Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

June 10

Jackofoz

Moved to Wikipedia_talk:Reference_desk#Jack_OfOz_-_moved_from_misc_desk_by_Anchoress. Anchoress 01:30, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

boarding pass printing

I have just used easy check in online on united airlines website, However i have no printer avaliable and cannot print out the pass. I already confirmed my check in online but did not print out the pass. Am i able to go to the airport and use the kiosk to print out the pass.--logger 01:58, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I've never flown on United, but I've never had any problems with checking in online and then printing out a boarding pass at a kiosk. The airlines know a certain percentage of people will lose their e-boarding passes anyway. And if you have problems at the kiosk, the attendants at the ticket counter can almost definitely print it out for you anyway. So no worries! –Pakman044 02:04, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

all right just wanted to be sure.--logger 02:16, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

How do birds catch worms

How do common garden birds such as thrushes and blackbirds locate worms? Is it sight of hole, smell, sound, vibration...? Mhicaoidh 05:01, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

This study suggests that in Robins, it is mainly the sound. ›mysid (☎∆) 08:43, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, a ggod reference, its the head-cocking that prompted my interest. Surprising how few studies have been done on the subject, and the previous major study favoured sight, but it does seem sound is crucial. Who would have thought worms made that much noise and birds certainly arent known for their big ears. Mhicaoidh 21:45, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

If you've ever played Samorost, you know that worms make a ridiculous amount of noise. V-Man - ^T/_C 02:35, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Speakers. vs. Beatles

I have an old set of computer speakers (4.1/quadraphonic; 4 speakers, 1 sub) in my room. I also have an iPod. Last night I noticed that a certain Beatles song, Day Tripper sounded odd. Then, checking through other songs, I noticed the same with We Can Work It Out. Both were ripped to MP3 from the 1 CD.

The issue is with the vocals. They're still present, but they're very quiet and have an odd reverberation. All other songs are fine, and these songs are fine played through an other speakers. Can anyone explain this? -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:44, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

It might be a problem with the stereo speration through the speakers. The Beatles did a lot of playing around with the vocals coming from one side of the speakers with the music coming from either both or just the other side. Dismas|^(talk) 09:48, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

It definitely sounds like a stereo versus mono problem. Is it possible that your iPod is connected up so that only one side of the stereo is connected and it's going to both speakers? Check the cables connecting them. How does your 4.1 speaker setup decode four channels from two anyway?

It's just sending one channel to each side. That reason makes sense; the speakers and the cables themselves are pretty cheap, and it would make sense that both channels might not be getting through to the subwoofer. I'll try to verify the connection with a test track later. Thanks. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 19:53, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Cigarette-cowboy Engrish sign.

I'm trying to track down a photo I saw a while ago. It was of an engrish sign in Japan that went something like "Warning: do not put your cigarettes on the ground! The cowboy does but he is a character in an old film!". Can anyone remember where it was posted, or link me to it? Froglars the frog 05:51, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

http://iconglobe.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/smokingmanner.jpg ›mysid (☎∆) 08:39, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

That doesn't look like Engrish to me, just common sense. Corvus cornix 20:24, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Here's the text from the sign via link provided my mysid. "The cool cowboy flicks his cigarette butt into the street. But he lives in an old movie." -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 15:41, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

I originally saw the Japan Tobacco smoking manners signs featured on a Boing Boing post. They're not really Engrish, as the English is correct. But some of them are funny. --Bavi H 00:39, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I believe "Engrish" also has a broader meaning, to include cultural misunderstandings of Americans, such as thinking we are all cowboys wearing six-shooters and spurs. StuRat 02:33, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Business

who are the main exporter of Red Table wine?

France obviously. I know that Australia is now a huge wine exporter of all types. Some other major exporters include Italy, Spain, the USA, and Chile. Did you bother to look at the wine article, where you would have seen this table? The information there is starting to get a little out of date and note that it's not specifically about red wine; I believe that China is now starting to strongly get into the game too. --jjron 12:31, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I think by the title "Business", he wanted the main company that exported it. JoshHolloway 13:54, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I believe that Foster's Group became the world's largest exporter of Red Table wine when they acquired Southcorp Wines (Australia's largest wine maker).[1] -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 15:48, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Bodies in a car's trunk/boot?

This is a serious question, as it is research for a novel. How many bodies could one fit into the trunk of a Chrysler 300C compared to the trunk of a Lincoln Navaigator? --125.238.24.115 14:21, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

The only obvious solution here is to rent or test drive them, and pile some friends on in. It would be impossible to tell from a size standpoint, since a larger trunk in cubic space could be much less capable of holding bodies, due to the design of it. If you don't have friends that would let you stack them on top of one another, you could try using golf bags as an analog... -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 15:02, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Do the bodies have to be whole? Or can arms and legs be cut off in order to economize on space? Dismas|^(talk) 16:14, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Or a giant blender. A lot of people is just air. Dehydrating them would help too, then you would just have dust. You could probably fit dozens of dehydrated bodies into a car.

Are you allowed to run over them a few times to flatten them before loading the trunk? [2] says the 2007 Lincoln Navigator L has "Luggage Capacity: 42.7 cu. ft. Maximum Cargo Capacity: 128 cu. ft." The same source [3] says the 2007 Chrysler 300c has "Luggage Capacity: 15.6 cu. ft. " I could only find one estimate of human body volume on Google, and it is admitedly a rough one [4] of 2.8 cubic feet for an individual of unspecified age, weight, and gender (sounds small). This would yield 5.57 bodies in the Chrysler 300c and 15.25 bodies in the Navigator. assuming they were intact and that you crammed them in to fill all volume. I assume the protagonist of your novel would not want to fill all the cargo space on the Navigator unless it had heavily tinted windows, in which case he could get in 45.7. The vehicle would be sagging, since the maximum payload is only 1650 lbs for the Navigator. In some vehicles, wedges can be used to "block the springs" to prevent it riding too low when heavily loaded, but that might adversely affect, handling, ride, and safety. Edison 21:00, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I suggest you try reading "Mob boss for dummies". Nil Einne 18:20, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

In soviet russia, stalemate gives up you!

I was watching WarGames last night, and at one point it was mentioned that the US had deployed bombers because of the simulation, and Russia responded in kind, and the US didn't want to recall their bombers until the USSR did. How did real life situations like this play out during the cold war? Which side usually gave in and retracted their forces first? It really doesn't seem like either of them would ever give up, logically. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 15:01, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I imagine that the backing off was done incrementally and piecemeal. Given the huge overkill both sides enjoyed, it's possible to back-down small sections of one's force without materially changing one's actual strength. You'd probably start by freezing further escalatory deployments - ships that have been making ready for sea stay in port, troop formations on the move stop at an intermediate point. Then you'd deescalate existing deployments - when their fuel runs out bombers orbiting at aggressive forward points are replaced by aircraft flying a less provocative patrol. Finally units would be returned to their barracks, fueled missiles defueled, aircraft returned to their normal patterns, etc. Incidentally, there's a school of thought among some historians that contends the rapid escalation of hostilities at the start of WW1 was due to the inflexibility of the railway-based deployment schedules of the continental powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, and Russia) - i.e. the complexity and fragility of the railway deployment timetable meant that units couldn't be meaningfully stopped, slowed, or reversed without jamming up the whole complex deployment horribly. So, these historians contend, there was no means for the continental belligerents to show their willingness and capacity to fight without going the whole hog and actually committing a huge force to the field (forcing their adversary to do likewise, and thus making conflict very likely). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:00, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Belmont Stakes?

Who sung "New York, New York" at the start of the Belmont Stakes?--172.131.84.175 16:21, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Ronan Tynan -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 23:29, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

View from Continental Aircraft flying from San Diego to Newark New Jersey?

In April when returning to Scotland after visiting San Diego, our flight, as described in the Subject Line, which took about 5+ hours, flew over vast tracts of land with no recognisable features (to the naked eyes and from that height). But I was amazed to see many enormous perfect circles on the earth and couldn't begin to imagine what they might be other than, say, for agricultural purposes. They seemed too large to be buildings, and they weren't bodies of water, so, does anyone here have any clues please? I know, I know, I should have asked someone on the 'plane at the time, but we Brits are an extremely polite and restrained race and I didn't like to disturb my fellow passengers. Thanks in anticipation.

Please sign your posts with ~~~~. They could've been Crop Circles, although without some sort of reference as to it's size it's hard to say. They could've also been sports stadiums, but having one out in the middle of nowhere would be odd. They could've also been hills (shadows can play some devious tricks on your eyes) or roadways. Do you have any description other than "circles"? If they were off the ground, they might very well have been silos, if it looked like a natural feature it could be very odd -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 16:53, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Center pivot irrigation. anonymous6494 17:06, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, that's the right answer. Complete circles are fairly well suited to the square lots that land was surveyed into much of the US and Canada; in some places you will also see partial circles. --Anonymous, June 10, 2007: 17:27 (UTC).

Thanks Anonymous. I followed your lead and saw immediately that what you describe above was exactly what I saw from the aircraft. Interesting though, as an aside, is the pattern that is emerging as I periodically pose a question here on Wikipedia. I usually get 2 answers these days, one from respondents such as yourself that proves to be well-informed and correct. And the other from Phoeba Wright that is usually an uninformed shot-in-the-dark that proves to be howlingly WRONG. Thanks again Anonymous, I am most grateful to you.

What was this about you being polite and restrained? -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION!

Being right is quite overestimated here at the reference desk. A.Z. 20:21, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. I believe Phoeba Wright deserves a "good try", even if the answer provided is not the correct one, since it did appear to be a good faith effort. StuRat 02:26, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm still wondering how much of an accurate answer they expected from their entire description being "circles". Even 'circles of vegetation" would've been much more helpful -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 11:43, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, a look through our little friend who won't sign his posts contribs clears things up nicely. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 11:50, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I appreciate your answers, Phoeba. As for the signatures, User:HagermanBot signature bot has been added to the help desk (but I don't think its working at the moment. We may want to add HagermanBot's signature bot to this page so that when the bot is up and running again, the signatures will be added automatically. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 15:56, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

How much would it cost to sell electricity?

I've heard that people with solar/wind power to their house can make a bit of extra income by selling their excess electricity back to the grid. Assuming average US energy costs, how much would a single average solar panel save (or in the case of excess) per month? And how much for an average turbine? And would it be possible, assuming you had a large enough amount of wind/solar power, to profit off this? Such as, if a solar panel makes 30$ worth of electricity a month, and you had 100, would it be possible to sell the electricity for 3000$ (of course, after your usage, this could be a bit lower, but you understand my point), and thus basically live off money from the electric company? Ignoring the cost of the panels/turbines themselves, of course...

Unfortunately the answer to this is contingent on the circumstances of your local power supplier and the prevailing public utility regulator. So few individuals sell power back to the grid that the price is determined by the fiat of the PUC not by the market. In some places the PUC forces the utility to buy the power at several times the market value (forcing the power company to essentially subsidise new deployments of renewable microgeneration). Such a regulatory environment will inevitably evaporate as adoption increases. Even now the economics don't really make for really much profit - this guy makes $3000 annually on a capital outlay of $50,000 - a 6% return, and most of his capital cost was paid by the PUC. Home microgeneration makes a bit of sense for supplying your own needs (but only after you've taken care of the lower hanging fruit like better insulation and more efficient appliances). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:30, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Apparently in some locales [5] [6][7] the ordinary electric meter will slow when your grid-connected photovoltaic system generates some of your needs, and will turn backward when your usage is less that the solar power produced. The utility would be buying power at the same rate they bill it. Sometimes they have made the argument that the buyback rate should be less than the retail rate, because their avoided cost is less than the retail. Some utilities ratchet the meter so it only goes forward. Others install 2 meters: one to record the power they supply, and the other to record the power you supply them. If a photovoltaic or other cogeneration system is above a certain (fairly large) size which could energize the power line after the utility breaker had opened, a very expensive relay system may be required to sense a fault on the utility and trip the system, to prevent electricuting utility workmen. Edison 20:35, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

No, you're not going to be able to make a profit this way. If you could, everyone would already be doing it. However, in locations where you can sell back electricity to the power company, this is very important to those considering installing solar cells, windmills, etc., as the power company essentially acts as a battery system, with you selling them excess electricity when it's sunny or windy and them selling it back to you when it's dark or calm. Since installing a household battery system would otherwise be a major expense, this is critical in making alternative home energy sources cost-effective. However, this does still leave you partially dependent on the power company, and true "off the grid" enthusiasts will cringe at this. StuRat 01:44, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Backwards stars and stripes on U.S military uniforms

this has been bugging me. The U.S army and marines have the american flag on their sleeves, however the flag is backwards. ie. the stars are at the top right corner, instead of the top left. WHY? Willy turner 18:10, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

This is known as the "Reverse Field Flag"; it gives the impression of a flag being carried, blowing backwards in the wind. Laïka 18:18, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

The generals were afraid that someone looking at the right shoulder and seeing the stars at the top left would get the impression the soldier was retreating. I would love to see a parody of this design feature, where the uniform includes a little flagpole perhaps 5 inches high on each shoulder, so the flags flutter in the breeze as the soldier charges forward. Edison 20:24, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

(Removed Edison's answer which was repeated in prior question and belonged to it. Bielle 21:52, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

You will notice the same style of flags on U.S. military aircraft — the stripes always point toward the tail of the plane, as if it were blowing in flight. — Michael J 22:12, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Simple Shield list

Can anyone please write down a large list of all the shield types they know {Example: Buckler, Kite shield} and at least try to have a good Simple english description and facts about them, this is for the simple english wikipedia's List of shields

Deflector shields? :) --froth^t 19:06, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

You can find a lot of them mentioned in Shield. Clarityfiend 19:11, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

And, of you're worried about being attacked by bacterial enemies, don't leave home without your dress shield: [8]. (Looks like we lack an article.) StuRat 01:31, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Printing Costs

I've been sending off for loads of quotes, and I want to know if I'm expecting too much. What I want is a document printing, with the following specs. -Gloss cover (full colour) -52 pages inside, in B&W + 1 colour "OR' Full colour 'depending on price variation' -A4 size -150 to 250 copies

I'm prepared to, aside from these demands, be very flexible. Do you think it is possible to get what I want for abou £700, and if so could you point me in the right direction?

Many thanks!

--Fadders 19:27, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Pricegrabber.com is a good place to go to get price comparisons. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 15:38, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

And what are they supposed to be?

I mean, the small reflective bumps used, as well as the painted lines, to delineate lanes on roads. What are they called? Is there any one inventor? Does the inventor get any royalties? 68.101.123.219 22:34, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

cat's eyes? --Kurt Shaped Box 22:36, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

If they were invented by someone who was working for a company when they invented them, the company that they were working for likely hold the patent rights and the inventor(s) get nothing. Companies often have their employees sign contracts with the company saying that they forfeit rights to inventions and patents and such when doing work for the company itself. Dismas|^(talk) 22:38, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Ah, after reading the cat's eye article, it seems the inventor didn't do it for a company that he was working for at the time. So I was a bit off in this case. Dismas|^(talk) 22:43, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, as I remember (I saw a documentary about him once), he made millions. --Kurt Shaped Box 22:44, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

and also Raised pavement marker Mhicaoidh 22:37, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

and Botts' dots Mhicaoidh 22:58, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

My dad calls them Girl scout cookies. Recury 18:21, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

A self-help book by a male author

Hi,

A long time ago I found a book on Amazon about trying to avoid looking at your goals as projects to be conquered. Instead, the author recommended working slower, never looking the problem in the eye. The idea was that if you looked at the entire problem, you would become demoralized and unable to continue. I believe that the book had some green on the cover. I think it was based on some sort of Japanese philosophy which may have started with a 'k'. I have tried looking for this book using Amazon, dmoz.org, and wikipedia (for example, searching for articles about Japanese culture.) I also vaguely remember the author having a "Dr." prefix to his name.

Many thanks for any assistance.

I don't know what the book is you're talking about, but I believe the principle you refer to is probably kaizen which originated at Toyota and involves making continuous small improvements which eventually add up to big improvements, rather than trying to make occasional big leaps in improvement. Hope that helps get you started. --jjron 05:46, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

June 11

What kind of butterfly is this?

Can somebody please tell me what kind of butterfly is this?

--CJKpi 01:57, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Eastern tiger swallowtail? Rmhermen 02:07, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

M&M's

What happend to Crispy M&M's in the U.S.? -- 69.210.101.58 02:15, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I have no idea. I think they're discontinued. --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 03:18, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

According to a sales representative, the reason that they're not available (worldwide) at the minute is 'because [they] are reviewing our marketing strategy, this product is unavailable at this time.' This does not essentially mean that they won't come back, though. Best wishes, --It's-is-not-a-genitive 14:39, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Masterfoods added M&M'S Crispy Chocolate Candies to its permanent line of M&M's in 1998. Made of a shell candy over a chocolate layer with a rice cereal center, the candies were taste-tested at the June 1998 All Candy Expo in Chicago and made available at retail level in January 1999. They put $50 million into its marketing campaign and made their debut at the January 1999 Superbowl at $53,333 per commercial second. By 2002, M&M'S Crispys were in two thirds of all possible outlets, but only 2% of households had tried Crispy's and of that 2%, only 10% repeated their purchase.[9] I did not find anything about them being discontinued in the U.S. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 04:17, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Strange. Where would I go to express that those are my favorite kind of M&Ms? V-Man - ^T/_C 04:21, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Comments about the "M&M's"® Brand can be made at the contact information here. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 16:19, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Awesome! Thanks! ^_^ V-Man - ^T/_C 00:47, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Funniest WP article

What do you think is the funniest article on Wikipedia with reguard to the subject matter? --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 03:18, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Some contenders:

Any key

ISO 3103

Dihydrogen monoxide hoax

Spite house

Mill Ends Park

Ferdinandea

Forest swastika

Fucking, Austria/Condom, Gers/Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Love Land

Latin profanity

Placeholder name

AOL disk collecting

Intentionally blank page

Bananadine

Gay bomb

Alien hand syndrome

And a lot more. --froth^t 04:19, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Humour is incredibly subjective. My particular favorite is Mike the Headless Chicken, but you might want to have a look at Wikipedia:Bad Jokes and Other Deleted Nonsense and the Category:Wikipedia humor, to find something that you find funny. Rockpocket 04:20, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Surprise, surprise... most of the pages I found funny, at least in that they had a page at all, have been deleted! My favorite, for sheer pointlessness, was List of pop culture references to Rock, Paper, Scissors. But it is no more. The only survivor seems to be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Pfly 06:56, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

A fairly large, tireless contingent of Wikipedians think our encyclopedia should be totally devoid of humo[u]r, and they strive mightily to delete everything that even hints at such. You've just given them their worklist for the next week :-(.

Atlant 12:27, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Aha! Another humor-mongering, decadent, running dog, comrade. Get him! Clarityfiend 16:25, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

You would, I think, be looking for Wikipedia:Unusual articles. Neil ╦ 12:38, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Inherently funny word and Mathematical joke are my favorites. V-Man - ^T/_C 04:23, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

"Waco" @ El Dorado, Texas

Here's your fortress

I've just seen on FOX News that a Mormon-like group is building a fortress-like compound nearby. Did you all know this ? Some of the newsmen claim that another "Waco" will happen. 205.240.144.168 04:06, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

If its on FOX News, it must be true! Is there a reference we can help you find? Rockpocket 04:14, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Sean Hannity's "Hannity's America". Just seen it. 205.240.144.168 04:16, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Mormons have the right to build fortresses. They can even bear arms if they're licensed to do so (which shouldn't be too hard in texas!) --froth^t 04:26, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

That would probably be the FLDS church who are building a temple in Eldorado Texas. --~ Wikihermit _(HermesBot) 17:10, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

How would these newsmen know whether BATFE is planning to again seek publicity by raiding a religious commune? —Tamfang 07:15, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to start calling all churches "compounds" just for fun. Also, does anyone else think that their fortress looks like a model of a fortress and not a real one? Recury 18:19, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

It's hard to take a fortress seriously when it appears to be smiling at you. --TotoBaggins 21:59, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it looks a bit happy to me too. It looks a bit to perfect? to be real. i thought it was a model too. Maddie ^{was here} 02:05, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Bodiam Castle. This picture does it no justice.

Quite a pretty looking "fortress". Almost as pretty as my nomination for prettiest in the world, Bodiam Castle (right) --Dweller 14:06, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

It will be interesting to see if this actually plays out, and if it does, how it will effect the Presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney. Corvus cornix 16:41, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I know this is a small distinction, and it comes almost 2½ years after the last post, but Mitt Romney is LDS. This group is the FLDS. The LDS do not practice polygamy, the FLDS do. Two different churches. Kingsfold (talk) 11:56, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

2nd Amendment

How can states require a license (and therefore possibly turn down a license application) if the 2nd amendment forbids a law against the people's right to bear arms? --froth^t 04:29, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

See Second Amendment to the United States Constitution#"To keep and bear arms". It basically comes down to interpreting what that phrase actually means. Rockpocket 04:32, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

It seems pretty obvious to me.. the government can't stick it's meddling lawmaking into the realm of gun ownership. I haven't the slightest interest in owning a gun but it seems like sort of a no brainer and it's disappointing to see the judicial branch try to gloss over the constitution without going through the proper channels of amending it --froth^t 05:08, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The idea that it is a "no brainer" is not shared by those entrusted by the people to be arbiters of US law: "Presently, nine of the federal circuit courts support a modified collective rights model , two of the federal circuit courts an individual rights model and the Supreme Court and one federal circuit court have not addressed the question" Rockpocket 05:46, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

To elaborate a little further, the Second Amendment is one of the three Bill of Rights guarantees not directly incorporated onto the States by the Fourteenth Amendment (the other two being the right to a grand jury and the Third Amendment). Just because a clear reading of the text would indicate one direction does not necessarily make it so--if that were the case, then the equal protection clause would require the States to never make distinctions between anyone (as it does say "nor shall any State ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."). The Second Amendment article does give an extended discussion to some of the caselaw behind the current reading of the Second Amendment (or at least as far as the Supreme Court has made clear in the current reading of it).

And as to the Second Amendment being abrogated by judicial interpretation, well the Constitution is subject to the interpretations of the judiciary in order to balance the intent and meaning of the text against the needs, powers, and rights of the people and the government. For example, the First Amendment free exercise clause is abridged to the extent that neutral and generally applicable laws that burden free exercise are constitutional (see for example, Employment Division v. Smith, Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah), that prior restraints on the exercise of speech may be constitutional in certain circumstances despite the prohibition on "abridging the freedom of speech" (Near v. Minnesota, New York Times Co. v. United States), or the Fifth Amendment eminent domain clause (the Supreme Court has long allowed a substitution of public purpose for public use, see for example Berman v. Parker and Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff). Any individual's rights under the Constitution are more than just what the text may they are. –Pakman044 06:47, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

What's this about certain rights not being "directly incorporated onto the states" by the 14th amendment? "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States" doesn't seem to allow for exceptions, nor is there context that would limit its application. --Anonymous Canadian, June 11, 17:35 (UTC).

The doctrine seems to be that until the Supreme Court gets around to saying "yes, X is among the 'privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States'," the Fourteenth doesn't apply; and they haven't done that with the Second Amendment. Indeed, in US v Cruikshank (1876?) the Court reasoned (in order to avoid punishing Whites for oppressing Blacks) that the right to keep and bear arms is a natural human right and therefore not a privilege of US citizens and thus not covered. —Tamfang 07:54, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Also, as far as no-brainers go, there's no way the people who wrote the 2nd Amendment would have had a problem with, say, not giving a gun to someone obviously crazy (though they didn't have terms like "legally insane" back then, they certainly had crazies). So there are bound to be some practical limits (analogous with what Pakman004 above notes about the first amendment). --24.147.86.187 11:50, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

None of the clauses of the constitution are accepted at 100% face value. The right to free speech doesn't confer the right to yell "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theatre when there is no fire - it doesn't give you the right to give pornography to minors...the right given in the constitution is modifed and interpreted. Same deal with this one. But in any case, reading the full text of the constitution (not just the last phrase of it) makes it abundantly clear that people were only intended to be given the constitutional right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of maintaining a state militia - not for target practice, not for hunting, not for protecting oneself against burglers and not for knocking off 7/11 stores. SteveBaker 14:49, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Your point is similar to the one I was going to be made. Technically, the right to bear arms could be intepreted to mean the right to bear all arms, including nuclear weapons (or for that matter any manner of weaponised chemical and biological agents) if one so desires. Most people except for the most extreme US Libertarions AFAIK don't agree with this interpretation. Nil Einne 18:15, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

If the Second Amendment were to be interpreted as an absolute individual right, there would be no way to prohibit mentally ill people, juveniles and ex-cons from owning guns. After all, all three group have First Amendment rights -- any of those people can stand on a street corner and say, "The president is a dolt," subject to the same time, place and manner restrictions that apply to everyone else. Clearly, the writers of the Bill of Rights did not have that in mind. -- Mwalcoff 23:27, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

How do you know what they had in mind? Were the debates recorded in those days? Surely the Framers were capable of thinking "X is bad but the consequences of attempting to prohibit X would be worse." —Tamfang 07:50, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Anonymous Canadian: The basic idea of what I was saying is that the Bill of Rights was never originally intended to apply to the States, but rather just to the federal government. After the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment was passed, and the due process clause requires the States to provide similar protections to the federal government. But as the article on incorporation (Bill of Rights) will tell you, these rights have never been fully incorporated onto the States, and instead were only incorporated onto the States in piecemeal fashion over a period of decades. That article actually lists a few more things that haven't been incorporated (I was operating off a discussion from a class I took two years ago).

Also, you do point to the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. But as that article will tell you, that clause is practically dead. It has never really been read to inhere anyone additional protections. Rather, its intended function is now a part of the due process clause. –Pakman044 07:32, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Even if the Second Amendment intends to cover only militia use, the Ninth Amendment expressly forbids us to conclude that bearing of arms for lawful private purposes is not equally protected.

I hold that the militia purpose itself includes hunting and sporting use. The militia is the whole able-bodied male adult population, mobilized ad hoc. The surest (and cheapest) way to arrange for them to know one end of a gun from the other when needed is to encourage them to practice shooting on their own time. A woman teaching her 12yo grandson to shoot squirrels thus contributes to the (future) effectiveness of the militia even though neither is a member of it.

I would also argue that opposing street crime is a proper function of the unorganized militia. Finally, it could be argued that "the security of a free State" – i.e. protection against its becoming unfree – requires a reserve force not entirely dependent on the state, thus not a "state militia". —Tamfang 07:50, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Seems a dangerous path to travel to say "wellll but they obviously didn't mean for x" and not let ex cons or crazy people have guns, or not let people shout Fire! in a theater. The long arm of the law covers a baffling amount of our life (even vibrations in the EM spectrum are regulated!) but the writers of the Constitution identified certain things that cannot be litigized- they identified it as ridiculous to make any speech illegal, or to prevent the natural human right to bear arms, and it seems that the spirit of the thing would prevent laws against yelling Fire in a theater or against selling guns to ex cons. Supposedly involable human rights can't be violated just because the legistlature thinks it has good reasons. And about the militia, a well trained civilian population will be the key to surviving a worldwide zombie infestation- the small regular military will be overwhelmed and impotent D: --froth^t 14:30, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, that's the difficulty behind the doctrine of "original intent," which is quite popular among conservatives. It's difficult to go back to the 1780s and determine how the writers of the Bill of Rights (who, as Pakman stated, thought they were only limiting the powers of Congress) meant to handle a situation they could not have envisioned. But in the case of gun rights or lack thereof, you don't have to go back to the 18th century to see the difficulty in a strict individual-rights interpretation of the Second Amendment. The First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth amendments apply to everyone, including juveniles, ex-cons and the mentally ill. If you say that the Second Amendment establishes an absolute right of individuals to own handguns, you're saying the government can't prevent juveniles, ex-cons and mentally ill people from packing heat. -- Mwalcoff 22:48, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm told that before 1968 it was common for boys to bring their rifles to school. And (it has been argued) if an ex-con can't be trusted with a weapon, why trust him on the street at all? See my previous remark about lesser evil. Also, a huge fraction of those now disarmed as felons would not have been prosecuted at all before 1912 (the rough date of the beginnings of drug prohibition). —Tamfang 16:31, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

The advantage of original intent – or rather, of the understanding of the Constitution that was prevalent at the time – is that it was affirmatively ratified, which cannot be said of later emanations from its penumbras. If the ratifying conventions had known that "the power to regulate commerce [i.e. to keep it flowing smoothly] with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes" means authority over everything that has moved in such commerce (the basis for at least some gun laws) or might compete with something sold on the interstate market (Wickard v. Filburn), they might well have decided differently. —Tamfang 16:31, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

True, but the Framers would not have been able to envision today's U.S., with trillions of dollars of interstate trade and the ability to travel coast-to-coast in a few hours. Had the judiciary interpreted the Constitution extremely narrowly, either the Constitution or the Union would have been replaced by now. -- Mwalcoff 23:49, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

I can't see how either the size or the speed of today's economy justifies extending the scope of the interstate commerce power to goods not in commerce as I cited, but if it's so vital to broaden Federal powers then Article V provides the means. Yet the establishment is reluctant to ask for new powers in the proper way, possibly because they judge that such amendments would not be ratified; hence they teach us that the Constitution is a "living document" which tacitly amends itself to fit the political fashion of the day. —Tamfang 20:24, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

NO! You guys ,us Americans (i.e., from the USA) have the right to hang a pair of bear arms above our fireplaces. - AMP'd 17:58, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

If you buy into the argument that the framers of the constitution were somehow magically endowed with the perfect answer to everything (Why? They were just a bunch of politicians.) - you'd have to conclude that they were talking about muzzle-loading flintlocks, swords and (stretching the limits) field artillery. They didn't know about guns that could spit out ten rounds a second, laser gunsights, etc. It's certainly arguable that they only intended you to be allowed to bear weapons of the kind they knew about at the time - and everything else should be banned. SteveBaker 02:49, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Well then, they obviously didn't intend to authorize the Government to use aircraft. Or telephones. —Tamfang 16:31, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

No! Of course they didn't! Duh! What I'm trying to say is that the constitution is a dusty old set of rules that made a lot of sense at the time - but are decreasingly relevent as time goes by. Do we really need a rule in constitution to prevent the government from lodging troops in your home? Aren't we worried about them housing federal postal workers there? No - that rule was put there as a very specific short-sighted political statement to get people excited about getting rid of the British (who did often billet their troops in peoples homes). This ancient junk is then compounded by layers and layers of interpretation. Adhering rigidly to the original words makes no sense - and it has been effectively abandoned in many areas. In other areas we've added bizarre strengthenings to those rules - so 'Free Speech' (which isn't a bad thing when it's talking about my right to stand on a street corner and tell people that I don't like what the government is doing) has been interpreted as making campaign finance laws unconstitutional! When did spending money equate to talking? When did companies get the same free speech rights as individual people? What part of "Free Speech" allows your employer to regulate what you say outside of your working hours or to allow Microsoft to use a 'shrink wrap' software license to prohibit you from writing bad reviews about their products!? These constitutional rules are modified and reinterpreted in all sorts of strange ways. It's no stretch at all to say that this rather ambiguous rule should be interpreted to mean only the "arms" that the framers knew about - or that it means that you can bear them ONLY if you intend to join a militia. SteveBaker 00:14, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

The Third Amendment was put there because the royal government did abuse the citizenry in the way described, and the people very reasonably wanted to put it on record that it was not okay for this new government, whose behavior could not entirely be foreseen, to do the same. Are you saying that the rule ought to be repealed because it has never been violated? The present Big Brother would love that (part of the purpose of quartering soldiers was to spy on the hosts).

Companies have the same speech rights as people because they are composed of people and owned by people; people neither lose nor gain rights by forming groups. (On another hand, many libertarians would abolish limited liability corporations, because they have privileges not shared by natural persons.)

If the government can forbid you to spend money on X, it can largely prevent you from doing X; that is why campaign contributions are a free speech issue. The sentence beginning "What part of 'Free Speech'" refers to issues that I would classify as matters of contract rather than of the First Amendment.

Finally, if the First Congress had intended only to protect the rights of the States to arm their own forces (after forbidding them to keep troops!), they could have said so. They did not; they said "the people". As for joining a militia, every male citizen between 16 and 60 is a member of the militia, according to the law of the time which has never been modified so far as I know. And it's clear from the Federalist Papers (#46, I think) that the Framers expected the militia to be mostly unorganized, and expected it to be armed just as well as the regular army. —Tamfang 20:24, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

First resume

How do you write a resume if you have no experience? --124.180.56.18 05:35, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

There's sites on the internet that will advise you (go to any good careers site, or do a Google search on resume or resumes). You could also start with something like the wizards you get in programs like Microsoft Word (in Word 2003 go to File>New..., choose Templates on my computer... and in the dialogue box select the Other Documents tab; click the type of Resume you want, click OK, and fill in your details). If it's your first time though, I would recommend you get some assistance from an expert, such as a careers advisor/counsellor. --jjron 05:57, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, but what I meant to ask was, what do I write about in my resume if I've never had any previous jobs? --58.165.28.64 09:39, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Take a look at this example. Is a real CV which works very well for people without actually having any jobs. Think of all the little things you do and work them into your CV - for example helping your mum (mom) with shopping could be "I help the less able in household tasks". Looking at sites to help you would be good, too :). Plenty of people have this problem! JoshHolloway 10:00, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Don't stress about it. Just find a friend's resume that's worked for them (or a parents, or a friend's parents), and replace their previous jobs with skills or education. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 10:36, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Making sure the first and last grades in your list of qualifications are your best and speading bad grades out helps :( Exagerate, without lying, things that you have done :) And use technical sounding words :) It might work :] HS7 12:25, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I'd recommend buying a recent book on the subject (style changes over the years) - there are a ton of them out there in any decent book store and you don't end up with a 'cookie-cutter' resume like the online tools tend to produce. Many of these books are just collections of hundreds of great resumes - categorized by the qualifications, experience and business area that the person was applying for. Find the one that's nearest your situation and copy the layout and style exactly - filling in your own details. Be truthful - if you inflate your abilities then get called on that during the interview, you'll fail to get a job that you might otherwise have easily walked into with less inflation! The fact that you have no job experience needs to be balanced by jobs you've done during vacations, hobbies and interests, extra-curricular clubs you've attended, that kind of thing. If there are gaps in your resume (eg if you took a year off between high school and college) then you need to explain them carefully or else they'll assume you were in jail or something! When you see a specific job that you are applying for that lists a set of qualifications that you are required to have plus some 'desirables' - make sure those are listed in your resume before you send it off. You may want to send a slightly different version of your resume to each employer in order to emphasise different things to each one in accordance with what they said they wanted from an ideal candidate. But get a good resume book - it's worth $10. SteveBaker 14:39, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

You haven't described your circumstances very well. But if you just left school or especially university, they may have resources still accesible to you which will help Nil Einne 18:12, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The culture of CVs varies wildly according to country, industry and... with the passing of time. I once saw a fairly inexperienced person's CV that was 12 pages long. In the UK industry I was working in at the time, that was about 10 pages too long (and some would argue 11). However, in the country this girl was coming from, it was apparently the norm. Re: time, fashions change, so beware of taking advice that may be dated. I'll give three bits of timeless advice therefore:

1. The most important thing on your CV is your name. Make sure it's at the top, nice and clear (and big).
2. "White space" is important - cramming loads of text onto a page is self-defeating... there's more to read, but no-one will read it.
3. If there's a recruitment consultancy that deals with your industry in your country, send your CV to them, register with them and ask for advice on improving your CV. Any agency worth its salt will be expert in this - they know what "sells". --Dweller 14:03, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

s

Belt

What is M24 grade conveyor belt

It appears to be an Indian classification of rubber conveyor belts with a tensile strength of 24 MPa, used for conveying "heavy, sharp, highly abrasive materials like metallic ores, granite, lime stone, coal, blast furnace slag & clinker etc." [10] [11]. --169.230.94.28 08:08, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Calculating of needed thickness of walls

Hello

I'm trying to build a water reservoir (tank) and I wanted to know how thick its walls should be and how to calculate it..the one I plan to build is a square (1 meter) with one meter height..which will take approximately (after I put the Porcelain, I guess it will be smaller) 1000 liter of water..I assume that the pressure inside the tank would be the atmospheric pressure + pressure of the water..I will be using either bricks (22x10) and mortar or concrete if needed..anyway, I would appreciate if you tell me how thick (half brick, full brick, quarter brick) I need or how many steel rods I add..thanks--The Joke النكتة‎ 10:52, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The pressure at the base of the tank is easy to calculate - it's just the weight of the water in a column based on whatever area you are talking about. The size of the tank doesn't affect the pressure - only the depth matters. So, for example, the force on every square centimeter at the bottom of the tank would be the weight of a column of water 1cm x 1cm x 1meter (the depth of your tank). For a 1m deep tank, that's going to work out to 9800 N/m² - which is 9.8 kPa (kilopascals) but remember that's only at the base of the wall - at the top of the tank, it's zero and halfway up, it's only half as much - so you could build the wall thicker at the bottom than at the top to make the base more solid than the top. You don't have to consider air pressure in your calculations because it's cancelled out by the air pressure pushing in on the sides of the tank. Brick walls work best under compressive forces - the mortar bonds break quite easily under lateral forces - so I think I'd avoid that if at all possible. I built a back-yard fishpond on a steep slope using railroad ties to hold back the water at the bottom end of the slope - my pond is about a meter deep with a flexible pond liner inside - and the railroad ties hold back the pressure just fine (I buried the bottom-most tie 6" down into the soil and drilled down through the pile and hammered rebar down into the holes to lock it all together). That's been there 10 years with no mishaps so far! The problem you are trying to solve is not entirely unlike a retaining wall - perhaps that is a place to search for an answer. But can't you find a large, stiff plastic container of the required size and just build brick around it for decorative purposes? You'll need some kind of a liner anyway because water seeps through normal brick & mortar. SteveBaker 14:27, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for your comments! they are really helpful..now I'm thinking to go with concrete instead of brick & mortar..but I wonder how many bars I will need ;)..I'm not retaining wall of course :) and I can get plastic container or zinc but there would be no fun in it :) btw, porcelain is perfect if you want to avoid leaks..though its not easy to cut it..how do you clean the pond?--Alnokta 18:10, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

If your container will ever be exposed to sub-freezing temperatures, the expansion of the water could crack it even if it were made of solid granite, unless you are so clever as to have the sides slope out enough to allow for expansion in case of freezing. Edison 19:21, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

crap cereal

in the uk i have to go to selfridges in my city to buy lucky charms for £7 (thats nearly $14) i mean the cereal in the UK IS SOOO CRAP! ITS SO UNFAIR >:( is there a law banning fruit loops and all other multicoloured cereal in the UK or are distributors being mean? cocoa pops and shreddies are nice but i want to try the crazy coloured cereal

Some ountries do ban certain colour in foods, usually for very good reasons. You don't want to eat anything that has been banned. this is not a complaints desk.

It's not mean, and they're not banned ... it's just they don't sell very well in the UK. Neil ╦ 12:32, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I guess you have to get used to flapjacks and (english) muffins --froth^t 13:48, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

in the us i have to go to the british supermarket in my city to buy shreddies for $14 (thats nearly £7) i mean the cereal in the US IS SOOO CRAP! ITS SO UNFAIR >:( there should be a law banning fruit loops and all other multicoloured cereal in the US because distributors are being mean? fruit loops and lucky stars are nice but i want to try the sensible nice-tasting cereal SteveBaker 13:58, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Hahaha! Seriously, though, original poster, Lucky Charms were, at one stage, on the UK market, and were withdrawn. There has to be a good reason for that, and the most likely one is low sales. --It's-is-not-a-genitive 14:36, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I suspect it's something to do with that crazy "healthy eating" fad the UK is going through. Parents seem less willing than before to buy multicoloured food containing more chemicals than ICI and pour it down their children's throats. Crazy, huh? Neil ╦ 14:54, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Switch to Weetabix. They're cheaper. Corvus cornix 16:34, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Weetabix has just made it to the West Coast of the USA. The box describes how British folks will often eat the "delicious biscuits" with jam (but no milk). I thought that was an Aprils Fools joke when I first read it. Rockpocket 17:46, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

• No,my family often ate them that way,and Shredded Wheat.I don't drink milk so that's how I like them.hotclaws 10:45, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

From what I've heard, Weetabix are crap. Stick with Weet-Bix Nil Einne 18:10, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I don't know if they sell those in the US. Corvus cornix 18:20, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

According to the article "Around 1992, Weetabix successfully entered the U.S.A. market from Canada via Clinton, Mass., the site of the unsuccessful U.S. factory.". Which doesn't of course tell us if they're still available and is so, how easy they are to purchase. Nil Einne 19:08, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Weetabix are awesome. You can eat them with jam, with milk, with fruit, with ice cream, with nuts, or any combination. They are good for digestion, too. Neil ╦ 19:38, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

And, if memory serves, Spike (vampire) added Weetabix to blood, for texture. —Tamfang 07:59, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I we referring to Weet-Bix. I know Weetabix are available in the US. Corvus cornix 20:03, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Clusters are da bomb. The regular kind with chopped dried apricots and milk, and the chocolate kind with ice cream. Try it. Yum. (UK Crunchy Nut Clusters only. Those sold in Australia are a different thing altogether). Natgoo 11:07, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

They do Oatabix too now.

help.

Supposing I was to learn magic, like real magic, would I have to hide this because of any witchcraft laws still around(In the UK)? And then would I be able to teach other people, and how might I arrange to teach people. Could I charge for this, would i have to join a union? This is a serious question, not a joke. Diolch yn fawr.

P'nawn da! The British Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1951, so you would be safe from prosecution for having real magic powers, although since then the Fraudulent Mediums Act was put in place, so you had better be prepared to prove your powers are legitimate, as you would be eligible for prosecution if you could not. The union would be the Magic Circle, I suppose. I would suggest you could make a mint if you were able to do real magic - I would try and get in the newspapers and wait for Max Clifford or someone similar to contact you to arrange bookings. If you can do real magiv, please can I have some money? Thanks. Neil ╦ 15:09, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I would like some money too. --~ Wikihermit _(HermesBot) 17:03, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I understand that Wicca's alrady are doing real magic, but there was some effort to keep the practice out of the US military. Check out Gerald Gardner for more Wicca info and Helen Duncan, the last person to be convicted under the British Witchcraft Act of 1735. In 2005, Victoria was the last Australian state to have anti-witchcraft laws on its books, contained in the Vagrancy Act.[12] There might be some anti-Witchcraft laws in Jamaica[13] Also, the witchcraft laws of Great Britain still might law still exists in Northern Ireland and India, but I don't have any cites one way or another. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 22:56, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

• I know many people who practice magic.There are still many magical organisations in the UK,often left over from the Golden Dawn.You may find what you want from various publications such as Prediction" or "Horoscope" in the ads at the back.Or find a local occult/alternative book shop.Otherwise a local "What's On " section of newspapers sometimes has information about "occult" groups. Most will emphasise the inadsvisability of making money through magic.hotclaws 10:53, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Milk Teeth

What happens to kittens' and puppies' milk teeth ?86.219.166.215 12:28, 11 June 2007 (UTC)Dt

• Kittens' 26 milk teeth usually are all intact by the 6-8 weeks stage, and begin to fall out 'from 11 weeks to 30 weeks.' They grow their second set of teeth after 8 or 9 months 1.

For puppies, milk teeth come through from the 3rd to 6th week stage and start to fall out and be replaced from the third month to the seventh2.

Best wishes!

--It's-is-not-a-genitive 14:29, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, but we have never seen any. Do they come out in food and get swallowed ?86.219.166.215 15:20, 11 June 2007 (UTC)DT

Here is a thread on the topic with additional links. Cats lose their milk teeth around 4 or 5 months. Just prior to this, they bite everything because their gums are itchy. The teeth usually falls on the floor. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 22:15, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

We never saw our cats' milk teeth when they fell out either. I assumed they swallowed them. Skittle 22:53, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The Kitty Tooth Fairy is very efficient. —Tamfang 08:00, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

• I assume she pays in catnip.hotclaws 10:54, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Yamaha XT 350 - 1991 model fork seal change

I would like to know how to change the fork seals on a 1991 Yamaha XT 350, and how much oil is needed to replace after the change.196.38.186.175 13:33, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

That's probably too specific a question for anyone here to know the answer (I'm sure someone will prove me wrong though!). A better bet would be to try searching google for a yamaha or motorcycle forum and asking there. Recury 18:10, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The site 1991 Yamaha XT 350 specifications and pictures gives a link to join the 91 Yamaha XT 350 discussion group. They may have the answer. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 22:18, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The Lost Tongue Coloring Gum Ball

What is the name of a tongue coloring gum ball candy that comes in a tin can, and if possible, where can I find it? (Note: I bought this strange candy at Cracker Barrel, I remember it being a thin tuna-like can, it had a picture similar to the Rolling Stones mouth with a tongue sticking out on the top. I don't think Cracker Barrel sells it anymore).

Please help me!

It might be Tongue Splashers Bubble Gum which came out in 1993. Snoopy's Assorted Pops also colors tongues, but using a pop instead of gum. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 21:51, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Slow Zombies

I'm looking for a webcomic, but I can't remember its name. The first strip has some guy looking up, seeing zombies coming towards him, and trying to wake his friend. He says (roughly) "Zombies! And they're the slow kind!" Then his friend is like, "Slow zombies?!?" and the rest of the comic is about them going wild in their postapocalyptic paradise. At one point, for instance, one of them runs over a zombie parade with a bus. Sound familiar? Black Carrot 14:34, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

You could try asking at these two zombie oriented sites [14] and [15] they have forums and a list of webcomics Mhicaoidh 21:55, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Slow zombies also are known as slombies and shamblers. It might be Living With Zombies. Also try the walking dead. The folks at World War Z might know. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 22:05, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The description makes me think of Sluggy Freelance, though I haven't read that in years and can't say absolutely that it had such a storyline. —Tamfang 08:02, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

laundry

Do clothes get thoroughly clean if they are washed in cool water with detergent? Is it essential to wash childrens' clothing in warm or hot water to remove germs? _{email removed}

I was always taught that darks are supposed to be washed in cool water and whites in warm or hot water. I don't see why them being childrens' clothing should make a difference. Recury 18:08, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, the reason you wash darks in cool water is to help prevent color leaking. But in general, washing in warmer water helps to clean better, which is why if you actually read on how you wash your hands, you're supposed to use as warm of water as you can comfortably handle. Of course, whites don't have the problem of leaking color. As for using warm or hot water to wash children's clothing, I don't think it's really that necessary, since the water is probably not hot enough to really sanitize it, but it would help remove dirt and germs. Here's a page on about.com about it, and here's a page on the study of hot water for laundry killing dustmites and other allergens. Here's a page on cold water detergent, which also says "stain-fighting power of the ingredients in conventional detergent formulations decreases “by an order of magnitude for every 10 °F that you decrease the temperature”". And last, but not least, if you use hot water for washing, this government page claims that 90% of the energy is used in heating the water, so that's pretty inefficient. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 19:54, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Based on my own experience of washing the family laundry for 20 years...

Modern detergents in the UK at least work just fine with water at 30C or lower, especially if you use an enzyme detergent.

It's best to separate whites/light colours and bright or dark colours, and to use a detergent with a mild bleaching action on the whites, and one without on the darks/brights.82.46.44.139 20:40, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Also, please don't get too up-tight about "removing germs". Our bodies' immune systems are pretty darn good at fending off small quantities of garden-variety infectants, especially if we give them something to chew on once in a while. The recent fervor over "antimicrobial" this-and-that is either (1) an empty marketing ploy or (2) an utterly misguided effort which will shortly backfire as it hastens the evolution of more strains of dangerous and drug-resistant bacteria. (IMHO.) —Steve Summit (talk) 22:18, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

It seems that Tide Coldwater was formulated in 2005 to address this concern and to help consumers reduce their energy bills. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 03:46, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

My high school (and the previous one I went to) doesn't have warm water running in the bathroom taps, only cold. No wonder I always catch colds and flus in winter. :( --Candy-Panda 12:00, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Maybe you are helped by this routine: wash your hands with soap, rinse, and then take the first paper towel to dry your hands somewhat and turn off the water (so you don't touch the tap with your clean hands). Take another paper towel and properly dry your hands. Then get out of the bathroom without touching the door knob. Either push the door open with your foot, or use a paper towel to open up, keep the door open with one foot while you turn around to throw away the paper towel. Lova Falk 17:24, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

The Splits

What is the best method of training one's body to be able to perform the splits? Split (gymnastics) isn't very helpful! MHDIV ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 16:07, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Try stretching a lot?? You probably need to be more flexible. --~ Wikihermit _(HermesBot) 16:49, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Start young. Neil ╦ 19:35, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Have a read of the Stretching and Flexibility FAQ by Brad Appleton. Appendix B covers Working Toward the Splits--TrogWoolley 21:11, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

In his book Relax into Stretch, Pavel Tsatsouline says he got a guy who had tried for years and years to do a side-split (and had been told it was impossible for him) into the position in 10 minutes ("screams notwithstanding") using a variation of isometric stretching he calls the "clasp knife", or "inverse stretch reflex." Frankly it sounds kind of dangerous. You might look into PNF stretching iames 21:30, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

A couple of years ago, I borrowed that book from our library, but it didn't have any effect at all. I reckon that if Pavel would be right, he would have been famous by now. Lova Falk 16:59, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Nodal Relationships

Sorry about the title, but I don't really have a clue what to call this question. Anyway, say I have a room of 100 people and I ask each of these 100 people to pick 2 friends/people to link with (it doesn't have to be 100, or 2 or anything, but I thought I'd use it as an example). Are computers/algorithms good at sorting out the resulting links into groups of 5 or 6 people, or would it be better to do it by hand? If algorithms are good, are there any simple ones I can use (ones that preferably don't require a degree in calculus or graph theory or anything). Thanks very much for any help you can give. --80.229.152.246 17:08, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

• I think you're referring to a permutation. If that's the case, you can read through the article for examples of how permutations are used. There's also an algorithm there to generate permutations. It doesn't appear to be a complicated algorithm, though some set theory might be helpful. --Elkman ^(Elkspeak) 18:03, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
  • Thanks for the answer, but that doesn't seem to be exactly what I am looking for. In particular, it doesn't seem to deal with any methods of creating a group based on non-logical links (i.e. friends). Plus, set theory just looks like it will confuse me without getting me anywhere (I haven't even finished GCSE maths yet). I'll see if I can create a diagram in Inkscape to try and show exactly what I mean. --80.229.152.246 20:01, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Here's a quick diagram I have created in order to try and illustrate my question better: Image (I have linked to the file rather than embed it because the arrowheads don't seem to show up properly if I embed it). Using this data as an example, I would like to know if there are any nice, easy ways of quickly arranging these nodes (in this case names) into small groups (for this example, 4 members would probably be about right) based on the relationships shown by the diagram (there are no weightings of the relationships, the thickness/length of the line means nothing).

Would it be quicker/easier to do this by hand (bearing in mind I will probably be looking to do this for at most 33 people (more likely to be somewhere around 25)). If my calculations are correct, this will mean there will be a maximum of 66 links to deal with in order to fit into groups of 5/6/7.

Please also bear in mind that my maths knowledge is not that good, although I am prepared to try and learn. Also, it doesn't matter if some of the links are broken quite badly, the only thing I require is that everybody is in a group with at least one person they have directly linked to, or have indirectly linked to by a factor of 1 step (i.e. a person they have directly linked to has directly linked to the other person).

This requirement isn't strictly strict though, I'm quite prepared to break it (and deal with all hell that comes if I do - that's the only downside to doing this sort of thing, you can't please everyone. It's interesting, but you always get people who are annoyed. Hopefully this method will cause fewer complaints (or rather complaints that will cancel each other out) than last time.

P.S. Thanks very much for any help you can give. I realise that the above paragraphs are a bit hard to read (probably due to my insanely good rambling (not the walking kind - although I'm not bad) skills... but I appreciate the time and effort that goes into replying.--80.229.152.246 20:48, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

One more thing. The two direct links going out from a node is strict. This cannot/will not/should not/has absolutely no chance of being changed. In other words, each person much choose TWO and only TWO links with people. No more, no less. (Also, God knows why I'm trying to sort this out now, I don't even have any data, this sorting out is being done about 8 months before it needs to be done, and I don't even know if I am actually doing it! Oh well, at least it is interesting). --80.229.152.246 20:51, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I've never heard of such a problem before, but it appears to be akin to various problems in graph theory. In any case, I'd take it to the Mathematics desk. —Tamfang 08:09, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I was afraid you were going to say that about graph theory. Thanks though. I'll go and hop over to the Mathematics desk. --80.229.152.246 16:04, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

What two Naruto fighting game has the most characters?

I am a Narutard - a Naruto fan. I wanted to play at least two Naruto fighting games, but I want two games that have more Naruto characters than any game in the franchise. So, what two games have got more characters than any game? And which of the two has more characters?

Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel for PS2 has 53 characters, but that's only available in Japan (I'm assuming you aren't posting from there). There are very few American Naruto games, and even fewer European ones. Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 is available for PS2 in the US and has 13, while Naruto: Ninja Council 3 for the Nintendo DS has 27. That's about it, unless you can speak Japanese and don't mind getting an import... Laïka 23:49, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Guitar question

I am curious to know about a specific guitar called bordonua or possibly known as the bordon, what type of guitar is it and where did it originate from. Rudy Carrasquillo- Velazquez

Typing Bordonua into the search box on the left of your screen transports you to Bordonua. Rockpocket 01:13, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Did you look up Bordonua yet?

Skateboarding technique?

I'm not a skateboarder, never tried one. Watching a TV show today where some guys were doing tricks at a skatepark got me thinking: How do they do the jumps? A guy is skating along on a flat surface, he tips the nose of the board up, then jumps up in the air and the board follows him up, sometimes for a fairly high distance. I see how pressing down on the tail with the rearward foot will tip the nose up, but then how does the skater make the tail of the board come up? How does it stay so close to his feet while he and the board are up in the air?

See Ollie (skateboarding trick) Rockpocket 01:04, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Cool, thanks.

June 12

grants

copied from WP:HD
In N.J. what governmental agency receives requests for grants and then issues the grant. Are there any internet info where one can find who has received grants and the amounts thereof?68.36.45.130 01:32, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Here's one: New Jersey Division of Local Government Services grants. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 03:38, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Source of fictional character archetype

Hello, I'm trying to find out the source of a staple cartoon/fantasy character. It is, basically, a large muscle-man with a little brainy elfin guy riding on his back. The idea is that the brainy guy, who is too weak to function effectively, is controlling the strong guy, who is too dumb to function effectively. I remember this type of character, or variations on it, from a few different movies or television shows, but I can't put my finger on it, I'm really confused on this. Anybody know what I'm talking about? --Clngre 04:07, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure this isn't the source, but my favorite example of this is Freak the Mighty. V-Man - ^T/_C 04:17, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Master Blaster was composed of a smart, diminutive "Master" who rode on the back of an enormously strong, but dim-witted bodyguard known as "Blaster" in the 1985 movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. I think this archetype might be called giant/dwarf team up. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 04:23, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah I think that's it! In any case that feels really familiar and is evoking all kinds of nostalgia right now, so it's something. Thanks a lot! I think I'll check out that childrens book too, it looks interesting.

But, out of curiosity, does anybody know any more instances of this thing? It's such a quirky idea, but still seems relatively common. --Clngre 04:34, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

In The Wild Wild West, the mad scientist Doctor Loveless (a dwarf) was sometimes assisted by an inarticulate giant named Voltaire. —Tamfang 08:18, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

The character Fezzik in The Princess Bride is a (seemingly) simple giant, although he displays more hidden wit and creativity than some of the other characters (notably the brainy-but-weak, hunchbacked Vizzini) give him credit for. —Steve Summit (talk) 11:27, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

In The Two Towers, the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Merry and Pippin sat in the branches of Treebeard while Treebeard attack Saruman at his stronghold of Isengard.[16] Treebeard was no dummy, however.-- Jreferee ^(Talk) 16:32, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Contrast Mûmak. Perhaps the whole idea originated with war elephants.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:44, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

First ones to come to my mind doesn't fit your bill exactly, but I thought of the Nebraska family from Trigun, Cait Sith from Final Fantasy VII, and even Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 20:36, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

There's also a lot of giant robot anime/movies that have scenes like this -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 20:38, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Wow thanks for all the help, this is fantastic and really interesting, I really appreciate it.--Clngre 01:47, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

This isn't a unique pairing - just about any kind of contrast can be used to tie a small group of characters together. Size, for instance, has been used for decades in traditional vaudeville-style pairings, of the tall skinny guy with the short stocky guy. I tried to find a reference, the closest I got was Double act, but hopefully you know what I'm talking about. Smart/dumb has been used in all kinds of places as well. Pinky and the Brain actually followed a fairly classic formula in their character design, dating back past Laurel and Hardy. I'm pretty sure there's a name for it, but I can't remember it. Black Carrot 03:41, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Granted, the original question was about cartoons/fantasy, but surely there is room to mention Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men! --LarryMac | Talk 14:05, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

ATC on delta

Do the delta airlines aircraft offer air traffic control audio on their flights.--logger 04:26, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Probably not, for security issues. Neil ╦ 13:13, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Why not? Other airlines offer this. Dismas|^(talk) 13:31, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

They do? Really? Then I don't know. Try calling them and asking. Neil ╦ 13:50, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

The one time I flew Delta (about ten years ago, I believe), I thought I was really sneaky because I could hear the captain and Air Traffic Control on one of the audio channels, and I assumed nobody was supposed to hear that one. It was neat, because I could hear all the jargon that preceded the "we're about to experience turbulence" announcements and stuff. I can't remember which channel it's on, though... Trial and error, I suppose. V-Man - ^T/_C 00:58, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I don't recall if Delta does this, (Although I strongly suspect that different planes are equipped differently.) but if you were really interested, An alternative might be to pick up a cheap aircraft-band portable radio. However a little research would be required to make sure you're listening on the right frequency. 69.95.50.15 13:40, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

car boy

While cleaning the basement of my wifes grandfather I came across a thick light blue glass container (about 24" high by about 14" dia.)My father-in-law said it was a CAR BOY. It held acid for car batteries. Do you have any info on a car boy?69.21.24.6 14:35, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

See Carboy. I use mine for making beer, I never heard of storing battery acid in one. (Insert joke about the quality of my homebrew here). --LarryMac | Talk 14:48, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Don't know about beer, but a carboy is and always has been a glass container for holding acids or other corrosive liquids. Every UK garage had them whilst batteries needed regular checking. Incidentally - blue glass bottles always held poison.86.197.171.129 15:47, 12 June 2007 (UTC)petitmichel

Interesting. The 1911 Encyclopedia agrees, which means our article needs some updating. --LarryMac | Talk 15:53, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

LOL! One of my beer-brewing connoisseur friends insists that blue bottles are always the best to hold his home brews. I'll have a bit of info for him! V-Man - ^T/_C 01:00, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

My wife has just contributed the fact that brown glass was used for liquids for use externally. Also, she tells me, the bottles were shaped with two flat sides, and corrugations, to aid the visually handicapped.86.197.42.163 14:11, 13 June 2007 (UTC)petitmichel

Reconnaissance vehicles

I was looking for an article about reconnaissance tanks and other reconnaissance vehicles... is there any with a different lemma? --KnightMove 15:31, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

My scout couldn't find one. But you can find a lot of articles on individual models in Category:Reconnaissance vehicles, or create an article yourself (If you stub it, they will come). Clarityfiend 15:54, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Prince Harry is expected to patrol the southern Iraq desert in an armored reconnaissance tank, so it is likely that Wikipedia will have a reconnaissance tanks real soon. I'm not sure what you mean by "a different lemma". -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 17:15, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Lemma (linguistics) - a "form of a word". Yeah, I'd never heard of that meaning either. Clarityfiend 18:29, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

We have on article on Prince Harry's vehicle, FV107 Scimitar. Rmhermen 18:40, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. In the German Wikipedia, "Lemma" is the term for the article superscription. As this is an unusual wording in German, I deemed this to be the established word in all Wikipedias. So what is the correct term for article captions here?

Nothing special as far as I know, just "title" or "name". Clarityfiend 20:47, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Naming conventions uses "name", so that's probably the correct term for article captions. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 02:43, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I considered it possible that there is an article dealing with the topic, under a caption I don't know... "Surveillance craft" or whatever... --KnightMove 19:50, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Sorry to hijack the question somewhat, but Prince Harry will not be on patrol in Iraq, see [17], he will however be taking a desk job in Canada see [18] and [19] Xarr☎ 20:00, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

When I first read the question, I thought you were referring to this guy. -- JackofOz 23:17, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Creating worlds (Question especially for people who work in entertainment industry)

What is the usual process for creating worlds, as in, maps and floorplans and etc., and connecting them to work together? Mainly, I want to know about the following:

• Video games, especially RPGs and MMORPGs.
• How Tolkein came up with middle earth and it's locations

If anyone knows about this, it's appreciated -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 20:27, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Tolkien's work is basically a life-long thing, where he even created languages for (Elvish). He was skilled in linguistics though. When I try to create worlds, I just draw a map of how the area would look and add in as I see fit. I doubt you can find documentation on the exact processes Tolkien took though. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 20:41, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

For worlds with large outdoor areas (I guess that's what you mean) the terrain is generally generated with a procedural terrain generator (Terragen , Bryce (software), and many more). Some of these terrain generators are purely fractal, but some also implement a more physically accurate model (modelling erosion in particular). Google for "terrain generation", or look at this tutorial. In practice, for games, the designer will probably have some fixed ideas about where they want major features (islands, continents, mountain ranges, desert plains, etc.) to be found, so the terrain generator will allow them to rough out that and it'll fill in pseudorandom detail to produce a natural-looking landscape. Designers will then typically tweak bits they don't like, and then will decide where to place artificial features (cities, bridges, dungeons, castles). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:09, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

For indoor areas designers either use off the shelf 3d modelling programs like 3D Studio Max or engine-specific programs (which frequently use constructive solid geometry to compose complex forms from basic primitives like cubes and cylinders). In addition to doing the geometry the designer also has to position the correct textures (a texture is an image which is wallpapered onto the geometric model, giving it the appearance of a real object) and lights. The resulting file is often then processed by some tools which optimise it and precalculate some info that will be of help when later playing the map in a game. This whole process is rather an unpleasant and labourious task (which explains why so many games have large sections of very uninspiring architecture - the designer ran out of patience or time at that point). While it is possible to programatically generate indoor spaces, this tends to produce some very dull maze-like maps, so that's not very common. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:20, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Category:Level editors lists some editor programs used to create maps (which, perhaps confusingly, mostly means "indoor areas") for computer games. Category:3D graphics software lists some of the software that one might use when creating scenes for a computer-generated movie; big CG houses like Weta, ILM, DWA, and Pixar have sizeable internal software development departments and use a lot of home-grown tools. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:29, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

It appears that Tolkien made the geography to fit the plot; e.g. he shifted the course of Anduin, between Rauros and Minas Tirith, several times so that the various parties moving about would reach their destinations in the desired order. The distribution of mountain ranges in Middle-Earth doesn't make much geological sense. —Tamfang 21:26, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, there doesn't seem to be a gaping plot hole that Tolkien didn't feel could be plugged with another unfeasably jagged linear mountain range. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:43, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

You need to remember that Middle-Earth was created by gods, not by geology. --Carnildo 22:55, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Tolkien created his languages first, then wrote a mythos to support them and their historical changes. Corvus cornix 21:42, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Image question

What is the person in this image wearing? Some sort of gimp suit? [20] Dismas|^(talk) 21:57, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I've heard of people putting on "fat suits" for sumo wrestling. I don't have a reference and don't know much about it, but maybe it's one of those. Friday (talk) 22:51, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Fat suits are usually padded and flesh coloured, that looks more like someone screwing around and connecting their oxygen tank or an air compressor/pump to a wet suit -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 23:03, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

It is nothing to do with fat suits or wet suits. It is a kind of fetish. Wikipedia doesnt seem to have a page on it. Im not sure what the proper name for it is, but its connected to rubber fetishism. Inflatable fetishism perhaps? Blow-up suit? Mr Blowup certainly likes it. p.s i am not into that shit. honestly. Willy turner 23:21, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Above link is not work-safe. Please mention it next time Willy turner. 74.111.82.91 02:31, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Fer real. >_< V-Man - ^T/_C 02:35, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

It looks like they just pumped air into a wet suit. But if it's a fetish, I can't imagine that Wikipedia is missing a page on it. Those guys are thorough. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 02:49, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

OK. There now is a little blurb on rubberists "Mr. Blowup" at Garment fetishism: Latex/PVC fabric. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 03:14, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Left side, right side

Here in the U.S. we drive on the right, so it's not surprising that we normally walk on the right side of a busy hallway such as in schools and at work. This got me thinking, do people in the UK walk on the left side of halls and such? I would presume the answer would be yes but you never know so I thought I'd ask. Dismas|^(talk) 21:59, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I was in Barbados a week ago, where as a former British colony they drive on the left, and yes, on sidewalks pedestrians tend to pass each other on the left as well. [But may the OR police strike me dead if I've transgressed...] --Steve Summit (talk) 22:05, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

As someone who lives in the UK, i would say catigoricaly that there is no favoured side to walk on. And i find it hard to beleive that in the US people normally walk on the right side of corridors. Surely its more of a free for all, with people walking wherever theres space. Willy turner 22:16, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Nope, generally on the right. And we push our carts on the right of supermarket aisles, as well. Corvus cornix 22:32, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

If you notice, most doors for those supermarkets have the entrance on the right as well. That's exactly why I keep trying to go through the wrong door on one particular market near me that for some reason does not follow this custom. Dismas|^(talk) 03:43, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Hey, now that i've thought about it, i guess we do walk on the right in the US. i never really noticed before.--Maddie ^{was here} 22:45, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm Australian, where we drive on the left, and we do tend to stick to the left side of hallways, footpaths, shopping aisles, etc as well. Even those of us who don't drive at all. Down M. 23:59, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

I concur with that. I know of at least one case where a city council made it compulsory, on pain of a fine, for pedestrians to walk on the left-hand side of inner-city footpaths whenever there was any traffic in the opposite direction. -- JackofOz 00:12, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I have lived in the United States most of my life, and I agree that people here generally walk on the right, though there are always exceptions: people who are oblivious and people who cling to the left side of the sidewalk/pavement and force others to walk around them! I have been to England several times. When I am there, I have tried to keep to the left, but I must concur with Willy turner that it is a bit of a free-for-all, in London anyway. I think that Londoners have a slight tendency to keep left, but it is a much weaker tendency than the preference for walking on the right in U.S. cities. Incidentally, on a recent trip to India, where they drive on the left, I noticed a definite preference among pedestrians to walk down the left side of the street, even though there are seldom sidewalks/pavements, and walking down the left side of the street leaves you unable to see the cars, motorbikes, and autorickshaws (motorized tricycles) careening recklessly toward your back! Marco polo 00:25, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Dismas|^(talk) 03:43, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Weird. I was actually taught to walk on the right side in the US in either elementary or middle school, if not both. I think it's one of those mannerism rules that many people know. Just to add, moving sidewalks are on the right also in the US. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 04:58, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

On the London Underground system, which has a huge number of escalators, anybody wishing to walk (or run, which is a bit naughty) is urged to do so on the left, and standing users must stand to the right. As confirmed here, this is backed up not just by signs on every escalator but by custom - if you stand on the left of an LU escalator, eyebrows will be raised, at the very least. I don't think there's such a strong "convention" on other escalators, such as those in department stores, though. Hassocks5489 07:52, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

That is the convention on moving sidewalks in major US airports, such as O'Hare and ATL. I tried to find an image or something to support this OR, but failed. Hopefully the OR cops are still busy with Steve Summit! --LarryMac | Talk 13:49, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

What is the world's largest prison?

my friend asked me this. have done a quick google search, but no joy. What i mean is, which prison holds the most inmates? Willy turner 22:10, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

North Korea. Corvus cornix 22:32, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Although technically the United States has more people actually in a prison complex (and has the largest institutionalized prison system in the world). Though I get your drift. --24.147.86.187 22:54, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

The largest in the US is, I think, Angola Prison, which has over 5,000 inmates. Not sure of other big prisons elsewhere in the world but that's a nice number to start from. San Quentin has around that number as well, though. Tilanqiao Prison in Shanghai is said to have the capacity for 8,000 inmates — no idea if it really has that many, though (we don't have an article about it). --24.147.86.187 23:03, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Google gave no dice but hakia.com listed The Twin Towers Correctional Facility in LA as the largest prison (in square feet) in the world with 4,500 inmates. But “The Farm,” the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola has at least 5,000 and may be the largest in the Us. I don't know why it is so hard to find the answer to this... Sifaka ^talk 23:05, 12 June 2007 (UTC) (sorry I accidently erased everyone elses edits then fixed it... whoops)

I found answers to every related question but could not answer the question asked:

• Tihar Jail in New Delhi is one of the largest prison complexes in the world (13,436 inmates)[21]
• Camp Lawton was briefly the world's largest prison camp in the waning days of the Civil War[22]
• Prison Fellowship International is the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.
• California's Department of Corrections is the world's third-largest prison system
• Reporters Without Borders calls China the world's largest prison for journalists.[23] Cuba remains the world's second largest prison for the press.[24]
• Some say Gaza is the world's largest open-air prison[25]
• State Prison of Southern Michigan was once the largest walled prison in the world[26]
• The Vatican has no prison system[27]
• The GEO Group is the world's largest private prison company[28]
• The world's two largest women's prisons are both located in Chowchilla, California[29]

I think someone needs to bring out the big guns to answer the initial question! -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 03:46, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Obtaining a flight record

How do I go about getting confirmation from an airline showing that I was a passenger on one of their flights? Do I make a request to the airline or to a govt agency? (flight was on Virgin US -> UK). appreciate any help...

Ask the airline. I have never done this but you could try calling customer service and ask for confirmation that you boarded on flight X. Only a video of you walking on the plane itself and not getting off would be fullproof confirmation, but for most normal reasons you can probably get the confirmation from them that you got your ticket, a boarding pass for your flight, and that it was scanned when you boarded your flight. If you picked up a boarding pass in the airport (rather than printing your pass from home and bringing it) and you still have the torn stub, that's great. Sifaka ^talk 00:51, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Asking the airline in a polite letter is the best way, but if they fail to tell you you can write to them claiming a "subject access request" under the Data protection act and then they have to tell you. I think this may only apply to UK citizens, and definately only to UK companies. Virgin is a UK company. Its a bit full-on, but it is then a legal requirement that they give you the information you need. This only applies if its your flight and not someone else... 195.137.96.79 05:20, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

By the way, should you need to use this route, and it's only a last resort, they can chare you a small fee to comply. I think its about £10 max. Calling or writing is the best way to start with 195.137.96.79 05:26, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

June 13

Choosing a martial art

I want to take a martial art, but don't know which. I want to take one that would be good to beat someone with in a street fight but also is good exercise and doesn't require or have a high risk of getting an injury(something a doctor would be needed for) while learning it. I am a 6' tall male who weighs about 190 lbs and am of about a normal build (neither fat nor very muscular), so I would prefer a martial art that would take advantage of my semi-big size. I also want the other people doing it to be adults(I am a college student). Also please don't respond if you (like me) don't know about the differences between martial arts. Thank you all you are good.--RorepmE 00:21, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I personally stick with the more traditional Japanese martial arts, such as Shotokan and Aikido. Aikido is a bit more fast-paced, depending on the instructor, but in my experience it has minimal rates of in-class injury, if practiced correctly. If you were to stick with both of them for about ten years (with a bonus of learning patience!), I think you'd stand a very good chance in a street fight (minus weapons - ya can't block a bullet). If you check the in-class training warm-ups and exercises with your doctor, he can tell you whether they are appropriate. Most SKA Shotokan dojos consist of mostly children's classes, though, so you may want to be organization-specific. The JKA and ITKF seem to be more inclined to host adult classes. Japanese styles plumb the depths of my martial arts knowledge; See List of martial arts if you have a buttload of time. V-Man - ^T/_C 01:58, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Martial arts, like the name suggests, is an art or sport. It can be used for self-defence and indeed many were originally designed with that in mind, however for self-defence on the streets I would recommend a "street combat/grappling" course and not martial arts. I, myself, is a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and have dabble my feet (no pun intended ;) in other forms of martials arts including Karate, Jeet Kune Do and a very limited amount of Kung Fu. I found that these arts did not compare, in terms of practical applications, as the street combat courses that I have taken. However, I recommend starting with a martial art, so that you can build a solid foundation, then moving on to street combat. Out of the martial arts listed, I would recommend Jeet Kune Do the most, as I find it a bit more practical than the other "showy" martial arts. 74.111.82.91 02:29, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Sorry if this is a bit nitpicky, but wouldn't "street combat" be a type of martial arts? I know the term implies some sort of pretentious school of thought, but the definition that I am familiar with simply means a certain fighting style, or self-defense, as opposed to being an arty methodization of street fighting. V-Man - ^T/_C 02:44, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

There is no "Best" Martial Art. Only students of varing abilities. The most important aspect to any martial art is the teacher. My sugesstion is to look around. Most schools will let you sit and watch, or even attend a class or two before signing up. It doesn't really matter what style you study, you will get good results from a good teacher, and bad results from a bad teacher. Also the teacher's style should fit your personality. Weather you would prefer a drill sgt type teacher or someone more laid back would your personal choice. Also Look at the equipment at the school. There should be proper matting for falls intentional or accidental. As far as injuries go, a good teacher will only teach what you are capable of. For instance a Judo teacher will teach you to fall properly, before he teaches you to throw (and be thrown). If you want to get good a fighting, be sure to take a class where they spar often. That is the only way to actually get better at actual fighting, and some classes spar rarely, while others spar regularly. For instance in the Tae Kwon Do class that I am currently taking, we spar every Thursday. Finally for an adult class, again look around, usually, what you see is what you get when you look at a class. If it is mostly kids you probably don't want to go there. I would look around for schools close to campus that would be catering to College students like you, rather than a suburban school catering to families. BTW I go to a suburban school, and the only time kids vs adults really matters is in sparing. -Czmtzc 13:13, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

From the newsgroup rec.martial-arts, a self-defense FAQ -- it's quite pragmatic, because a street fight is a horrible thing to be in and very different from just about any martial arts training you'd do. The best self-defense really is awareness. That said I recommend Systema for being very hands-on and practical (and fun! -- from my experience), if you happen to be near a good teacher. A martial art with a grappling component (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, etc.) tends to have more credibility among people who don't think much of traditional martial arts (usually Japanese and Chinese ones) because of a perceived distance from "real fighting" ("Yeah, but can you use it in a fight?"). Again, the more you're actually getting hit and thrown, the more likely you'll get injured. iames 13:54, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

rainfall

how many gallon per acre is 1 inch of rainfall equal to ???

• Well from google - 1 acre = 6 272 640 square inches and - 1 US gallon = 231.000001 cubic inches. So we get 6 272 640/231 approximately 27 154 gallons per acre. Lisiate 02:48, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Lisiate has it, here's a web source, from this page: "One inch of rain falling on 1 acre of ground is equal to about 27,154 gallons and weighs about 113 tons." Pfly 05:08, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Cash value of a coupon

In the U.S. coupons often have a statement reading "cash value 1/20 of 1 cent." Does this mean I can collect thousands of copies of the same coupon and get a few bucks at the store?

I don't know, but I do know that the reason for this is that there has to be consideration for the coupon to be valid. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:13, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

You can't return them to the store: they'd have to be sent to the product's manufacturer. The reason appears not to be consideration as Richardrj said but state regulations that treat coupons as trading stamps [30][31]. Of course, generally you can only redeem them by mail, and since mailing them costs more than what you'd get back... --Charlene 07:16, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Incidentally, British coupons and vouchers usually have an even smaller nominal value: 0.01p or even 0.001p. Hassocks5489 07:56, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Paradise lost

Does anyone actually still read this book? Can you even still but it is shops? I assume a few theologists and university teachers/students might, but do people still sit down and read it just because it is a great book?

The book remains quite popular. There are several editions currently in print. You can certainly find it in all but the smallest bookshops. Probably a large share of the current demand for the book is for use by students, but probably a large share is by non-students who appreciate classics and who want to read one of the greatest works of English literature. According to Amazon, just one of the editions currently in print ranks number 4,683 out of the roughly million or so books on offer at Amazon. Marco polo 12:56, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, it is read by students primarily these days. It is a staple of intro to English lit. undergraduate courses. It is easy to find — it is a "classic" book and it is also totally out of copyright so there are a million cheap editions around. --24.147.86.187 13:02, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

That's odd, because I've never seen it in any shops. Why don't they make peoiple read it in school, it is much better than shakespear, and easier to understand.

Personal grooming habits- are they effective?

Only human beings routinely clean their teeth, body and hair using various chemicals. This has been happening for a few centuries. What were the negative effects of lack of tooth cleaning? do skeletans of ancient people show damaged teeth?. The other higher mammels like monkeys certainly do not have our cleaning habits. Their phisiology is not very different from the humans. How do they manage to preserve their teeth or their hair? 131.220.115.227 14:23, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

When monkeys can bake donuts, they'll have to brush their teeth too. (Flour and sugar can be detrimental to dental health. Look at what some pet food does to dogs.) There are also many anecdotes of people who stopped washing their hair and liked it. (e.g. Google.) iames 14:34, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I know a lot of people who don't use shampoo, especially those with very dry hair that can be damaged by shampoo, but I've never heard before about not washing at all. (Washing with water is still washing.) --Charlene 15:13, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

MLA citations

How do you cite a play seen in a theater in MLA format? DuctapeDaredevil 15:01, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

abstract algebra

prove that Q/Z is an infinite group that is not cyclic