I am 19 and still now I haven't being with a girl in an intimate relationship. The girls I know seems to be fascinated about funny guys, guys with cars, or good in sport. How can I make a girl like me? [[User:GoingOnTracks|GoingOnTracks]] ([[User talk:GoingOnTracks|talk]]) 11:08, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
:Probably not here in the Language RF. I'm moving your question to the Miscelaneous.11:33, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
Revision as of 11:33, 9 May 2008
Welcome to the miscellaneous section of the Wikipedia reference desk.
The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.
I still cannot find out how to do this...I want to add the bio of an emerging jazz artist and cannot figure out how?
Jeanne O'Keefe
Personal details removed —Preceding unsigned comment added by Twinjok (talk • contribs) 00:01, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
BUT, if the subject is "the bio of an emerging jazz artist" please be sure the subject meets the notability requirements for musicians otherwise the article will be speedily deleted (ie. within minutes).
Hint: It could be a good idea to develop the article in a subpage of your userpage. For example click the following red link to begin a "Music Bio" page there: User:Twinjok/Music Bio. That way, it won't get speedily deleted while you're working on the finer detail and getting the references in order. When you're done, you can request other editors to review the article, and the completed article can be moved into the main encyclopedia namespace.
Please do NOT include contact details in your questions. We are unable to provide answers by any off-wiki medium and this page is highly visible across the internet. The details have been removed, but if you wish for them to be permanently removed from the page history, email this address. Astronaut (talk) 00:17, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Is There Anybody Out There
I was in a club the other day and heard this awesome song. It had lyrics like "Woooooah Woo Wooo Woah Is there anybody out there?" and would probably be classified as a dance track. Does anyone know what it is (I may not be 100% accurate on the lyrics)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.166.80.4 (talk) 01:28, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the reply, but it's not the Pink Floyd song. It's much more upbeat, and has a somewhat strong drum backing to it (but less than most other club songs). I've had a look at the other ones, I don't think it's the cover (the song I heard is distinct to the Pink Floyd one) and it's not the DJ Junior one. I couldn't find much information on the "Ode to the Wall" mention, is this what you meant when you said "the wall" in your edit summary? 124.183.145.239 (talk) 02:46, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Rockpocket, for even mentioning that, I am afraid I must put you on the list. That song was pretty much the worst cover ever. Unfortunately you may well be right. -mattbuck (Talk) 09:09, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Myself and several other editors have been compiling a list of very active editors who would likely be available to help new editors in the event they have questions or concerns. As the list grew and the table became more detailed, it was determined that the best way to complete the table was to ask each potential candidate to fill in their own information, if they so desire. This list is sorted geographically in order to provide a better estimate as to whether the listed editor is likely to be active.
If you consider yourself a very active Wikipedian who is willing to help newcomers, please either complete your information in the table or add your entry. If you do not want to be on the list, either remove your name or just disregard this message and your entry will be removed within 72 hours. The table can be found at User:Useight/Highly Active, as it has yet to have been moved into the Wikipedia namespace. Thank you for your help.
P.S. - Sorry for posting this here, but I didn't want to post on everyone's individual talk page (I started to, but I felt like I was spamming everyone). Useight (talk) 03:03, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Does someone know of a -public or open for all- library where I can login with my laptop and have access to scientific electronic texts? SaltnVinegar (talk) 11:59, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds unlikely—subscriptions to said texts are extremely expensive (PLoS as the exception, of course—which doesn't mean I think it's a great idea). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:11, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Some university libraries, especially public universities, will let members of the local public have access to the library, or purchase access for a small yearly fee, and often this includes at least the right to log onto the library's own terminals and access the electronic materials there. --Delirium (talk) 15:31, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Economies of oil-producing countries: Saudi Arabia and Norway
In Norway, there's the debate about using income from our oil industry to directly fund such things as hospitals or other weakspots of the budget economy. I've read up on the economy of Saudi Arabia (particularly #diversification), but could not quite understand how come the Saudi Arabian economy has not been run straight into the ground; as I understand economics, a sudden and major squirt of money will easily cause inflation. The economies of Norway and Saudi Arabia are quite different, but what makes it impossible for Norway to use the income from the oil economy in as direct a manner as the Saudis have? I have a hunch that a poorly educated population versus skilled foreign workforce is an important factor in here, but I am not quite able to place it. Did (or are) the Saudis pay(ing) foreigners to erect modern industry, so the Saudi to-be educated population could work there? Scaller (talk) 16:06, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The indexmundi listings here (Saudi) and here (Norway) don't show any real issues, and an inflation between 0.8 to 1.6% seems rather negligible. Of course the recent sharp change in Saudi inflation (375% more in one year) can be debated, but my question is about a lot longer timespan. It is only recently that the Saudi economy has gone properly haywire; before the nineties there was still progress, without oil barrel prices quite comparable to those nowadays. Scaller (talk) 17:14, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
An economics expert could probably tell you more, but I think you may be dealing with figures that can't really be compared. The following model just might give an idea of what could be going on. Imagine a sheik in "Sandy Arabia" earned $101 million a year and none of the rest of the 100 inhabitants had any income. Next lets say every one of the 101 inhabitants of "Noway" earned a million a year. The per capita income would then be the same for both countries. Let's say our sheik could afford 101 Ferraris and each of the inhabitants of Noway could afford one. If you compare the gross picture inhabitants of both countries can each afford a Ferrari, but only in Noway could each also buy one. I tried to look for "income distribution" statistics for Saudi Arabia and came up pretty much empty [http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2003/issue3/jv7n3a2.html#The Economy�s Non-Oil Tax Base]. Apart from that, the two economic systems are not comparable. A large part of the Saudi Arabian economy is based on government monopolies and limited competition in the market. The fact that the population is moving from mostly nomadic agriculture to settled untrained labor/job seekers is putting a huge strain on local economic policies. Eventually the government can not provide enough jobs and finance the deficit and things go downhill fast. Lisa4edit (talk) 07:35, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'd imagine that immigration pays a role, Saudi Arabia has a lot of immigrant workers who cannot get permanent residence (I think. There may be some information in Demographics of Saudi Arabia). The problem in Norway is that if you spend a lot of money on hospitals and roads, that will inevitably "crowd out" other sectors of the economy (construction work will be more expensive, for example, so more workers will be drawn to construction, making it harder to get people for other types of job). This spiral also leads to inflation, and immigration helps cut a part of the feedback. Also, Saudi Arabia's oil reserves are vastly larger than Norway's, and are expected to last longer. Jørgen (talk) 09:05, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Alright, the application of money from oil production is not directly comparable over the two countries, due to different economic environments. The Saudi use of money can be said to not 'saturate' its population's economy, in part due to work immigration and maintaining low wages for the poor. Where wages are naturally higher, and the economy more transparent (in the sense that money will 'bleed through' and that differences in wages are lower, as in Norway), such direct use of large amounts of money can have a much more dire effect on inflation. Have I understood it all right then? I'll keep a look out for an economist's answer. Thank you. Scaller (talk) 13:51, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. According to Quantcast, the "site reaches approximately 16,164 U.S. monthly uniques." [2] The demographics indicate that 74% of users are female, and 69% are over 40 years of age. It appears as though the site does indeed get frequented by its target audience. ---Sluzzelintalk18:41, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Swarm Photographers
Frequently on TV, when high-profile individuals are leaving or entering a court house, a swarm of reporters and photographers can be seen taking pictures and videos of them. In North America, does one need some sort of "press-pass" to be legally swarming the individuals and taking their picture? Or can anybody just walk up and take pictures? Acceptable (talk) 17:38, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This would fall in under "legal information" (as opposed to advice), but you should not act on these matters based upon unreferenced "yes" or "no"s. :) Scaller (talk) 17:59, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If I were to not feed my chickens commercial food what would I feed them? These are ingredients for feed I found in a book: wheat meat, corn meal, oats, fish meal, dried milk, ground seashells, salt. Would it be okay if I took out the dried milk, seashells, and fishmeal? I pretty much want to be able to make it all myself so I don't have to pay to much. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 20:35, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
All those items are high in calcium; they're probably recommended so the hens can lay eggs with solid shells. Cutting out all the calcium would seem to be an invitation to malnutrition for the bird and/or deformed/easily cracked eggs. Matt Deres (talk) 21:10, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Where do you live? If the climate is suitable, you can allow your chickens to free range during the spring, summer, and fall and depending on your locale, the winter as well. The chickens would probably still desire some more calcium such as from ground seashells or even milk. And you don't really have to worry about milk that's gone bad a bit. We give our chickens clabber quite often since we have a friend who owns a cow that they hand milk. Dismas|(talk)21:18, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The dried milk, fishmeal etc. is also needed as a source of protein. You can supplant that with Earthworms. 3 possible sources for those: mail order, attach a car battery to stakes put some yards apart in the ground (NOT RECOMMENDED, but some line fishermen do that, if you are a minor, DON'T) or start a Compost pile. They will congregate there and you can start your own breeding program in a barrel or even a bucket from there. Add vegetable scraps and rotate the barrel at regular intervals. Or you could breed Cricket (insect). They eat those. Many other insects also work. My gramps used to feed his chickens eggshells, so I'd say, yes. 7% hydrated lime works as a substitute. They also need tiny pebbles (very coarse sand) for digestion. Chopped up fresh Dandelion leaves are also an excellent source of calcium. Chickens like fresh stuff like berries and lettuce. Lisa4edit (talk) 05:15, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You can't feed a chicken egg anything. In some places pet shops sell various types of insects. Finding a place like that would be easier than catching your own.HS7 (talk) 18:57, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You can feed them pretty much what you eat. Dry and crush any eggshells so the chickens dont learn to peck eggs. With the wheat (or other grain) you can soak it for 2 days first to soften it. Oh yes, put useful info on en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Raising_Chickens/Feeding .Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 12:23, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Dialogue between Merry and Pippin
I need some samples of dialogue between Merry and Pippin as presented in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Preferably from the books, but script from the movies are OK, too. I'd just leaf through the series myself looking for scenes involving the two, but I don't have enough time on my hands. I just need perhaps a scene or two primarily from the point of view of the two hobbits, with a lot of speaking between them, preferably funny. It doesn't have to be one giant block of text, it can also be from various situations throughout the books. If it helps, I'm trying to make about an eight minute duo for high school speech where a friend and I act as them as well as narrate. Thanks, False Tournament (talk) 23:35, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I haven't yet memorised the entire book, so I'm not of much help, but I did rather like their conversation just after the destruction of Isengard, where they were sitting there chating, eating and smoking when the others came across them. I can't actually remember whether that was from the book or the movie though.HS7 (talk) 11:41, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's in the book, primarily. I think the "extended" movie version (third film) has a little bit of that, but not as much as the book. It's in the second book (which covers a lot more ground than the second movie did, in part because the Battle of Helm's Deep is pretty short in the book, if I recall). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:26, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
ZOOM H2 question
Hello all you clever people. Can you anser me this. I just bought a zoom h2 recorder. What I want to know is, when you have it connected to the power supply, does it charge the internal rechargeable batteries or do you have to charge the outside. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.218.136 (talk) 23:44, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Does this count as soapboxing? If not I have a follow up question; how do those who believe in God explain the conservation violations caused by magically making things? Paragon12321 (talk)
The whole point is that only a Supreme Being could explain what they see as deviations from the laws of physics. Creationism generally focuses on discrediting scientific explanations of our origins. When belief is on your side, you don't have to explain everything in terms of lawa they same way scientists do. Generally, Creationists will say "The law of conservation of matter and energy was established after Creation was complete and cannot be applied prior to that, because matter and energy are both objects of Creation." Naturalists would say, "The totality of matter and energy has always been the same, the Big Bang simply saw a change from energy to matter". Rockpocket08:08, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's simple: the amount of energy stays the same, and the amount of matter stays the same, and neither of these conservations are caused in any way by a supernatural being. They just are there. 'Those who do believe in "GOD" (and CAPITALIZE every OTHER freaking WORD) should explain how he exists even though there are hundreds of years of scientific evidence pointing to the opposite. For example, if the Earth is only 6000 years old, how come our knowledge of geology makes sense? If evolution is not a fact (it is), how come there is perfect (alright, near-perfect) evidence in fossils? How come stars are in existence when if the universe really was only 6000 years old we would still be a superheated cloud of hydrogen gas? Instead of trying to disprove valid scientific evidence, why not try to prove god? See Burden_of_proof. Ilikefood (talk) 16:20, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Just a note that the vast majority of theists are not creationists. I'm a Christian, and you can't say something just is, what created it? Nothing cannot cause something.--193.120.116.177 (talk) 20:30, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Whose saying nothing caused something? I never said that something came from nothing. I said that something happened and was not influenced by a supernatural being. And, assuming that the big bang theory is correct, there wasn't a "nothing", its just that everything was compacted into an infinitely dense point before it exploded outward. Ilikefood (talk) 00:29, 13 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Anyway, the point is, if you really try and put yourself in the viewpoint of someone whose beliefs are different than yours, you'll see that those people aren't total morons either. It's not really hard to see either the non-believer (or Creationist, or whatever) viewpoint if you give it an honest try. It doesn't mean the viewpoint is correct or is compelling to you, but pretending it can't be conceptualized is just intellectual laziness, no matter who is doing it. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:23, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
A more popular question might be how those who don't believe in God explain those things - in other words, if there is no intelligence behind creation why should there be any form of order or regularity at all? DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:18, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If the question is, from a scientific viewpoint, why is there order in the universe rather than chaos (or perhaps more accurately, why is there complexity rather than chaos), this is a field of great interest to physicists. The timeline of the Big Bang gives some idea of how various forces became distinct from others over (very brief) periods of time. One could also, of course, ask why an infinite god should decide to create a universe. Warofdreamstalk09:49, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Digitigrade bipeds
Would that even be possible? They stand on a smaller area than plantigrades, and probably the "tip-toe" stance would strain the muscles more than plantigrades. I'm guessing it would be pretty hard just to stay balanced for a while. 24.6.46.92 (talk) 02:59, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
And "traditionally bipedal dinosaurs have been viewed as strict digitigrade walkers" according to this academic paper [4] whereas reptiles are apparently plantigrade (until they pick up speed!). cursorial relates to that. Mhicaoidh (talk) 04:07, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I suppose birds count, but I was thinking of more like a wolf's paws. My main question is if it is even practical to have digitigrade legs on a biped and be able to run/walk/stand normally. 24.6.46.92 (talk) 20:41, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The answer then is yes,even if you are big and heavy like a dinosaur. It helps you hop, leap and/or run fast BUT you need a counterweight / support such as a tail, which we see in kangaroos, dinosaurs, birds...and werewolves! Mhicaoidh (talk) 23:51, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't understand from the article whether they are walking on the whole of their toes, or just the tips of them. If it is the whole of the toes, I tend to run and sometimes walk like that without any trouble balancing.HS7 (talk) 18:39, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Cookies or bars
Which was invented first, Cookies or bars(like brownies, special K, and lemon bars)?
I am seeking employment and the position I am applying for, has a questionaire attached. I must answer 10 questions so the person hiring me can get a better feel for any seriously interested candidate. The question I am stuck on is: "if you could get rid of any of the US states, which one would it be, and why?
Can you believe it? And this is a position for a dental office a manager.
Thank You for your help. Maybe you can help me in the direction of where this is going. JudieJudith Stew (talk) 04:44, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thats a seriously inappropriate question and in my country you wouldnt be allowed to ask it, as your answer could be seen to reveal your personal views on all sorts of things such as politics, religion and so on. The dental firm is a business therefore I would avoid giving a direct answer eg Vermont! New Jersey! and instead discuss your reasoning, after all the job you are applying for is manager. Perhaps the state that contributes least to the US economy? mind you I'd imagine such an impoverished region would be full of dental problems and thus need your dental service. But would they be able to pay for it? And that would be your problem as manager; so then start talking about your skills... Mhicaoidh (talk) 07:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Florida: the biggest player in the US sugar industry contributing 21.4% of the total (from sugarcane and beets combined) sugar produced in the United States. Get rid of Florida, the simplistic theory goes, and the price of sugar goes up, sweet foods that rot teeth get more expensive and less people will buy them. Thats great if the goal is to improve the teeth of the nation, but the ultimate consequence of that could be less business for the dentist. Thus perhaps you should choose the State that contributes the least to the US sugar or high fructose corn syrup industries!
Alternatively, you could be controversial and say "Iraq: because since its acquisition it has cost the rest of the country $3 trillion to maintain". A pretty clever choice if the dentist is in San Francisco, less so if it is in Texas. Rockpocket07:33, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You could say "Get rid of the United States.", but that means that Mexico and Latin America loses its Health coverage and has to sponge off of Europe. 205.240.144.214 (talk) 07:55, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The question is probably intended to test your wit. Whatever you do, don't propose a serious answer (unless, perhaps, it's related to dentistry as above; that would at least show you had done some homework).--Shantavira|feed me09:36, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The question is worded so you have a choice. If you could... which one would it be... So why not choose to keep them all ? Demonstrate loyalty and avoid accusations of bias, racism, etc.86.209.29.33 (talk) 13:45, 4 May 2008 (UTC)DT[reply]
Perhaps choose the state in which you are applying for the job. That way maybe you'd have some kind of remote chance at a decent health care system to work in; something with universal national health insurance. Or maybe that would be a little pessimistic for a manager. Hmm. --Prestidigitator (talk) 06:03, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
God Being an Angel
Please reply to this edit only if you are not a Christian.
In the novel The Amber Spyglass of the series His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, God, the Authority, is false, fake, and fraud, not really God or a god, but is actually an angel. Could it be possible that God is false, fake, and fraud, not really God or a god, but is actually an angel, in reality, in the real world, in real life?
When the story His Dark Materials said that God is not really God or a god but is actually an angel, it meant and was talking about the Christian god. But Christianity is just one of the many different religions that exist in the world today. There are so many different religions in the world today. There are some people who claim and believe that Allah, the god of Islam, is false, fake, and fraud, not really God or a god but is actually an angel. Did you know that? See section 29 in page 20 of the article Islam - A Case Of Mistaken Identity.
It is possible that a Christian God is false, fake and fraud in "real life". He could, in reality, be an angel or he could, in reality, not exist. It is also possible that an Islamic God is false, fake and fraud in "real life". He could, in reality, be an angel or he could, in reality, not exist. The probability of each of those possibilities is a matter for debate elsewhere. Rockpocket07:05, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Bowei, this is not a good question. There are many different beliefs regarding god/gods. We may think of a religion as a set of beliefs. So when you ask "Could it be possible that God is false...?", you need to specify which set of beliefs you're refering to.
Asking the refdesk whether it knows that some people believe that the muslim god is false is not appropriate and doesn't belong here.
Bowei, you are asking about questions of belief. Each person has their own beliefs which they may be able to share in parts with others. None of this is testable in ways that are applicable to the stuff that a reference desk deals with. You could find some much more appropriate forum to ask this kind of question. SaundersW (talk) 16:10, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Or what if the other angels are just less powerful gods, under a diferent name? That would be basically the same thing.HS7 (talk) 18:13, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
A popular idea in Christian theology has been that Satan is a fallen angel and is quite capable of convincing people that he is the Christian God. Warofdreamstalk09:53, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Why does it cost Ford a billion dollars to develop a car but Tesla Motors can pop one out on $40 mil startup?
Lotsofissues 13:27, 4 May 2008 (UTC)
Where's a source for Ford needing a billion bucks? Or is that just a turn of phrase? Similarly, where's Tesla's $40 mil? Tesla Motors suggests more like $150 mil has been dropped into the company.
Tesla is developing with other people's money and effectively has nothing (or at least comparatively little) to lose. They can take risks that an established car company, be it Ford or Toyota, can't.
Depending on what is classed as a development cost, Tesla isn't attempting to build in volume. If you call a car's $10000 worth of parts "development", and Ford makes 100,000 to Tesla's 10, then there's your difference. — Lomn14:05, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Tesla is building upon an existing Lotus platform.
Tesla is a new company. They don't have to pay retirement money to people who used to work for them. They only pay pension insurance for the people they've hired so far. [6] Tesla's design doesn't have to fit existing mass production facilities. If they build a bumper they don't have to figure out how to reconfigure their metal press from the previous model. --Lisa4edit (talk) 18:51, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Reconfiguring equipment is not a problem: stamping machines and the like are designed to be reconfigured. Ford and Telsa will have about the same design costs there (Ford might spend more on dies because they've got a higher production volume, but that's not a design cost). The difference is probably in indirect costs like advertising, market research, management, and the like. --Carnildo (talk) 22:15, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
i'm a 21 year old young kenyan.i recently got hired on one of the biggest call centres in Africa.I'm currently doing transcription services for the company.i'm just about to end my training and i'm to hit the live floor, where i'll be doing live messages in the next few days.We are doing canadian voicemail transcriptions.First question,Anybody know a site i can go to or a tutorial i can download to learn how canadians speak.Cos their accents is so fast, i make lots of major errors.Question two-Incase i do a trnscription wrongly is there someone who checks my messages before they go to the receipient?Cos where i work only three to five messages are checked daily.And you do like 30 messages daily.
3.I want to learn about the canadian culture.Not the general stuff like provinces,cities..i want the grassroot stuff.Like the hottest band, The hottest mall, clubs, roads.Common stuff i'm likely to encounter while doing my transcriptions.PLEASE HELP> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.49.87.164 (talk) 13:34, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The last bit is going to be hard. You can check for Canadian billboard ratings for songs, but really most of the culture stuff you simply pick up. Maybe Google.ca news, and othernewssites? It's a big, diverse country, so there's no simple "popular mall/street/clubs", unless you're doing a specific city of small region of the nation. 206.126.163.20 (talk) 03:25, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think it's the amount of food or nutrition that's necessary for sustained existence of an animal, neither growing nor starving. A google search yields many pages which look like they explain this. —Steve Summit (talk) 16:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
From Google books: 'A maintenance ration may be described as that which will maintain an animal that is in a resting and non-producing condition and in good health, in the same condition and at the same weight for an indefinite period.' It is contrasted with the production ration, 'that part of the daily diet which is given in excess of maintenance requirements, and which is available for being converted into energy, as in working horses, or into milk, or into fat or wool, or is used for growth.' Algebraist16:06, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Rx
Why do many medical sites (particlularly those "pharmacies" based in North America) feature the letters "Rx" prominently in their name or logo. As a brit, it seems odd to me that these letter would have anything to do with the medical profession at all. Astronaut (talk) 15:39, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Medical prescription article has a big "US centric" tag on it. Not surprising since the Rx symbol does not exist (in common usage) here in the UK. Here, a precription is an order you get from your doctor so the chemist shop can issue you with a prescription controlled drug, for which the patient is charged a fixed (by government policy) fee. In common with most pharmacies in Europe, the chemist shop often has a sign incorporating a green cross - No Rx in sight. Astronaut (talk) 16:52, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It actually stands in its abbreviated form for "Recipe" - and it most certainly is used in British medicine and pharmacology. 92.8.196.184 (talk) 10:18, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No, because that will vary widely. What crop?, what kind of seed?, what fertilizer?, what type of soil?, how much rain?, unseasonable weather?, etc. Some of these factors vary over a scale as small as an individual field. You could find tables of average yields for specific regions for specific crops in certain years, however. Rmhermen (talk) 03:28, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Your IP address indicates you are from Michigan. Check for publications or web postings by the Michigan department of agriculture. Edison (talk) 02:24, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
How does the pitcher beat the baserunner to first?
Im familiar with the geometry of baseball (Hell, I played in a lot of games) and it doesnt seem logically possible for the pitcher to beat the baserunner. He cuts an angle, but he covers more ground. Please wow me with the complex mathematical formula that makes this happen.Baseball and and and Popcorn Fanatic (talk) 17:39, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Er, he covers less ground, not more. The pitcher's mound is closer to first base than home plate is. Maybe you could still be a popcorn fanatic? Matt Deres (talk) 18:19, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The distance from home plate to first base is 90'. The distance from home plate to the pitcher's mound is 60'6". That would make the distance from the pitcher's mound to first base about 67'. So, the pitcher has about a 23' head start on the batter. If the ball was hit as a line drive back at the pitcher, he'd probably be able to catch it before the batter even put his bat down. Dismas|(talk)21:53, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Er, sqrt((90/sqrt(2))^2+(90/sqrt(2)-60.5)^2) feet = 63.717 feet = about 63'8½". (67 feet would be about right for second base.) Of course, the distance the better has to run isn't exactly 90 feet anyway; it depends on whether he's right- or left-handed. --Anonymous, 04:28 UTC, May 5, 2008.
World War II English spy: Code Name, Christopher Robin
Hello,
A number of years ago, we read a book about a World War II English spy that worked with Churchill and was code named: Christopher Robin. Neither my husband nor myself can remember the name of the book or the spy's real name. We would very much like to get the book again. Can someone help us?Sbignrnt (talk) 19:40, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You might find the book 'The Paladin' published by Simon & Shulster in 1980 is what you are looking for. Good luck in your hunt!--Artjo (talk) 20:01, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Why wouldn't it? Springer's website ought to know, and it's not like it's an unrealistic number for a series to have (my Modern Graph Theory lists 230 books in the Graduate Texts in Mathematics series). Algebraist23:25, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. I just wanted to make sure I was not spewing random numbers onto Wikipedia articles. I try to be a good example to other Wikipedians on campus here so I try to stay really careful. Thank you once again. Kushal (talk) 00:40, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
For the "Did You know that....." section of Wikipedia
Did you know that if you took the word POLITE, crosses out certain letters in that word, you'll have the word LIE? Can someone place this in the proper area of Wikipedia? 205.240.144.214 (talk) 20:35, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Now, can someone place this? Its not often that the word "polite" is associated with the word "lie", and the "brutally honest" find that amusing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.240.144.214 (talk) 21:12, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think he means he wants this factoid put in the "Did you know..." section on the Main Page, in which case, no, because those facts are taken from wikipedia's newest articles. If you create an article focused around this pit of information (possibly an article about those word puzzles, though you'll want to check this page to be sure the article does not already exist), then this factoid would be qualifiable for inclusion in that section. --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 01:02, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, this question was asking for legal advice and that's not allowed here. You need to consult a lawyer in the relevant country. --Anonymous, 04:25 UTC, May 5, 2008.
If you're going to delete questions, please have the courtesy to identify yourself. I contend that this question was regarding facts, not "advice". Not everything touching on legal topics equates to legal "advice". --Nricardo (talk) 10:51, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Asking whether something is copyrightable is not an issue of "legal advice". It's easy to answer for someone who has even the faintest association with the basic ideas behind copyright law. I'm restoring the question. If you object, take it to the talk page. And if you are going to delete questions, please sign your posts. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 15:20, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Anon, please report removals of requests for proffessional advice on the RD talk page. I'm not saying that I don't trust your judgement but it's always nice to have a second opinion. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 18:47, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, talk page it is. I've said my piece; discuss away. --Anonymous, 22:25 UTC, May 5, 2008.
Restored
I want to write a story involving people from Cappagh in 1901 & 1911, as taken from this census. However, I also don't want to get sued. Since these records are about a hundred years old, would they (and the people mentioned in them) fall into the public domain? --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 00:53, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Census data is never copyrighted anyway (it is just route collection of data, it has no creative content). The people mentioned in a census are not copyrighted, they are not creative works of an author (for the purposes of the law, anyway—theologians might disagree!). In general this page is a handy-dandy chart to figuring out whether something is in the public domain (in the United States), but in any case, for something like what you are asking it is totally not an issue. Even if the census was done last year, it wouldn't be an issue. Even if the records in question were done by a private company, it wouldn't matter. Census isn't creative; and names of people aren't copyrighted. It's like data in a telephone directory. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:57, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Note, however, that outside of copyright issues, there may be other legal impediments to using someones likeness in a story. I can't remember specifics, but I believe that some countries have "right to identity" statues - making it illegal to appropriate someone's likeness for your own purposes. Depending on country, the specifics of the law, and the extent of your appropriations (e.g. are you just using names, or are you using details from their life and/or photos of them) you may or may not fall afoul of the law (if it exists). Also note that there may be additional laws against "speaking ill of the dead" - claiming, for example, that a specific person from 1901 was a murderer (when he wasn't) may run you up against libel/slander laws. Prominently labeling your work as Fiction may get around these laws, but you probably would need to consult a lawyer to be absolutely certain. (The various laws and different jurisdictions in which they apply is one of the prime reasons the WP:RD can't give legal advice.) -- 128.104.112.85 (talk) 15:48, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed, there are other things to take into account, and if you are doing anything that someone might get offended with, you should probably talk to a lawyer later (once you have something to show them). But copyright is not an issue. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 15:56, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That's interesting. But the "database rights" would have long since expired, as they only last 15 years after the first publication of the database. The copyright status itself does not change as it is still not a creatively selected database, so that doesn't add anything to that question. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 00:55, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Wait, so this new directive says I can't use these peoples names, since they (and the censuses they appear under) fall under the criteria of a "database?" Or is it just the censuses? Did I read that correctly at all? (There's a very good chance that I didn't) --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 23:48, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Another point of note. If you are taking the information from a source seperate from the original source, do not assume it is in the public domain simply because the source data is in the public domain. In the UK and other places Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp. is generally of no consequence and UK courts have upheld Sweat of the brow as sufficient in some cases for copyright protection even without much creativity or originality. See also Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service#Other countries (like Bridgeman, generally consider irrelevant in the UK as far as I know). N.B. This is one of the reasons why legal advice is a bad thing. People tend to give examples which may not apply in the jurisdiction in question and may miss subtle legal issues. BTW, if I'm not mistaken individual census records are not released to the public for 100 years in the UK. Nil Einne (talk) 16:18, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Cat dreadlocks
We have a siamese, about six years old, with long hair who is constantly getting dreadlocks. I can't really comb them out (I'm not that brave) so I end up cutting them out with a scissors. The cat looks terrible but I;m sure he's more comfortable. The cat also has a lot of dandruff. Anyone have any advice, experience stories to relate, etc., that tie in?--68.237.223.179 (talk) 01:35, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
They aren't dreadlocks, they're called mats. Long haired cats and dogs can often get these, though cats usually are good enough about cleaning themselves that they don't become an issue. The only way to get rid of a mat is to cut it out. Regular brushing can help keep the mats from reforming. Go to your local pet store and ask them for a slicker brush. We have two long hair cats. One is okay with the brush and the other will actually run up to you if she see it in your hand, she loves it that much. So, give that a shot. As for the dandruff, I got nothin'. Dismas|(talk)01:54, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
For regular grooming (well, during the spring and autumn moults) our normally grouchy cat tolerates the Zoom groom pretty well. I am sure there are other similar tools out there! SaundersW (talk) 09:08, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Dandruff might be actually be cat litter. Brushing a cat actually helps them get most of that stuff out of their fur. And they like being comb.Cardinal Raven (talk) 02:47, 7 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven[reply]
My mom's cat used to have this problem, and no longer does. The solution was to put him on a diet. He's still fat, but now not so fat that he can't reach his back with his tongue. (Of course you have to cut out the existing dreads anyway -- even if he can reach them he's not going to be able to get rid of them with his tongue, just keep new ones from forming.) --Trovatore (talk) 22:01, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Air Hockey Table
I've been curious about Air hockey tables. I am wondering whether the air blowing up from the table actually makes the puck float (is it actually touching the table)? Someletters<Talk> 04:00, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It really isn't touching the table, although it's so close you can't tell by looking. (I suppose it will touch some of the time if it's hit in such a way as to tilt it.) The puck's very light, so it doesn't take a lot of air pressure to lift it. --Anonymous, 04:28 UTC, May 5, 2008.
What is the largest tram network in the world? Tram and light-rail transit systems, and the articles leading off from there, don't address this question directly. Google throws up a number of contenders, including Melbourne, Vienna and St Petersburg, but nothing conclusive (Melbourne seems to be listed as the largest, second largest or third largest, depending on what you read). As a resident of Vienna, I'm obviously rooting for my home town. Any thoughts? --Richardrjtalk email09:26, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
de:Wiener Straßenbahn says that the extent of Vienna's tramway network measures 231.6 km, and claims it is the third-largest worldwide, after Melbourne (245 km according to en.wikipedia's article, 238 km according to the quoted German article) and Saint Petersburg (285km until 2001 but 220km as of 2007 according to en.wikipedia's article, 288 km according to the quoted German article). In other words, we still don't know for sure. ---Sluzzelintalk11:09, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
"What's the largest?" questions are notoriously difficult to answer definitively, due to the multiplicity of definitions of "largest", and the vast amount of poor information floating around, influenced much more by boosterism and wishful thinking than rigor. —Steve Summit (talk) 11:18, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Styrofoam or Polystyrene is a petrochemical product or more plainly plastic. Eating that is not good for your digestive system. Some peanut-shaped pieces of "styrofoam" are used in packets to keep the object being sent from breaking. They are called peanuts because of their shape. Similar peanut-shaped packing material is made from starch. Whether or not one can eat those would depend on how it is processed. I'd advise against DIY experiments. Circus peanuts are also peanut shaped. They are made from marshmallow which is basically sugar and gelatin. In contrast to plastic that is very edible. (Although you might get a tummy ache if you eat too many.)--Lisa4edit (talk) 18:14, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It seems that name is only used by Dow. They are usually traded and available under "packaging peanuts". Our article, now that I've found it, is foam peanuts. Apparently the ones made from starch are edible. Just make sure it's not the other kind before you try. 71.236.23.111 (talk) 10:09, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Stabilized Compressed Earth Block Technology
Can stabilized compressed earth block technology be used to construct modern houses inexpensively in the SouthEastern U.S.? Using on-site dirt, it seems like anyone should be able to provide adequate shelter for themselves (without serious expense and with a small group of helpful folks).
Talking from experience in Georgia and Louisiana we're having lots of trouble keeping wood houses dry. United States rainfall climatology will tell you that we're getting quite a bit of rain (usually, Georgia had a drought last year) Humid subtropical climate unfortunately doesn't give figures on air humidity. Most people run dehumidifiers to keep their houses and basements dry. Given that, even if building in that way would be technologically feasible you'd have to find people who would want to risk it. Since very few people finance their houses out-of-pocket, the lending industry would have to be convinced that there is no threat of their security being "washed away". My guess would be that they'd ask for a horrendous amount of mortgage insurance to cover their risk. Another factor is that you'd have to find trained workers and/or a builder specializing in this type of construction. In the South-West they have experience with adobe houses. In the Southeast most houses are wood frame and board/drywall. Specially trained workers are likely to be more expensive. A lot of the cost of building a house is not the materials, but the labor. Another thing worth checking would be local code restrictions. Any additional requirements can easily exceed the costs saved on building materials. Building a house with neighborhood help happens rarely except for Habitat for Humanity houses and some church group buildings. 71.236.23.111 (talk) 07:07, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Sometimes, and you simply go to the closest elevator with the best price. But much grain is sold on the futures market and now more is being sold through the internet.[8]Rmhermen (talk) 01:34, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think I saw a clip in The Choice 2004 by Frontline back in 2004 with Dubya talking to reporters after his father lost his 1970 Senate race in Texas. Other times would be Dubya's failed run for Congress in 1978. --Blue387 (talk) 04:35, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Given that he came from an extremely rich family, it wouldn't surprise me if there is e.g. a private video recording from the 80s or earlier which has never been seen by the general public. Or perhaps just an audio recording e.g. a love song he song for Laura Nil Einne (talk) 16:02, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I have a foreign friend who despewrately wants to own and operate a business in the Philippines. How does he get started? what are the requirements? Please help me and I also need a lawyer, probably a CPA lawyer. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.28.174.82 (talk) 03:07, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I spent some time in the Philippines, and I was told that foreigners weren't allowed to own land. I dont' know if that's true and I don't know if that's relevant. So...yeah. Useight (talk) 06:27, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
State Defense Forces
I was reading the article about State Defense Forces and was wondering about a few things. Most defense forces are unarmed but if they were federalized, would they be armed? If so, are they armed by the federal government? Could a state arm their own defense forces by themselves? (I'm strangely imagining a governor or something buying HK416's for their own forces.) How about vehicles like armored vehicles, trucks and Humvees? --Blue387 (talk) 04:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
As the article discusses some are already armed and they cannot be federalized. So yes state government could buy them weapons. However states already have armed forces, their National Guard units. Rmhermen (talk) 21:24, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I heard a show on the CBC a few days ago that cited studies saying IQ had gone up substantially in the last few decades. The opinion of the researcher in question was that people had got smarter in the things that IQ tested; specifically abstract reasoning. Fifty or a hundred years ago abstract reasoning wasn't as necessary so we didn't practice it. Now it's pretty essential. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:13, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
But how can that be? How can the next generation of youth today be smarter? I have seen many children(of this day and age) whom don't pick up books, who don't want to go to school or learn, all they want to do is socialize, they don't study, they get poor grades, they have poor grammar when they should have some decent grammar especially in their teenage life, some of them write like they are texting on a cell phone; and the lack of words being used.
How can our youth be smarter?
Well, of course not all youth do what you have described. Generally speaking, youth in developed countries who are lucky enough to enjoy the listed luxuries might participate in them to some extent. That is not to say, however, it will make them less intelligent. Just because a teenager is using slangs and internet acronyms to chat over the internet or on a cell phone, does not necessarily mean that they will write like that on an academic paper. As well, there is a large population of youth who are not doing the tasks you described, and have access to a much larger database of information, such as Wikipedia, that was previously unavailable to past generations. As well, in developing countries, computer usage and internet access is now spreading as well. Once connected, an onslaught of new information will be available to them. Acceptable (talk) 22:22, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
<hyperbole> Either you are mixing with the wrong crowd or you live in a suburb where education is considered to be some elitist wank due to the lack of role models. Go to Princeton or Cambridge and most toddlers in their prams write on a PhD thesis. Consider also, that it is a prime characteristic of the next generation to be revolting. <hyperbole>
Currently I live in Liverpool in Britain. But I am a floater. I hear many students, I see many people, I hear many people. Its strange this world is. The many people you see and yet the most I see is someone who has probably never picked up a book once in their life only when it is necessary. I see teenagers using the internet colloquialism and cellphone colloquialism more often now a days. I had recently been in Starbucks and I saw a boy writing his book report as if he were on the internet. Not only that, but I notice two girls in the corner copying each others work.
Some kids wasn't just trying to get it done circling random answers.
All though naturally all the skills I have listed aren't what makes someone more or less intelligent I see know motivation to learn.
When I was their age I wanted to learn. Learning was my power. Knowledge was my power. No one had to motivate me the knowledge and the knowing and the discovering. Many of the kids in my class were exceptional great as well. They had great grades as I did.
Why did the youth of today lose this? Is this really and act of rebelling? Not wanting to learn and to open. And to discover.
Why don't the youth of today want to discover and learn? And why do they appear less intelligent then what test say?
(Btw, to the post up there I am not a stalker. I am just more aware of what is around me. A little to much sometimes.)
I might be judging smartness on the wrong criteria. I know my flaws. I live in the mindset of high class. I am very hard to please and I suffer from classic textbook syndrome. I pass out more information textbook style then any one else. My standards are set to high. I believe that people all should understand what I am saying. I know I tend to be wrong and I know I should lower the standards that I expect people to be at. Cause people aren't perfect and I am not perfect.
I just want to know:
Why doesn't anyone want to learn anymore?
Learning is fun.
I keep thinking it is not the intelligence--the raw ability--of "the next generation" (young adults and adolescents) that is missing, but the motivation to use that intelligence. Willful ignorance, I guess you could say. Of course motivation and wisdom may be another aspect of intelligence in some people's consideration; one that is probably not measured very well in IQ tests. --Prestidigitator (talk) 04:43, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Being one of those who would likely fall into the grouping of "the youth of today" as a 20 year old junior in college (3rd year of "university" for those unfamiliar with the term) I think I am highly qualified to attempt to answer your question. This may or may not beis a rant but I figure I rarely get a chance to defend my generation to someone who honestly wants to understand it so I feel obligated to do so to the utmost of my ability.
I'll try to go over your statements one at a time.
You said: "I have seen many children(of this day and age) whom don't pick up books, who don't want to go to school or learn, all they want to do is socialize..." - One of the key things I'm seeing here is the assumption that learning necessarily must come in the form of books. Generations prior to my own don't understand or appreciate learning outside the confines of the book or textbook. A few points from this.
First of all, the information that is in a textbooks is in a form which hasn't changed in a large degree in the past 30 or 40 years while everything around it has changed dramatically. Textbooks aren't interesting to us and they rarely provide information in the kind of forms that we are most adapt at absorbing. My generation will be more likely to have very high social skills requirements for job positions then previous generations and that is largely due to our generation having significant social skills because of the enormous communication possibilities that have opened up in the last 20 or so years. The internet of course has changed the way we absorb information and in my opinion has done so in a much better way.
Secondly, schools and the teaching methods of our educators are also sufficiently different from the common social world we find ourselves the remaining hours of the day. As you described later in this section, you "pass out more information textbook style then any one else", and this style while often considered tried and true is not fitting with the world we live in anymore. From my experience with teachers who are looking into more original teaching methods, it's not that my generation doesn't want to learn, it's that they don't want to learn the way their parents or even grandparents did.
Lastly, textbooks are static, the world we live in is anything but (see Wikipedia). In my personal opinion, textbooks are historical objects, like stone tablets and any chance I have to physically get away from paper copies of books (at least), I take it.
You said: "... they don't study, they get poor grades, they have poor grammar when they should have some decent grammar especially in their teenage life, some of them write like they are texting on a cell phone; and the lack of words being used."
Some of us have poor grades of course, but standards are also much higher. The world is far more difficult to exist in in some cases compared to earlier generations due to economic situations. Gone are the days when the average student could expect to go to college for four years on their parents bill. Gone are the days when it was rare that students had full-time jobs along with school. Many of my peers work 30-40 hours a week on to of their school load. Though I personally don't which could explain why I have time to write this...
Grammar is poor in many cases, I'd agree to that, but in my opinion in a world of technology and highly mathematical and scientific work force, they aren't stressed enough because they aren't needed in the workforce as much. This may explain your biggest issue with the IQ tests, which test analytical skills, something my peers are very good at, and little to no emphasis is on grammar, which we often are poor in. Though I'd also urge you to realize that we often use less then proper grammar for speed and efficiency. I use IM or "textspeak" when speaking online with friends or sometimes with professors in e-mail and consider the usuage of better grammar only when I need to look formal, or when I think it's the only real way to get my point across (like right now, or in papers).
You said: "...The many people you see and yet the most I see is someone who has probably never picked up a book once in their life only when it is necessary"
Again, I stress that books are not the be all and end all of information anymore. The internet has information available in not only a wided assortment of topics but also in a far greater depth for all of those topics. Also, morre often you have access to peer-review of the ideas that are being presented. No longer do we read a book and accept it's points at face value, if we think it's wrong we can look up what hundreds of other experts have said on the subject through google. In the past it would perhaps take hours of searching through libraries for more information.
You said: "I see teenagers using the internet colloquialism and cellphone colloquialism more often now a days. I had recently been in Starbucks and I saw a boy writing his book report as if he were on the internet. Not only that, but I notice two girls in the corner copying each others work. Some kids wasn't just trying to get it done circling random answers."
I assume the boy was using textspeak, in which case it's a shame if his teacher doesn't correct him, but if the teacher doesn't I find it hard to blame him for using an efficient mechanism for sharing information. Children copy, though it's naive to think this generation is especially full of cheating students. I'm sure that person who guessed will be punished for it and will either reform or fail out, again, not particularly novel to my generation.
You said: "... All though naturally all the skills I have listed aren't what makes someone more or less intelligent I see know motivation to learn."
Not to be a smartass sir, but it's quite ironic that you'd make such a grammatical error as using "know" instead of "no" after the rest of your points ;).
You said: "...When I was their age I wanted to learn. Learning was my power. Knowledge was my power. No one had to motivate me the knowledge and the knowing and the discovering. Many of the kids in my class were exceptional great as well. They had great grades as I did. Why did the youth of today lose this? Is this really and act of rebelling? Not wanting to learn and to open. And to discover. Why don't the youth of today want to discover and learn? And why do they appear less intelligent then what test say"
Of course some of us don't want to learn, but many of us do. They just don't care to learn using outdated methods. I'm one of dozens of my peers who often wander through wikipedia reading topics as we find them and absorbing whatever information piques our interest. Not just wikipedia but dozens of new media news sources (digg, slashdot, ect.) which arguably have taught me at least as much if not more than any professor I've ever had. A compliment to these internet sources, a failure of the education system, or a poor mindset? You can decide that.
Rebellion for the sake of rebelling is imo (in my opinion) an idea that the older generation likes to place on the younger generations throughout time to discredit the reasons for their actions. Why do I play grand theft auto or other video games instead of reading some "classic" literature? Why do I watch Scrubs instead of a news sation, why do I read the news on the internet and wikipedia? Personally I believe I get far more out of my choices then the others. GTAIV or games like it challenge me, constantly, they are rarely the same any time through and stretch my problem solving skills in new and dynamic ways while having climactic stories in some cases that could rival the greatest movies or literature. Books are interesting, but hardly ever challenge me, they do not force me to use analytical skills and there is no variation, nothing changes, it's static. I watch tv shows like scrubs because I enjoy them but I also recognize the fact that tv shows today are far more dynamic and complicated then anything you may have grown up watching. There are several storylines that interlock and require actual mental understanding and reasoning by the watcher to fully appreciate what is going on. The internet news and "new media" is the same, it puts me into the dynamic and challenges me to try to spread information. It's not me just absorbing information but also being able to challenge those who teach it to me. These skills imo are what make us more superior at IQ tests (which measure this kind of intelligence) while we appear less intelligent.
On this I'd encourage you to check out the book "everything bad is good for you", I own it, a fantastic read and could explain some things to you. [9]
You said: "... I believe that people all should understand what I am saying. I know I tend to be wrong and I know I should lower the standards that I expect people to be at. Cause people aren't perfect and I am not perfect. I just want to know: Why doesn't anyone want to learn anymore? Learning is fun."
I think these students you don't understand feel the same way. We don't understand why you can't see the value in the social networking, in the analytical problem solving, in the nature rather than the content of our entertainment. I think there are some people who don't want to learn, but I think the fact that you ask why no one wants to learn anymore shows that you don't really understand the way we work. There are a lot of ways to learn, and we've found our own ways, they seem to work for these IQ tests, these IQ tests claim to measure analytical problem solving, something that appears to be one of, if not the most important skill in the coming years (along with social skills, which we often excel at). So I don't really see a problem, we're just different generations. You ask why none of us want to read books and get the knowledge and power they hold, and I ask why you want to spend your time simply reading static text, where's the challenge? Chris M. (talk) 08:26, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Dear student you make valid points, but I wasn't generally just talking about textbook. I was talking about reading as in reading a book. Like fictional book like Lord of the Rings. I see children won't even read those kind of books anymore.
Fictional books can also help you learn and help you gain powerful knowledge. I read arts of fiction because I believe in the books. Also this quote is something that inspires me a bit more: "Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures."- Jessamyn West.
I don't see why no one to experience a different reality of fiction. I can see sometimes why students don't want to learn.
One of my classes had me read How to Kill a Mockingbird. I absolutely hate hate hated that book. It was boring.
But I read it. I never ever stopped reading it or threw a fit of rebellion not to read it.
Yes I know that I spelled no as in no wrong. I tend to do that when I'm trying to make valid points. My thoughts are so racy and impatient I forget things. I get things mixed up. I am not as good at making points then writing a story.
Writing is another characteristic and I don't see them ever want to write or answer a question. Well now a days that is done on a computer, but still when there is a writing assignment no one wants to do it.
I think there was a question on the reference desk of why they have those essay questions. Anyway my point is that many children don't want to think after they have read a story either. No one wants to know why.
They just want to read the book and have easy questions.
But then again a lot of my knowledge comes from documentaries, textbooks, Internet, and other sources such as a magazine. I learn visually and not audibly. I don't learn from hands on. I learn from graphs, charts, textbook information, and anything on the paper. I have a hard time with audibly and hands on I cannot remember the information.
I think that may be another problem. Maybe some students are audible learners and others are visual.
I remember having a bit of a hard time this year in my class. Cause all we did was watch videos and I could never exactly remember what the video said. I answered the questions with a bit of help of my roommate on some parts I forgot.
When I am watching a video I have to write down the answer right after they said it. The teacher never understood that and kept on telling me to watch the screen and answer the questions later after the video or I was going to miss parts.
I'm going miss parts either way, I cannot remember information audibly I just cannot.
So I think that their should specific classes for each different type of learner. I know that sounds a bit stupid, but maybe that is what they need.
I agree with the separate classes, but perhaps the misunderstanding here is in that you think that kids not wanting to read books means they don't have a desire to experience anything like a fiction world where they can learn those truths that realities distort. But the massive success of other forms of media (video games, tv shows, movies) shows that as a generation we very much want to get involved in these fictional universes, it's just again that we don't as often find plain text paper books that best means to reach that. Chris M. (talk) 20:13, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If I am driving and fall asleep or turn the steer a couple of inches too much or slip in the bathtube that could cost my life. However, we are not scared to death from all these danger in our daily life. Do we have some mechanism that makes us ignore these things? 217.168.0.115 (talk) 10:26, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Risks that are 1. collective (everyone faces them) and 2. appear to be controllable (you are the one who feels in control in the tub and the car) are usually easy to ignore. Compare this to how one feels when the risks are felt to be individual or non-controllable (say, take-off and landing in an airplane).
People who can't ignore such things, in any case, find it pretty much impossible to get by in the world and are labeled with one or more psychological epithets. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 12:22, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
basically, the part of our brain which calculates risks is a lousy performer, even in short term risks. you'd think evolution would have done better.Gzuckier (talk) 16:48, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Evolution did the best it could. How would it be possible for people who can't have a bath or drive a car without getting a seizure to get more of their genes into the gene pool? -- Zain Ebrahim (talk) 18:09, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If our ancestors didn't walk under a tree for fear of a falling branch killing them, or didn't drink from a river out of fear of drowning, then we wouldn't be here today. Our instinct is to avoid more likely causes of death, or at least - it is supposed to be. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 18:48, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think that if people worried about those things they would suffer from paranoia. What we don't realize in this world is that everything we are surrounded by can kill us. The chair in the middle of the room to the car we drive.
Eventually we die by something or by natural causes. Whatever the cause we can ignore it because we wouldn't be able to live depression. We might even carry out our own lives suicide.
Life, Death, and Birth is the way our world works. Its like the natural recycle life process. We can die at birth as well. Sooner or later someone faces death.
I see that I live my life to the fullest and not to worry about the shower the head killing me. If I live I live. If I die I die.
I accept it and continue on either in this world or the next.
The method our minds use to assess relative risk is not very good, but it's the best method that was available prior to statistics. The more times we've seen something done safely, the safer we think it is. The more times we've seen something result in a death or injury, the more dangerous we think it is. This leads us to think that events we've seen over-reported in the media (like child abductions) are a serious danger, while events which are under-reported (like lung cancer deaths due to smoking) seem like rare events we can safely ignore. We also have some instinctive fears, like falling, which makes many of us nervous whenever it appears that we are high up, such as when standing on a platform with a clear floor, while the same platform with a solid floor would make us feel safer. StuRat (talk) 16:32, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I will clarify what I have said.
If we acknowledge everything that could kill us we would be paranoid.
If we became paranoid we would not be able to live we rather commit suicide or become depressed because we could not live our lives.
Cardinal Raven (talk) 06:58, 9 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven[reply]
limptes
If hyperthetivcally the tide never went out, would limptes survive or do they need exposure to air and dryness from time to time?Makey melly (talk) 12:21, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Last year I collected two fertilized queen ants from my garden during the flying ant season and put each of them into a separate container. My understanding was that they would lay eggs and start an ant colony. However, one of the queens didn't lay any eggs, and the other laid a few but then ate them. I was instructed not to feed or give water until after the first worker ants had hatched because the queens would simply refuse to eat and it would go mouldy in the container. But since the queens hadn't any worker ants, and were looking weaker and weaker with each passing day, I decided to feed them a little honey, which they very much enjoyed. I have since moved the two queens into the same container and they get on well, and have even begun to dig and create a colony by themselves. I feed them regularly and they seem happy, but why didn't they lay eggs and start an ant colony? More importantly, how can I get them to lay some eggs? I am sure they were fertilized because they didn't have their wings anymore when I caught them, like the book said. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.194.74.154 (talk) 13:46, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Edison ask a great question. Are you sure the queen ants were fertilized? You shouldn't trust everything a book says. Especially, since the ants began to start trying to create an ant colony after you fed them.
I think what you need to do is get them some workers. I don't think a queen ant will start a colony without a few workers.
The workers are the ones who bring the food to the queen and the workers are the one who protect the eggs, if I am not mistaken. Also it might have to do with the fact that there are two queens, I had always thought that there was only one queen for each colony. Cardinal Raven (talk) 01:52, 7 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven[reply]
It would help if you told us which species of ant you have. Many do have more than one queen, although since you mentioned that you separated them to begin with, I am going to assume your species usually has only one. Our article Queen ant says "she may consume some of her eggs" so this would seem normal. But why she hasn't laid any more is a mystery, especially if she has sufficient strength to begin excavating a colony. Could she has laid her eggs underground where you cannot see them? It takes about 60 days for the eggs to hatch. According to this"the queen will create this new nest completely on her own, though it has been known for ... queens to come together and cooperate in the raising of the first brood. If more than one ... queen raise [a] brood together, they will soon fight to the death once the first workers have hatched, until only one queen remains victorious."Think outside the box10:38, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I do not have a direct answer to your question, but do want to point out that there is no one voice for Islamic jurisprudence, called Fiqh. So do you want to know what the perspectives are from as many different schools as possible?--droptone (talk) 19:17, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
an african american who helped in the planning of the united state's capital city?....I found wikipedia had an article on washington dc and under the palnning subcategory there werent any african americans.So If anybody knows the answer.Hola.ASAP —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.219.249.15 (talk) 14:47, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm it seems to have become the first link now. For the benefit of future readers, I'm referring to [11] which mentions the name Macro refers to above Nil Einne (talk) 17:15, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
the best for reverse phone look up
which is the best site to use in canada to reverse a phone number in order to get the callers details.I want a canadian site because we are using canadian customers only.oooh i'm a transcriber doing canadain voicemail transcriptions and i want to save as much time as possible when researching on callers details.We are currently using whitepages.ca but its not as effective as intelius.But on intelius you have to pay.i want a free site.And Secondly if one can reccommend a site where -if a customer mentions a name of a road or building and i have never heard of it-i want to be spelling it out phonetically and then paste it onto the site that gives me a close to answer.NOTE only canadian info.PS>>>THANKS for the tips on canadian english.Truly wikipedia has massive helpful information —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.219.249.15 (talk) 16:00, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
given that diesel engines don't have vacuum for the power brake booster, how do diesel cars manage this? i know trucks use air brakes, but do cars have a similar system, or do they somehow adapt the regular vacuum powered booster with a pump or something? thanks. Gzuckier (talk) 16:47, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
At least some modern Boschanti-lock braking systems don't use vacuum but instead have an engine-driven hydraulic pump (that usually also powers the power steering). A hydraulic accumulator stores hydraulic energy so you still have a few power-boosted actuations of the brakes should the engine fail. This arrangement is certainly true of high-line Audis.
And unless you can provide more clarification, the answer is still checkpoint. A checkpoint is a point at which people seeking to move from place A (e.g. the street) to place B (e.g. the railway station, if I understand your previous comment) can be stopped and their credentials checked. Back to you. --Tagishsimon(talk)11:36, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Unless you mean the actual physical gate, which is called a gate or a turnpike, although that second usage is probably obsolete. The civilian checkpoint and border checkpoint articles both have images, although not great ones., "Border crossing" is another term that might apply to the entire area. Rmhermen (talk) 15:26, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You should probably be aware (if you aren't already) that the most lucrative medical/scientific studies are, not coincidentally, the ones that require the most work, commitment, or are potentially the most dangerous. There have been a number of articles in the last few months (in the New York Times Magazine and the New Yorker, I think) about how poorly regulated some of these studies are. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 00:29, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Turn number algorithm question
Today, when I was at the Helsinki Central railway station, I thought of something I've already thought of many times. I was trying to buy an InterRail pass, to be able to travel from Helsinki to Seeboden. When I got there, I took a turn number for foreign railways. According to the numbers, I was the second to be served. While waiting for my turn, I watched, of people come after me, no less than five people travelling to Russia, and eighteen people travelling within Finland, being served before me. So my question is, when there is a queue system with multiple inputs, generally, how is it decided which input is handled when? Is it a round-robin schedule, or are they prioritised by popularity, do they handle longer queues first and shorter ones later, or is it all just random? JIP | Talk19:47, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Based on my (limited) observations: in many cases multi-server queues split the queued jobs according to the resources required to handle a specific individual job. In your case it may have been that only one of the different servers (ie. counters / operators) had the expertise / the required hardware / software to handle a ticket request from Finland to Central Europe. Tickets to Finland / Russia may have been available at all counters (because they are the vast majority of jobs handled), but an InterRail pass needs access to the specific ferry services and international rail services for subsequent connections.
It would be uneconomical if all, say, five counters were equipped with human resources / HW / SW for InterRail when only 20% of jobs need this function.
There are actually twenty counters at the Helsinki Central railway station, with three of them dedicated solely for international travel. But I understand your meaning, and find it very helpful. I have travelled by train within Finland more times than I can count, and to Russia once. This was my first time purchasing an InterRail pass. It took me about one or two minutes to fill in the form, and almost five minutes inquiring about connections from Helsinki to Spittal an der Drau. In less than that time, an intra-Finland passenger would have booked a trip from Helsinki to Rovaniemi and back again, and left time to casually chat around. I have now found out that I can go from Stockholm to Spittal completely by train. Danke schön, und ich habe seit Monaten gewartet, endlich diese Reise zu beginnen. JIP | Talk20:06, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Human Hamster Balls
Does anyone know where I might find a website offering these huamn hamster balls, at reasonable prices, for delivery in the UK.
Its one of these or a OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator, so my time outside kind of depends upon this. I would need one that is fairly hard wearing, and easy to clean. The English Countryside usually tends to be covered in soe sort of equine/bovine detreitus.
Hamster balls for sale? Is this a method of manipulating rodentine procreative capacity?
And, what happens to the rest of the hamster? Do they perform in the defunct choir of the Vatican Castrati?
Mind you, the entire planet is covered in some sort of human detritus, so maybe you may want to donate your spare balls, unless you have become attached to them cute furry critters. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:15, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You can also read Sphereing, which details the sport of Zorbing. You can try it out at ZorbsouthUK, or follow the links to a closer UK venue. This site shows that the original Zorb is not available for private purchase, but imitations are available at hypercore. You're looking at about £800 for the cheapest model. Gwinva (talk) 00:12, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hey thanks guys for all your advice, and at paragon, whom I lol'd at because that is exactly the place that meade me want a human hamster ball in the first place. To be honest though I did a bit of research myself and these things do cost da bomb. So I think I will get the NIA and save the rest of my money for a car. Thanks anyway guys. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.242.244.144 (talk) 17:02, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Which is the smallest metropolitan area, town, village, hamlet and/or city absolutely with a LRT that also operates on the street. It might operate in the air, underground, in the water, but at least, it has to operate in the street.68.148.164.166 (talk) 23:58, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This question is open to interpretation. First, if the LRT connects two or more towns, do you count only the largest (because the system "belongs to" that town) or the smallest (because you mean the question literally)? [I'll assume you count the largest.] Does it make a difference if the towns do not touch each other? [Irrelevant under my assumption.] And second, does it count as "in the street" if the tracks are in a semi-isolated median or similar setup? [I think it counts.] Finally, are you counting only actual public transit operations where the cars run at regular intervals all day and stop frequently for people to get on and off, or do museum railways count, where they might run once an hour and only on summer Sundays, and only allow trips over the full route?
Of the 30 or so cities I've been to that have public transit streetcars, I think the smallest are Bern and Innsbruck. (Blackpool and Heidelberg are not much larger.) According to http://www.citypopulation.de/, as of estimates at the start of 2007, Bern has 122,422 people while Innsbruck has 117,693. But for all I know there could be much smaller places (much better answers) in other countries. (Here are pictures showing streetcars in the streets of Bern, Innsbruck, and for good measure Heidelberg and Blackpool, if that layout counts.)
As to museum streetcars, Yakima had a population in the 2000 census of 112,816 according to the above web site (but 71,845 according to Wikipedia; I don't know why the discrepancy). Here's a photo of one of their streetcars. But again, perhaps there are much better answers elsewhere.
--Anonymous, 02:00 UTC, copyedited 02:23, May 7, 2008.
Rephrasing my questions:
Which is the smallest (population wise) metropolitan area, town, village, hamlet and/or city absolutely with a LRT that also operates on the street. It might operate in the air, underground, in the water, but at least, it has to operate in the street.
Which is the smallest (area wise) metropolitan area, town, village, hamlet and/or city absolutely with a LRT that also operates on the street. It might operate in the air, underground, in the water, but at least, it has to operate in the street.
Criteria:
If the LRT connects two or more towns, do you count only the largest (because the system "belongs to" that town) or the smallest (because you mean the question literally)?
For both questions: Count the combined total.
Does it make a difference if the towns do not touch each other?
For both questions: Count the towns as if they were one.
And second, does it count as "in the street" if the tracks are in a semi-isolated median or similar setup?
For both questions: It does not count.
For both questions: Finally, are you counting only actual public transit operations where the cars run at regular intervals all day and stop frequently for people to get on and off, or do museum railways count, where they might run once an hour and only on summer Sundays, and only allow trips over the full route?
For both questions: "...actual public transit operations where the cars run at regular intervals all day and stop frequently for people to get on and off..." = Counts
why is the flap of material covering the fly on men's pants located on the left side of the fly/zipper, rather than the right side?66.93.60.182 (talk) 04:26, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Because right is for woman. Woman's bathroom are mostly on the right and woman's buttons on dress shirts on on the right.
Men are on the left side.
71.142.208.226 (talk) 04:46, 7 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven[reply]
There are numerous sources for the left/right button issue but I haven't seen one for the zipper. I would say it's most likely because most people are right handed, thus they can hold the material to the side with their left hand while working the zipper with their right. Are women's pants different? Dismas|(talk)04:52, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There's gotta be an article about this weighty issue around here somewhere. Can somebody find it (or if it isn't there, write it)? Clarityfiend (talk) 04:59, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, woman's clothing is on a different side then the men. The right side. Woman's buttons and zippers are on the right side.71.142.208.226 (talk) 05:36, 7 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven[reply]
Wait, I'm not sure what "side" means. It's true that men and women's shirts button differently, but the flap of material on my pants-fly is on the left side of the zipper, and so is my husband's. We are both wearing gender-appropriate clothing. --Masamage♫05:40, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Think _ Right Handed swordsmen who wore their scabbard on their Left Hand Side so that they could more quickly reach over their midriff from Right to Left to unsheath their sword (the majority of men then and now being Right-Handed) ready for action. This was facilitated by the coat fronts being constructed in such a way as to allow easy access to the sword and scabbard (left front overlapping the right front and being fastened first with tapes, then hooks and eyes, and subsequently buttons and holes), and then continue that thinking to pants/trousers which were first constructed so that the whole front of the trouser was allowed to fall when released by the wearer (or his paramour), continuing to the button-fly (which side to place the buttons? Ahh, let us do it the same as on the gentleman's coat, and that will allow a Right-Handed Lover to more easily undo his Fly when making advances on his paramour - and then carry that thinking forward to the attachment (and undoing) of the Fly-Zipper. Easy when you know how.92.9.48.44 (talk) 09:56, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I once bought a shirt that was apparently made in China, and they either don't differentiate beween men's and women's shirts or got them mixed up, because it buttoned on the opposite side from a normal man's shirt. I found it almost impossible to button that way. StuRat (talk) 16:12, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, so with most men being right-handed, they use the right hand to unzip. now, mens underwear has a fly on the right side; do we now use our left hand to, ah, continue the process of reaching in there? are most men, thus, "right favoured," so to speak? seems like this is a 2 handed process and i just wonder how this all came about? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nsidemark (talk • contribs) 22:31, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It may mean that the organization is independent and not under any religious authority. It's notable that the organization's mission statement says it is to help "all people in need." -- Mwalcoff (talk) 12:26, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I've heard many times about being hit with the 'flat' of a sword, presumably a broadsword or similar - something that inflicts pain and may break ribs etc. without actually drawing blood. Does this actually happen? (Edit: Maybe this might be better in the historical section...) Lady BlahDeBlah (talk) 12:00, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Don't think anyone would want to hit or be hit with the flat of a broadsword. Have you seen their size ! Just to swing one takes a very strong, big man. To fight with one would take years of training. Other swords, yes, the side makes a good 'spanking' tool. Not used that way in battle, of course.86.216.249.168 (talk) 14:24, 7 May 2008 (UTC)dtm[reply]
There's probably (at least) two ways to look at the question: Has it ever happened, even by accident? Sure; all the time, I'd bet. In a sword fight people would probably be flailing and swinging however they could and to hell with proper form. All kinds of weird injuries could happen, etc. Now, would you do it on purpose? Probably not. In any kind of fair fight you wouldn't want the disadvantage of a very slow swing - not to mention the extremely irritated but mostly unharmed recipient now ready to "hew your head asunder", etc. In a training exercise, you probably wouldn't want to do it either - even if you do it correctly, you've probably maimed the guy, and if you slip a bit, you've, er, disarmed him with extreme prejudice. In training, you'd use a wooden sword, like a waster, which hurt well enough! Matt Deres (talk) 14:27, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Blow to the head with sword hiltDid it ever happen - certainly, anytime a fighter thought it would give him an advantage. Hollywood has given us a rather incorrect view of swordplay. All that dainty waving of thin metal wands. In reality, swords were constantly redesigned to match the current theory of fighting. Some swords had basket hilts to use as brass knuckles, some had pointed pommels to use as hammers, some had crosspieces to use as ensnaring tools - while holding the blade of your own sword. During the days of armored knights, percussive hits - especially to the head - with large, heavy and possibly dull swords were important to close to grappling and stabbing range. (In later days an Englishman is recorded as lamenting the fact that young men fighting duels of honor are not kicking each other "in the cods" nearly as much since the Italian style of fencing came into vogue.) See also German school of fencing, swordmanship. Rmhermen (talk) 15:04, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
In the very beginning of The Once and Future King, being "bladed", or beat with the flat of the sword, is described as having been a humiliating punishment, but I have no idea if that was based on any sort of historic fact or not. --Prestidigitator (talk) 20:07, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
sword i dont know, but apparently if you wish to kill someone with an axe, it is much easier, faster and less messy and quiet to do it with the flat side, that is, opposite to the blade, the thinest flat side86.18.34.51 (talk) 20:32, 7 May 2008 (UTC)zionist[reply]
ETERNAL YOUTH?
Why do some people age quicker than others?Male and female? I know a guy who is 51 this year,and he looks like about 32? Not only by my opinion,but others as well.What is he doing that other are not? I have asked him,and he says he has lots of sex!
Fluter —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.86.15.15 (talk) 14:53, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There are many factors that affect aging, which are either environmental or genetic. One major environmental factor is exposure to sunlight, which ages the skin. Another is diet. Cosmetics and cosmetic surgey can also hide the evidence of aging. StuRat (talk) 15:08, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'm considering refinancing my home mortgage and I've got a couple general questions:
When we got our original mortgage, we got it through an independent "mortgage broker". This seemed to be advantageous because he could compare mortgages from different banks. Is there a disadvantage to this? That is, all else being equal, do you save money by applying to a number of individual banks on your own, rather than going through an independent broker?
Are you normally able to roll the refinancing costs into the new mortgage, or do you have to come up with the cash for this?
I currently have a fixed rate mortgage and I'm certain I'll move within five years. Does it make sense to consider getting an ARM?
Firstly, caveats: you should be as wary of financial advice from some random interneter as you would medical or legal advice! Also, I am not in the US and don't know the precise financial set up there, but I am only offering general comments, so they should still apply.
Mortage brokers make a living from brokering mortgages (obviously) and that income has to come from somewhere. Sometimes, they charge a flat fee for arranging a mortgage, sometimes it is worked into the cost at other points. Many are paid commissions from the mortgage lender, so the temptation may be to point you in the direction of the provider offering them the greater incentive. Others claim to be "independent" but are actually financed by a lender (or group of lenders). Thus, they don't always have all the possible options that exist. (However, occasionally they can offer a special deal that they've negotiated: but check it out before you accept their word it's "special"). Sometimes, the convenience of dealing with one person, in one appointment is worth the extra costs. If you are prepared to put in the foot work, you can check out the various lenders yourself, but it is best if you do a bit of reading up on the various types first. Also check out the financial section of one of the reputable newspapers: look at the ads (with a pinch of salt) but also check for the articles, tables and listings provided by the paper. These often compare some of the major products, from which you can pick out the likely providers. Mortgages lenders often have advisors: if you think a couple of banks/lenders look good, then talk to their advisors about the various products. Don't just walk in off the street and sign up for the one on their billboard out the front.
There are as many different products as lenders. Some will entice you with offers to delay the fees, or even pay them for you. Others ask you to front up with the cash for set-up and so forth first, but offer good rates. Calculate the cost of interest on the fees to decide if it's worth adding to your mortgage or paying cash. Also note: set up fees and other charges vary: check them all over carefully. A good rate might be cancelled out by large hidden "extra" costs, and penalty fees.
Many fixed rate mortgages are also on a fixed term, with heavy penalties if you opt out early. If you're just moving house, then some lenders will transfer the mortgage to the new house, so only admin costs apply, rather than penalty fees. Some mortgages aren't transferable. As well as standard variable rate mortgages, it is possible to get fully-flexible mortages, which allow you to pay back as much as you want (many regular mortages don't allow over-payment), and leave when you want, but the rates can be high. Low rates often come with a hefty promise to stay with the lender for many years. It's a bit of a balancing act.
Also, to add to the potential issues, there are also variations: in capital-repayment mortages, a percentage of your repayments goes towards reducing the actual loan; endowment-type mortages pay the interest, and that "repayment" proportion goes into a term-investment, which should equal the cost of the loan at the end of the term. Another possibility is to take out an interest-only mortgage (which is cheaper) and pay the extra money yourself into a good savings/investment plan (but make sure it's a good one).
So: read up what you can before talking to the advisors, so you know the right questions to ask, and have some idea of what would best suit you. Check out the above links (and links from those), the financial section of your paper, bank literature, and work out what it is you most want out of your mortgage. Hope this helps. Gwinva (talk) 00:01, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Distribution of crime victims by class in SA compared to US
There is overall much less crime in the US than SA, but in many major American cities, the crime stats start looking comparable. Atlanta has one of the highest rates but its affluent suburb, Buckhead, has the one of the lowest rates in the nation. In grim contrast, all classes in South Africa are highly victimized. Why is high crime in the US confined to only parts of high crime metro areas but spread everywhere in the metro areas of SA?
That is a good question. I don't have a well sourced answer, but personal experience of the two countries, and others, suggests to me that the USA is more typical and SA more atypical. Why is that? I think it is probably a consequence of the huge and historical difference between the wealthy and the poor in South Africa combined with the recent change in race politics.
I recall back in the days of Apartheid, SA was more like USA today. Shocking, I know, but true.. and here is why. The black folks were together (in townships in SA, and inner city ghettos in the US) and the white folks were together (in the 'burbs in both cases). Crime rates were high in SA back then, but the affluent upper-middle class "white" areas were relatively crime free. Why? Because the policing was very much focused on maintaining that: you could get up to pretty much anything you wanted in the townships and the police let you get on with it, but if it spilled over and caused a problem for the whites, then you would see brutal and rapid crackdowns. A similar system is in place in the US and this results in the disparities you note.
Since the end of Apartheid, the system has broken down and people have turned to private security for protection. There is growing lawlessness and the organized protection of the white suburbs is no longer as well organized. There are rich pickings there for those that are poor and with out prospects, irrespective of race. Previously the police only had to concern themselves with protecting whites, now they have to protect everyone and, so the crime has began to equalize. An additional factor is that a lot of the desperately poor African electorate were made extravagant promises by those who wanted their vote ("see the white's houses over there? When we are elected you can live in one of those"). Voter nativity was hardly surprising when you have never had the chance to vote before. And, when the promises were never realized and after years of "freedom" you find yourself in as hopeless a situation as before (or even worse), people begin to stop waiting and start taking.
In time, as "democracy" in SA matures, we will begin to see it swing back like we do in other democracies. Instead of race being the primary factor that differentiates between the high and low crime areas, it will be wealth. In practice that will make very little difference of course, except there will be some black faces in the 'burbs and a few poor white folks in the townships. Maybe thats an overly cynical explanation, but it seems on the money to me. Rockpocket02:05, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
'Local Market' Feasibility
Can consumers in a 'local economy' purchase locally-produced beef, pork, milk, and eggs at a price that is favorable both to the local consumers and the local producers? In other words, is there any 'local' antidote for the 'globalization' of the food market? --Ckdavis (talk) 22:07, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You are mixing several concepts for starters. Moving local products to local consumers without moving them to some headquarters first. Sure, there are many ways that is done. Look at Farmers' market for one example. There is also a chain of supermarkets in California that advertises using only local products where available. Whether the price is favorable to the local consumers is another concept. Unfortunately produce shipped around half the world can still comes out ahead on price even with all the costs of transportation and overheads added up. The globalization of the food market however also has other reasons. The food market has to some degree been "global" for a very long time. Just the part of the world that is accessible to us has grown with improved transport and Food preservation technologies. Things that aren't locally available or not in season have been transported from other places for ages. Just think of spices, for one example. If you look farther back the Egyptians transported food up and down the Nile. The grain trade was monopolized, but other products could be exchanged for grain. While there are many unfair aspects in global food trade, it's not all bad. It allows people to enjoy foods that are not available locally and removes seasonal limitations on things like fresh fruit. You might find that you have to do without a lot of foods if you only bought things that are locally available. Theoretically the global food trade could also alleviate the effects of failed harvests and natural disasters like droughts. In reality that doesn't seem to work because of uneven distribution of wealth. Even if farmers in most nations don't get fair prices for their products, if they didn't have that income they'd be a lot worse off. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 16:56, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
please remove pornographic images from your site (eg: homosexual sex & fluffer)
Please remove the pornographic images that appear under particular searches such as "fluffer", "penis", and "sex". Children will be exposed to this destructive material if you fail to protect them.
Thank you. 96.237.188.142 (talk) 22:37, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oh dear. This refers to a campaign by Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues of the Concerned Women for America, a Biblically principled organization, who has been fulminating at sexually explicit images on Wikipedia. The Christian Newswire has picked up the story & is running with it. Anticipate more such posts on this matter :(
And the answer, in general, is no. If you have specific objections to specific images, argue your case on the talk page associated with the image. If you want a a wikipedia sanitized according to your particular belief system, you need to fork this one and implement it yourself, or else enter into discussion with the community to see if we'd care to be sanitized. I think you'll find the answer is "no". --Tagishsimon(talk)22:45, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
A real professional outfit, they can't even get our web address correct: "... parents around the world may want to make every effort to keep their kids away from Wikipedia.com" Rockpocket00:55, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That's the first time I hear the word "fluffer". However, it sounds like an interesting profession. I could employ my seductive knowlegde to arouse female stars and still get paid for doing so. 217.168.3.246 (talk) 22:48, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Had I know that that existed as was a teen, I would also know how to answer the question 'so, what do you want to do professionally when you grow up?'217.168.3.246 (talk) 23:16, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Please read our policy on censorship. In short, "offensive" is subjective. What is wrong and disgusting to you is not wrong and disgusting to others. If you look up something dirty, what do you think you are going to see? Mattbuck has it right; if you want a "family-safe" encyclopedia, Conservapedia is the way to go. Just watch out for the ridiculous cabal-ism over there. Instead, you can just read a regular encyclopedia. Paragon12321 (talk) 00:39, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If you've some issue with the images, you could block upload.wikimedia.org on your internal network / on your PC. Or, just don't surf here. There you go, no problem. No need to enforce your religious beliefs on others when you can easily avoid the material. 206.126.163.20 (talk) 03:57, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I do enjoy the fact that "penis" is considered destructive. It is not our duty to protect other people's children by depriving the world of information. Protect your own children please. Mad031683 (talk) 16:10, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Wikipedia has images that are sexually explicit in places where such images will help a reader learn more about the subject. Wikipedia also has images that are explicitly violent images in places where they will help a reader learn more about the subject. I am curious about why this organization is demanding the removal of non-prurient sexual images, but has no apparent objection to the depiction of, for example, the victims of violent crime, or of war. If you are concerned that your child may see material that would not be appropriate for a child, you should take the standard measures that many parents use- employ an internet filter to prevent your child's access to adult material, and keep the family computer in a public room, where you can see what your child is looking at online. A standard keyword filter should prevent your child from accessing such objective concepts as penis and vagina, although there is no way to stop your child from seeing at least one of those things in reality. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs)16:43, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, why does wikipedia has more than one picture of a penis? Why doesn't it have a drawing instead? BTW, are you sure that anyone is able to see a penis (exclusive) or in reality? Some woman perhaps don't look downunder.
I don't think we are going to persuade you that no one organization, not even Concerned Women for America, has the right to censor another organization's publications. And I know you're not going to persuade Wikipedia that its goals should be changed to be the same as CWA's goals. So we'll just have to disagree with one another. Wikipedia will continue trying to create a complete collection of information; sharing information makes us happy, so we will be happy. CWA will continue looking for things that offend them; being offended makes them happy, so they will be happy. We are now all happy. Hooray! -FisherQueen (talk · contribs)17:27, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Frankly, if you think that a few pictures of male anatomy are what are going to be corrupting your children, you really need to take a look a little wider both on the internet and in the world around you. There are vices, charlatans, and demagogues on practically every street corner (metaphorically speaking, of course—from a more literal point of view, they are blasted on every media outlet). There are multiple wars going on. There are governments failing to provide the basic protection to their citizens from natural disasters. Rather than trying to keep things hidden away—which only makes them more exciting for kids and everyone else, as we all well know, having been kids—perhaps you should spend more time talking to your children about critical reasoning skills, about developing a deep understanding of what morality means (which is more than just memorizing rules), and thinking about how they are going to make it through the next century. The twentieth century was likely the bloodiest in human history. The twenty-first is not shaping up well itself. Pictures of genitalia have nothing to do with any of that. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:40, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe it's best that you deny your children the use of a computer at all; that way, there's no possibility they can surf the net and find such appalling images as actual human body parts. Why not send them off to find some good wholesome educational books in a library - but be sure to warn the librarian to put a lock on "Grey's Anatomy" or any other medical textbooks when they see your kids arriving. I'm sure they'd be only too happy to oblige; they must get such requests all the time; they're there to serve, as we are. In fact, they probably employ staff on kiddie-watch to ensure kids are denied the basic information about how their bodies actually work, as of course they should be. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:47, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Why do some companies - like software companies - have offices?
There's no substitute for talking to people in real life. Besides, it means they can easily run a development server or something, explain concepts properly - it is incredibly hard to communicate complex ideas just using text. Sometimes you just need a pen and paper. -mattbuck (Talk) 23:08, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Not everyone who works at a software development company writes software. There are also people in marketing, accounting, management, sales, etc. That said, it isn't always a good idea for someone to write code from home all the time. While I do it a lot for my job, I do have to spend so many hours a week there for conferences, meetings, evaluations, testing in the like. Some things just can't be simulated over the internet. CelarnorTalk to me23:47, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Some servers can be rebooted remotely, and some servers can also be virtual.
I still don't see why paying rent (a huge cost) is an advantage. Linux and Wikipedia were both created without offices around the world. => it's possible to create quality without offices. 217.168.3.246 (talk) 08:20, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Linux and Wikipedia are non-commercial projects where people don't have to trust each other. If you are buying or selling something you will want to be able to assess people and decide if they are trustable or not. Other emotions are also relevant here. Do you really want to cooperate with someone that you don't know?
A second point is protecting information. In the case of Linux or Wikipedia there is still a difference. In both cases there is no intention of protecting the copyright of the project. If you want to fill a patent in the other hand you will want to keep things secret. In a large team with 50 or more people working online you will not be able to protect trade secrets efficently. Mr.K.(talk)08:47, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's not so much a question of logistics as it is one of social dynamics, for starters. First of all, while some people can easily work from home, many others cannot. Or, to put it bluntly: how do you know people are actually working instead of goofing off? Some people don't work well without at least some degree of supervision, even if it is only implied.
But that's just a part of the thing, because there are many benefits to actually physically working with other people. Having co-workers you like makes you motivated. Being able to grab lunch with the nice guy from marketing (Ha ha! I joke! There are no nice guys in marketing!) is going to make your work day a little more fun, and that can help a lot, especially in times of stress. It's also very useful to be able to brainstorm with a group of people easily, especially in work that has a strong creative element. Yes, programs like Skype and instant messaging applications can be very helpful, but they are not an easy substitute for face-to-face communication, especially in the long run and when multiple people are involved. It can work, but it's difficult and requires a lot from the participants.
And, of course, if you're meeting clients, you're going to want to have an office. Not just because it creates an image of professionalism and dependability -- although that probably doesn't hurt -- but because it allows you to easily present your key people, processes and practices to people who will give you money to do what you do, if they think you can do it properly.
In any case, using Linux and Wikipedia as evidence that offices aren't necessary or useful is a little disingenuous, because for every successful project like that, there are a hundred -- or a thousand -- projects that never take off or that crash and burn somewhere during the process. Also, Linux, for example, was created by Linus Torvalds when he was studying, as a hobby. He was motivated and got it done, and it really took off, but it's not as if his project was unique -- there were thousands of other geeks doing similar things, they just never completed their projects. Torvalds wasn't exceptional because he had the ability or because he had the idea, but because he actually had the drive to complete the project. (As much as Linux is ever complete, but anyway.) And these days, to my knowledge, Torvalds works in an office.
Also, a lot of people want to work in an office, because it creates a clear divide between work time and personal time. For the most part, I've been working from home for many years now (I do a lot of freelance work), and while being able to sit around the house in my underwear has obvious benefits, it's not necessarily that great in the long run: I'm always at work, pretty much. There's no real way of telling when I can relax and when I'm supposed to be working. There are obvious benefits to putting on my coat and going home, and knowing that when I'm home, I can kick back and not worry about work, because I'm off the clock, period. Most of the time, I don't have that, unless I make a lot of effort to segregate my work activities from other activities, and that's not as easy as you might think, at least not for me -- and, judging by the discussions I've had with people in similar arrangements, for most people. Sure, if I want to stop working and go watch a couple of episodes of Futurama in the middle of the day, I can do that, and that's very nice, but it's definitely a mixed blessing. I don't really mind working from home, I should stress, but the idea that it's easier or even an optimal arrangement is kind of misguided. So when I work with clients who require my daily presence in an office, I like that -- even if it means I have to put my pants on in the morning. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 10:58, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I personally think a mix-up of office and virtual work is the perfect combination. People don't want to be tied to a specific place - be it your home or office. Virtual communication is still not so perfect and sometimes you have to draw a complex structure on a whiteboard to better visualize it. Testing software remotely can also be difficult. As a tester you are supposed to test in several machines and most people only have one at home. GoingOnTracks (talk) 11:36, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Wikimedia foundation does have an office, and I'd be a little surprised if any of the major Linux distros didn't, even though they don't have to keep track of most of their contributors in the same way paying employers do. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 14:11, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Any company has some sort of registered office. It is legally binding, in the US at least. Further advantages are saving in license cost of software, ebooks and other digital media. Privacy of the employee towards friends and family (not anyone has a spare room at home). Guarantee that no children, dog or the like will be crying, barking or the like in the background. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.58.205.37 (talk) 17:11, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Beatles on iTunes
Does anyone have any idea when, or if, the Beatles catalogue will be availible on iTunes? I have every CD except Magical Mystery Tour, and I wanted a few songs. Maybe I should just get Limewire. Thanks!
Grango242 (talk) 23:24, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No-one outside the relevant parties seems to know. Every so often some source claims it is about to happen imminently (the most recent being last month but this was quashed by Sony, who owns some of the publishing rights with Michael Jackson. Presumably they would know.) Nevertheless, a "A high-level music industry source" is still claiming a deal will be done this year [15] and Mr McCartney himself is "pretty sure" you'll see it in 2008. [16]Rockpocket01:12, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
In George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984, is the totalitarian government of Oceania communist or fascist? Their policies appear to be fascist, but yet, seems to bear resemblance to Stalin's communism. Acceptable (talk) 00:11, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know... fascism implies nationalism, and Orwell makes it clear that the Party is not identified with any particular ethnic group but rather includes "Negroes," Jews and Amerindians. In that regard, The Party clearly reflects the multiethnic Communist Party of the Soviet Union much more closely than any Fascist party. On the other hand, the antique shop in the prole quarter appears to be privately owned (won't put a spoiler here), inferring that the Party allows at least very small businesses to remain in private hands, unlike full-blown Communist regimes. Whether the Party is left- or right-wing is really irrelevant; it's an extreme example of authoritarian totalitarianism, which is what Orwell was criticizing. As a moderate socialist in a country where moderate socialists were dead-set against both fascism and Soviet Communism, it perhaps makes sense that the Party has characteristics of both forms of totalitarianism. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:43, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You're right that Party may not be purely fascist, and contains elements of Soviet communism. However, the Party is really in complete opposition to the ideals of "original" communism (don't know if it has an official name) as described at the beginning of the Communism article. This version "promotes the establishment of a classless, stateless society" through "the working class, or proletariat, [replacing] the wealthy bourgeoisie." The Party creates and enforces a strict structure of social classes and keeps the proles from ever rising in status or rebelling.— Insanity Incarnate02:12, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
And I think that's part of Orwell's point. The Party, which represents Stalinist Communism, was originally a socialist party (The "soc" in Ingsoc) but has instead simply replaced capitalist oligarchy with another oligarchy. Goldstein's book (really Orwell's commentary) says the Party "rejects and vilifies every principle for which the Socialist movement originally stood, and it does so in the name of Socialism." Just like Stalin in the mind of socialists like Orwell. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:21, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
One ear of earbuds is crackling
Apparently, there's an issue with my earbuds (Shure e2c) such that one of the two sides cuts in and out. It looks like it's an issue where the wire for the right ear meets the plastic interconnect thingy (that splits it from one to two cables for each ear), as wiggling the cable around at that point will cause it to go in and out. Of course, this bit isn't really made for taking apart, being a solid chunk of plastic. Any suggestions here? Should I just attack it with something and split it? What is that part even for / will I damage something? 206.126.163.20 (talk) 02:58, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Earbuds are extra-low voltage, so at least you are not going to electrocute yourself if you fiddle with them. It sounds as though one of your wires is broken and has a faulty connection. The ends are still held in contact by the insulation at least occasionally. That's why you get an intermittent signal when you wiggle the wire. Since your device is not usable in it's current state without repairs, you lose nothing by attempting to do so. Success is rather unlikely though. The wire broke just above the "chunk of plastic" just like a credit card will eventually break when you bend it to and fro often enough. Stabilizing that part, like one would stabilize a bone fracture with a splint, might get you a little more use out of the device, until the wire breaks again a little higher up. The plastic piece usually only keeps the 2 wires from splitting all the way to the plug. It's fused into one solid piece, if you cut it you are very likely to cut the wires inside, too, (not to mention your fingers). When I was younger the "cure" would have been easy. Cut the wire, strip the 2 ends and twist the ends together. Soldering or a suitable screw terminal would have secured the connection. A little Electrical tape. Done. These days that won't work anymore because the wires you are dealing with are too thin there is little chance you will be able to strip off the insulation without cutting the wire. If you melt off the insulation (NB toxic fumes! Fire hazard!) you won't win anything because the wires inside are so thin. Even if you manage to twist the wires together without breaking them, all you'll create is two or more new points where it will break next. So, yeah fiddle away. Experiment. Just don't expect it to work. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 04:44, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Earbuds and earphones never last long because the wires are thin and fragile. Repairs never last long. I have to replace mine regularly.--Shantavira|feed me06:48, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'd rather not roll that way. My NES is still working, and I could have given up on it a long time ago. It should be fixable, and the wires aren't *that* thin that I would expect them to break immediately after. Cutting, stripping, and reattaching (electrical tape or solder) the wires doesn't seem that hard. 206.126.163.20 (talk) 01:43, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Not that I don't admire your willingness to put in a little time and effort instead of just throwing something away (I do, and I wish more people thought that way), but it should be noted that the NES comes from an age where things generally tended to be a little more robust than modern electronics are. Also, earphones are generally subject to constant mechanical wear and tear -- they are constantly moving, people often wrap the wire around the device they're being used with multiple times a day (at least I do that with my iPod all the time, probably at least half a dozen times every day), they get jammed into a pocket, they can get easily caught in things if you're not careful, etc. It just isn't the kind of technology that is going to last very long. Still, if you can get a couple of months of extra use out of them by working on them for an half an hour, that strikes me as a worthwhile pursuit, as well as a good way to avoid spending money on new stuff until you really have to... and you might even learn a thing or two, or at least keep your skills up, if you already know what you're doing. I dig it. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 03:32, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
lol. Medical pioneers are generally referred to as the Father of (specific field) but I cant seem to find one for ENT. It is possible it developed gradually from either general surgery or respiratory medicine Fribbler (talk) 11:21, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hello
hello
i expect to know a vilage of city of NEW YORK who is bell port .may you tell me about it very well ? i hope i can got a map of there too .thank you
It's obvious why Pakistan would not want to see India seated but I can't understand the opposition by these countries against Brazil and Germany:
Argentina, Colombia, Mexico - opposed to a bid for Brazil
Italy, Netherlands, Spain - opposed to a bid for Germany
Lotsofissues 06:04, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
Looks like regional power plays to me—the sort of thing where countries don't one one other country elevate to a position of prominence above them, making them more minor players as a consequence. But I don't know for sure. Argentina and Brazil have hundreds of years of rivalry. Italy, Spain, and Netherlands have more modern gripes against Germany, but I don't know if those are at play here or if it is just an economic consideration. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:31, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
wikipedia photos GNU licence
I am helping a friend to publish a book about dogs, and we used Wikipedia information on a no of dog breeds,and we cited Wikipedia as one of the sources in the Biblioraphy.
We also used some dog photos from Wikipedia Commons and from the Wikipedia free encyclopedia, some as public domain and No with GNU licence. The book is not published yet, but we would like to get a written permission apriori in order to be able to use this photos.
We, however cited at the beginning of the manuscript that "A no of photos under Public Domain and GNU licence are sourced through Wikipedia and through Wikipedia Commons"
My name is Slavica Ivanovic.
If you need any more information, and Would certainly liked to be contacted, my email is <removed as per policy for your protection>—Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.107.215.207 (talk) 06:44, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Slavica, you might like to put your question at the Help desk for using Wikipedia here[17]. If you open an account, you can be emailed without your details being across the net. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:04, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Slavia—the public domain ones you are free to use without any difficulty at all.
The GFDL ones technically require you to do a few things. The license itself says that you can use them if you label them as being created by whomever made them (not Wikipedia itself, but the actual author), and indicate they are licensed by the GFDL.
Technically you are supposed to include an entire copy of the GFDL license with the book. Personally I think the authors would be happy if you just said it was licensed under the GFDL and had the GFDL hyperlink in the back of the book. The requirement to include the entire GFDL is a holdover from the idea that the files would primarily be used online, and doesn't make a whole lot of sense when talking about printed matter and especially photographs. But I should point out that this is just my personal opinion—technically the GFDL does say you have to include an entire copy of it.
The easiest way to resolve it is to get in contact with the authors of the photos and ask them for special permission to use the photos in your book without including the entire GFDL. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 13:46, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
How can I find out what was written on the previous page of the notebook? I can see some of the words clearly, but others I can not. I know there is a method that can be used to reveal what it says. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.203.242.142 (talk) 07:33, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Your easiest way is to use a soft pencil (say a 4B) and gently colour the page that the previous-one (The one you want to read) was below. This should reveal most of what you do, takes very little time and can be removed afterwards with a rubber if you so need. ny156uk (talk) 15:45, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
LRT Excluding Trams
Which is the smallest (population wise) metropolitan area, town, village, hamlet and/or city absolutely with a LRT excluding trams that also operates on the street. It might operate in the air, underground, in the water, but at least, it has to operate in the street.
Which is the smallest (area wise) metropolitan area, town, village, hamlet and/or city absolutely with a LRT excluding trams that also operates on the street. It might operate in the air, underground, in the water, but at least, it has to operate in the street.
Criteria:
If the LRT connects two or more towns, do you count only the largest (because the system "belongs to" that town) or the smallest (because you mean the question literally)?
For both questions: Count the combined total.
Does it make a difference if the towns do not touch each other?
For both questions: Count the towns as if they were one.
And second, does it count as "in the street" if the tracks are in a semi-isolated median or similar setup?
For both questions: It does not count.
Finally, are you counting only actual public transit operations where the cars run at regular intervals all day and stop frequently for people to get on and off, or do museum railways count, where they might run once an hour and only on summer Sundays, and only allow trips over the full route?
For both questions: "...actual public transit operations where the cars run at regular intervals all day and stop frequently for people to get on and off..." = Counts
For both questions: "...museum railways count, where they might run once an hour and only on summer Sundays, and only allow trips over the full route..." = Does not count.
why is MARY called Our Lady of Fatima?
what is the origin and history of name FATIMA in this connection?
Did MARY herself commanded 3 children to call her Our Lady of Fatima?
It's a form of address to Mary, see Titles of Mary, and it seems the place is attached according to where she appears or where she is connected to, or even what qualities she offers (eg, Our Lady of Guadaloupe, Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow). As to who invents the title for any time or place, don't know. Julia Rossi (talk) 10:31, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That's because it's a pretty intricate joke. The site in question directs people to arrange their fingers in the "horns" position, which Avril Lavigneappearsto befond of. I don't know a damn thing about organic chemistry, so perhaps this even works for its stated purpose (that of determining a stereocenter's configuration), but if it does, Avril Lavigne didn't contribute to it in any scientific capacity. She just likes to throw up horns. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 12:46, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, maybe. I mean, if the method actually does what it purports to, then yes, it's named in her honor. If it doesn't, then it's more of a joke on her (albeit clearly a good-natured one!). Like I said, I'm not knowledgeable about organic chemistry, so I don't know if it works. (I wouldn't recommend assuming that it works unless you understand the subject matter enough to know that it does, or find a credible source that says it works. It could just be a complex geek joke.) -- Captain Disdain (talk) 14:32, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't have answers for all those, but I know Maaco will paint your entire car for about $500. However, other auto painters (who convienently charge four times that amount) say you'll wish you didn't go to Maaco about 2 years after the paint job. When I needed to paint the hood of my car, I went to a paint mixing place and had them mix the pain to match the rest of my car, then just spray painted the hood. Sure, it looked real amateur, but the color matched, so I would guess they could match a sweater as well. Useight (talk) 16:18, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Many dealers will just "shop out" the job, sending your car off to their favorite auto body shop.
As to whether or not the car should be disassembled, well, that depends on how many places you want to find the old color later. There's are plenty of places that can't be painted if the car is fully-assembled (think about door latches, all sorts of rubber weatherstripping, and the like). The no-disassembly job will look okay to the casual viewer, but it will be blatantly obvious to anyone who cares that you changed the color of the car.
Matching color of a different material is more difficult than if you asked them to match the color of another piece of painted metal, e.g. your bike. If you say you want to buy a "new" car but want to get it "painted" are you talking used car or custom color? In any case I'd say that you are getting the better service if they take the car apart. Otherwise you could end up with "seams" where the new paint could start to peel off or allow moisture to creep in. For simple decals you could try to look what your local automotive store has available or look online (gooling for "car decal" order online, will get you lots of choices) If you don't trust yourself with applying those, a local workshop should be able to help you without charging oodles of money. Prices tend to be negotiable. Phone around to get quotes. Also check whether your area has an online review site. (Otherwise ask people who had their car painted.) 71.236.23.111 (talk) 17:31, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know of a single dealer that has a paint booth of their own. Don't go to Maaco. And Do go to different shops for to get quotes, ask for advice about good and bad shops, etc. Dismas|(talk)00:33, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Narcotics
Why are drugs illegal? i read war on drugs and it told me when and how, but not why. It is a victimless crime so why? I dont mean to start a debate, i am just curious. Thanks 86.18.34.51 (talk) 17:34, 8 May 2008 (UTC)Zionist[reply]
Law is something created by society, so at some point in history society has decided that these 'drugs' are bad for society and thus their use needs to be curbed/prevented. Some people have moral reasons for disliking drug-taking, some claim a link to crime/social devastation, some believe for safety/health reasons. Each of the drugs will have been banned/made illegal for a variety of reasons, I suggest picking a drug and trying to understand its history - there is no one reason. The question of 'victimless' is the one that is most disputed by opponents of relaxed laws on drugs. under the influence of drugs people have been known to do things that are far from victimless (this is not to suggest that the drug should be blamed but that is a line of argument oft used). I suspect your question will draw the usual set of 'not a forum' responses (fair enough I suppose), but it is a reasonably interesting question which can 'sort of' be answered. ny156uk (talk) 17:58, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, not everybody believes it is a victimless crime, clearly. There are those who believe that drug users themselves are victims of the drugs themselves (which, from a libertarian standpoint, might be seen as an argument that the effects of the drugs are strong enough to deny rational activity), and those that believe that drug activity leads in most cases to a strong criminalistic lifestyle (some of which is obviously due to the fact that the drugs themselves are illegal, but one could make the argument that drug addicts are in so little control over their abilities that they will have an extremely hard time not resorting to crime to pay for their habits). Which is to say: you seem to be assuming that the only people who want to make drugs illegal do so out of a moral compulsion or out of a desire to regulate the lives of others, deprive them of their own rational choice, etc. I'm not sure that's necessarily true, though it is obviously for some. There are arguments, though, that would favor even someone who believes in libertarian rational choice to lean away from legalization of all drugs.
Of course, the whole debate is quite muddled by the fact that there are many different types of drugs being considered under the same heading here. The effects of marijuana are more on the scale with alcohol and cigarettes than, say, methamphetamine and crack cocaine. Personally I don't think the latter should be legalized, for reasons relating to what I've stated above, whereas I'd have no problem with marijuana being legalized, even though I wouldn't use it even if it was. From a standpoint of rational actors, criminality, and likelihood to get out of control, some drugs are more justified than others to be legal or illegal. (I would personally say that marijuana and alcohol are able to make a stronger case for legality than cigarettes, personally, because of the highly addictive and long-term danger associated with the latter, whereas the former can be partaken in moderation without serious long-term effects or addiction.) (Personal note: I haven't done crack cocaine, though I did, for awhile, do meth, now many years ago. It is fiendishly addictive over the long term, and has horrible health effects. The people that dismiss its dangers and effects in the same way they'd dismiss the dangers and effects of marijuana do not really know what they are talking about, in my opinion. They are qualitatively worlds apart in terms of effects and long-term consequences.)
Note, of course, that much of the "why" today is political: to be "soft" on drugs is political suicide at the moment, though over time this has gotten better and over more time I suspect we will eventually get to a more sensible place (where the "softer" drugs will be decriminalized if not legalized, and treatment, rather than punishment, will become more standard for users of the "harder" drugs). This is, though, just a personal opinion. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:59, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The concept of drug use being "victimless" is problematic. There are always knock-on effects of every action. Discussion about legalisation should not deny the effects occur, but consider whether they are significant enough to warrant continued legislation. On a more specific note, I am always intrigued to hear people refer to marijuana as "harmless". This is certainly not the general belief within the field of psychiatry: anecdotal and peer-reviewed evidence suggests direct links between marijuana use and psychiatric illnesses (this does not mean that every marijuana user will become mentally ill, but that high usage significantly increases the likelihood that they will) . In such a case, even if you discount the individual's problems, the state/health system/tax payer can be considered a "victim" of drug-use, for they must support those who have become mentally ill through their drug use. So, such things must be considered, and weighed up against the benefits of legalising the drug (and there are believed to be some positive health benefits, also). Cannabis (drug)#Health issues considers some of these issues, and it's also worth reading the Beckley Foundation Report, which begins: "There is increasing apprehension about [marijuana's] possible role in triggering or exacerbating mental health problems, or of inhibiting young people’s emotional or social development." Note: "There is abundant research evidence that cannabis can cause shortlived psychotic episodes"; "People who used cannabis on a daily basis were 2.4 times more likely to report psychotic experiences than nondaily cannabis users"; "Regular cannabis use increased the chances of developing later schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like psychotic illness by approximately two to threefold" but also: "the vast majority of young cannabis smokers do not develop psychosis, supporting the hypothesis that a small minority of users may be vulnerable to the effects of cannabis." (all p 5) The report also looks at legalisation (both pros and cons) . Since cannabis is the "safest" drug, you can see that debates about drug legalisation can never be simple. Gwinva (talk) 23:59, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Opposite Attracts
Is there any truth in the saying: Opposite attracts? and why is it truthful?
Is there a point were opposite attracting can be dangerous?
When it comes to immune systems, yes. Researchers have found that there are olfactory processes that let us be attracted to immune systems that are complimentary (dissimilar). 71.236.23.111 (talk) 19:31, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
On the other hand, consider the crypto-historical case of Eve and the Apple. Mac users, of course, see it as evidence that their product is a remnant of paradise and the fruit of divine knowledge.
As to the successful mating, let me point out that the global population was 2 (two) prior to this "human has a close encounter with a plant" incident. It has somewhat increased. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:50, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No, opposites in humans do not attract (one study, others can be found if you require and Daniel Gilbert's book Stumbling on Happiness talks about this). Why is this considered common wisdom? I don't know. Is there a point were opposites attracting can be dangerous? Yes, when your hand is between opposite poles of strong magnets.--droptone (talk) 20:30, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'd have to disagree with the conclusion based on the study adduced by droptone. Humans have an enormous number of characteristics, and any two people will have some important ones in common and some important ones that differ. By being selective about the characteristics, you could always find "proof" that it's the ones in common that are attracting them. Equally, you could find "proof" that it's the differences that are attracting them. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:32, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Lunatic
If the 'pockmarks' on the moon are meteor strikes, and we always see the same side, then by definition these must have come very close to, or from earth, can some one please explain this to me. I realize that alot of them may be glancing blows to the moon, but the thing that made me think of this was a photograph of the moon i am looking at, and just off center to the bottom left is a crater and one can clearly see the debris that was ejected from the impact point and it seems to be spread evenly in all directions, so how is this possible? unless it can from earth, directly into the moon. Thanks 86.18.34.51 (talk) 20:48, 8 May 2008 (UTC)Zionist[reply]
Bear in mind also that while the moon may appear like a flat disc to you, it's not. For instance, the prominent Tycho crater (which may be the one you're thinking of) is about 45° off the Earth-Moon line shown by Friday. Even if you were to assume that meteors only impact perpendicular to the surface, which is in no way a correct assumption, such an impact path wouldn't get much closer to the Earth than the Moon's distance. While this is astronomically close, it's also trivial -- anything that impacts the Moon passed astronomically close to Earth. — Lomn21:49, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well this is becuase no one has uploaded one (to my knowledge) Im sure if it was properly licensed it could be put into an article. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є22:30, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It is easier to be sure the male picture is real than it would be to tell whether the female was faking it. Edison (talk) 01:06, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Swords of the highest quality
I was inspired by the "flat of the sword" question above. Who were the best sword makers in the world for different cultures and were there any tests that pitted their works against each other? I'm pretty sure some countries were renowned for their smithing skills. I know that Japanese swords are good but I think the lore is overexaggerated, especially in animes.--Lenticel(talk)23:33, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No, they really are that good. Their secret is in the folding, which AFAIK, is not found in other "traditional" sword types. The other secret (if you can call it that) is that they take the quality of their blades very seriously indeed - spending months on the creation of a single blade, with different experts overseeing each stage of the process. Check out Katana construction. While I'm sure swordsmiths all over the world have practiced their art with all due attention to detail, the Japanese have really ingrained it within their society, thus bringing more societal support to the process. The only other contender I know of might be the blades made of Damascus steel. Matt Deres (talk) 23:49, 8 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Spanish swords had a good reputation in the Middle Ages, espcially those from Toledo. On the other hand, if you wanted good armour, then you'd look to Germany or Italy. Gwinva (talk) 00:08, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Sure, they're good, but they really aren't that good -- by which I mean that they're not anime good. The lore is definitely exaggerated to and past the point of ridiculousness, as Lenticel says. I'm not dissing the skills of Japanese swordsmiths, you understand, but you're not going to be, oh, slicing through solid steel with them, for example. Katanas in fiction deals with some of this stuff. Also, Mythbusters did an episode of movie myths, in which they tested whether swords could cut through other swords, as well as another in which they tested the myth of Japanese WW2 soldiers slicing through machine gun barrels with katanas. Great swords, sure. Absolutely. But also really, really exaggerated, particularly in fiction. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:15, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
So Damascus and Toledo blades are good as well. Darn I missed that Mythbusters episode. I want to know what sword beat whom. Anyways, thanks for the info--Lenticel(talk)07:19, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There's some old, probably apocryphal story about a contest of sword quality between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Richard's club-like sword was able to break an iron bar or something, while Saladin's damascus steel scimitar was able to slice through a pillow, thus winning the contest. I'm nearly positive the tale is basically a work of fiction, but it stuck in my mind as an good description of the quality and sharpness of damascus steel. Pfly (talk) 08:20, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
May 9
Finding a girl
I am 19 and still now I haven't being with a girl in an intimate relationship. The girls I know seems to be fascinated about funny guys, guys with cars, or good in sport. How can I make a girl like me? GoingOnTracks (talk) 11:08, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Probably not here in the Language RF. I'm moving your question to the Miscelaneous.11:33, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
Please see Your first article.
Please do NOT include contact details in your questions. We are unable to provide answers by any off-wiki medium and this page is highly visible across the internet. The details have been removed, but if you wish for them to be permanently removed from the page history, email this address. Astronaut (talk) 00:17, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
Resolved
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