He also did a lot of travel and marketing stuffs, as well as policy writing and random acts of corporate violence (i.e. firings); he rarely spent time in his office. The president of that same company mostly spent time asking me why I wasn't losing any weight and telling me how I was going to get diabetes. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:35, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Stock theory

I recently read an article on Wiki about a theroy that the stock market is compeltely effiecnet and therefore no one can out preform the market. Wouldnt this theory be disproven if one person buys stock in an ineffecient or irrational manner, as that would inflate the stock price?

any investing in the stockmarket only helps it, the rationale behind ur actions only affect urself not the stockmarket. Also u cannot 'inflate' the prices the raise in prices is a direct result in the capital u invest in them. Joneleth 07:11, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Individual investors can outperform the market. Warren Buffett has being doing so for decades. However, for every investment dollar that outperforms the market average, there has to be a dollar that underperforms. Given that, the question arises - why pay a lot of fees for somebody to try to be clever and beat the market using your money, when (to grossly oversimplify) the odds are only 50-50 that he'll do so; or, when talking about buying investment funds, why not buy an index fund instead of an actively managed fund?--Robert Merkel 01:11, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's not true. When a person puts in an order to buy stock, it increases the price of that stock. When many people buy a stock or buy into a bubble-like idealogy it greatly inflates a stock's price. 12.183.203.184 08:22, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The actual investing is not what creates inflation, the inflation comes from misuse of that capital that has been invested so it no longer retains the original value it held. Joneleth 23:27, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

An 'irrational' method of investing is the Random walk which, over the long-term does seem to outperform the market. AllanHainey 08:05, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm link doesn't give a lot of info, basically in investing it's throwing darts at a copy of the Financial Times & buying the stocks the darts hit, or a similarly random method of investment selection. AllanHainey 08:05, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Valuation Question

XM and Sirius are the two providers of Satellite Radio in America, and yet Sirius has a Marketcap of 6 Billion dollars whereas XM's marketcap is only 3.5 Billion, despite the fact that XM is much larger in terms of subscribers and revenue. How can this be? Am I missing something?? 12.183.203.184 07:07, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yep. You're missing that market cap isn't in any way related to the actual value of the company; rather, it's a function of what investors think of the value of the stock. These days, stock value is only loosely coupled, if at all, to corporate cash flow. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 17:17, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So then how do I tell if a company is undervalued and overvalued. Judging from cash flow and other fundamentials, XM appears undervalued with respect to Sirius (though both may be overvalued in absolute terms). Yet I have continually been proved wrong by the market. I don't understand what Im doing wrong, as I have done my due dilligance on both companies. 12.183.203.184 20:17, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd suggest going over to a site like Motley Fool; there's a lot of good information there, and forums that are not full of idiots. Me, I'd more likely buy XMSR; I don't believe that Howard Stern will be able to make back the, what, half a billion dollars they are paying him. On the other hand, I'm also an XM subscriber, and loathe Stern, so I'm biased. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 23:01, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- I have neither but would like to have Sirius. I also think Stern is funny. That being said, Stern is not being paid half a billion to be on Sirius. That's the buget they've given him for his show. Everyone that works for his channels gets paid out of that money, the production of the shows comes out of that, and then there's his salary. It's not all solely his. Dismas|^(talk) 01:56, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  - Doesn't make any difference to the bottom line, though. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 05:58, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Question on English Language(Nigeria) Anambra State

please write on place of English language in Nigeria.it should be developed under the following headings. introdution Body conclusion Recommendations References.please it sould be more than 8 pages Email address (email- removed)

Please do your own homework. And do not give your e-mail address on any public forum such as this. You make yourself vurnable to spam attacks. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 09:28, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

always suitly emphazi vurnable pastatutes JackofOz 09:31, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And watch out for Impact Creators! --Zeizmic 12:07, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh no, not another Reference Desk in-joke! --Canley 13:38, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Not just that, but four at a time! Howard Train 18:08, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  - I never do things by half measures, you should know that by now. JackofOz 22:54, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

pc game KKND

do you remember game called KKND (krush kill n destroy)? there was a setup.exe file where you set up your sound card. when you're done you can test the settings and hear THE sound sample that i am looking for or any information about it. it is some kind of male scream. i don't know if it does mean something but it really is't in english. i've also heared this "scream" on discovery channel 4-6 years ago on advert that shows something like historical pictures... i don't believe that someone could help me but who knows :)

p.s. sorry for my english

I'm not sure, but have you looked at the Wilhelm scream article? --KJ 14:27, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

thanks but that's not the one that i'm looking for. THE sample sounds more tribal or something and lasts for ~5 seconds. i could send you an .amr sample :) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Pyfa (talk • contribs) 20:08 UTC, 29 May 2006.

talking mickey mouse

Hi , i am searching for the date/year that The Talking Mickey Mouse was made in( this is the 1st site ive found with it even listed in but it hasnt got a manufacture year etc), also was wondering how rare they are & how much one would cost(anything from non working in average condition to mint) i hope someone cane help me thanx :-)stacey

Have you tried Ebay ? I saw an ad for a talking Mickey Mouse phone that made me laugh...the kid was supposed to say "Hey Mickey, do you want to come over and party with me ?", but due to her Boston accent, it came off as "Hey Mickey, you wanna come over and potty with me ?" EWWWWW ! StuRat 14:15, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yep The Talking Mickey Mouse does not have the date in it. However, Worlds of Wonder (toy company) is listed as an 80's toy company that went bankrupt in 1988. Also as StuRat said see ebay CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:41, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I hit save to quick. Look at this it's a Talking Mickey Mouse from 1976 by Mattel and this is the Worlds of Wonder version. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:44, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Child support

My son is divorce from his first wife and has two children that he pays support for ,now he is seperating from wife number two and has two children with her The support for the last two children is about three times as much as the first wife is getting for her two children, now the first wife wants to go back for more support my question is how will that affect my son do they take all four children and split the money equally?

Well without knowing the country that you are in it's impossible to say. Even if we did know I would still say your son should see a lawyer. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:32, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In an ex-couple, alimony is used to alleviate the lessening of revenue for the other. So if your son earns thrice the money he earned before his first divorce, the paying due is not the same. But the former wife should have no more rights. This in theory. But in theory, practice and theory are the same, not in practice. Now, we ain't specialists and, if we were, as CBW states, we need to understand which country law applies. Also, a good lawyer makes the diference between an equitable law and a profitable one. --DLL 18:46, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think the quote is "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is." JackofOz 01:53, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

blind minister

I want to know the name & a post of the British man who served as a Minister under the government of Prime minister Tony Blair?

David Blunkett. Shimgray | talk | 15:30, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was going to say that, but I got an edit conflict. Damn you, quicker edits than me! --Sam Pointon 15:32, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Different looks of different types of television shows?

(Couldn't think of a better title.) I've always noticed that different types of motion pictures (soap operas, sitcoms, live shows, movies and so forth) all have something different about them to where even if you've never seen the show, you can usually realize what it is by the way it looks at a first glance. I'm not sure how else to word it. Hopefully someone will figure out what I'm talking about! Daltonls 16:25, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know exactly what you mean. Some of the differences would be due to the type of recording medium used. Film, i.e. celluloid, has a different look from videotape. Digital video would look different again. Celluloid is normally used in movies and upmarket TV dramas, and could be said to have a more 'professional' look to it. Sitcoms and soap operas would normally be recorded on video and this tends to look sharper and more colourful, but somehow less stylish as well. Of course some movies (e.g. The Blair Witch Project) are shot on video, partly because it's cheaper than celluloid and partly because the filmmakers are going for that authentic verite look. --Richardrj 21:20, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's also the case that different genres use different visual styles, which one learns over time through experience. These are culturally-bound -- often one of the main points of confusion in seeing films from other countries is that the tropes are not the same (though the influence of Hollywood no doubt stabilizes some of those tropes). --Fastfission 03:19, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In addition to the recording media used it is probably also due to the work of the lighting person and camera person. Soap operas film several episodes per day, so the production is probably rushed. The lighting guy (or gal) and the camera gal (or guy) are probably doing their best just to get each scene filmed on deadline, and so probably use a basic lighting setup that they know will work well enough. Sitcoms and other shows are probably similar, and the production crew is likely focusing on ensuring the actors are reasonably lit, with only one or two complex setup per episode. The result is that they look sort of "flat", with warm, even lighting of uniform brightness throughout the set. Film, having a longer production schedule and higher expectations for dramatic effects and lighting that contributes to the story, therefore gives the director, cinematographer, and lighting designer a much freer hand at creating a complex visual scene.

I also know exactly what you mean. I can turn on the tv, and within an instant recognize that what I'm watching is a soap opera (of course I change the channel as quickly as possible!) But I don't think it's due to time constraints as was suggested. I'm actually not sure what it is, but I know it instantly when I see it.

Being a Canadian, I also seem to be able to almost instantly recognize when a tv show is Canadian made. I'm not sure why that is either, but it just seems so obvious. The same holds true even for American tv shows that happen to be shot in Canada, like MacGyver or that other Stargate show with the same actor. It just has that inexplicable inferior quality "feel" to it. That's the odd think about Canadian entertainment. In some areas, like music and especialy comedy we excel, whereas in other areas like film or tv we totally suck. I'm not sure why that is, but it just is.

What I do know, is, that on top of all the factors mentioned by the previous contributors, colour is also an important factor. Many shows tend to use colour as a technique to lend the show a particular "feel". It's as if the camera lens has a particular colour filter to overemphasize one colour over all others. Take, for example, "Ally MacBeal", and compare it to "The Practice". (Both cancelled, I know, but they're the best examples I can think of, and, interestingly, they were produced by the same guy.) Haven't you ever noticed that the light-hearted, comedic, "Ally MacBeal" has a distinctive reddish tone, while the cold, serious, "The Practice" has a definite, unmistakable blue tone to it? Well if you have, you weren't imagining things, that's an actual technique used in filming to convey the "tone" of the particular tv show or film. Loomis51 04:44, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Views of black Rastafarians towards white Rastafarians?

Do the majority of black Rastas dislike white Rastas?

The majority of humans dislike white Rastas. So logically, yes.

Should I Or Not?

I Want To create A Topic That Lists Websites I Have Come Across For Certain Subjects And That Asks Others To Contribute. Should I Or Not? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Uses Wikipedia Alot (talk • contribs) .

No. --Zeizmic 17:28, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, Wikipedia is not a links repository. SCHZMO ✍ 17:33, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What about an article on Extremely Shift-Happy Wikipedia Editors? -Benbread 17:37, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you have found a website relevant to a Wikipedia article, add it to the External links section. If it might be helpful to an editor but not a reader, or there are already a lot of links on the page, add it to the talk page. If it's to an article you would like to create but haven't done so, put a link on your talk page so you'll remember it. Or create a stub for the article. DJ Clayworth 20:45, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Top Gear Episode 28/05/06 Chilli

Hey, on Sunday's UK Top Gear Episode Richard Hammond was comparing what I recall was the BMW Z4. In it he compared it with the Porsche Boxter. He said that the Porsche was like a Gordon Ramsay meal and the Z4 was like a very hot chilli pepper, saying it rated 1,000,000 "Heat Units" (Presumably Scoville). I didn't catch the name, so does anyone know the Chilli in question, as I was aware that the Scotch Bonnet was the hottest chilli around (I've tasted them, they're not good!), so i'll be interested to know more about this apparent super chilli pepper. If anyone knows what it is i'd be very greatful if you told me :) -Benbread 17:52, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Could it have been the Naga Dorset pepper? Natgoo 18:51, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think you might be spot on there :) The article even comments about just touching food with it. Next question, where can i get some from!? :D Thanks -Benbread 18:55, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You don't like Scotch Bonnets? I think they're quite nice; I cook with them all the time. Maybe you got one that was underripe (or overripe). --Trovatore 01:25, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Heh, i mean "They're not good!" referring to them being extremely hot, maybe i should have said "They're insane!". I don't tend to use them much after underestimating just how hot they were, so now i generally use them for daring supposid "hard" people. -Benbread 13:56, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the key is dose. I generally start an arrabbiata sauce by sauteeing about half a scotch bonnet, chopped, and half a clove of garlic. That's for one person. --Trovatore 05:12, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like you're onto a winner with that, i may have to give it a go. I think if i ever did have a dislike to Scotch Bonnet it's because i (unfairly) associate it with a less than great hot sauce i have with a scotch bonnet base, very salty, but pretty damn hot! Seems you're quite a chilli fanatic, and i'd really appreciate if you have any other recipies you share them with me :) Thanks -Benbread 12:02, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Digitized speech and music

I have a grown schizophrenic son who has a delusion that listening to any recorded speech or music is bad for him. He was scared of listening to sirens until my fireman friend explained that siren sounds were not pre-recorded but created by a machine. Now, armed with this knowledge, sirens no longer bother him but the digitized voice calling out destinations on the buses passing by the house bothers him and he has stopped going to watch entertainment because he figures that the piano keyboards contain recorded music.

Arguing with a schizophrenic is a waste of breath although I have tried to convince him of the error in his thinking. If listening to pre-recorded voices and music was bad we would all be dead.

Anyway, my question is twofold: 1) Are the digitized voices coming from the buses recorded in any manner on a tape or other recording media, and 2) Are the various musical notes as well as the complete songs that can be accessed by the touch of a button on modern piano keyboards recorded or are they merely digitally produced, and is there some expert out there who can direct me to some website that goes in detail, but if the person is an expert I could print out the answer and my son will believe him.

If speech and/ or musical sounds are merely digitally produced, then my son can listen to them without trepidation. I thank you for any help you can give me and will be watching Wikipedia for the anwer. Unfortunately, if human speech is first recorded onto say, tape, and then digitized, my son won't want it. The same with music. If an orchestra playing a song is first recorded on tape and then rendered into microcircuitry he won't want it. What I'm hoping for is human speech and musical sounds being artificially produced without human input at any point, but I don't want to influence the reply. God bless you all. The long-suffering father of a grown schiophrenic.

As a general rule, electronic instruments are just told "play a note of frequency X at volume Y", and then some fancy stuff is done to it (you can tell I have a degree in physics...) to make it sound like it's coming from a musical instrument. So, say, anything played by an electronic keyboard will be okay.

As for the buses, I'm afraid that I think these are generally made by taping someone saying individual words and phrases and then putting them together (this explains why you get odd pauses between phrases sometimes - the gaps at the ends of "sections" don't match). So these are likely a problem. You can automatically generate these with a computer being programmed to make the noises of speech, but this tends to sound very inhuman. Shimgray | talk | 20:26, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Locally, our transit service (the rail at least) uses a prerecorded voice for stops; it's actually the voice of a secretary for the transit authority. Computer speech, which is automatically generated, sounds like that available here, that is to say disjointed. If the speech contains actual words or phrases, then it's very probably prerecorded. Our bus information line, for instance, sounds sort of like: "Route... twenty... next bus in... four... minutes, following bus in... nine... teen... minutes." Each word or phrase is prerecorded, I'm sad to say. --ByeByeBaby 01:29, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have seen several people who have sensitivity to sound for various reasons wearing special sound-proof "headphones". I'm not sure if they are special or anything. I'm sure talking to your son's psychiatrist will help. You do have a psychiatrist, dont you? Buy some noise-canceling headphones, people won't even care.

Also, open up the keyboard and show your son how it works. Have him hold a thing of string taught, then tell him to flick it and it will make noise. That's how a piano works and obviously a string isn't recorded. --mboverload @ 02:14, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know if this is the way to do it but I wish to thank Mr. UTC for his very humane and honest input. The string pulling is a great idea and the fact that you're a physicist will carry weight with my schizophrenic son. Yes, he does have a psychiatarist, and whenever I fax questions and comments to him I'm totally ignored but it's not only him -- no psychiatrist in Honolulu have ever responded to my messages or faxes except one, and their first reaction is to up the meds which I fight beause Tardive Dyskenisia or permanet drooling could result when one is on too much anti-psychotics for too long. It could be the doctors avoid me because I'm not the legal guardian of my son who lives with my ex-wife, but I still love him nontheless. We did try the top-of-the-line Bose noise-neutralizing earphones that cost $300.00 but unfortunately, such earphones neutralize noises on the low range such as machinery and lawn mowers but are totally helpless against higher pitched sounds such as announced bus destinations and keyboard music (the latter which we can stop worrying about and avoiding thanks to UTC) So one out of two aint' bad, and I plan to tell my son to judge for himself if the buses sound mechanical or not, and who knows, he might think they sound mechanical and I wont' disabuse him because I want him to be able to ride the bus again but I'll never deliberately lie to him otherwise he'll never trust me again. Is this the proper way to thank someone who answered a question for me on Wikipedia with such expertise and obvious compassion? I'm new at this and being a bear of little brain I avoided reading the introduction to Wikipedia. Finally, does anyone out there know if there are any noise-cancelling earphones that cancels ALL noises at ALL pitch ranges? They might not create them because they're afraid people will get hit by a truck while wearing them and sue the company that produces them, but if there is such an earphone my son needed them yesterday and I can watch over him when he walks around outside. Right now, though, thanks the UTC's input, I plan to hook up a matchbox-sized sound machine that produces the sound of ocean waves digitally to a pair of earphones and have my son use that to drown out the bus announcements. He was afraid that the sound machine were actual recordings made of ocean waves but from reading UTC's reply I'm convinced (tell me if I'm wrong) that the sound wave producer is just like a digital keyboard but it produces ocean wave sounds rather than music -- one proof is that there are no tape or cd decks in this matchbox-sized sound producing machine made in Hong Kong that I got off Ebay. Aloha from Honolulu. Sorry to ramble so. May 29, 2006 Memorial Day.

One more opinion: If your son does not want to listen to music (or for any other reason), I would recommend regular ear plugs. I am a musician (drummer) myself, and I use "Alpine" brand ear plugs. I do not know if they are sold in the US, but any other brand will be fine, too. You can get foam ear plugs for very little (in the range of a few cents), and custom-shaped professional plugs for up to USD 900(!). It seems that http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ specializes in plugs, but I have only now discovered that store over Google. When inserting ear plugs, please do so correctly, as demonstrated on this page: http://www.uwrf.edu/ehs/2earplugsafety.htm . Inserting or taking out ear plugs the wrong way can result in damage to the ear itself or the ear drum. --Florian Prischl 21:06, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In class when I want to drown out the noise, pumping up my ipod clears everything out. Rather than trying to block the sound, replacing it with something else is probably easier. I'm not sure how your son feels or realises the different between hearing the sound and being able to pick it out.

Also, yes, I forgot that they don't like making noise-cancelling headphones that cut out anything more than ambient noise. It's either technical or they are afraid of the lawsuit-crazy United States =( mboverload is from the US --mboverload @ 07:26, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is this: *6,908,912?

If I put {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} on my userpage (which is where is suppose it goes) what does it really mean? How many articles I've edited or how many I've visited? Or something else?--Porsche997SBS 20:21, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This simply dumps out the number of articles currently in existence on the wiki, the same as displayed on Special:Statistics. Shimgray | talk | 20:27, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks!--Porsche997SBS 01:48, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Using pictures from Wikipedia in other languages

I would like to use some Italian Wikipedia photo's in English Wikipedia article and vice versa. Is this possible? So far I have been able to do this only by uploading the same photo twice, once to the Wikipedia site of each language. Grazie!

If the photos are not fair use, please upload them to Wikimedia Commons. If they're uploaded to Commons they can be used at any language Wikipedia site. -- Rick Block (talk) 21:01, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

bibliography of wikipedia

how do u get the bibliography of the wikipedia encyclopedia?

If you're looking for how to cite a Wikipedia article, click "cite this article" in the toolbox on the left. -- Rick Block (talk) 20:58, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

AC/DC

Do you know how I could contact AC/DC the band?

You could try going through their official website, but it doesn't seem to have been updated for a while. Or you could write to them c/o their record company. To be honest, though, your chances of getting through to the members of such a famous band are slim. --Richardrj 21:30, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where do you find the information to cite the articles

How do you create citations for Wikipedia sources if you don't have the author, time it was created, etc.? Where is this information?

See two questions above, or the note at the top of the page. -- Rick Block (talk) 21:05, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

AC/DC

How do I contact AC/DC`s record company?

Try the record company links at the bottom of our AC/DC article. --Robert Merkel 01:14, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I like AC/DC too, but I'm pessimistic abput any artist answering my mail, or even reading it!...lol.--Cosmic girl 21:08, 4 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Banks

Which bank is the largest bank in the world? I\'m not sure if it should be how to measure it, by number of clients or largest ammount of gold backing it probably. Zoobtoob 17:55, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There ought to be a gunner's book of records only for banks. Largest deposit amount, greater number of impoverished endebted peasants drawn to suicide, biggest concrete tower, oldest accounting book, better money laundering stream process ... We need money, banks and bankers and love them too. --DLL 21:17, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is the "world's largest financial services company ranked by assets" but Citibank is "the largest company of its kind in the world". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:36, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Beatles Lyrics

Hi mates. I\'m planning on inserting the lyrics for most, if not all, Beatles songs I know. I feel that lyrics should be here on Wikipedia, to make it more complete. I have at the moment added the lyrics to only one song, because I\'m unsure of about how to format them.

Take a look at You Won\'t See Me. I have added the lyrics there, and as you can see, it doesn\'t look too good. Is there any standard better way to format the lyrics, such as to have it in two columns? Any ideas?

Unless you are Michael Jackson, it is highly unlikely that you own the copyright to the Beatles lyrics, and if you add them to Wikipedia, your contributions will, I'm afraid, be quickly deleted. TheMadBaron 19:30, 29 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

30 May 2006. Still no Beatlepedia on the Internet. And still no Hypercard Java emulation. And still too many stubs in WP. And still the same president (applies everywhere when there's no king/queen)! --DLL 21:12, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 30

Windows XP log in

Hi. Don't know if this is the right place to ask. When I start up my computer and it goes to load Windows, it comes up with a screen with the user account HOME on it. It never used to do this, and used just log HOME in automatically. Where do I go so I can fix this so that it bypasses this log in screen? Thanks :-) Soapopera 00:35, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Autologins are configured via in the windows registry. The account password is stored in clear text, so unfortunately anyone who can read the registry can get the password. Secondly messing with the registry is a very dangerous thing and can lead to the destruction of your computer. Microsoft does however put out a "Power Toy" called "Tweak UI" that will help. In here you can set an account for autologon (Logon -> Autologon). Hope this helps! --Charli e^{( @CIRL | talk | email )} 04:46, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Salt on an open wound

What exactly does th phrase mean in a non-literal sense?

Since salt stings an open wound, it means to take something that's already (not necessarily literally) painful, and make it worse. Usually, the thing that makes it worse isn't too serious on it's own -- to continue the metaphor, rubbing salt on your skin without a wound doesn't hurt much at all, and if you rub salt in a wound, that isn't nearly as serious as whatever actually caused the wound to begin with. The meaning is similar to the phrase "to add insult to injury". For example, suppose the top 50 people on an exam got a cash award. It would be lousy to finish in 51st place, but if your worst enemy finished in 50th, that would really be salt in your wound. --ByeByeBaby 01:22, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks!

I couldn't believe we didn't have something on this, and we do! Salting --Zeizmic 02:00, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To rub salt in the wound is not only to make it sting (to add insult to injury), but potentially to help heal. My popular history books, as a child, would tell me that after someone was flogged, salt would be rubbed into the wounds to prevent infection. This obviously hurt somewhat, though not as much as being flogged, but was carried out to prevent worse harm. However, if I have learnt only one thing over the years it is that you cannot trust children's history books. Skittle 21:41, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not only was it painful because it stung but also because of the cost. I think Roman soldiers were often paid in salt so having to rub their salary into their own wounds would really sting! JMiall 00:05, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, the salt in the wound was to torture the vicitim even further. I want you go cut a huge gash in your leg and pour some salt in. You're going to want to die. Also why people put rocksalt in shotguns *cough*Kill Bill*cough*. --mboverload @ 07:19, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looking for pictures

Does anyone know where I can find high-resolution topless/lingerie/glamour type pics of Debra Stephenson or Sally Rogers? I can't find anything using Google. Thanks.

Their kids wouldn't appreciate seeing Mommy in such things. --Zeizmic 02:02, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Try using All The Web, they're quite bad at filtering stuff in my opinion, but their results are nowhere near as helpful as Google...EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 21:53, 17 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Longest book in the world

What is the longest known book in the world (excluding the phone book) and how close does WikiPedia come to it in terms of number of words?--Light current 03:28, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are you asking about novels or just any kind of book? If you're talking novels, I think Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu is probably the longest (it was written in seven separate volumes, but is generally considered to be one novel). If you're talking about any books, the sky's the limit. It could be the Encyclopedia Britannica, for example. I don't know the word count of either of these. --Richardrj 08:49, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect that The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman may be longer even than the Proust. Nine (or maybe ten) volumes, IIRC. Grutness...wha? 09:10, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, but those nine volumes were in the days of the three-decker being the normal publishing form, which leads me to guess it comes to maybe 5-600,000 words at most. To pick a counterpoint at random, Lord of the Rings (concieved as a single volume) is 525,000 according to a chap on Usenet. (And wordcounting the Gutenberg Tristam Shandy only gives us c.200,000 words... it's probably abbreviated, though) Shimgray | talk | 11:44, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was speculating that we would never know, because someone may well have made a life's work of creating a book that was never published, but was unknowably long. And who'd have thought it? We have List of longest novels which suggests this is the case. Notinasnaid 09:13, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

According to Guinness, the largest publication is the 1,112-volume set of British Parliamentary Papers, published by the Irish University Press in 1968–72. A complete set weights 3.3 tonnes. The longest novel is Les Hommes de bonne volonté by Louis Henri Jean Farigoule in 27 volumes. The English translation has over 2,000,000 words, excluding the 100-page index.--Shantavira 13:33, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jules Romains, né Farigoule, did write those 27, but is it one book ? Looks rather like a series with recurring characters (a, b, c ...) How many words in the Bible, another recurring series ? As for the original question, WP might be more than 2M words. --DLL 21:00, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The English Wikipedia has well over a million articles. Since even the smallest stubs are usually around ten words, that should put its word count well over 10 M in the most minimal estimate. --Fastfission 01:39, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In fact... according to this stats page, the database contains around 367 million words. I don't know how they breakdown in terms of article content, but I think a conservative estimate would put the article wordcount in the neighborhood of 100 M. --Fastfission 01:45, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help with a trivia question

Does anyone know which American singer lost money in a proposed scheme to turn Australia's Brunswick Heads into "another Miami Beach"?

Do you know whether this means Miami Beach, Queensland, Australia or Miami Beach, Florida, USA? --Canley 07:14, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I believe it would be Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

Iran Khodro

Is Iran Khodro owned and operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran? I can't find any executive names. The word public is confusing in the article. Is it a public company like General Motors or public like all the Iranian banks and the oil refineries that government owns?Patchouli 05:00, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Their website is quite confusing, but one page calls it a public joint stock company. However, this October 2005 news report states "that Iran Khodro must transfer 40 percent of its shares to private ownership to qualify for Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund’s loans". Recent coverage by the BBC calls the company "government controlled". However, this 2003 article discusses Khodro as the most heavily-traded share on the Tehran Stock Exchange, and plans to sell up to 10% of the country on international markets, including the Bahraini market. (I checked with the Bahrain Stock Exchange, and their most industrial company is the Delmon Poultry Co. (symbol POLTRY). So that may not have panned out.)

Putting all of this together, I'm thinking the most likely form of ownership is a joint public-private ownership, perhaps like Petro-Canada was maybe 15 years ago; the largest shareholder is the Canadian government, but many of the shares are in public hands. That's a best guess, though. --ByeByeBaby 06:12, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It seems that the decisions at Khodro are made by the agents of the Islamic Republic. I think that the government is the major shareholder, but it is offering shares of the company stock to people who want to invest; that is, the shares of Khodro are issued by the government as opposed to Ford and General Motors where the corporate directors who issue stock shares are not employees of the United States government. In other words, the company executives and others are actually government employees. Patchouli 10:31, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

First ever article

I was just wondering what the first ever article on Wikipedia was, and who wrote it?

See Wikipedia:Wikipedia's oldest articles. --Canley 07:06, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Checked it out, it seems to me to be an article on Mozart. However, years on it still needs citation concerning commisions he recieved in his later life, is some one slacking? Hahaha

No, the oldest "known" article is Transport; however, it was certainly not the first Wikipedia article. The earlier history has unfortunately been lost. Rmhermen 14:34, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lost ? It is well known that it has been deleted by order. T'was about the connexions between M. Jimbo Wales and the CIA, but was POViously detailed with a cruel lacking of citations. --DLL 20:51, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

AAAAAAH!!!! NOOOOO!!! THE CABA----- Cernen Xanthine Katrena 17:19, 6 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Area of a country

What is the formula to find out the area of an irregular shaped country or lake etc?

If you can convert the area into an approximate polygon there are formulas in the "area" subsection of the polygon article. Or you could use the Monte Carlo method. Or you could cheat and look if the area is mentioned in the Wikipedia article of the country :-) Weregerbil 08:38, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Note that the area of an irregularly shaped 2D object is far easier to approximate than the perimeter, which varies dramatically, depending on the approximation method and resolution used. StuRat 23:02, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

StuRat mentions the important point - 'perimeters' of geographic features are often discussed in mathematical works on fractals and are difficult to approximate. However, the area can be approximated in many ways. The easiest would be an effort to curve-fit some splines or polynomials by sampling the latitude and longitude of several points. This will give you a mathematical model of the shape. Next, use a closed area integral (see calculus). Unfortunately I don't think this will be a trivial task - some mathematics or cartographic knowledge is important. Finally, be sure to take into account the Map projection, especially if the feature is large enough to worry about the curvature of the Earth. Nimur 15:55, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Download wikipedia

I saw that wikipedia could be downloaded and thus be run offline but I'm not sure how to do it. I found information about it but it was all pretty technical and I didn't get most of it. I would like to be able to run it on my home computer (where I have no internet) but before I start downloading gigabytes I would like to know what I'm doing. Only text version would be just fine, I think that was 1.9 gigabytes. Could someone please explain in a few simple steps how to do this. Thanks!

The database is enormous, though with broadband you could probably download it in a day or so, and you would have to be able to install some software on your own computer, which I think would need to run Linux or Unix, though I wouldn't swear to that. I don't think that you should attempt it if the explanation seemed too technical; it requires a certain level of technical knowledge to do the software setup. If "set up a local web server" is too technical, that seems a good rule of thumb that it is going to be too frustrating an experience for you. On the other hand, if you've got specific questions about instructions though, I'm sure we'll be glad to help you try. Notinasnaid 14:20, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

MySQL (the database backend for Wikipedia) can be installed on just about anything, and installation is simple enough, assuming you have the technical literacy. I am, of course, biased to this, as I was a SysAdmin for a while at my old job, and know enough about Linux and MySQL to be dangerous. I haven't tried to download and run Wikipedia offline, but I do use a MediaWiki on my Mac. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:47, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How about downloading just single articles or sections for edit. What kind of editor do you need and is there one that runs under Windows? I'd like to download an article on my laptop, do an edit while the wife drives across town and then upload it when we get to our destination. Any ideas? ...IMHO (Talk) 11:44, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can just hit 'edit this page', copy the whole box into notepad (or word or whatever you use), then copy it back into the edit box later. Keep in mind the article may have changed since you copied it out, so make sure you aren't losing any new material. -Goldom T Review 11:51, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Map, North holland

You all say "Be Polite" yet you waste my time attempting to find a map ... a simple item , a map of north holland , I Am a doctor and it is quite important for a patient that I contact someone & your service sucks ( thats a 5 letter word ) PLEASE HELP ME HELP MY CLIENT , I ain´t even gettin paid for this work , someone PLEASE contact me re how to find that map ... or is this "Service" only a sham ??? Dr. Michael Dawson e-me : (email address removed to prevent spam) ... Hopefullly , Thank You.

We dont get paid either, we all do this for free. If you had typed Holland in the search box to the ~~right~~ left that would lead you to the article on Holland which has a map that you can click on. And you really shouldn't leave your email in there like that just think of the spam you are going to get. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 10:45, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia edited by volunteers. You are a bit off the mark thinking of Wikipedia as a "service". We are volunteers and answer if we feel like, and telling us we suck diminishes your chance of getting help. Try being polite towards your fellow human beings. If you want service you could try the local Yellow Pages to find a consultant you can hire.

Regarding the map, here are a few resources you can try: Holland, google, the maps / atlases / travel guides section of your local bookshop, a Dutch tourism bureau if there is one near where you live, newsstands at your closest airport. Weregerbil 10:53, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.noord-holland-tourist.nl/welcome.asp?lang=0&tlabel=5066 Click on the 'map' button. Why would a nz doctor so urgently need a map of North Holland?? I hope you put more efforts in caring for your patients than finding your way! When did Wikipedia become easier to find than Google?? Evilbu 10:56, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You could have found a map of north holland by googling for 'map + netherlands' in the time it took to have a rant at this 'service' --DPM 11:50, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

This has to be phoney! How about "I'm an earthquake relief person and I can't get to that latest earthquake in the Pacific somewhere! Your service stinks." --Zeizmic 11:58, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. Anybody with such a rotten suck-worthy bedside manner as this could not possibly be a real doctor. JackofOz 13:06, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think maybe Dr. Dawson has mixed us up with someone offering a map service. Perhaps if he is still there he can explain who he thinks we are, and especially what the "service" is that we claim to offer and do so poorly. Notinasnaid 17:28, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dearest sir, I apologize on behalf of my colleagues on our general uselessness, incompetence and inability to provide a map of North Holland for you. Of course, it's true we aren't getting paid for this, and are a bunch of volunteers helping total strangers (mostly doing their homework for them) for nothing but an occasional kind word (and an even more occasional tirade of abuse from an esteemed doctor such as yourself). However, despite this, to prove that this isn't a "sham", as you so graciously put it, I have prepared a map of North Holland for you. I sincerely hope you find it useful. Cheers, ByeByeBaby 17:48, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That is a totally useless map, ByeByeBaby: the green area not only covers North Holland, but also includes Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe and Flevoland. If Dr. Dawson gets lost it's your fault. David Sneek 11:32, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. You're totally right; I've fixed it, so it should be even more useful now that it's correct. Unfortunately, I don't think any of the five green pixels show up on the thumbnail version, so Dr. Dawson will have to click through to the actual full-size map. --ByeByeBaby 15:47, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Moreover, if you blink, you'll end up in Spitsbergen! --Zeizmic 13:33, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That map is very funny. It's rude, but very very funny. 199.201.168.100 16:53, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

On behalf of the Association of Reference Desk Volunteers, I would apologise for our behaviour, but since you are violating our prime directive, I am forced to withhold such apologies for now. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:52, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hey Cernen, Check it out: [[59]] Mayor Westfall 20:14, 6 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

drugs

why are narcotics illegal, i realize they can kill, but so can cars and smoking and drinking. The only person it hurts is the person willingly taking it, so why are they illegal. Thanks

Take a look at Drug abuse. Drugs, when used excessively, also harm the users' family and society. Most societies see it their duty to offer medical care to conditions caused by drug abuse, so there is a burden to the medical system. If we could say "ha you fool, you did it to yourself, go lie in a ditch and rot" then things would be different. Also, the more extreme drug users tend to "drop out" and need to be housed, clothed, fed, and have the drugs provided to them with no work contribution in return. Too much pointless extra taxes for the non-druggies. Why are some hard substances (tobacco, alcohol) legal while milder (Mary Jane) are illegal — accident of history? Weregerbil 12:16, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So why is mary Jane illegal, even though it can help people, and cars are legal, though they kill people every day, not to mention my enviroment, mary jane will not make one into a junkie stuck on benefits and needing methodone programs. Neither will it destroy the lives of family and friends of the user( I DO NOT use drugs, just think it strange, when and why was it made illegal? Thanks again.

The Reference desk is not a soapbox. If further debate regarding a particular answer is needed, please move the discussion to the appropriate talk page.. Legislators tend not to like marijuana; the debate as to benefits and disbenefits is not as clear cut as you make it; there is sufficient illogic and intertia associated with decisions in this field; and an absence of clarity in research findinds, that the whole thing is a bit of a mess. Not a thing that you'll clear up with questions on the wikipedia refernce desk, I'm afraid. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Tagishsimon is right, this isn't an appropriate question for the Reference Desk. But as a libertarian, I agree with you. Adults should be legally allowed to make, sell, buy, and consume any substance. —Keenan Pepper 16:36, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, one of my brothers is a pot addict stuck on benefits. Another died in a car crash while driving stoned. I suppose you can say it pretty much destroyed my family life. But hey, what do you care...the criminalization of pot is all just a right-wing conspiracy meant to manipulate and control the minds of the masses right? Go on...keep believing it's harmless. Keep toking. I just hope for your family's sake that it won't have to go through the same pain and anguish as mine. But what do you care...it's harmless right? So what if it's causing your family misery, it's your body, and it's your right to do with it what you please, right? Go ahead, be a selfish ass and keep toking. Loomis51 01:57, 5 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Soya Milk

In an attempt to reduce the amount of dairy products I consume I decided to buy some soy milk for use in my tea and coffee whilst ar work. I've noticed that shortly after being poured into boiling water the milk coagualtes until stirred again, after which it soon starts to coagulate again and so on. At first, i suspected my milk was 'off' but this isnt the case.

So, my question is, does soya milk coagulate in everyones brews?--DPM 11:49, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

We don't have our little award-awarding buddy anymore, but this has turned out to be quite the scientific challenge. Google 'soy milk curdle' and you get a lot. Turns out that Starbucks swears up and down that their soy milk won't curdle, but people have found that certain combinations of types of coffee can make it curdle (a chemical reaction). --Zeizmic 11:54, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Coffee and tea are mildly acidic, and as such, will denature the soy globulin proteins, making them coagulate (curdle). The difference is that in dairy milk, the casein is what curdles, and it requires a lower pH to denature, and because tea/coffee don't have a low enough pH, it won't curdle. However, the soy globulin will curdle because it's denaturing pH is higher, and within the range of pH's of tea and coffee. Simply- If the soy milk contains globulins (almost certainly) and the pH of the tea/coffee is low enough (usually), the soy milk will curdle.--Eh-Steve 02:36, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If your soya milk curdles in tea, try a different brand of soya milk. For coffee, I'd recommend using a different non-dairy whitener, such as Coffee Mate. TheMadBaron 04:13, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

freemasons

What are the secrets of the freemasons?

Don't tell anyone what the secrets are --DPM 12:13, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

1) Don't expose them to light.

2) Don't get them wet

3) Don't--DON'T feed them after midnight 199.201.168.100 12:28, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah thanks, i said freemasons not gemlins. very funny, but seriously though, i read the article on freemasons and this is what made me ask. What is the big secret, or how does one become a member so i can come back and share with oyu guys and girls?

I think you can only become a member if you get asked. My uncle got asked once but he told them to go away in no uncertain terms. Harry who lives next door to my mum and dad is a freemason if that helps. --DPM 14:15, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

You have to petition a lodge to join here. That seems to apply for most of them I looked at. Also here for secrets. Try goggle "freemasons secrets" CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 14:31, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What country are you in? Do a search for the Grand Lodge of that country and/or jurisdiction within it and then you can petition a lodge you want to join. There are no 'big secrets'. In my opinion, the secrets are designed to ensure that when you are dealing with an individual who purports to be a fellow freemason, you can both recognize and be assured that you are (or not). This is necessary because--freemasonry has much to do with being a traveller--sometimes you have to know the person you are dealing with can be completely trusted. As a freemason you will also be morally bound to support your fellows should they ask for your assistance. Further, the secrets are personally satisfying to know. If you reveal them, you will be kicked out (and I for one will be glad to do the kicking, because you will have violated your word and shown yourself to be a certain kind of person). None of this (or the secrets) will make much sense until (maybe?) you are made a freemason though and find out for yourself.--24.80.70.174 15:30, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I could tell you. But then I'd have to tie a goat to your trouser legs. DJ Clayworth 18:44, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd be more worried about their initiation rituals. A key component is some sort of trust exercise, where you are given the impression that you are putting your life or some body part at risk of harm. You are to trust that the Freemason conducting the initiation will not actually allow harm to come to you, appearances to the otherwise.

They go wrong once in a while, check this story out: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limaso0312,0,1976606.story?coll=ny-li-span-headlines

Wow. I don't know what kind of ritual that article was supposed to describe, but there are absolutely NO guns, traps etc. or anything dangerous of any kind in our masonic degree work. There are proper, authorized lodges, and then there are other lodges that claim to be masonic. What is described above is almost unbelievable. I certainly would not attend anything featuring those elements.--24.80.70.174 22:50, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lead and Sulfer?

Ok, so now that i have done a little research, it seems the only secrets that might be revealed are: 2 words and a handshake, so does NE1 know what the hand shake is? oh yeah and im in the UK

Then petition the Grand Lodge of England to join. I am too far away to stop you--24.80.70.174 17:56, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They are secrets so I think no-one would tell you here, but you might try to read Foucault's Pendulum from Umberto Eco to get the feeling. – b_jonas 13:44, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The secrets are that the Masons: control the British Crown;
keeps the metric system down;
keeps Atlantis off the maps; keeps the Martians under wraps;
hold back the electric car;
made Steve Guttenberg a star;
robbed cavefish of their sight; &
rig every Oscar night.
AllanHainey 10:04, 5 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shooting Canadians

If I were to stand on the US side of the boarder and pick off Canandians on the other side of the boarder, what would happen (legally speaking?) Would I be arrested and charged with murder in the US even though I didnt kill anyone in the US, or would I be exterdited to Canada where I would be charged with a crime I didnt commit on their soil? If I were to do this with a different country like Cuba, to which extradition seems very unlikely what would be the consequenses? Could I get in a bass boat, go over to cuba, rob a bank, hop back in and drive back to Florida? If I were to, what would happen. Thanks. 199.201.168.100 12:26, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It would not be good sport. We Canadians cannot get high-power assault rifles from vending machines, and shoot back. --Zeizmic 13:44, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You could try a slingshot and some day old Timbits :) TigerShark 14:27, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Im not saying this would be good or not, Im just wondering about the legal issues. What happens in this case or one like it between two countries? Does anyone know?

Someone just asked the same question regarding Mexico over on one of the other reference desks...Is there something happening we don't know about? --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 14:48, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, down by Mexico, I think they are intending to shoot from their big wall... --Zeizmic 15:11, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Could you provide a link so I can go read that question and its answers? Also, what happens if I boat over to Cuba, do a little rape & pillaging and other such mischief and then return to America? 199.201.168.100 19:46, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See the Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities#Who would prosecute this? section. --jh51681 21:42, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Once we're on the topic, how about this one: If a dual American/Canadian citizen kills a French national, born in Algeria on a Japanese ship flying under the Liberian flag sailing in international waters from Mexico to Spain with an all Korean crew and a British Captain, who has jurisdiction to prosecute? Loomis51 22:42, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The captain does. --Serie 23:24, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding the Cuba thing, the article on Luis Posada Carriles may be of interest to you. -- Mwalcoff 23:56, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also to the Cuba. The US has an extradition treaty with Cuba List of United States extradition treaties from 1926. So your chances of being sent back would probably depend on if you were called Dick Cheney or Kanye West. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:17, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think (I'm not sure) that the accused is tried in their country of nationality. Where things are fuzzy, the politicians seem to decide. There are many examples of crimes committed internationally that have been tried differently despite similar circumstances. You might try asking this type of question under the humanities section of the reference desk. Mrplastic 02:16, 2 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

-Under US Law, crimes are committed in either the state they were committed or the state attempted. If you robbed a bus on the Nevada side of the California/Nevada Border, and ran across the line to the California side to get into your "getaway car" or to pay of a debt in California, EITHER state could prosecute you. Basically where the crime is begun or completed, if it stradles a border, like in your senario, EITHER Canada or the state you were in when you fired the weapon would be able to prosecute you. As far as Cuba, that crime was begun and completed in that nation, and then you entered international waters. As long as a Cuban boat got to you before entering US waters, they could snatch you up. So to answer your question... No, running across borders does not save you like it did on old TV shows.

Question on vandalism

It's just interesting. A few days ago a unique species was encountered. He vandalized pages with the same silly question, creating the new account each time. Obviously he was warned and blocked several times. But this did not have effect on him - he just created new accounts and continued until this became boring to him. How was this possible and how does the blocking work exactly? I've read WP:BP, but don't understand it... Cmapm 13:05, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

WP:SOCK WP:RCU --KJ 16:15, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, but I haven't found there an answer to the following more precise question: if a registered user is blocked, is the IP from which he logins blocked too and if no, then is such block available as an option? Cmapm 17:24, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, IPs that have been recently used by people who are blocked are also blocked for a short period of time, but people who create new accounts generally switch IPs to continue vandalism too. - Mgm|^(talk) 21:32, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Thanks! This is what I wanted to figure out exactly. Cmapm 22:09, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Unfunny sitcom

I'm looking for the name of a rather unfunny BBC sitcom from the 1990's. The premise was that of an isolated coastal village with a radar station which still thought the Cold War was going on. One of the plotlines involved a Russian aeroplane making an emergency landing, and the title was something along the lines of "Under the Watchtower". I can't find in Category:BBC television sitcoms however. What was it called? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 15:27, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That would be All Along the Watchtower. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 15:39, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(which is also the name of a famous and pretty good jimi hendrix song, I suggest you find it. just pay attention to the guitar and you'll love it guaranteed.)

But back to the question:

I'm looking for the name of a rather unfunny BBC sitcom.

WHY?

"Ban Phu Pot" Thailand

"Ban Phu Pot" ThailandMy research takes me to a site named "Ban Phu Pot" that I have so far been able to locate as being in Thailand, in or near a park called Mok Park. I have not found any information that give any specific or pertinent information about the site. My research touches both past (archaeological-paleantological) and present (technology-research-exploration-current events) so I was not certain what category to put the question under, since I do not want to limit the response. Any and all information is welcome; my comprehension is advanced-level.

Thank you.

All Google hits for Ban Phu Pot place it in Phetchabun.

You refer, I think, to Phu Mok National Park, though there's a Ban Phu Mok near Khao Yai National Park, Phetchabun Province, Isan, approx 350 km north of Bangkok - see Ban Phu Mok on this map of Khao Yai.

emotions

I was wondering if the following is normal I often feel like i have forgotten something, i know for sure that there is nothing i have forgotten, yet the feeling persists, until it puts me into a really bad mood, i start to worry about it. Further more, when i was in school i often felt great anxiety and nausious as soon as i saw my school every morning, it would disapear as soon a i was there, but recently these two emotions have returned/combined. For no reason i will start to feel as if i have forgotten something, and will soon start to feel great anxiety and sometimes sick, putting me into a tterrable mood, for no apparent reason. This i can handle, its when people ask me what is wrong because i have been short with them that the problem occures: whats wrong? Answer: I dont know. Is this normal, why does it happen, i was happy this morning, and now not. I eat healthy, and exercise. Please help.

They both sound relatively normal to me, both hovering around the extent to which things make you anxious and/or how you deal with that anxiety. Feeling that you have forgotten something when you have not sounds like nothing much more than a mistriggering of your "I forgot something" behaviour. Getting anxious thereafter is back to the anxiety thing. I am not a shrink, but I think you need to do a bit of home-brew cognitive behavioural therapy involving recognizing unhelpful patterns of thinking and reacting, then modifying or replacing these with more realistic or helpful ones. Oh: and come up with a standard form aswer for people asking you what is wrong. There's nothing wrong with you answering "I'm having a minor anxiety attack, nothing serious, but I'd appreciate some space whilst I work it through my system". Above all, do not worry more, since that will just exacerbate the situation: the art of not worrying is, err, not to worry. Good luck. Oh: if you want some good background reading, I'd recommend Multimind by Robert E. Ornstein ISBN 1883536294 which sets out a good explanation of the way in which the mind works as a collection of competing behaviours. Provides a good framework for thinking about what's going on in your head. Your local library might be able to order it in. --Tagishsimon (talk)

The above is very good advice as long as the problem remains at the level it currently is. I thoroughly recommend following it. If the starts interfering with your ability to go about your daily life, you start making different choices because of it, then you need to speak to someone about it. It is possible that it is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder brewing, but just as possible that it isn't. You are not alone in having these feelings, and they don't have to get in the way. Telling people who you know about the situation may help them to be more understanding when you're getting anxious, and means they would be ready to 'catch' you if you have a particularly bad experience. Skittle 21:21, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I definitely agree with the need to monitor it and also the need to seek assistance from a professional if it begins to interfere with your daily life. It seems to me, however, that if what you're describing begins to interfere with your daily life, it would be a different sort of anxiety disorder than OCPD, but you would need to meet with a professional to receive an accurate diagnosis. (OCPD may not be a good match for what you are describing, because other anxiety disorders more accurately encompass the somewhat generalized feeling of anxiety you've described. Also, in my opinion, what you've described is not at all typical for OCD -- a separate disorder -- as you've not described any compulsions.) --DavidGC 04:17, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just wanted to thank the people that answered my question. I truelly appreciate the help. and i am feeling ok today. but next time ill try and do something about it. thanks again. you guys are great.

External Links Question

I have read through Wikipedia:External links and When should I link externally but do not know if you are allowed to add fourms to articles. I also looked at the article Yahoo! Groups and still do not know if you are allowed to add a fourm to a page if it is a yahoo group.

I see that there are dozens of articles that have linked to groups.yahoo.com, but is there a reason that you should not link to a yahoo group? Especially if it is an additional souirce of information?

Imp Wit 18:19, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Generally no. External links should be to places where readers can go to get extra, well-thought out information, not where they can go to talk about something. If a forum is the only place where the information can be found then that might be an exception. DJ Clayworth 18:42, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Edits?

Does submitting an image or other file type count as an "edit?" Someone could do a lot of work in this particular section and yet not be recognized for their contributions with a lack of edits.

It does. So your scenario does not hold. Recognition of contributions does not tend to be edit-count based, when it occurs at all. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Value of a 1960 International Harvester t-4 crawler?

Hi,

Can anyone please tell me how to find the value of a 1960 International Harvester t-4 crawler (manufactured in Canada)?

My problem is that my ex-husband has one. I think he valued it rather low. Is there a website that keeps track of say, the auction values of antique crawlers?

Thank you very much, Tractor Lover

We are totally on your side of the divorce, since you came to us! That guy was a schmuck! Looking at the problem, they don't seem to be worth all that much, they don't get good mileage on the highway. Here's a site with a picture, and it lists values of some tractors (not this one, sorry). [60] --Zeizmic 00:12, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Err .. no, Zeizmic. It's not our place to be taking sides in private marital affairs, not even as a joke. JackofOz 14:17, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I understand your sentiment, Jack, and I'm totally with you. But in a case like the above, we should stick up for what's right. This isn't a "hit the road jack" case, Jack. (sorry if that song brings up bad memories, like I said we're with you.)

I did it out of love, with my Soviet Tractor Girl, but... not even a thank you! I'm not in love anymore... --Zeizmic 19:45, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm thinking 1960 makes it old, but not yet old enough to have collectable value as an antique, so I wouldn't expect it to be worth all that much. StuRat 13:24, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May 31

How do I???

How do I add a brand new word to Wikipedia? There's a new word called "beeboo" that is synonymous with the word "Big." How do I add this word to Wikipedia's database? Thanks. -John

Wikipedia is not a dictionary. You might want to try Wiktionary. --DavidGC 04:24, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That said, even wiktionary is not going to include neologisms. Urban Dictionary is more tolerant of that kind of thing. --Robert Merkel 06:33, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Could you possibly include "Kerangatang" while you're at it? I'd greatly appreciate it. Maybe somebody could even figure out what it means... --212.202.184.238 07:50, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe it's the town next to Manangatang, or Tangambalanga, which is at the foot of Mount Murramurangbong. If you're prepared to drive a lazy couple of hours through the mountains (it's a beautiful trip), you might end up at Willigobung. And yes, these are all real places (though Willigobung is basically just a dot on a map)... --Robert Merkel

I used the qord "quarple" to mean increase four-fold in a WP talk page the other day and no-one questioned it. Still haven't found anywhere to include my other favourite personal neologism, though ("vesuviate", meaning to erupt or become violently angry). Grutness...wha? 06:19, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, Grutness. You could say I vesuviate every time I answer questions at the RD. >_> Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:58, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

famous people's email addresses

How would one go about finding the email address of a celebrity or other person who, for obvious reasons, wants to keep it private?

Google for it, find their agent, perhaps seek it out via a discussion forum or fansite. However, if they want to keep it private, finding it could turn out to be hard. --Ouro 06:06, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If they want to keep it private, the chance they read anything sent to it they're not expecting is practically nil. I would recommend using snail mail to their agent/manager instead. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:09, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Go swipe Paris Hilton's cell phone! --Zeizmic 12:10, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do you really want to touch anything that's been near her face ? You don't know where it been (or even worse, maybe you do). StuRat 02:20, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Swiper! no swiping!!! Tyrannosaurus Hex 22:22, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I wonder if saying that three times fast would prevent CEOs from swiping all the money from their employee's retirement funds right before they sell their own stock and drive the company into bankruptcy ? :-) StuRat 02:20, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Midas remote control watch

This Midas remote control watch on Thinkgeek. I've looked everywhere, and can't find an answer to my question: can I change that buttons the watch buttons are assigned to? I'd like to change mute to the AV button that progresses my TV through TV, AV1, AV2, Component, etc...

I doubt if they provide that ability. StuRat 16:24, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Your best bet is to contact the manufacturer's customer support line, if they have one. --DavidGC 15:52, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

lily of the valley

Is there any way to get lily of the valley to bloom more than once per season?

The wikipedia article might be interesting reading, though it does not state anything about multiple blooms per season. — TheKMan^talk 23:24, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have never seen it bloom twice in a year anywhere. I don't think you can make it do that. Mrplastic 02:05, 2 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

cant think of appropriate heading (marijuana withdrawal symptoms)

I stopped smoking marajuana for 3 days and started getting head aches and cravings, now since you cant get addicted to dope, i was wondering if the rumour i heard was true... Some dealers cote thier marajuana in crack so you get addicted and have to come back again and again, is this possable, how can i stop this other that quitting altogether. sorry, someone told that other guy a few days ago that this is not a soap box I am just curious.

I'd say definitely stop getting it from your current source, and perhaps stop altogether. StuRat 16:22, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Undoutably some dealers have laced their pot with coke, but there's no good reason to do that because coke is more expensive and pot is addictive enough as it is [ED: only in a non-substance sense, same as TV, Internet, Wikipedia, etc.] It might not be as physiologically addictive as other drugs, but the psychological part is more important. I have several relatives who are addicted to pot and it's an ugly thing. See also Health issues and the effects of cannabis. —Keenan Pepper 16:25, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I got this quote: The clinical syndrome has been characterized by restlessness, anorexia, irritability and insomnia that begin less than 24 hours after discontinuation of marijuana, peak in intensity on days 2 to 4, and last for seven to 10 days. Looking at [61] it appears that there can be a strong dependency. If you were smoking for a reason (depression, anxiety, anger, etc) then those symptoms will return. Sounds like people could get off cannabis, but would have to then go on to an antidepressant. --Zeizmic 17:00, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also, bare in mind how you have been smoking it. I doubt you have been rolling it straight; have you been mixing it with tobacco? Nicotine is very addictive and you could be suffering withdrawal symptoms from that. Skittle 18:41, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps you had headaches all along and the pot numbed the pain. Mrplastic 02:04, 2 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Isn't the inability to think of a good heading name a sign of marijuana withdrawal ? StuRat 19:52, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Does Red Bull give you wings?

Many weeks ago I added the following question to Red Bull's talk page:

Red Bull advertises with the tagline "Red Bull gives you wings". I'd like to know whether this is true, and, if it isn't, whether the article should reflect this. The article on wings says "A wing is an appendage used for flight by an animal or an apparatus used to create lift in aeronautics" and I think the tagline applies to the "appendage" part. So, is it true? Do you get such an appendage from Red Bull?

No one has answered my question (I even asked a major contributor to the Red Bull article on their talk page) and the Google search: [62] doesn't return anything relevant!

This is very frustrating! I've looked for articles on human flight (as you see, we have none), but except (vaguely) for the story of Icarus I haven't been able to find anything relevant. I don't think it's possible! But then, Lord Kelvin said:

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."
--Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.

(wikiquote link: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lord_Kelvin) Any help would very greatly appreciated!

Your IP indicates that you are from Hungary, so perhaps English is not your first language. No, drinking red bull will not magically make a human sprout wings. The slogan is most likely a metaphor for the drink's euphoric effects. Jon513 17:27, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Red Bull has a section on "potential health risks"; it does not mention sprouting of any extraneous appendages being reported. If wings do appear please seek medical attention. Weregerbil 18:39, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or even better seek Psychiatric attention! Jon513 18:41, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know about that. Psychiatric attention would be appropriate if the person only imagined they were sprouting wings. But if they were actually sprouting wings, maybe a visit to a spiritual counsellor would be helpful, to learn how to live one's life as an angel. :--) JackofOz 01:37, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Recent television ads for Red Bull seem to have a disclaimer at the end stating that Red Bull doesn't really give you wings or make you fly. --Optichan 19:06, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also note that the caption on recent ads reads, “Red Bull gives you wiiings.” Wiiings and wings are apparently not the same thing. — Michael J 15:48, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, riiight. Thaaanks. Loool. JackofOz 00:38, 4 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Holes

How many holes are there in Blackburn, Lancashire?

  4,000, give or take -- Ferkelparade π 16:52, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

  See A Day in the Life for the explanation. --Shantavira 17:53, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It isn't bloody 4,000, I --genuinely want to know-- how many holes there are in Blackburn, Lancashire. Nothing to do with the song

  They had to count them all. That was before Wikipedia. --DLL 18:17, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are you saying, DLL, that Wikipedia is relying on the testimony of some drug-addled hippy as its AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE on how many holes there are in Blackburn, Lancashire? He couldn't have counted his nostrils at the time he wrote that

It was reported in the Daily Mail on January 17, 1967, even before it was stated in a song. [63] Of course, the Blackburn council might have found the musical publicity about their potholes so embarrassing that they could have made a special effort to fill them since then. On the other hand, maybe they kept the holes around as a tourist attraction. --Metropolitan90 07:31, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The important question is, how many holes does it take to fill the Albert Hall? User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:40, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, according to Wiki the population of Blackburn is 142,000 so thats 142,000 mouth'oles + 284,000 ear'oles + 284,000 nose'oles and 142,000 arse'oles so thats 994,000 'oles already and thats just the folk who live there. You then have to add on cats, dogs, wild animals, 'oles int'floors and 'oles formed by studmarks int Ewood Park. My guess, oooh, about a squillion. --DPM 11:01, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Good sir! I'll have you know that Wikipedia relies on a steady diet of information from drug-addled hippies! Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:02, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

i think that due to the number of holes and the fact that some of them are more like dents, I don't know that they have been counted. Mrplastic

Wikipedia is too big

After reading some of Wikipedia, I realize there is too much information/knowledge in the world. I could spend a lifetime reading Wikipedia and still not fully understand half of the information in our world. Am I just dumb? I feel quite overwhelmed and even aware of how ignorant I am. How do people deal with all the information in the world, how do we advance and grow in the way of new technology when there is already more than any one could possibly comprehend in one lifetime?

This was a problem scientists encountered as the last century started. Up until that point it was possible to be a generalist, but then it became necessary to choose a field to specialize in. At any rate, it is not necessary for your personal knowledge to become encyclopedic in order for you to be a worthwhile and interesting person. It is more valuable to be able to know where to look up some certain fact rather than carry it around in your head all the time. What subjects interest you? Can you have fun browsing through random articles? Remember that wikipedia is not a book: it is not meant to be read 'cover to cover'. Find the fields of inquiry that you personally enjoy, and pursue those. No one knows everything, and the world would be a damn sight more disappointing if everyone did know everything, because then you wouldn't need to interact with other people.--Shandon 17:29, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Man lives in society because no one can survive alone, exploiting every quality, competence, skill, knowledge found amongst others. See Poo' Robin Crusoe, unable to make a tobacco pipe to smoke or ink to write. Others invented cigarettes and pencils.

There has never been any true generalist. Maybe Da Vinci could milk a cow. Maybe Newton could peel an apple. They could not do what Ulysses did with a bow. Do not feel overwhelmed and do not try to grow your vegetables, build your car or process your food unless it is what you prefer to do. The same applies to knowledge and technology, and one risk is that specialised domains never meet. Then we need people to create links, not to know everything. --DLL 18:14, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But even in my specific field of specilization (career or personal interests), I feel very ignorant. There is so much I don't know. Perhaps with so much information out there, it isn't even posibile to be a "generalist" with respect to one specific area, but further speciliazation is needed--that is no one can be a "famer", capable and knowldegable about growing vegatiables, but one can be a "potato farmer" or a "chicken farmer"....

I have a hard time undersanding how people, who seem to be very ignorant on the indivdual level can be so resorceful and capable of achieving greatness when working together. The same species that wins Darwin Awards is capable of a manned mission to Mars**. It truely baffles my mind and makes me depressed. I feel but a small insignifigant drop of water in the ocean--an ocean capable of producing great hurricanes, but I myself cannot even muster a breeze.

- The place where M&Ms are made199.201.168.100 18:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I'm a word farmer, and not of every word, less every kind of writing. What is important for me is when I enjoy what I do, ignorant or not. --DLL 22:43, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Non extradition tready question

OKAY, so cuba is one we have an extradition tready with. What happens if I go to some goofy nation that we dont extridate to, and rob a bank, kill 30 babies, jaywalk, and defame a poster of their leader while raping his daughter then come back to America? Do I get prosocuted? If so, by whom? Thanks! - W_Dawg69

I suggest you get your busy little head worrying about other, more important things. We have had enough questions like this one lately.--24.80.70.174 17:22, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Since there have been many questions "like this lately", shouldn't that indicate it is worthy of a response? I myself would like to know, as Im sure others would as well. If you don't want to answer it, that's fine, but I would appericate someone pointing me in the direction where I could find the answer. 12.183.203.184 17:56, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This question was answered under 'Shooting Canadians' (which as one I take offense to) above. I think it is a completely pointless question, as I doubt you are actually going to do it--24.80.70.174 18:00, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So are the only questions that have points those which the person asking actually plans to do? <insert long list of questions that would be completely pointless under your defintion>. Why do you take offense to the 'Shooting Canadians' title. What specifically offends you about that title? Also, where is the answer there? I didn't see it. 199.201.168.100 18:14, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I'm aware, the situation has never arisen in the United States. Given the seriousness of the crimes though, I'd wager the order of affairs would be as follows: Foreign counntry petitions the U.S. for the criminal. U.S. government waits for a day or two to see whose side the media (and through them the public) takes. If trial by media comes out in favour of the criminal for some reason, the politicians weigh up the potential domestic fallout versus effects on foreign relations if the request is refused. If the domestic problems (loss of votes) extradition would cause would be greater than foreign, they'd pucker up and refuse, since there's no legal obligation for them to comply, and they'll lose less votes by agreeing with the public. If the losses from foreign concerns (international opinion, valuable material sources, etc.) would be more important in the short to medium term, they'd start procedures to move him out. The criminal would petition the courts, and it'd likely eventually be bumped up to the Supreme Court where a ruling would be made one way or the other. The politicians would use the ruling as a way to avoid making a prickly decision themselves. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:47, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hard to believe there's no precident for this sort of thing...199.201.168.100 18:50, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There's a parallel, with criminals returning from extradition countries who would execute them for their crimes. If the crimes are non-political, they'd be extradited under a promise that the death penalty wouldn't be prescribed, or if it was, wouldn't be enacted. And while I said I'm not aware of any cases involving non-extradition countries requesting a criminal from the U.S., I wouldn't be surprised if there were one. The criminal's fate would be decided on a case-by-case basis though, probably following what I said above. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:57, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The answer is "yes". There's a little-known clause in Federal law that says that if you're a US citizen, going abroad to commit a crime can be prosecuted as if it took place in a Federal jurisdiction in the US. It's used mostly to prosecute people for sex tourism, but it can be extended to other crimes. You won't be prosecuted for defaming the poster of the leader, though -- that's not a crime in the US. --Serie 22:13, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And the united states has the right to hold one of its citizens until they decide even without charging him or her with a crime? How come other countries don't extridate people who commit crimes against Americans, like in that Natalee Halloway case? Sorry I'm not very knowledgable about legal matters, although I hope to learn more. 199.201.168.100 19:03, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, they don't have the right to hold one of its citizens without charges (at least not without certain special circumstances, as in the case of Japanese American internment during the Second World War.) If you're referring to Camp X-Ray, the legal situation around it is complicated, and you'd be better off reading the article and returning with specific questions. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 19:10, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know the answer to this question (which I think is by no means a stupid one). I do remember a case, though, that may be instructive. An American guy killed someone in America, then went to another country (which has cushier prisons, no death penalty and no extradition of citizens) in which he had a right to citizenship. He was prosecuted for the crime in the other country and sent to prison there. Perhaps if you went to, say, Chad (which has no extradition treaty with the US) and killed someone, the US would prosecute you and put you in an American prison. -- Mwalcoff 23:04, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You've already asked this question up at #Shooting Canadians. Pleas don't ask the same question twice. – b_jonas 13:37, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Consider Wikapedia to be an extension of your own memory. It just takes a little typing and reading to recall something you don't remember learning. The faster you type and read, the smarter you effectvely become.

watermelon

what is the african history of watermelon. (where did they grow it why did they grow it how did it get its name when would they use it when it was first being grown.)

Good question! See watermelon for a good answer! --Shantavira 17:55, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have you read Watermelon? A lot of your questions are answered there. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 19:20, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I believe the article watermelon may point you in the right direction --iamajpeg 23:38, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're all wrong. The answers he's looking for are here. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:05, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There's some useful information on watermelon. If you can't find your answer there you might want to try asking here Here

A different take

You know, a lot of people have been trotting out the same old tired answer, but I say why not take a chance? Try Waterloo.

Did you mean Battle of Waterloo, Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo, New South Wales, Waterloo Sunset, the ABBA album, that album's title track the film about the battle, or one of the other Waterloos? Howard Train 19:47, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bird Question

Why do birds, suddenly appear, everytime you're near?

Abiogenesis. — Lomn Talk 18:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikihumor is so great.199.201.168.100 18:26, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As is the case with me, they have an innate desire to be in close proximity to yourself. DJ Clayworth 18:28, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Do you suspect that that has anything to do with the fact that I run around throwing bird seed everywhere I go, or do the birds genuinely enjoy my company? 199.201.168.100 18:48, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nah, it's cos you do little else but ask questions at the reference desk. We're training them to attack you. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:42, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's because the reference desk is so cool. It's a pool of very knowledgable people, what could possibly be more satisfying for my insatiablly currious mind? 12.183.203.184 04:05, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Statistically, birds are more like to appear when you are in close proximity to them, as they are more likely to fall in your field of vision (which covers an area immediately in front of your face out to a certain distance through transparent material such as air - the most common habitat of birds). However, they do not [i]always[/i] appear, as may be the case when it is night time, or when the birds are hidden by fog or foliage. -- Run! 21:18, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

While we're here; What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? -Benbread 21:25, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

7 mph. No more, no less. Ever. --iamajpeg 23:36, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

African or European? Define your terms. User:Zoe|^(talk) 23:45, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's impossible! The swallow would HAVE to change volicity if it were to remain in the earth's atmosphere, as the earth is curved. 12.183.203.184 02:12, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All right. That's enough. I'm stopping this question here. It's all got too silly. Grutness...wha? 06:22, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OH NO YOU'RE NOT. I want to know why birds always seem to crap on cars right after they've been through the wash. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:31, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow. David Sneek 12:41, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Birds appear a few hours before sunrise. Is he or she genrally near you at that time? – b_jonas 13:23, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, this one appears early in the morning

File:Http://www.mcdonalds.com.my/images/ChilinOut/ronald/rn birdie r.jpg

Then this one appears later and won't leave me alone.

File:Http://www.amazingballoons.co.uk/acatalog/big bird.jpg

]]

I can't even upload a damn picture properally. Wikipedia isnt user friendly.

Nothing is user friendly. You have to learn a little bit and everything is so simple. Option 1, put the plain link here for us to click upon. Option 2, go to toolbox (left of every page) | Upload file, and follow instructions. --DLL 22:36, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

PS - in the upload form, the link you provide is the source, and the destination is a name that you can choose. --DLL 22:38, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just like me, they long to be close to you and everybody else. Mrplastic 02:00, 2 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Investing Question

What happens if I own stock in a company that gets bought. Do I have any say-so in the decision? What if I don't want to sell my shares? What happens if I own options to buy the stock at $25/share that expire in 2 years and the company is being bought for $25 in a month? Does that mean my options are effectively worthless? 199.201.168.100 19:00, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the US, the shareholders have to approve the sale of the company, and if so they all get the same deal. You don't have to sell your shares, but if you don't you will end up with nothing, since that stock will become non-existent.

When I had similar share options, they were converted over into those of the acquiring company shares. By the time I could exercise them, the options were for a third company which had bought the second. They kept me notified. I think they have to (in the US). --Halcatalyst 20:19, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But with options, the option seller agrees to sell 100 shares of stock XYZ for each contract. Is it part of that contract that it conversts if XYZ is bought by ABC? What if XYZ is a small company aquired by a large company like GE, does the option writer then have to have his options roll over into GE? I mean, GE's preformace would be affected by a lot of things not just the preformance of the little XYZ company though bought.... What is the strike price they convert at when XYZ is bought?12.183.203.184 05:23, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The strength of silk spun by silkworm

Hi, I would like to knoe how strong the silk is that is spun by a silk worm. would it be able to hold up something like the size and weigt as a peach

I assume it's similar to spider silk. It's strong for its weight, but there's no way a single strand could hold up a peach. —Keenan Pepper 20:32, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Everyone knows you're thinking of James and the Giant Peach, and we'd just like you to know, this kind of thinking has never won anyone a Nobel prize. You're barking up the wrong tree. 82.131.184.90 22:59, 31 May 2006 (UTC).[reply]

from [64]:

Which of the insects was used as bait so they could escape the sharks? 'James and the Giant Peach' (blakka)

Earthworm. Every time a bird came down to get Earthworm James tied some silk around the bird. Eventually there were enough birds to lift the peach out of the sea and away from the sharks.

Where did the peach land when it fell out of the sky? 'James and the Giant Peach' (blakka)

On the Empire State Building. A plane came past and cut the silk that was attached to the birds and the peach fell back down to earth.

Which of the insects fell off the peach while it was up in the air? 'James and the Giant Peach' (blakka)

Centipede. James tied some of Silkworm's silk around his waist and went down after him to save him.

Yes, everyone did know, but you were the only one who felt the need to make sure everyone knew that you knew. Although I am curious as to how many of you typed that message. Or was it the royal 'we'? Skittle 09:35, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That being said, the silkworm in the book is larger than James (judging by the illustrations and the description in the book). This would imply that the silk was also abnormally thick and strong. Mrplastic 01:57, 2 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Internet Security question

Hi, i have a question about internet security. The thing is, recently, every time i turn on my computer and connect to the internet, right after the connection is established, in the lower right corner a little window is up, and it says: A recent attempt to attack your computer was blocked. Click here for more details And when i click, a window is up and it says:

Norton Internet Security

Security Alert

High Risk

Security Alert created for Default Block Bla Trojan horse rule.

Protocol : UDP(Inbound)

Remote Adress : 193.198.147.194 : 1042

Local Adress : 127.0.0.1 : 1042

Location : Default

A remote computer(193.198.147.194) attempted to connect to your computer on a port commonly used by a remote access Trojan horse. The attempt was blocked.

Do you want to view the Alert Assistant

No (Recommended)

Why is a message like this coming up often, every time with the same IP adress, i know that my computer is being attacked, but why every time and why with the same adress. If someone who understands this know what is going on i would like to know.--Captain ginyu 21:06, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Your computer is likely being probed, it seems, by a machine on the Croatian Academic and Research Network [65] according to [SamSpade http://www.samspade.org/t/lookat?a=193.198.147.194]. I dunno. Machines get probed all the time by other machines: firewall software likes to alarm users, presumably to make them anxious enough to keep buying firewall software. But probed from the same address each time you turn on your machine. It's possible, I suppose, that your machine has already been compromised, and the 193.198.147.194 now has your machine's IP address on a list of computers to talk to. Who knows? Take normal precautions: run an up to date anti-virus on your machine, keep the firewall up, find the config setting which tells it to stop yapping each time it deflects a probe. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I'd go further. The message suggests its likely that your machine was infected, and then sent a "here I am" message out. That means "I am infected: you can now use me to send spam, hold child pornography, or attack blackmailed companies". Now the owner of your infected machine is trying to take control. If it were me, I would wipe the disk and reinstall Windows immediately. Note that this will not stop the message (as they will still believe your machine is owned and still try to connect) but it will remove the infection. Try hard to figure out what lapse led it to be infected to prevent it happening again. Did you open an e-mail attachment? Did you neglect Windows updates? Notinasnaid 07:39, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Notinasnaid, regarding your two questions, I don't use my Outlook Express at all, and I updated Norton Internet Security, I would say, a month or two ago, if that is what you meant. Since we're at the topic, also, every time I disconnect in the upper left corner of the screen appears a little grey box, and it says:

Call from:Unknown

1)Place modem on hold and take call

2)Disconnect from modem and take call

3)Ignore incoming call

What is it and why does it appear every time I disconnect, and does it have anything to do with the upper named threat.--Captain ginyu 12:04, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Once again, I have to agree with Gloomy Noti, this machine is infected beyond hope, and you are going to have to take your bitter medicine. Other people tend to say that you can go into the registry, and do all sorts of weird and wonderful things to recover... Ha! Also some people might ask what operating system you have.. Ha! --Zeizmic 13:29, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some replies. Using Outlook Express doesn't seem connected to whether you could have been infected. Opening e-mail attachments in any e-mail program can infect you: even (especially) if they are from a friend. Take great care. And anti-virus must be updated very, very regularly. Two months ago might have been 1970: there are new viruses every day. And you didn't mention Windows Update, the most important thing of all for protecting a (Windows) computer: don't delay a day with that. Notinasnaid 16:36, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks a lot, Notinasnaid. As for Zeizmic, I didn't understand what you wanted to say.--Captain ginyu 20:16, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is the Location Free Player and do I need it to play music on my PSP (PlayStation Portable)?

I've read the instruction booklet for my recently purchased PSP, and I'm wondering what a Location Free Player is. It didn't give any detail on what it is or what it does. All I know is it is a sort of machine that connects to a PC and allows wireless gaming for the PSP and Nintendo DS. It says on my PSP when I try to play music I need to connect to the Internet. To play music. What's up with that? I can't connect it with a cable. No, no. I need to do it wirelessly. I saw it on Amazon.com only for...$350! Overall, I know I've actually asked many questions, but my only questions are just more info on this Location Free Player, (Perhaps an article would be helpful) and if I need it to play music. Thanks for your time.

The LocationFree Player is an add-on that allows you to stream content on your PSP from the Internet (I think). No, you do not need it to play music; if you're putting music on a PSP, hook up your PSP by USB cable to your computer. Go into USB mode (on the main menu), and you'll see the PSP's icon on your machine. Double click your PSP, go into the memstick file, and create a folder called 'MUSIC' (all caps without the apostrophes). Then drag your music (AACs or MP3s) in there. SushiGeek 23:35, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Plagiarism

Is there a tag for plagiarism? I've noticed a couple articles (Bodybuilding and Nuclear power in Canada) that have significant amounts of material cut and pasted from other web sites, but I don't want to go through it all and rewrite it. TastyCakes 23:49, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Copyright problems #Instructions --Tagishsimon (talk)

That nuclear thing is straight out of the glossy brochures, hosted by Mr. Nuclear. It would be difficult to rewrite by a nuclear person such as myself, since it might conflict with the happy-happy people... --Zeizmic 01:30, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You could just take my (and, frankly, the generally accepted) approach to article editing: fear not the consequences. Just delete the copyvio crap and let someone else add to it. Or, you could follow directions and do what you're told; tag the article with a {{cleanup}} or {{copyvio}} tag.

Kofi Annan's Best Language

I know that Kofi Annan speaks English, French, and some African dialects. Yet I want to know which language he knows the best because all people who speaks more than one language know one of them better than all the other ones.

I heard his interview with Jim Lehrer on PBS Newshour where he seemed to have a native-level understanding of English.Patchouli 00:02, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

He's Ghanaian - Ghana's national languages are English and tribal languages such as Asante and Twi. He would almost certainly have been schooled primarily in Engish. Grutness...wha? 06:25, 1 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]