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May 10

Picture salling.

There a friend of mine, and we sold my Best friend's pictures on the internet, I gavew him some of my pictures to sell too, but i don't know what it's called. The site i mean.

Description- Picture are uploaded, then people pay to have the picture printed out, and the site sends you the check. I THINK theyu said it was an Ebay site, but I'm not sure. can you help me find it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.12.226.34 (talk) 00:39, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

It sounds like eBay -- maybe a "shop" within the auction site that reproduces art works by arrangement, but on the net, I don't find anything quite like that. Other sites like yessy.com allow people to put up their own work which can be sold as reproductions and there are probably others. Look for sites that act as agents for online sales, maybe. You need to ask your friend for details. Julia Rossi (talk) 04:17, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like Zazzle or Cafepress. —Tamfang (talk) 21:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

car value percentage of net worth

what percentage of my net worth do financial planners recommend should be invested in my car?

for that matter, what's the breakdown in general for where my investments should be (obviously it changes with age, how bout for a young adult?)

Based on a financial planner's OPINION, if you can find this info. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.131.133.111 (talk) 03:48, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

With the exception of a few classic cars, the purchase of an automobile is almost never an 'investment'—at least, not in the sense of having any hope of increasing in value for eventual sale.

When buying a car, a rational individual is deciding that the convenience of an automobile is worth the costs (car payments, insurance, maintenance, fuel, parking) is more valuable to him than the other purposes to which the same money might have been applied (larger home, retirement savings, tuition fees, other luxury goods, annual vacation, etc.).

To be fair, in many communities (particularly in the United States) car ownership is a virtual necessity caused by sprawling low-density development and appallingly underfunded public transit. In practical terms a well-maintained used vehicle provides essentially the same conveniences as a new vehicle; anything you spend over and above the cost of basic transportation is a luxury, and each individual must decide for himself exactly what his budget is for luxuries. In other words, a sensible financial planner will advise you that tying up net worth in a car isn't an investment. How much you can afford to blow on a car is a matter of your personal priorities and budget. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:39, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Ten's answer is excellent as usual. To address the second part of the question, a general rule of thumb is that a young person can tolerate more risk than an older person. One question to ask yourself is, how active do you want to be in picking and/or managing the investments? A lot of people just want to put money in monthly and have someone else worry about the details. To get more specific advice to your particular situation, you really should consult someone in the business rather than the reference desk. Friday (talk) 16:05, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

How the heck does Todd do this!?!?!

My best friend Todd and I often browse Wikipedia to keep abreast of first hand knowledge. Anyways, Todd, my best friend and like a brother, God love him, is one of those annoying know it alls. Somehow he's managed to memorize every gosh darned page on Wiki! I click random page and sure eneough, he'll recite it. He'll miss a sentence here and there, but for the most part- he nails it! Does anyone know how the heck he does this? He browses this website every waking moment, but still... Please show me how to get a photographic memory to this degree so I can put Mr. Smartypants in his place.

-Oh, and if you need him for anything, he said he'd be glad to help. Just dont bother him on Tuesdays and Fridays, that's when we watch Star Trek.Live From Mom's Basement (talk) 05:25, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

For information on photographic memory, please see Photographic memory. Weregerbil (talk) 09:22, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

'Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.' Apparently. I would say you probably just need to link your long term memory, which seemingly remembers almost everything, to the rest of your brain. There's probably a way to do this, but I've forgotten it.HS7 (talk) 19:49, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Soil Moisture Measurement

Which method would be more reliable to measure soil moisture: resistance or capacitance? Does different soil type contribute much to the measured resistance/capacitance? Does capacitance method still work at freezing temperatures? I'm working for a automatic watering controller using soil moisture measurements and the accuracy doesn't have to be very high, but I do want it to work reliably between different soil types. --antilived^{T | C | G} 07:01, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

As no one here has been able to answer your question, you could try the Science ref desk instead.--86.157.11.211 (talk) 16:16, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I copied it over there, click on the link in 86's note to look for answers. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 16:42, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril Lavigne hairstyle

What would you call this hairstyle and this hairstyle being sported by Avril Lavigne? Without taking the pictures to the haircut shop, what would I ask for? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 09:30, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

(i) blow-waved upwards; (ii) ponytail. For the former, tell the hairdresser you want to look taller. (Actually you'll just look ridiculous, but you'll think you look taller till you notice people giggling at you.) In the second photo, her fake eyelashes look truly grotesque. (I hope they're fake; if not, she's a freak.) Well you're full of questions, Bean. Would you care to contribute any content to this encyclopedia? -- Hoary (talk) 09:56, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Is there a quota for the number of questions a user can ask at the reference desk? Does it also apply to anon questioners? -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 19:19, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Is there a quota for the number of questions dealing with Avril Lavigne? -- Zain Ebrahim (talk) 23:11, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I think it makes her look cool, especially the second one as it shows she's not afraid to let down her guard when she's out and about. Of course it depends where you are; I wouldn't suggest the first one if your attending a business meeting or competing in the Olympics! xxx User:Hyper Girl 13:44, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

No idea on the first but the second really just looks like a ponytail. Although, I usually wear my ponytail lower on the back of my head and unless you're trying to be avant-garde or something, I'd suggest the same if your username says anything about your gender. Women tend to put their ponytails higher on their heads than men. Dismas|^(talk) 16:18, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

The first one used to be worn by Hilary Duff, didn't it? (Was that the source of their quarrel?) Adam Bishop (talk) 16:28, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Bird

I saw a bird while I was in Plymouth, MA. it had a hot pink cap on its head, and hot pink on its back and wings. do you know what kind of bird this is? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Btmgm (talk • contribs) 12:49, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a look if it's one of these: Purple Finch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, ovenbird, Pine Grosbeak--71.236.23.111 (talk) 17:29, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I already checked these out and they are not them. Thank You for your response. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Btmgm (talk • contribs) 15:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Pint-sized Midget

Suppose a midget worked in a pub. Would it be discrimination if the management made him / her ware a t-shirt with the phrase "pint-sized" on it, similar to McDonalds having "I'm lovin' it"? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 13:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

In which jurisdiction, Bean? (In space?) -- Hoary (talk) 14:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

What! In a pub I said. On Earth - its a little blue green planet, you might have heard of it if you didn't have you head up your ass! :~) Sorry, thats a little harsh, I know your just kidding. To be more specific I mean if only the midget was made to ware the "pint-sized" t-shirt, but other staff members wore t-shirts with say "full brew" on them. Mr Beans Backside (talk) 14:30, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Legal definitions of what constitute discriminatory employment practices would differ from one jurisdiction to another, hence the request for further clarification of your initial question. The attitude you've expressed towards good-faith Reference Desk editors attempting to assist you by relating seriously to your query isn't likely to be tolerated here for long. Kindly take note. -- Deborahjay (talk) 14:52, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I understand I may have been slightly harsh (as I said above), but Hoary's request of "it is in space" was a bit silly, wasn't it? How is that "relating seriously" to my query? I mean, come on, I'm not on the space station. Also, he seems to be stalking me, because he is aware of my other question and linked to it. Or maybe not. Nevertheless, I think it was he who didn't show "good-faith" when he asked that. Mr Beans Backside (talk) 15:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Point taken, Mr B B. I'm just so glad to have had the opportunity to read the following response by Dismas which I consider a worthy model to improve my response style. -- Sincerely, Deborahjay (talk) 16:01, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Probably the best answer that we can give you without knowing more details is "probably". If it were the US, the little person (if that's how the rest of us are supposed to refer to them these days) would probably have a very good discrimination case on their hands. Especially if they were told that their employment depended on it. As to whether it's morally wrong to have them wear the shirt... That's a matter for you to decide. Dismas|^(talk) 15:48, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Just to be absolutely clear here: whether it would be considered discrimination in any legal sense depends on the country and/or state the pub happens to be located in, which is exactly what Hoary referred to in his answer... but perhaps that wasn't obvious enough, which is why I'm spelling it out here. Therefore: no one can answer the question unless they know what jurisdiction this is taking place in. (A pub is not a jurisdiction. A pub is located in a jurisdiction.)

However, it should be pointed out that regardless of whether it would be discrimination in any legal sense, it would definitely be the kind of a thing that falls squarely in the "asshole behavior" category -- even if someone were to do it in a place where it would be completely legal. I can only hope that this is a hypothetical question. I mean, as far as acting like a complete jerk towards your employee goes, that's pretty unambiguous. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 02:21, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I'd guess it wouldn't be an issue if the little person agreed to do this as part of their work if it was in a promotional role, otherwise it's issue-filled. Julia Rossi (talk) 04:12, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't see anything wrong with Hoary's response. As many people have pointed out, this question is probably unanswerable without knowing what jurisdiction you are referring to. In some countries, pubs are banned so it would be irrelevant. Other countries don't even have discrimination laws. The space comment was clearly intended as a playful way to point out your question was unanswerable, and should be taken as such, there's no need to get worked up about it. I don't see how AGF comes into this, how is hoary not assuming good faith? He/she's not accusing your of doing anything bad or wrong and simply pointed out in a playful way that your question didn't provide sufficient information for it to be answerable. If anyone is not WP:AGF, it is the person who is accusing another person of stalking and not trying to seriously help you simply because that person made a harmless joke; i.e. you Nil Einne (talk) 22:10, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Female waitstaff at Hooters haven't been able to claim discrimination when they wear the Hooters logo on their shirts. And men who have tried to be hired there have been denied, and the refusal to hire them upheld in courts. Corvus cornix_talk 21:15, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Is this really appliciable though? Unless they had a pre-existing marketing thing whereby they advertised for 'midgets' to wear pint-size shirts and made it a specific part of the contract, I would say probably not. Of course, if the pub did do so, it would probably usually be fine. Similarly if the pub refused to hire a little person otherwise because they could work effectively in the pub, that would probably be acceptable as well. Nil Einne (talk) 22:10, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Bank payments

Is it normal for a bank to put all payments towards the total APR first and then the remaining payments towards the loan amount? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 14:24, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes. Normally, banks will put your payment towards the interest that has accrued on a loan in that pay period (usually one month) first, then whatever is left will be applied to the loan amount. This way you're paying off that month's interest so that it isn't carried over to the next month and then you're paying interest in the second month on the interest from the first month. Dismas|^(talk) 15:43, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Does it matter? It seems like a silly accounting distinction. Interest increases the amount owed. Payments decrease it. At time t1 you owe x1; at a later time t2 you owe x2. x2-x1 would equal interest minus payments during the period. What purpose does it really serve to keep track of whether payments "go toward" interest or principal? (Yes, I am seriously interested in an answer. I want to know what benefits there might be to tracking things like this, to either the loaner or the borrower or both.) --Prestidigitator (talk) 19:16, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Home equity. --Nricardo (talk) 19:24, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

While the home equity article explains it in a technical way, I generally think of it in more basic terms. The bank helps you buy a house, land, a car, whatever. That object or real estate represents a sum of money. So each month you pay off the interest (a monthly fee for the bank allowing you to use their money) and after that, anything that's left, gets used to buy a little more of whatever it is you bought with their money. Dismas|^(talk) 19:43, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Even so, it still seems somewhat irrelevant to me. Ultimately you owe however much money to the bank. Whether you 'own' 50% of your house and owe the bank $300k or 25% of your house but owe the bank $200k does it make any difference in the end? Your house is ultimately the security for the loan and if you are unable to pay off your loan the bank is going to take what you owe them by confiscating your security (foreclosing on your home) Nil Einne (talk) 21:55, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Given the home equity article I'm thinking the distinction might be important mostly for tax reasons. Whether you are "paying interest" or "paying off principal" is treated differently by the extremely artificial tax definitions we all (don't quite) know and (probably don't) love. --Prestidigitator (talk) 08:17, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Summer Olympics

What is the smallest country to win a Summer Olympics medal? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 14:37, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Liechtenstein is "the smallest nation to win a medal in any Olympics, Winter or Summer." See Liechtenstein#Sport. Think outside the box 14:40, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Just to be pedantic. It is people who win medals, not countries. A major Olympic movement's objective is to bring people togther in peace. The drive for countries to total medal wins is a recent phenomenon.90.4.117.42 (talk) 14:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)petitmichel

That really is pedantic, petitmichel. Of course only people can physically compete, but they do it on behalf of their country, not as independent competitors. They can only compete if their country's organising committee permits them. Which is why their country's national anthem is sung and their flag is raised, and the win is added to the national tallies. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:33, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

To be accurate, the International Olympic Committee does not keep any national tallies, and never has. The tallies are kept by just about everyone else, though. — Michael J 01:11, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Of course they compete against other athletes from their country for the right to compete at the Games. But they compete under the auspices of their sport. Not a State organised competition. Of course several countries have seen some kudos in winning - East Germany, USSR, now China, but they are not working within the Olympic ethos.86.200.4.208 (talk) 10:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)petitmichel

Liechtenstein only seems to win Winter Olympics medals though, so it still doesn't answer the question. Maybe there's a list somewhere of every country that has ever won a medal?HS7 (talk) 12:26, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

According to the article All-time Olympic Games medal count, Tonga (120k) has won 1 silver in summer games, Virgin Islands (108k) ditto. There may be smaller nations in the list, but you would have to check it. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:23, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

The US although to be more accurate, I don't know of any country which doesn't see kudos in winning medals. Nil Einne (talk) 21:50, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Remote control

Why when TV remote control's batteries become powerless, we press it's buttons harder? 89.146.77.127 (talk) 14:55, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Because we (sub)consciously think that by pressing harder and thus trying to make the buttons make better contact, that what little power is left will be able to make the button work the way it's supposed to. Dismas|^(talk) 15:50, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, in my experience it's not because I think it'll increase the signal but it might send more of the same weak signal (though of course the idea that it is pressure sensitive is erroneous). A brief experiment with my own TV remote (aiming it at the little camera circuit in my phone) shows that holding down the button does send out a continuous signal. Pushing harder shouldn't do anything, of course, but holding down the button could. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:55, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

In addition to any reasons that have to do with technology, I suspect it has quite a bit to do with the fact that we really tend to be kind of stupid, or at least irrational, about this sort of thing. It's not unlike pressing the elevator call button multiple times when we're in a hurry or yelling at a computer when it's not doing what we want. Frustration can be a pretty powerful motivator. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 02:08, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if you can necessarily call it irrational. When people are frustrated, it's helpful if they can let of steam in a fairly innocous way that doesn't damage anything or hurt anyone Nil Einne (talk) 17:18, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes a remote can miss the push of a button because the push was accidentally too weak or off-center. By pushing the button hard and carefully aiming the remote towards the TV you eliminate the possibility of user-inflicted failure, and confirm that it is the device itself (or the receiver) that is not functioning properly. 84.239.133.86 (talk) 07:31, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

And likewise with the elevator button, if it's not the kind that lights up to confirm that it was pressed. --Anonymous, 09:07 UTC, May 11, 2008.

Yes. Because people never hit the button repeatedly if it lights up, right? =) -- Captain Disdain (talk) 10:28, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Rabbits

My rabbit (buck) matted with another rabbit (doe) and a couple of days later he started to have seizures and died. Will he infect the doe or shoulden't I worry Mr Beans Backside (talk) 15:14, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I can't give you advice without knowing more about the illness. I suggest you visit a vet as it is hard to give advice over the internet when I don't know anything about the type of illness etc. Sorry I couldn't be of more help Anonymous101 (talk) 15:50, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, you should remove the corpse of the rabbit. It's not healthy to have dead bodies laying around in the same confined space such as a rabbit hutch. Dismas|^(talk) 15:52, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Is this covered in the rulebook?

I hope this question isn't too stupid, but I've always wondered how this would've been called. Just before a World Series game in 1989 there was a major earthquake. My question is; if the earthquake had happened during the game, how would umpires have ruled in most situations?Let's say a guy is running home and loses his balance because of the ground shaking. Could he then get tagged out, or would it be a do over? Or an outfielder falls and drops a routine fly ball? What if a fan panics and runs onto the field disrupting a major play? You get the picture. In all the ballgames that have been played in California there's never been an earthquake during a game, and it would be interesting to know what would happen. --Baseball and and and Popcorn Fanatic (talk) 16:32, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

My guess is that the fact of the earthquake doesn't change what happens in the game. After all, no one can be certain why the man running home fell or why the outfielder dropped the ball.

In 2005, during a cricket test match in Faisalabad between England and Pakistan, an exploding gas canister was taken to be a bomb, and the game was stopped for ten minutes. Unfortunately, nothing was happening on the field at the moment of the explosion. Xn4 21:01, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

It would probably be covered by Rule 5.10 (a): "The ball becomes dead when an umpire calls "Time." The umpire-in-chief shall call "Time" — (a) When in his judgment weather, darkness or similar conditions make immediate further play impossible." Presumably he would have the good sense to call time as soon as the earth starts moving, but 5.10 (c) allows him to stop the game once a player is injured, which might also happen during an earthquake. See MLB official rules, 5. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:28, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

There have been a couple of instances in which crazy stuff has happened during a play in American football, the most famous being The Play between Cal and Stanford. In the 2005 Alamo Bowl, dozens of people, including the guys hauling the awards podium, went onto the fiend unaware the final play hadn't ended. In both cases, the officials treated the play like any other one, waiting until the player scored (in Cal-Stanford) or was tackled (in the Alamo Bowl). There is a football rule that in case of a palpably unfair act, the officials can take any measure they feel appropriate to rectify it. Had the Cal player not made it into the end zone, the officials may have awarded Cal a touchdown anyway under that clause. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 17:00, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

what can we do for Burma?

Tens of thousands of people died immediately in Cyclone Nargis. Thousands more, some say hundreds of thousands, are at risk of death. Mainly these will be babies, children, and old people who die from water-borne diseases and starvation. What can we do? I mean this specifically, as a factual question. What can Wikipedia editors, with our skills of internet collaboration, do to alleviate the existing and growing crisis? What organisations with an online presence need experienced researchers and wiki editors? Yes, there are many worthy charities to donate money to. That is not my question. Are there satellite photos that need to be compared to those of a month ago and labelled, linked, tagged? (Has Google Earth taken new photos, or how can we lobby for them to update their images?) Are their Burmese NGOs (maybe in exile) who need their websites improved, if this data would help save lives? What else can we do? BrainyBabe (talk) 19:11, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

The current problem is that the people running the government won't let others help. (I shall refrain from pointing out the similarities to another hurricane aftermath under a completely different type of government.) It unfortunately seems as though things need to get worse before they can get better. Many organizations have rallied and mobilized their resources and are waiting for the word "Go!" Then I guess there are going to be lots of ways one could help. Lisa4edit (talk) 21:29, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

After Hurricane Katrina, the US government spent a lot of time trying to co-ordinate a response. By contrast, the Canadian government (and specifically the Canadian military) reacted immediately without any formal co-ordination. As a result, The first help that many people in Louisiana saw was from Canada. This worked because the Canadian military could depend on the US to honor pre-existing over-flight agreements. The moral of this story is that we need to get pre-approval to permit intervention during a disaster, even with governments we dis-approve of. -Arch dude (talk) 03:45, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I know the Burmese government is not going to help. Governments and foreign NGOs are hampered by this. I am thinking about people power -- not money, not feet on the ground, though both of those are needed, but remote information work. There must be something we can do. BrainyBabe (talk) 07:35, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

For a picture on the internet and Myanmar, ghits show blocking, crackdowns etc in 2007 articles; this[1] is May 2008 with a list of articles on the junta, the poll, China's backing, devastation stats, etc. It's not your everyday disaster, but a pretty awful mix of power, politics and brinksmanship (if that;'s the word) and international hand-wringing. Julia Rossi (talk) 12:19, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Concentrate Juice vs Non-Concentrate

<moved to science desk here[2]>

O2

Hi, there an advert in the UK for O2 which features a guy dancing around. If you know what I mean, could anyone tell me what song it is he's dancing to? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.210.91.252 (talk) 22:20, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

O2's current UK ad is the one with "The Animals Came in Two by Two" as the soundtrack, and no dancing guy. You don't mean this [3] ad, do you? Definite dancing guy, soundtrack is Labi Siffre's "It Must Be Love", but it's Vodafone, not O2. -- Karenjc 07:00, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

What is it about termites that bite instead of sting?

A lot of bugs I know even stink up the place and arent of the carniverous kind. But why did nature equip certain bugs with a stinger? Will God ever invent a bug that shoots flames? lol:)--Dr. Carefree (talk) 22:30, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, it isn't flames, but the noxious, boiling chemicals spewed by the bombardier beetle are pretty close. As for why certain insects are equipped with stingers, teeth, etc., they are always either defensive or offensive mechanisms, used for deterring enemies and/or attacking prey. Pretty straightforward evolutionary adaptation, one that conveys obvious benefits to the species that have them. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:14, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

With such an advantange how come the bombadier beetle hasn't taken over the world? I believe in evolution, dont get me wrong but it seems the time has come that a super duper insect will someday soon TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Wont evolution be fun to watch when they fight -each other? Couldnt bees decide to get together and collectively sting everyone and everything!? Ive always wondered why insects with thier great numbers, weapons, and social structure haven't eliminated man. Maybe because we have Raid?Dr. Carefree (talk) 00:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Your peculiar mix of bad faith, xenophobia, and paranoia lead you to conclude that every species wants to take over the world for itself. This is not neccessarily the case.

Oh wait. You were trying to be funny. ha. ha. ha. Vranak (talk) 19:15, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

It's all about energy. A hypothetical flame-throwing insect would need to accumulate enough energy to produce the flame effect. An insect accumulates energy by expending effort to eat plant matter or prey. It's a lot more efficient to manufacture a poison or a repellent than to manufacture a flame. -Arch dude (talk) 03:32, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Talk to the cockroaches in our kitchen about attempts at domination. Unfortunately some other species has developed insecticides. ... but they will win yet.  :-)--71.236.23.111 (talk) 04:19, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Bees can't get together and sting everyone since they die when they sting. If they ever did get a single controlling intelligence so that they could all act simultaneously I for one would welcome our new insect overlords and remind them that refdesk editors can be useful to recruit workers to toil in their underground sugar caves. Mad031683 (talk) 16:49, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Different culture = different personality?

Do people from different cultures have different personalities? Or do they only have different belief systems (in religion, politics and whatever)? 217.168.0.94 (talk) 22:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Depends what you define as culture, but much of what we consider to be "personality" has cultural aspects. As an easy example, those who grow up in Japanese society generally (but not always, of course) have a much more deferential attitude to elders than those who (generally) grow up in American society. Is that personality? It can sure look like it, if you're one of the elders in question! --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

No, I don't see a respectful attitude towards elders as a part of my personality, but as a social value. If I travel to Japan, and I want to fit in the society, I probably would also be respectful toward elders. 217.168.0.94 (talk) 23:41, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

The difference is though, it's not simply something that do for 'fun'. It's ingrained in to them this is how they behave. I think you'd fine you have great difficulty at first perfectly emulating their behaviour simply because it comes natural to them but not to you. Similarly, a Japanese person may have difficulty at first referring to an elder in the US or UK by their given name for example because even though they may know and accept it's the norm and completely acceptable, it just makes them so uncomfortable. Similarly, you'll find difference in public displays of affection, male-female interactions, what's considered acceptable 'aggression' etc etc. Part of someone's personality (how they behave with others, what they find funny etc) is always going to be influence by the culture their in. And if someone starts behaving in a different way (i.e. changes their personality) when they are in a different culture, doesn't that mean they are embracing that culture and so adapting a new personality because of it Nil Einne (talk) 17:28, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

How about language? I know someone who becomes quite flamboyant and emotional when he speaks French. Speaking English, he's the stiff upper lip type. Gwinva (talk) 22:30, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Is Mount Edna active?

Does anyone have any updates on this? --Foperland (talk) 23:55, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I do believe that Dame Edna has recently announced her/his retirement. He/she may be able to answer this. :) -- JackofOz (talk) 00:39, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Since you likely mean Etna, yes, it is very active - see Mount Etna#Recent eruptions. It last erupted in September 2007. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:16, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

May 11

Current Affairs

Who is the present minister of external affairs in India? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.201.79.8 (talk) 07:53, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Pranab Mukherjee.--86.145.248.3 (talk) 07:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Will the Feds shut down Wikipedia?

I've seen matter that says that "Conservapedia" has charged that the FBI is probing Wikipedia about the posting of a photo of a female subject that may be considered "kiddie porn", Does this mean that Jimbo Wales will be arrested and Wikipedia shut down? If I did not ask, someone else would have and be really nasty about it. 205.240.146.247 (talk) 07:59, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I think the best course of action is to take everything Conservapedia takes with a pinch of salt. It does intrigue me though how these people have JUST noticed that sex and nudity exist on wikipedia. I'm fairly certain those were about the first articles to be created. Damn internets. -mattbuck (Talk) 10:03, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Conservapedia has previously threatened to report people who vandalise it to the FBI, so I think they're being a trifle optimistic again.-- Diniz(talk) 21:10, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Frankly, no. The image in question was used 32 years ago as an album cover (and despite the ravings of the right-wing fundamentalist organisation which precipitated the current debate, there is no evidence that the image was ever "banned" in the US by any legal authority - it was replaced by an alternate image on grounds of taste, but that appears to have been the decision of the record label, not any legal/judicial body); it has been reproduced all over the place since, so there are plenty of other people who would be sued/prosecuted first, but there is no chance of this happening anyway as in no way does it meet the definition of pornography determined by the US Supreme Court in 1989. It would be hypocritical in the extreme if Wikipedia removed this image as offensive to some Christian fundamentalists when we have already (rightly in my opinion) refused to remove the Jyllands-Posten cartoons of Mohammed or the medieval "images of Mohammed" which have been considered offensive by a far larger number of Islamic fundamentalists. -- Arwel (talk) 21:27, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Some crank website complaining to the FBI about nonsense does not = "the FBI is probing". Corvus cornix_talk 21:19, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

And even "The FBI is probing" does not = "The FBI will press charges against." Given the complaints, I suspect that the FBI has probed this, an investigation which likely consisted of an agent in an office looking at the image, doing a little research about its history, saying, "Nope, not child porn," and closing the file. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:11, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Lets all go run and hide because conservapedias angry, lol, dont like only 3 people edit that site. Realist² ('Come Speak To Me') 06:46, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

All this fuss over Virgin Killer? This world had gone oxymoronic, with all the things that touted to be trustworthy are actually completely untrustworthy. --antilived^{T | C | G} 07:27, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

In this case the Feds would also have to close Amazon first. GoingOnTracks (talk) 08:38, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

platinum

<moved to science desk here[4]> Please undo if doesn't suit. Julia Rossi (talk) 09:43, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Joseph Fritzl's statements

Re the Austrian incest case, it seems unusual to me that a person charged and in prison (especially before trial) can release statements to the public which could influence a jury. I had the impression people had to wait until their court appearance or legal defence spoke on their behalf during a trial. Is this a first? or is this allowed in Austria? Julia Rossi (talk) 09:53, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Checking the Austrian papers / el. media indicates:

The statement you are referring to seems to originate from interviews the legal counsel of Josef F. (his full surname must not be mentioned by the media) has given to a sensationalist tabloid (which, however, is widely read). This lawyer appears to be a rather controversial practitioner, who - inter alia - has publicly speculated on the potential insanity of his client and has demanded psychiatric experts to evaluate his client´s capacity to stand trial.

Your question, presumably, must be rephrased as: "Can a lawyer publicly quote privileged information entrusted to him by a client?" to which I know no answer.

Josef F. has, as yet, not been charged nor is he in prison. As the prime (and hitherto only) suspect in the case he is in police custody (de: Untersuchungshaft / remand) but must be assumed to be innocent (de: Unschuldsvermutung / presumption of innocence) until he is found guilty by a court of justice. This period of custody was prolonged today (11.05.08) by one month, as Josef F. still is a suspect and, if released, may manipulate the evidence or flee the country.

Also bear in mind that any questioning of the victims / witnesses is in the far future, as they must first learn to cope with daylight, with mobility, with wider and open spaces, with humans and, of course, with their own reality. I can not imagine a trial to take place in the intermediate future.

It may be possible that the counsel´s strategy is to prolong such a period, it may be his aim to reach a time when statutes of limitation come into play (they may have done so already) or when the health of the suspect / defendant has deteriorated to make him unfit to stand trial. His statements, almost certainly, serve a legalistic purpose which can only be speculated upon.

--Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:52, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I guess the rules on this are different in every country, Julia. In the U.S., under the First Amendment, both the accused and the police/prosecutors can say whatever they want to the press before, during and after the trial. A thorough jury selection procedure is supposed to weed out potential jurors who have been tainted by pre-trial publicity. If a trial is covered extensively in the media, the judge can order that the jury be sequestered, or kept away from TV and newspapers, during the trial. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 16:34, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

No Western legal system that I know of prohibits public statements by the accused about his case. Also, Austria (like several European nations) may not provide for trial by jury any more. Sandstein (talk) 17:31, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

The last part of the above should probably read "...may not provide for trial by jury." Period. I'm fairly certain that there are jurisdictions where trial by jury has never been used. /Kriko (talk) 20:13, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, Austria, as with a number of European countries has a Civil law (legal system) system so even if they do have a jury, it's likely the jury is part of a tribunal including judges and therefore are advised by and discuss the case with judges probably making it far more difficult for the jury to simply ignore the case and be influenced by out of cour statements. And in any case, the standard of evidence allowed to be presented in court is usually a lot lower, for example what would usually be consider hearsay in a Common law system is likely to be allowed to be presented in court but given little bearing, making the issue of out of court statements probably somewhat moot Nil Einne (talk) 21:39, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

How different it all is in Europe... Here in Australia afaik we still have trial by jury served by members of the public. Media figures face charges when they make statements deemed likely to affect due process (I forget the term) and when people are arrested and held over in preparation for trials etc, they seem to be silent. My impression anyway. It's interesting that the defendant through his lawyer can make self serving statements (without evidence even) that from here appear to be part of a strategy to manipulate public opinion among other things. Thanks all for clarifying, Julia Rossi (talk) 22:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

It's my impression that, as a general rule, competent defense lawyers will say as little as possible pre-trial (and will certainly not permit their client to release statements), because the downside is just a lot larger than the upside. Or at least they must think so, and they're in a better position to judge that than I am. At most, and fairly rarely, they will say something like "Mr. Doe vigorously affirms his total innocence of all charges, and looks forward to his day in court". --Trovatore (talk) 01:25, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I need help, sorry.

I don't usually talk to anyone about this sort of stuff, but now I have to, and you're the only people I can think of that could help.

Now, I'm really shy, I find it very difficult to say anything to anyone, even my family. And this has been the cause of one of the biggest problems between me and my girlfriend. She is a bit annoyed that I don't talk much, and is worried because, well it's hard to explain really, but she doesn't see much future in us being together, something like that. I can't be bothered to try to find out her exact words. Anyway, I was sitting and thinking yesterday about this, and about why i am the way I am, and sort of worked out it was mostly due to the way I acted at school, hiding from myself, just getting through each day without really thinking much or bothering to do anything. I was going through a rather rough time back then. I'm past that it now, but can't seem to break the habit of hiding all the time. There was some other stuff too, but that's most of it. Anyway, I am getting better now, and i think it might be largely to do with her influence on me. But our relationship is suffering at the moment, and I'm not sure what'll happen. She blames herself for a lot of what's wrong, but I'm sure I'm much more responsible for our problems. Anyway, that's enough background for now.

All the time I was thinking this I couldn't stop thinking about her either, and afterwards I went and listened to music for some reason i'm still not quite sure of and anyway long story short it affected me a lot and I knew I had to do something to fix the mess we're in. Now, anyone that has been stalking me and memorising everything I say here probably already knows that we live a long way apart and mostly communicate through the internet at the moment, which obviously makes my not talking a little bit less of a problem for now. So, I somehow got the idea that I could record myself singing one of the songs i had listened to and send it to her, along with a message explaining basically everything i've just said here but a bit differently. it made sense at the time. But the main problem that I have is that I don't know if this is a good idea. Is it? what might happen? is there anything else i can do? You know, that sort of stuff.

I also don't know what to sing. I've narrowed it down to probably either 'sorry' by Chris Daughtry or 'temporary insanity' by The Weekend. I think the first one is more relevent to my problem, but the second one, for a few reasons is sort of 'our song'. And i say sorry to her rather a lot and she sometimes seems a bit annoyed that it doesn't mean as much as it should. But I'm not sure 'our song' should be used to make up for something like this, and it doesn't really get my point across. So, any advice on which one I should choose? Or are there any other songs anyone here knows of that are even better?

That's about it, I think. So yea, which song should I choose, will it work, what else is there I could do, just someone help me with this, I don't know what to do.

Yes, I'm aware that this isn't what this site is for, but it's the only place I can think of that might be able to help, and I really need help. I don't have any experience with this sort of thing, I don't even know what quesions to ask you. I'm hoping people reading this might be able to help me with that too.

HS7 (talk) 14:08, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Have you considered writing your own song? Reciting someone else's lyrics may not be the thing, and no matter what the song is it can never say exactly what you want to say (or that would be what I have found). asenine ^{say what?} 17:55, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I would like to, but I would be absolutely terrible at it. I really fail at writing poems and songs, for some reason :(.HS7 (talk) 18:02, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

It's pretty common, actually universal, to sing someone else's song (or play it for the hearer) to express your feelings. I thought that's what musicians and music is for, best Julia Rossi (talk) 22:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Addition: It's nice when someone sends you the lyrics, somehow it gets across in a meaningful way. The song that moved you sounds like it has the right touch. (PS I hope she doesn't want you to be something you're not -- wasn't that who she liked in the first place? Maybe you could ask her about that sometime. ) JR

It looks like I'll be singing 'sorry' then, so if anyone knows where I can find the lyrics for it, it'll make it a lot easier than listening to it over and over again. I'm not trying to change to something I'm not, I'm trying to dig the real me out from under the mess I've made of myself. And hardly being able to talk makes a lot of things really difficult, so it's something I want to change about myself too.HS7 (talk) 19:25, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Well you talked about digging the real you etc... try giving "Dig" by Incubus a chance... listen to the song a search for the lyrics on google... it's pretty neat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.224.139.247 (talk) 03:11, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Radio in the US like BBC channel 4

What is the equivalent of BBC 4 in the US? (I mean a sender that talks about culture). 217.168.0.149 (talk) 14:22, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

National Public Radio. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 16:26, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

BBC4, or BBC Radio 4? Ninebucks (talk) 02:49, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

What type of bird is this?

I am going to add this picture ([5]) to an article, but I am not sure what exactly the bird is. Any input would be much appreciated. asenine ^{say what?} 15:47, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I know I have put the title to 'Baby Dove' as of now, but it might not be. asenine ^{say what?} 17:56, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Feel free to close, identified. :) asenine ^{say what?} 18:29, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

So are you going to let us know? Dismas|^(talk) 20:04, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Baby pigeons appear in google images. All those pinfeathers and a pigeon kind of beak... Julia Rossi (talk) 23:11, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Will there ever be peace on earth?

Where humans of all races, boa constrictors and butterflies all frolic together creating energy that generates rainbows, an end to disease, and permanant "we are all one, lets love each other bullsh*t" euphoria?--Dr. Carefree (talk) 16:29, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Honestly, if you think that everyone loving one another is bullshit, why bother asking such a question? But in case you were serious, we unfortunately have no more insight into the future than anyone else, and this isn't the place to go into speculation about such a matter. -- JackofOz (talk) 16:39, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

My crystal ball says: There will be peace on earth. But not while humans are still on it. In the meantime, we might end up with periods of greater stability and wealth than others. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:50, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

There would be peace on earth after some interesting events occurs. Too bad no human will able to see it.--Lenticel ^(talk) 00:17, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

There is peace on earth. Just not everywhere. -- Q Chris (talk) 07:19, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

If your definition of 'peace' is a lack of activity, only after you destroy all life on the planet with nukes. Or somehow nudge it into a black hole. etc. Ilikefood (talk) 00:47, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

One day, technology will reach such a point that energy is too cheap to meter, automatic production will become so sophisticated, agricultural production will become so efficient and the exploitation of other planets will become so profitable that, effectively, the problem of scarcity will basically be removed. After that, there'll be very little reason for anyone to fight over anything. Ninebucks (talk) 02:54, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

But people often fight over other things than food and energy, many countries fight because they are different, or want to prove they are better than others, and people will still want power, still want to control other people.HS7 (talk) 17:43, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Name all the songs

Moved to Entertainment desk Think outside the box 18:19, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

What is this?

Could someone tell me what this peculiar looking object is? http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/4655/whatisthisrw0.jpg Mr Beans Backside (talk) 17:07, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I am reliably informed by my civil engineer father that this is a Petrol interceptor. You don't normally see these bad boys above ground. Fribbler (talk) 17:14, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

A giant bong. Ninebucks (talk) 02:56, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Breach of trust?

Would it be wrong for a parent to plant a GPS tracking device on their 16 year-olds car - without their knowledge - in order to track their whereabouts and driving speed - or would that be considered a breach of trust? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mr Beans Backside (talk • contribs) 17:10, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

That may be illegal in certain jurisdictions. Seek professional legal advice. Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 17:26, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

As for the ethical portion of the question (which is what I think is really being driven at here, pardon the pun), that's a matter of personal opinion. There are plenty of editorials and articles in the media that may help inform your decision. — Lomn 17:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

If you are planning to do that, there is nothing the breach anyway since the trust is non-existent. --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:05, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it's wrong. A simple test: How would you have liked it if your parent planted a tracking device on your car? Specifically, it is a violation of the right to privacy and interfering with another's property. Not only is it a breach of trust, it's a breach of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle :) --WikiSlasher (talk) 11:06, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

No clothes

If you had absolutely no clothes in the house, what household items would you use to cover yourself so you could go out and get some? (Extra points for creativity) Mr Beans Backside (talk) 17:22, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Wear the sheets off your bed, then you wouldn't need to go out and buy any. Or order them online and have them delivered.HS7 (talk) 18:05, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I am going to say that I would make a dress out of a spatula and some wooden soup spoons I use for stirring.71.142.222.245 (talk) 19:46, 11 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

My cat.hotclaws 00:07, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't Hotclaws.You might get arrested for showing your pussy in a public place :D Lemon martini (talk) 13:39, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Yow! I need to start my collection of Ref Desk zingers. bibliomaniac15 01:03, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Birth of a calf

Last week I witnessed the birth of a calf. I have seen this many times in my life time but was curious as to just how many have also seen this. So my question is have you seen any animal give birth? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 17:23, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

This isn't a question, it's an attempt at a poll. Some people here might not like it, sorry.

Sorry I'll refine my question; how common is it for humans to witness animals giving birth? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 18:09, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

If you're a farmer, breeder, researcher of various disciplines, owner of an intact female cat that you allow to go outside, etc., it's very common. I doubt very much that any research or surveys have gone into this at all. Dismas|^(talk) 20:01, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Are you only counting mammals? What about a chick hatching? Nil Einne (talk) 21:30, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Well if we throw that in, we can count the several hundred thousand that have seen a chick hatch in the kid's barn at various state fairs. Dismas|^(talk) 21:35, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

More common than answering pointless questions  on here,..hotclaws 00:08, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Yep troll alert. Sandman30s (talk) 14:49, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

The one time I saw a cat give birth was a few hours after an earthquake. I wonder whether the quake hastened it. —Tamfang (talk) 21:31, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

living expenses

How much are living expenses if you live cheap in Los Angeles? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 17:27, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

In San Diego which is near to L.A. you would pay about $700 to rent a room,and might have your own bathroom or have to share.Then in SD you would need a car,paying gas/insurance/repair costs/services etc and food plus going out,I was earning $19 an hour in 2005,now in 2008 you would need to make about $22 or more an hour to keep up with the cost of living. Earning $10 an hour does not cut it in SD or L.A. and you will find it hard to live on that salary probably needing to get another job so you would be spending a lot of time in work.Also forget ever being able to own any property with the high prices in L.A. or San Diego.Best of luck! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.86.15.15 (talk) 14:59, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Pokerstars account

Can somebody make me a pokerstars account please? It won't let me make one on my computer. The username I want is: aakkqqlol. Make the password: password. You can just make up the biographical info. Thank y'all so much!!!!!--Stolevel (talk) 17:32, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not Pokerstars and we will not be parties to fraud. Stifle (talk) 09:25, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

What to do now (any advice?)

This seems to be the right place to ask all manor of questions, so here goes... I'm sitting at home on my computer and I'm very bored. I playing with the idea of vandalizing Wikipedia, but I'm holding back in the hope that someone can suggest something betting for me to do. Preferably something on the internet. I've had a look around this website and its all a bit highbrow for me, and encyclopedia editing isn't exactly my strong point. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.35.162.18 (talk) 17:40, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Please look at Wikipedia:Community Portal. We need help with lots of stuff, If you want excitement, try doing anti-vandal work. If you are of a calmer disposistion, help with other stuff. If you think you don't know enough to help, you are wrong: you were able to edit this page and ask a coherent question, so you can edit an article to improve it, if only for spelling and grammar. You should create an account if you are going to do much, though. -Arch dude (talk) 20:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

If you want "low-brow Wikipedia" Uncyclopedia may be a good bet. Everything2 and H2G2 may also fit the bill. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 17:05, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

You have a computer, internet access and you're bored?hotclaws 00:09, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Etiquette

If you saw a garage sale sign and looked for the sale but couldn't find it, would you take down the sign? This happened to me. I found the house, but nothing was going on so I rang the bell and was informed that sale had been last week. What is the etiquette on this? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 17:42, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Personally, it would depend on where the sign was. If it were placed in a public place I might take it down, whereas if someone has it in their front garden or on their gate it would be ruder to touch it. Daniel (‽) 18:07, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Suicide

While walking in a wooded area that is known for black bears, I wondered why more people who want to commit suicide don't go off into the woods and taunt black bears so they get mauled to death. Did you ever think anything close to this? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 17:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

That would be such a sweet way to go. If I ever get suicidal again, I won't race cars on the highway, I'll fight fucking bears!

Cause it would be very painful? Most people want the quick and easy way to get something done.It could work,but it seems like too much effort.Unless of course,you're wearing a pork chop necklace,which could speed the process along ;) Makey melly (talk) 17:49, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Isn't there such a thing as suicide by policeman that's almost the same as this, just with police instead of bears? I'm sure I read about that somewhere.

And there's no bears here, so we can't. And the zoos all have signs saying Don't feed the animals.HS7 (talk) 18:10, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Where do you mean here when you said here? 217.168.0.149 (talk) 18:58, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Mr. B. B. has said before that he's Canadian. And the use of the police for suicidal purposes can be found at suicide by cop, though I've always heard it referred to as "death by cop". Dismas|^(talk) 19:56, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Where did he say that? Who said that there are no bears in Canada? 217.168.0.149 (talk) 22:41, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Somewhere on the Comp. Ref. Desk. Dismas|^(talk) 23:23, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Indeed if you do want to do this at a zoo, may I suggest something like a tiger instead like these guys did? Likely to be faster then with a bear Nil Einne (talk) 22:20, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

It isn't very reliable. Most people go into the woods and never even see a bear. Maybe we should recommend this as a suicide technique; after a week of fresh air, exercise, and change of life that would come with trying to get mauled by a wild bear, many suicidal people might well be feeling much better. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:25, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Attacking humans, even ones who taunt, is not normal behavior for Black bears -- they usually run away. See American Black Bear#Attacks on humans. Gizzly's are a little different. See Grizzly bear#Attacks on humans. In Grizzly country, the gift shops often sell walking sticks and other items with little bells on them to decrease the chances of surprising a bear. Bear droppings are called scat. Do you know how to tell the difference between Black bear scat and Grizzly bear scat? Grizzly bear scat has little bells in it. WTucker (talk) 23:41, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

You guys might notice that the question isn't really about suicide or bears, but about whether you ever end up thinking about something like that. It's not really a reference desk type of a question. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 23:36, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Nohotclaws 00:11, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I can only advise against these items with little bells on them. Grizzly bears are able to learn and they tend to associated humans with food. Ringing the bell will just make them salivate. GoingOnTracks (talk) 08:49, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Is this real - Read first BEFORE clicking the link!

I was just searching around the internet for stuff and I found this picture [6] - I warn you, its a bit freaky. Seriously, I can't believe this is natural, he must have had some sort of operation to get that. Or am I wrong? On one hand I feel at bit inadequate if it is real, but on the other is just looks ghastly. Could someone please clarify the situation. Many thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.35.162.18 (talk) 19:11, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

It's fake. If you look at other pics from the series, you'll see that they never show the base of it very well at all. Notice how the pants obscure it in that pic. It's basically just a plastic/rubber/whatever prop that is held in place somehow. That "somehow" is what isn't shown. Dismas|^(talk) 19:54, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

From a Google, the largest penis on record was 13.5 inches long, 6.25 inches around, as measured by Dr. Robert Latou Dickinson. However it doesn't make sense to feel inadequate by this any more then it makes sense to feel inadequate from being shorter then Robert Pershing Wadlow. You may also be interested in human penis size Nil Einne (talk) 21:24, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril's New Album

is there any news on when avril lavigne will be releasing a new album? is she working on one now? i can't find anything on google about her upcoming works. Jibbersayer (talk) 20:36, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I wonder why Avril Lavigne is mentioned here on the RefDesk nearly everyday? :-) 89.236.214.174 (talk) 07:33, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I think right now she is touring - although she has lost her voice - hope it gets better soon! I don't think she is working on an album right now, but you never know she might scribble down a few songs while on the road. I can't wait! xxx User:Hyper Girl 08:56, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This question should be moved to the Entertainment desk. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Style changes

I didn't really like Avril Lavigne's preppy look, but I didn't know why she suddenly went from skater chick to totally preppy. My friend (who loves Avril) didn't know why Avril suddenly made the change to preppy. Does anyone know? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jibbersayer (talk • contribs) 20:38, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I do, but if I told you, I'd have to kill you. hotclaws 00:12, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

You think that's drastic? Charlotte Church used to sing opera! People change, get over it. --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:00, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril's style changed because she is happy. Nobody seems to understand that. People call her a "poser", but she is happy now and why can't people see that? When she started dating Deryck Whibley she started acting more preppy because her marriage made her happy, yet nobody understands that, and they are all hating her for being happy. No offense to the asker, but why can't you just leave her alone to be happy? xxx User:Hyper Girl 08:52, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

She's a pop star. Her image is carefully manicured to whatever her and her handlers think is going to sell more records and t-shirts. Holding out for something like "authenticity" with a pop star marketed towards teens and pre-teens is rather silly. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 15:12, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This question should be moved to the Entertainment desk. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Longest wikipedia article

I know you've probably been asked this a million times already, can you answer it?. Someone should post it somewhere or create an article about it. The Vandal Warrior (talk) 20:46, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

But is it notable? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 20:53, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't think it merits its own article, but if you just want to know which article is the longest, Special:Longpages sounds like what you're looking for. Most of the longer ones are lists, but there are some articles there as well. AlexiusHoratius (talk) 20:55, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! The Vandal Warrior (talk) 21:00, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Bear in mind readable prose is usually considered a better measure of article length nowadays then pure byte size Nil Einne (talk) 21:12, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, that page is very long but has no prose. User:Yetmotega/1 Yetmotega (talk) 21:54, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I think London has the largest amount of prose. The Vandal Warrior (talk) 21:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

It looks like Critical philosophy might be the largest article that isn't a list (from a quick scan of LongPages). I don't know how much that Bibliography is inflating the figure, though, and it needs a whole lot of cleanup. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 04:41, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I found that Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign was the biggest non-list article. That's a shame, having a little thing like that at the top. When this was asked a few months ago it was the Second World War that was longest, but that apparently seems to have mysteriously shrunk rather a lot since then. And there is the rather odd case of one article apparently much longer than any other even though it looks tiny, so i'm not sure what's going on there.HS7 (talk) 18:25, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Goatse

Does anyone know how Mr yopyopyop got hold of a code for this act of vandalism? Not that I'm planning on doing so, I find it repulsive. The Vandal Warrior (talk) 20:55, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Presemuably using a program like this [7] Nil Einne (talk) 21:08, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I tried it out and it works. It lags your computer really bad. I had to alt+F4 it. The Vandal Warrior (talk) 21:27, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Doesn't seem to cause problems for me. What image are you using? Perhaps it's your browser? For reference I'm using IE7. It wouldn't surprise me if IE6 for example doesn't handle it well at all Nil Einne (talk) 22:13, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

[8], I'm using Internet Explorer 7 too. The Vandal Warrior (talk) 22:27, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Seems fine for me using Safari 3.1. Dismas|^(talk) 23:21, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

I just wish it wasn't so fine with Firefox 2.0.0.14!! :-) Fribbler (talk) 00:07, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Racism

Why doesn't Wikipedia have a policy on racism? Either that or I haven't found one. The Vandal Warrior (talk) 22:12, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Why do we need one? WP:NPA and WP:Civility covers every single problem that would arise from racism that I can think of. Nil Einne (talk) 22:14, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Because racism is a ridiculously ambiguous issue.--WaltCip (talk) 14:41, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, it's not too ambiguous for many countries to have laws outlawing vilification or inappropriate discrimination on racial grounds. But Nil Einne is right - those 2 policies cover it so we don't need a further policy. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:57, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is supportive of all races. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 04:08, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

May 12

Getting to Greenbelt, Md., on a Sunday

Is there any way to get from Baltimore to the Old Greenbelt section of Greenbelt, Maryland on a Sunday using public transportation without going all the way into DC and backtracking? There are several buses that go from New Carrollton to Greenbelt but none of them seem to run on Sundays. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:06, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I've only been in that area once, and I always rode the subway, "Greenline to Greenbelt" was what came over the intercom and that's what I rode. But that's not going to help. Sorry. Useight (talk) 06:44, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

See our articles Metrorail (Washington, D.C.), Green Line (Washington Metro), and Greenbelt (Washington Metro).

Atlant (talk) 16:11, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't think you guys read the question. I'm asking how to get from Baltimore to Greenbelt without going into DC and backtracking. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:08, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Since MARC covers that route on weekdays, maybe their information line would know if there's a company that does it on Sundays without needing to change vehicles.

But I just googled on "Baltimore", "Greenbelt", and "bus", and this was the first hit, and it tells me that you can get from Baltimore to Greenbelt with one change of vehicle, not counting any travel you may need to do within each city. Start by riding the Baltimore light rail system to BWI Airport station, and then at that station you can get the WMATA route B30 "BWI Express" bus direct to Greenbelt WMATA (Washington Metro) station. It says the B30 runs every 40 minutes, 7 days a week. I don't know how near the Greenbelt station may be to Old Greenbelt, though. --Anonymous, 22:44 UTC, edited 22:48, May 13, 2008.

And here's a schedule for the B30 showing where the stops are. --Anon, 23:14 UTC, May 13.

Thanks! -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:52, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Coleman Propane Bottles

When opening those propane bottles for the first time for use in a lantern for example how is it possible to make sure the gas stays in the bottle as you connect it to the pipes where it flows through to the lantern. Does the gas stay in the bottle because it is compressed or is there some trick to it. I am a first time propane lantern user so thats why i am asking. One other thing i would like to ask is if propane is cheap to buy. I was amazed a few days ago to get it at $2.00 a bottle.--logger (talk) 02:59, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Tell me about it. Damn shit costs ME nearly $4.00 US. See below WHO Sean Hannity and others blame for the economic fiasco. Damn near shocked the hell out of me.205.240.146.247 (talk) 04:13, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

A small amount of gas will escape as you make the first connection but it is not enough to be a problem. Just screw it on tight and it won't leak any further. Rmhermen (talk) 05:16, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

What works is fine with me i just want to be sure that i am not wasting that gas. indeed the price of it is high but is that not the normal price for propane?--68.54.131.156 (talk) 10:08, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Can any of these be used?

• www.efuel100.com
• www.microfueler.con

• • These are suspected as being part of a scam.

Also on Hannity's America, on 5-11-08, Sean Hannity has actually blamed the Environmentalists AND their leader Al Gore as to WHY food and fuel prices have spiked, yes spiked in two years straight, shown him on a smoke belching jet while HE has the gall and insolence to preach to people about (now debunked, according to Sean Hannity, who listed several scientists who said Global Warming is BS) Global Warming and telling people to quit living like decent people, that people should barely exist like people do in the Third World, worse, and I mean worse. Just had a Goregasm. I have also heard other conservations that the Environmental movement is designed to destroy the US, and that, as Rushie would say, "Eco Whackos" do NOT protest other nations, such as China, or they'd end up being shot, imprisoned as being insurrectionists, rebels in a rebellion. One bit of evidence is that "Earth Day" is on a communist "holiday". I've also heard that, worse from Mark Le Vine(conservative), Michael Savage, others of that ilk. Again, can any of this be used at all? 205.240.146.247 (talk) 03:12, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I often "eat out" at two truck stops. You'll be amazed WHAT truckers, other travellers discuss. Some of them have 'net access AND HUGE TVs, often tuned into conservative stations. 205.240.146.247 (talk) 03:24, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Since the only question in that whole soapbox rant is "Can any of this be used at all?", I have a couple questions of my own... What are we supposed to use out of all that and where/what are you asking about using it in? Are you asking whether ethanol fuel can be used in cars? Dismas|^(talk) 05:18, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Any verifiable information can be used in articles you may care to edit, however in my experience talk show hosts are long on opinion and very, very short of references to back up their spiels Mhicaoidh (talk) 09:02, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I hope you are aware that your question is impossible to respond to simply because of the way you worded the messages. In fact, if anything, you are setting up a strawman.--WaltCip (talk) 14:40, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not a soapbox. Corvus cornix_talk 16:35, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

South-East Asian politician who went missing in Sydney in the 1960s

I asked this question a long time ago but nobody had any idea. It still bugs me, so maybe someone's come along since then who knows what I'm talking about. It's about a politician (possibly the Foreign Minister or even the Prime Minister) from a country in South-East Asia. He came to Australia on government business and received all the usual welcomes and media attention. Then, after his last official duty in Sydney, he went missing. He was due to board a plane to go back home but he didn't turn up. The security and police forces went into overdrive, but couldn't find him. The whole country was talking about it. Then, about 3 or 4 days later, he turned up safe and well. He apologised for the trouble he'd caused but explained that he'd been exhausted or something like that, and just needed some time out away from his minders and his unrelenting schedule. He'd found some friendly nationals from his country in Sydney and had been hiding out with them. Then he went back home and life returned to normal. Does anyone remember who this guy was? I keep thinking he was from Malaysia or Singapore, but that may be my mind playing tricks. I'm almost certain it wasn't Lee Kuan Yew. This happened around about 1964, give or take a couple of years, to the best of my memory. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:03, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

If your question continues to draw blanks here, you might want to try the "humanities" desk. Alternatively try a couple of portals. --Lisa4edit (talk) 21:22, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry Jack, that was 5 years before my lengthy sabbatical in Sydney. Apart from browsing through the back copies of the SMH / Age / Australian / Nation Review (oops, too late), if not scanned than at least on very small fish, I can´t think of a good source.

I can give you the email address of an old friend from Sydney (now living in Katoomba) who may remember, if you want (please leave a message on my user page). --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 00:00, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Could you be thinking of Harold Holt? --Blue387 (talk) 04:36, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the suggestion, Blue387, but definitely not. This guy was ethnically Asian. Holt is still missing and probably became shark food 40 years ago. -- JackofOz (talk) 07:26, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Found it! He was Tun Lim Yew Hock, and he was at the time the Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia. He had previously been Chief Minister of Singapore. He became a Malaysian citizen when Malaysia, which originally included Singapore, was established. He continued representing Malaysia overseas even after Singapore left the federation. This incident happened in June 1966, so I had the time period roughly correct. Now I can go to bed. -- JackofOz (talk) 15:55, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

girl problem

Once during a singing competition my voice went horrendous and led to a lot of embarassment.But I noticed a girl in the audience and she was smiling at me constantly.I dont know why.Whenever I come across her she throws a glance or a slight smile at me and this continued for a couple of months and she stopped doing so.Please tell me what is she thinking about me.Now I cant ask this to her as this will lead to another bout of embarassment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.248.2.51 (talk) 07:32, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

There's no way anyone for anyone to tell you what she was thinking. However, generally speaking, when someone looks at you and smiles at you, do you think it's because she a) likes you and/or is interested in you, or b) hates you and/or doesn't want anything to do with you? Maybe she was just being friendly, or maybe she wanted to jump your bones, who knows? But it sounds like that ship's sailed -- perhaps because you didn't react at all. Or perhaps because she just lost interest. Or perhaps you stopped wearing a funny-looking shirt. Who knows? You could always ask her. Or ask her out for a cup of coffee and see if that smile comes back. That oughta tell you something. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 08:19, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Isn't this the classical situation where one seeks to be "fixed up"? That is, you ask your friends "So who knows what's-her-name or what's her-name's friends?" and they then pass messages back and forth until you find out what what's-her-name's level of interest is? Alternatively, you could try the direct approach and just say "Hi!" the next time you happen upon her. I don't know how old you are, but as I got older, I saw more and more value in the simple, direct, un-mediated approach ;-).

Atlant (talk) 16:09, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm sure if she was paying that much attention to you she was interested. But, it seems as though she may think you're not interested, and may have decided to move on, or wait for you to approach her, or at least show some interest in return. A great deal of girls aren't comfortable with approaching a guy, and so we smile, laugh at dumb jokes, and do what we think will give you guys a hint. Perhaps you should try to approach her, it might still work. SunshineStateOfMind (talk) 16:26, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Age of consent

Can you get arrested for dating a girl who states she is 21 on an ADULT dating site if she lies about her age???? and you find she is 13, pregnant and you are the father? Swan's swimming song (talk) 09:08, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

There are rumors that NBC TV News 'DATLINE - To Catch a Preditor', ran a series on this very subject for several years, however, that cannot be comfirmed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.225.133.60 (talk) 09:46, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

So, let get this straight... girl says she's 21, you have sex with her without using a condom, get her pregnant and then find out she's only 13? And through all this, you didn't suspect she was 8 years younger than you thought? Well you've been pretty damn foolish, haven't you. The fact she lied about her age is irrelevant; having sex with a minor is a very serious offence in most (all?) countries. I suggest you get yourself a lawyer. Astronaut (talk) 10:13, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

The example is pretty ridiculous in that I find it extremely unlikely that anyone with half a brain could honestly mistake a 13-year old for a 21-year old. But here in Finland, for example, the age of consent is 16, as it appears to be in most US states, so one could conceivably end up in bed with a fifteen-year old and think that she's, oh, eighteen, for example. Sure, if someone seems really young, it'd be smart to ask to see some ID, but even so, we're hardly talking about actually sexually assaulting the minor here if the if the age difference is negligible and act is consensual, regardless what the law says. (And I'm not saying it's a bad law, either, I should probably stress, just that there's a world difference between actual sexual assault and mismatched ages, even if the law (purposefully) declines to take that into account.) It should probably also be pointed out that many jurisdictions raise to the age of consent in situations where the older person is in a position of authority. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 15:35, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Actually many jurisdictions (but apparently not Finland, at least our article doesn't mention any) have additional closeness of age exemptions when the two people are of a close age. Even if not in law, these are sometimes de facto, for example here in NZ it's very rare for the police to prosecute if the age difference is less then 2 years. Of course relying on the police is not the best idea (there was an attempt to formalise it but it was abandoned after a public outcry). Note that one of the reasons why the law often doesn't take into account the difference between sexual assault and 'mismatched ages' is because it's not always far from clear cut. Sure a 18 year old having sex with his/her 15 year old boyfriend/girlfriend is different from a someone who brutally rapes and sodomises a 1 year old toddler. But what about a 60 year old who has sex with his/her mentally disabled 8 year boy/girlfriend who consented to the act and didn't complain about it afterwards because he/she loved the guy/girl? How does this compare to someone who was drunk and had sex with a guy/girl who was drunk who said no several times but was too drunk to actually stop it? To me both of these are wrong but from a simplistic POV the first one is simply 'mismatched ages'. In other words, the boundary is often far from clear cut since there is a large grey area. But laws by their nature tend to be black and white. Note however just because laws are black and white doesn't mean their enforcment is. In most countries the sentence a court hands out is at least partially proportional to the perceived severity of the act Nil Einne (talk) 16:49, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

It's a similar case in the US, from what I understand, Nil. Some states have what they call "Romeo and Juliet" laws that allow for people who are just above the age of consent to have sex with those just below the age of consent. I know of someone who was caught in one of those Dateline-style stings where a cop posed as a 15-year-old girl online, but they dropped the charges when they realized he was just a lonely 20-year-old college student and not a 40-year-old pedophile. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:13, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

lol This is not a real situation, just so you know. I think some people were taking it a bit too seriously :) It was a what if question. Thank you for answering. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Swan's swimming song (talk • contribs) 17:52, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

AWKWARD SITUATIO14:58, 13 May 20 Me and my best friend were playing when he started poking me, so I sat on him to pin him and me and his brother tickled him. He got hard but I didn't say anything. Did I arouse him? Is he gay? He's my best friend so no mater what I would love him. Sticky end (talk) 09:11, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

By tickling him, you might have hit upon some erogenous zone that caused the erection reaction. It's very possible that it was a subconscious reaction. And no, that isn't a surefire test of whether he is gay or not. Dismas|^(talk) 09:55, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, if you happen to be teenagers, the erection might not mean anything more than that he's developing along the same as anyone else. Teenagers get hard-ons all the time, often for no reason at all. That's puberty and hormones for you. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 15:23, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

It could also be what's known in high society circles as a "piss hard-on". When you really have to pee, the stimulation and pressure can initiate or help maintain an erection. Getting tickled can promote the feeling of needing to pee, which could start the cycle. And, as mentioned above, it don't take a whole lot to get a teenager hard anyway. Matt Deres (talk) 15:01, 13 May 2008 (UTC

You do not mention the age of yourself and your friends -but I note others here have assumed that you are adolescents? The fact is with all the new bourgeoning hormones now surging through your bodies, your physical -and emotional- responses and reactions are as yet both ultra-sensitive and largely unfocused. No doubt you yourself have experienced spontaneous 'hard-ons'-even in those rare moments when lads of your age are not apparently thinking of anything sexual- and at sometimes the most awkward and embarrassing times! But many reactions of the turbulent adolescent body are not so much 'sexual' as merely 'physical'-especially in the riotous and boisterous contact of 'laddish' behaviour. But such 'boners' are unfortunatey immediately assumed to be a sexual response merely because they so blatantly arise only too obviously in the sexual organ.(Young boys get 'hard-ons' long before adolescent hormones and sexuality kick-in; -bet you did even if you don't remember! Haven't you or your friends got little brothers?) Likewise, it is extremely common for adolescents -of both sexes- to experience strong attractions -both physical and emotional- towards a member -or members- of their own sex.It is also very common to experience dreams of a similar or homoerotic nature whilst asleep and have no control over thoughts and reactions -which can prove disconcerting on awakeing! Once again, this does not in any way mean the person is (or is not) gay.It is just that the surging hormones are driving the emotions wild -whilst they are disconcertingly both unfamiliar and -as yet- largely unfocused. Unfortunately, even in our 'enlightened' society, we are still not seemingly mature enough to discuss these naturally and commonly occurring experiences, even with -or perhaps especially with- our closest friends -which would in reality be a fine thing to do.(Try discussing this article with them?) Perhaps even because of this generation's incessant need to appear 'cool' -especially regarding 'gayness'- that there is an unfortunate desire to label -especially with regard to sexuality- with a totally unneccessary quickness. Unfortunately, any such 'labelling' regarding sexual identity at this most sensitive and crucial stage in physical and emotional development can unfortunately 'fix' a person's sexuality for life! I do not know if any of this is of any help, but my advice to you would be to simply enjoy this unique and enviable time in your life as much as you can -when your minds -and bodies- are so alive and invigorated, -and don't worry to much. From the way you so openly say just how much you love your friends, you thankfully appear to have few sad 'hang-ups'. If you continue in this generous and open way you will doubtless emerge -whether 'gay' or 'straight'- with great memories and friends -forged as you experienced your youth together. —Preceding unsigned comment added by ANTONIATZI (talk • contribs) 14:54, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Evan Taubenfeld

Is Evan Taubenfeld the guy the plays the boyfriend on Avril Lavigne's video 'Girlfriend'? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Table top dancer (talk • contribs) 09:13, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

He is according to our article but there isn't a source given for that information. Dismas|^(talk) 09:53, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

No. Evan appeared in the video but the boyfriend is played by Bryan McMullin. xxx User:Hyper Girl 10:01, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

IT-industry

what is the technical progress IT-industry or IT-sectors has done in last 20-25 years?

See List of basic technology topics. That should give you a start for what seems to be a homework question. Dismas|^(talk) 09:58, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Wolves

How did the popular belief that wolves howl at the moon develop? What is its origin? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 10:14, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps because when a wolf howls, it points its nose upwards. At night, it can appear to be looking at the moon. Astronaut (talk) 11:02, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I always though it had more of a literature meaning to it. I thought that werewolves because they were born by the moon made people think that werewolves howled at the moon. Either that or maybe it was the mysteriousness of the wolf. The wolf was considered a dangerous creature a pest of livestock. The wolf and the moon were just two mysteries and you put them together. But that is to poetic.

Always

Cardinal Raven

Cardinal Raven (talk) 15:01, 12 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Instead of uninformed speculation (i.e. guesswork), please could we have at least the guesses of experts. Here is what a wolf scientist has to say: "Popular imagination has long held that they also howl at the moon, but there is no evidence that this is so. Wolves may be more active on moonlit nights, when they can see better, or we may hear them more often on such nights, because we feel more comfortable tramping about in the light of a full moon, but a wolf howling at the moon would be wasting its breath." Fred H. Harrington, Professor of Ethology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia. Found on PBS site here. BrainyBabe (talk) 16:15, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

In the above quotation, Prof. Harrington says "wolves may..." and "we may...". This may be informed speculation coming from an ethologist, but it is still speculation of an academic of Nova Scotia where wolves have become extinct.

A website containing an article of the late Prof. Harrington on howling (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wolves/howl.html) shows five pictures of howling wolves, each of them throwing back the head and howling towards the direction of the sky.

The answer of Astronaut, therefore, seems fairly accurate. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:04, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Dingoes howling doesnt seem linked to the moon. Daytime too.Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 11:19, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril Lavigne the geek?

Does Avril Lavigne play both her and geeky girl in her video 'girlfriend'? if not who plays the geeky 1? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Table top dancer (talk • contribs) 10:21, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

The name Avril shows up 23, well 24, times on this page. Is there medical advice available on how to cope with this overdose of entertainment oriented drivel, erm, personalities of global importance? --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 11:07, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

lol Some of the Ref Deskers seem to be suffering from acute Avril overdose syndrome! I personally think we should have a whole Avril Desk ;) As for the question, Avril does play both the rock chick and the geeky girl. They used split screen photography to do that. xxx User:Hyper Girl 11:15, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

And in the process endorsed bullying and stealing somebody else's boyfriend if you think you're better than the other girl. Wonderful message to send to your fans huh Avril? Exxolon (talk) 22:12, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This question should be banished moved to the Entertainment desk. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

What is this phone?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ph6mo7KONyg

What is the name of the mobile phone used in the The Click Five's music video for "Jenny" at 00:41 and 02:16? --Candy-Panda (talk) 11:12, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Looks like a type of Palm (PDA). User:Krator (t c) 12:40, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Actually, from [9] it appears to be a "Nokia 5310 XpressMusic". User:Krator (t c) 12:44, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Maps

What is an easting on a map? Do I need to find the meridian first to work it out? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 11:37, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

There is an entry entitled cryptically Easting and northing. There is also some stuff on westing but nothing on southing. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 14:41, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Maps (part II)

Do the hash marks on the inside of closed contour lines indicate decreasing elevation of a basin or a mountain on a topographic map? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 11:37, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, they do on any topographic map that I have used. - Eron^Talk 15:28, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

So which does it mean, decreasing elevation of a basin or a mountain? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 17:54, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Obviously it depends on which side of the surface of this planet you live on. For folks from Down Under Mt. Everest is just an enormous hole. Sir Edmund Hillary just rolled down the slope and then crawled trough a little gap. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 19:23, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't understand. When I look at the map there are several concentric red circles. How do I tell if these are indicating a rising feature, such as a mountain, or a lowering feature such as a valley? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 19:28, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Usually from context. Most maps additionally will note particular contour lines (say, for instance, every 500m line would be labeled) and many peak or trough elevations. — Lomn 19:49, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

At risk of spoiling some joke – Basins tend to fill with water, so a small closed contour more often represents a peak; dry hollows are the exception, marked as described. —Tamfang (talk) 04:22, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

You might find the article Topographic map useful, especially the section "Map conventions". Pfly (talk) 23:16, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Yet another Avril question

Is Avril Lavigne an atheist? 89.236.214.174 (talk) 11:50, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

No, Christian. All I did was Google "Is Avril Lavigne a Christian?". Why not try Google yourself for all these Avril Lavigne questions - you'll get a faster (immediate) answer. Neıl ☎ 11:56, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Is wikipedia being co-opted by the AvLav fan club? Friendly, but so... *yawn* 12:01, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This question should be moved to the Entertainment desk. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:19, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

What Age did Avril Lavigne start singing

At what age did Avril Lavigne begin singing non-professionally? Ie before she became famous? 195.194.74.154 (talk) 12:26, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't think you can really put an age on that. People begin singing whenever and nobody is usually around to record exactly when. But according to this "she started singing when she was around 12", whereas this puts it at 14. And this says she was 2 when “she accompanied her mother in the church choir.” xxx User:Hyper Girl 12:35, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

The vital question here is...did Avril Lavigne ever do anything illegal whilst wearing a mask(with or without Tim Cahill?) :) Lemon martini (talk) 13:38, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

You really did make my day, Mr. Lemon. Don't forget the gulls. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 18:37, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This question should be moved to the Entertainment desk. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:19, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril the Chef

Six degrees of Avril to Raekwon - anyone?

Cardinal Raven (talk) 15:02, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

OK, the Avril trolling ends, now. Any more Avril edits to this page will be removed. Corvus cornix_talk 16:40, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I have no idea what this question even means. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 17:49, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Zain, see Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Corvus cornix_talk 18:35, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I see now. I'm sure you can understand my confusion, though. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 19:13, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I think that's a bit harsh, Are you saying no one can EVER ask a question about Avril Lavigne ever again? I think your going to have trouble enforcing that rule because she is famous and as a result will attract a certain amount of attention. And for that matter will people who answer questions already been posted be punished? I've just come out of a long conversation to get unblocked because my school vandalized a page. If I were to answer this would I be blocked again. I don't wish to take that risk.

In the first place, questions concerning Avril Lavigne should go to the Entertainment desk, not to the Miscellaneous desk. Secondly, the unhealthy obsession here is clearly trolling. Corvus cornix_talk 18:35, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril's "I'm with you" music video was directed by David LaChapelle who directed Amy Winehouse's "Tears Dry on Their Own" video who make "You Know I'm No Good" with Ghostface Killah. From there the connection is trivial.--droptone (talk) 18:51, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Also she performed a cover of Green Day's "Basket Case" who contributed a song to the Godzilla (1998 film) soundtrack to which Rage Against the Machine also contributed, and Rage made a song with the Wu-Tang Clan to which Raekwon belongs to.--droptone (talk) 19:00, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't see how this can be called trolling? My understanding was that trolling is one user asking disruptive questions like "I'm gay what should I do?". These Avril questions appear to be coming from different IP address from all over the world (I checked an IP location website) and one from Cardinal Raven, a well know poster. In Avril in the news or something, as I think that would account more for these questions. Makey melly (talk) 18:57, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

And who died and made Corvus cornix lord and ruler of reference desk? Lighten the fuck up. --Endless Dan 19:56, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Follow up: Six degrees of Avril to Kevin Bacon... AHHH! --Endless Dan 19:56, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril --> Mathew Broderick (Godzilla - see above)

MB --> Jim Carrey (Cable Guy)

JC --> Jennifer Aniston (Bruce Almighty)

JA --> Brad Pitt (Marriage)

Brad Pitt --> Kevin Bacon (Sleepers)

Zain Ebrahim (talk) 22:18, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Cardinal Raven is being ironic as you can tell. Tim Cahill is famous too, but the welter is the indicator(see the Tim Cahill threads if you can be bothered) and as per above appears to be a neat way of getting her more notice than usual. I'm waiting for, what is Avril Lavigne's IQ, shoe size, longest/shortest video, ... ? No-one own's the page desk as such, but there are guidelines CC invokes if the desk/s are being pwned by AvLav's fans. Can these questions be asked at her official fan site? Julia Rossi (talk) 23:51, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

PS, That;s my comment to endless Dan, but this question was interesting btw. JR

I got a kick out of the Avril questions. They were all light hearted and I think if anyone is offended by the questions, they can ignore them. No harm, no foul. And yes these questions probably could be asked at her website, but that would involve registering for an account which would result in spam. Also, I actually don't have access to the internet (outside of Wikipedia... don't ask).

FYI - I actually started this topic. I have no idea how Cardinal is credited with asking the question.--Endless Dan 12:37, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

What to call this addiction?

What is the name of the addiction where someone likes to make themselves into other people because they like to tell a story? An example of what I am trying to ask is: On an online forum that I was on, a long time ago, someone made over 50 accounts and each account they claimed they were different people. The person who made 50 accounts had different genders and different stories. Well I live in California and I am girl for one account and then another I live in Maine and I am an it. When the administrator finally found out they ask the person to explain themselves. They said they liked making people and making stories for people. So, what is this addiction called?

Thank You

Always

Cardinal Raven

Cardinal Raven (talk) 13:19, 12 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Imagination / creativity / escapism / bipolar disorder. See also Shakespeare and a few more entries on literature and art. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 14:17, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Bipolar disorder? Come on, now... DeeKenn (talk) 14:11, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much. I have read these articles you have provided me.Cardinal Raven (talk) 15:02, 12 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I'd call that boredom, and not an addiction since they had no negative consequences. Mad031683 (talk) 16:09, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Well I didn't want to put a long story. But they said that they were addicted to telling stories, and creating. They love to create and cannot stop the urge the cretae. They said that it drives them mad, but they needed to create. So is it still boredom, even in that case.

Always

Cardinal Raven

Cardinal Raven (talk) 17:15, 12 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

If creation is boredom, then there are are a few people out there who believe that seven days ennui (give or take a Shabbath) is more divine than having one big bang. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 17:37, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Something to do with Walter Mitty perhaps? Adam Bishop (talk) 21:08, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Mythomania? --LarryMac | Talk 12:42, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

average GPA's of universities

What publication provides the average GPA's and standard deviation of various universities by major, class, course or other groupings? -- Taxa (talk) 14:33, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if anyone does it, at least for the world (which I assume you mean since you didn't specify any specific country) since it doesn't have much use as GPAs are something completely internal to a university, a high GPA may simply mean the university is incredibly generous with their assessement and it likely varies significantly from country to country what a certain GPA means. Nil Einne (talk) 16:20, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Countries using GPAs to figure out their Numerus clausus sometimes publish comparisons. --Lisa4edit (talk) 21:09, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

• The reason for asking is that in the US it is sometimes necessary to compare scores that come from different distributions. For you may need to provide rankings of job applicants based on their GPAs. The applicants all come from different colleges and universities. Some of the applicants come from universities where the grading is very tough, there are a lot of flunk out courses, and its really hard to get an A in any course. Many other applicants come from universities where grade inflation is rampant, almost everyone in every class gets a B and about half of the students in every class get an A. Obviously given a situation like this, you can not rely upon an applicant's GPAs when deciding how to rank them. A student from the first type of university with a 3 point GPA is above average, a student from the second type of university with a 3 point GPA is probably below average. There is a statistical method to deal with this problem but it requires knowing each university's average GPA and standard deviation to use as a yardstick. If you know the mean GPA at each university and you know the standard deviation of the GPAs at each university then you can provide each applicant with an adjusted score, which will indicate the standard deviations above or below the mean on the same scale. -- Taxa (talk) 22:21, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Just a point, but "average GPA" is an example of RAS syndrome. -mattbuck (Talk) 22:38, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

It might appear that way if the last thing on your mind was RAS syndrome. However, "average GPA's" refers to GPA's from different institutions which are not based on the same scale, requiring the GPA's themselves from different institutions to be averaged and standard deviated so as to provide the required information to perform the intended task, i.e., elimination of the differences in scale between the various institutions. An average of a bunch of averages, if you will. -- Taxa (talk) 00:04, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Mountains

Is it true that something has to be at least 1000m tall to be a mountain? 82.33.114.90 (talk) 15:24, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

The article on Mountains suggests that it is not true - see the definitions section. What is called a mountain varies by jurisdiction and there are few areas where it is strictly defined. For the most part, it seems to be determined relative to the surrounding terrain. - Eron^Talk 15:27, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain suggests that 1,000 feet was once the threshold at least in the UK. This is a fictionalized tale of the real Garth Hill in Pentyrch in South Wales.

Atlant (talk) 16:26, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This height restriction does not translate to other languages. For example: many German "Berg" (mountain) features are way lower. The Spanish wiki seems to currently discuss their definition of montaña. Eron's second definition would apply, though. --Lisa4edit (talk) 21:04, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

There's no authority that has the power to enforce a definition like this, at least in the English speaking world. Pfly (talk) 23:26, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

That's not quite true. For instance, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names standardizes names in the U.S. and Antarctica. Rmhermen (talk) 00:04, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, I meant to write a longer answer, but had to rush off. The US BGN has the power to set official names for the federal government, but not for the people in general. Of course if federal agencies like the USGS adopt a name change and it is published on things like the USGS topographic maps, people might go along with it. But they might not. In the late 1800s the BGN tried to effect some sweeping (though still rather minor) standardizations for place names in the US. One of their standards was that towns and cities whose name ended in -burgh should be changed to -burg. A lot of towns went along with this, but Pittsburgh did not. There was a battle of sorts between the BGN and Pittsburgh, and in the end, Pittsburgh won. There's info about this at Name of Pittsburgh. Since then the BGN has not tried to enforce any kind of sweeping standardizations like this. They certainly wouldn't try to rename all "mountains" that were less than some elevation to be "hills". There is a similar agency in the UK with similar powers. But in both cases their power is limited by the willingness of the people to accept their rulings. I can't imagine the people in the US or UK would accept a sweeping change of places names based on some arbitrary definition of how high a mountain must be to be allowed the name "mountain". That's more of what I was trying to get at -- in theory the BNG has the power to enforce name changes, although their authority really only pertains to the federal government. In practice their power is quite limited and far from being able to do something like renaming hills and mountains to some standard. The same is true for the use of "river" and "creek" in place names. Sometimes you hear that there is some standard a stream must have in order to be called a river (eg, must be navigable). But in truth there are plenty of rivers that are tiny, and creeks that are huge. There are even rivers and are tributaries of creeks. Likewise there are some very small mountains and some very big hills. Definitions of mountain, hill, river, and creek, are necessary descriptive and not prescriptive, if that makes sense. Pfly (talk) 04:52, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Of course, if you try to please everyone, you end up with the Stoneycreek River. -- Coneslayer (talk) 12:51, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

See Mount Wycheproof. only 43m above sea level.Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 11:24, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Breeds of dog

Why are different breeds of dogs all considered the same species? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 18:09, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia. You can easily look up this topic yourself. Please see species. For future questions, try using the search box at the top left of the screen. It's much quicker, and you will probably find a clearer answer. If you still don't understand, add a further question below by clicking the "edit" button to the right of your question title. --Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:29, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Breed is not in the "hierarchy of scientific classification". That is a very long article to read, and most of it doesn't relate to dogs. Well, obviously it relates to dogs in that dogs are a species, but not directly relating to the specific question. Should I ask my question on the species talk page? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 18:42, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Nah. It's easy enough: they're considered the same species because they are the same species. As is the wolf. They're completely interfertile -- a Great Dane and a chihuahua could interbreed, though it might be dangerous or amusing. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 18:46, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

So a wolf and a poodle could interbreed, forgetting of course the wolf would probably eat the poodle. That makes me think; would a wolf eating a poodle be considered cannibalism? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 18:50, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Right, and yes. Got any poodles in mind? --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 18:52, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This, from dog, is interesting: A dog is "Canis lupus familiaris. The species was originally classified as Canis familiaris and "Canis familiarus domesticus" by Linnaeus in 1758 [3]. In 1993, dogs were reclassified as a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupus, by the Smithsonian Institution and the American Society of Mammalogists. "Mhicaoidh (talk) 00:24, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Cell phone

Why does my cell phone make screechy noises when I place it near my computer? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 18:10, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm no expert, but I was drawn to this: Electromagnetic interference. Fribbler (talk) 18:18, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

That is almost certainly the correct answer. Modern computers, well-shielded though they may be, emit enough energy at appropriate frequencies that they overwhelm the very weak radio signals that the cell phone is trying to receive. I have a chart (provenance unknown, sorry) that suggests that a typical wireless signal is received at power levels of 10 to 1000 picowatts; close to the computer, the various clock signals from the PC are radiating at much higher power levels.

Atlant (talk) 19:15, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I once put my mobile on top of my laptop, that was the end of the phone!--Artjo (talk) 06:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Cell phone underwater

What is the maximal underwater depth at which a mobile phone can work (i.e. someone can chat using it with those who are above water, on the land)? Ignore that the phone does not work in the water, it is supposed that it is isolated (maybe in a glass container). I came up to this question when my lil brother asked: "do cellphones work in submarines?" 89.146.66.209 (talk) 18:36, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't have a specific answer, but I'd say "not a lot." If you look at the Communications section of our submarine article, you'll see that radio communication is commonly done with VLF radio, and that only works when the sub is at the surface or just a little below; ELF can be used to penetrate deeper, but then the bandwidth is quite limited. VLF is in the range of 3 kHz to 30 kHz, while cellular frequencies are more like 800 mHz; those higher frequency waves won't penetrate the water very well at all. --LarryMac | Talk 18:50, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Cellphones don't work in submarines for several reasons: 1) The submarine's steel hull forms a very effective Faraday cage. 2) The sea water doesn't propagate high-frequency radio waves very well, so even a very little depth of water forms very effective shielding. 3) And in many environments, the MPs (or equivalents) will probably shoot you if they catch you operating an uncleared cell-phone.

Atlant (talk) 19:09, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

In the San Francisco Bay area, there's a subway that goes under the San Francisco Bay. I was talking on my cell phone when we entered the tunnel. My connection only lasted maybe 10 more seconds. That's the best answer I can give you. Useight (talk) 23:45, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

That's why many tunnels/underground railways have cellphone/radio repeters. 118.90.102.125 (talk) 11:53, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

The skin depth for a 1 GHz signal in seawater is roughly 1 centimeter (about half an inch). At five times that depth (5 cm, 2 inches) more than 99% of the signal will be attenuated. As others have already noted, high-frequency radio waves penetrate seawater very poorly indeed. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 12:12, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Animal stripes

<moved to science desk here[10]>

Trisection

Is it possible to trisect a length of rope by eye and hand alone? Bisecting it is easy enough - grab both ends, pull the middle as far as it can go, and cut it at its furthest end. But how to trisect it without actually measuring the exact lengths? JIP | Talk 19:32, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Make 2 bends in the rope instead of one and line up the sections. That will give three equal lenghts of rope. If you catch my drift? I find it hard to explain. Fribbler (talk) 19:38, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Depending on the thickness of the rope, exceptionally sharp vision or a supreme degree of skill in karate chops would be required. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:44, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

if it is made of 3 strands, very easy.Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 11:26, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Bookmarks

When reading, do most people use bookmarks or just dog-ear the pages? Which is most common? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 19:35, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about most people, but I always use bookmarks. I value my books too much to dog-ear the pages. In the past, I used to leave books face down at the page I left them at, but I found that after many days, this tends to leave them permanently open at that page. So I chose to use bookmarks instead. JIP | Talk 19:48, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

My mother used to tear off pages as she finished reading them and throw them into the campfire (when on camping trips). Personally I just memorize the page number. -- BenRG (talk) 20:58, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I always use bookmarks. Like JIP, I don't like dog-earing, which I consider vandalism; on the other hand, I'm always writing comments in margins and highlighting or underlining things I want to remember. (But this has given me an idea - earrings for dogs. I'll report back on progress.) -- JackofOz (talk) 23:46, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I use bookmarks too. Though the bookmark itself may be a very unusual item; such as a take-away menu or even a cigarette packet! I even once used a cross-cut saw as a bookmark. Fribbler (talk) 23:59, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

My local bookshop in the Highlands always give you a book mark with the book that you buy.--Artjo (talk) 06:16, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Bookmarks (flat things, scrap paper, sticky notes, string, remembering the page number) as Fribbler without the saw (so far). Not mark books style. Dog-earing seems a touch rough. Julia Rossi (talk) 06:21, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I use old Christmas cards.They are often to nice or have sentimantal value to be thrown out.They stay in the book and then I have a nice memory waiting when I go back to the book.hotclaws 22:39, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I never make dog-ears. Usually I place the open book face-down, though sometimes I use an impromptu bookmark. I don't own a "real" bookmark. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 07:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

For the longest time I used the bookmarks that Amazon sends with every order of books. Not the whole thing though. I generally read paperbacked sci-fi which is generally shorter than Amazon's bookmarks. So I'd tear it in half and use the part with the quote from whoever (usually Erasmus) as my bookmark. When I'd get new books, the new book marks would generally just be thrown out or recycled since the one I was using would just go from the finished book to the next book. Dismas|^(talk) 10:02, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I do have some bookmarks somewhere, but generally I use whatever comes to hand. pizza menus, the crap that comes in the middle of magazines, etc. -mattbuck (Talk) 18:51, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't generally use bookmarks (I make the occasional exception because, uh, I dunno why, and then it tends to be some random piece of paper or something), and I never dog-ear pages. I don't memorize the page number, either. I find it doesn't take very long at all to find the spot where I left off just by flipping through the book. This does tend to backfire on me when I leave a book lying around for a couple of weeks or longer, though, as sometimes happens; then finding the spot where I stopped reading can be a bit of a pain. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 11:49, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Bookmarks are almost the only use I've found for my biz cards. —Tamfang (talk) 04:29, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Buying Viagra Tabs in Tenerife?

Adult guy going on vacation from UK to Tenerife where UK type prescription drugs are available for purchase over the pharmacy counter without a physician's prescription (such as antibiotics etc., but clearly NOT narcotics). Question, may he buy Viagra tabs. whilst on vacation in Tenerife and bring them legally into the UK (strictly for his own use)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.9.59.249 (talk) 19:37, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

It would seem that this is fine. See: [11] Fribbler (talk) 19:41, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Just noticed this can be considered legal advice Fribbler (talk) 19:44, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

No,no, Fribbler et al - I specifically was NOT looking for legal advice, nor a legal opinion - what I wanted was a straightforward YES or NO, which I interpret as information, and which you have kindly provided, complete with a Link, for which I am most grateful.92.9.59.249 (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 19:50, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Ouch! I was just saying that my advice could be taken as such; and may be out of date. Fribbler (talk) 00:46, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Make sure you get them from a reliable source.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:29, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Artistic Hitler

If the Hitler family decided to participate in the immigration trend when Adolf was a child, and immigrated to the United States, would Adolf have indeed gone on to become an artist? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.35.162.18 (talk) 19:48, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Possibly. His parents were. Anything could have made him different. To take it to the extreme, If there were a dust speck that made him cough, baby Adolf could have gotten cold medicine which took from the money his parents would have had to buy him his first book, making him a horrible reader/writer in the future, preventing him from writing Mein Kampf, thus never becoming chancellor. Extreme huh? DarkZorro 20:21, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

He might have become a sci-fi author. Algebraist 21:55, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Even if Hitler had died or emigrated it would by no means have prevented the Nazi party from assuming power or prevented the Holocaust. The social and political forces were so strong at the time that I believe someone would have ultimately filled the role of Hitler.

The assassination attempts on Hitler are another matter however. It seems probable to me that if any of those attempts had succeeded then more moderate figures in the upper ranks of the German army might have been able to steer the country in a different direction.

This thread should be moved to the humanities desk btw.--S.dedalus (talk) 23:37, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

This approach to history is generally frowned upon by historians—it places too much emphasis upon minutiae and coincidence, too little on the larger issues that make up the substrate in which minutiae and coincidence take action. Clearly there's a balance to be had between the large and the small, the individual and the social. This sort of counter-historical reasoning, though, rarely leads to much enlightenment, though it can be a useful bulwark against overly deterministic theories of history. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 00:45, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Deaths p/a

What wild animal in the US causes the most deaths each year? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 20:04, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

• I'm still researching, but my guess is deer. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 20:10, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

• Oh deer me: Depending on your views on the success of domesticating homo sapiens (I hade a few tame ones at home, once): see homicide / suicide.
• --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:39, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Are you signing your post or putting yourself forwards as a candidate for the answer ? ;) Lemon martini (talk) 15:41, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Mosquito? (they still belong to Kingdom Animalia)--Lenticel ^(talk) 00:01, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Temperatures under glass-lid frying pans

Hi, I've bought a frying pan that has a glass lid on it. However, the carton attached to it makes a point of NOT specifying temperatures. Can I crank a 1200W oven up and let this thing remain there? Won't a horrific pressure build up? Scaller (talk) 20:25, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Check the pan or the carton if it says "oven-safe" somewhere. Otherwise the glass top may not be your only problem. Any knob, handle or seal might melt and give off unhealthy fumes. Unless it is a pressure cooker type pan or you encounter unfortunate coincidences the temperature in an oven increases slowly and will allow any pressure building up to lift the lid and escape. If the glass of the lid is not rated oven safe, however, thermal expansion can cause internal tension in the glass and cause it to crack. Even oven-safe cookware should never be used under the broiler. --Lisa4edit (talk) 20:43, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Pardon me, I meant STOVE. :-| Scaller (talk) 21:51, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

By stove, do you mean hotplate/ring?. Does the lid have a little hole in it to vent steam? If not would it lift up when the pressure became too high like a saucepan lid? Fribbler (talk) 23:56, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

If nothing holds the lid down (except for the weight of the lid), then there's really no chance of a steam explosion. But you would want to assure yourself that the glass lid won't shatter as a result of heat (or being mechanically trapped by the frying pan as they both heat and differentially expand).

Atlant (talk) 14:23, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't expect it to be a problem. Metal generally has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than glass, so the lid won't be trapped, and glass has an astounding resistance to gradual changes in temperature -- by the time things get hot enough to cause thermal damage to the lid, the pan will probably have melted or caught fire. --Carnildo (talk) 00:20, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

"Detergent suicides" in Japan?

Is there any coverage on en-Wiki about the recent rash of so-called "detergent suicides" in Japan? I've stumbled across a few news stories about it (on CNN and such), and there's a brief reference to the issue in the article on Hydrogen Sulfide, but I find myself being more and more curious about the cultural aspects. It would be great if people who knew more about the Japanese people and culture (perhaps some Japanese folks) would provide insight into why so many people (40+ a month according to one news story I found) in that country are choosing to end their lives in this particular fashion. Maybe it's not as significant as the media are leading me to believe (surprise! the news media blowing something out of proportion!), but still, it struck me as odd. Dgcopter (talk) 20:28, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

There are very small blurbs at Hydrogen Sulfide#Suicide and Suicide methods#Detergent-related_suicide, but I think the topic could rate its own article with reliable sources and details. Corvus cornix_talk 21:27, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

What's with the 'common' electronic sound effects?

There are certain sounds that cheap electronics, children's toys, car alarms, and the like seem to use very commonly. I'm talking about siren-like sounds, the uuuuupp doooowwwn one, the one that sounds like an artillery shell decreasing in pitch then ending with a noisy 'explosion' (wheeeeeeeee BOMMMMMM), and the like. Is there any reason these are repeated so much? Do they have a name or names? 206.126.163.20 (talk) 22:46, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I do not have an answer. I would just like to chime in that I've noticed this to. About fifteen years ago I Got a keychain that had eight sound effects on it, including the ones described above. Ever since then, I have noticed many devices and toys with some or all of those exact same sound effects. (But never a device that has those sounds and some other additional sounds.) I've always assumed that someone manufactured a chip that had all eight effects built in. I would love to know who makes this chip and what it's called. APL (talk) 02:11, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

It's quite possible there's a common chip that contains the sounds, but it's also likely that all these sounds are just really easy to synthesize in software (so they end up taking very few bits in the microcontroller that runs the toy/keychain/whatever.

Atlant (talk) 14:17, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Some of the ones in the set I'm thinking of are pretty specific. (Like the artillery shell) And as a set they're recognizable. If I was at home I'd record a few of them for the purposes of this discussion, but I'm away and won't be able to until at least Friday. APL (talk) 16:50, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Siren sounds are common because they can be generated by a simple combination of two sine waves. --Carnildo (talk) 00:23, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Setting of Othello

Where does the Shakespeare play, Othello, take place?--Scofield Boy 22:53, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

As stated in our article, as well as in the play itself, the action starts in Venice and moves to Cyprus. Algebraist 23:07, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

When the play is being performed it usually takes place in a theatre.HS7 (talk) 17:40, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

iTunes

I have Thriller 25 and i want to put the music videos on iTunes and i don't know how216.46.153.68 (talk) 22:59, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Deleting my post because I realized what they meant Mad031683 (talk) 23:12, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

May 13

Bacardi's old buildings in Cuba

After Castro nationalized all private property in Cuba, making Bacardi owners relocate and leave behind their old destilleries, did Castro start using these buildings to produce a different kind of rum?? if this is the case, what's the brand name? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.224.139.247 (talk) 02:49, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

According to this article, the Varadero brand, most likely not available outside Cuba, makes an implicit claim that it is produced in the original Bacardi distillery in Santiago de Cuba. Marco polo (talk) 19:54, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Query on South African Passport (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_passport)

As stated, the South African Passport is in English and in French. My question is why is it in French?

I know that seems a wierd question, but as a South African I have no clue as to why my passport is in French. The only logical solution I can think of is that there is some international understanding on common languages to be used in passports - but I doubt this is correct. Please advise.

CB —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.212.140.161 (talk) 08:11, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

See Passport#Languages. Dismas|^(talk) 09:53, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Silver cloth

How does one make one? Kittybrewster ☎ 09:41, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

More info required... do you mean a silver coloured cloth, a cloth for cleaning silver ornaments/cutlery, or some other type of silver cloth? Astronaut (talk) 12:56, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

If you mean cloth of silver, it's made using the same technique as Cloth of gold, with a core of silk wrapped with a band of metal. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 13:03, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

No I meant a cloth for cleaning silver. I imagine it contains ammonia. Kittybrewster ☎ 14:29, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Any questions with "how to" in them are worth checking at the sister project WikiHow. Here is an article on cleaning silver. BrainyBabe (talk) 17:29, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Here is another. Rockpocket 18:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Just a quick warning about jewellry, don't use anything liquid with emeralds or opals, emeralds can absorb the liquid through the flaws and opals are porous and become discoloured. .hotclaws 10:08, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Olympic Games

There are rumors which say that 2008 Olympic Games will not be held this year due to the earthquake, is it true? Abdullais4u (talk) 10:02, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

So far, it looks like everything is proceeding on schedule. The following came over the wire services a few hours ago:

..."The Olympics is safe, Beijing is safe and China is safe," said Zhang Jian, project management chief at the Beijing Olympic organizing committee...

Olympic venues and buildings in Beijing weren't threatened by China's strongest earthquake in 58 years because they were constructed to withstand magnitude-8 shocks, Li Zhanjun, director of Beijing's Olympic media center, said today....

The full story is here. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 11:37, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

From what I heard on the news on the radio this morning is that the route of the Olympic torch through China will be altered due to the earthquake. Dismas|^(talk) 14:15, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Avoiding questions

Someone asks you a question whose answer is readily available online. What do you answer? a. just google it?

Someone asks a direct private question (how much do you earn? Are you planning to have children?). How do you avoid these questions? GoingOnTracks (talk) 12:05, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

1. Some people (like me) don't have access to the internet. My location restricts me to only Wikipedia and other encyclopedia websites.
2. If someone is direct enough to ask such a personal question, you can be direct enough to tell them that's none of their business. --Endless Dan 12:39, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Look vague for a moment, then change the subject. Q: How much money do you make? A: Hmm? Enough; have you seen "Iron Man" yet? -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 13:01, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Just don't answer them if you don't want to. Or give a very generic answer like "58% percent of people earn..." or "The majority of people..." —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dr. Dangerous (talk) (talk • contribs) 13:06, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

OK - lets see -- Q Chris (talk) 13:38, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Of course you could always just provide a quirky response. Dr. Dangerous (talk) (talk) 13:51, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Why avoid the children one? I am one of those rare few who answers consistently in the negative (I'm not having children, it's pretty simple), and while I don't have a problem answering that way, the people asking the question are usually the ones who are the most thrown off by the answer. It's one of those questions that people assume only has one answer, and when you honestly give them another, they get somewhat confused. Amusingly their follow up question usually has to do with whether we plan to own dogs, as if that was equivalent! But anyway, if in doubt, and if unhappy with answering, answer something vague ("Oh, who knows") and change the subject. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:38, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

If someone asks me a question which is readily available online:

1) If I know the answer myself, I tell them, and then maybe also tell them that in the future they can get such an answer themselves at www.google.com.

2) If I don't know the answer, I may Google it for them, to ensure that the answers are there, then do step 1. If I know the answer will be there, but don't know it myself (like the atomic weight of the most common isotope of molybdenum), I'd just tell them to Google it.

As for the children question, I'd reply, "No, I'm not planning on halving any children; I don't think anyone since Solomon has considered cutting a child in half, and I certainly don't want to be the first !" :-) StuRat (talk) 16:27, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

To the first question I would answer: haven't you found it online? Then the questioner has to admit that s/he is dumb or lazy.

To the earnings' question: depending on where you are it is okay to ask it. In the US I have notices that many people don't have any problem asking or anwering this question. If you want to avoid it anyway: 'Enough for living', 'less than I want'.

To the children: if it is a job interview nobody has the right to ask this question. Don't bother about a too diplomatic answer to it. In same places you are also allowed to lie about it.

Answers like StuRat's above can be the best way to go. It adds a touch of comedy to a situation that could turn unpleasant. You tell the indiscreet asker that the question was not okay, but you don't cave in. 23:10, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I've seen the famous in documentary interview footage simply looking back pleasantly and saying nothing (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Rudolf Nureyev etc). They smile and say nothing. If you can't do that with a personal question you don't want to answer, ask are they hitting on you? Or, Why do you want to know? Shifts the power for one thing, Julia Rossi (talk) 08:25, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I can write a song a day

I remember reading a magazine some years ago, maybe in 2001, probably during the summer, in which there was a feature involving an interview with a little known singer. In the interview, which spanned a page and a half, the singer was asked various questions, to which they gave a response. For the life of me I cannot remember the content of this interview, except for the rather confident and somewhat big headed quote "I can write a song a day". Could someone who may have also read the interview please tell me who this singer was, and if possible provide an internet link to an online copy where I can read the article. Many thanks. Dr. Dangerous (talk) (talk) 13:16, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

For some reason, I recall Jack White saying something similar to that. I could be (probably am) wrong, thought. --Endless Dan 13:43, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikiquote ascribes it to Avril Lavigne! (unsourced) ---Sluzzelin talk 13:45, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

You are kidding me!!! Scaller (talk) 14:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

LMAO! *plane flies over my head* --Endless Dan 14:20, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Were one not assuming good faith, one might look askance at this edit and wonder if the original question was asked in good faith. --LarryMac | Talk 14:31, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

:-D Among other, it's quoted in a Rolling Stone article by Jenny Eliscu here. The full quote is

"Songwriting is like that for me," she adds, with a snap of her fingers. Someone can say, 'Go write a song,' and I can do it. I can write a song a day."

---Sluzzelin talk 14:26, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Obviously Dr. Dangerous knew who she was when he wrote the question, Sherlock. It was a funny joke. But, hey, let's assume good faith before things get out of hand.--Endless Dan 14:42, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, I don't think the reference desk is here merely for the amusement of Dr. Dangerous and his sockward. The assumption of good faith is one aspect, providing references and answers to the benefit of other interested readers (if indeed they exist) is part of our noble duty here as well. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:54, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Could we please, please, at least move these sorts of questions to the Entertainment desk where they belong, and where people who presumably care about such things could answer them? We have an entire section for this sort of thing, it doesn't need to be spread out all over the whole apparatus. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:15, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot?.--droptone (talk) 16:58, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps these people can write a song a day, but Billy Childish can write several. I seem to remember him saying in an interview that his groups often record an album in a couple of hours. Warofdreams talk 18:30, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm sure it's possible. Especially when you write crap like Billy & Avril. --Endless Dan 20:37, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Writing a song a day isn't particularly difficult, I'm sure -- not that I'm a songwriter, but I am a writer, and I could absolutely write a short story a day, no problem, provided that I had the luxury of not having to do work that actually pays the bills. Hell, I'm pretty sure I could even write a song a day, actually. Now, if I had to write a good short story or song, that'd be something else, but it doesn't exactly take a prodigy to pull that off if quality isn't much of a concern.

...also, at this point I'm pretty much bored with this Avril shtick. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:18, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Most bought & sold item

What item has been sold & bought most often?

By this, I'm thinking more about a single unchanging identifiable object sold multiple times (e.g. this ring / painting / candlestick at auction), rather than, for instance, rice or wheat where different grains are grown each season & sold). --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:15, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

To clarify, you're asking about a specific item, like the Mona Lisa, rather than a class of items, like "paintings", right ? StuRat (talk) 16:31, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes. A single painting, such as Mona, not a class of objects, such as paintings. Happy to include identifiable parcels of land, or buildings, but again, identifiable single objects. The question was put to me by a child, in the context of a discussion on the meaning of second-hand, third-hand, fourth-hand &c. I suppose it is unanswerable, but shy bairns get nothing, as they say. --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:44, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Check out this link and search for "Shtar Mechirah" therein. Apparently the deli is sold every Sabbath, so that it is not Jewish-owned, and can remain open. That's an interesting twist on your question... -- Coneslayer (talk) 16:52, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I wonder if there is some object in some culture with the reputation that "if you sell this object, it's good luck". Such an object would presumably be sold continuously. StuRat (talk) 13:00, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

A vintage car? They change hands a lot so an old one has the possibility of many owners,hotclaws 10:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Sock it to me, baby

How do you measure the length of socks ? I recently bought some socks that claim to be 27 inches long. When I measure them off my feet, relaxed, they are 23 inches long, but I can stretch them to about 30 inches long. When I put them on, however, they stretch width-wise and shorten length-wise to only 20 inches long. So, are these socks really 27 inches long in the normal way that socks are measured ? And what is that method ? StuRat (talk) 16:41, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Warning: Dyslectics may find the above question offensive.

Answering the question: I have not measured mine since puberty, but I am sure they were not 20 inches long. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 23:34, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Dyslexics ? You mean as in "sock it" = "socket" ? Or did you misread the "o" in "sock it" as a "u" ? StuRat (talk) 12:33, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm guessing the answer is in here, but not knowing about the topic well, I can't tell exactly where! Fribbler (talk) 01:06, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, but I didn't see the answer there. StuRat (talk) 12:33, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I had a look around for hosiery standards. Even the Germans, who might even have a standard for length of finger inserted in nose, don't have a sock standard. The thing is that natural fibers are hard to standardize and tricotage leaves a lot of elastic leeway for things to stretch this way or that. An exception are Compression stockings for which there are standards. ANSI is contemplating a common set of standards with China as far as I read this [[12]]. If you ask here you might get more detailed information [13]. Hope this helps. {Sea no plrobem for teh diselycsic :-)71.236.23.111 (talk) 22:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. It seems I've stumbled across a real problem, how to know if socks will fit without actually trying them on. The socks I got say they "fit shoe sizes 12-17", but I'm size 12 and they barely fit me. I can't see how they could possibly fit anyone with a size 17 shoe (a basketball player, I'd assume). StuRat (talk) 04:28, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

One trick is to make a fist and wrap the foot of the sock around it. The heel and toe should just meet for the sock to fit. (Reference: my aunt) The different shoe sizes might be for a different country or because the company's standard measurements are out of whack. You might also have found a box of kids' socks. I know that I'd fall out of European shoes that, according to a comparison chart, should be an equivalent size to the US one I wear. --Lisa4edit (talk) 15:34, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Carp ponds

Sorry about this one but I have looked around and failed to find decent info. I recently bought a house in the SE UK with an man made 12th century carp pond. It has no fish in it and is under a lot of tree shade. I wondered about having some carp to eat. Is it really as easy as mail ordering some common carp and throwing them in the water and waiting or do I need to do other things (like check water quality, depth etc)? I am not sure I could easily dredge the pond because pre 1250 AD construction is protected from disturbance here. --BozMo talk 20:02, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Your local council should be able to povide guidance on what you can and cannot do with your pond (whether you can renovate/dredge it or not, for example). Astronaut (talk) 21:46, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Actually in this case it is a body called English Heritage. --BozMo talk 06:10, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Carp can tolerate water of marginal quality, but it should not be stagnant or polluted. Besides water quality, another factor to consider in raising carp would be their source of nourishment. If the pond is too heavily shaded, the shade will inhibit the growth of algae or other phytoplankton on which the carp would normally directly or indirectly feed. (Some carp also feed on grasses, which likewise need sunlight, and/or on zooplankton, which feed on phytoplankton, which in turn requires sunlight.) Your carp would do probably do better in a pond that gets some sunlight. You might want to dredge to prevent an excessive buildup of rooted plants that could suck oxygen from the pond at night and endanger the fish. Or, if you dredge the pond deep enough, rooted plants can't grow. The only reason to dredge would be for plant control (which you can also accomplish with other methods), since carp are quite tolerant of shallow water. Here is a [blog post on raising organic carp in the UK]. Marco polo (talk) 02:03, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. --BozMo talk 06:10, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Carp will produce crap. In order to keep your pond from fouling Hypoxia (environmental) and anerobic bacteria from multiplying, you'll almost certainly have to put in a filter. If you are sure the pond was designed as a fish pond and worked in the past, you might be able to keep it stable without. Particularly if it has a freshwater source apart from rain and run-off. But it will take a lot of effort and adjustments and watching what grows or multiplies in excess. If it is 12th century it will have a clay or tile bottom, probably. That makes using a pump a problem because it will silt up. It would be easier to maintain it as a natural garden pond without fish. People at this site [14] will be able to help you. Lisa4edit (talk) 06:37, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Dragons

How do scientists know that dinosaur bones are actually dinosaur bones and not those of fire-breathing dragons? I'm pretty sure that such dragons existed and are now extinct and would like to know what proof scientists have that they never existed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.35.162.18 (talk) 20:39, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't think scientists actively engage in dragon denialism. To answer your question, we first need to know what you think a dragon is. Let's assume that your answer is "a fire-breathing creature of some sort, now extinct, shaped somewhat like Tolkein's Smaug". We could now pose your question as "why have scientists not given support to the fact of fire-breathing creatures of some sort, now extinct, shaped somewhat like Tolkein's Smaug". And the answer to that is, they have yet to find skeletal remains of the right shape (somewhat worm-like, with wings) and - more importantly - they have not discovered a mechanism for fire breathing in what remains they have found. That does not mean that T.Rex and chums did not breath fire; but rather that there is no evidence at the moment to enable an assertion that they did breath fire. You might want to check out Falsifiability, which at quick scan seems to deal with the problem of proving a negative. --Tagishsimon (talk) 20:54, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

It's Tolkien. These things matter! Algebraist 21:34, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Well actually I watched a documentary of what would happen if scientist found dragon remains and what they would discovered when they found the dragon remains. It had a CG story that went along with it. But it answered a lot of questions of how they might have breathed fire. I can't remember the name of the documentary though. I know it showed on the Animal Planet. It might be helpful to you once you know the name of the documentary.71.142.222.245 (talk) 21:42, 13 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

It's not difficult to come up with a mechanism for producing fire from the mouth of a beast. The ignition of methane from fermenting food in the gut by, I don't know, a cheek full of flints picked up for the purpose, for instance. The difficulty is in finding any evidence that any such mechanism was ever pressed into action. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:57, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

You might be interested with this site--Lenticel ^(talk) 23:40, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Homemade Dog Food

Are sheep meat, potatoes, and carrots good ingredients for homemade dog food? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 23:45, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

as long as there's no chocolate then I think it is safe. You should vary what you give to them. My dogs gets bored eating when I only feed them the same commercial dog food so I give them 1 part leftovers + 1 part dog food. --Lenticel ^(talk) 23:55, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Our dogs get raw chicken every day. Occaisionally, we'll get turkey from the same place that we get the chicken but that's usually around Thanksgiving when the farm has a lot of turkey. By concentrating on just those three things, your dogs won't be getting much calcium. Chicken bones are our dogs source of calcium. You should probably check with your veterinarian for a more clinical answer. Also note that cooked chicken bones are bad (possibly deadly) for dogs since they splinter and can injure the dog. Raw chicken bones rarely, if ever, present this issue. Dismas|^(talk) 04:21, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

You have seen Dog food? Lisa4edit (talk) 06:18, 14 May 2008 (UTC) (damn that bot)

Also avoid onion, garlic and other allium plants. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 06:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

May 14

Lexington, Kentucky and suburbs

Does Lexington, KY have suburbs? Heegoop, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it does! Ericthebrainiac (talk) 01:08, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

A city of this size will naturally have suburbs, is it that you wish to know what they are; what is the nature of the suburbs etc.? Fribbler (talk) 01:11, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Since Lexington has suburbs, what are some of them? Heegoop, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Lexington merged with Fayette County in 1974. Fayette County includes almost the entirety of the Lexington urbanized area. So Lexington has no suburban municipalities like most American cities of its size do. Looking at aerial photos, it appears parts of surrounding counties have some exurban areas, and cities in nearby counties no doubt serve largely as bedroom communities for Lexington workers. But if any city of its size can be said to have "no suburbs" (using the American definition of "suburb"), Lexington might be it. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:58, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Ah, the american definition of suburb would have got me. It seems more "official" than the informal definition we would have (i.e. anything smaller and nearby that people would go from to shop, work etc. in the larger town). Fribbler (talk) 10:43, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The difference is that the less densely populated areas around a city center may be separate legal towns or may be part of the same legal entity as the population center. Los Angeles or London are both excellent examples of the first case, with the actually "city" of Los Angeles or London being quite small, but surrounded by dozens of suburbs, while Lexington, Kentucky may be a good example of the other case. It may also be possible to have a city with no moderately populated surrounding area, if political or geographic reasons make that impossible. National boundaries don't always have this effect, however, as suburbs can exist in one country for a city in another, provided that the border is relatively open. For example, Windsor, Ontario, Canada can be said to be a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Singapore, being a small island, may be an example of geographic limitations, where there are no suburbs because the city itself takes up the entire island. For another example, a city surrounded by a national park will sometimes lack suburbs, if it's illegal to build there. StuRat (talk) 12:14, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I would not characterize Los Angeles as being geographically small; see List of United States cities by area. It is enormous compared to the "downtown" region, and contains large areas, such as the San Fernando Valley, which could be considered suburban (single family homes and low-rise apartments, big box stores, etc.). -- Coneslayer (talk) 18:58, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

If you only include the incorporated city of Los Angeles, it's under 500 square miles, while the entire urban area is closer to 1700 square miles, or over 3 times bigger. I suppose, in that sense, the city is only small when compared to the total area. StuRat (talk) 16:23, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I still don't buy it. New York City has a urban:city area ratio of 7:1, and Chicago is almost 9:1. If you look at Washington Metropolitan Area, the ratio looks huge. I don't see how Los Angeles is a small city, by this or any other reasonable metric. -- Coneslayer (talk) 16:51, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

There is also an urban growth boundary for Lexington that limits suburban sprawl to the east, west and north, where most of the historic horse farms are located at. To the south are "replaceable" tobacco farms, and where the soil qualities are typically poorer -- i.e. not as calcium enriched. The counties surrounding Lexington are Woodford Co., Scott Co. and Clark Co. that have strict zoning policies; Jessamine Co. and Madison Co. have more lax, and if you look at an aerial, you can see Jessamine County's sprawl begin just south of the Fayette County border (much worse now than in the aerials, which were taken ~2001). seicer | talk | contribs 12:28, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

What's Best

Why are we always searching for the newest, latest, the best? Why are we never happy with what we have? Why are we never satisfied as a human being? Why aren't we happy with what we have?

Thank You

Always

Cardinal Raven

Cardinal Raven (talk) 01:35, 14 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

To quote George Mallory on why he wanted to climb mount everest: "Because it's there". People like to better what's been done in every way. I wonder what would have happened if we hadn't that drive?! Fribbler (talk) 01:41, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Advertisers have known this for a long time. Ads that scream "It's NEW!!!" attract people to at least try the new product purely because of its newness, even if they're totally satisfied with their current product. -- JackofOz (talk) 02:06, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Evolutionary, my dear Watson Raven. If we were satisfied with what we had, we'd be roaming the African veldt, eating bugs and carrion. There'd be no Wikipedia (shudder). P.S. There's some question whether Mallory said that. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:18, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

And, while wanting more, bigger, better things has led to improvements in our standard of living (life expectancy, for example), it may ultimately be our downfall, with nuclear and biological weapons now at our disposal, as well as potential ecological disaster as our population and lifestyles may lead to our extinction. However, "being satisfied with less" is a hard sell in Western culture. One sign of this is the greatly reduced number of members in religious orders which require vows of poverty. StuRat (talk) 11:55, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Long-term document storage

Let’s say a person has a bunch of documents they would like to be released only after their death. Where is the best place to put them? Some kind of safe deposit box I would assume, but I think it’s unlikely that the local Bank of America branch will still be there in 60 years or whatever. Also, can a person pay for a safe deposit box for x number of years in advance, and can they then specify that the contents be transferred to the nearest living relative or some institution? --S.dedalus (talk) 01:47, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

You could deposit them with your lawyer and pay them a retainer as executors of your will. (Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Talk to your lawyer.)--Lisa4edit (talk) 06:13, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

And indeed it could not be legal advice since I said “a person.” This is entirely hypothetical. What happens if the lawyer dies before the hypothetical client does? --S.dedalus (talk) 06:56, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Select a lawyer who is part of a practice which looks like it would survive the death of one of the partners. Why do you think the bank will be gone in 60 years? Banks in my town have been been around for longer than that. --Tagishsimon (talk) 07:34, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

They were worried that their local branch may no longer be there or may have been bought out by another bank. While either is quite possible, so long as the bill for the safe-deposit box is paid, I'm sure they would relocate the contents to a new box at their new branch. StuRat (talk) 11:59, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Law-firms traditionally hold third party funds and documents. They have arrangements for passing on that liability to others in case they may no longer be able to meet that obligation. Banks usually have a term limit on how long they let you rent a safety deposit box for. That, however is at the discretion of the bank or even the local branch manager. The laws that are affected are quite different. With the bank you'd have a contract, so contract law applies. The law-firm would fall under several professional and inheritance laws. Apart from being in danger of a "breach of contract" suit as would apply for a bank the law-firm would risk losing their license and get sued under whatever book can get thrown at them for not serving as executor for that will. But if you want a "correct" answer you'd have to ask a lawyer. 71.236.23.111 (talk) 18:38, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I think the UK used to have a government office that held wills, I hear it doesnt exist anymore worse luck. But if you could find such an office in another country, you could have the document with the will.Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 11:37, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Non Surgery Tumour Removal

I had read an article I found a while back on the Internet but can't seem to find it now about using lasers to kill tumours in the breast. I can only find an article dated in 1999 when they were just rolling this procedure out and I know many improvements have happened since- does anybody know anything about these techniques or what the latest news on them is? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.120.83.133 (talk) 02:21, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Using lasers to remove tumors inside the body will necessarily require some form of surgery, probably an endoscopic procedure. There is a lot of information available if you google laser+tumor+removal. If you're more interested in procedures that are completely non-surgical, you may want to ask your doctor about treatments that will kill tumors with radiation or chemicals, depriving the tumor of blood supply, or taking oral medications that might disolve the tumor. Tumors that are on the surface of the skin can also be frozen or cauterized. As always, your doctor should be able to provide you with a complete list of options and is likely to regulary read the sorts of publications that would cover the latest advances in different techniques. 152.16.59.190 (talk) 05:56, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

It's not lasers, but it does have a cool-sounding name: gamma knife. --Sean 13:57, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Plane Crash

If a plane crahes on the American-Candian border line, where are the dead bodies buried? On American soil or Candian soil? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.152.253.108 (talk) 02:29, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I moved this into another section; I'm assuming it has nothing to do with the above question. The bodies can be buried in any country the next of kin wants them. You don't have to be buried in the country you die in. If the person had no next of kin, where they would be buried would probably depend on which side of the plane they were on. That is unless the person was paper thin and standing exactly on the 49th parallel. Then there would be a problem. Paragon12321 (talk) 03:30, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The problem might fall to the International Boundary Commission [15] for which, surprisingly, we don't appear to have an article. But we do have Treaty of Washington (1871).

Atlant (talk) 13:22, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

It has a section in this article. Fribbler (talk) 16:52, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, this question is often asked as a riddle, except asking, 'Where are the survivors buried?', thus trying to trick the answerer into confusing the survivors for the casualties. Dforest (talk) 04:21, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Note that if you're getting pedantic, not all casualties should be buried. A casualty is anyone injured, so technically a survivor could be a casualty. That said, common usage is to equate casualties with deaths. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 16:51, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

And even dead, they may be cremated........ Fribbler (talk) 16:54, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Why fire is used as a classical element other then magma??

Why fire is and was used as a classical element other then magma??

Fire is the heat and light energy released during a chemical reaction, its not like water, wind and earth that is something found in the nature, well you can say that some of those or all of those are made with a reaction, but those 3 you can find normaly on the nature. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.79.63.139 (talk) 03:13, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Fire is far more common than magma, and your analysis assumes an understanding of fire that did not exist when the notions of the four classical elements were prevalent. It's like saying "why did prehistoric people believe the Earth was flat when pictures from the Apollo spacecraft clearly show it to be round?" — Lomn 04:40, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

note that other than magma, lightning strikes can be a source of fire.--Lenticel ^(talk) 09:35, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

It makes sense if you think of the classical elements as states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, "plasma"). Magma doesn't look like a new element, it looks like a mixture of earth and water (and fire). Fire isn't actually a plasma (not ordinary wood fires, anyway) and I don't see how the ancients could have recognized a plasma if they saw one; I assume they distinguished fire because it moved upward and/or because it produced its own light. If our classical element article is to be believed, the same four-element classification was invented independently in several cultures. -- BenRG (talk) 11:16, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

As well as alien cultures. Dismas|^(talk) 12:38, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Until rather recently in history -- a few centuries or so -- everyday human life was intimately involved with and vitally dependent on fire, both small ones like hearth fires, and large ones like landscape fires (to, eg, create rough pasture, etc). Given the extreme importance of fire to human life going back perhaps a million years, and fire's strikingly unusual behavior and sheer power, it would seem odd to me if it was not considered "elemental". Pfly (talk) 21:17, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

During emergency landing, why blow air in life jacket only after getting out of airplane?

Before takeoff, airline (e.g. Jet Airways, India) crew instructs passengers about how to use life jackets in case of emergency. They specifically instruct not to blow life jacket while inside airplane, and expect passengers to open it only at the emergency exit door or after getting out of plane. Knowing that passengers will be in panic, they may struggle or fail to blow jackets at the last moment and suffer more injury, is it not better for them to be ready with blown up jacket while plane is preparing to land? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.129.237.147 (talk) 04:04, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

According to a TV show whose title escapes me, if you inflate your life jacket in the cabin, its buoyancy may push you up to the ceiling when the water enters the plane, making it difficult or impossible for you to get out. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:12, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Mayday (TV series) episode for Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961? --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:22, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

That was the one. Kudos to you, antilived. Clarityfiend (talk)

Some airlines offer classes for people scared of flying. Try one of those and see what it is like walking with an inflated vest. It would make it very hard for most people to maneuver through the aisles to the cabin door. Lisa4edit (talk) 06:07, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

...particularly if the plane is at an angle (as it well may be), so the aisle may not be level, and if there are, say, a hundred other people who have also inflated their vests struggling to get out of the place. It'll just hinder movement in already difficult circumstances. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 11:39, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I agree with the previous answers. Also, there may only be a few minutes before the plane sinks, so getting everyone out before that happens is the priority for the crew, not staying inside while working on getting the vests inflated. StuRat (talk) 11:45, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Not yet noted is that emergency exits, particularly those over the wings, can be cramped affairs. Having an inflated life vest within the cabin can hinder your ability to fit out the exit. — Lomn 14:08, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Another obvious reason may be that life vests may be cut or punctured by damaged equipment inside the plane. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:37, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I recently flew on Air Pacific and they instructed us to half-inflate our life-jackets prior to exit (by pulling one of the toggles). This was the first time I had heard this variation. Doe anyone know if this is a new initiative or just a quirk of that particular airline? Rockpocket 06:25, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The idea that inflated life-jackets may hinder movement inside and exit from inside the aircraft after it has ditched into water is mistaken. Experience has shown that when a plane crashes into water there is plenty of space for everyone to get out of the plane through the very large holes that appear in the fuselage. The real issue is whether a life jacket has ever saved anyone's life after a commercial jet liner has ditched into water. Richard Avery (talk) 06:58, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Is there any statistics about how many times airline crew have announced emergency, and how many of them actually resulted in emergency exits? Are blown jackets reusable? If not, it will be loss for airline? Just kidding :-) I am sure, safety takes precedence over cost. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.129.237.147 (talk) 10:25, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Sten gun

I was reading about the Sten gun and was doing some thinking. According to Eric Bergerud in his book on the Pacific War, Touched by Fire, Thompson submachine guns were issued to a small group of soldiers, notably mechanized infantry. American officers carried pistols and some carried M1 carbine. Regarding the Sten gun, were they issued to NCO's like the MP40 or to officers? Did the British Army issue submachine guns like the Americans or like the Germans? (I noticed that I have a toy soldier showing a soldier, presumably an officer, carrying a Sten.) --Blue387 (talk) 04:41, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The British army has been, and is still, late in taking up automatic weapons. During WWII the issue didn't come up until the enemy showed how effective sub-machine guns were. The the Sten was devised in a hurry. A very cheap weapon to make it was little more than a pipe with a spring loaded firing pin. Notoriously easy to let off a round in error. Standard issue was 2 Stens to a platoon of 10 at the end of WWII. Having used one I can say that I felt safer with a Lee Enfield rifle !86.209.28.101 (talk) 14:15, 14 May 2008 (UTC)DT

Textbook repair

I have to return a textbook on thursday, but the cover is no longer attached to the rest of the book. We tried gorilla glue, but that didn't work. I'm thinking rubber cement might work, but I'm not sure. 71.218.24.22 (talk) 04:44, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Bookbinding will hold clues. You're in a rush, so here's the layman's clue. Take an old piece of sheet, pillowcase or dishtowel (not the terry-cloth type, the woven style). Cut out a piece that is about a quarter of an inch shorter than the long measure of your bookend. Cut it so that it's width will cover half the front and back pages when you wrap it around the book centered. Take two sheets of big paper (has to measure at least twice as wide and as tall as your book, sturdy, gift-wrap's too flimsy!) Cut each sheet to be as tall as the inside of your book and twice as wide as the first (or last) page. Fold each of these sheets in the middle. Glue up your cloth and wrap it around your inside book centered along the spine. Glue up the book cover inside and the top page of the inside book. Glue up the outside (front and back but not inside) of one folded sheet and insert it between your book cover and the top of the inside book. (So that will open as the first page of the book.) Glue up the inside back of the book cover and the other sheet. Insert the glued up sheet between the back cover and the back of the insert. Close the book and insert it under a pile of other books for pressure. That should do it, at least till you'll return it. Lisa4edit (talk) 06:01, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

If this is a library book, most libraries prefer to use their own repair departments. You could just return the book, apologize for the damage, and let the library repair it, accepting responsibility for any charges. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 11:09, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

sufism

can anyone tell me where can i find some material about

Criticisms on sufism —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.128.4.231 (talk) 06:27, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Err, just about any ultraconservative Islamic writer or thinker should give you plenty of criticisms on Sufism. . . --S.dedalus (talk) 06:46, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Or from the other angle David Frawley criticises Sufis for not taling a liberal enough stance[16]. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Q Chris (talk • contribs) 06:56, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

wikipedia Sufism#Controversy and Criticism of Sufism --71.236.23.111 (talk) 19:39, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

What type of plane might this be

36 foot assault glider armed with an MG15 and two MG 34s? If you do know the answer could you please post its full name here and not its nickname. If you only know the nickname, thats cool too and thanks for your help

Does our list here do you any good? 213.161.190.228 (talk) 11:23, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

DAYS OF BIRTHS

—Do births in the U.K. currently (and in recent decades)spread more-or-less evenly over the 7 days of the week, or are they more prevalent on certain days (perhaps due to interventions and other medical procedures)?ANTONIATZI (talk) 07:04, 14 May 2008 (UTC)ANTONIATZI

I have heard they are less common at the weekend, for the reasons you give, but I haven't got a source for that at the moment. Algebraist 08:29, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I had a quick trawl around and found this [17], about a Dutch study, and this one [18], which links to an article citing studies in Switzerland and Germany. Couldn't find a specifically UK one - most of the primary sources are in subscription-only journals - but the evidence does seem to point to weekday births driven by medical convenience, as suspected.

There was also this [19] which is absolutely fascinating: apparently the same effect is also seen around the dates of medical conferences, providing further evidence that medical professionals' commitments may be driving the phenomenon. -- Karenjc 19:36, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Composite images

Are there any good composite images of Summer Glau naked? Could someone provide some links. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lop lop 7 (talk • contribs) 07:47, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Generally speaking, most people find Google adequate for such searches. And people who persist in asking this sort of question on our Reference Desks sometimes find themselves admonished by Wikipedia's administrators (hint, hint).

Atlant (talk) 13:13, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The desire for the image is going to always be more enticing than the image itself, which will look like yet another naked human form, interchangeable with oh-so-many others—that's the paradox of pornography. You're better off wanting without having. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 14:20, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Why?

Why are there so many questions about Avril Lavigne on this page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Seven seven and eleven (talk • contribs) 07:50, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

They're being added by a troll who finds it amusing. We live in hope said troll will grow up. And who knows; it could be you. See Wikipedia talk:Reference desk#April Trolls in May. --Tagishsimon (talk) 07:59, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Wooden Coffee Stick Stirrers

Why do cafe's offer a wooden stick to stir coffee?

A number of reasons come to mind:

To reduce cost - Then why do they offer you a metallic spoon with Tea instead?

Eco friendly - Plastic can be recycled now also, so why offer a tall thin wooden stick?

Tall coffee cups - Understandably a long stick will work when stirring a long drink, more than the regular tea spoon, but why a flat ended stick?

Stains - Coffee stains spoons...but so does Tea (if not more).

So:

Has it derived originally from the taste of coffee, and trying to prevent any alteration in the taste possibly made by a metallic spoon? If so, why don't the spoons alter the taste of Teas?

Is it just another conformity that we have adapted to? If not, then what is the answer? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.146.233.171 (talk) 10:30, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Sure, plastic can be recycled but so can trees. Dismas|^(talk) 10:31, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The flat end will help to stir it, in that the more coffee you can get moving quickly, the more stirring action you will get. It will also help to pick up any sugar or other particles on the bottom. Some metals can alter the taste, particularly silver. However, stainless steel shouldn't (unless they left detergent on it from the last wash). As for the cost of stirrers, it's a compromise between wanting to keep costs low (disposable stirrers) and wanting to satisfy customers (nice spoons). Spoons do have the additional risk of being improperly cleaned and/or having water spots on them, though. Those vendors which provide metal spoons will also want them back, so they can't give you those for take-out. Wood also has the property of being a good thermal insulator (as is plastic). Metal, however, is a thermal conductor, so spoons will get hot and cool the beverage while wood will not. StuRat (talk) 11:38, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The wooden stirrer isn't as effective as a teaspoon at capturing the tea bag and "wringing it out" with the tea bag's string. That's probably why a teaspoon may still be offered with tea. Also, McDonald's restaurants once offered small plastic spoon-shaped stirrers but got caught up in embarrasing publicity when their stirrers became popular among the cocaine-abusing crowd. I think this discouraged (at least in America) the further distribution of small spoon-shaped objects.

Atlant (talk) 13:10, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The obvious answer is that people who drink tea would never, ever steal the spoon; whereas those who drink coffee ... well, the conclusion suggests itself, doesn't it. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:51, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Now there is a man who knows the good things in life! *Hugs mug of English breakfast type brew* SaundersW (talk) 15:20, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Human skull

Is it illegal to be in possession of a real human skull? Would displaying it on your mantelpiece also be illegal? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Terror toad (talk • contribs) 10:41, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

IANAL and this is not legal advice, and this may depend on jurisdiction, but I don't see why it should be. Certainly museums and such own them. Algebraist 11:00, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Most of us (with the possible exception of the AL trollOPs) are in possession of a real human skull. I suspect that NOT having one would be the more likely cause for legal proceedings. Displaying it on the mantle piece would necessitate the wearing of fire proof underwear. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 11:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

This will obviously vary from one legal jurisdiction to another, but in many places they use a serial number attached to each skull, tied in to a database, to establish that the skull was legally obtained (as opposed to being the skull of someone who pissed you off). Some jurisdictions also restrict owenership to those with a "valid need", like medical schools and museums. StuRat (talk) 11:25, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I should think the age would be a factor too.Having a 15th century skull sitting around probably wouldn't interest the authorities(the archaeologists might want you to put it in a museum or something similar),if the skull was a couple of weeks old,they'd want to know whose it was and how you came to have it Lemon martini (talk) 11:59, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, but you can't determine the age by simple examination, it requires lab tests like carbon dating. Therefore some form of "certification" is needed to provide the age info more readily. Police often first get called in when a skeleton is found, only to refer it to archealogists once it is determined to be ancient. StuRat (talk) 12:45, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

But there are some obvious clues as to age that may exist in a given skull. For example a healed trepanation injury would suggest substantial age whereas an unhealed .38 Caliber bullet hole might suggest that the skull isn't quite as old.

Atlant (talk) 13:06, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't say those are obvious clues. Telling a bullet hole from another type of hole may require some expertise in forensic meds. StuRat (talk) 16:30, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It is not illegal in most US states to buy, possess, or display a human skull. There even are online places to buy them, like the amazing Bone Room in Berkeley, California, which has a wide collection of all sorts of bones and skeletons, including human skulls. They have a nice FAQ on the legality of owning human bones in the US. (In the Bone Room's store, there are actually little bottles full of human finger bones, only a dollar apiece or so! It's like a witches' store of yore—check it out if you are even in the area, its one-of-a-kind amazing!) --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 13:45, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

While walking on the skeleton coast in namibia i found a skull, took it to the authorities who did not seem to care much, i took it to a doctor friend who said it was only a few years old and that the discoloration and crack on the one side was the cause of death and that the discoloration was blood. but i had taken it to the authorities and they did not care so i kept it for many years. alas i dont know where it is now, i must have miss placed it over the tears. just for your info/interest. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.18.34.51 (talk) 21:46, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

So, in other words, you lost your head?

Atlant (talk) 13:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

He he! Good one Atlant Terror toad (talk) 13:15, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It's only legal if that skull is wearing a mask. Acceptable (talk) 23:25, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Or is pink with crossbones. Emac1 (talk) 13:18, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Not this again... --WikiSlasher (talk) 07:34, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Soft drink shouldn't be banned from schools

What are some points for having soft drink at schools and shouldn't be banned? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.182.166.206 (talk) 11:46, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The only argument in favor of selling soft drinks at school is that the profits from vending machines provide useful money for schools. The argument against selling soft drinks is that soft drinks not only have no nutritional value, but are harmful to the health, and children are not always good at choosing what is healthy for them instead of what is sweet; making sure children are eating healthily is the responsibility of parents (and by extension, schools), since many children aren't yet able to make the right choices for themselves. The argument in favor of selling soft drinks at school only works if your listener agrees that making money is a higher priority than children's health. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 11:50, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The argument is that the money made from the sales can benefit school programs and that this outweighs the negatives. However, I'd say the benefits only appear to outweigh the costs because the good part is immediately apparent, while the consequences are long-term, like bad eating habits leading to obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, and shortened life expectancy. Soda companies will often provide millions of dollars to schools in exchange for placing vending machines. They know they will eventually get the money back if they can hook kids on their products for life, when they are young and more vulnerable to advertising ("everyone's doing it ? Then I'd better do it, too !"). StuRat (talk) 12:51, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

1) There IS nutritional value from soft-drinks. They are not unhealthy consumed in part of a healthy diet. They might not provide nutrients that you would otherwise go without, but that doesn't mean they don't provide them. 2) The biggest factor is a question of 'freedom' - are children allowed to make their own decisions about whether or not to drink fizzy-drinks, or should we protect them from the potential harm? I say educate and set-free, but others do not. 3) The above note school-income reasoning 4) It could be argued (if not hugely successfully) that getting children used to advertising/mass-marketing helps them become more immune/used to it and gives them better ability to deal with it when they encounter it in the future. Personally I find people are ridiculously over the top about things like this. There was a great special-report in the Economist a couple of years ago about this very question, might be worth searching their website to see if it is available to view for free. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk) 14:05, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Haha... Drink Coke or Die! Anyway, good show of trying to come up with good reasons, though, as is quite evident, they are rather weak. Even most soft drink suppliers know that and are happy enough to sell bottled water and fruit juice instead. And even fried lard is healthy when consumed as part of a "healthy diet", but that's not really what people mean by "healthy". (And last time I checked, in the US, children are not legally allowed to make their own decisions, because it is recognized that the human brain is quite poor at decision-making when in the throes of development and puberty.) --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 14:15, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Regarding the statement, "There IS nutritional value from soft-drinks. They are not unhealthy consumed in part of a healthy diet:" I happen to be drinking a Diet Pepsi right now, so I turned the bottle over to look at the nutrition information. The only nutrient it contains, according to that, is 25 milligrams of sodium. The label says, "Not a significant source of other nutrients." -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 15:16, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Well a 250ml serving of normal coca-cola contains 29% of your GDA sugars and 5% calories (http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/yourhealth/whats_in_our_drinks/) - if you get your 29% from this and your 71% elsewhere it forms a part of your nutritionally balanced diet (sugars wise at least). If it contains 'no nutrients' then what is the problem? If it contains nothing of nutritional value what DOES it contain that is 'bad' for you? The problem with fizzy-drinks is rarely a lack of nutritional value, but rather too much - 29% sugars in 250mls means you don't get much cola to your GDA of sugars. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk) 15:33, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

What does it contain that's bad for you? High-fructose corn syrup, at least in most non-diet versions in the US. In my opinion, that stuff is evil. --LarryMac | Talk 15:40, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, many citrus-flavored soft drinks, such as Mountain Dew, contain BVO, which may have undesired health affects. --LarryMac | Talk 16:43, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

And see also Phosphoric acid#Biological_effects_on_bone_calcium_and_kidney_health. BTW, most people eating a modern Western diet don't have trouble getting "enough" sugar—they consume too much. So you should think of the guideline as a daily maximum, not a minimum to be achieved. -- Coneslayer (talk) 15:48, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

All of which are legally allowed by the Food-safety authorities. All of which are readily available for consumption outside of school hours. Fizzy-drinks are not unhealthy when consumed within a balanced diet. As I noted (not signed on as at work) the problem with fizzy-drinks is not lack of nutrients but over abundance of it. Where is the line drawn? How about banning the bringing in of fizzy drinks? How about regimental meals prescribed by government? The question of 'acceptable' depends on where you fall in the fight to balance the desire to allow people (of all ages) to do as they wish with their lives and the desire to ensure that children are not subject to things that could, in the wrong dosage, cause harm to them. I am firmly in the 'let people decide how much food they consume" camp (and yes I acknowledge potential passed on costs through healthcare/etc. etc. etc.) ny156uk (talk) 17:15, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Technically; sugar, sodium, fats, cholesterol, and any "food" or beverage with calories contain "nutrients". However, there is no difficulty in a Western diet with getting plenty of those. The difficulty is in keeping from getting too much of those and getting enough vitamins and minerals (other than sodium). So, foods and drinks which only contain those "nutrients" we get far too much of in our diet and lack those nutrients which are perpetually absent in our diets are unhealthy and considered "junk food". If you had a diet of nothing but plain broccoli, then perhaps an occasional soda (along with a cheeseburger and fries) might improve your diet, but that's simply not a problem Western nations face. StuRat (talk) 05:35, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I think it depends on the age of the student. A 17-year-old is different than a 5-year-old. I think the case could be made that a high schooler should be able to make his/her own decisions on something as basic as what to drink at lunch. If a simple can of Coke provides a bit of relief from the oppressive nature of high school, perhaps we should allow students this one indulgence. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 15:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I think that the burden of proof is on the side that wants it banned, by default it should be allowed because banning it is a restriction on the freedom of the soda companies to sell and the children to buy. In this case I think there is a fairly good argument, although I think it should ultimately be the decision of the parents of the children at each individual school. If parents think its ok for their kids to have access to soda, what right does the school have to make that decision for them? Mad031683 (talk) 15:45, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

A school is a school, not a bazaar. There is no inherent freedom of any party to engage in commerce there. You might also like to buy clothing, video games, and pet iguanas, but that doesn't mean that the school has an obligation to provide vendors of those goods. -- Coneslayer (talk) 15:54, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I agree, but they are going to sell food and drinks, and there has to be a compelling reason for excluding one vendor and allowing another. Mad031683 (talk) 16:32, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Absolutely. I think the healthfulness of the meals provided is an excellent criterion. -- Coneslayer (talk) 16:57, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I agree with that, I just believe it should be up to the parents to decide ideally. I just wonder where the line gets drawn, no more pizza days or red meat next? I think its the word banning I have a problem with, if they just stop providing it I'm not bothered. Mad031683 (talk) 20:13, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I'd be for improving the food offerings, as well. They shouldn't sell any fried foods, for example. Instead of tater tots and french fries, offer baked or mashed potatoes. Red meat is OK in moderation. An occasional hamburger is fine if it has a whole wheat bun and tomato and lettuce on it, too. A veggie pizza is a reasonable compromise between health and taste. And always include some green veggies on the plate, too, with a mixed fruit cup for desert. StuRat (talk) 05:47, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

If you are arguing in favor of soft drinks at school, and you are a teenager, it might be useful to consider the possibility that you are an example of someone who is not yet developmentally able to make the decision to eat healthy food instead of sweet/fatty/salty junk food, and thus you may be someone who still needs adult control over your eating from your parents and your school. Many teens, without such control, would eat nothing but candy, pizza, and cheeseburgers, and would become ill while strenuously denying that their diet was related to their bad mood, poor grades, and blotchy skin. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 17:29, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, they wouldn't be excluding any particular vendor, just some products. From our article on The Coca-Cola Company:

During the 1990s, the company responded to the growing consumer interest in healthy beverages by introducing several new non-carbonated beverage brands. These included Minute Maid Juices to Go, Powerade sports beverage, flavored tea Nestea (in a joint venture with Nestle), Fruitopia fruit drink and Dasani water, among others. In 2001, Minute Maid division launched the Simply Orange brand of juices including orange juice.

PepsiCo has a similar variety of non-carbonated beverage offerings. Honestly, Coke doesn't care if you buy overpriced carbonated sugar water or overpriced bottled tap water; either one is good for their bottom line. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:31, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Another spot of worry: Sodium benzoate (E211) or potassium benzoate (E212) + Ascorbic acid + ambient temperature /light = Benzene

Apartame = phenylanine + Aspartic acid + Methanol > Methanol = formic acid + formaldehyde Cheers.71.236.23.111 (talk) 19:34, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Huh? Where I live (Canada), I've seen vending machines in schools that sell canned drinks and those in plastic bottles (water, juice, bevreages, etc). However, I don't know if any of those are soft drinks. What I mean is, you put in a coin, and the drink pops out at the bottom, and also, lots of students will chew gum in school even if the rules prohibit it. Thanks. ~AH1^(TCU) 23:52, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I think that in high schools soda machines should not be banned. The reason is they are young adults. They should be making their own nutritional choices. They should be making their own choices. People treat teenagers like kids. Yes they are kids, but they are becoming adults as well. It is time to treat these kids as such. We should be treating teenagers as what they are young adults or mostly young adults. Soda shouldn't be banned. I think its a bit ironic, but they had banned soda in a school I know. Yet, the teachers in the teacher lounge guess what kinda vending machine they have...a soda vending machine. How hypocritical and ironic is that? They aren't being very good role models are they.71.142.222.245 (talk) 03:37, 15 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

We don't provide cigarette machines to high school students so they can "make their own decisions", so why should we provide unhealthy food and drinks to them for that reason ? StuRat (talk) 05:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

We may not provide them cigarette machines. But society does. They have a decision to smoke or not to smoke. Society, stores, etc. provide cigarettes they make the decision themselves. It should the same way with food. I am an adult. I make my decision on what I am going to eat. Whether it be healthy or unhealthy I live with my consequences of my choices. And its a little silly to say kids or teenagers cannot have a soda or unhealthy food when the teacher lounge has soda and unhealthy food. Even the "healthy" food they choose for their machines aren't that healthy. Reduced fat Cheez-Its. Yeah less fat. Its silly.71.142.222.245 (talk) 05:58, 15 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

If "society" provides kids with cigarette machines outside of schools, then it can provide them with unhealthy food outside of schools, too. I hardly ever see cigarette machines any more, though, and think they have been banned from many places kids could access them, and the same should be done for junk food. Also note that it's illegal to sell cigarettes or alcohol to kids, so why shouldn't it be illegal to sell unhealthy foods and drinks to them ? StuRat (talk) 14:50, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. I think what we're seeing in this conversation and in society in general is what we could call the "infantilzation" of adolescents -- treating them like babies who need constant supervision and prevented from making their own decisions. The result is young adults who are completely unable to make their own decisions. If a 17-year-old is not allowed even to choose what to eat for lunch, how is he going to be able to handle life in a year when he is on his own, without Mom, Dad or FisherQueen to make decisions for him? It is absurd and insulting (although I'm no longer a teenager myself) for someone to say that absent "adult" micromanaging, teenagers would eat nothing but "candy, pizza and cheesburgers." We had candy, pizza and cheesburgers at my high school cafeteria, and no one ate those foods exclusively. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 08:21, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

To the OP: to summarise: the major argument in favour of having fizzy drinks available at school is that it gives the child more freedom of choice which will leave him/her better off when he/she gets older and is bombarded with many choices. You should, however, be prepared for the following:

• The experience-in-deciding-so-that-they'd-be-better-off-later argument is somewhat mitigated by the fact that children still have to make some decisions. Nobody is suggesting that schools only provide one brand of beverage.
• Some parents don't want their children to drink fizzy drinks and some of these children will do so (in spite of their parents' decision) if it were available to them at school (where parents can't supervise). Children of parents who dont care about their childrens' diet may choose to have fizzy drinks outside school (or bring some from home, if possible?). If we are willing to allow parents to prescribe other elements of their childrens' lifestyle (e.g. religion), then why not their diet?
• Fizzy drinks are unhealthy and children don't always make the best decisions.

Zain Ebrahim (talk) 10:39, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Another factor which may make soda decision-making difficult for children is that many lack the necessary info to make a good decision. For example, if asked "is diet soda good for you ?" a sizable percentage would likely say yes, when there is all sorts of evidence that it's not. Many also probably think that "juices" like SunnyD are mostly natural juice, when there's hardly any juice in them, just mostly corn syrup. This lack of knowledge is no accident, the advertisers spend quite a bit of money to give misleading info to both kids and adults. Why ? Because there is a much higher profit margin on selling fake juice than real juice. StuRat (talk) 14:44, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I was talking for teenagers in high school. I was talking about teenagers here. Not little children that run around all over the place. I was talking about high schoolers. As I said before they are practically adults. They are young adults. They should be treated as so. They don't need someone to hold their hand and say "You can't drink that its not good for you health." or "You can't eat that because its unhealthy." They will make that decision for themselves. Its their body and its their choices they have to live with. If you make something a forbidden fruit, you can't drink that because its unhealthy, then the more they will want it. The more they will drink it. The more they will break the rules. Instead of banning it give them other options as well. With the little children say something to them so that they understand their choice. For children always let them know they have that option, but at least try to make understand the consequences of that option. For high schoolers they don't need mommy and daddy telling them what they can drink and what they can't drink. They don't need the school to hold their hand as well and tell them the same thing. They are high schoolers after all.71.142.222.245 (talk) 15:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Leisure

What is the percentage of population who do not work for a living ,yet lead a middle class lifestyle? sumal (talk)

The answer will depend on the country. It will also depend on what you mean by "middle class lifestyle". Since that is a fairly subjective concept, to my knowledge there is no way to find the relevant numbers in the official data. If you phrased it more like "How many people in country X enjoy incomes over X dollars/pounds/rupees, none of which is derived from wages or salaries?", you might be able to find an answer. Marco polo (talk) 16:27, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

(Edit conflict)What country? In the UK it seems that in terms of purchasing power the majority of unemployed do better than the middle classes. They don't have to worry about housing (provided free), pensions (guaranteed minimum), college fees (paid for them) or even payments for school dinners or school trips. They also get vastly reduced charges for leasure activities such as swimming. My daughter has friends with unemployed parents who have the latest mobile phones, iPods, LCD TVs and DVD players in their bedrooms, which I could not possibly afford for her. So I guess in the UK the answer is a little over 800,000[20]. -- 88.105.59.32 (talk) 16:52, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Okay, How many people in UK enjoy incomes over 10,000 pounds, none of which is derived from wages or salaries?"sumal (talk)

I dunno, but the vast majority of persons in that category must surely be children and non-working spouses of people who make 10,000+ per year. --Sean 16:43, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry to be evasive, but I have really searched National Statistics Online, and they apparently don't provide data on households using this kind of parameter. (Incidentally, I am a little surprised to hear that an income of £10,000 supports a middle-class lifestyle in the UK. I would have thought that you would need more. But as I said, the term is subjective.) Sean's comment points up another difficulty in finding this number. Though nonworking spouses of affluent people would seem to meet the criterion you set out in your initial question. Another thing to consider is that many people with middle-class lifestyles (or better) who don't work get most of their income from investments rather than from social benefits. The UK may be different, but in my country (the United States), social benefits do not tend to suffice for a middle-class lifestyle. Sorry that I haven't answered your question. Marco polo (talk) 18:47, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

My family is just about managing a reasonable middle class lifestyle on £14,000 a year, with almost all of that from benefits. I think it's about that, I can't remember the exact figures. Although, we are having to do without going to the Med this summer, so I'm not sure if we still count as middle class any more. Or people could have inherited money, and just live on that. Sorry, it's looking like there isn't going to be an easy answer to the question, maybe you should go to everyone in the country and ask them, or something like that?HS7 (talk) 19:12, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

A person (aged 22 or older) in the UK earning the minimum wage of £5.52 per hour who works a 40 hour week would earn £11481.60 per annum gross presuming they took no holidays or had paid holidays (full-time employees on permanent contracts - I simplify - are legally entitled to 4 weeks paid holiday plus public holidays in the UK). I believe someone on this level of income might potentially also qualify for Working Tax Credit even if they had no dependents so their actual income might be higher. I would suggest that a full-time worker on minimum wage would not be considered to be in a middle-class income bracket as the term middle-class is understood in the UK, so £10,000 income as a measure of middle-classness strikes me as bizarre. Valiantis (talk) 13:35, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

SHWEDAGON PADODA-MYANMAR

Headline text == With this devestating earth quake that myanmar has had do you know what has happened to the "shwedagon pagoda"?

Removed email address --69.47.127.168 (talk) 18:16, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

• ?? Myanmar didn't have a devastating earthquake; Myanmar had a devastating typhoon. China had a devastating earthquake. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 18:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[21] It was damaged, and was closed for a number of days for maintainance. Fribbler (talk) 18:36, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Musical Stadium

Hi. i was just wondering if there is such thing as a stadium anywhere in the world that is just used for concert purposes, no sports whatsoever. And yes, it has to be a stadium. Whether there is or not, does anyone think it is possible to have the mosh pit in this stadium the area where the musicians perform instead of on a stage? The reason I'm asking is mainly because I'd like to know if fans would like the first surround sound concert where instead of the amps being where they are performing, they would be built already with the stadium all around the building?Jwking (talk) 18:54, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

i'm sure you could build the sound system around the edges of a sport stadium and then use them for music when sport isn't being played there. I may be misinterpreting your question here, but it seems like you're saying it wouldn't be possible to have surround sound somewhere that is also used for sport, and I can't see why that would be so.HS7 (talk) 19:04, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

No I was actually wondering if fans would like it, like does music sound better coming from just one spot or does it sound better around the building you figure?Jwking (talk) 19:49, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Thatstadium would have a problem getting the music to sync up, if you were closer to one speaker you would hear the sound from it first, then the other speakers a little later, it would probably just sound like a jumble unless you were the same distance from all of the speakers. Which is only possible if the stadium is a circle (or other shapes if some speakers were delayed) and only in a small area of the stadium. Blame the speed of sound. -- Mad031683 (talk) 23:03, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The Noise Boys are way ahead of you. All sorts of venues (including rock&roll gigs) use speakers at many locations and yes, if they all played at the same time with no delay the result would be horrible. Instead, delays are programmed into the system so that if, for example, you're standing near a speaker at the back, you'll hear the kick-drum from that speaker at exactly the same time as you hear it from the speakers by the stage, even though the latter has taken a significant number of milliseconds to reach you through the air. Clever stuff. Apparently there exists kit that, as well as the manual settings, has an extensive list of built-in pre-programmed delay setups for particular venues - large theatres, concert halls, and the like. This is all second-hand from a friend of mine whose line of work it is, but I think I've remembered the gist of it reasonably accurately. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 23:34, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

To pick up on 81.187's answer, it is conventional to mount speakers so as to provide a stereo image to those in the centre of a stadium. Remote speaker stacks do indeed provide a time-delayed output according to their distance from the stage speakers. You talk about "surround sound concert" ... are you putting your audience in the centre of the venue? I think the problem you have there is noise cancellation arising out of having speakers pointing at each other, rather than being aligned in a uniform direction away from the stage and towards the terraces. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:43, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

If one cares to maintain the sense that the sound is "coming from" the people on the stage it makes sense to have the sound actually coming from somewhere near the stage. This isn't to say one would always care to maintain that sense. Pfly (talk) 06:09, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

A question about chef's hats

What's the differents of [22], [23], and [24]?. Breckinridge (talk) 19:34, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

From our Chef's uniform article, "The toque (chef's hat) dates back to the 16th century when hats were common in many trades. Different heights of hats indicate rank within a kitchen. The symbolism of the 100 folds of the toque are said to represent the many different ways a chef knows to cook an egg." Your third example serves burgers. --Tagishsimon (talk) 19:39, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Your first and second example serves burghers, too. Indeed, they may be serving burgers when serving burghers, but I seem to be repeating myself here. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 19:58, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

If you're this person, you might serve burgers made of burghers. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:50, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

But mostly burghers would be made of burgers. ; ) Julia Rossi (talk) 02:05, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Or if they're German, the burghers could be Burgers (though not Berliners). Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 06:10, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I think I don't understand your questions. Breckinridge (talk) 17:45, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, Breckinridge, they were just jokes amongst some old regulars. Please ignore everything after the answer from Tagishsimon. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:33, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

My partner is a burgher. He's a chef, and his burgers and buns are delicious. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:43, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

211 crisis number

I've checked 211 and crisis but found no info for this crisis telephone number. -- Taxa (talk) 21:07, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I imagine it should go into Emergency telephone number#North America. But meanwhile it can be found at 2-1-1. And there is a link from 211 to 2-1-1, which I think you missed - at the top of the page. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:57, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Buying London Theatre Tickets

Boy - have I discovered a monopoly? I want to buy 4 good seat tickets (evening performance) for Les Mis at the Queen's Theatre in London for 18th October this year as a gift for my daughter's graduation and have tried every site I can find online. The tickets are available but the sites ALL have the irritating habit of defaulting to the BEST (and most expensive) in the house. OK, that's business - BUT - when I order them, I am told each ticket will have a booking fee AND a postage fee added, which takes the cost to nearly £70 each. I mean, come on, how can each ticket costing nearly £60 have a booking fee of over £6.50 added, PLUS a postage fee of over £3 ??? And why can I not choose other, less expensive seats in the house that night??? If this isn't another example of RIP-OFF Britain, I don't know what is. So, I went to a Travel Agency who said they could buy tickets for me - but ONLY as part of a whole-trip package? Hello - do I have FOOL tattooed on my forehead??? Another Travel Agent offered to try to get me my tickets but their ticket agent said they had not been allocated ANY for the whole of October this year. So do you folks have any advice for a poor pensioner who lives in the far Arctic wastes of the North of Scotland for whom a trip to London (a nerve shattering 400 miles)costs more than a trip to the moon and back, and for whom a ticket to a show I have already seen 4 times around the UK costs more than a ticket to the Oscars??? Thanks. 92.9.42.126 (talk) 22:40, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Did you try the theatre's own website? Unsurprisingly, they have a full range of tickets available, for £34 inclusive of booking fee. Algebraist 00:18, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

To be sure of getting the best seats for the price you want, you could phone the theatre and talk to one of their box office people (arm yourself with the seating plan from the website).

But I'm curious how these external ticket agencies stay in business - 10%+ booking fees and 10 times standard postage rates is an outrageous example of "rip-off Britain". Astronaut (talk) 02:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I just want to say Thanks a Bunch to the 2 respondents above for their advice. I did get in touch with The Queen's Theatre directly and did get the tickets I wanted, and only paid £55 each for excellent Dress Circle tickets inclusive of booking fees and postage (at normal rates). The booking clerkess was really helpful and explained that although the theatre owners do have measures in place to prevent ticket-touts and monopolistic ticket agencies from capturing tickets for onward sale to the public at extortionate add-on rates, unfortunately there are still scammers who claim to be genuine "Group-Booking" buyers. So in future, I will always talk directly to the theatre concerned, and once again, many many thanks for the advice given above. 92.21.37.17 (talk) 13:51, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It's not just the UK, either, we have the same problem in the US. Our big rip-off company is Ticketmaster, which would make the rest of us Ticketslaves, would it not ? StuRat (talk) 15:59, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Help (with starting in football)

<moved from help desk>
Pls i need to no how i can be helped to be a footballer in life becausl and i saw aspire site but could not get it righe i play welt am 14 yrs from nigeria pls help me —Preceding unsigned comment added by Seun olas (talk • contribs) 22:16, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

If you play well for your school team or a local amateur team, then just maybe you will attract the attention of a scout from a local professional (or semi-professional) club. If you do well there, then perhaps you will be be able to move to a larger professional club. I don't know how it works in Nigeria, but many clubs in Europe run a youth academy for talented kids as young as 8 years old - maybe you could approach a local club and ask if they have a youth academy. Astronaut (talk) 02:20, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Note to Americans: This question refers to soccer, not American football. StuRat (talk) 15:51, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Note to the rest of the world: Soccer is boring. --Milkbreath (talk) 00:06, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

The world according to Milkbreath, that is.  ; ) Julia Rossi (talk) 00:14, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

May 15

Hand exercise games

Ok I have searched google fairly well, and here, but i can not find anything on hand exercises. I am talking about simple strange tasks like twirling a quarter around your knuckles or some other games that surgeons would do to improve their hands. Any links? Chitchin13 (talk) 02:04, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Chinese finger trap Braiding, wedging clay , Kneading, Fingerboard (skateboard) Sleight of hand and cottonball soccer

[25] [26], [27], [28] (for pay: [29])

Also check books on playing violin, piano and guitar. Hope this helps. --Lisa4edit (talk) 04:23, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Content of IV Drip

In this picture [30] of a student holding an IV drip for a buried student, what is most likely the content of the IV drip? Is the trapped student being hydrated? Acceptable (talk) 02:14, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it's most likely one of several possible intravenous drip. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 03:01, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The picture looks a little contrived to me. The student who is "buried" looks as though he is possibly unconscious but it is odd that no-one is maintaining his airway to ensure he can breathe properly. If he is not unconscious then one has to wonder why he is being given liquids intravenously and not orally. The insertion of the intravenous drip is also not very clear. Forgive my cynicism but sometimes it is not always a good idea to believe every photograph you see. Richard Avery (talk) 06:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I was listening to NPR reports reporting from the earthquake sites, and they said that IVs are a very common medical treatment in China. One nurse said, "We are running out of IVs and may have to start giving people pills." Corvus cornix_talk 18:02, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Measuring cups

What are the lines on a measuring cup called? Thank youGargx4 (talk) 02:33, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I'd suggest "gradations" --Tagishsimon (talk) 02:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

"Graduations" is also good: [31]. (See also the aptly-named graduated cylinder). TenOfAllTrades(talk) 03:39, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

"Graduations" is right, but not "also"; "gradations" is wrong. --Anon, 03:43 UTC, May 15, 2008.

Cartridge names

Why are 7.62x39 Russian and 7.62x51 NATO for example, not called 7.90x39 and 7.82x51 respectfully? The 7.62x39 uses a 7.90mm bullet according to wikipedia's article, so why is it called 7.62x39? And 7.62x51 uses 7.82mm bullets. 12.166.94.72 (talk) 03:37, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Bullets are typically swaged when they pass through the barrel. Cartridge names are somewhat arbitrary, but often they use the size of the bore, not the size of the bullet. Friday (talk) 04:34, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh, and sometimes they do use the diameter of the bullet, in fact in this very example. .308 Winchester is (almost) the same thing as 7.62 NATO, and it uses a .308 inch bullet. But, as I said, cartridge names can be tricky to decipher due to inconsistency. .38 special is a very common example- here, the .38 is (almost) the diameter of the case, rather than the bullet or the bore. Compare to .357 Magnum which uses the same bullets, but you wouldn't guess this from the name. Friday (talk) 14:56, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

A riddle

"(072461674, 850753221)"

That's all there is. I have no clue- anyone? 70.162.29.88 (talk) 04:19, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I think they're numbers. I can tell because I didn't find them in my list of letters. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.225.133.60 (talk) 07:23, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Try posting on any lateral puzzles forum like this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.129.237.147 (talk) 07:57, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Have you tried phoning it?HS7 (talk) 17:28, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

This might be from a the cartoon Batman: in one episode, the riddler rights a series a numbers on a chalkboard similar to the ones you have here, then flips the chalkboard over; when flipped over, the numbers turned into letters, providing an address. TomStar81 (Talk) 21:53, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Stride

Do all Stride gum come in multipacks? Thanks!68.148.164.166 (talk) 06:43, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Discrimination, accent and racism

If I can't stand a specific foreign accent, am I a racist? Or do I have a right not to mix up with people whose accent I can't put up with? GoingOnTracks (talk) 10:48, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I think that if you can't stand a specific foreign accent, you are indeed prejudiced, and if you refuse to associate with people from a certain country, that is a less positive character trait than if you chose to learn more about that country and its language and chose to get used to or like people from there. Whether you have a right to refuse to associate with people from a certain country depends on where you live; in the United States, where I live, yes, you have a right to choose with whom you associate, although that right comes with consequences; for example, you'll have to quit your job if you find yourself working with someone from that country, and you'll have to stop seeing your family if your sister marries someone from there. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 10:52, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Depending on the circumstances maybe not a complete right. If you owned a small shop and refused admittance to people from a certain country, or were an employer and refused employment then it could count as discrimination. -- Q Chris (talk) 12:00, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you have a right? In a legal or ethical sense? In a legal sense, it depends on your jurisdiction and the specific actions you are proposing. In an ethical sense, no. Accents are ephemeral—they have nothing to do with what type of people other people are. Would it be fair for you to be refused service because of your own accent? Does your own accent have anything to do with your worth as a person?

What kind of person do you consider yourself to be—someone who hates stupidly, without reason? Or someone who recognizes that the human brain is a fickle thing, that the things it decides to hate are not always rational at all, and works to try and overcome your baser, more primitive instincts? It is up to you, don't resign yourself to a life of ignorance. You'll miss out on a lot. --98.217.8.46 (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 12:03, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

No, racism is hating someone based solely on their race, in this example you are not doing that, you are disliking a particular characteristic of a person which is commonly associated with race, and there is a big difference. I do not believe that your beliefs cause you to be prejudiced with respect to race or culture, my understanding of the word is that if you had not heard a person speak and made the assumption that you would not like their accent based on their race then you would be prejudiced. However if you heard the person speak and then decided that you did not like the accent then this would simply be forming a personal judgment. An analogy would be with food, if you dismissed a style of food simply because of its origin you would be racist, however if you tried the food and then decided that you didn't like it you would not.

As for not associating with people whose accent you cannot stand, this is probably not the best idea. Really it is one aspect of their person, and if you hang around them enough you'll get used (or desensitised) to it. I didn't used to like people with high pitched voices (regardless of their race), however I gradually got used to it and now have many friends who I wouldn't have otherwise. 58.165.192.176 (talk) 12:08, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It is not a big difference—racists centuries onward have claimed that it was not the race, per se, just a particular characteristic that happened to be usually linked to the nebulous concept of "race". And whether or not it is accent or not, it is certainly "prejudice" and ignorance in one form or another. It is not just a "personal judgment." Call it what it is.

And we are not talking about types of food. We are talking about human beings. There is a difference. There is no ethical qualm is dismissing an entire cuisine because it does not appeal to you for a superficial reason. But there is in dismissing an entire group of people for a superficial reason. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 13:57, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Here's hoping your don't get hit on the head and end up with Foreign accent syndrome. AtaruMoroboshi (talk) 14:07, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I'd think accents are one of the easiest things to accept about other cultures (versus, say, never bathing and insisting on standing very close to your nose when talking to you). However, certain accents could pose a problem if you just can't understand them. People with some accents talk too quickly to understand or so slowly it's annoying. Also, always putting statements in the form of a question ("this is a Jewish thing ?") can be confusing. For example, does "This is pumpernickel ?" mean "Is this pumpernickel bread ?" or "This is not good pumpernickel bread" ? StuRat (talk) 15:39, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

In what culture do people never bath? GoingOnTracks (talk) 17:45, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Let me ask my original question another way round: Imagine that I like accents from my culture, like some foreign accents (the French, the Italian) but dislike others (the German, the Mexican). Imagine also that I come well along with Mexicans and Germans that speak English perfectly. Am I bad person? GoingOnTracks (talk) 17:45, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I think a more interesting question (and sorry for hijacking the topic here, but seeing the subject heading made me think of it) is how acceptable is it for someone to discriminate based on regional accents? I find, in the U.S. in particular, that a great deal of discrimination takes place based on regional accents. For example, folks with southern accents often get labelled as "hillbillies" or "rednecks", folks with north-eastern accents (i.e., New York "Bronx"-style accents) are seen as low-brow and un-educated, etc. I'm not sure how it works in the U.K., but based on things I've read, it seems that regional accents play a huge part in how people are viewed there as well (cf. the myriad of regional U.K. accent articles on Wikipedia). So why is it that this is still viewed as an acceptable form of discrimination when other things, such as skin color, regligion, gender, and even sexual orientation (to a certain extent) are increasingly viewed as unacceptable ways of pre-judging? 12.43.92.140 (talk) 19:10, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The intend of my question was in this direction. Why can I say that I prefer ginger/blond woman and dream about marrying one, but cannot say that I prefer woman with French/Italian/American/British accent (and not Mexican/German) and dream about marrying one.GoingOnTracks (talk) 19:28, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

War

What should I do in order to join US or other army, currently invovlved in very dangerous military conflicts? PS. I live in Uzbekistan, and I think it'll be harder to me than to US-citizens. 89.236.214.174 (talk) 11:28, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The U.S. military does allow foreign nationals to join. In fact, military service can be an accelerated route to gaining citizenship or other benefits. But you need to be a legal permanent resident first - meaning living in the U.S. with a green card.[32] Your career will also be limited in that you cannot re-enlist or become an officer as a non-citizen. You will also need a waiver if you are from a designated "hostile" country - I don't know which those are but surely Uzbekistan isn't one. Rmhermen (talk) 13:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I suggest you try their website - I'm sure US Army has a link to it. -mattbuck (Talk) 13:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Does Al-Qaeda count as an army? GoingOnTracks (talk) 22:55, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Black Suits in Australia

Hi, I've got a black suit and was thinking about using it for work (in Sydney, Australia), however I've been put off by a number of fashion articles I've been reading about black suits being used only for formal occasions and funerals. I don't really want to go and buy a new suit (I'll only be wearing it every now and then) but at the same time I don't want to appear to be deliberately weird or snobby. Is it fashionable (rather than acceptable) to wear black suits in Australia? If not, how about just black pants with no jacket, or would this still be too formal for business attire?

Also, how far should the shoulder blades hang out off the sides of the shoulders on a male?

Thanks 58.165.192.176 (talk) 12:08, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Even with not being in Australia, or being a particularly dedicated follower of fashion rules I would still say...Wear what you feel looks nice/you are comfortable wearing. Black suits with white-shirt and black-tie will appear very formal, but a black-suit with a shirt/tie that have some colour/pin-stripes/whatever will look pretty normal as formal business attire to me. Shoulder-blades wise I find it looks nicest when the edge is only scarcely wider than the edge of your shoulder. Too tight and it looks like it's too small, too much overhang and it looks like you want to be in Michael Jackson's Thriller video...All my humble opinion though. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk) 12:55, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I agree with the above and also your idea to not wear the jacket. I'd wear the jacket only when walking in to work and out, but take it off during the day. Also, short sleeve shirts are more casual, so give those a try. Also bear in mind that you may sometimes want a formal look (say when dealing with a customer who needs to be impressed by your professionalism) and sometimes casual (say when dealing with coworkers). StuRat (talk) 15:21, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

This video may provide insight into Aussie formal attire (kidding...mostly). I believe only solicitors, C.E.O.s and other very formal professions/positions in Australia would wear a suit, and most of those would be gray. Without the jacket might be more likely (a school principal, for example, might wear shirt and slacks). Black suits are generally for more formal occasions, like taking a woman to a black-tie event or something. This is advice from a very close Aussie friend, not anything authoritative.

And here's more general (though still personal) advice. Ask your prospective employer what the dress code is like. Get a feel for the environment before you plunge into it. Maybe even go check it or a similar business out and see how they dress. You'll probably want to dress a step up for a job interview or first day of work, but not too much difference. --Prestidigitator (talk) 16:44, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

My experience does not gel with your first paragaph, Prestidigitator. Black is a very common colour for suits, if not universal. People very much lower on the food chain than CEOs etc wear black suits. It seems to be more common in Melbourne than other parts, which may have something to do with the overcast grey skies they get there for months at a time during winter. Also, they match the virtually compulsory black attire that female office workers wear. Black suits seem more attractive to younger men; as they get into their 30s and beyond, different colours become the norm. When wearing a black suit, the shirt and tie are the key; a coloured tie is for the office, a black tie is for a funeral. A white or muted coloured shirt is ok anywhere; a brightly coloured shirt is for the office only. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:35, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Don't be surprised though if you turn up to work on a Friday for example and everyone's looking extremely casual (even law firms) because it's their Mufti Day or "non-uniform" gesture. I dropped off documents at a Sydney city lawfirm and wondered why the Partner was wearing a worn out golf shirt. It can be confusing. I'd ask the employer about the dress code, follow the tips given above and ask if they have a non-uniform or mufti, day and when, just in case. Julia Rossi (talk) 02:33, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Since we've wandered slightly off-topic, I used to HATE Fridays when I was an office-worker. Casual gear meant that everyone was in weekend/party mode from 8:30 am on Friday, there was a lot of loud chatter all day long, and my productivity went down the toilet. I may as well have had the day off, except that I was getting paid to turn up and not actually achieve very much. For a committed and dedicated workhorse such as I, this was extremely distressing (and I'd have to use the whole weekend for de-stressing). -- JackofOz (talk) 06:44, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Summer in Ireland

Does anyone know when or if Summer Glau will be visiting Ireland? Lop lop 7 (talk) 12:31, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I suggest looking at her official website. The answer is probably not though. (Aside: refdesk moved from avril to summer? Is that an improvement?) -mattbuck (Talk) 13:44, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm hoping we can get on to Alanis sooner or later. --Tagishsimon (talk) 13:55, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It's a seasonal thing. Soon we can get onto some micro-entity whose name is June. SaundersW (talk) 15:13, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Great, then we get a month of Julio Iglesias questions, and then it's Counting Crows forever. -- Coneslayer (talk) 15:43, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh, delight! and then maybe August Strindberg! (One can hope) SaundersW (talk) 18:52, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Dividends, Ownership

I just want to double check something. If I own stock at the ex-dividend date I am entitled to the dividends paid at the dividend-date...If I sell the shares between ex-dividend date and the date of payment of dividends will I lose that money or am I paid it regardless because it is based on my owning the shares at the time of the ex-dividend? Sorry if bit of a simpleton question. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk) 13:25, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The answer's in Ex-dividend date. - Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:31, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Cheers - sorry stupidly didn't check there. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 15:08, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

pornographic animated image within "penis" entry

My school district temporarily blocked the use of Wikipedia for 20,000 users a few days ago because of the "penis" entry. I am a big supporter of Wikipedia as a school library media specialist. Unfortunately, the image is most inappropriate for school use for lower age levels. It is the image of a man using his hand to masturbate and shows ejaculation. Please seriously removing this image as it borders pornography. Real immages are an important visual aid to learning, but not this on if you are serious about school use of Wikipedia. There are people here in this district that want to re-block the site. I want to support you and rally againist this happening again. Please help me. Thank you. 207.144.99.93 (talk) 14:33, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

We can't do that, Wikipedia is not censored. Hut 8.5 14:39, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

If your school has made the decisions that students should not see images of nudity, then it will have to block Wikipedia, which contains such images. However, if they are attempting to prevent students from seeing penises, this will be impossible for about half of the student body. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 14:53, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Complain to the school. They are the ones denying you access. Think about it this way: if Wikipedia self-censored for every possible culture, government, etc., what would be left? If the Chinese government got a say on what would be on Wikipedia, what would it say? If the beliefs of radical Islamists were used to censor pages on women's rights, would they be of any use? Should all content be designed for the lowest-common denominator? For the youngest possible readers? For the most easily offended? Wikipedia is not censored for anyone. It is up to your school to decide how it wants to deal with it. If it throws the entire site out because it contains an entry on a piece of anatomy that 50% of all human beings possess, well, that's their own idiocy. It is not Wikipedia's job. Wikipedia tries to be a source of free knowledge for all—unfortunately some people get a little too scared by free knowledge when it goes places they are uncomfortable with. Freedom of speech isn't about freedom to see things that you like to see—it's about the freedom of others to say things that you rather not hear them to say.

Perhaps you could ask your school district to act like the Chinese government does, and block only certain pages. Block the anatomy pages. Better block the ones on birth control for good measure—don't want any parents to get upset! Perhaps you ought to block the ones that talk about how hard it is to verify that there actually was a historical figure named Jesus Christ, while you are at it. Hmm, that page on Marxism might have to go. Golly, do we really want the kids knowing about how nuclear weapons are designed?

They'd better block the Transistor article as well, because there are lots of transistors in a microchip, and microchips are in a computer, and computers are attatched to cables connecting them to printers, which can be used to make pictures of naked people, and that's totally innapropriate! :-) Ilikefood (talk) 22:34, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It's a slippery slope. Wikipedia cannot, and should not, try to guess what its readership is going to find offensive. If the parents cannot deal with the fact that Wikipedia does not have limits, other than what its editors consider to be "encyclopedic" at a given moment, then perhaps the school needs to block it. But it's not Wikipedia's fault. Somewhere someone is probably having the same debate in Chinese and Arabic. We'd say the same thing in response that we would to a school district in South Carolina. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:58, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

One thing we might want to consider in the future is having a "Wikipedia Junior", which only contains a subset of articles from Wikipedia, and perhaps a kid-friendly treatment of some other articles. Yes, this would be censorship, but I think it would be justified. However, we don't want to prevent adults from getting info on sexual topics, just to protect children, so we aren't inclined to censor Wikipedia proper. StuRat (talk) 15:05, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

We already have something like that - Simple Wikipedia. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:27, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Shouldn't most schools keyword filters prevent students from searching for the inappropriate pages? -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 15:21, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Would that work if they follow a link (say from the male article) or use Wikipedia or some less common search engine to do the search ? StuRat (talk) 15:24, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

At my school they used some software which stopped the page downloading as soon as it came across a bad word. I figure the title should work for that. Generally though, wikipedia should not be censored, though I do disagree with nudity right at the top of pages. -mattbuck (Talk) 15:28, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

For what it's worth, I don't particularly like that animated gif either and I'm not sure what value it adds to the article. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:29, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

And for similar value, neither do I. If you were to raise the suggestion of deleting it, on their talk page, I'd support that notion. It seems somewhat on the edge of notcensor. Scaller (talk) 15:34, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I believe very strongly that Wikipedia should not be censored, but some of the images in our sex articles are really not appropriate for children, and if a way can be found to block them selectively so that schools won't have to block all of Wikipedia, that would be idea. It isn't Wikipedia that can do that, though, but the school's firewall software. Just for an experiment, since I'm on a public school computer right now (and there are no kids in the room), I searched for the term Penis, and was not able to access the article. I couldn't access it through a link from the Man article, either. I think most school systems use pretty similar software to what's in use at my school. I wonder if this school really doesn't have filtering software, or if someone read the recent bit of antiwiki nonsense from Concerned Women of America and just assumed that those articles were available to school users? -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 15:39, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

While Wikipedia is not censored, is there a way it might be able to help out in the effort to make is usable in environments where such content may not be acceptable? For example, a "Possibly not safe for work" category or something? --Prestidigitator (talk) 16:52, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Like a global setting like what Google has? Be nice to add that to Random too, cause I sometimes read random articles on campus when I'm bored (and of course, "pornography" isn't allowed, not that I know where the line is, and some students' desktops have near-nude women). And while I personally don't like the idea of that image, you can't argue that it's not educational. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 17:21, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The eternal conundrum with this suggestion is "whose standard?" No consensus is ever likely to emerge on what articles should be so flagged even if WP concluded that it was a good idea in the first place. — Lomn 18:37, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I can agree we have to be more safer to schools. A Junior Wikipedia might be nice. Especially for elementary and middle schoolers they really don't know what to search for or what they are getting into. This is a very sensitive issue. I respect all of the above arguments. I do not agree with them mostly. But I think that in high school and college schools don't need to be as safe. We all see a penis everyday changing our underwear, I am sure some high schoolers and college students are masturbating themselves or not. This is a part of life. To ban this from high schoolers and college students is ridiculous. We will see or experience this part of life sooner or later. We need this kind of exposure.71.142.222.245 (talk) 17:51, 15 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I feel you are highly underestimating the intelligence and overly generalizing middle schoolers. RoyalOrleans 20:20, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Er, I have been changing my underwear every day for years, and have never yet seen a penis while doing so.  :) -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 12:01, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

This topic is under discussion at Wikipedia:Village pump (miscellaneous) and Wikipedia talk:Image content guidelines‎. Contributions are welcome. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 20:16, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Facebook novice

I recently tried Facebook for the first time. Since then I've received friend invitations from names I don't immediately recognize. Which of course leaves me wondering if they are old acquaintances I've forgotten or if these are just spam invites. Are spam invites common? ike9898 (talk) 17:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, spam invites are very common. Corvus cornix_talk 18:04, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Can't say I've ever got one. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:49, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

They've been known to happen, but they're not nearly as common as are on MySpace. I'd suggest sending the person a message and asking how you know them. It's mildly awkward, but it's better than deciding blind. --Masamage ♫ 20:53, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Maximum temperature

What is the maximum temperature the human body can survive for an prolonged period of time? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Node of nothing (talk • contribs) 18:10, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The maximum survivable internal body temperature is around 40°C according to the hyperthermia article. The maximum survivable ambient temperature will depend on other things like the humidity, whether you're in direct sunlight, and how hydrated you are. -- BenRG (talk) 18:57, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Chairs tipping

My teacher says not to tip back on the chair as many many people have died doing that. Approximately how many people since 1987 have died as a result of tipping back on their chairs? School of pizza eating (talk) 18:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Anecdotally speaking, while I've never known of someone dying, I did have a student in one of my classes slip backward and strike his head on the desk behind, opening his scalp up so much that he required stitches and bleeding all over my nice clean classroom. It was very disruptive to education. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 18:19, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm sure it was. Did the kid live?

Wait, stupid me you just said he did. *smacks self on head* —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.75.198.178 (talk) 18:24, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't worry at all about tipping back chairs and whatnot. Why doesn't your teacher tell you never to ride or drive a car? One is much, much more likely to die in a car accident. I suppose we shouldn't eat because we might choke, eh? I've fallen out of a chair I've tipped back dozens of times, the only injuries sustained were to my self-esteem. I highly doubt that "many" people have died by doing it, the teacher just doesn't want to liable. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:31, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Other concerns your teacher may have (but that she probably thinks you will be less receptive to) may be that you will damage the chair and/or distract the rest of the class. Both are not very respectful things to do as a student. Consider doing as she asks, since she is there to work very hard at helping you and other students become better people with little enough other reward for the job. (Sorry for the gender assumption in my answer; what I wouldn't give for a gender-neutral third-person pronoun acceptable for people.) --Prestidigitator (talk) 21:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

A (somewhat eccentric) teacher at my school used to encourage chair-tipping. He assigned varying numbers of points to the different configurations - I believe leaning forwards, balanced on a single front leg was the maximum, worth ten points. He was though, frankly, nuts. And also fell off a chair himself while demonstrating. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 22:32, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

My year 7 math teacher told us that he once had a student that leaned back on his chair and the plastic leg broke and stabbed him in the kidney. --Candy-Panda (talk) 01:27, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

wow - that was bad luck on the teacher!! Richard Avery (talk) 07:40, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I had a school friend who always said that he wanted to be a Hollywood stuntman. He used to enliven boring lessons by tipping his backwards on his chair. He perfected that so that he could continue rolling back so that the chair would end up on top of him and the desk behind would be pushed onto the lap of the person sitting behind him. This really freaked out new teachers. Last I heard of him he was head of canned produce distribution in a large UK Supermarket chain, so the Hollywood role never came about. -- Q Chris (talk) 08:13, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

With over 6 billion people on this earth you'd be hard put to find a cause of death that does not have a high mortality rate in absolute numbers. This is a common mistake. What really counts is the death toll over a life time (say 70 years) divided by the total population. That gives you the chance an 'average person' has to die because of this. Also relevant is the average age at which people die from that cause. In that respect, cars outnumber any other case of death by a very wide margin. Amrad (talk) 14:32, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

A Rovin' I Will Go

In the Irish song "A Rovin' I Will Go", does the lyric "from Dublin across to Boston, And back if I be wanting" mean the singer will go back to Ireland when he feels the need for sex? Or does this have some other meaning? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.75.198.178 (talk) 18:14, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Thats a strange interpretation to take from it. No, it just means he can go back if he wishes. He's free to do what he wants while he's "roving". We Irish are always Roving in songs for some reason :-) Fribbler (talk) 20:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

And if it's an Irish song, it's probably referring to the original Boston. Algebraist 21:30, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

That's not the original Boston; Boston MA is named after Boston, Lincolnshire, while the County Clare one seems to have been somewhat jokingly called that after Boston MA. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 23:13, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I would agree; Boston, Lincolnshire was always my idea of the original Boston. Though we (the paddys have the original Balimore, Dundalk etc.) Still think the song would refer to Boston in america, though. Considering Irish emmigration and the connection with the city.Fribbler (talk) 00:15, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Drinkable tap water

In countries that have tap water, what percentage of them have drinkable tap water? In what countries should you not drink the tap water? Odd helop mangoon (talk) Odd helop mangoon (talk) 18:16, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I expect virtually all places with tap water have potable tap water -- to a degree. Potability boils down (if you'll pardon the lame joke) to the drinker's tolerance for the peculiarities of the water, and as such, no one answer exists. Also of note is that in many places, it's not sufficient to say that the water of [country X] is or is not potable, as it may vary from place to place. The good news is that travel guides almost invariably have the information you're looking for, tailored to the traveler's approximate origin. — Lomn 18:34, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Worms

Do worms have brains? I've looked but I can't find anything. Hot JJ (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 19:40, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

According to worm they do not. Algebraist 21:28, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

So if we were to AGF, we'd have to deduce that you're not that bright, right? Zain Ebrahim (talk) 21:31, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Another possibility is that the questioner simply missed this detail. However, the article states only that earthworms lack brains (though they have ganglia that perform some of the same functions). On the other hand, flatworms apparently have ganglia that may be considered primitive brains. Marco polo (talk) 01:06, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Hailey Williams

Does Hailey Williams dye her hair or is it naturally that color? This is a picture [33] LLOTAAMI (talk) 19:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Look at the variety of hair colors in a Google Image search. I would guess that's not her natural hair color.--droptone (talk) 23:51, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

captain picard's bald head

when captain picard was assimilated he was already bald. did the portrayal of the borg as being bald start here, or did the writers always intend the borg to be skinheads? CP JLP (talk) 19:55, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The first episode with the Borg was Q Who?; if I remember correctly, they were bald from the start. · AndonicO ^Engage. 20:00, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I thought the first episode with borg was The Neutral Zone (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Hot JJ (talk) 20:13, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

From a Star Trek Universe point of view, they met the Borg in an Enterprise episode, long before Picard was born. The Borg had crash-landed in the Arctic long before then. Sandman30s (talk) 10:39, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Zebras

What is the molecular mechanism for stripes in zebras? Retlon chick (talk) 20:09, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Take the text of your question, put it into the google search bar and click on "I'm feeling lucky". Zain Ebrahim (talk) 21:37, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Answers like this really get my goat. The questioner was not asking how to use Google--presumably, as an internet user, she has Googled something before and does not to be reminded how to do so again. Instead, she wishes to avail herself of the wonderful people at Wikipedia's reference desk, who, oftentimes, are more engaging, responsive and interesting than Google search results. Shame on you.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 23:31, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

A similar question was recently asked at the science desk. Still don't know about Zebras, I'm more at home with cats, but they come in stripes too. For the molecular basis see Melanin, Hydroquinone. For further reading Gene expression, Cat coat genetics, Melanocyte, Melanocortin, Pigment (biology) might be useful. --Lisa4edit (talk) 05:14, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, as you know, Fatman who never, as per policy box above, ops are encouraged to search around in google or the 'pedia first, though there's the bonus of asking directly at the desks. I saw a baby zebra without stripes on google and guess what the base colour was? White. Here[34]. Zain's answer is the best tip to have for google research, so that's a bonus too. Julia Rossi (talk) 12:05, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Fish patterns

Is the variety of color patterns seen in fish a result of evolution? For example, some fish have complete circles of black near their tails while others have circular shapes on their bodies. Why don't any of these species have interrupted patterns, like triangles? And why are the color patterns of many species and phenotypes so identical? I understand that inbreeding can produce very similar phenotypes, but how does that explain the complete round patterns of so many different species of fish? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.75.198.178 (talk) 20:10, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm no expert. So all I can offer are some ideas of where to look for answers. Eucariots develop by Mitosis (cell division}. Even if you'd envision cells to be more or less dice shaped, you'd move towards more and more round shapes the more cells you'd add. (Remember geometry? A hexagon has detectable corners a Heptadecagon is almost round). So round pattern are easier to arrive at. A phenotype is a genetic variation. Chromatophores are what make fish color. The basis is genetic (except for pigment translocation}. So depending on where in the genetic code of the fish the color is to be found and what trade offs a mutation will have, a different patterned phenotype becomes more or less likely. (Or will get eaten before a scientist finds it :-) Hope this helps. Lisa4edit (talk) 05:53, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Tip-of-the-tongue

When someone has something on the “tip-of-their-tongue”, but is unable to pull it from memory despite belief that it is there. How is this phenomenon be explained?

You may be interested in our article on tip of the tongue or the results of google searches like 'tip of the tongue' research. — Lomn 21:14, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Turn signal lights on pick-up trucks

What was the first year that turn signal lights were offered on American pick-up trucks?198.208.251.22 (talk) 20:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Per our article on turn signals, the modern signals were broadly introduced in 1939. This site suggests that Chevy trucks adopted them in 1940 (note that questions about '39-'46 trucks are lumped together save "should a '39 have turn signals?"). Depending on your criteria, though, an earlier answer may be appropriate. — Lomn 21:22, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Globe

What ratio is a standard sized globe to the actual size of the earth? Retlon chick (talk) 20:55, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Depends upon what the "standard size" of a globe is. I'm not sure there is such a thing. If we assume the globe had a diameter of 1.5 feet, and the earth as a mean diameter of 20,902,231 feet, then the answer would appear to be roughly 1:13,934,821 --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:01, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Also depends on what you mean by size. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 21:09, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

The standard size (see Borges and J. Rossi) is the same size as the planet Earth and is an identical copy containing all organisms of the original. As to which of the two the real one is, there are two schools of thinking. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Dissing in Country Music

Is there such thing as dissing iin country music Ericthebrainiac (talk) 21:24, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Just on the spot the guy in "You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille" was rather unhappy with his new acquaintance's actions. For the most part I think it's just expressed in a little more polite language. (Now probably hundreds of people are going to come up with bad language in country songs.) --Lisa4edit (talk) 06:00, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Hand dryers or paper towels

Are hand dryers or paper towels more common in public restrooms? LLOTAAMI (talk) 21:43, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I would guess paper towels. Useight (talk) 06:54, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Neural network

What is a neural network and how does its operation differ from that of a digital computer? (In other words, is the brain like a computer?) Terror toad (talk) 21:44, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Have you read our articles on neural networks and artificial neural networks? — Lomn 21:53, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Sit dog, good boy

Animals learn from their parents, such as hunting skills etc. Why doesn't the knowledge of being able to sit in dogs get passed on? Jellojolts (talk) 21:52, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

One straightforward explanation is that sitting on command (a trick for humans) is an entirely different sort of skill than hunting (a survival skill with untold years of evolution behind it), and that there's no reason to expect the transmission of one to imply the transmission of the other. — Lomn 21:56, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Yup. Without the reward-from-human stimulus, there's no particular reason for a dog to sit just because a human says "sit". --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 22:57, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Dogs learn to sit because they are taught to sit. Does a parent dog teach a puppy how to sit on command from a human? No. Why would they? How would they? --98.217.8.46 (talk) 00:34, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

The first dog that says "sit" like a human will get a prize. :-)Lisa4edit (talk) 06:02, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I guess if dogs were selectively bred over however many generations to strengthen the 'sit on command' behavioural tendency it would be possible to have a breed that would readily sit on command - maybe we could call them 'sitters'. At present dogs are bred for certain behavioural traits such as retrieving shot game, pointing at game or chasing a dummy rabbit. The dogs require some training but take to the task much more easily than most other breeds. Btw I can't go along with the idea that the canine parents teach their offspring to hunt. If you've ever owned a Jack Russell terrier from a young puppy you would know that you spend half your life trying to stop the thing 'hunting', a skill it definitely did not learn from its parents. Richard Avery (talk) 07:33, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

A friend of mine tells me that it is actually much quicker to train puppies if they are living with an already trained dog, because they will see the other obeying correctly. I have not been in both situations so I can't verify this. -- Q Chris (talk) 07:39, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Driving licenses

What hair color do they put on bald peoples drivers licenses? Youlipo (talk) 22:03, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

• Whatever the applicant says, in my experience. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 22:58, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

In cases other than Alopecia, people will have an existing hair colour (of exising hair :-)) and that is what's listed. Though I've seen "none" listed where the identification of the person (which is what it's all about) would render the hair colour irrelevent. Fribbler (talk) 01:00, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Haha. Thank you Youlipo because now, not only does wikipedia have an article on almost everything, we have questions on just about everything, with Fribbler and jpgordon to catch it. Su-perb,  : ) Julia Rossi (talk) 11:54, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Drinking

When in the company of others, what is the etiquette for drinking beer out of the bottle? Should it be poured into a glass? Youlipo (talk) 22:05, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It depends upon who the other are & how much you care about prevailing mores. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:24, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Yup, depends too much on the situation. In some kinds of bars it would be unfashionable and a little odd to ask for a glass for one's beer (usually pseudo-exotic "world" lager) whereas in most restaurants it would be a bit uncouth to drink straight from the bottle. I don't think that either would be a terminal faux-pas in most places, though, so don't worry too much. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 22:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Except, of course, in the unlikely event that your beer is bottle-conditioned. Repeatedly tipping that up and back will just stir up the yeast, so a single pour into a glass is the way forward. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 22:40, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It also depends on whether the bottle is full-size bottle or a stubbie. Full-size: always pour into a glass unless you want to be seen as a hobo (particularly if it's wrapped in paper). Stubbie: it depends, but in Australia drinking straight from the stubbie is ok in casual situations; in restaurants you'll usually be given a glass and the waiter will pour most of the beer into the glass, leave the stubbie on the table, and let you make your own decision about how you want to guzzle the remainder. Only a very prim and proper person would object if you raised the stubbie to your lips. But if you're meeting a prospective employer, you might want to err on the side of caution. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:23, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

That's funny. Not only do those two categories not really exist in the US (I've never considered the size of the bottle to matter at all), but the etiquette is quite different (it's all or nothing here). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 04:24, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Note that in some cuisine it seems quite common to drink from the bottle in the US. I have rarely been served a glass to drink beer from in either Mexican or Chinese restaurants, even if they were rather up-scale. When in doubt, as with most matters of etiquette, copy those around you. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 04:24, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Maybe "full sized" meant "a pitcher of" which is a serving size in the US that would definitely require glasses. Also consider whether you trust their dishwasher or maybe wiping the "mouth" of the bottle is more hygienic. Lisa4edit (talk) 06:09, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

How many wood chips to use

I just purchased a bbq with a side fire box. I tried to smoke a 2 lb roast for 3 hrs at 240 degrees, but I had no clue on how many wood chips to add, and when I was done the meet tasted like an old barn just burned down. How many am I suppose to use? Jellojolts (talk) 22:27, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

• Was it the first time you heated the bbq? I had to run mine real hot for a couple hours before the nasty stink all went away. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 22:39, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Seasonal Question

I am a bit slow. I get confused easily by seasons and times. I am not a seasons and times kinda guy. I am a its kinda hot grabs shorts kinda guy. So this has never crossed my mind before. Until now. When it is the winter in the UK is it summer in Texas? Btw, I read the article about seasons already. As I said before I am slow about seasons. Thank You

Always

Cardinal Raven

Cardinal Raven (talk) 22:59, 15 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

No. Algebraist 23:01, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Scientifically, seasons are determined by the solstices, equinoxes, and the equator. Climatically, though, not all places experience a summer/autumn/winter/spring cycle. Areas with monsoon seasons would be a good example of this. — Lomn 23:09, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

For the most part, seasons are determined by the Earth's axial tilt. From March to September the sun shines more directly on the Northern hemisphere and so these months tend to be hotter, while the Southern hemisphere is colder. Texas is well north the Southern hemisphereand experiences summer and winter at the same time as the UK. -- Mad031683 (talk) 23:21, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Right. Texas and the UK are both in the Northern Hemisphere, so they both experience summer and winter at the same times. (Though, due to the difference between their climates, winter on the Gulf Coast of Texas may feel a bit like summer in some parts of the UK, such as Scotland.) When it is winter in Argentina or Australia, however, it is summer in Texas, because those countries are on the other side of the Equator. Marco polo (talk) 00:30, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the clarification.71.142.222.245 (talk) 01:12, 16 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

It is relevant that Texas is 25-36 while London is 51 degrees North of the Equator. MilkFloat 12:12, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

May 16

Juliet and Paris

<moved from talk desk>
I'm doing a Code Lyoko spoof of Romeo and Juliet and I need help. What is the whole reason why Lord and Lady Capulet want their daughter to marry an older man like Count Paris? XANA (in human form) is playing the Count, and Sissi is Juliet. Angie Y. (talk) 02:07, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Because he is rich or he is a genius with computers (playing off the Xana thing you know since he was a computer program). They only want the best for their daughter. He might be able to help her with her homework. Or something completely and utterly ridiculous like: He will make them the best sandwiches if he gets their daughter. They just like him. Or: He is blackmailing them. (Since well Xana is an evil computer program.)71.142.222.245 (talk) 03:01, 16 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Capital Punishment

I am watching a show about capital punishment. And they show the methods used.One of the methods shocked me it horrified me. It risen some emotion in me. I can only imagine what that person went through. I know they are prisoner and they did something wrong, but just imagining that..just imagining it god its disgusting. How can we support something so disgusting? That isn't right even if the killer hacked a family into pieces. Murder isn't justice its cruel. You say murder isn't justice and say murder is wrong by law. And yet you murder someone for justice. Why do we spend our money on supporting this? What is so justice about capital punishment?

Thank You

Always

Cardinal Raven

Cardinal Raven (talk) 04:44, 16 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I think capital punishment is usually justified via the argument that, well, they intentionally made people involuntarily lose their lives, they can involuntarily lose theirs as well. It's the old "eye for an eye." Useight (talk) 06:52, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

You should not (continue to) use the reference desk as a soapbox. Please see Wikipedia's guidelines on the matter. If you wish to have your questions answered by an article, capital punishment looks long and locked, a good article then. 213.161.190.228 (talk) 07:21, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

And then consider joining or supporting Amnesty International. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:38, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Which does involve writing articulate, well argued letters Mhicaoidh (talk) 09:50, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Not necessarily. The letter-writing thing is important, sure, but not everyone has the time or inclination to do it. Becoming a paid-up member, or even just sending them a donation, is also a great help. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 10:34, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for that Richard, but as a local organiser in my part of the world for AI, I can assure you that direct action remains essential to the central aims of the organisation. And secondly, I should try and remember that irony, although important to English as I understand and write it, is perhaps not part of the English language as it is used elsewhere in the world. Our colleague, the OP, if you do some research, does take quite some pride in his writing ability. If indeed it does exist, I suggest he could perhaps usefully use it there rather than here Mhicaoidh (talk) 12:10, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

How to reduce seat size?

Earlier I used to be very slim or I can call it lean also...but recently due to immediate sleeping after dinner & that too oversleeping caused me increase in belly & buttock size.... Immediately I started excersizing....

Simply laying flat on floor with both of my hands below my head & getting up & down...earlier it was painful 4 me but now the results are excellent...I reduced my belly considerably. That was good but now the problem lies in my seat. Not even an inch diffrence in it's size. So i came to know that there will be diffrent execize 4 buttocks reduction which i don't know. Can any one help me?

I need desperately an excersize which is intended especially towards this (seat). Plz help me. Don't prescribe walking. I know that well. Suggest something different! Temuzion (talk) 04:53, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

BUY AND RIDE A BIKE! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.86.15.15 (talk) 14:42, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

world's youngest Phd

Who is the world's youngest Phd —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.52.152.41 (talk) 06:59, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Unless someone has beaten it, on March 8 2006 Yao-ban Chan received a Phd at the age of 21 in Australia[35]. -- Q Chris (talk) 08:32, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

This person became a professor at the age of 17, beating a 300 year old world record. Obviously she received her PhD before that age, although it's not clear on the resume. Sandman30s (talk) 10:32, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I looked at her too, and I am not sure that she did complete her Phd before becoming a professor. According to Alia Sabur "After Stony Brook, Sabur attended Drexel University where she received her M.S. in 2006 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Materials Science and Engineering." -- Q Chris (talk) 11:56, 16 May 2008 (UTC). It is unusual, though not unheard of, for University to appoint a professor who has not completed a Phd. -- Q Chris (talk) 11:56, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Understanding

Can language ever be a complete impediment to understanding? Terror toad (talk) 12:09, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I would say anything but. Where are you going with this question? Even if we one day trancend into beings of energy without the need for verbal communication, surely we would still have a 'language' to convey messages to one another telepathically or in other ways? Language is one of the tools that sets us apart from lower life forms such as insects. Sandman30s (talk) 14:33, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Bragging, showing off, legit self-marketing

Where is the line between bragging, showing off and legit self-marketing? GoingOnTracks (talk) 12:34, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Largely a matter of personal interpretation. Dictionary definitions may provide insight into brag, show-off, and marketing, however. — Lomn 13:14, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

What if, Stocks

just wondering... what this stock market would be like, if you have to hold whatever you buy for a day, (or, n days). :) --V4vijayakumar (talk) 13:17, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Obvious aswer: a whole lot more stable. Sounds like a good idea. Simple and effective. Amrad (talk) 14:12, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I wonder how much more stable. Partly it would depend on how it was interpreted, if I own £100,000 in Acme PLC and buy £10,000 then could I sell any shares in acme PLC that day? Also, I suspect that a lot of investment is by long term holders such as pension funds, so this ruling would not affect them. The added stability would depend on how much of the market is owned by short-term speculators. -- Q Chris (talk) 14:17, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I think a rule like this would have very little effect on stock market stability. Daily equities trading volume on the NYSE, for example, is roughly $100 billion but total value of issued shares is about $30 trillion i.e. daily trading volume is 1/300 of market size, so average duration of holding is more than a year. Also, speculators provide liquidity in a market, so they are not necessarily a bad thing. Gandalf61 (talk) 14:39, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Central Europe

I was just looking at our article on Central Europe, and it appears to be embroiled in heated debate. As far as I can see from this and my own travels in the region, everyone want to be part of "Central Europe" and loath inclusion in "Eastern Europe" even though, when I were a lad, everything east of Germany was referred to as eastern Europe (at least here in Ireland) and Central Europe as a concept didn't get a look in. Do people from countries such as Romania, Poland and Slovakia all hate being referred to as "Eastern" Europeans? What is the stigma? Fribbler (talk) 13:29, 16 May 2008 (UTC) One of the stigma is Russia and its history of oppression.86.200.4.67 (talk) 14:44, 16 May 2008 (UTC)DT