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August 25

Can I really not visit Zanzibar?

I've had a hankering to travel to Zanzibar for years. I liked the sound of a place that was a little off the beaten track but still tourist-friendly, with history, nature, and gorgeous beaches all in one place. Now I'm finally in a financial position to start putting such a trip together, and I read that Zanzibar has banned all gay and lesbian tourists. Does this really mean banned, as in, if I go I will be serving 7 years' hard time in a Tanzanian prison? Or does it just mean that, if I go, I have to leave my rainbow t-shirt at home and refrain from making out with girls while I'm there? How foolish would I be to carry on with my vacation plan? -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 00:07, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, you have to ask yourself how they'd know. If there is no way - then they're hardly going to be able to investigate! I just wouldn't make a big show of it if I were you. Anyway - we're not supposed to answer legal question here. "Ask a lawyer". SteveBaker (talk) 00:44, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Exactly, SteveBaker. Zanzibar says that gay and lesbian sex is criminalised. Unless you're wearing your rainbow shirt and making out with your girlfriend/the local women, there's little way to tell - it's not like it's on your passport. However, as a practical (and totally not legally related) suggestion, I advise caution. With a Sunni majority (and some hard feelings about Freddie Mercury (RIP)) flamboyance is probably best kept to a minimum. Otherwise, I'd say, enjoy your trip! Steewi (talk) 01:10, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

They might describe it as tourist-friendly, but the rate of crime there is high, and on the increase [1], so your sexuality may be the least of your concerns. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:25, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

As Steve points out we can’t give you legal advice, but as a general social point of view. . .The thing is, homophobic laws like that are often based on the assumption that being gay or lesbian is an “abominable act,” not an identity. Excerpts from the Qur'an seem to support this view: "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women : ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." ^{[7:80–84 (Translated by Yusuf Ali)]}. This point of view is often something along the lines that all people are considered straight unless they “choose” to have sexual relations with a member of the same sex. From this perspective it seems likely that such people might not think of considering a person to be homosexual unless they had specific proof of such an action.

Grimly the Qur'an says later on “If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, Take the evidence of four (Reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way. If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, Leave them alone; for Allah is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.”^{[4:15–16 (Translated by Yusuf Ali)]} --S.dedalus (talk) 01:43, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Can I point out one other consideration? Everybody here is thinking about what happens if you get "outed" and arrested. But consider what a law like that also does if, say, someone else finds out and wants to hold it against you (extortion, blackmail). Consider what happens if, say, you do wear your rainbow shirts and etc. and then get robbed—will the police take you seriously? Will they care? Laws like this end up having far more ramifications than just the act they outlaw—they make it so that people who would be found guilty of them end up essentially outside the law, unable to report crimes, etc. Personally I would avoid it. One bad situation or bad choice and you could be in a nasty situation, even beyond the question of getting persecuted by the law itself. Once you're on the criminal side of the line a lot of other bad possibilities open up. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 02:10, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

For a specific example of that, consider what happened to Alan Turing, a brilliant man who was one of the founders of computer science. He reported a theft from his house, and mentioned to the police that he suspected the involvement of a man who had been his lover. England then had a law deeming homosexual acts to be "gross indecency", and Turing was apparently surprised to realize that this would be now be enforced against him. He was sentenced to "chemical castration" hormone injections and apparently committed suicide some time later. The play and TV-movie Breaking the Code dramatizes the story. --Anonymous, 04:11 UTC, August 25, 2008.

Indeed, doubly sad and grotesque since Alan Turing arguable played the greatest single role of any individual in defeating the Nazis (by helping to break the Enigma machine code). However I’m not sure if that is really relevant to this question. An “international” is less likely to persecute too heavily by a friendly nation. See Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case. --S.dedalus (talk) 06:13, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I was in Zanzibar a month ago. The beaches are gorgeous and the history is unique although be warned, it is highly touristy. There is now even a street of boutique-looking shops (Kenyatta). Homosexuality is illegal and there is a vocal Islamist presence. There was supposed to be a celebration of native son, Freddie Mercury, but Islamist pressure ended the planned affair. But it will not be at all foolish to go. Unless you are visible in your demonstration of your identity, no one is going to know. But if you are very worried it might better suit the purpose of a vacation to go somewhere where you will be more relaxed. Southeast Asia has plenty of history and superb beaches. Besides Zanzibar wasn't much of a party spot. Lotsofissues 08:05, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

To be blunt, I highly doubt Zanzibar has laws against lesbians and gays. The vast majority of laws are against the act (i.e. sex or perhaps even touching, kissing, close contact, etc between people of the same sex), not the person. Locals may sometimes be persecuted on suspicion, but even this is actually a lot rarer then people seem to suggest. Zanzibar probably doesn't want tourists who break their laws, hence gays and lesbians who bring partners (although I suspect they will usually turn a blind eye to this provided you aren't to open about it) and particularly those who involve locals may find themselves in prison (although probably not for long, these sort of things tend to result in the people being deported quickly). But since it sounds like this is not your plan I don't think you will have problems. The issue of blackmail/extortion is not going to arise if your not planning on doing anything illegal since the police are not going to care what you do in your home country and are liable to arrest the person harrasing the tourist. I'm with Steewi here, I would be more concerned about other things like general crime rather then concerns of the way you'll be treated because of your sexuality. Nil Einne (talk) 21:44, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

My point exactly, just better put by you Nil! Thank you, --S.dedalus (talk) 05:32, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Mozilla and BBC RSS Feed

Why, by default, is my Mozilla Firefox web browser subscribed to the BBC news feed, a UK company, when Mozilla is US-based? Out of all the news agencies, why BBC? Nothing wrong it, but I'm just curious. Acceptable (talk) 01:11, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps Mozilla is aware that there isn't a US news network worth subscribing to. ៛ Bielle (talk) 01:37, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Are you in the UK? Firefox can certainly detect your location. Algebraist 01:39, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

The BBC is a highly respected broadcaster, particularly with regards to news, around the world. See BBC World Service. --Tango (talk) 01:46, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I live in Canada. Acceptable (talk) 01:52, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm in australia and I get the BBC feed by default. I'm happy with it, I'd have probably signed up to it without firefox's help. Well done Mozilla for having the sense to pick a reputable broadcaster. 144.137.206.217 (talk) 10:28, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

International Olympic Committee

What would be some requirements to get a job working for the IOC? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.61.95.232 (talk) 01:14, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Here is the relevant page on their website. There's no jobs available now though. Algebraist 01:17, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Labor Day

Who changed the positioning of Labor Day this year and why was it done? 69.146.1.37 (talk) 02:25, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Since you're spelling it Labor and not Labour, I'm going to assume that you're talking about the American holiday and not any of the others of similar name. Our article about Labor Day points out that it's been on the first Monday of September for quite some time. This years occurance is no different. Dismas|^(talk) 02:31, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I was born on Labor Day. Apparently my mom didn't enjoy the irony. Plasticup ^T/C 12:52, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Medal percentage

What percentage of all athletes at the 2008 Olympics won at least 1 medal? Nadando (talk) 02:52, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

You could calculate this yourself, it's pretty simple (though time consuming) math. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 03:15, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

With enough research, you could probably find the number of medal winners and the number of competitors, then it's just a simple division. You'll need to decide what to do about teams, though - do they count once per team or once per person? --Tango (talk) 03:59, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Members of a medal-winning team get a medal each, so I think it's clear enough how to count them. I don't know where to find the data to answer the question, though. The 2008 Olympics article says there were 10,500 athletes and 302 events, so if there were no teams, no ties, and no multi-medal winners then 906/10,500 = 8.6% of the athletes would have won medals; but that's clearly just a rough approximation. --Anonymous, 04:18 UTC, August 25, 2008.

It's not so clear - while they get a physical medal each, they're only counted on the medals table once. --Tango (talk) 04:20, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

No need to go that far, Tango. We're talking about individual people who competed at the Games, whether in individual events, team events, or a mixture. If 100 people attended, and 65 of them came home with at least one gold, silver or bronze medal around their necks, whether from individual or team events, that it's true to say that 65% of them won a medal. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:02, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

There's a list of medal winners at List of 2008 Summer Olympics medal winners. All you have to do is count them, ignoring repeats. Algebraist 11:38, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Ah. I count that article as showing 2,056 actual medals awarded to 1,885 distinct individuals. This count is based on the assumptions that (1) the formatting of the wikitext is consistent throughout the article, allowing it to be mechanically collapsed into a list of names, (2) each wikilink to a multi-medal winner is rendered the same way each time, rather than using alternate forms of the name, and (3) there are no cases of a failure to disambiguate two medalists of the same name. The article also says that "approximately 11,028 athletes were expected to participate". Well, if 1,885/11,028 is correct, then that would be 17.1%. --Anonymous, 21:45 UTC, August 25, 2008.

Wool coat

Where can I get a nice looking wool coats in a European style? All I can find are pea coats, but I’ve seen nice intellectual looking casual wool coats warn by guys (single-breasted coats I believe). --S.dedalus (talk) 03:35, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Have you tried looking in Google images with the search parameters mens+wool+coat+-pea ? Click on photos you like, and chances are good they come from commercial websites with catalog service. -- Deborahjay (talk) 15:37, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

If you have a G-note to spare, how about this cashmere one [2], or is it too conservative for you? ៛ Bielle (talk) 02:23, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

MAny game companies leave ESA

Who do you think will be the last remaining ESA member and why? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 04:13, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

We can only speculate, and the RefDesk is not the place for idle speculation. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:17, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Then where is? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 06:23, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

A forum for discussions on ESA, whatever that may be. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:48, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't necessarily have to be a forum for discussion ESA, any forum for general discussion on the gaming world would probably accept a question of the sort. No where on wikipedia though. In any case, your question appears to have started off from the wrong premise. Some companies have left Entertainment Software Association but a large number including most of the biggest remain members Nil Einne (talk) 21:25, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

The answer is that ESA would collapse long before they got down to having a single remaining member - hence there won't likely be a "last remaining member". The "why?" is therefore likely to be a meaningless question. SteveBaker (talk) 19:14, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

How to eliminate sweat odours from earphones  ?

I use the same pair of in-ear earphones in the gym. Lately, the headphones started giving our a bed sweaty smell. Is there a way to clean/eliminate this smell without damaging the earphones ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ronbarak (talk • contribs) 05:17, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

The smell could be from bacteria feeding off sweat that builds up in your ears. Are they earbuds (plug-in) or headphones (cover the ear)? I suggest taking them off momentarily every ten minutes or so, between sets. This will let your ears cool down, and the bacteria won't find your ears as inviting. If it's just sweat, then removing them between sets and wiping the sweat off with a towel might help. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 08:01, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

My father used to be a pilot - their headphones have elasticated cloth covers over the cups that can be removed and washed. Failing that, a LIGHT spray with an antibacterial spray onto foam parts or a wipe with an antibacterial hand wipe ought to solve the problem. If the plastic part with the holes leading to the actual speaker parts are visible - then you should block those with something before you spray anything because the spray could easily penetrate through and produce deposits on the delicate moving parts that would mess up the sound quality. SteveBaker (talk) 13:40, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

The OP said they were in-ear phones, ie earbuds.

If they have foam covers, there's not a lot you can do - a sponge like that will be great for soaking up sweat and harbouring bacteria. If they're hard plastic, then Steve's idea of an antibacterial wipe sounds like a good one. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 17:23, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

The foam covers are usually replaceable. I haven't looked for a while (I use big headphones now), but I remember seeing packets of replacement foam covers for purchase in the hi-fi store. The covers will probably go over most buds (in-ear phones) and can be switched when they get a bit gross. There may be some sound loss if you use them, though. Steewi (talk) 04:53, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Applause/Applaud

Say if there was a sign on a show telling you to clap, would the sign be Applause or Applaud? 220.244.78.217 (talk) 05:49, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

ask on language desk. 89.243.144.88 (talk) 07:33, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I've only ever seen APPLAUSE. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 07:50, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Presumable "Applaud" would sound too much like command "Applause" is a statement of what might be appropriate at this point in time - and therefore seems more like a suggestion to the audience. SteveBaker (talk) 13:30, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Thirded. --Masamage ♫ 21:57, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Two phone numbers for same place in early days?

A few businesses in an old phone directory I saw recently had different numbers listed - here, in the middle of this page is an example of what I mean. (http://distantcousin.com/Directories/OH/Canton/1914/Pages.asp?Pages=584)

Why would this be? Did this represent two different switchboards? Within versus outside of Stark County, perhaps? I don't know if it would be the latter, because not every one had both. The article on telephone numbers seemed to indicate it might have something to do witht he switchboard, though.Somebody or his brother (talk) 14:11, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

They're labelled "Bell" and "Stark", which suggests to me that the two telephone networks weren't joined at that time so if you wanted people with either company to be able to call you, you needed a line with each. However, our article on Bell labs says they were only founded in 1925, but the name may have been in use before then. I don't know who "Stark" would be, presumably some local network. --Tango (talk) 17:17, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

(Edit conflict) This is only speculation, but I wonder if at that time the area had two competing phone companies which didn't interoperate. To receive calls from all its potential customers, a business might get phones from both companies installed, which would naturally have different numbers. So if you the customer had a Bell phone, you could call them on 1234, if you had a Stark phone it's 5678. It fits the facts, but as I say a total guess. I suggest you wait and see if someone can provide a more factual answer :-) 81.187.153.189 (talk) 17:20, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I was researching based on the same assumptions as above, but I also noted that Canton Ohio is in Stark County. That fact didn't lead me any further toward an answer though. I'll also note that there was some sort of "Bell Telephone Company" since at least 1879, according to the American Telephone & Telegraph article, Bell Labs came later. --LarryMac | Talk 18:17, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

My guess would be Bell System number and non-Bell number. The Bell telephone system in the early days refused to cooperate in any way with non-Bell exchanges, as in making long distance connections. The non-Bell phone system might have offered lower rates for local subscribers. An interesting piece of Americana. Edison2 (talk) 05:04, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Footnote: When Woodrow Wilson became president in 1913, his attorney general advised AT&T that they were likely in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Department of Justice started proceedings, but it was settled out of court when the head of AT&T committed to (a) sell the bulk of its Western Union stock; (b) purchase no more telephone companies without the consent of the Interstate Commerce Commission; and (c) allow other companies to interconnect. After this, the need for homes to have multiple systems became a thing of the past. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 15:01, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Hindu Unity

Hindu Unity is blocked in India, but why Hindu Unity is not blocked in Vatican City and in the United States despite the fact it puts Pope John Paul II, The New York Times, Pervez Musharraf and Sonia Gandhi in their "hit list" as "evil forces that are against the Hindu people"? Why the US allows hate sites like this? Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 16:24, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

The US and most of its people believe that Freedom of speech is a fundamental right, and vital to the health of a democracy. APL (talk) 16:51, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

This is not about freedom of speech, this is about prevention and legislation against hate speech. See Freedom_of_speech#Limitations_on_freedom_of_speech. Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 17:28, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Personally I am not a fan of censorship in any form, but it is worth noting that even in the United States some forms of hate speech are allowed. Censorship in the United States: it is legal to express certain forms of hate speech so long as one does not engage in the acts being described or urge others to commit illegal acts. Plasticup ^T/C 17:36, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Hindu Unity urge people to kill the above mentioned persons. Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 17:38, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Also, calling Sonia Gandhi "evil" and "enemy of Hindus" is defamation. Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 17:44, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

First amendment, man. Plasticup ^T/C 18:46, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

See First_amendment#Libel.2C_slander.2C_and_private_action. Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 18:53, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Hey, don't argue with us. Wikipedia's Reference Desk does not make or enforce the law. APL (talk) 18:56, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Besides, The site in question seems to resolve to an Israel IP address. APL (talk) 18:59, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

How many sites do you think you could find belonging to US citizens hosted on servers within USA that say X is evil and the enemy of Y? (Pick your own "X" and "Y") I guarantee there are thousands - perhaps tens of thousands of them. Can you ban one site like this and not the others? On what grounds? How many of these are sued for defamation in a given year? (Hint: None of them) Would you ban my website if I said "George Bush is evil and the enemy of the American People"? Where do you stop? Do you ever stop?

"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." -- John F. Kennedy

SteveBaker (talk) 23:05, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Actually, as I understand it, George could theoretically sue you for that, but as a "public figure" he would have to prove actual malice — either that you knew he was not evil or was not an enemy of the American people, or that you made the claim with reckless disregard for its truth. I would guess, though I'd just be speculating, that the more public the figure, the higher the bar for that showing, to the point that it would probably be impossible for George Bush. I also vaguely recall that there's another principle in slander law, or libel law, or both, that makes it more difficult to prove slander/libel if the speech in question was merely insulting without making specific definable claims, but I'm not sure of the details there.

Now in your homeland the law is much more favorable to plaintiffs. On the Continent it's even worse — Italy for example has criminal sanctions against insulting the head of state, and I don't think it's unique in that regard. Derives from the old concept of lèse majesté. --Trovatore (talk) 01:52, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Pope John Paul II, Pervez Musharraf and Sonia Gandhi are also public figures - so the exact same argument applies. SteveBaker (talk) 03:51, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Oh, sure, in the US. My point was that it's not impossible in principle for them to win a lawsuit, just very difficult.

Now, if the Hindu Unity site is actually calling for their murder, as Otolemur claims, of course that's very different. You do get into some difficult calls if it's only hinting at it. (Shades of Thomas Beckett.) I'm speaking theoretically here; I haven't actually visited the website. --Trovatore (talk) 03:58, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

FYI, the 'pure insult is not libelous' doctrine is mentioned (very) briefly at the bottom of Defamation#Other defences. Algebraist 01:59, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

"legislation against hate speech." is a legal affront to freedom of speech. That's pretty basic. You can't be free to express any opinion you want if expressing certain opinions is outlawed. APL (talk) 18:55, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Living in a country where they are putting in more and more laws to prevent me being perverted by evil people I feel more and more threatened by the state. I also see people making ever more stupid decisions in the interests of appearing righteous. Thank you but no thanks to you for trying to make the word safer for me by preventing me reading the rantings of this looney crowd. Dmcq (talk) 22:42, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Even if it were legal and desirable to do so, it takes a government considerable effort to block access to specific Internet sites. The Internet was specifically designed to automatically "route around damage" (ironically - by the US Military!) - and censorship appears just like damage to the networking algorithms.

It's been done in (for example) China (see Golden Shield Project - more often known as "The Great Firewall of China") - but to do so requires that government has the right to interpose "firewall" computers between the countries' internal Internet and all external networks. That requires some seriously draconian laws and a ton of money (it's estimated that China's system cost over a billion dollars) - and I doubt it would be possible in the USA because there are so many incoming and outgoing links and they are rarely government owned. Even China's system leaks like a seive - there are a ton of ways a determined resident can circumvent it - so blocking of the site has to be accompanied by laws to allow investigation and punishment of people within your country when they are found to have worked around the firewall. Even if you do succeed in blocking access to it to "normal" people, you have the problem that inevitably, people who are in favor of the views of the site - or in favor of free speech - will obtain the data from the site and put it up on a server someplace else. In the USA, people will work to bypass censorship even when the material to be accessed is largely uninteresting. To completely shut the site down would be very tough indeed. SteveBaker (talk) 22:32, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I just wanted to interject that it is amusing to have John Paul II on a hit list. Adam Bishop (talk) 03:57, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Name

Can you make a name and surname of letters AAACDGIJJNOST? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Atacamadesert12 (talk • contribs) 16:46, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Depends on where you live and who you wish to recognize you by that name. See Name change. Some legal juurisditions do not allow you change your name to "nonsense", but if you don't care to legally change it you can just ask your friends to call you whatever you want. Plasticup ^T/C 17:29, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I think the original poster is referring to an anagram, actually. If that is the case, the answer is "probably yes". I mean, I can't come up with one right off the bat, but especially if the name doesn't have to be limited by ethnicity, I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 17:52, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

You can make lots of names, depending on what you're prepared to accept as a surname. First names in there include Jocasta, Jade, Jason, and Jonas.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:02, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Can sad jato jig? Jots can aid jag. Plasticup ^T/C 18:45, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

The internet Anagram server[3] has a setting for names. But most of them are pretty obscure with those letters. [4] APL (talk) 18:49, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Thank you, everyone! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Atacamadesert12 (talk • contribs) 21:48, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Hearing aids

Has anyone experience of the effectiveness of hearing aids that are incorporated in the arms of spectacles please?--88.110.157.156 (talk) 18:31, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

How is it possible to create one's own "Black Border" pictures such as the motivational ones and assorted parodies?

Not quite sure where to ask this, might as well come here! I'm referring in the question to those pictures of an image, surrounded entirely by a black border, then one or two well chosen words to sum it up and a sentence or two underneath giving more context. There are of course thousands of parodies, this is one I have to hand as an example. [5]. I would like to create my own, using my own images, but am not quite sure how to do so. Could anyone suggest an imaging tool of some kind that I could do it with? Thanks. Caissa's DeathAngel (talk) 19:05, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Pretty much any image editting software can do that, but if you don't want to bother making it by hand you can use one of thousands of online tools. But be warned, the flashy font is no substitute for wit. Plasticup ^T/C 19:38, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

True...very, very true. SteveBaker (talk) 22:09, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for that, Steve. I can't think when I've laughed so much at a demotivational poster before! Gwinva (talk) 22:37, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Love the "Plasticups" in the image. :-) Fribbler (talk) 23:02, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Certainly those off-the-shelf tools will make one for you with little effort. But if you prefer, it's a very easy job with an image editor like The GIMP (which is a freely downloadable and v.powerful image editing tool). Make a new image - paint it black, cut/paste your image and resize it to about 80% of the size of the background - center it horizontally - and 'eyeball' positioning it vertically to leave a small black border at the top and space for the text at the bottom. Pick a prominant color from within the image for the large font text. Type in the text for the top row of words WITHOUT the first and last letter (for some reason, real (de)motivational posters always make those bigger). Pick a rather serious-looking font (Times' Roman should be fine) and crank the size up so it's about half the width of the image. Then enter the first and last letters at a font size that's maybe 40% larger than the letters in the middle. You have to drag them around a bit to get the spacing right. Finally, put the "punchline" in much smaller white lettering - centering the text between the two large letters from the title. With practice, and a little wit - you can knock one out in 2 minutes 48 seconds (I have NO idea where I got that number ;-) SteveBaker (talk) 22:17, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I've always used MS paint. --Random832 (contribs) 20:28, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

If that was a call for sympathy - you have it! Download GIMP...it's better. SteveBaker (talk) 04:25, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Or Paint.NET, which IMO is a lot easier to use than GIMP (which has its own, idiosyncratic interface). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:42, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Eeuuwww! Nasty. No decent scripting and no high dynamic range support? No Mac version - Linux version is painful. Slow C# implementation is like editing in molasses. I could go on. Also, there is a version of GIMP that has essentially the same interface as photoshop if that's what you want. SteveBaker (talk) 16:26, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I like my own Smell

Dear Wikipedian Contributors,

I like my own person body scent. When I sleep in the same blanket for extended periods of time and my scent rubs off on it, I find that smelling the blanket full of own scent is very relaxing. Is there a name for this behaviour? Am I alone in feeling so?

Thanks. ITGSEETest (talk) 19:38, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Here's an article that discusses scents and their possible meaning. Not quite what you're looking for, I reckon, but a good read. I find (WP:OR) that most people are ambivalent/enamoured of their own smell. Possibly because we are "marking our territory" and possessions. I don't know. Maybe someone else can find a study or survey. Smell ya' later! Fribbler (talk) 22:37, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Familiarity would be part of it. The familiarity of a smell works on animals (such as a puppy feeling comforted by a blanket smelling of its owner when it goes to a new house) and probably on humans. Your own smell is around you most of the time, even if you shower regularly. Why some (many?) people enjoy the smell of their own gaseous rectal expulsions is perhaps harder to explain. Steewi (talk) 04:58, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Moving to Victoria BC and or surrounding areas

Hi......Help with finding living accommodations in houses, apartments, or senior communities for rent. I am a retired gentlemen, single and in good health looking for diverse natural habitats with people orientation. HillstreetrunHillstreetrun (talk) 22:54, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Assuming you mean Victoria, British Columbia, then check out the city's website, which provides a lot of information and links for the area, including a list of neighbourhood associations which may offer some help. Gwinva (talk) 23:03, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

A Google search for "senior communities" is quite fruitful too. Fribbler (talk) 23:06, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

I use usedvictoria.com for a lot of things around here. There are often "roomates wanted"-type ads. I warn you though, occupancy is very high here at the best of times. Also, UVIC draws in a lot of students in September; this is the worst time to find a place. You might find a good deal on anything that is unfilled by the end of September though.NByz (talk) 22:01, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Ah, if you're looking for retirement living, my grandma lives @ "the victorian" (link below). It's pretty nice. It's near [| Mount Douglas Park] and in a pretty low-density neighbourhood.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=the+victorian,+victoria+bc&fb=1&view=text&latlng=4649922984907742039 NByz (talk) 22:04, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

August 26

new sentai rangers

i was email and was told that ther are new power sentai ranger called metal sentai gear rangers is this true i have a photo of them email me to let me noo at [email address removed] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.128.165.140 (talk) 02:18, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I've removed your email address. Replies will be given here - putting your email address online like that is likely to result in large amounts of spam. --Tango (talk) 02:58, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Unitarian Universalism (cont.)

Whether or not Unitarian Universalists believe that the Bible is inerrant and infallible or not, do they believe that it is inspired by God? Do they believe any holy book to be a source of divine revelation? If so, then do they believe the Bible to be a source of divine revelation? If not, then what holy book do they believe to be a source of divine revelation? If they don't believe any holy book to be a source of divine revelation, then what do they believe to be a source of divine revelation?

When I say Unitarian Universalists, I mean especially the Christian Unitarian Universalists.

Bowei Huang (talk) 06:35, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I think you are missing the point. This is a religion characterized, for the most part, by a lack of a formal and official creed. You can have a Unitarian Universalist who believes that natural sciences are a source of divine revelation and another who thinks that the Bible is a source of divine revelation (even if it isn't inerrant and infallible), for example. The whole point of the religion is that you get to pick what sounds good to you and ignore everything else. You can't make generalizations like this about Unitarian Universalists. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 08:13, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure that all Unitarian Universalists would even find 'divine revelation' to be a useful phrase when describing what they believe. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 12:00, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I agree with you both, although the OP did ask specifically about Christian UUs... while they, too, are theologically diverse, it might be possible to outline some trends. I don't think Wikipedia has this answer, but here's the website for the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship. I don't know if it would have survey results or anything like that, but it might offer a better sense of who UU Christians are. --Allen (talk) 22:20, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Bartering sex for stuff and services

How can I know if a woman likes me or if she is bartering sex for stuff and services (see this for the full-story. Mr.K. (talk) 11:26, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I suppose you could ask her, but presumably if you are in a long-term relationship you wouldn't have to. If you're not in a serious relationship, then what's the difference? She is getting something out of it, whether it be emotional comfort or a trip to the rainforest, and you are too. Plasticup ^T/C 12:27, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I thought that article was very odd. I've never heard of anyone bartering sex for services. Maybe it happens. But it seems unlikely to me to be really as prevalent as they report. Or maybe I'm just sad because nobody's tried to barter sex for any of my services! --98.217.8.46 (talk) 13:56, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I saw that on digg.com earlier, perhaps "dig" through the comments there for some more opinions. Useight (talk) 17:13, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

You could try not offering the stuff or services. See if she's interested in just sitting down and watching TV and eating pizza with you. --Tango (talk) 17:43, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

That's a good idea, but you might have more luck with conversation than with TV and pizza. I guess it depends on the girl though. Plasticup ^T/C 18:15, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, yes, I was assuming you would talk while watching TV - if you're both just engrossed in the TV show, it's not going to work! --Tango (talk) 21:21, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Real relationships are usually complicated. She can like you and be trading sex for nice dinners and nights out on the town. Darkspots (talk) 18:31, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

If it's dinners and nights out, that suggests she does like you - the company is usually more important in those activities than anything else. --Tango (talk) 21:21, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

From a biological point of view ALL sex is barter of services or goods, hence the heavy wait placed on the woman’s virginity at the time of marriage throughout most of human history. Male animals hove no biological need to be monogamies. In some ways it would make more sense for them to just impregnate as many females as possible. However females are stuck with the young, conceivably after breading with only one male. To increase the survival chances of their young it helps to have the guy stay to help rear the young. How are they to encourage the male to stick around? They offer a barter: the assurance that the male really will be expending his energy in order to bring up his own children (virginity), in exchange for the male remaining monogamous and helping rear the children.

As I understand it this is the leading theory explaining why “virginity” gets hyped up in so many cultures.[6] Sex is basically just an exchange of services. This can be seen even more clearly in the premating rituals of humans: the exchange of ill-considered gifts, take out Chinese food, moral support with that “sadistic old pedophile of a calculus professor”, etc. :) --S.dedalus (talk) 01:36, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Three golf questions

1. Why is it rare for the 1st or 18th hole of a course to be a par 3?

2. Are there any courses on which the 1st or 18th is the shortest hole?

3. What is the hardest golf hole in the world?

February 15, 2009 (talk) 12:12, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

For the last, Hole 17 at TPC at Sawgrass is particularly famous (the island green). However, no objective answer exists. For the others: is it in fact (more) rare? Par 3s aren't common, and it's a reasonable expectation that somewhere the first or last hole is shortest. — Lomn 12:40, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I think Lomn meant "Par 3s aren't uncommon". Par 2 or par 6 are uncommon. Rmhermen (talk) 14:29, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Isn't par 2 impossible? Isn't par calculated as the number of shots it should take to get to the green (based on distance), plus 2 for putting? In which case, a par 2 would require the tee to be on the green, which would suggest you're on a mini-golf course. --Tango (talk) 17:45, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Try Googling /hardest golf hole world/. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 22:49, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Font

Why is Myriad's italic "a" one-storey? February 15, 2009 (talk) 12:15, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

The real question is why it isn't one-story when it is not italic. When it is italic is clear that it is meant to match the loops of b and d and e, etc. In its non-italic form though it doesn't really match anything—it takes up roughly the same amount of space as some of the other letters but that's it, it doesn't share any of their curves or angles. But the answer is no doubt "because the designer thought it looked best that way." (For a fun trip into the wonderful world of fontography, I heavily recommend the film Helvetica.) --98.217.8.46 (talk) 13:47, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

It's not unusual - off the top of my head, both Segoe UI and Gill Sans are the same — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 18:43, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Actually, it's extremely common among serif fonts as well, e.g. Garamond, Palatino, even Times New Roman. In fact, it's likely that the san-serifs that do this are emulating the serif's approach, which is much older. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:16, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Cat jump

I am cat-sitting for a friend, and I'm worried about his cat jumping off my balcony. I live on the 1st floor (2nd floor for Americans), and it's a good 4m down to a concrete pavement from my balcony. How likely is it that the cat will jump down? He seems to like sitting on my balcony railing, and I'm getting nervous... — QuantumEleven 12:16, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

WP:OR warning... From my experience with having cats all my life, they won't jump if they don't feel they can do it safely. And I doubt any cat will think that jumping from 4m up is safe. (As a side note though, one of my cats just fell while walking from the bed to the night table... So, letting the cat sit on the railing may not be a good idea.) Dismas|^(talk) 12:21, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I just thought of another example from my own house. We have a post and beam house. The cats will sometimes go out onto one of the beams that is about 3m high. So far, they've looked but have never jumped down from it. Dismas|^(talk) 12:24, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

If the cat looks like it does this often then don't worry about it. It's unlikely they'll jump down or do anything that will get them hurt. Cats love sitting in windows and balconies and watching people down below. They don't usually chase after things. They're stalkers, not chasers. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 13:52, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

It is not unusual for a cat to fall if startled, and they startle easily. Edison2 (talk) 15:27, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much everyone for your help! I shall see what the daft feline does... :) — QuantumEleven 05:54, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

My cat once fell from banister on the second floor to the first floor of my house and walked away like nothing happened. --Candy-Panda (talk) 11:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

This is now the RDs Schrödinger's cat (okay, I'm not sure what the trigger is in this analogy) ... did the cat survive your period in charge? --Tagishsimon (talk) 12:15, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Oh great - now you've rolled us all into a superposition that we can't escape until the OP tells us what happened! SteveBaker (talk) 16:18, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Scissors

Most scissors have a screw holding the blades together, but you cant use the screw to tighten the blades cos it wont turn. Why is a screw used than? —Preceding unsigned comment added by LCMk2 (talk • contribs) 12:43, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Mine have a rivet like this, but google shows some with screws, like this. That's a good question, and I've never thought about it before. Does the screw have a screw-like body, or just that flat-head head? Maybe (for some quirky reason) the screw heads are cheaper than regular rivet heads? Plasticup ^T/C 13:05, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Mine has a flat-screw head but if I open it wide enough (and past a little click-resistor thingy) it will come apart - allowing me to clean (or sharpen) the scissors easily. I suspect that ones with a screw-head that serve no purpose to the consumer have such a design because of the machinery that builds them - or as Plasticup suggests perhaps because of cost. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 13:36, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

For scissors I use in the kitchen, the ability to disassemble them is essential to getting them properly clean in the dishwasher. SteveBaker (talk) 14:39, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Most scissors don't need any tightening, your grip keeps the blades together. That's why there's right hand scissors and left hand scissors. I use my right hand scissors in my left hand for cutting the nails on my right hand bu I have to hold it backwards so the blades keep together. Dmcq (talk) 17:35, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Hmm. Maybe thats why they invented nail clippers--79.76.196.178 (talk) 18:13, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I might surmise the screw is for ease of disassembly. Although most scissors are probably discarded before/when they get dull, in certain instances people may want to sharpen them. While there are now tools for sharpening scissors while still together, some people may prefer to disassemble them first, and then use conventional sharpening techniques. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 17:47, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

The screw may have turned at one time, allowing the scissors to be assembled and adjusted, but the other end of the screw may then have been swaged or peened to lock it in place.

Atlant (talk) 13:14, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Linda Theret's daughter's name

What is the name of Linda Theret's daughter? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 18:39, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Karrissa. Dostioffski (talk) 18:46, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Where are they now?

Several years ago, 2 women who went to collede in the Boston area, bedded a number of men and then told what they were like in a public forum. What happen to them. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.112.109.251 (talk) 19:27, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

There was such an incident which received TV coverage, probably 10 to 20 years ago. Two college girls published some sort of ratings of a huge number of men they had sex with at a particular college. A Google search for such vague terms would probably lead to lots of non-work-safe sites. The girls were interviewed on a TV news magazine show, perhaps 60 Minutes. Edison2 (talk) 20:40, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Is this an urban legend?

Is it true that your IQ can slightly drop if you are in an excessively hot or cold place due to your brain being too hot or cold, or is this just another urban legend? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hi, this is my username (talk • contribs) 22:23, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Your ability to concentrate may well be affected by extreme temperatures, which would impair your ability to perform well on IQ tests. The temperatures would have to be very extreme, or for very prolonger periods, for the temperature of your brain to actually change - see hypothermia and hyperthermia. If you get into one of those conditions, cognitive function could well be impaired, I don't know the details (those articles may help). --Tango (talk) 22:32, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Cognative impairment is one of the first symptoms of hypothermia. --Carnildo (talk) 00:04, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

As a note a person's IQ is not a static measurement such as one's height, age or weight. An IQ is simply the result of a test, which means the result can vary slightly from test to test, even when under the exact same conditions. So yes, extreme cold or heat can distract a person or impare their concentration where they might perform differently on a test. However, cold or heat doesn't necessarily effect one's mental capacity except in extreme cases such as hypothermia. Bvlax2005 (talk) 03:53, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

It would be very hard indeed to figure out whether any IQ drop was due to brain heating or cooling instead of the person being just too generally uncomfortable to be able to concentrate. I don't think that's an experiment that could ever be done under sufficiently controlled conditions to know either way. Since we cannot reasonably know - any claim that we DO know is strongly likely to be an urban legend. SteveBaker (talk) 04:23, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

In later stages of hypothermia, people often don't feel cold - so it could be said this isn't affecting their concentration. They certainly suffer severe confusion and mental impairment though. I expect full blown hypothermia is more extreme than what the questioner was asking about though. the wub "?!" 12:34, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

"Ah...Mr Jones - I see you're in the later stages of hypothermia. Now, if you could just take this standardized IQ test - then we can get on with warming you up and saving your life. You're shivering too hard to hold the pen? ...Oh dear - I'll just have to give you a zero then."... But really - how can you know that it's cooling of the brain? It could be pain or vibration due to shivering or some chemical excreted into the blood when other tissues get cold or...who knows? The idea that the ONLY effect of late-stage hypothermia is brain cooling is nuts. If it's not the only effect then you need to control for the other effects. You'd have to (for example) compare people who were in late-stage hypothermia with people whom you'd cooled down to late-stage hypothermia while carefully keeping their brains warm. It's simply impossible that anyone could conceivably have done those experiments. So this is either urban legend or bad science - either way you can't rely on it. SteveBaker (talk) 17:12, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Of course, if you happen to be a rock-based life form then your IQ becomes very dependent on the temperature. In warm climates, discussions rely on head thumps, but in cold, quantum mechanics becomes understandable —Preceding unsigned comment added by Worm That Turned (talk • contribs) 10:06, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Colleges?

Is there any page on Wikipedia where I can collectively find numerous colleges in the United States of America? Perhaps a reference page to different colleges that have different majors? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Anonymous16 (talk • contribs) 23:23, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

You'll probably want to start with the article Lists of universities and colleges, and pages linked there in, including List of American institutions of higher education. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 00:02, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Antique Motor Scooter

I have a 1958 Forall Gasoline powered Motor Scooter that was made in Springfield,Illinois by the ILL FDRY CO.

I cannot find anything out about it - can you help ?

I have spent hours and sent I don't know how many e-mails and no one seems to know anything about it.

Any help will be appreciated. Pat Anderson [email removed] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.255.0.169 (talk) 23:26, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I have removed your email address; we do not give personal replies, and your email address is likely to attract spam. Gwinva (talk) 23:43, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

It's certainly hard to find anything! The only thing I could find was http://www.mikeybike.com/ - where there is a 'Forall' on the list of bikes he says he owns. There is a phone number and an email address. Maybe he knows something. Do you have a photo of this machine anywhere we could see? Maybe that would suggest something.

Good luck! SteveBaker (talk) 04:17, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

At first glance, I assumed "ILL FDRY CO" would be "Illinois Foundry Company", but that's not turning up much. There is an Illini Foundy Company currently located in Peoria. Not much, but perhaps another slim lead. --LarryMac | Talk 12:45, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Yeah - I tried every search imaginable. That some guy at MikeyBike.com owns one is the only thing I turned up. At this point, literally ANY additional information would help. You can try all sorts of wild searches if you have more info. For example - if the scooter is green - then doing a Google image search on "Green scooter" or "Green antique scooter" might throw up a photo - or if there are any other markings on the thing - parts made by some other company - the name of the previous owner - anything. It's amazing what you can find online - but often you have to get really creative in your search. What makes this search especially tough is that the only piece of remotely "unique" information our OP has given us is the name "Forall" - but about a trillion people have accidentaly typed "Forall" instead of "For all" - and those hits dominate the search results. Worse still, the slogan "Scooters for all!" seems to be a super-common slogan for all kinds of scooter-related stuff - so again, we end up with a million hits. A photo of this machine would really help a lot - also ANY other words, numbers, logos related to the scooter. Meanwhile though - a phone call or an email to MikeyBike.com is your best route to more detail. SteveBaker (talk) 17:03, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

August 27

Why don't more people talk about the 2002 Gujarat violence riots?

My thanks to the fellow above who brought the destruction of the Babri Mosque to my attention. I never heard about the incident before just like, until months ago, I never heard about the riots in Gujarat, which I learned about in a passing reference in a NYT article about bombings in Gujarat. I'm not the only clueless one, many educated Indians I've spoken to living outside of India seemed to have missed this story. I believe I pay very close attention to geopolitics esp. ones involving ethnic animosities. I don't want to sound self-important, but it seems to me that India might be the biggest ticking overlooked time bomb in the world. Is there the possibility of a civil war?

Again, I don't want to sound so self-important so this is not so much a declaration but a discussion prompt. I just want to know more about a region I don't know much about.

Lotsofissues 01:35, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I certainly heard about it and I'm not Indian and don't take much interest there. Why should there be a civil war? they've been there, done that, result Pakistan and Bangladesh. There'll probably be a few more riots too, how long do you want to go on about them compared to Tibet or Georgia or other such places that are more recent and bigger? 86.9.212.205 (talk) 08:12, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

It's harsh to say it, but for many people, things that happen outside their own country aren't important until the media play it ten times a day. There's a quote from somewhere along the lines of "10,000 dead foreigners are only worth 10 dead Americans (replace with whichever nationality is appropriate)", meaning that the importance of a news story isn't necessarily its magnitude but its identifiability. If it's not in the news, people don't think about it. Steewi (talk) 23:36, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Given the demographic balance in India between Hindus and Muslims, it would be an unequal civil war. There already was one, somewhat glossed over here. I knew some people from the families involved in that partition, I believe the Indian term for the migrants is mohajirs, though I can't seem to reference it right now.

If you or anyone else is interested in a wide view of events in the world, I would strongly urge you to subscribe to The Economist magazine. Don't be fooled by the name - it is probably the best available source for wide coverage of world events. After 25 or so years of subscribing, I'd heartily recommend it. Franamax (talk) 00:58, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Live online TV streaming

(I wasn't sure whether this was a computer question or entertainment question, so I figured Miscellaneous was a good place for it.) When I'm away at school, I don't have a TV, or easy access to one, just my computer. I am unable to access most networks' live streaming features because I don't live in the U.S. I know it's possible to find what I'm looking for through other sites because I watched the Oscars online this year, live, commercials and all, from ABC. I got it by googling "live streaming Oscars" during the red carpet pre-show, which bought me a few hours to find a site that worked without missing any of the ceremony (and it did take me a few hours). Six months later, I don't remember what site I used. It's going to be a little harder to google "live streaming Grey's Anatomy" and find a site that works without missing half the season premiere, and it won't work to google it now, because it's not on right now. Most websites out there that offer TV streaming separate by genre, not network (I guess they assume you're randomly surfing for something interesting, not painstakingly searching out a specific program on a specific channel). So, after that very long preamble, my question is: any recommendations (or better yet, instructions) for where I can find the kind of live streaming service I'm looking for? P.S. Not that I actually watch Grey's Anatomy. I restrict my television viewing to much more intellectual programs. I just used it as an example. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 04:04, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

This isn't the answer you were looking for, but it's a thought: you might be able to download certain shows via BitTorrent and watch them on your computer at the time you choose, rather than having to be online at the exact time the show is streamed. Check the legalities though. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:50, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that's illegal in the vast majority of cases. --Tango (talk) 20:34, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

You can use a proxy server that's based in the US to use websites restricted to Americans. See [7]. Or have a SlingBox attached to a TV in the US. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:32, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't be surprised if someone was breaking the law there, as well, although I've no idea who... --Tango (talk) 02:00, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks everybody for your help. I think I've got it working. I just have one more question: If I find a channel that says ABC News, is that the same as just ABC, or is it some kind of sub-channel that's pure news? (Sorry, don't know much about American TV.) Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 04:27, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

The problem is that TV shows are sold to networks on the basis of licensing in a specific geographical area. So (say) Fox licenses a show for broadcast in the US, it doesn't own the rights to broadcast it in the UK. That was great in the pre-internet-streaming-video era - but that model is breaking down. But until TV and movie production companies get their heads around it, we're kinda screwed. I'd *KILL* for access to the BBC's free TV archives - but they don't let you get at them here in the USA. I watch a lot of TV using www.hulu.com - but I bet they don't deliver content outside the USA. It's anachronistic and a pain in the rear end - but that's how it is. The same problems pop up with DVD region encoding - for much the same reason.

I don't think there are many websites that stream "live" Tv as that would be an enormous amount of bandwidth to pay for. If you live in the United Kingdom or have access to a UK based proxy server then BBC iPlayer offers some programs shown in the past seven days. You can also find many programs on youtube and veoh, though they are not always the best quality. Shame Stage6 got shut down as that was probably the closest thing to what you are looking for. You could also buy a Tv card for your computer, which are cheep and would basically turn your computer into a television, and has the added advantage of being small and easily hideable if the inspectors come round. But personally I recommend bittorrent and mininova for your TV needs - almost anything you could want is on there, just make sure to do it from your schools computers, library or internet cafe so it can't be traced to you. JessicaThunderbolt 20:58, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Romance

My wife has said that I need to be romantic. How do I do that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.183.35.59 (talk) 04:18, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Flowers? Useight (talk) 05:43, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Learn to speak a Romance language? Corvus cornix_talk 07:12, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Being romantic is a way of being, not something you do (although being that way automatically means there are things you do that you may not otherwise do. The difference is that you're doing them as a natural expression of yourself, rather than some add-on to make you seem occasionally romantic whenever you think your romance meter is approaching empty). What your wife probably means is that she has a need to be treated romantically, rather than telling you what you need to be. So it comes down to a question of working out what her needs are, and meeting them, as all good spouses do. Well done for taking the first step, though, and asking how you might go about this. That in itself could be viewed as a romantic thing. I hesitate to name any particular thing, but spouses love to receive pleasant and delightful surprises, when they're least expecting them (it doesn't have to be a big thing like a world trip); and to be shown attention, not for reasons such as you want to have sex; or you want to get into her good books after a dispute; but just because you want to show her that she's uppermost in your thoughts and is more important to you than anyone else in the world. Well, isn't she? Attention can be shown in many ways, starting with just smiling at her when she's watching TV, all the way to ....  :) -- JackofOz (talk) 07:43, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

It's a novel concept, I know...but you could ask her what she thinks that is. A very good friend of mine once told me that the magic phrase for all such occasions with wives and girlfriends is: "So how does that make YOU feel?" Try it - it's very effective. SteveBaker (talk) 16:55, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

As JackofOz says, surprises that show you've been thinking about her and how happy she makes you work well. Pretty much anything that starts with "I was thinking about you today and I..." (ending with "got you that new scouring pad for the baked-on stains" might not work, but even then, it shows you care).

Also, poetry slays. Memorize "She walks in beauty like the night / of cloudless climes and starry skies..." and trot it out at appropriate times. Or try this gem from Shakespeare: "If I could write the beauty of your eyes / Or with fresh numbers number all your graces / The age to come would say this poet lies / Such heavenly touches never touch'd earthly faces" Franamax (talk) 17:59, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

If I started spouting Shakespeare at my wife, she would laugh. Then she'd laugh harder. Then tears would roll down her cheeks. She might collapse in hysterics - certainly normal breathing would be difficult. Much, much later - she'd want to know who "the other woman" is. No Shakespeare. SteveBaker (talk) 04:41, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to agree with the above - surprises are the key. It doesn't really matter what the surprise is (as long as it's something nice), but it needs to be a surprise. Flowers, dinner, a weekend break... --Tango (talk) 20:37, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Carefully planned spontenaity goes a long way. Steewi (talk) 23:38, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Indeed. For some strange reason, they consider it spontaneous even if they know perfectly well that it must have taken you weeks to plan... women... --Tango (talk) 01:59, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Ah, but the idea is to spontaneously think of some surprise for no particular reason other than that you love her, rather than waiting for her birthday or your anniversary to prompt you out of your unromantic slothfulness - and then, no matter how long it takes to organise, it's all still part of the spontaneity. Steve, it's all in how you do it. If you're sitting at the breakfast table buttering toast and discussing mundane affairs or the state of the world economy, and you suddenly blurt out "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate", no wonder she'd laugh. You've got to pick your time and place. -- JackofOz (talk) 08:49, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Romance isn't always the pure unadulterated truth... 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day ? Thou art rather dull and cold, with damp patches expected later on towards the evening' ... Accurate(for a British summer day)? Yes? Romantic? Hmmm...Lemon martini (talk) 12:44, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

It works better in Texas: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art Hot...amazingly hot!' ...there are situations where that could work! SteveBaker (talk) 16:13, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Steve, do give it a try - and as noted, you have to pick your moments and be sincere. "If I could write the beauty of your eyes"... - maybe she'd collapse in laughter, but she would never ever forget it, she would tell her friends and family, she would remind you about it, and she would always remember that you did something silly just for her, and that you made the effort to memorize it and use it. Just - for - her. Silly and romantic are almost synonyms... Franamax (talk) 00:40, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Health from God's apothecary

Dear Sir - Madam.

I'm a new user and hope I'm in the right place to ask my question.

I have a book by Maria Treben, " Health from God's apothecary " in foreign language and so are the names of the plants but they also have names in Latin, like : acorus calamus, chalidonium maius, etc,my question is, where can I get translation of this Latin names of plants in to English. With Thanks, Vlad. --70.10.44.161 (talk) 08:13, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

P.S Plesa explane why is the message on the screen telling me that I'm not loged-in, when I did log-in, is it a different log-in account for posting question ?

For many plants, just type in the name into wikipedia's search box. ("acorus calamus" takes you to Common Sweet Flag). Otherwise try Google - probably enclosing the name in quotes to ensure the name is searched for as a phrase. -- SGBailey (talk) 09:03, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

The Royal horticultural society has a plant finder: here. Just type your search into the box at the bottom of the page. It is a very picky search, though. Doesn't forgive typos easily! Fribbler (talk) 11:48, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Technically - you probably don't want a "translation" of the latin names - mostly they aren't really even proper Latin. But as others have said - type the latin name into the Wikipedia search box and you're very likely to find it. If that doesn't get you there, try typing just one of the words - so "acorus calamus" happens to have it's own article - but if it had not, you'd still have found quite a bit of information by typing in just "acorus" - which is the "genus" of plants to which the acorus calamus belongs.

There is no special log-in for the reference desk - your regular Wikipedia account works for all of Wikipedia. You must simply have messed up your logging in somehow.

SteveBaker (talk) 16:52, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

If I eat enough royal jelly will I turn into a bee?

Or will I start exhibiting bee-like symptoms, appearance and behaviour? Bradley10 (talk) 09:23, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

No, don't be silly. Do you become a cow if you drink enough (cow's) milk? A bee is not a bee because of what it eats, it is a bee because that is what it is. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 09:32, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Not a valid comparison. Most people drink cows milk. No-one has ever eaten large quantities of royal jelly. Bradley10 (talk) 09:38, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I fail to see why. The point is obvious - is there any food stuff of which you know that when consumed makes that person more like the animal that produces that food-stuff? Not that i've ever heard of. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:59, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Sure, there are foods that do that. Hamburgers for instance are made out of dead cows. The more you eat the more unhealthy you are and the closer you are to being dead—just like the cow. --S.dedalus (talk) 05:51, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Well that seems patently untrue to me. If you are close to starvation, eating hamburgers could be quite beneficial, taking you farther away from death. Also, if you are referring to oxidative free radicals produced from eating meat as promoting your early death, they still do not promote an especially cow-like death, just a death due to cellular stress, much like your common or garden-variety fungus suffers equally. Did you have someting else in mind? Franamax (talk) 06:08, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

That's even more silly. "No-one has ever eaten...". Maybe you should try it though, give us a buzz when you have some results. Franamax (talk) 10:06, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

And even saying that "most people drink cows milk" is not correct. Drinking cow milk is only common among people who keep cows and is closely associated with the mutation in the lactase system that allows lactose tolerance into adulthood. The norm is actually lactose intolerance. Franamax (talk) 10:14, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

And besides...MOOOO! (Sorry, couldn't resist? Could this have waited for April Fools Day like my one about turning a frog into a prince medically?) Somebody or his brother (talk) 15:11, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Okay. I re-phrase the statement to read. "Many people eat cows milk. The price of royal jelly is approximately £500 for a 1lb jar, therefore I deduce it would take a rich and dedicated-to-the-investigation person to decide to consume a large quantity of royal jelly. To the best of my knowledge, especially given the complete absence of documented evidence for human-consumption-of-large-quantities-of-royal-jelly, it seems reasonable to assume that it hasn't been done." Bradley10 (talk) 11:11, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

To my certain knowledge, no-one has drunk cow's milk on 28 August 2008 (UTC). I'll keep you posted on whether it turns me into a cow or not. (and see inductive reasoning and problem of induction) Algebraist 11:17, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you would turn into a queen. APL (talk) 13:58, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I understand that too much royal jelly can cause hallucinations. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 14:20, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Are you thinking of a Roald Dahl story? AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 15:35, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

And you need to shop at the discount royal jelly store instead of the high street. I can get royal jelly on the internet at $75 a kilo (further discount when you order 10 kg or more - hmm, maybe people do already eat a lot of it). Franamax (talk) 17:34, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

• raises hand* uh, yes, i have a question. why is this query getting a valid argument? the answer is no. you are obviously a human. A simple food like jelly cannot alter DNA or other genetic material. Now if you asked if eating radioactive sludge would change you, that would be a different story. the juggresurection ^{(>-.-(Vಠ_ಠ)} 18:35, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Unless you count dying as a change (which I suppose I probably would), the answer would still be "no"! --Tango (talk) 01:58, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Don't tell anyone, but my alter-ego is Suffering-From-Acute-Radiation-Sickness-Man! AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 10:33, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Algebraist, we're still waiting for your report on the cow's milk experiment. Not so easy to type with hooves, is it? Franamax (talk) 00:30, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

There were some issues for a while (as shown by the nine-hour gap in my contribs), but I was able to resolve them. Fortunately my country has no laws against cows gnawing on human flesh. Algebraist 00:37, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Complex searching for strange information..

I have a series of items that I am looking for, but I am having a great deal of difficulty finding the proper search combinations. My question for today involves a jigsaw puzzle I used to have, but it was destroyed. The puzzle was a fairly high piece count ~= 1000. The box was a tall box whose base was a right triangle. I know that the company/artist had a number of different puzzles like this. All of them were hand drawn in a cartoonish style. In my particular caae, the theme was skiing. The picture looked like a large poster of a mountainside with at least two to three hundred little cartoon peopl in it. They all wore hats, scarves and boots, but nothing in between. Their actions were typical of novice skiiers. One had run into a snowbank. Another had hit a tree. Some were going up in the lift. This picture, while playing with nudity for it's unusual effect, contained nothing that could be considered pornographic. One of the search criterion I have tried included ("jigsaw puzzle" skiing poster cartoon funny). I get way too many hits and I can't find the approach to thin the response tree. Please advise. OdditiesSearcher (talk) 11:48, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps the puzzle you are looking for is not featured on any websites. I would say that was a distinct possibility, depending on how long ago you used to have it. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:53, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Try searching for 'jigsaw cartoon skiing' came up with this in the first few(http://www.alljigsawpuzzles.co.uk/shopping/p56.htm). It's 1,000 pieces and has lots of cartoon skiiers on - not 200/300 though. Your best bet is trying to find 'artists' that made cartoon jigsaw puzzles (or their work appears on them) and then use google-images to try track down the artist to a skiing cartoon and go that way. At least that's the technique i'd employ. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:57, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

If it helps, I remember this in the vague haziness of my childhood memories...It's coming back to me. I seen it on the wall of a pub in my home town (in poster, rather than jigsaw form) It was like a cross between a saucy British seaside postcard and a Where's Wally puzzle. I can't find it either, but I hold out hope if more than one of us has seen it. Fribbler (talk) 12:01, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I think I remember seeing puzzles in this style too, with the characteristic box shape, but I'm afraid I can't be more help than that. Are you in the UK, because that's where I saw it? the wub "?!" 12:40, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I believe you are looking for the works of Guillermo Mordillo, whose work I remember seeing as posters and jigsaws in the UK when I was a kid. If you go here and click on publications you might find what you are looking for. DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:07, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Yes - I think it was the UK's Daily Telegraph's weekend magazine that published full-page cartoons from Mordillo - many of those seem to have been made into jigsaw puzzles because they tend to be extremely detailed. SteveBaker (talk) 16:10, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Mordillo sounds exactly right. I had two of these (not the one you describe) and they are cartoonish and come in a box with a triangular base. 83.81.50.89 (talk) 07:43, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

INTERNET SCAMS IN GHANA!!

Hi everybody, Has anybody come across an internet scam that they use the Bank that a person banks at,but the scam account is opened in Ghana??No account of course exists. The scam goes like this: three people are involved,a lady contacts you,she says she is in the U.S. army,and it was her unit that was involved with finding Sadam Hussain.Her cut was millions of U.S. dollars,she is a colonel,and she has her Captain open an account in the persons name that they want to scam in Ghana.The account is opened in Accra Ghana.The third person in this scam contacts the person they want to scam,The Bank official with a title of (International remittance dept) to tell that person that the account is opened,but they cannot have access to the funds until they pay a few of a few hundred dollars,and send some I.D.,that fee should be made by a wire transfer to one of the scammers. How they got hold of the persons name,and knowledge that the person does actually bank at the named bank,but only in the U.S. not Ghana I don"t know. Signed:The wise owl. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.86.15.15 (talk) 14:52, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

There are a lot of these scams going around. Only thing to do is to bin them - unread.86.194.250.36 (talk) 14:53, 27 August 2008 (UTC)DT

Advance-fee fraud. Fribbler (talk) 16:23, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Do not start discussions. The Reference Desk is not a chatroom. Malcolm XIV (talk) 18:36, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I removed the name of the bank from the header, since the bank has nothing to do with the scam. Corvus cornix_talk 18:55, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

August 28

Mining

How I mine for fish? NeonMerlin 04:08, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

See Naval mine and Blast fishing. SteveBaker (talk) 04:36, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

better to trawl for them surely?--79.76.196.178 (talk) 04:44, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

First, you find yourself a big ol' mountain. If you find fish scales around the mountain, you know you got yourself a fish mountain! Start climbing the fish mountain (you will notice fish parts strewn about the ground as you ascend), and once you have reached about two thirds the height of the mountain, start diggin'! You'll be knee deep in fish in no time. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 08:30, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Spare monies for a noob. Gandalf61 (talk) 10:09, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Nice catch Gandalf. We're so damn innocent here. "Just shut up". Franamax (talk) 02:42, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

You could just telephone them with an old hand cranked telephone magneto and ask them to come to the surface. That has worked well (but illegally in many jurisdictions). Edison2 (talk) 05:32, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Help

I have recently found out about an Australian store that sells old games called GameTraders. But I want to know their e-mail address. What is it? February 15, 2009 (talk) 08:02, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

fixed link - Tagishsimon (talk) 08:04, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Various of the stores have email addresses cites here. I think that's the best you'll do. --Tagishsimon (talk) 08:07, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I meant the "generic" e-mail address, because I want them to construct a store in my home town. February 15, 2009 (talk) 08:14, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Email the first shop and ask them that question (i.e. what is the email of your corporate people). --Tagishsimon (talk) 08:23, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

What do you mean by the "first" shop? February 15, 2009 (talk) 08:33, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I think he just means the first one on the list he linked to. The point is, it doesn't matter which shop you email. Any one of them should be able to give you the "generic" email address. Alternatively, you could write them a letter (remember those?) at the "Operations Centre" address given. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 08:42, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

←I think the way to actually do this would be to call the main number of the "operations centre", and tell them that you would like to propose a franchise, and ask for the best person to contact, and get his/her email. If you end up talking to this person on the phone, just say that you know that their time is valuable and that you'd like to send them some information by email about why your town would be a great place for one of their stores. I think it's not very likely that they will want to open a store in your town unless they can get a franchisee to pay for the store—that's the way this kind of operation tends to work. If you sell it well, though, they might propose it to a store owner in a nearby location (I understand Australia's a rather large place and "nearby" means something different there than it does in, say, Singapore), who might have a look at it and decide to expand in your direction. Good luck. Darkspots (talk) 10:04, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Indeed, good luck. They should be glad that you're taking such an interest in their endeavor. --Tagishsimon (talk) 10:06, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Is this really a reference desk question? DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:01, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't obviously fail Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines#What the reference desk is not. How is it not a reference desk question from your point of view? Darkspots (talk) 15:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

The site happens to have a page on franchising. It doesn't give a e-mail, but it has an address and a phone number. By the way, did you happen to get this inspiration from a certain Ben Croshaw? Paragon¹²³²¹ 04:19, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

"Choice listings" on eBay

I know I should contact eBay customer support about this, but talking to them is like wading through treacle, so I thought I'd give it a shot here. I had a listing cancelled because it allowed the buyer to choose from a selection of items (i.e. the winning bidder gets to choose any 10 items from a total of 100, for example). Their policy is apparently that such listings are not allowed "because of the potential for fee circumvention due to the item agreed upon being negotiated offline, transactions taking place outside of eBay and other issues" (quote from their "help" pages). I have no idea what this means and wonder if anyone else can make sense of it. How am I attempting to circumvent their fees? Many thanks. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 08:41, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, you're not, but you could be. You could be adding extra charges to some items, for example. Of course, it's really no different from doing so with any other item ("Actually, I'm gonna want an extra ten bucks before I send this to you."), but anyway. I think eBay has a vested interest in keeping all transactions like this within their domain, so to speak. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 09:40, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Ideas for daughter's birthday

It's our daughter's 12th birthday coming in a few weeks or so. She's a good kid-like her brothers and sisters she works hard at school and goes out of her way to help at home,and so at Christmas and birthdays they're pretty much allowed to choose what they want to do and anything goes. She's decided she wants her party to be fancy dress-it's just what to wear. She wants the costumes to be something nice for the boys to look at-short skirts, tight tops and showing off her chest. So we need a theme that lets her do that whilst actually getting anyone into any trouble. Whilst we're very broadminded as to what they wear(and they will be supervised) ,it might not go down too well with other parents if they're running round completely naked. We've got a few ideas on the table-60s with the girls in miniskirts or pool party so she can wear her swimsuit (or she did suggest borrowing little sister's as it's smaller!) Any more ideas to help our party go well and keep everyone happy? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.153.252.37 (talk) 10:07, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

"Short skirts, tight tops, showing off her chest" is not what everyone would regard as "fancy dress." You knew that when you posted. Twelve-year-old boys generally aren't very interested in girls, and any attention they do pay would result from the oddity of the costume or their curiosity/unease regarding the twelve-year-old chest, not from any regard for your daughter. It's possible that by abdicating your responsibility as a parent to help your child develop a sense of self-worth independent from the pressures of trashy "fashion," you're signing up for an adolescence filled with confrontation. On the other hand, you won't take my opinion any more seriously than I take your question. — OtherDave (talk) 10:24, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Although I did rather like the suggestion in your comment that perhaps they'd like to dress up as trolls. --Tagishsimon (talk) 10:30, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I was certainly interested in girls when I was 12...they didn't have much to show off yet but that didn't seem to matter. Adam Bishop (talk) 12:53, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

How about the 80's? That's a broad enough theme that its up to them as to how revealing they want to look. --Candy-Panda (talk) 11:35, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Gotta agree with OtherDave, you do have to lay some ground rules. I would ask, why does she want to show her belly like that? If it's becuase "everyone does it," you should be showing her that she needs to take pride in herself, and the real her is what's inside, not what's on the outside. After all, I know it's corny, but I always tell the adolescents I work with, "What really matters is that a couple like each other with they're old, bald, and all wrinkled up like a prune."

That said, a pool party does give the right idea, and if you can find a good indoor pool it should work. (Unless it's warme nough where you live to still do it outdoors.) Perhaps it could be a broader Olympic theme - with Michael Phelps having made swimming so big, perhaps you could have some fun competitions. that would let the boys get a little silly (when I was 12, my firends and I liked to do funny dives - perhaps a contest for most recative among boys and girls?) and let everyone have fun without having the full attention paid to the skin. Indeed, you and your daugvhter could, if money isn't much of an object, buy some plain bathing suits for everyone and design them to represent real or fictional countries' Olympic teams. Somebody or his brother (talk) 14:48, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I don't want to be a spoilsport but wouldn't this question be better at some chat room somewhere? DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:00, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Probably, but we frequently answer questions that aren’t precisely source oriented, I guess one more won’t hurt. At least it’s not something like “wHy eXActily is OBAMa suchg an idut?” :) --S.dedalus (talk) 22:54, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I hate to be a suspicious old fart, but this message sounds more like someone hoping we'll discuss fun things to do with children dressed provocatively than like a message from a parent to me. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:14, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

As I cannot imagine any responsible parent encouraging a 12-year-old girl in "showing off her chest", or, indeed, in creating a social occasion just for that purpose, I have to agree with FisherQueen. If this isn't trolling, then the parent should be reported for child abuse. This is really quite disturbing. ៛ Bielle (talk) 00:57, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I don't know, I can imagine a 12-year-old girl wanted to have a "grown up" birthday party, and some parents have difficulty saying "no". --Tango (talk) 03:44, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

All valid points, however the only immediate question is shall we revert this and continue this discussion on the talk page, or leave it and get back on tapic? --S.dedalus (talk) 05:43, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to AGF here and assume this is a genuine question-I know for sure that just walking through town on a Saturday night I can walk past half-a-dozen 12 and 13 year olds each night who are wearing practically nothing(and usually smoking and drinking)-perhaps this is a parent saying 'you're not going out dressed like that every night,but maybe for a special occasion as a one off it will be OK' which at least seems to be an improvement. And certainly when I was 11,the girls spent quite a bit of time in the playground making themselves look nice for the boys,and as for the boys-well every game of truth or dare seemed had 'lift up your skirt' or 'take off your top' as a dare. How about tennis party?Girlies can wear tennis skirts which some girls will no doubt hoick up to around their waist,and probably undo a few buttons too.Water fight(especially in summer)is a good way to cool down and also get everyone very wet in the process.I might advise swimsuits otherwise it could turn out like a wet t-shirt competition. Lemon martini (talk) 11:20, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

The flu

How do you know when you are over the flu? Like you stop feeling sick but how long are you contagious for? --124.254.77.148 (talk) 11:30, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Our article on influenza states that:

People who contract influenza are most infective between the second and third days after infection and infectivity lasts for around ten days.[reference 82 of influenza article] Children are notably more infectious than adults and shed virus from just before they develop symptoms until two weeks after infection.[references 82 & 83 of influenza article]

AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 11:39, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Room prices-more for less?

Off on holiday, perusing through the hotel brochures deciding where to stay, I noticed that one hotel offered a room by itself for £89 a night . Fair enough. But if I have the room and breakfast it was only £78. If I have the room, breakfast and three-course dinner in the evening, it drops to £52 a night. I can't work out why this should be-how come I am paying less for more facilities? Lemon martini (talk) 12:31, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I would assume they've simply made a mistake, and suggest you email them to ask. Some hotels do offer cheap room rates if you agree to pay (extra) for dinner at their expensive restaurant.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 13:22, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I can see how trying to keep you in the hotel for your evening meal (by throwing in the meal free) would make sense as it could result in increased wine/drinks sales and my understanding is that's the biggest area of profit in many restaurants. The cheaper 'with' breakfast is a bit odd though, as I don't see a huge lead-on of extra sales from breakfast (though maybe that's why i'm not in sales and marketing!) ny156uk (talk) 22:39, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Would you identlfy the hotel and location? I might be interested. ៛ Bielle (talk) 23:15, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

I also would like to see further details. There must be a further fixed charge for meals, otherwise you could go to the dining room and ask for their finest bread-sticks and tap-water.

Another tip to keep in mind - depending on the timing of charges for guaranteed reservations, it's sometimes worthwhile to get to the hotel early, walk up to the desk and ask for their room rate. Depending on their bookings, they may offer a very good rate for walk-in business; and even then don't be afraid to ask "can you do better than that?" Then you go up to your room and use your cellphone (mobile for you Brits) to call down and cancel your reservation. Franamax (talk) 00:21, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Certainly-it's the Imperial in Barnstaple,England. I have the leaflet with the prices at home.I'll study it more closely to make sure there's no small print, but there were definitely three prices given for room, room with breakfast and room with dinner and they went down... Lemon martini (talk) 10:57, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Starting Rates page for the Imperial. If we head over to the Maths desk, somebody might be able to quickly calculate the large number of possible rates for any given date -- there are several room categories, and the rate per person per night drops for longer stays, and there are options for room only, bed and breakfast, and half board. Then we can throw in the seasonal variations and the special breaks which may be on offer for even more possibilities, meaning the answer to the original question can only be "forty two." --LarryMac | Talk 12:50, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

This is not your problem. Write and book stating the price and if they accept you have a contract. If they do not accept the price, then they have made an error in their advertising and under English law you cannot enforce the price shown.90.0.128.22 (talk) 08:46, 30 August 2008 (UTC)DT

How common was it for the United States Census to miss people in 1900?

In doing some research on my famiy, I've discovered that they were apparently missed in the 1900 Census. I know from faily history things were quite busy then and they could have just never been home, but how often did this happen back then, when the census takers often just went door to door?

Some background - they parents and perhaps a couple of the children were immigrants, but we have the Ellis Island certificate from 1892, family history stating one son was born in 1894 and was injured in an X-ray accident in 1899. (Yes, they happened, if not calibrated right they could burn you badly.) So they were in the home town I searched for, and they're there in 1910. They don't seem to have been anywhere in the state in 1900, though. And yes, I checked the numerous alternate spellings. Thanks in advance.Somebody or his brother (talk) 14:57, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Our article on the US Census says that there was a fire in 1921 that destroyed some number of records...maybe thats where the data was lost? SteveBaker (talk) 15:59, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

In the excerpt under the Google listing for this site, I saw an estimate of a 6.7% undercount in the 1900 census. 1900 United States Census says the population was 76,212,168. — OtherDave (talk) 23:10, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

My grandfather is listed as a girl in the 1930 census, so they certainly made mistakes. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:09, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

The part about injury from xray in 1899 is interesting. See Clarence Madison Dally, an article about one of Thomas Edison's assistants in xray experiments who tested each xray machine in the late 1890's on himself. They had no idea that xrays were harmful in the early days, until tragedies such as the death of Dalley occurred. Dalley was not alone as an early victim of radiation. As for errors in earlky census, the census taker was not paid much and I see many cases where they apparently took data from neighbors or help about a family they could not reach, because of gross errors of name, age and origin. Some people clearly did not wish to be enumerated. Some people probably had let it be known they would kill any government agents who came on their property. Edison2 (talk) 05:24, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure I would call the 1900 census an "early" census. They were already using punch cards and tabulating machines. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 21:48, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Nor I, since the first U.S. Census was in 1790 and they're required under the constitution every 10 years. — OtherDave (talk) 09:11, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

On the Road

I'm trying to get to New York inexspensively by the morning of the 6th of September. Anyone know the best(cheapest) way to do that other than hitchhiking? Elatanatari (talk) 23:58, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Where are you now? Algebraist 23:59, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Detroit, sorry Elatanatari (talk) 00:03, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

If you really want the cheapest, you can cycle it for free. Algebraist 00:08, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I have tooo much luggage for biking, and I dont think I have the stamina to travel fast enough to arrive by the 6th.Elatanatari (talk) 00:14, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Check the Amtrack, they have stations on jersey and new york city. Nick910 (talk) 00:10, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

623 miles according to Google Maps. Go through London, St Catharines, Buffalo, the outskirts of Scranton. Google Maps claims you can walk it in that time. This is obviously some new meaning of "walk" with which I am as yet unacquainted. --Trovatore (talk) 00:21, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

It's about $100 on Greyhound; Amtrak starts about there and goes to about $150. But if I was really wanting cheap, I'd find a ride board somewhere -- any college has 'em -- and see what I could do for gas share. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 00:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Take a good book to read on the way. Something by Jack Kerouac (no relation) might fit the bill. -- JackofOz (talk) 00:29, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Actually, it is $79.50 on Greyhound with an advanced purchase ticket. The bus trip involves traveling overnight, no matter what time of day you leave, though you could probably break the journey in Pittsburgh and book a room for the night if you don't like trying to sleep on buses, but that would increase the cost considerably. Marco polo (talk) 00:42, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I don't need sleep, food, or water, just transportation in time. and I think I'm starting to reconsider hitchhiking. I'm having a terrible time with the amtrak website. I'm also consulting my friends on books, I have a 20 hr flight going out of JFK. Where could I find a ride board? On any college bulletin board? Elatanatari (talk) 03:28, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Can I point out that on Orbitz there are one-way flights from Detroit to New York for only $97? I've never found Greyhound or Amtrak to be a deal of any sort; you save maybe $20 over a flight but you end up losing hours and hours and hours of time... --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:40, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

You don't need sleep, food or water? Impressive... --Tango (talk) 03:39, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

You can probably find a ride board on Craig's List. --LarryMac | Talk 12:26, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

It would seem Google isn't aware of the need for sleep on journeys longer than a day! --Tango (talk) 03:39, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Also check with driveaway services. Hey, there's something that Wikipedia doesn't have an article on! The idea is that they match people wanting to make a one-way trip with people who need their cars moved to the same city. So if they have a car that has to go from Detroit to New York, and you meet their requirements, you're set.

I just looked at the web site of a company called Auto Driveaway. They say you have to be at least 23 and have a clean driving record, and at one place on the site (but not on the drivers' FAQ page) it says you need a reference in your destination city. You pay a $350 deposit refundable when you return the car, and agree to a driving schedule of about 8 hours a day and no side trips. The site says the first tank of fuel is free, but they don't say if you have to return the car with a full tank -- with the price of fuel these days, that could make a big difference to the price comparison with buses. Of course you will also need to stop overnight at your expense. I have seen it stated elsewhere that the owner can leave stuff in the trunk, so you don't get to use it for your stuff, but I don't know if that's correct. I've never done this myself. --Anonymous, 20:09 UTC, August 29, 2008.

My parents already don't want me to go, I doubt they'd let me get a ride from craigslist or from a college bulletin board. The drive is less than 24 hrs, right? I can go 24hrs without drinking, sleeping, eating.Elatanatari (talk) 23:42, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Google just calculated "614 mi – about 9 hours 55 mins" for me using a purely-US-based route. Over that distance, if I had a reliable car, I'd definitely consider driving. For even a reasonably-economical car (say, 25 MPG) gas would cost you just under $100 (each way) so driving is competitive with essentially every other mode of transportation. And you get to set your own schedule, bring lots of stuff, and NOT have to take off your shoes or submit to being felt-up by TSA twits.

Atlant (talk) 13:58, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

August 29

Races

It is said of the rat race that even if you win, you're still a rat. Does the human race have the same problem? NeonMerlin 02:05, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Not really. Rat race describes a competition that can be won. Human race describes a species, not a competition that can be won. --Tagishsimon (talk) 02:27, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Who says being a rat is a problem? Rats seem quite happy being rats. --Tango (talk) 02:32, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

How can you tell they're happy? NeonMerlin 02:42, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

They seem pretty playful (pet ones, anyway). Playful would suggest happy, to me. --Tango (talk) 03:40, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Where is Stu when we need him? --LarryMac | Talk 16:13, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Conception dreams

Hi, conception dreams are dreams that foretell a baby's birth (or so they say). The belief is found in Korea, that's for sure, but are there any other cultures where people have such dreams? Thanks. --Kjoonlee 07:47, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, our (terribly sparse) article says, "The belief that a dream will foretell a baby's birth originates from China, and is found in some East Asian countries." So, yeah, apparently so. Seems that the Australian Aborigines also had some pretty similar beliefs, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear of others. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 08:24, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Heh, yeah, I wanted to ask about cultures besides Asian ones. Thanks. :) --Kjoonlee 09:12, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Exercise / Drink

If you do more exercise, is it okay to drink more? After a day of hard physical work there is often the temptation to go drinking rather than a day of easy non-physical work. Does the exercise counterbalance the increase in boozing? Bradley10 (talk) 12:33, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

It's OK, in fact advisable, to drink more water. As far as drinking more alcohol there's a lot of variables. If you had partially dehydrated during the exercise due to not drinking enough water, then it would actually be worse to overindulge than usual. On the other hand, if you were concerned about consuming excess calories through the alcoholic beverage, then the energy consumed during the exercise would help to compensate. The general medical consensus is to limit alcohol consumption regardless. --jjron (talk) 16:16, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Sleeping with an owl in the small of your back

I was reading a book which claimed to be factual - in it the author claimed that whilst nursing an injured little owl back to health, the owl would often scuttle into bed with her and sleep curled up in the small of her back. Is this safe? Is this advisable? If I get an owl, can I sleep with it in the small of my back? Bradley10 (talk) 12:35, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

As long as you're not simultaneously nursing a Northern Goshawk in your armpit. NByz (talk) 17:51, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Can't really point to any research, but I spent several years sleeping with a cat who would curl up behind my legs (or on my hip), and I'd rarely move while she was there. (Which usually resulted in a sore back from being in her preferred position so she could sleep comfortably.) I think we're a little pre-programmed to recognize small living things in our proximity and subconsciously react to them so they don't get smooshed. Tony Fox (arf!) 18:46, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Can you? Of course you can; who's going to stop you? However, forcing it to sleep on your back is not a good idea as it may cause it distress, especially if it is a wild owl, but if it chooses to then I can't really see the harm. For you it would certainly be ok, but whereas a cat is relatively large and would no doubt let you know with it's claws if you were swashing it, a little owl may have difficulties alerting you, so just be extra careful. JessicaThunderbolt 19:59, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

See also co-sleeping. --Masamage ♫ 19:06, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Um: Owls...nocturnal. Humans...not nocturnal. I don't see how this can end well. Most likely the darned thing is going to fly around and around your bedroom all night, crapping over everything in sight - keeping you awake with "Woo Woo" noises. The best pets are the ones that are naturally gregarious - pack animals like dogs and cats. Owls are loners. Hence: Owl as a pet - Dumb, dumb, dumb. SteveBaker (talk) 02:32, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Buying synthetic diamonds and other precious stones as an individual

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a synthetic diamond or other precious stone for my wife. I have a jeweler who will sent the stone in a ring that we already have.

The problem is that as an individual, I can't find any places on the 'net that will actually sell a stone to me. I can only find companies that sell stones in bulk to other businesses. Can anyone help me find a company that will sell a synthetic diamond to an individual?

Thank you for any help,

--Grey1618 (talk) 13:49, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Our article on synthetic diamonds notes several companies, one of which (LifeGem) appears to market directly to individuals. — Lomn 13:57, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I've found lifegem before, and unfortunately do not have the requisite dead animal to turn into a stone. Though I suppose with some looking... --Grey1618 (talk) 17:46, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Any reason you're looking to buy sight unseen? If you already have a jeweler you like, why not buy the stone there? Friday (talk) 20:08, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Maybe the jeweler doesn't sell synthetic diamonds? --Random832 (contribs) 20:26, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

D.NEA Diamonds seems to have some synthetic stones available on their web site, and a waiting list in case they don't have the kind you want in stock. APL (talk) 20:43, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

If your reason for going "synthetic" is blood diamonds ("conflict diamonds", etc.), it is possible to buy natural diamonds that don't fall into that category, although assessing the provenance of any given gemstone may be difficult.

Atlant (talk) 13:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

As the last three paragraphs of Blood_diamond#Canadian policy say, at least some natural diamonds of Canadian origin are micro-engraved to certify their non-conflict provenance. Deor (talk) 15:02, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Is it just me, or is newsmaker Sarah Palin kind of hot?

I mean, she won't win any beauty pageants but she has a bit of that fantasy librarian thing going for her. Has the press/blogscape made anything of her hotness or lack thereof? Please provide links.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Sticking to encyclopedic information, the article you linked indicates that she had success in various beauty pageants. -- Coneslayer (talk) 18:32, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Hilarious, and I stand corrected. I should have read her article first!--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:35, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, I think she's kind of hot as well. 92.80.30.42 (talk) 20:21, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

First thing I thought when I saw her was Vanessa Kensington from the original Austin Powers. Not in the end part, but in the beginning when she was all nerdy. If I remember correctly, there was one part where she wears her hair up just like Palin. Paragon¹²³²¹ 20:29, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Personally I find her just as creepy as McCain. She really looks like Rita Skeeter[8] doesn't she. This conversation isn’t very Reference Desk-ish though is it? --S.dedalus (talk) 20:31, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Actually, it pretty standard stuff for the RefDesk recently... --Tango (talk) 20:36, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Yes, certainly for the Miscellanies desk. :-P --S.dedalus (talk) 20:39, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

It's quite common for US politicians to be good looking, presumably because the American people vote by looks rather than policies... --Tango (talk) 20:36, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Someone's observation that McCain;s VP pick seems, to them, kinda hot is as relevant to the purposes of the Ref Desk as the observation that anagrams of "Sarah Palin" include "Ah, a plan, sir!! " and "A Sharp Nail." Edison2 (talk) 20:48, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

In defense of the Fat Man (a self proclaimed "Reference Desk regular"), I was merely asking if the "press and blogscape" have started to buzz about her good looks and requested links to back up such an assertion. I was not asking if you personally agree with me on whether she's hot.

Besides, if you think this question is pointless, you should see my last one. It generated a lot of enjoyable responses though. Please don't banish me from the Reference Desk.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 21:05, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Perish the thought, al-sameen alladhi la abadan 'aada. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:16, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Google Trends says it all: "Hotness: Volcanic". Paragon¹²³²¹ 21:37, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

There was an editorial cartoon in 18941984 which showed Democratic nominee Walter Mondale sitting in a sportscar labeled "Ferraro" (like Ferrari)after his VP pick Geraldine Ferraro, saying "Now I can pick up some chicks!" Didn't work for him. Paris Hilton and Britney Spears might have been the first and second choices, but alas, too young. (edited to correct lysdexia) Edison2 (talk) 22:38, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

They would have been very, very young in 1894, and was the Ferrari horse driven? Sorry -- Mad031683 (talk) 23:14, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I don't personally find her hot (but then, I wouldn't, would I) - however anyone who names their kids Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow and Piper has got to have something going for them. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:21, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

We really don't know that much about her yet:

• Hot.
• Will attract those females who have forgotten the meaning of the word "sexism" to the "old white guy" ticket.
• Thinks that polar bears aren't endangered and that the artic ice isn't disappearing.
• Will give Obama supporters a great answer for the "Inexperienced" question.
• Promotes teaching of creationism in schools.
• Her or her immediate confidants are very likely not beneath POV-pushing on Wikipedia (Note number of positive edits to her biographical article by "LittleTrig" (Trig is the name of her youngest son) in the 12 hours PRECEEDING her nomination as VP).
• Anti gay-marriage, pro gay rights otherwise.
• Anti-abortion.

If I were an American with a vote: Generally it doesn't matter a damn who the VP is - they are almost powerless in office. But in this case I'd be very concerned that such inexperience is being added to the McCain ticket given that at his advanced age, he's quite likely to die in office - and that her views have been selected to 'balance' his...which means if she takes office - you get the opposite of what you voted for.

SteveBaker (talk) 01:36, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

More like forced to act as "pro gay rights"! Read here on the page where Palin's noted as having "complied" (= caved in, to a state Supreme Court order!) because legal options to avoid doing so had been exhausted." -- Deborahjay (talk) 06:51, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Deborahjay, as a grammar-nazi, I must rule your comments invalid (except the parts where you're right) on the grounds that you wrote that "her is very likely" rather than that "she is very likely". "She or her immediate confidants are very likely" would have scored you more points. Michael Hardy (talk) 19:28, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Michael Hardy, as an attribution-nazy, I must rule your comments invalid (even the parts where you're right) on the ground that Deborahjay didn't write them (I did). SteveBaker (talk) 02:52, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

I require that politicians do the right thing...I don't give a damn whether they personally like doing it. Having some flexibility in the event you're wrong is a good thing. I recall Margret Thatcher's years in office in the UK. She was absolutely famous (or is that "infamous") for not changing her mind about anything. One time she was giving a speech about some list of good works she was claiming to have done and she said that she'd set in motion some program or other which her government was funding to the tune of 30 million pounds. An aid whispers in her ear that she'd misspoken and it was really only 3 million pounds - she immediately turns around and says "Well, it SHOULD be 30 million - I'm going to make it 30 million." ...spending 27 million pounds of taxpayer's money just because she misspoke and didn't want to admit it. A little flexibility is a good thing. SteveBaker (talk) 07:35, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

So here it appears we have a high executive officeholder whose support for or opposition to policies according to what she (not necessarily you) considers "the right thing"—in line with the requirements of her Republican constituents and supporters—evokes the intervention of knowledgeable (albeit interested) watchdog bodies and a strong judiciary enforcing rights she would, given her way, trample. As we learned in high school civics, this is the role of the "checks-and-balances" safeguards of the U.S. political system and its Constitution, arguably preferable to that of my adopted home overseas. How much better it would be to have wise, fair, and humanistic leadership (everywhere).-- Deborahjay (talk) 08:31, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

The creation of the American Republic is sometimes called The Great Experiment, on which we don't seem to have an article. It doesn't mean what most people think. It's not democracy, or representative government, or even a written constitution. What it was was the disavowal of the notion that good government was the product of the personal virtue of those who govern.

The founders for the most part had a pessimistic view of human nature, and did not spare rulers from it. Nor, I think, were they particularly favorable to the notion that the state is somehow the arm of God. They expected both the populace and its representatives to be heirs to the Fall of Man and to behave accordingly.

The Great Experiment was to try to structure a system in which good government could happen anyway. The data are still being collected. --Trovatore (talk) 08:52, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

It's sad when the US - or any - election campaign comes down to hotness. In a perfect world, policy would surely be the main driving factor and whether a person seems sexy or otherwise would have nothing to do with it - and I'd be surprised if there's any correlation between policy and sexiness. FWIW, I'm waay to the left of the US Democrats in my politics, so the Republican Party is hardly what I would vote for (if I were in the US and about to vote). But that wouldn't stop me being more than interested if Condy Rice sidled up to me and suggested some form of foreign relations get-together, if you get my drift. As far as Palin's concerned, she's not my type (at least, oif pictures i've seen of her are anything to go by), but her policies - though not my type either - should appeal to a large-ish sector of Republicans. It'll be interesting to see how her activities with the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission are viewed by her party, though. Grutness...wha? 08:48, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

I agree. Instead of hotness, we should be concentrating on important issues, like the height of the candidates. Does anybody know who's taller? Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain? Obama looks taller, but I don't recall ever seeing them stand next to each other, so it may just be an optical illusion with Obama being so thin and all. I would hate to vote for the wrong guy because of an optical illusion. APL (talk) 18:56, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Y'all would seem to be missing one of the key -- KEY -- reasons behind her nomination. Traditionally, the VP nod goes to someone who can balance the ticket geographically: a Northerer picks a Southerner so they don't secede again, a Senator from the Southwest might pick a running mate from the Northeast to not alienate the big-city folk, etc. Senator Obama picked a running mate nominally to balance his lack of experience in certain essential areas. Senator McCain or his handlers in the GOP have broken new ground by picking a running mate for the primary purpose of attracting and hanging on to all those Senator Clinton supporters who have already, are thinking of, or threatening to abandon their party because Ms. Clinton didn't get the nomination.

Hot or not, it's going to be a VERY interesting next few weeks in this country!

--Danh, 70.59.119.241 (talk) 19:05, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Writing a letter

I am going to e-mail the admissions office of a university im thinking about going to next year to enquire about something. How should such a letter be set out? In particular how should it start and end? --RMFan1 (talk) 22:18, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Well it depends what you are going to inquire about. But here's a free hint: proper grammar and spelling go a long way, even on the Ref Desk, if you want to be taken seriously. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:26, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Certainly you need to pay attention to spelling, grammar, capitalisation and punctuation and (of course) be unfailingly polite. But it's still email and it's unlikely that a casual enquiry about something would be recorded and examined when it came time to deciding admissions - so I think you could avoid the whole "Dear Sir or Madam" thing. The main thing is that they don't remember "that guy who was such a pain in the butt about asking questions last year". SteveBaker (talk) 01:12, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

I found that an email I'd sent to my Uni with a quick question (after getting accepted, before actually starting) ended up with a copy in my official file. Whether Unis commonly keep track of emails from prospective students (rather than actual ones), I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. --Tango (talk) 04:25, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

There are some pointers in the formal letter article. If you're just asking a question, set up a free yahoo! or hotmail account and email them anonymously. JessicaThunderbolt 14:07, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Part of my current job is working as a university admissions officer. We don't currently keep track of enquiry e-mails from prospective students, but will be doing so as of some point next month. There's no intention to hold anything against prospective students - just to keep track of who has asked and been sent what. Remember that the vast majority of universities will be keen to help, as they want you to apply, provided you are on track for the right kind of results, and provided you're polite and clear, nobody's likely to worry how you set out your e-mail.

The one exception could be if you are applying for something extremely competitive (such as medicine, or something at one of the very top universities). When there's that much competition, anything could be taken in to account when deciding who to give an offer to. It shouldn't be an e-mail enquiry, but some academics have odd ideas as to what counts. Warofdreams talk 03:03, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

zoom airlines

I saw the news about zoom airlines going bankrupt and leaving people stranded in America. Obviously some people would have booked through a travel agent or paid via a credit card and therefore be guarenteed a flight back without losing money, then there would also be some people who have the money available to buy another ticket back, but what happens to any people that have no money? Obviously they are not allowed to work to gain funds to buy a ticket if on a tourist visa. Would they be given a free flight back, or be deported, or allowed to stay untill they overstayed their visa then deported, or just allowed to stay? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.64.103.46 (talk) 22:33, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I believe there are frequently agreements between airlines that they'll offer spare seats on flights to people who are stuck when an airline goes under. If all else fails, many countries have embassies who can help out people who are in such trouble. Typically, they'll fly you home and bill you for the cost of the ticket when you get home. But different countries may offer different amounts of assistance. In the USA, you can't legally work on a visitor visa - so you can't earn money (legally) while you're here. I guess if you overstayed your visa, you'd be slung in jail for a while and then eventually repatriated at US government expense...but I don't think you'd like the "eventually" part. SteveBaker (talk) 01:08, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

How long is deportation likely to take if you don't fight it? Would they imprison you simply as punishment? --Tango (talk) 18:44, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

August 30

Does this look legit?

I need to know if anyone knows if this site is actualy a good payoff before i get into something bad.[9] the juggresurection ^{(>-.-(Vಠ_ಠ)} 00:01, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to do an experiment. I'm going to say "No, it's an utter scam" without even looking at it. Then I'm going to read it - and then I'll be back to comment. Gimme a few minutes. SteveBaker (talk) 00:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Yep - I was right. (My point being that if you have to ask...it's a scam). They are collecting data on you - I bet you'll never earn more than a buck or two. No reputable survey company would use people who self-select to complete the survey. Survey data is only valid if you get a random cross-section of the public. Consider that by inviting people who are prepared to do this - and give away all of this personal information (Hello...ever heard of identity theft?) and do it for (likely) very little money - they aren't getting anything LIKE a valid cross-section of the community. So the results would be quite utterly useless. What they ARE collecting is a detailed list of information about people who are basically gullible - that's a useful set of information - and in the wrong hands...yeah...exactly. Don't do it. SteveBaker (talk) 01:00, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Legit or not, survey sites are not an easy or quick way to make money. The surveys generally take at least 10-15 minutes to go through (if you read the questions as you go) and they only pay you a dollar at most for the survey. So in 15 minutes, you've made ~$1 or so. That's $4/hour which is half minimum wage. Or they award you on a point system and you can redeem the points for either cash or stuff that you don't really want/need in the first place. Dismas|^(talk) 02:52, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

I think a lot of people underestimate how much their time is worth, and consider this sort of thing "free money" because they aren't clocking in a timecard. Time's the most valuable resource one has—spent it consciously. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:05, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

That's the other problem - what's to stop someone from just randomly clicking on any old junk just to get through the survey quickly so they can get onto the next one and pick up more money? That makes the results doubly useless. Who in their right mind would commission such a survey? The results have to be utterly useless for any practical purposes. Redeeming points against goods is a common scam - I bet you have to pay cash for postage. The junk these people sell is worth less than the small profit they can make for inflating the cost of postage. You see this in a lot of TV adverts where you buy something and they say "Free refills for LIFE! You just pay postage!!" - then notice that they are charging you $8 for postage and when it arrives there is a $0.75 stamp on it and it's in a $0.10 cardboard box. SteveBaker (talk) 07:43, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Amen to the above. This same offer came up in my in box and I trashed it without even reading it.--89.168.230.161 (talk) 05:55, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

I'd just like to add that any -- honestly, any -- offer to make easy cash is most likely a scam, and if people just learned and accepted this, we could eliminate a lot of pain and regret, just like that. If it looks too good to be true, it is. No one is handing out money for something really easy to do. It's not happening, and it's especially not happening on the internet. There are hordes of people out there who prey on our hopes and exploit our gullibility, and they will take our money if we give it to them. There's an upside to this, though: they're not at all hard to avoid. All we need to do is learn to ignore the "opportunities" that spammers send our way and disbelieve what those endless websites and banner ads out there promise us. A bit of healthy skepticism goes a long way. And User:The juggresurection, I should probably add, should be pleased with himself for being smart enough to look before he leaped. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 14:06, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Yes - exactly. That's why I was confident in saying "It's a scam" without reading it - without even knowing what the page was about. If you have to ask...it's a scam. SteveBaker (talk) 14:32, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Memory improvement

This question has been removed. Per the reference desk guidelines, the reference desk is not an appropriate place to request medical, legal or other professional advice, including any kind of medical diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment recommendations. For such advice, please see a qualified professional. If you don't believe this is such a request, please explain what you meant to ask, either here or on the Reference Desk's talk page.

This question has been removed. Per the reference desk guidelines, the reference desk is not an appropriate place to request medical, legal or other professional advice, including any kind of medical diagnosis or prognosis, or treatment recommendations. For such advice, please see a qualified professional. If you don't believe this is such a request, please explain what you meant to ask, either here or on the Reference Desk's talk page. --~~~~

--S.dedalus (talk) 02:02, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Twenty-seven is way too young for noticeable memory deterioration and increasing clumsiness. I suggest you see a doctor. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:35, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Science quote?

Who said something like: “Science is to ask the right questions. Any first year student can find the answers.” —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.226.70.173 (talk) 04:13, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, the focus on asking the right questions is quite common in all realms of study... there are a lot of variations on this sort of thing attributed to people, e.g.

• "The scientific mind does not so much provide the right answers as ask the right questions." — Claude Levi-Strauss
• "Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." — Voltaire

And so on. Here's a whole page of similar quotes (though of course with all such lists I'd take them with a grain of salt unless you found a good source for the original quote). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:02, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Another one I always like on a similar topic (I may be paraphrasing slightly) is from Isaac Asimov: "Fewer scientific discoveries were announced with the word 'Eureka!' than by the phrase 'Now why did that happen?'" Grutness...wha? 02:33, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

air plane crash

Is there a way to find out if a certain person was killed in an airplane crash. I have a name and the plane date when it went down but can not find any way of locating passenger info. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.182.52.201 (talk) 04:43, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

I would imagine that you could simply contact the airline in question and explain that you think someone you know might have been on that flight, provide them with the person's name, and ask them to tell you whether that name was among the casualties. They'd certainly let you know. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 13:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Assumes it was an airline. I do note that the NTSB does not include any names in its accident reports. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 14:39, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, yeah, you're right, it could be a private plane. Should that be the case, I'd probably contact the police in the area where it crashed. I mean, either way, barring some really unusual circumstances, I don't think this kind of information is too hard to get out of official sources -- unless there are bodies that cannot be identified for some reason, but in that case contacting the authorities about this is probably a good idea anyway, since they'd probably appreciate the information. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 15:16, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

What city is this?

I was looking through wallpapers included with Windows Vista on my two-month old laptop and came across this black and white image of a city at night. (Here is a copy [10].) Examining the info in the properties, all I have is a year, 2006, and a photographer, Jean-Francois Gate, and my searches on Google and Getty showed nothing. What city is it? I speculate it could be one of more new/modern parts of Shanghai or in the Middle East. --Blue387 (talk) 08:40, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Question

How do you find out your SHA-512? February 15, 2009 (talk) 12:50, 30 August 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by February 15, 2009 (talk • contribs) 12:49, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Not quite sure what you mean. If you have a string of text, say 660725FED251F314A2AF0570264C155776E407AD, I don't think there is a way to determine what cryptographic hash function created it. If you're trying to find out what the original text was I think it's near impossible without a enormously powerful computer. The Cryptanalysis and validation section of the SHA hash functions article deals with most of this, and you may get better answers at the Computing Reference Desk. JessicaThunderbolt 13:56, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, you can reverse simple hashes without too powerful a computer, using rainbow tables. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:34, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

The Linux program sha512sum will calculate the hash code/checksum for an arbitary string of data. That program probably runs on other platforms too. However, I don't know what you mean by "your" SHA-512. What data is passed into the program to generate the code? It really matters - if you put your name into the program, you'll get a drastically different result if you put a period at the end versus if you don't. For example;

~> sha512sum
Steve Baker
8f67363ab5be74697254b0589cd6d3abb07a8a8ae830c3a4490a13daf7689cc4356d730c1a17a49a8b912acfe5ebe739b31b323cce91abb015af050038146d55  -
~> sha512sum
SteveBaker
7df9bfd36c2638dc384985ec69ebb0d33d01f2caef11c68e2917fc0ecc6175cae140ff7c10dd342fa67ed0b474d2e00308af67efff593dc67e0d8e39f7253c16  -

The difference of a space between "Steve" and "Baker" produced an utterly different result.

SteveBaker (talk) 14:25, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Mysterious spikey objects in London

Can anyone tell me what this is? There are several fixed and wired to adjacent lamp posts along High Holborn in London, England. Thanks. Oosoom ^Talk 15:44, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Suggestions: Anti climbing device, weird sort of antenna, light diffuser or lamp protector.--79.76.176.172 (talk) 17:19, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Possiblly some sort of anti-pigeon device maybe —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.64.98.87 (talk) 17:26, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

That seems a little overkill for an anti-pigeon device. Usually those sorts of things are small and subtle. And why would you need them going up-side down? --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:32, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

On second thoughts, probably not an anti pigeon device becasue the other parts of the light don't seem to have any spikes, bit of a mystery, i've never seen anything like that on streetlights before —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.64.98.87 (talk) 17:41, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Boy that's odd. It does seem wired to that box, meaning it's "spikes" are probably more than ornamental or just to discourage climbing or tampering or birds (could have accomplished that with a lot less). They look like antennae to me? The ends of them seem to have little tiny protuberances as well. Very strange. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:28, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Maybe it's decoration and at night they light up like optical fibers. JessicaThunderbolt 17:50, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

It's a ornamental light. The spikes contain fibre optic cables with a bulb in the middle. Power is taken from the main street light via the box.[11] Nanonic (talk) 17:53, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Can I get in trouble for publishing my "Harrry Pot-ter" book?

As a new author, I realize how hard it is to write a successful book. My friends often remind me on how the odds are against writing a best seller the first time out. My friends tell me-"Forget it, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning while sliding up a rainbow." My friends don't know ME very well. I want success, and I want it NOW. Writing is a highly competitive field and one must find a way to stand out. I literally tripped over the answer when my niece left her Harry Potter book on the floor, leaving me to trip over it. 16 stitches later, it occured to me that if I spell JK Rowlings intellectual property slightly different, it may not be her property. So if I publish my guaranteed to be best seller "XJ14-jj**AHHHHH!!!!!" with the subtitle "Harrry Pot-ter Returns! -The Half Blood Prince Philosopher Brings the Secret Goblet of Fire To a Hallow Uniting Prisoner in Phoenix!" people will flock to buy what they think is a surprise release of a new Harry Potter book. They may feel tricked and angry at first, but after they read my story about hairballs, plumbing and why the main character Gertrude turns to Jesus, they'll be glad they did!--Hey, I'm Just Curious (talk) 18:53, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

I can't give any legal advice otherwise I'll be banned. But you may want to read this: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24247105-2703,00.html

Dismas|^(talk) 18:58, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

The producers of Hari Puttar - A Comedy Of Terrors are being sued. Corvus cornix_talk 18:59, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

If it's a parody and not an outright ripoff it might fall under a fair use clause, see Parody#Copyright issues. JessicaThunderbolt 20:47, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Sorry if I came across as seeking legal advice. That's why I phrased it "Can I get in trouble". Anyways, thought I found a sure fire loophole by making the "Harrry Pot-ter" part the subtitle, but probably not. Now the world will never know what an articulate vessel of intellectualism I am. And sadly, the world will continue to carry on blissfully ignorant about trap fittings, air admittance valves, and sulfate corrosion.Hey, I'm Just Curious (talk) 21:59, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

If you are making a work with the explicit intention of it getting confused for another work, you open yourself up to all sorts of lawsuits from the copyright holder as well as even the potentiality of criminal fraud. Borrowing heavily from another's intellectual property in a way that does not fall under parody (which has a stricter legal definition than the popular definition), especially a very successful and profitable franchise, will surely get you into legal hot water. Misrepresenting your book with a title of another book—especially one that has no relation to your actual book and is clearly just an attempt to defraud the consumer—well, it's a bad idea. Fortunately for you, no publisher in their right mind would sponsor such a thing. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Indeed. While this is not legal advice, I don't think you have much to worry. Not because there are no legal issues, but because the chance any reputable publisher in a country with resonable enforcement of copy protection anyway, will publish your novel is next to zero. I suspect even many vanity publishers will stay away from it. Heck you may even have problems self-publishing it. And even if you do publish it, it's unlike any stores will stock it. Nil Einne (talk) 06:07, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Salt Export

I have a salt factory and i've been supplying the local market(middle east), but now i'm interested in export. Where and to who can I export salt to?

please reply to my email at <email removed to prevent spam> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.114.160.32 (talk) 20:49, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

What kind of salt are you interested in; table salt, sea salt, bath salts etc. I guess the most basic answer I can give without further information is that you can export salt to whoever you want and wherever you want; it's not toxic or controlled to any large degree by trade barriers. Might be hard to find a buyer though, and the abundance of salt on Earth means you'll have to sell tonnes of the stuff to make any sort of profit margin. JessicaThunderbolt 21:03, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

August 31

Making Fun of Spanish language Telenovelas

Could you make fun of Spanish language telenovelas and get away with it? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 00:44, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

This would seem to depend strongly on what context you're in, how you make fun, and what constitutes getting away with it. I'm sure I could drunkenly rant against them in my local without problems. Algebraist 00:46, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

I really can't see why you couldn't. Considering your obvious, uh, fervent interest in the topic, Ericthebrainiac, this may come as a bit of a shock to you, but there are a lot of people who just don't care all that deeply about them, if at all, and have no problems making fun of them. (Really, considering that people can get away with making jokes about rape, murder, war, religion and a multitude of other subjects that most people take very seriously, making fun of some soap operas strikes me as a non-event.) I mean, I'm sure there are some circles where those would be fightin' words, but that'd be a pretty exceptional situation. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:37, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

2 different degrees

How common is it for people to study 2 whole degrees in 2 different subjects and is there any logic to doing such a thing? For example, a Bachelor's degree in Classics and then another Bachelor's but in Maths. the reason im asking is that I find both maths and classics interesting but dont know which to choose to study. On one hand the applications of maths are obvious and i like the kinds of job opportunities it offers. On the other hand, Im not sure I'd like many of the jobs I'd get with Classics but feel i like the subject more. So i dont want to end up with a job i dont like but I really would like to study classics? So thats why Im thinking of doing CLassics and then Maths. --212.120.246.239 (talk) 00:53, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Some universities over joint degrees, sometimes in wildly different subjects. That might be preferable to taking two full undergraduate degrees. Where are you planning to study? Algebraist 01:01, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

It's not uncommon for people to get more than one bachelors degree, but usually it's because they've decided to go for a completely new career later in life and go back to uni to get the second degree, rather than planning to do both from the outset. Doing some form of combined degree would probably be a better option. If you can find a university offering "Mathematics with Classics" or something, then great (such a course may well exist somewhere), otherwise you could looking a more general combined course that lets you pick and choose modules from various departments ("Combined Arts" and "Natural Sciences" are the two such degrees offered by my Uni). --Tango (talk) 01:18, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

This was the case a number of years ago; I do not know if it still applies today: once you get a, say, BSci degree, you have the BSci degree, and you can't get another. You can get a BA or a BAE or BFA, but not another one of what you already have.

It's kind of like virginity, but in reverse. --Danh, 70.59.119.241 (talk) 02:13, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

What's your source for this? It sounds extremely unlikely. I can't see why you should be able to keep getting as many BScs (say) as you like (I certainly know people with two). Algebraist

What would be the point in getting a second BA in the same subject? And what, really, is the point in doing a second BA anyway? With one BA you can move on to an MA, which you can probably get in the same amount of time it would take to get a second BA. If you're going into a vastly different subject area you may be required to take additional foundation courses. The other option would be an interdisciplinary degree, which are very sexy right now. I'm sure there's some way to combine classics and mathematics. Exploding Boy (talk) 02:21, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Funny you should mention that. I started out on a Mathematics degree, intending to do a double maths major. I got the first major out of the way, and decided I was sick to death of left-brain stuff. On a whim, I checked out the modern languages department, and found that I could do Russian as my second major, with full credit for the work I'd already done, as long as I changed the name of the degree to a BA in Modern Languages (plural, even though I only studied one language. Go figure. That offended both my mathematical brain and my language brain, but not so much as to actually prevent me from going down this path). The irony is that I increasingly rarely use either maths or Russian these days. The saga took so long (I was doing it part-time while working in a more than full-time job) that the thought of doing a second bachelor's degree, in a third discipline, was anathema - let alone a Masters. But if I ever did do a second degree, it would have something to do with history or politics. Or music. (I like to cover all the bases.) -- JackofOz (talk) 02:33, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

No-one has suggested doing two bachelors degrees in the same subject, that would be pointless and I can't see any university letting you. We're talking about doing them in different subjects, and that is pretty common. I know of nothing which prevents someone holding two BSc's. (And I very much doubt there are rules preventing you from doing a second BSc but allowing you to do a BA, since the distinction varies from university to university, for example Cambridge calls everything a BA, if memory serves.) --Tango (talk) 02:41, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

There would probably be very little point in getting a second BA in the same subject - unless you passionately wanted a higher grade and retook the course in order to get it - or perhaps you had a BA in some subject at a crappy degree-mill and then decided to retake it somewhere very prestigious. But 70.59.119.241's claim that you can't have (say) two BSc's in different science subjects is flat out untrue - I know quite a few people who have multiple BSc's. SteveBaker (talk) 02:47, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

I doubt any university would let you try and improve your grade like that - the grading system is designed for people that have spent a certain about of time studying it, if you spent twice as long you will almost certainly do better, but that doesn't mean you are actually better at the subject (you're just better at sitting exams in the subject). --Tango (talk) 02:55, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

So let me get this straight - you don't believe that studying a subject for a longer period makes you more expert at the subject? If you're prepared to study for six years instead of three - isn't it likely that you'll understand the material better, get a better grade AND actually deserve that grade? I'm guessing that most universities wouldn't let you do it - but that's because places on most courses are limited and they'd prefer to let someone else take a shot at it. But someplace where you pay them a large pile of money to do the course ought not to care. SteveBaker (talk) 05:55, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

See Conjoint degree. Or look at [12] for examples. Note this is (usually) only if your are trying to get different degrees, e.g. a BA and a BSc. If you just want two majors, you can usually do a double major or for a BA a major and minor. At least here in NZ you can do certain Maths majors under BA as well so that might be an option depending on what you want to do. But be aware that if you are planning to do something like this it can be quite intensive and because you are concentrating on two subjects, it means you may have little room to do other courses outside your majors which in some cases can lead you to an option you might not have considered Nil Einne (talk) 05:28, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Odd Behaviour of BBC RSS Newsfeed

Each time I open up the default BBC newsfeed that came with my Firefox browser, I noticed that about halfway through all the headlines, there is a block of headlines that is considerably shorter in length and more esoterically titled than the other titles.

Here is a compilation of a few shots to demonstrate what I mean (Work-safe, 123kb):[[13]] The portion highlighted in red is the block of headline that I am referring to.

Why does this occur? I thought perhaps this is a function of the time of day that I check it at, I live in the NYC Eastern Time Zone, but regardless of the day and time of the day that I check the feed, there is always that block of short titles in the middle of the feed.

Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 02:15, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

It looks like they are from the "Features, Views and Analysis" section (at least, one of them is in that section on the home page now, and articles in that section usually have short names like that). I guess they are all uploaded together each day, so end up in a group. --Tango (talk) 02:44, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

small business

The pay as you go tax system is part of our australian activity statement. Could you help me find out what this means for my small building company. Like what taxes fall under this category and what they mean ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.30.47.167 (talk) 04:06, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Being watched

What's the WP's term for a feeling of being watched? Eyes burning a hole in the back of your head, etc.? --Johnny (Cuervo) 04:15, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

We had this question a couple of years ago. As I recall, we couldn't come up with a word for this, but maybe this field of research has developed since then. I also recall claiming that it's possible to make someone feel uncomfortable by simply watching them, even though they have no overt evidence that any such watching is going on. Others disgreed with me, but I still believe this. And your question seems to support my view. -- JackofOz (talk) 04:48, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

And from what I recall, someone found a page that was discussing some online military game. On that page someone had quoted a US Army manual which said that while doing recon, you shouldn't stare at the human target for fear of them "feeling" you stare at them. Dismas|^(talk) 05:31, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

That's amazingly silly! SteveBaker (talk) 05:51, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Edward B. Titchener, an early experimental psychologist, wrote in 1898 about "the feeling of being stared at," (cited in [14] but reported that lab tests showed no such ability. This failure to detect whether one is being stared at has been replicated several times since. Edison2 (talk) 06:40, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

I think that's one of the types of experiment that could only prove/disprove the effect in the particular case of the subjects they were monitoring. I don't see how they could conclude that, just because it didn't work in the controlled test, it would never work in non-testing conditions. People have been talking and writing about this phenomenon for hundreds of years, so there's plenty of evidence that something's going on. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:50, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Staircases

As I recall, on the television show "Faulty Towers", when people are shown going up the stairs to the bedroom level, they appear to arrive on a small landing and then have to DESCEND a few steps to reach the hallway floor.

I have seen the same thing on the series "Father Ted", which is set in Ireland.

Is there some feature of English and Irish construction that would make sense of this "up then down" stair? CBHA (talk) 04:30, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

It's possible that it's needed in order to get over an internal structural beam or something. It's also possible that the room beneath the the landing has a higher ceiling than the room beneath the area where the bedrooms are. My house has a couple of steps down into the (upstairs) media room because it's built over the garage - which has a lower ceiling than the rest of the house. SteveBaker (talk) 05:50, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Cancer-Project or Cancer Scam

Is "The Cancerproject a scam? I was told it is a front for PETA since it claims that eating animals will give you cancer. Are they for real or really full of shit? The Cancerproject just started advertising on the radio, during Coast To Coast AM and George Knapp was anchoring instead of George Noory. 65.163.117.223 (talk) 06:57, 31 August 2008 (UTC)