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November 26

National Guard vs Army Reserve

I have read both respective articles, but I still do not understand. What is the difference between the US Army National Guard and the US Army Reserves? Why would someone choose to join one over the other? Acceptable (talk) 01:05, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

In theory the National Guard is under the control of the several states, and would be called up by a governor rather than by the president, usually in response to natural disaster or civil unrest in the state to which the unit belongs. The reserves, on the other hand, are intended for foreign wars. It's true that the distinction sometimes gets muddied. --Trovatore (talk) 02:17, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Trovatore has the right idea. The National Guard is first and foremost the collective terms for the "state militia"s which are organized and controlled at the state level, but may be "nationalized" into the regular army at times of need. The reserves are a branch of the U.S. Army, generally consisting of semi-retired soldiers who have completed their tours of duty, but still owe committment to the government, or who still wish to draw a paycheck and remain on the rolls, but who hold down other full-time jobs. Reserves may also be "activated" back into the regular army if needed.

The dual-nature of the National Guard is best exemplified in the history of the Little Rock Nine. During desegregation, the Supreme Court ordered Little Rock, Arkansas to integrate Little Rock Central High School. At first, the governor of Arkansas called in the Arkansas National Guard to forceably prevent the students from going to class; President Eisenhower then later nationalized the entire Arkansas National Guard into the regular U.S. Army, explicitly to remove them from the Governor's control; he then deployed the 101st Airborne of the regular army to provide security detail to the 9 students. Welcome to the fun that comes from living in a federal system... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 05:28, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

By the way, in case anyone was confused, several in the phrase the several states does not have its usual sense of "at least four, but not so many as 'many' ". It means something more like "the states, considered separately". It's a phrase that occurs in the Constitution, and somehow it pops to mind in discussions like this. --Trovatore (talk) 08:14, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

In terms of training and readiness, which one has the advantage? Acceptable (talk) 23:04, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Training and readiness for what? For cleaning up after a natural disaster, the National Guard is better-prepared; when it comes to shooting hordes of marauding invaders, the Army is better. --Carnildo (talk) 00:13, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Don't confuse terms: you've answered with a contrast between the National Guard and the Army, when the question was about the National Guard vs. the Army Reserve. The active duty Army, the National Guard, and the Army Reserve are three components of the "Army". Unless something has changed recently, the National Guard and the Army Reserve receive their basic training side-by-side with the regular Army. They're all mixed in together. I was a Guardsman in the 1980s, and received no special "natural disaster" training. I was trained to shoot my M16, blow up stuff, and follow orders. —Kevin Myers 15:49, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

During your time in the Guard, how often were you called on to deal with natural disasters? How often were you called on to shoot people and blow things up? Formal training isn't the only way to learn how to do something. --Carnildo (talk) 02:40, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

During my time in the Guard, we were never called upon to do any natural disaster work—it was all combat training, with a tiny bit of riot control training—except for one or two guys who were called up to do some plowing in a snowstorm. Obviously in regions where natural disasters are more common, guardsmen see more natural disaster duty, but I would guess that this is still a fraction of their actual experience, and that most of their time is spent in Army training. —Kevin Myers 21:36, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

St.Germain

Has any one recently claimed to be St.Germain? for those not familiar, he claimed to be the wondering jew, or something, basically hes been alive for 2000 years and was still going strong as st.germain in the 1700's but where is he now? much like the movie millenium man. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.61 (talk) 01:58, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

For background, see Count of St. Germain. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 02:26, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

He makes an appearance in Carlos Ruíz Zafón's novel The Angel's Game (which AFAIK still has not been translated to English) , under the name "Andreas Corelli". --NorwegianBlue ^talk 22:01, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Bush compared to Hitler?

I really think Bush and Hitler are not really alike due to the fact that Hitler was a lot more dictatorship than Bush i'am not saying that Bush is a dictator i know i might afend some people but Bush does have some stuff wrong with america. Anyway I have heard some people refer Bush and Hitler alike so really my question is what do you guys/gals think? Thank You --HeroesOfTheDeep (talk) 02:56, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

We don't answer opinion questions here. If you have any factual questions about Bush or Hitler we'll be happy to help. Algebraist 03:00, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Okay good to know thank you Algebraist. --HeroesOfTheDeep (talk) 03:03, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

I think I'll have an apple - thanks for asking. SteveBaker (talk) 03:15, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

What do you mean have an apple Steve? and what does a banana have to do with this? --HeroesOfTheDeep (talk) 03:20, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

*Munching on a nice piece of fruit* Magog the Ogre (talk) 06:10, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Steve may be alluding to the proverb: You have to believe in something, and I believe I'll have another beer. I prefer cider to beer, so I'll have an apple too. —Tamfang (talk) 08:13, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

By the way, if you're interested in looking up what people have said in comparing the two erm, leaders, there's this google search result: [1]. @ Steve, do you mean six of one, half a dozen of the other, so to speak? or is it as Tamfang puts it. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:49, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

A simpler exegesis: Steve was conscientious enough to respond only to the OP's "real" question (note the last line). —Tamfang (talk) 01:33, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Ah, I get it now. Steve must be drawing a subtle association between the cyanide found in the seeds of apples (thus representing Hitler’s chosen method of suicide) and the World Trade Center attacks which of course took place in New York City—the Big Apple. Very clever indeed. Thus a poison becomes a metaphor for the 9/11 attacks. Steve must be pointing out that the attack could also been seen as a poison eating the country from within. Even Steve’s statement “thanks for asking” is a clever postmodern reference to the New York hip-hop group Apsci’s album Thanks for Asking of which Allmusic says “the vocal manifestation of the Big Brother who is watching your every move.” [2] A very clever way to point out that the Bush administration is indeed watching our every move, just like Hitler or Big Brother. You see there are layers and layers of meaning! Brilliant, simply brilliant. --S.dedalus (talk) 10:14, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

ahem... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 11:44, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

They both spoke German, except Bush. And they're both alive, except Hitler. --- OtherDave (talk) 11:48, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

How do you know Bush doesn't speak German? If there's no evidence that he does, that merely shows how effective his agents have been in covering it up. Be seeing you! —Tamfang (talk) 01:30, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Just because "Dutch" comes from the German word for "German", doesn't mean that the world's most prominent fluent double Dutch speaker counts as a German speaker. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:25, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Steve's snack lacks salt: Pretzels .. anyone?

They both like dogs! Adam Bishop (talk) 14:31, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

S.dedalus, wow, that was good! 216.239.234.196 (talk) 16:49, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Hitler killed a hell of a lot more people. But by the time they left office, their popularity rating was about the same. 216.239.234.196 (talk) 19:18, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

I don't see any basis for comparing Bush to Hitler. After all, Hitler was an excellent public speaker and of at least average intelligence. StuRat (talk) 01:51, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Granny Smith. Steve's G. Bush apple metaphor is an allusion to the fact that apples grow on trees, which in turn alludes to the fact that trees grow on the ground, which alludes to the fact that George Bush was on the ground when he delivered 100% of his Presidential speeches (scary, I know!), which alludes to the fact that there was a President named Richard Nixon, which alludes to the fact that Nixon will has gray hair, which is a homophone for hare, which is related to the rabbit. A rabbit attacked Jimmy Carter, and a killer rabbit almost killed Sir Lancelot. And therefore, by the transitive property of allusions, George W. Bush is really Freddie Mercury! (because Freddie Mercury died of AIDS and Bush has aides) flaminglawyer^cneverforget 09:19, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

sticky rice

Give explanation for the sticky rice in terms of chemistry? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.93.88.234 (talk) 10:45, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Read our article on Glutinous rice which has a discussion of the chemistry of its stickiness. Cheers! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 11:43, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

point of view

I have seen people living their lives being very logical,somewhere ignoring the sensitivity or attachment .They are not interested,as for them life is to enjoy confined to themselves and their friends...

how do you all express this as???? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.17.143.13 (talk) 11:54, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Stoicism? Chemical Weathering (talk) 12:20, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Suffering from an autism spectrum disorder?--droptone (talk) 13:28, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

There's really 2 separate positions here: firstly that of approaching life rationally, and secondly that of seeking pleasure for yourself and family. There's no necessary link between rationalism and pleasure, and most moral philosophers seek to live rationally though they differ widely as to what that means (e.g. you may decide that since the purpose of life is to reproduce, the most rational thing is to reproduce as widely as possible, without any thought of happiness). Many philosophers have decided that the most rational way of living is to enjoy a modest amount of pleasure (since too much pleasure now leads to misery later): Aristotelian ethics and Epicureanism are ancient systems; some versions of moderate Hedonism and of utilitarianism are modern equivalents. I'm not sure if this is the belief referred to, or if the question means something more extreme.

Living in a very logical fashion, believing that reason is more important than emotion, is sometimes called hyper-rationality or hyper-rationalism (and is usually intended as an insult). It is a common view of human nature in economics: see Rational choice theory, Homo economicus. Ayn Rand is the moral philosopher most closely associated with this view (or most usually subject to this insult): see rational egoism, Objectivism (Ayn Rand) - but note that Rand uses the word objectivism in a non-standard way. For other manifestations, see Scientism (a word of varying meanings, but often used as a similar insult), as well as Stoicism and its early Christian equivalent, Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy. Probably a reference to Mr Spock is the most usual way of describing the attitude. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 13:51, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

I would respond, but this question is illogical and does not compute. StuRat (talk) 01:46, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

One thing that i know, rationality is not the absence of sensitivity.rather a part of it, or one is paying too high a price for itVikram79 (talk) 21:16, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

People Bank of China 27 basis point rates changes.

People Bank of China adjusts the interest rate for the Chinese economy in 27 basis point (0.27%)increments. All the other nations central banks adjust rate in 25 basis point(0.25%) increments. Why is 27 basis points the incremental change in China?

See for example from today China Daily: "China's cut in banks' benchmark lending and deposit rates by 108 basis points." "我國央行下調存貸款利率1.08個百分點 ."

All the Best Glenn Brewster —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.70.51.7 (talk) 13:10, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

It's quite interesting. Take a look here. Fribbler (talk) 13:15, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

The Joseph Yam article referred to in the Bloomberg story.F (talk) 12:24, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Service Sector

Why one should choose Service Sector as his career? or Why one should choose a MBA(Service Sector) cource especially in India. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Taiyabsaifi (talk • contribs)

The service sector is very diverse, including virtually every kind of economic activity other than manufacturing, construction, agriculture, mining, fishing, and forestry. It is something of a catch-all category that includes anything from a street vendor to a management consultancy. As such, it is almost impossible to generalize about it. One generalization that can be made is that, as economies develop and grow richer, their service sector almost always grows faster than the rest of the economy. Of course, that may not be true for individual industries within the service sector. However, employment in the service sector should have good prospects in an emerging economy such as India. On the other hand, The Economist has argued that India's best prospect for growth in the medium term (the next decade or two) is through the expansion of its manufacturing (non-service) sector, since one of India's chief comparative advantages is cheap labor, and manufacturing is very labor intensive. So an MBA in manufacturing might just be a better choice in India. Marco polo (talk) 14:34, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Elephant Ear Plants

Why do the leaves of Elephant Plants seem to cry? Several times I've noticed that my plants shed tears from the tips of the leaves and I'm just wondering if I might be over watering or under watering them? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.132.133.130 (talk) 14:56, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Guttation is nothing to worry about.--Eriastrum (talk) 19:52, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

And I was about to suggest that it's ear wax. :-) StuRat (talk) 01:43, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Economics

Firms that make losses are dead ducks that should be shut down at once? true or false? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.100.239.79 (talk) 17:48, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

The tone of this question sounds like it is trying to open a debate. Such debates are not appropriate at the Reference Desk. If you have a more specific or appropriate question about the current financial crisis please ask it, but this is not the place to start a debate over things that "should" or "should not" happen. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:58, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Well, some economists do believe that firms that make losses are inefficient and are therefore a waste of labour and capital which can be put to better use in a more efficient firm if the weaker firm gets "shut down". Zain Ebrahim (talk) 18:10, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

False. If you study your economics textbooks, you'll find that in the short-run, the firm still have to pay fixed cost whether it closes down or not. If these fixed costs is bigger than the losses the firm is presently making,then the firm should not close down. This is so because closing down mean the new losses (which is equivalent to the fixed costs since revenue will fall to zero) that the firm will be making will be bigger than the present loss. The only equation you should be concerned is whether Marginal cost = Marginal revenue, whether the firm is making losses or profits. This concept is often known as loss-minimizing strategy. In the long-run, of course, competition will kill the firm or management will close it down as it is often assumed that they are only concerned with making profits, not losses.

PS: This is rather a homework question than a debate question but I'm just helping a bit. --132.216.105.26 (talk) 18:20, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

If by "shut down" you mean declare bankruptcy and liquidate the company, then, no, not just because they are currently taking losses. Just about every company will incur losses at some time. The more important factor is if the company has the potential to be profitable in the future. StuRat (talk) 01:40, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

The "shutdown decision" is a section in many second-year micro textbooks (from which, I'm sure this question originates...). It refers to what 132. mentioned above: the production decision, and the correct answer is in fact, the loss-minimization strategy.NByz (talk) 01:50, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

PS, you can't just write down 'the loss minimization strategy' and expect full marks. You'll have to describe under what situation you would shut down production, and under what situation you wouldn't.NByz (talk) 01:55, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

November 27

Bread machine motor breakdown

So we got a very cheap-but-new bread machine and after four or five successful loaves of bread it has decided to bite the dust. Now we're not out any money in this (it cost almost nothing, though it was brand new unopened—hooray for garage sales) but it'd be nice to have it working again. The misses would be happy.

I took a screwdriver and opened up the casing, and the thing is really quite simple underneath. The whole thing is really just a fancy plastic casing for a timer and a motor which then turns a little screw in the part where the bread gets kneaded around.

When it is on, the motor just goes "mrrrrrh. mrrrrh. mhrrrr. mhrrrrh." once a second or so. It's clearly trying to turn but it can't. I managed to turn the motor piece a few times manually (with it turned off) with a screwdriver and then plugged it in again, and it turned fine for a second (really whirred around like it was supposed to) and then it started doing it's locked-down routine.

The motor seems like just a standard electric motor—electromagnet coil around some sort of central axis. It is pretty small. That's the extent of my understanding of it — I'm no engineer.

Any thoughts about what might be going wrong? There's no physical obstruction that I can see, though I haven't removed the entire thing from the casing. What ought I do next? I've of course tried the standard turn-it-off-and-on-again, the jiggle-and-shake, etc. Nothing gets any different results other than having manually turned the motor axle a few times, when then can get it running for a second and then it locks up again.

Anything I ought to watch out for looking inside a machine like this, safety-wise? Obviously I'm not playing with it while it is plugged in, and there doesn't look like there are any sorts of capacitors or other "no nos", but again, I'm not experienced with electrical things, so I try to be pretty dang cautious. I thought I'd try taking the whole motor out tomorrow just to see if there's anything on the bottom side of it that would make it more obvious what was going on, but I thought I'd ask on here first... --98.217.8.46 (talk) 03:13, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Just in case, you do realize that a bread machine stops and waits for the bread to rise at times in the process, right ? I will assume that's not the issue here. It sure sounds like the shaft is rubbing against something, to me. I'd disassemble it further and run the motor by itself to see if that's it. (Be sure to wear rubber gloves and not touch it when doing so.) Another possibility is that the motor has a tendency to stop in null positions. A null position is where the electromagnetic forces trying to push the motor in either direction are exactly equal, so it doesn't move. A proper motor design will ensure that it never stops at such points. While moving, inertia carries it past those points. The start-and-stop nature of a bread machine motor could be an issue, though. StuRat (talk) 14:12, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

It's not the stop session. It won't start. Again, it worked fine until recently. Thanks for the suggestion! --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:00, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

First of all, do not depend on rubber gloves to protect you while you're working on electrical things. Not unless they're marked with a voltage rating and a current test stamp, which your common Playtex dishwashing gloves don't have.

Second, it is notoriously hard to diagnose electrical problems over the Internet. Tinker as you like, but if you can't get it fixed, look in your Yellow Pages for a good appliance repair shop.

If the machine is unplugged, then in general you are safe to prod around. If this is really a cheap machine, I wouldn't expect to find any sort of switched-mode power supply inside of it, which would probably be the most dangerous thing to encounter with the plug out: they can hold a substantial charge. Still, keep your eyes open, keep your work area well-lit, and don't touch the metal part of your screwdriver while you poke around.

From here, it sounds like the motor is probably burned out, but it sounds like you've guessed that already. If there are any If you are lucky, this is a universal motor that has replaceable brushes, and I would check that first. If you are not lucky, you may have a shorted winding or a burned-out bearing on the motor, or possibly a messed-up control board, any of which are probably not worth repairing unless this machine has significant sentimental value. The other thing to check would be the bearings in the kneading mechanism: take the motor out and try spinning the kneading blade by hand. It should spin freely and not bind up at all. Good luck! Morrand (talk) 16:28, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Take a look at Worm drive.

Is the gear business in the machine the same or similar to this, with the motor turning the spiral gear and it, when it works, turning the other gear (the spur gear) and the bread mixer?

If it is, the problem might be cheap gears, or the gears not properly aligned. If so, some oil or grease on the gears might help, or adjust the alignment, if there is any flexibility.

Or maybe the spur gear came loose on the shaft, so it turns but the mixing arm doesn't.

Unless it looks very solidly made, don't spend much time on it. Kneading bread is hard work and a lightweight machine is probably inadequate. Wanderer57 (talk) 17:02, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

On the good side, if you can't fix this one, you seem to have found that a GOOD bread machine will be an ideal gift to buy for the wife, but be sure to also get her something suitably sappy, as women really go for that crap. StuRat (talk) 17:27, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for all the replies. I figured it out though. Took off the bottom and saw, lo, that the belt drive had totally destroyed itself and was just a mess of plastic and string in a horrible tangle. Took off the dead belt and the motor works just fine (of course it no longer turns anything). If I can find a decent replacement should be a cinch to fix. Thanks, all! (And I note on the internet that a broken belt for a Magic Chef 250 is pretty common. Ours was used and the belt had clearly dry-rotted. Hmm. Sounds like the company is a pain in the ass about it too. Note to self: never buy Magic Chef.) --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:51, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Make sure that the paddle which kneads the dough, and any linkage between it and the belt, turns freely. If it was seized up, that could have caused the belt to fail. Edison (talk) 17:36, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I had the impression from your initial post that you had already looked inside. Could you see the motor without seeing the shredded belt? Good luck on getting a belt. A local appliance repair shop might sell you one. Some older shops have a lot of sizes in stock. Wanderer57 (talk) 18:00, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Largest democracy?

A moment ago on CNN the talking head pronounced India to be the world's second largest democracy. What metric was the network using? By population, India is second only to the People's Republic of China, which is certainly not a democracy. By land area, India is surpassed by Australia, Brazil, the United States, Canada, and (although I hesitate to call it a democracy) Russia. Is there another metric that I am missing, or was the news anchor mistaken? Plasticup ^T/C 05:49, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Was the announcer Maxwell Smart? --Trovatore (talk) 05:58, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Now that I think about it, a charitable explanation is that he was going to say either largest democracy or second largest country, and got mixed up between them. Kind of like Lewis Carroll's description of the poor guy who had to answer under which king something happened, and was equally divided between Richard and William, so he said "Rilchiam". Or something like that. --Trovatore (talk) 06:03, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

That is generous but plausible. Thank you. Plasticup ^T/C 06:24, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Maybe he thinks America is the largest democracy. Man, America invented democracy! Adam Bishop (talk) 08:21, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

There is the term totalitarian democracy (as opposed to liberal democracy). If this is applied to the Chinese model, then the CNN statement would make sense. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 11:17, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

I found other web pages[3][4] that seem to believe that because the USA and India are the world's 2 largest democracies, India must be second. NY Times correction: "An article yesterday about the Clinton Administration's policy on Haiti incorrectly described a remark by President Clinton about India, whose Prime Minister, P. V. Narasimha Rao, was visiting the White House. Mr. Clinton said India was the world's largest democracy, not the second largest."[5] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.172.19.20 (talk) 11:52, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Adam Bishop what a joker!!!! 90.242.193.191 (talk) 18:22, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

What is this object?

What exactly is this strange mystery object? http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hVOW2U7K4-M/SS41gg8I2II/AAAAAAAAs8A/h6m5blIOGCA/s640/26620-181903-77908a62ed49a0e539e06a70cd4c9f26.jpg —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.130.237.183 (talk) 09:28, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

This is what baseballs used to look like. Then MLB realized, "Hey, 3 players a week are dying in this sport. We have 2 alternatives - either we come up with some type of non-cancerous chewing tobacco, or we redesign the ball." It's an educated guess, to say the least. flaminglawyer^cneverforget 09:58, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Cluster bomb packed with bomblets

It looks a bit like a medieval ball mace, but they normally had protruding spikes. There is a picture in the article for flail (weapon). --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 10:53, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Could it be a round riot hand grenade with the pin out? The colour's military. Are those spin fins? Julia Rossi (talk) 11:24, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Could it be a pocket mace? You know, the sort you could pop in your pocket with the spikes folded down and then whip it out when you needed it. Richard Avery (talk) 14:56, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm guessing it is a bomblet from a cluster bomb. Compare with the image to the right. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:02, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Concur, see this and this for other example images. Nanonic (talk) 15:20, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

And this other one too Image:M139 bomblet 4.jpg. Nanonic (talk) 15:24, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Definite agreement. Do not drop.

unicycles + welding

Two questions in one post, because 2 posts in a row is just awkward. One - I'm considering buying a unicycle and have no idea where to start. Are there any brands that are nicer that others? I know what size I should get, but don't know anything else... It's for light riding, I'm not a unicycle racer or anything. And two - arc welding is the most cost-efficient method of welding, or am I mistaken? And is it suitable for welding bicycle frames/parts? flaminglawyer^cneverforget 09:51, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

I disagree on posting two unrelated question together, that makes responding awkward. As for welding cost-efficiency, that would depend on what you are welding and how often you weld. If you were going to weld things every day, then an high startup cost would be amortized over many usages, so might provide for a lower overall cost, if the per-usage cost is lower. Also, if you have natural gas pipelines in your area, that's likely to be cheaper than electricity as an energy source, but I don't think that's commonly used for welding. StuRat (talk) 13:56, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Actually I think that they were related. Note the "And is it suitable for welding bicycle parts...?" While the first question is about unicycles. Uni- and bi-cycle. Might just be me though. Thanks, Genius101^Guestbook 14:34, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

I'd agree that straightforward arc welding ("stick welding", "MMAW", etc) is likely to be the cheapest. The equipment is much cheaper than any other (I bought a 130amp machine for £45 earlier this year) and the only consumable is the rods. Most other forms of welding involve gas (either as fuel or as inert shield), plus some sort of filler (plain filler rods for oxy-acetylene will be cheaper than arc rods, but I expect most other kinds would be more expensive), plus in some cases consumable electrodes. That said, stick welding is harder to do - a highly skilled welder can produce good work even on awkward jobs, but a beginner like me will take a long time to produce ugly (though serviceable) welds and struggle with more intricate jobs. I would probably be a lot more effective with a MIG set, but I don't do enough welding to justify the £200+ cost.

I'd expect arc welding to be fine for bicycle frames, but only if they're steel. If you have aluminium parts you'll want to research further - arc welding might still be suitable (with special rods) but it might well not be. 93.97.184.230 (talk) 19:11, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

See questions 3.3 and 3.4 of the Unicycling FAQ Mine is a Pashley which has an odd saddle, but are well made; mine has had 12 years of use and is still good. My friend who is a unicycle god swears by his DM (Dave Mariner) but I don't think he makes them now. With regard to bicycle frames, I thought Brazing was the way to go. --TrogWoolley (talk) 21:29, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

conservatives love capitalizing words?

I recently found that, for facebook users who declared their political views,the more conservative they are the more likely they are to use capitalized words, in the Activities and Interests sections. I've checked 500+ users. For example, liberals write something like: sleeping, hanging out, while conservatives write something like: Sleeping, Hanging Out.
very liberal / liberal / moderate / conservative / very conservative
-2% / 3% / 8% / 16% / 3% more users capitalized words.

any idea why? (and why very conservative folks don't like to use capitalized words?) Janviermichelle (talk) 12:28, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

It could be all sorts of things, like age profile of users, the papers they tend to read, etc. The low count for the very conservative could be because they missed a change that went full circle. When I was young (in the 60s and 70s) there was a craze of using "ize" spellings instead of the "ise" spellings that are more usual in the UK. This really annoyed teachers and parents but I was quite surprised to notice that my Granddad ued "ize" spellings. I asked him about it and he said he had never got used to the new "French" way of spelling these words. It could be the same for capitalisation, with Liberals taking to the new uncapitalised style which maybe the ultra-conservatives never left! -- Q Chris (talk) 12:49, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Do Brits still say "capitalisation" as though it contains a Z, like Americans, or do they actually say an S sound ? StuRat (talk) 13:48, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

All the "ise" words capitalise, realise, analyse, and so on sound as though they contain a "z". -- Q Chris (talk) 13:50, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Basically, liberals are less formal in their thinking than conservatives. They are less likely to want to conform to rules, and that includes rules of grammar. Yes, I know that in your example, words like "Sleeping, Hanging Out" don't require capitals, but in general I would say that being wedded to using capitals reflects a view of the world that is formal and hierarchical. The increasing use of no caps in places where caps used to be required also reflects a less formal, less deferential view of the world. In Britain this would be reflected in writing things like "prime minister" rather than "Prime Minister". --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:30, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm totally agree with your point. But it doesn't explain why 'very conservatives' use less capitalized words. maybe Q Chris got it right? 128.12.147.85 (talk) 19:33, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

To me the capitalized version has a different meaning:

"Churchill was the Prime Minister who most resembled a bull dog."

"Our church has two ministers, but Reverend Boylove is the prime minister." StuRat (talk) 13:48, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

No, there is no difference. Many newspapers and other sources now use "prime minister" in lower case when referring to the office of state. This is a conscious decision on their part, reflecting (like I said above) a less formal, less deferential society. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 14:03, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

True, but in Britain if you used "prime minister" in a way that referred to someone other than the Prime Minister it would be so unusual that personally I would use quotes, either:

"Our church has two ministers, but Reverend Boylove is the 'prime minister'".

or

"Our church has two ministers, but Reverend Boylove is the 'prime' minister".

I doubt the adjective "prime" would ever be used in relation to ministers of the religious variety, simply because "prime minister" has such a strong association with the political variety that any cleric who claimed to be the "prime minister" of his/her church would be seen to be claiming an inappropriate degree of power or authority. Maybe "senior minister" would be better. -- JackofOz (talk) 18:44, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

what does this statement refer to

' to distribute them while you are saving you can only go right.' 82.206.143.13 (talk) 13:44, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Afaict, it's impossible to say what the "them" refers to. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 13:46, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

my sick cat

is feline herpes virus and upper respiratory infection contageous to dogs? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Susie Monroe (talk • contribs) 15:04, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Were these diagnoses made by a vet? That would be the most knowledgeable person to ask. You might get more information from the Merck Veterinary Manual online about whether these are contagious cross-species (not just dogs, perhaps humans too...see under zoonoses). And in the future - a question like this might be more appropriate to post on the Science Ref Desk. I hope your cat recovers quickly and thoroughly!-- Deborahjay (talk) 19:58, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

It depends on what the dog is doing to the cat.--KageTora - the RefDesker formerly known as ChokinBako (talk) 02:33, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Neither legal nor medical advice required - just a shove in the right direction please.

For reasons that will become apparent, I cannot name either the product or the condition - but I have discovered, by accident, that a product I use frequently for its designed purpose, has had a dramatic and beneficial effect on a medical condition I have suffered from for years, that you would normally never associate with said product in a million years. The product is a combination of ingredients, branded into an over the counter sale item, so I cannot (not being a chemist or a doctor) say which ingredient or combination is/are responsible. So I can't patent this discovery as an invention of mine. But if I tell the manufacturer (or my doctor or pharmacist) I would have no financial reward for my discovery should it ever be researched, approved and marketed, as they would probably "adopt" it as their own. Equally, if I say nothing, and continue to use (and benefit from) the product for my own purposes, I could be denying the multitudes of other sufferers (and there really are that many)a "cure" for their condition. Any advice welcome. This is a really serious question. 92.20.1.41 (talk) 15:11, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

• Easy question. What's your preference: greed or helping your fellow sufferers? --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 15:45, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

It sounds to me like you won't get any financial benefit whether you tell the world about it or not, so what's to stop you? Also, this might be a freak one-off occurrence in your case – it's by no means guaranteed that it would help others with the same condition. Furthermore, the "dramatic and beneficial effect" you describe might not really be due to using the product, but due to some other reason. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 16:09, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

You might be able to patent the idea if you can study and determine the process, or join forces with a pharmacist who is able to investigate it properly. However, all drugs are thoroughly tested, and all have effects other than those intended. I suspect the effect you've discovered will be known already.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:18, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

But there doesn't seem to be an idea here, just an observation. The product already exists and is almost certainly patented (although the patent may have expired). I can't see how you could patent using an existing product for a new purpose, since it's up to the purchaser what they do with it. I don't know of any kind of legal protection for such an observation and if there were, I can't see any way it could be enforced. --Tango (talk) 18:23, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Not true. If a substance is in the prior art, you cannot get a patent on it—not as a "composition of matter". However, it is possible to get a patent on a new use of the substance or a new way of making it. (Disclaimer: this is not legal or professional advice.) --173.49.12.59 (talk) 16:27, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Getting a product approved for use to treat, cure or diagnose an illness is a costly process in most countries (via the FDA if you're in the US.) If you are able create your own 'formulation', and front the capital to achieve approval, you'll have a big leg-up, even against the original company. Also, if it's more of a 'process' than an 'invention', you could be able to get a process patent, as Richardrj mentioned. Speak with an intellectual property lawyer about these ideas and make sure (s)he signs an NDA. They'll cost you about $300 an hour, but it sounds like it could be worth it.NByz (talk) 18:46, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

In fairness, it was Shantavira who mentioned the process patent idea. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 19:36, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Do you have to get drugs approved for each illness you want to treat with them? It's it's already available over the counter then it already has the appropriate approvals. (Obviously, that is separate to it being approved for use by public health authorities, eg. in the UK it would need NICE approval before the NHS could pay for you to use it.) --20:09, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Depends on the country, of course. In the US, companies may not promote uses of drugs for things they've not been tested for; on the other hand, off-label uses of drugs are generally up to the physician and the patient. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 23:21, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Presumably there are a fair number of other people using the same medication. So either a good percentage of them have also discovered this serendipitous benefit and the manufacturer will learn about it or has already, or you've had an idiosyncratic reaction to it. In either case, you're outa luck. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:58, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Bomb-bay

After all thats seen,heard and happening relentlessly, does demilitarizing pakistan and initiating a preemptive bombing the likes of afghanistan the only solution to weaken the forces of jihadi . And if it is an effective way of dealing with it, why dont the nations join hands and crush the evil of death forever atlest starting from the epicentre i.e pakistan. Whats holding the world and their leaders back.If they could do the same to Hitler with allied forces.Are we lacking in character,motive,vision or inspiration,how are we still allowing this inhuman slaughter of humans? ...Vikram79 (talk) 20:23, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Demilitarizing Pakistan and initiating a preemptive bombing the likes of Afghanistan is most unlikely to lead to peace. Nations do not join together as one might hope they would because they have sectional interests & rivalries & history & are run by humans. There's not a great deal of point in seeking to equate Al Quada-like organisations with Hitler's Germany. They'll not disappear if you take out this country or that country. --Tagishsimon (talk) 20:37, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

But as there are solutions to all problems, its effective when we know the best of the lot, all i meant was, is this not the most efficient way of dealing with it after knowing pakistan is the safest haven for them and their undisputed training headquartersVikram79 (talk) 20:58, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

See Unintended consequence. Take out one ~stan and there are twenty more, or Yemen, or other places. But the real problem is that your analysis is way too simplistic. The root cause of terrorism is not the availability of caves and Madrasah. Your presumption that all problems have solutions is naive in the extreme. Old age is a problem, as is death; we have solutions for neither. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:04, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

May we also remind you that Hitler had invaded many countries before the Allies decided to do anything? A few hundred people dead is not usually (I mean, in the history of wars) sufficient to declare a war that will kill hundreds of thousands more (or maybe millions if India is involved). You need some sort of cost / benefit analysis, before you start a war: how many more will die, because of terrorists, if the war is not happening? How many people will die if war does happen? --Lgriot (talk) 23:55, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Might I suggest you read Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction? Sheesh! George W. Bush isn't even out of office yet and you already want to top his cowboy mistakes. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:23, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

How would demilitarizing the democratic state of Pakistan help the situation? Surely that would only increase the power of the region's non-governmental terrorist groups. I don't think the OP understands the nuance of the situation. Plasticup ^T/C 06:53, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Pakistan is a vast country with close to 200 million people, most of them peace-loving and harboring no ill will toward non-Pakistanis. Furthermore, Pakistan is not really at war with any other country. Invading, occupying, and demilitarizing Pakistan would be an enormous undertaking, probably requiring more than 10 million troops. Think of Germany in 1945. That was a nation of about 60 million people, one-third of Pakistan's present population. Unlike Pakistan, it was also a nation disillusioned with its leadership, sick of war, and with strong institutions that could be subordinated to the desire of the occupying Allies to bring peace and stability. Still, it took millions of Allied troops to pacify Germany. Think how much harder it would be to pacify Pakistan, whose inhabitants would understandably see themselves as innocent victims. The invasion would likely turn tens of millions of now peaceable Pakistanis into guerillas and resistance fighters. The nation lacks strong institutions, other than its military, that the occupying forces could harness to bring order to the country. This would be Iraq at its worst multiplied many times. Marco polo (talk) 22:07, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I think the OP was getting at this point: terrorist movements like this flourish in places with weak government control, as they did in Afghanistan under the Taliban and East Africa in the 1990s. Would the attacks of the past few days have happened if parts of Pakistan weren't available as a safe haven for groups like "Deccan Mujahideen"? That isn't clear yet. But in the long run, I think the most effective way to eliminate lawlessness in countries and the terrorism that it spawns is to bolster the governments in those places, not tear them down. Unless the existing governing institutions are irrevocably screwed up, I think it is better to use them as a base, rather than knocking them over and starting over as was done in Iraq. I believe that to be the case for Pakistan in particular since their government isn't completely wrong-minded. TastyCakes (talk) 22:53, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Sadly, there are two many people thinking on the lines of the OP in my country (India) today :-( 124.30.235.62 (talk) 17:32, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Star Trek in China!

How widely distributed are Western movies in the PRC? Specifically, let's suppose I am leaving for China for 7 weeks, but exactly 3 days before Star Trek XI opens in theatres here. Will I have to wait 7 weeks til I get back? Or will there be a theatre in China (we're going to Hanzhou most likely) that will screen it? Thanks! Duomillia (talk) 21:01, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

It depends on legality. There are a lot of foreigners and a decent amount of foreign influence in Hangzhou. Chances are there'll be a theatre showing it, but it may be dubbed into Chinese. If it is subtitled, you should be aware that going to the cinema in China is different to the West. It's not impolite to talk over the movie. If it's not in Hangzhou, Shanghai is only a couple of hours away.

On the other hand, once it's been released, you only have to wait a couple of days before pirated copies will be available on the street. It's not difficult to find them. You might get duped by them into buying a thing labeled with Star Trek and actually being something completely different, but you shouldn't pay more than about 5-10yuan for pirated stuff there anyway (locals pay about 5). You didn't hear that from me, anyway. Steewi (talk) 00:24, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

If the seller doesn't have a TV and DVD player available for you to test it on before buying, find a better seller. --Tango (talk) 13:24, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

November 28

Orphanage in Nepal

How would it be possible to make an orphanage in Nepal? I have been thinking about this for a few years, making an orphanage for children whose parents have been killed in the Civil War, and for street children.
I was thinking about either buying an existing one, or buying the land to build a new one. Obviously the former would be cheaper. How can I go about either of these?
Of course, with the current turmoil, things would be difficult, but even so, I would still like to do this. Does anyone have any ideas or knowledge in this field to help?--KageTora - the RefDesker formerly known as ChokinBako (talk) 02:24, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Well you'd want to hook up with someone who knows all of the local tax, real estate and financial laws. In Canada, I'd recommend a CA, CGA or CMA. I'm afraid I don't know what the equivalent would be there. If I were one though, I would certainly do that sort of work pro bono. He or she would be able to give you a ton of information about local governance and regulations, but most importantly, they'll help you put together a financial plan, and determine what resources you'd need to get started. They might even be able to help you with the 'land transfer' type stuff that a real-estate agent would normally handle. Finding the specific laws and regulations MIGHT require a lawyer, or just a friendly contact with another orphanage operator and/or the public regulator.NByz (talk) 03:25, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Try talking to the people at the Himalayan Trust...they may be able to give some advice . Boomshanka (talk) 03:41, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Wow! Boomshanka! You have just opened the world to me! Thanks! Great link!--KageTora - the RefDesker formerly known as ChokinBako (talk) 04:35, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

XBOX 360 game patches

Is there a way that updates and patches to any XBOX 360 game can be downloaded to the game when they become available. Do later versions of the same game have new patches applied.--logger (talk) 02:49, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I don't think so. Last time I checked about this they didn't seem very willing to allows us to play Xbox games. But I think your Xbox 360 should tell you, which games it will play and which games won't. Though I am not for sure, you should go to http://www.xbox.com/en-US/ Maybe they have your answer there. Cardinal Raven (talk) 04:38, 28 November 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

How much does eating at the Taj Mumbai cost?

I know there are multiple places so what's the range?

Hotcheetos (talk) 04:38, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

If I've got the right hotel here, didn't it cost some people their freedom for awhile? Julia Rossi (talk) 04:58, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Here is a list of restaurants at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in Mumbai. You can probably look up the individual restaurant names and find reviews which include price estimates. Plasticup ^T/C 05:35, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I found a review of Aquarius where an entree apparently cost US$60. Extrapolating from that, two people + wine would come to US$300-350, although I expect prices will be coming down in the following weeks. Plasticup ^T/C 05:40, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

The Scienttist Way

All right, so I was watching a documentary about other human ancestors and a question came in my head while hearing scientist say "This is not possible, this changes everything". As a scientist shouldn't they be open minded? I mean their theories are always been adding to, always been experimented and there is still so much we don't know why is something not possible because it doesn't fit at that moment in time. Shouldn't they be open minded knowing that there will always bee more data found. Thanks for answering this wonder of mine.

Were the Red Feathers Fly ~CR

Cardinal Raven (talk) 04:42, 28 November 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Welcome CR, your wondering led me to think of the Hobbit found in Indonesia in 2003 where "possible" appears in the first sentence of that article. I take it when a scientist says, "This is not possible" there's a moment of "this cuts across what we know up to now" and a bit of denial thrown in before the next statement, "this changes everything" which is a kind of acceptance there might be, well, changes. The Indonesian find created quite a stir and not everyone agrees with the face value of it (see controversies section here[6]). Cheers, Julia Rossi (talk) 04:54, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Well that was the documentary I was watching. It as called Alien from Earth. It just got me thinking. I guess you're right in a way it could be like a phase. Kind of like someone dying denial, anger, and then acceptance. Though its probably not as simple as that. I'm sure anger is pure madness of experiments.

Always Cardinal Raven (talk) 06:20, 28 November 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

On the question of whether scientists are really open-minded or not, you might take a look at Thomas Kuhn's very-well known work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which is one approach to answering that question. Kuhn's answer is basically, no, scientists are not, generally speaking, open-minded for things which fall widely outside of the possibility of their particular worldview (their paradigm in his terminology), their way of thinking about their particular field of work, their shared concepts. But lo! you say, this means they are not open-minded! Kuhn identifies this essential conservatism of scientists as being the source of the strength of science—the better a science can figure out which assumptions to stop questioning (at least provisionally), the more it gets at what we consider to be "progress" in science. But every once in awhile, evidence comes along that cannot be added into the old set of assumptions, and a brand-new, sweeping set of assumptions takes its place. Kuhn's mechanism is a bit problematic for a number of reasons, but it's not a bad way to start thinking about the question... --98.217.8.46 (talk) 06:44, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Very interesting!NByz (talk) 19:33, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

While a new theory comes along you need sceptics. Open mindedness is OK as far as it goes - but unless you have people who aggressively attempt to bring down the new theory, it won't have been given enough of a hammering to be widely accepted. Open mindedness doesn't mean believing in any old crap. It means being able to change your mind when the evidence is "sufficient" to overturn the extant theory. That significant numbers of scientists are still arguing vociferously against the hobbit theory simply means that the evidence isn't convincing enough yet. SteveBaker (talk) 05:09, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

'Intestinal pressure'

I was playing Wii Fit today and it said something weird- 'Stronger abs will increase intestinal pressure and improve digestion!' Is there any truth to this? Nadando (talk) 04:59, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I'll bet the science desk would jump all over this!NByz (talk) 19:15, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Maybe you need to ask yourself what does "improve digestion" mean. Is it a reference to a more rapid digestion or is the digestion more efficient so that all nutrients are absorbed. I think most peoples' digestive systems work just fine. Now, let's look at increasing the tension of the abs to increase abdominal pressure. If the abs are tighter I suggest the pressure (if pressure is increased!) would push the diaphragm upwards or push the sides and back of the abdominal cavity outwards. This claim looks a lot like all the other health bulls**t everywhere, eye-catching but useless. Richard Avery (talk) 08:23, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

terrorism

How can we get rid of terrorism????

can we ever live a peaceful life???—Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.17.143.13 (talk • contribs)

This is an encyclopedia, not a humanclopedia.

But I will answer the question because that is the kind of person I am. I think the way we can get rid of terrorism is words. We always tend to fight terrorism with terrorism and that doesn't seem to be working.

Chaos is peace as well, we need a little bit of hell to live a little bit of peace. They all work in a balance. Though these are just opinions and these are the real answers you are going to get. Just opinions nothing based on fact.

Sorry little birdy.

Always Cardinal Raven (talk) 06:29, 28 November 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

thanks but i dont think there is no solution to anything in this world,it may differ..of course chaos is a part of life....but do you think killing innocent life is a kind of chaos you would like to live with? Is it not possible to reduce the intensity of it?—Preceding unsigned comment added by Parvatisharma (talk • contribs)

How do you know it isn't working? Maybe it would be even worse if we weren't fighting it. TastyCakes (talk) 23:14, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Please do not start or participate in debates here. This is not an appropriate place. Consider posting your question on the Wikiversity Help Desk instead (they allow debates). --S.dedalus (talk) 08:30, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Please don't butcher words like that either. Encyclopaedia#Etymology. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 09:36, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I will interpret your question as "what is the consensus of the expert's opinions on how to decrease terrorism ?". I would say that most believe in a "divide and conquer" strategy. That is, they believe that those who are only engaging in terrorism because they have no other source of income or for some other trivial reason can be convinced to reform by improving the economic, social, and political situation in their home countries. Longstanding political problems, like the Israel/Palestine issue and the India/Pakistan issue, must also be solved to deprive those trying to create terrorists of this "ammunition". On the other hand, there is a tiny, hard-core group of terrorists who will never reform, and must either be killed or imprisoned for life. In Afghanistan/Pakistan, the first group roughly corresponds with the Taliban, while the latter group is al Queada. Madrasses (religious schools) which teach children to be suicide bombers, must also be shut down or reformed to prevent the next generation from becoming terrorists. StuRat (talk) 14:55, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

“there is a tiny, hard-core group of terrorists who will never reform, and must either be killed or imprisoned for life.”—I don’t believe that this is a common view at all. Deradicalisation is accepted as a standard tool in dealing with extremists today. --S.dedalus (talk) 22:43, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I don't believe anyone holds the position that we should try to convince Osama bin Laden to reform and become a good citizen. There certainly are others who can't be reformed, as well. StuRat (talk) 23:12, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Quite a few people do, but bin Laden is an extreme example. In general terrorists are terrorists because of socio-political realities, not because of any particular religion or indoctrination. --S.dedalus (talk) 03:59, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

That link doesn't even mention bin Laden. You do still need a plan to deal with them, however, and you're going to have to look a long way to find people who don't even think prison is appropriate in cases like his. StuRat (talk) 05:20, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

An action being taken right now (Nov. 28 - Dec. 1) by the international advocacy organization Women Without Borders is a conference being held in Vienna to launch a community-based initiative called S.A.V.E = Sisters Against Violent Extremism. Follow the link for reportage as it develops. -- Deborahjay (talk) 16:31, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, watch out for that one saving the world. Any day now we'll all live in a secure peace thanks to S.A.V.E. Malcolm XIV (talk) 00:38, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Most instances of terrorism are connected to broader conflicts, such as the Kashmir question and the other unresolved grievances between India and Pakistan. Resolving those conflicts would remove the main root causes of terrorism. There is an entire discipline devoted to understanding how to resolve conflicts and forge peace. You might want to take a look at our article Peace and conflict studies and follow links from that article. Marco polo (talk) 22:25, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I believe that terrorism of the type currently being spread in the name of Islam (deservedly or otherwise) is akin to a disease that has spread across the world and has become an epidemic. As with other diseases, where scientists and biologists seek cures, so I believe that humanity at large will one day demand that their leaders "cure" their communities of radicalism and thus terrorism. And how will they do that you might ask? By the most intrusive social and personal controls on a level with those in the book "1984". Cameras everywhere, internet screening, ID cards, impenetrable border controls, state-sanctioned school and church inspectors, bank account surveillance, eradication of hard currency - only electronic transactions allowed, permits for travel and car purchase, rationing of petrol, telephonic and e-mail snooping. Don't believe me? Wait and see. 92.22.73.169 (talk) 13:56, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

You can't. Terrorist is a tactic. It's like asking, "How do you rid of surrounding your enemy?" or "How do you get rid of bombing?" 67.184.14.87 (talk) 17:36, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Is guerrilla warfare an early relation to terrorism? Julia Rossi (talk) 05:00, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

No, I see a major difference. In guerrilla warfare, the target is still enemy troops, but unconventional means are used to attack them. In terrorism, however, the targets are the civilians. The first is therefore consistent with the laws of war, while the latter constitutes war crimes. StuRat (talk) 14:26, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Playing "language lawyer" isn't very helpful. Clearly our OP really wants to know (a) How to avoid being surrounded and/or (b) What you can do to escape if you are surrounded. (How can you prevent terrorism from being employed as a tactic against you. What to can you do to get rid of a terrorist onslaught it once it's started). Sadly, it's a pretty effective tactic - nobody ever really succeeded in preventing it. The best you can do is remove the cause of your enemies' discontent with you so he no longer has cause to attack you - but if you can't (or won't) do that - you're in for a rough time. SteveBaker (talk) 05:00, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

One effective but immoral response is genocide, or the threat of genocide. Even if terrorists don't value their own life, they generally don't want their entire nation/tribe/family/gang killed off. For example, some tribes of Native Americans engaged in terrorism in the 1800's (as did the European settlers), by butchering settler families. Killing off the members of the tribes which launched those attacks eliminated their base of support and the "terrorists" were eventually caught or killed. StuRat (talk) 14:26, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Terrorism is simply one form of the most common tactic of behavioural modification used by humanity - 'do what we say, or bad things happen to you' To change this we would have to change the most basic principles of almost all societies. No more deterrents like prison, no grounding the kids, no political sanctions etc. The main problem here is what to replace this system with, because given the nature of most people, if they have nothing to fear, they will seldom choose to do the 'right' thing. Making everybody be nice by convincing them it is the best course of action is about the best answer I can find, short of breaking the typical suspension of disbelief which might make someone think terrorism is justified in terms of their religion/national cause etc.

clueless

the author of a book about a people who's country he never step foot on...name the author and book ..clue relation to hitler..please wikipedians assist me with this question..

Well, Hitler wrote a book about the Jews but never visited Israel, which didn't exist while he was alive. Adam Bishop (talk) 16:28, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

That doesn't seem relevant, as the Jews whom Hitler blamed for Germany's woes and ultimately targeted for extermination were not Israelis but inhabitants (citizens, residents, et al.) of Europe and North Africa. -- Deborahjay (talk) 16:39, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

There have been travel writers that its been revealed never visited the countries they wrote about (well, I heard about at least one), but I don't see a connection to Hitler there. --Tango (talk) 19:35, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Adam's answer may not seem relevant to a historian, but maybe it would in a trivia quiz or puzzle forum. Guessing, Julia Rossi (talk) 08:45, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Brrrr... it's a discouraging thought to us historians that the designers and doers of trivia quizzes wouldn't know (?) about millions of Jews having lived throughout Europe during Hitler's lifetime and close to two millennia before. -- Deborahjay (talk) 09:38, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

AS a historian and a player of trivia, it wouldn't surprise me at all... Adam Bishop (talk) 15:45, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Kafka wrote Amerika, yet never set foot in the Americas. The Hitler relation is a bit far-fetched here, I admit, but Hitler occasionally set up his mobile Headquarters in a special train called "Amerika" for a while.

Another author of German literature, Karl May, wrote many fat books on the Wild West long before he visited the United States in 1908 (and the westernmost point he reached was Buffalo). There is a Hitler connection here too. Klaus Mann wrote a famous essay Cowboymentor des Führers ("Cowboy mentor of the Führer") in which he proposes the influence of Old Shatterhand's bible-thumping antics on Hitler's racist concepts. The notion has been deprecated in more recent studies, but the myth persists, and Hitler probably did read and enjoy some of May's Wild West books as an adolescent. He also received the complete works of Karl May as a gift when he was Reichskanzler. ---Sluzzelin talk 16:07, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

I'll bet you could find plenty of Cold War era academics on either side who never set foot in the countries they were writing about. Further, it's really only pretty recently that many people have had a chance to travel. Shakespeare certainly never visited the Caribbean (setting of The Tempest), and probably never visited Italy or Illyria. Calderón de la Barca certainly never made it to Poland (nominal setting of La vida es sueño), though I think, in reciprocity, Jan Potocki did actually make it to Spain (setting of the Saragossa Manuscript). And then there are all the modern books set in Ancient Rome. Not to mention science fiction set on other worlds. - Jmabel | Talk 21:14, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Searching for a specific site (marketplace for technical solutions)

Some months ago I came across a site where users could ask for and offer technical solutions. It was organized like an open marketplace and not IT oriented. Does someone know what site is it?--Mr.K. (talk) 20:02, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like our Computer Ref Desk. StuRat (talk) 23:07, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I said, not IT oriented. It could be our Science Ref Desk, but more professional. Nobody is expecting that you search a couple of weeks for a technical solution and then post it to the Ref Desk, but in this specific site, the projects were in this direction. Mr.K. (talk) 10:32, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Found: InnoCentive! --Mr.K. (talk) 20:17, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Email

i have been assigned a responsibility to take care of the emailing department of my company,i.e any mails sent to customers querries regarding complains, information, online enquiries,hence, want to streamline a system to ensure a crisp and comprehensive email structre with monitoring and guiding agents.can anyone guide me OR to a link describing the most important elements i should check upon to ensure 100% customer satisfaction in an emailing process? any suggestions would mean a lot.thank youSeekhle (talk) 21:26, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

First for some things not to do:

A) I sometimes get company e-mails that say "DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS". Maybe they list the correct address to reply to somewhere in the e-mail, maybe they don't, but, in either case, I can't use the REPLY button because of this, which makes me angry.

B) Don't include any advertising in the e-mails.

C) Don't route any customer requests to anyone who doesn't speak English (or, more generally, the native language of the customers). Send those people to class to improve their language skills, until they can be more of a help to customers than an annoyance.

Now for things to do:

1) Each person wants to feel they are speaking with the same person each time they contact the company, who knows their history, account numbers, etc., and whose name is known to the customer. Nothing is more frustrating than dealing with somebody new every time you contact the company, who is completely ignorant of everything you said to the last person, and probably doesn't even know who you are.

2) I suggest keeping e-mail threads intact so, if somebody new does come into the loop, they can read through the history instead of asking all the same questions again. This might be complicated by the fact that the customer may discard those threads in their replies, so you would somehow need to reconstruct them.

3) Be sure to list all the relevant info in each e-mail, such as account numbers, order numbers, transaction numbers, phone numbers, etc.

4) Being transfered to somebody new is also annoying, so be sure the first person the customer request is routed to is actually able to help.

5) To ensure a quick response, route customer requests to a customer service rep who is currently available, not one who is on vacation, behind in their work, or just left the office for the night. StuRat (talk) 22:50, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I would also add: A) Only email me when email is the most appropriate form of communication. B) Provide me with direct links to pages that are relevant to what you are emailing me regarding (a link to my sales order, a 'track your order' page etc.) C) Don't pretend the email is written by an individual unless it actually is. An automated/computer-generated letter is perfectly acceptable for most situations, it's really only resolving complex/sensitive issues where the 'personal touch' is more important D) (related to C) Have communications review automated letters for sense, clarity, mistakes and general remarks. That is the best feature of automated letters - they can usually be written to a higher level of readability than rep X trying to explain a concept yet rep X doesn't really know how to write. E) Be wary of personal information. Many consumers are worried about online transactions so never repeat data/information back to customers that is irrelevent/they should already know - if such facilities exist provide links to secure/password-protected pages that show your information - this can put many customers at ease. F) Have some decent SLAs (service level agreement). Realistic ones are better than small/shorter ones. If you can set my expectations and meet those expectations that is 90% of the service. The next step is doing the same again but faster. It is, however, more important to be accurate with how quick you will respond/deal than it is how quick you claim you can do it. I know it's corny corporate stuff but keeping your promises is a big thing from a customer perspective. Hope this helps ny156uk (talk) 11:17, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Temperate climate in USA?

Is there anywhere in the USA with a 365 day, mild, temperate climate, please? In particular there must be no snow, no high humidity/excessive heat (as Florida) and be away from earthquake, hurricane and tornado zones. TerriersFan (talk) 23:28, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Much of California pretty much fits the bill except for the earthquake zones. But keep in mind that earthquakes, even in high-risk areas like the Bay Area or Los Angeles, are relatively infrequent and kill far, far, far, far fewer people than, say, automobiles. They do more property damage than anything else, and in areas where multiple earthquakes are expected or anticipated much of the architecture is fairly reinforced anyway. The West and Southwest can have very high heat though it is dry, which is not too difficult to deal with (it's very easy compared to the high-humidity heat you get elsewhere). A dry heat of 100º is completely tolerable compared to a high-humidity of only 75º. And of course there is also Hawaii (which have volcano zones but my understanding is that they are limited in scope). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:55, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I would recommend San Diego as having the most ideal climate in the US. As the above contributor said, you are in the earthquake zone, but SD is not noted for quakes nearly as much as Los Angeles and San Francisco are. As the above said, I would also recommend Hawaii. There was a cyclone over Kauai a few years back, but that's rare. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 00:01, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

I lived in Cardiff By The Sea in North County near the city of San Diego for 19 years,and it is indeed a wonderful climate all year round,the cost of living is high in CA in general,and we used to say that we all pay a sunshine tax by living there,but it was worth it for good health.Now I am back in cold London!But visit Spain now for the sun! It was lovely all last week in Fuengirola. Fluter.

Another option, depending on how much humidity you can tolerate, is Austin, Texas. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 00:02, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

(ec x2) I would also point you towards south-eastern Washington, such as the Tri-Cities. The area averages maybe one inch of snow a year, each January. And it is away from natural disaster areas (although I must mention the Hanford Site is in the area should you be worried about other potential disasters. Useight (talk) 00:07, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Inches of snow isn't a good measure of climate: the Tri-Cities area is semi-desert in the rainshadow of the Cascade Mountains. The temperature routinely gets below freezing in the winter, and above 100F in the summer. --Carnildo (talk) 02:53, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

I'd go for Hawaii. The temp is always moderate. There are volcanoes, but they are the slow, predictable type that you can easily outrun. The humidity might be a bit high, in some locations, though. StuRat (talk) 00:34, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Hawaii doesn't count as temperate, and Austin can be quite humid and gets hotter during summer than almost anywhere in Florida. As you can see from this map, the earthquake hazard is quite small in the Sierra Foothills region of California. This region never experiences hurricanes, tornadoes are extremely rare, and snow is very light and melts quickly except in the higher elevations. Towns in this region include Grass Valley, California; Auburn, California; Placerville, California, and Sonora, California. If you need to be absolutely certain that you will never see a flake of snow or experience hot, humid weather, then you need to be on the coast of California, despite the earthquake risk. I second the suggestion of San Diego. Marco polo (talk) 01:54, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

While Hawaii is in the tropics; it being a series of small islands means it doesn't get as hot as large land masses in the tropics, so the temps are more in line with what the original poster had in mind. StuRat (talk) 05:11, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

There are also cooling breezes. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 23:28, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately, the type of unchanging, yet mild, climate is rare on the earth. Given the tilt of the earth's axis, the places on earth that find the least change in climate are those in the tropics, that is within 23^o of the equator. The U.S. is about midway between the equator and the poles; and this part of the earth always experiences the greatest variation in seasonal climates. The only place on earth that has extremely small temperature variations, AND has a mild climate is probably the Altiplano of South America. La Paz, Bolivia is probably your best shot for a major city with the smallest variation in mean anual temperatures; however its also extremely high altitude (over 10,000 feet) presents its own challenges. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 02:44, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Another high-altitude equatorial climate, and a good deal warmer than frigid La Paz (it rarely gets above 60 F there, though the sunshine is intense due to the altitude) is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (8000 to 9000 feet). Can't vouch for the air quality or quality of life though. In the US your best bet is probably Hawaii, and in the continental US, the California coast. Every place mentioned has either hurricanes or earthquakes. Antandrus (talk) 02:58, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I think Seattle is as close as you’re going to get to that. The nearby large bodies of water keep the climate temperate almost 365 days a year. There are very rare earthquakes, but as I say, I think Seattle fulfils the largest number of your specifications. --S.dedalus (talk) 10:14, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Maybe, but remember that Seattle has a high number of active earthquake faults underneath it. Periodicly, every several hundred years, large magnitude 9 earthquakes occur such as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake. Some areas still get oppressive heat AND occasional snow, such as parts of Florida. Also, climates may shift with the effects of global warming. Also, Hawaii does get occasional hurricanes such as Hurricane Iniki. According to my atlas, the only place in the United States with a "temperate" climate is the west coast region. Although this region does experience very occasional snowfall, and the summers are actually rather cool, and occasional earthquakes and tsunamis may occur in the region, and rain storms and monsoons may occur, how about Eureka, California? ~AH1^(TCU) 18:32, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

It also rains a lot in Seattle. Although Boston gets more over-all precip than Seattle does, it rains more days in Seattle. Eureka's also cold and wet. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 21:50, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

• "it rains more days in Seattle": of course, we locals don't count drizzle as "rain". Perfectly normal Seattle conversational exchange: "Is it raining out?" "No, just drizzling a bit." As my late Uncle Bill used to say, we have a great climate, but lousy weather. - Jmabel | Talk 21:18, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

November 29

Stalemate?

In the article on stalemate, the chess position is a stalemate with black to move. However, I don't understand why. Couldn't black's pawn simply take the white queen? I must be missing a technicality.CalamusFortis 00:06, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Stalemate?

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Black to move is in stalemate

Yes, you are missing a technicality. The black pawn could have taken the white queen if the white queen were located on b1. However, the white queen is on b3. "Forwards" for the black pawn is downwards on the graph. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 00:13, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Oh, of course. I'm looking at it backwards. Thank you.CalamusFortis 00:14, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Always assume that white is playing from the bottom of the diagram unless you're told otherwise. You might also want to check the chess notation article. The algebraic notation used here always numbers white's starting ranks as 1 & 2 and black's as 7 & 8. Exxolon (talk) 04:00, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Medal of the Second Bank of the United States

Does anyone here know about this medal? 200px|right Bewareofdog 06:19, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

No, but these people have lots to say on their auction page for such a medal[7] – the article Second Bank of the United States seems to have no mention. The details are: 45 mm (1.75 inch) diameter, and Barry Stanton, Sculptor (not the Australian rocker). I don't know if this would work, but you could ask the sellers by email where they got the information from, Julia Rossi (talk) 08:25, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

On first look it appeared to be a type of Challenge coin but from Julia's ebay link, i think the salient point is that it is a Franklin Mint piece from the collection "History of the United States". A bit of googling around gives some info here and there including pricing guides and other info relevant to commemorative coin collectors. Nanonic (talk) 15:56, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks ! Bewareofdog 17:57, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Incidentally, thanks for the link to challenge coin, Nanonic! I recently saw the NCIS episode mentioned in the article and tried to find out more about the coins here, but didn't know what to search for. FiggyBee (talk) 18:23, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Hm. I graduated from Air Force Basic Training (admittedly years ago) and never even heard of an airman's coin, let alone got one. When did this start happening? Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 23:32, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

geography discrepancy

I noticed what "appears" to me to be a discrepancy on a page here at wikipedia.

The discrepancy is about a place that is no longer considered an island here. I believe it is still an island. Where do I go to discuss this further. I also want to post screenshots (not yet saved) from platial.com that show the discrepancy. How may I do that and would this be considered legal? The maps at platial are in both map and satellite form.

How does one get a gfdl licence? Can one get one from platial? I have an account there. Jon (talk) 14:06, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

The talk page of the article in question would be a place to discuss it. Or you could tell us exactly what the island/non-island in question is and we could discuss it here. :) FiggyBee (talk) 11:26, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

I live very near Green Island, New York. Check out this page: Green_Island,_New_York. I am quite sure that a very small stream surrounds the southern and western portion of Green Island. I have also seen what looks like the stream but may not be recognizable by people not familiar with the area. This is at platial.com. Is it okay to post some screen shots of the area? First, a regular map of Green Island, and then a series of satellite images that show the stream (not always visible) surrounding Green Island, together with the Hudson River. If so, how do I post a screen shot here and can I post more than one at a time? Should this be done elsewhere instead? Jon (talk) 14:06, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Normally, I would suggest you be bold and change it. However, looking at the town with Google Earth, I can see where, just north of the intersection of Tibbits Ave and Rt. 787, the inlet that would cause it to be an island has been filled in. There is a small stream on the western side of Rt. 787, but that appears to dry up the further north you go. However, if you do have credible evidence, why not post a link to it on Talk:Green Island, New York (links are added like this: "[http://www.example.org link to example.org]" which would appear as link to example.org) Astronaut (talk) 16:03, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

I noticed that you called Green Island a town. A tiny part of it is a town, but most of it is an incorporated village. I live only a couple of minutes (by foot) from the main Green Island bridge. I have seen the construction of the plaza in the very southern end of Green Island, and the construction of the numerous residential buildings on Center Island, as well as partial devastation of the wooded area on that island. I have seen the creek but only where streets/roads cross it or pass near it. I obviously have not been able to walk the 787 to see the creek. Also, I have no credible evidence; just my eyes. I cannot verify that it is an island. But I have not seen verifiable evidence that it is NOT an island. I believe that statement should be removed until evidence can be shown here. Jon (talk) 16:20, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Am I stupid? That is rhetorical, I hope. I just wrote a question and wanted to reply to someone else's reply. But I do not see a link to reply. Please help me so that I can do this right.

Just hit the [edit] next to the title of your question. You can use colons (:) to indent your response, the more colons, the more indented it is. So for the above question, someone has responded and used 1 colon. To reply to the response, click [edit] next to the question title, go to below where they responded and add 2 colons before you type. This will indent twice, and show that you are replying to the response. Give it a go :-) Fribbler (talk) 12:38, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! Jon (talk) 14:09, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

zombie trends

_{moved to new section Matt Deres (talk) 15:03, 29 November 2008 (UTC)}

What is meant by the term "Zombie trends" as in Google's zombie trends? -aln —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.201.128.216 (talk) 13:50, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

In this case, it is most likely a reference to the User Friendly comic strip from November 16, 2008.[8] It's a joke. There is no such chart posted in an obvious place on google.org, but if there is, it probably refers to zombie computers rather than the undead. One hopes, anyway.

On the other hand, I cannot resist pointing out that a Google search on "zombie trends" brings up this bit of good news as the second link. [9]. Morrand (talk) 15:37, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

It's a photoshopped version of Googles Flu Trends. Fribbler (talk) 16:49, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

It's okay, but what made me laugh was the photoshopped ad -- Looking for zombie go-go dancers!

And a big dip for Halloween, that can't be right! Richard Avery (talk) 18:19, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm worried by the dramatic rise in vampires from May 2008.[10] --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 15:00, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

iss from above

what part of earth is shown beneath in this pic? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.61 (talk) 17:54, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

What pic? Algebraist 17:55, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0605/iss2_sts114_big.jpg

The Caspian Sea — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 17:59, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Like it says in the caption. Algebraist 18:01, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

The Caspian is surrounded by 5 countries, and maybe the questioner wants to know which one of them is shown in the picture. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:09, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

In that case, just based on comparisons with maps and other images, I think we're looking at Russia and Kazakhstan. Algebraist 21:23, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

childrens rhymn

there is a childrens rhymn that can be heard on the end of one of type o negatives song on woeld coming down, its eith sinus, lung or the other one, i forget now, any hoooo, it goes some thing like, one jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool, other some ting something frog —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.61 (talk) 18:57, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Five Little Speckled Frogs ---Sluzzelin talk 19:02, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

impress your boss?

How do we impress the bosses with ideas and help create an impact for self and when the meetings are in a tele-conference form?Seekhle (talk) 19:20, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

The same way you would in any other meeting - come up with an impressive idea and present it clearly and concisely. --Tango (talk) 19:36, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Check out the possiblity of supporting your clear and concise (per Tango) part of the presentation with textual and/or graphic visual aids, and get these included in any pre-session handouts or post-session minutes. If acceptable, include your name, title, and department in a discreet (= small type), professional-looking notation in a lower corner of the frame. The graphic component is particularly valuable when not all participants have equal language skills. The point: real-time conferencing has the drawback of a fixed pace, particularly with oral delivery of content, so the written form of that content is what will have staying power. A participant will then have your contribution accessible and retrievable, and in the best case will remember and perhaps even contact you afterwards. Warning: your boss might like this technique so much, s/he'll steal it and take the credit due you. Good luck! -- Deborahjay (talk) 22:59, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Bosses are impressed if you offer to do some task or solve some problem which is making the boss's life miserable and which everyone is avoiding. If you fail miserably, the boss will be less impressed than if you succeed, but even having a go at it can be impressive. Edison (talk) 06:31, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Isthmian games

Here is a link to the isthmian games puzzle for this year. I was just wondering how would you go about finding a solution to this. I read it and its completely stumped me. --Thanks, Hadseys 21:15, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

From what I can tell, they haven't announced a winner for the contest yet, so it doesn't seem appropriate for us to help you with it. --Tango (talk) 21:53, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

• From what I can tell i never said i was interested in competing. I dont have a high iq and i wont claim too but it would be interesting to know how to approach it. Alternatively instead of your response you could just say I dont know --Thanks, Hadseys 02:12, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

This is a public site, even if you don't plan to compete other readers might - if anyone here knows how to approach the problem (I haven't even read it fully) they would probably rather win the prize themselves than help others do so. Once the prize has been awarded I expect someone somewhere will give a detailed explanation of how to find the answer. --Tango (talk) 13:59, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I wish I had the time to zone out on a puzzle like this, but I'm afraid it would just turn my life upside-down if I even tried. StuRat (talk) 03:49, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I'd start by counting the distinct colours in what I presume to be the "scrambled" destination names - which look like bar graphs. --Psud (talk) 10:52, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

November 30

Exactly HOW are we thrown into existence!?

Does anyone realize how scary this is? From absolute nowhere-to right here, right now! By an existence creating (whaaa...?)force that only takes questions with the price/risk of driving existencee insane. There was no "you" to say "I think I'll just wait around here in a zero gravity, zero mass, timeless unvoid and wait to exist." or "It sure was fun waiting around in a mathematically unexpressionable nothingness, but hey- everyone's gotta exist sometime." But suddenly, without warning, you did. Of course there'd be no "you" to warn anyways. See how baffling this is? Assuming it's a natural occurance without the help of a God, or reincarnation, the question is - HOW!? How does something, a consciousness no less, appear from the seas of nothingfinity? What emergent property is responsible? What is the exact process to make...(???!)....emerge into something that says "Whoah, I exist! Now how did this happen?"--Dr. Carefree (talk) 00:57, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

The simple answer to how you exist is to be found in sexual reproduction and DNA. What you're really getting at is when did the person "you" come into existence, which is really a question about what it means to be a "person", what it means to be "conscious". We don't have a good answer for that but it's definitely some sort of emergent neurological behavior. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:12, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

There may be more to it than that, but if so, it's unprovable. Such is the stuff of metaphysics. Marco polo (talk) 02:23, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure it IS that sudden. I think it takes YEARS for consciousness to develop after birth. Only a few people claim to have solid memories from before a couple of years of age - and those that do may be "unreliable witnesses" or are falling victim of "received memories"...things that never happened or were not remembered until a parent or sibling 'planted' the memory at a later age. It's pretty clear from recent science that consciousness isn't "in control" of our behavior - it merely monitors what lower brain functions are doing. So we don't need consciousness in order to function (indeed - plenty of much simpler animals don't appear to posess this mental property - so there is no reason to assume we have it at birth. So - no bafflement - consciously grows as we do and dies when we do. More importantly, no sudden "aha!" moment when consciousness turns on - just a gradual growth and a fuzzy increase in the importance of the faculty. SteveBaker (talk) 04:11, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Consciousness is not necessarily such a shocking and unusual thing as you seem to think Dr. Carefree. We have no experience with anything else, save perhaps the lower level brain functioning that Steve is talking about, so we have nothing to compare it to. How do we know that self awareness is such a special thing? We may think it is, but our own perceptions are not objective or necessarily trustworthy. Also, I am reminded of a passage from the Dhammapada:

We are what we think.

All that we are arises with our thoughts.

With our thoughts we make the world.

How do we know that the universe isn’t created by our conciseness instead of the other way round? Finally I want to point out a principle of cosmology that is applicable here: It seems likely that there are few points in the universe where human life could have originated. How is it that against immense odds we happen to be on a planet with a suitable temperature, atmosphere, etc? Easy, we can only observe from where we actually do exist, therefore the odds don’t mater. Similarly the fact that against odds of trillions you and me—the atoms that compose our bodies—happen to be configured into conscious beings is simply a reflection of the fact that were they not, we wouldn't be considering the fact that things could be otherwise. Hope that helps you iron out your existential crisis.  :) --S.dedalus (talk) 06:40, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

A thought isn't a religious thing. Scientifically a thought is just a chemical reaction in your brain. We do not currently have information or the technology to discover how exactly the brain works. What we do know is that the brain is a large combination of atoms that somehow forms a consciousness and and is capable of reason. The reason a dog, for example, is incapable of reason is simply because of the combination of atoms in in their skull. Also S.dedalus, look at the arcticle on Solipsism. Strifeblade (talk) 17:14, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

It's hard to deny that many animals have a greater sense of consciousness than a neonate. People with pets often strongly believe in the "self-ness" of their dogs/cats/whatever, non-human apes have been taught certain levels of language... Humans aren't unique in having an "us." It's just hard to imagine that which we can never experience... zafiroblue05 | Talk 20:14, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

guns

What are the latest rifeles that have been developed and the characters of them —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.38.180 (talk) 03:47, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Didn't want you to be an orphan, so here goes – in the article Rifle you get recent decades – military and what they can achieve – and what's popular among civilians (the AR-15 and the AK-47) and if you scroll down there's a list of kinds of rifles. Hope it helps, Julia Rossi (talk) 12:51, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Hello sir ("Basic Television System" ?)

What is "Basic Television System" in the subject "Television Production"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.197.209.44 (talk) 04:34, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Our Television production link is a redirect to Production company, which doesn't mention a "Basic Television System". Are you sure that was the name of the article ? StuRat (talk) 07:21, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I also searched Wikipedia for the phrase "Basic Television System" and couldn't find it: [11]. StuRat (talk) 07:24, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

It seems that this question may stem from a media educational course [12] of some type. This site says "In its simplest form, the system consists of a television camera that converts what it sees into a video signal, a microphone that converts what it hears Into an audio signal, and a television set and loudspeaker that reconvert the two signals Into pictures and sound." A diagram and explanation can be found here. 152.16.16.75 (talk) 11:11, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

natural predators - head lice

Do head lice have any natural predators?

Nit combs? :-) Seriously though, the Treatment of human head lice article doesn't mention any natural predators that would be useful in the treatment of head lice, though I suppose you could "employ" a chimpanzee and try to get it to groom you. Astronaut (talk) 12:19, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Red-billed Oxpecker? If you don't mind it pecking holes in your scalp at the same time, that is. The sensation of the beak striking against your skull is probably not that pleasant either. --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 12:35, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I suspect that such a bird has evolved, say with a dull beak tip, so as not to upset the ox and lose it's meal. StuRat (talk) 16:18, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I suspect you haven't read Red-billed Oxpecker. They cherish the open wounds that provide the lovely meal of blood. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 17:24, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I think that wounds made by dull instruments tend to be more painful in the immediate sense. --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 17:27, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

What might prove painful for a human may be a very minor discomfort for an ox - but I think we've moved off the point.I would have thought ants might make a good job of clearing lice. Richard Avery (talk) 07:40, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Great apes eat lice, picked off each other. I believe there are instances of apes grooming humans too. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 15:04, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

A primate advancing with a can of natural fly spray would be predacious enough. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:00, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Do you plan to eat the headlice afterwards?? AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 11:04, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Only if you're (s)p(r)aying, ARF. :) Julia Rossi (talk) 12:03, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

You can also pick lice eggs off each other, although that's a lousy thing to do while nitting. StuRat (talk) 13:40, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

The next Golden Goose?

Following on from past (now collapsing) meteoric rises in the share values of manufacturers of bottled water (in countries like the UK where ordinary tap water has proved to be of better quality and taste than bottled): and share value rises (and subsequent collapse) in the so-called Dot-Com bubble; and more recently in the USA-led Sub-prime mortgage and banking scam - does anyone here (or historical precedent) have any scent of what industry, commodity, utility, or service provider sector might be the next Golden Goose in which I can invest my spare capital after selling all my junk bonds, collapsed shares, and (now) zer0-interest-earning investments? 92.10.162.179 (talk) 11:32, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Action houses that sell off all the stock and other assets of companies that go into liquidation? --Tango (talk) 15:55, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

You seem to be aiming to invest in a "bubble", with the goal of getting out before the bubble collapses. The problem with this approach is that most people don't get out in time (has this worked for you in the past ?). The huge growth while the bubble is inflating may be seductive, most investors earn more money at the end of the day by putting their money in investments with solid growth potential. For example, while everyone can get by just fine without bottled water, once the fad ends, people aren't likely to skip food anytime soon, so maybe invest in a food company. StuRat (talk) 16:12, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

And, if you insist on risky investments, I suggest stocks which are currently at the bottom, like General Motors. Barring bankruptcy and collapse, which seems unlikely due to government intervention, GM stock can't go much lower and is likely to rise considerably StuRat (talk) 16:15, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Given the current situation I think a lot of stocks are likely to rise considerably. Whether GM is a good investment in terms of risk/reward I can't answer Nil Einne (talk) 11:59, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

It probably depends largely on what form a possible bail out would take - will the existing stock maintain it's value or will it all essentially be written off and the company be all-but nationalised? --Tango (talk) 12:39, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

In the US, when anything is nationalized, the stockholders would be compensated. The kind of nationalization that leaves the owners with nothing is more like what happens after a communist revolution. StuRat (talk) 14:15, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes, but would they be compensated with the value of their stock before or after it collapsed? Algebraist 14:22, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

After, and those who bought when the stock price was high have lost a lot of money. However, if you buy when the stock price has already collapsed, it's unlikely to go down much further, especially if the gov will work to prevent this, but there is the potential for massive stock price growth, if the company recovers. So, you have the best of both worlds, the potential for huge stock price gains with only limited risk. StuRat (talk) 01:29, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

I hate to be a sober-talking killjoy but let me just say that seeking investment ideas from random strangers on the Internet is a really bad idea. The proper investment for you depends on your current financial situation, goals, and risk tolerance. I recommend talking to a financial planner. —D. Monack ^talk 23:53, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

im new to this 'buying a car thing'...

i will be back home in about 7 more months, and i'll be looking to buy my first 'new car'. it's a $32,000 car, and if my credit isn't exacly platinum (cough cough), and i put say....$10,000 down payment, what do you think i can expect my monthly payments to be? oh, my credit score is around 597 last time i checked =/

In 7 months time? No way to know - the credit markets are going haywire at the moment so there's no way to know what they'll be doing in 7 months time. I can tell you this, though - your monthly payments will be zero if you buy a car that costs $10,000, if your credit rating is already poor you might want to consider the frugal approach. --Tango (talk) 13:54, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. This whole "buy now, pay later" approach is how the world got into the current financial crisis, and, I suspect, how you got your bad credit rating. Both nations and individuals should try living within their means, for a change. You can buy a used car for $10,000 that does everything a car needs to do, without going further into debt. StuRat (talk) 16:05, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

There's nothing wrong with using credit per se, though it can tempt you to pay more for an item than you would if you were laying out cash. Consider that many if not most auto loans in the U.S. are "under water" -- the remaining loan balance is more than the car is worth, so there's no trade-in or resale value. (Conversely, as the Car Guys point out, if you never sell your car, there's no such thing as depreciation.)

Rates for auto loans in the U.S. (not that that's where you are, OP) vary, but they do get higher as your credit score gets lower. 1/3 down is a pretty fair down payment, but as Tango says, it's impossible to say today what interest rates will be in seven months, regardless of your credit score. Just now bankrate.com was suggesting an average of 6.83% for a 48-month new car loan. Amortizing $20,000 at 6.8% interest on a 48-month loan would require a payment around $477. If instead you could set aside $450 a month for 18 months (and if you can't, maybe the loan is ill-advised), at the end of a year and a half you'd have $18,100 (your original $10,000, plus an additional $8,100), not including interest. While you couldn't buy a $32,000 car, you could pay cash for any of several well-regarded small cars (e.g., a Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Volkswagen Rabbit). With no car payment, you could set aside, say, $300 a month for the eventual replacement. Eight or ten years of $300 a month, plus interest, and you'll be driving in style. Disclaimer: I am biased; I haven't had a car payment since May of 1996. --- OtherDave (talk) 16:40, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

And I've never made a car payment. This means my first 6 cars were all used, but, as a result, now I can afford to buy new cars outright, and my last 2 were purchased as such. I disagree with "There's nothing wrong with using credit per se". Credit requires that you make assumptions about your future income and financial obligations which are likely to be incorrect, as the future is essentially unknowable. Thus, any credit purchase is inherently risky. Only if the benefit outweighs this risk is use of credit wise. I would say it almost always makes sense to borrow money for education (I did this), do to the high rate of return, and can make sense to borrow money for a SMALL first home (I didn't do this) due to skipping rent and most homes appreciating in the long term. Any other credit purchase seems unwise, to me. Save your money instead and buy the item when you can afford it on your own. StuRat (talk) 18:40, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

The other time credit makes sense is in an emergency - if you suddenly need to buy something quickly (a flight half way around the world to deal with the death of a relative overseas, say) and you don't have the money on hand (obviously, having savings for emergencies is a better choice, but if too many emergencies happen at once you could use up your savings - say you lost your job a few months earlier and haven't been able to find a new one yet) then you have little choice but to borrow it. That's one of the main reasons for ensuring that you have a good credit history - it gives you access to credit when your really need it. If you ruin your credit history borrowing for luxuries (and any car that costs more than $10,000 is a luxury), then what will you do when things turn bad? (Remember, even if you make all your payments on time, just having a large amount of credit will damage your credit rating.) --Tango (talk) 21:20, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

There are lots of alternatives to borrowing money from banks for emergencies:

1) Borrow from friends or relatives instead. At least they usually aren't out to make a profit at your expense.

2) Sell some of your stuff. For a small amount, sell old bicycles, sports equipment, snowmobiles, etc. For larger amounts, sell off cars or move to a smaller house.

3) Is it REALLY an emergency ? Having your cable TV cut off is NOT an emergency, but insulin needed for your diabetes is.

For many people who have lost their jobs, the only sustainable option is to lower their expectations and lifestyle to match their current means. Living on credit to maintain the old lifestyle will work for a short period, but will end up in disaster, possibly homelessness. StuRat (talk) 06:32, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

If you lose your job, the answer is to live off your savings (which should be enough to last you a few months at your current spending levels) while looking for a new job. If it becomes clear that you won't find a new job before your savings run out, then you lower your expectations (both in terms of what jobs you'll go for and how much you'll spend). My example was when an emergency comes up while you're in the living off savings part of the process so you can't use the savings to fund the emergency. Borrowing off friends and relatives can be an option if you have friends and relatives that can afford it, but even then such deals can end up ruining a relationship. Selling assets is certainly a good move if you have things you don't need, but that will probably only cover small emergencies. Downsizing your house takes a long time, so isn't a good way to deal with an emergency (it's a good way to pay off the debt you built up dealing with the emergency, though). And yes, obviously "emergency" means something you essentially have no choice but to deal with, loss of a luxury is not an emergency. (Of course, insulin for your diabetes ought to be paid for with insurance (or a public health service), relying on savings or credit to pay for medical care is a really bad idea.) --Tango (talk) 12:48, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

This information is based on my UK experience, the USA may differ but buying a new car is essentially a dumb move. You typically lose anything between 10-20% of the car's value as soon as you drive it out of the dealer. You also have to pay any sales taxes and other charges that may apply to buying new. Depreciation means that in after 3 years your car will be worth about half what you paid for it. In the UK the optimum age for buying used is 3 years old - this is when car fleets dispose of their cars and their are lots available at auction - the USA market may vary but it's a good ballpark. Exxolon (talk) 00:44, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

While I mostly agree with 3, I would say it usually makes sense to borrow money, if you are SURE you can pay it off on time, to pay of any outstanding debts and bills because if you let them get overdue or sent to collection agencies that will count against you in your credit rating. Of course, ideally you should cancel unnecessary luxuries before it gets to there and definitely if you are having to borrow to pay them, it very likely makes sense to cancel such luxuries. (In other words, cancel cable TV = good, getting your cable TV cut off because you didn't pay the bill = not so good Nil Einne (talk) 11:57, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes, if you're already in the situation of having debts you can't pay, then consolidating them if often a good move. The better move is not to get into that position in the first place. --Tango (talk) 12:48, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

there is any website focused on music videos??

I am not talking about websites like http://www.mvdbase.com/ that list the music videos that exist, i am talking about a website that there is music videos to see. There is youtube, but in youtube if you want to see a music video you need to know the name of the band, on a music video website you can just open a website and start to watch some official music videos, without needing to know what you want to see this is more difficult on youtube since there is not only music video there and there are many non official music videos. I want one the dont have only mainstream artists.

http://www.singingfool.com has a random video feature. They only have a fraction of what YouTube has, but it's a start.Sunburned Baby (talk) 16:01, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks guy, that what I was looking for.

Vincilagnia

The article bondage (BDSM) says "The paraphilia of being sexually aroused by bondage is called vincilagnia." I have been interested in bondage for many years, but this is the first time I've heard of the word "vincilagnia". What is vincilagnia exactly? I am certainly interested in seeing women in bondage, and the prospect of tying women up myself interests me even more. Does this make me a vincilagniac? Note that even though I'm not opposed to being bound myself, when it comes to other people being bound, it's strictly women only. Furthermore, what is the etymology of the word "vincilagnia" itself? JIP | Talk 20:31, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

From vincio, to bind or fetter with chains, and lagneia, lust. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:48, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

For a collection of -lagniae on Wikipedia, there are algolagnia (including the subparaphilia phalloorchoalgolagnia), melolagnia, odaxelagnia, sthenolagnia, and urolagnia. I think the construction -lagniac for the person is correct, see algolagniac, for example. I doubt there are commonly used one-word latin terms distinguishing between your particular preferences within vincilagnia from other vincilagniacs. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:22, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Adriana Lima section

Can someone please help me out in this section linked below. A certin member is correcting something that does not need correcting. He is doing a bit of math wrong and putting a wrong date on the page of Adriana Lima as you can see the discussion below http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Adriana_Lima#The_actual_year_Lima_began_modeling_for_VS.3F

US Fiscal Policy

Hi, Does anyone have a link to a website for information on the US fiscal policy with actual figures of what they're spending? I've searched the internet but can't find anything with actual figures. Thanks. 92.2.28.178 (talk) 21:14, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

[13] are all of the CBO publications in the last 90 days. You'll probably find what you're looking for there. I think the first TARP audit is due soon (or maybe was already issued late in the week). NByz (talk) 23:09, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Try this recently created government site: http://usaspending.gov/. I also recommend this site: http://www.washingtonwatch.com/ .—D. Monack ^talk 10:32, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Calf stretches

What are some good calf stretches for those who habitually run on concrete? Anything for the Achilles tendon, tibialis anterior, soleus, gastrocnemius, shins in general, etc. Thanks in advance. --AtTheAbyss (talk) 22:26, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

P.S. I'm running to get in shape for the USMC, so the sooner I can get some good leg stretches, the sooner I can really begin running in earnest. Thanks again.

Runners' advice forums on the Internet will probably offer testimonial advice, although this may not apply in individual cases and you run the risk of being misled especially if you have any undiagnosed or latent musculoskeletal problems. Have you been evaluated by an orthopedist or sports medicine specialist? A qualified coach or physical therapist might be other knowledgeable sources to approach. Considering the demands on a Marine recruit, a health professional's advice at the outset of your training might streamline your achievements and help avoid injury. There's also the issue of suiting the shoe to that surface. -- Deborahjay (talk) 23:14, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Background to this is found in Running and Stretching, and google offering videos, forums, and tips on calf stretching is here[14]. One of the articles suggests varying your preferred running surface (esp if it's concrete) with other types. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:36, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Before beginning a cattle drive, it's good to roust the cattle (each cow, bull, and calf), so they have a chance to mill about for a few minutes and stretch their legs before the drive begins. This ensures that no muscle injuries occur. :-) StuRat (talk) 06:19, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

And if they do, it seems a useful precaution to have calf stretchers handy, so the paramedics may transport the bovines to the vet´s surgery in a comfortable supine position. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 09:45, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

I knew a woman who drove 350 miles with a calf in the trunk of her car. When she arrived, it needed considerable cleaning and soothing as well as stretching. Edison (talk) 06:29, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Temple Grandin got her idea for a hug machine from seeing calves put in squeeze boxes though that's the opposite idea. Still it might inspire something? Julia Rossi (talk) 07:46, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

It's probably worth noting that a lot of research lately has called into question the value of stretching before exercise in reducing injury and improving performance. Our article Stretching has something on this, but not much. I'd advise looking through the online archives at nytimes.com. Calliopejen1 (talk) 18:37, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

December 1

colored hall windows

I have recently been noticing that a number of houses in my neighborhood have hall windows with the central pane being clear surrounded on the perimeter of it by smaller square or rectangular colored panes of glass. These windows are either at the bottom or top or both of apparent stairways. The homes probably are all around 100 years old in a small Maine town. What is this style and what is the history of its origins?Janerwwme (talk) 00:30, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

These sound like simple art deco designs. Have a look at these windows, particularly the last. Also [15]. Is the sort of thing you have seen? Gwinva (talk) 01:10, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

CD release concert

Hi. How long usually is a CD release concert? Thanks. ~AH1^(TCU) 00:47, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Do you mean a special concert that is given by the artist to mark the release of a CD? In any case, I would say that such concerts could be as long or as short as any other. But if it's a specifically promotional or industry showcase type of concert, it might be shorter than the average concert – maximum of one hour, I should think. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 08:54, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Or perhaps the OP means a CD of a live concert? There are technical limitations to the CD format which only allows up to 80 minutes of audio recording. If a live concert went on for longer (that's usually the case in my experience), the band/label/publisher will have to decide whether to split the concert over two or more CDs, or to edit the recording to make it fit. There might also be other considerations, such as recording several concerts on a tour and picking the best sounding recording for each song you want on the live album. Astronaut (talk) 19:15, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

i think what is being asked can be answered such, live albums are usually recorded over numerous concerts and are digitally recorded, the crowd noise is faded in at the end and start of the next song, this way they can have a vocalist saying, 'we love you cleveland and the next song is', and the next song is acctually recorded in paris, or hong kong.

If you are asking about promotional concerts in support of new CDs, my experience from shows at Amoeba Records is that they are 30-45 min or so. Calliopejen1 (talk) 18:34, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Proof of EXACT date

Hi. Let's say you made a video recording of some sort, for example a confession from someone, and you needed to prove that the recording was in fact made the exact date it was made. What could you do to prove that it was in fact made that day? Showing a newspaper from that day is a good idea, for example, but it would only prove that the recording wasn't done before that date, and the tape could in fact have been done any day after that one. What would you do to prove the exact date? 190.157.120.42 (talk) 00:48, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Tricky - in the era of video manipulation there's no real way to do this. I would say take a shot of some huge public display that show's the time/date (big digital clock or something) but it would be easy to edit the video then re-record it back onto a tape. Exxolon (talk) 01:02, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

(ec) Digitize the whole thing, get a md5 hash of it, register it with an authority you have no control over that will datestamp it? Mail a copy to a lawyer? If you're limited to just things you can display, you could add elements that would make it unlikely to have been fabricated (walk from multiple newstands to the next, showing the stacks and stacks of newspapers from that day, which makes it more implausible that you have faked it; film a date/time ticker of some major company or government agency that wouldn't likely change it just for your silly video). Another is to actually do something on tape that would be verified externally as having happened that exact day—if you filmed yourself getting arrested, it'd be pretty easy to confirm what day that happened, as an extreme example. ---98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:03, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Tape it on a holiday of some kind that would have verifiable events going on in the background, such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Fourth of July fireworks, or the New Year's Eve Times Square ball dropping. Useight (talk) 03:00, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

The MD5 thing is only going to show you shot recording before a date. It's nots going to show you didn't shoot the thing 2 days or 2 years ago beyond additional clues in the video. Using newspapers etc of course is the reverse (it shows you didn't shoot the thing 2 years ago, but you may have shot it two years from now with todays paper). News stands is a better better then one newspaper but it isn't that hard to fake if you really want to Nil Einne (talk) 14:00, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

I heard of some "medium" that had predictions taped in a bank, showing the calendar time and date on their clock in the background. This was to prove that the predictions were real. Unfortunatley from what I remember the spirits were off that day so none of the predictions came to pass. -- Q Chris (talk) 15:35, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

I think these are pretty much all the credible ways anyone could come up with to prove the date on a video. Thanks everyone for your great ideas. Kreachure (talk) 23:03, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Question about Mission Impossible episode plausibility

One of my favorite episodes was when they had to convince some ne'er do well for some reason or other that he went back in time. They went to elaborate lengths such as realistic face masks, fake radio stations, and a busy signal when he went to call his dead mother. If you thought you went back in time, wouldnt you do whatever it takes to visit a dead parent if the line was busy? No matter what your plans were for that day? He sure seemed nonchalant about it.

But really,- could this ever be done on any practical level? Are there any declassified documents of the CIA doing such an elaborate psychological ruse?--Sam Science (talk) 03:45, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

The best you could do would be something like The Truman Show, but that's really only plausible if you can trick the subject from birth, and even then it's a stretch. --Sean 15:22, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Did the Ipcress File have a plot something like that? The article doesn't say but I vaguely remember a late-night repeat of the film. If it were LeCarre it might be based on something but Len Deighton? Don't think so... Julia Rossi (talk) 22:23, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

You'd have to restrict the victim quite a lot. You couldn't let him/her see modern cars, the internet, or any modern gadgets like iPhones... AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 10:59, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

I heard that the CIA is quite capable of making anyone change thier beliefs, because they realize beliefs are just that- beliefs! No one truly understands how the world is, the world is a stage that we react to, etc. Supposedly Mission Impossible was based on what they were capable of. Anyone else hear of this?Sam Science (talk) 23:53, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Most educated person

Who by popular caonsensus is normally regarded as the most educated person of our times/of all time?(RNaidu (talk) 10:30, 1 December 2008 (UTC))

There won't be a popular consensus on something like that. It's far too difficult to define precisely, so everyone will get different answers. --Tango (talk) 12:51, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

It's all relative, as in President John Kennedy's subtle compliment to a predecessor and to the guests at a dinner for Nobel laureates (April 29, 1962): "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House — with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." --- OtherDave (talk) 14:43, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

I personally have partaken of a great many years of college education. Or did you wish to include autodidacts and life experience? The "most educated" person may not be the wisest, most admired, or most successful. Edison (talk) 21:19, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Agree. Or the most notable. Julia Rossi (talk) 22:17, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

"X has 2 PhDs" is a cinema cliché similar to "X speaks 7 languages" for "X is very brainy". In that spirit, one candidate for RNaidu's question is the person with most doctorates, excluding honorary degrees. Yoshiro Nakamatsu apparently has five (engineering, law, medicine, science, and humanities). I thought Albert Schweitzer had four, but though he had Philosophy, Theology, and Medicine he didn't have Music. Of course one should distinguish higher doctorates, research doctorates, and professional doctorates. Deon van Zyl has four doctorates (Dr Jur (Leyden 1970); PhD and LLD (Cape Town 1983 and 1988 respectively); and a D Litt in Latin (Orange Free State 1989)) but in only two fields, as far as I can make out. jnestorius^(talk) 00:20, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Actually I disagree with you Tango, there are several popular consensuses. (People are likely incorrect and their conclusions based on misinformation however.) I’m referring to the human the forms of various deities which are generally considered to be the most educated (or at least most learned) people of all time. This is because in many religions gods, even the human manifestations of gods, are omnipotent. It is impossible to know more than everything, therefore the millions of followers of these religions must consider these people to be the most knowledgeable people of all time. --143.44.71.9 (talk) 08:32, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

But most knowledgeable is in no way the same thing as most educated. I can't immediately think of an omniscient god that recieved any kind of formal education at all. Algebraist 08:36, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

I think you'd be interested in Polymath. A polymath is someone who is skilled/knowledgable in many subjects, and the article has a list of "recognised polymaths" which goes up to the 1990s. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 10:54, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

What happened after them? And @ 143.44, oops, Algebraist, didn't someone call John Nash a god? Julia Rossi (talk) 12:18, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

I looked up the google and look at what I found: [16] [17] [18] [19] I think the gentleman Prasad with 6 earned doctorates should qualify as the most educated person. (Deva 840 (talk) 12:57, 2 December 2008 (UTC))

Having lots of doctorates doesn't mean you're really clever, it just means you've worked in lots of different fields. If you specialise in one field you'll stop collecting certificates on your wall after one doctorate even though you are continuing to publish papers which could easily be turned into several doctoral theses if there was any point in doing so (which there isn't). --Tango (talk) 13:57, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Heck, Sarah Palin went to five different colleges! That's way more than I went to, with my measly specialist (elitist) education. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:47, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

To be fair, Deva 840 didn't say "clever". Zain Ebrahim (talk) 18:58, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

True, but my point stands even if you replace "clever" with "well educated". --Tango (talk) 19:26, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

But they said "most educated". Would it really be a terrible stretch of the definition to say that "having the most PhDs" implies "most educated"? Zain Ebrahim (talk) 19:37, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

For the reason stated, yes, it would. Having lots of PhD's means you have a very broad education, that's all. Someone with a narrower, but far deeper, education could be considered just as well educated. --Tango (talk) 19:40, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Three letter combination

Is there any combination of three letters that doesn't lead to an article in wikipedia when you type it in the search box? The three letters shouldn't all be the same. Thanks

My first try: fxx. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 16:13, 1 December 2008 (UTC) Okay scratch that. How about cxv? Zain Ebrahim (talk) 16:14, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

There are many. See Wikipedia:TLAs from AAA to DZZ and related pages. Algebraist 16:25, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Oh, wow! Actually I was trying out various three letter combinations and all of them led to an article, so I got curious. Thanks! =) 124.30.235.62 (talk) 16:30, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

My first (VZS) didn't, but I was trying to make it fail. Steewi (talk) 00:33, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

I was (mildly) surprised that there are some gaps among the two-letter combinations: 6 uppercase-uppercase combinations missing (XH, XQ, XZ, YF, YQ, and ZQ) and 42 red-linked uppercase-lowercase combinations (Hw, Hx, Ih, ...). See WP:2L. ---Sluzzelin talk 17:12, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

how do i make a machine???

Hello i want to build a machine that rolls alon either on wheels or on tracks like a tank and with a tall metal body shaped like a long circular or oval pillar, either with a shiny metal or dulled with hints that there was once a shine on it, and the arms move up and down from hinges on the shoulder but also with hinges ont he elbow and hands or pinchers that can grasp and for the face a big screaming mouth perhaps that opens and closes also eyes which would be for its vision and would also glow, possibly red and it would have many weapons

1. rotating spinning cutting hand pincer 2. spinning cutting saw 3. rattlegun 4. laser from the red eyes

how can i make this machine and how much will he cost and is it safe to make one Raptorkitchin (talk) 16:24, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

I think your best bet is to buy one, or if you've got 'good' taste buy a lot and you could make your money back, see Robonut Dmcq (talk) 16:33, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Email Davros and see if he has some extra Daleks hanging around. Phil_burnstein (talk) 17:45, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like you want something like from Robot Wars. The contestants build their own mainly from scraps and washing machine motors, scouting scrapheaps for extras like chainsaws and angle grinders. There is a beginners guide to building robots here, but for best results you should probably join a robotics club; they'll have proper guides and be able to give you the best advice. SN0WKITT3N 18:15, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Then there are kits sold with all the parts to make such a robot (perhaps without the dangerous parts). That might be a good place to start. StuRat (talk) 01:22, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Please make sure that its brain must obey the Three Laws of Robotics. Edison (talk) 06:25, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Cumming

How do you stop from cumming to fast?

Think of England. 89.240.107.96 (talk) 20:27, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

You mean "think of baseball". The apocryphal "lie back and think of England" relates to an almost diametrically opposite sexual problem. jnestorius^(talk) 23:20, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

We have an article: Premature ejaculation. That may contain some advice or links to advice (I haven't read it). --Tango (talk) 20:57, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

See also Fasting. Edison (talk) 21:15, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

• Edging? = Mgm|^(talk) 00:58, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

When suffering from fast cummings, I suggest stopping to think about which words really should be capitalized. :-) StuRat (talk) 01:18, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

the trick is to stop thinking about your dick. to be quite honest, if you are truly concentrated on giving her pleasure rather than yourself, you will last for hours, this will allow you to both be completely satisfied every time and allow you to clear your mind and think of things other than sex. this is tantra. master it well and it will serve you well.

Alan Cumming? Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 02:04, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

December 2

US homeownership rates by age AND income?

I can find all sorts of US homeownership statistics - by race, by age, by income, etc etc. For example, it's easy to find the US homeownership rate for people age 20-29 or 25-34, or for people with annual income between $50K and $75K.

But I have not found any statistics for homeownership by age AND income. For example, I would love to locate the homeownership rate for people age 50-59 AND income $50K - $75K, but I cannot find that sort of data.

I imagine that there would be some very interesting numbers in such a grid, but alas I can't find one.

Fear Cause Seizure

Could fear cause a seizure in a person who suffers from epilespy? If so, how great does the fear have to be? [Writing a ghost story and need accuracy]

Thank You

Always Cardinal Raven (talk) 17:02, 2 December 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I'm no expert, but I once had a friend who would have an epileptic seizure if he was embarrassed by something someone said to him. So not much, it would seem.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:04, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Well then the next question then would be: How great of a seizure? Would the person who is having a seizure have a different kind of seizure for different fears? Does fear affect the seizure in any way?

Thank You

Always 18:37, 2 December 2008 (UTC)~Cardinal Raven

Unfortunately, epilepsy is a wide spectrum of poorly understood neurological disorders. We can understand and treat the symptoms, but there is little understanding as to why or how it manifests itself in different people. I have 2 friends with epilepsy, and neither had any known triggers. Seizures for them were random in both occurance and severity. One eventually stopped having seizures, and is now off medication, the other must remain on medication and changes it every few years as one med or another wears off. Lots of people DO have "triggers" that can reliably bring on seizures, however there is no real rhyme or reason to these triggers. For some people it is sensory (such as loud noises, or flashing lights, or things like that) and for others it is emotional. There is simply no way to make broad statements about the kinds of triggers people will have, or the possible connection between the severity of the trigger and the severity of the seizure. Each person's case is completely unique, and each person, in conjuction with their doctors, need to find coping and medication strategies which work in their unique situations. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 20:42, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

160 GB iPod, older charger

Hello, I have a 160 GB iPod and I also have an Apple brand charger from one of the older Firewire iPods. Is it safe for me to use the older charger with the newer iPod? I haven't tried doing that yet. Thank you, LovesMacs (talk) 17:47, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

HOw do i shot web

I've seen this said on many forums and websites

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Does the UrbanDictionary entry answer your question? Also, always check urbandictionary for questions about slang.--droptone (talk) 20:57, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Yeah I did check that, but it really didn't explain much to me

Looks like it's a question someone (may have) asked about the spiderman game and it ended up becoming an Internet meme. It's basically an example of something a newbie would say when they really don't understand what's going on. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 21:24, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

And can't spell - "shot" appears to be a spelling mistake for "shoot". --Tango (talk) 21:42, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Possible Canadian Government Coalition

Hello! Here in Canada, there is a possibility that the Conservative party government will be defeated in a confidence motion on Monday. The Official Opposition (the Liberal Party) and The New Democratic Party signed an accord yesterday to try and form a coalition government. I was just wondering whether Wikipedia would have an article on this. I tried searching but didn't come up with much. Also, is this the right place to ask this? Thanks, Genius101^Guestbook 20:47, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

2008 Canadian political crisis. Yes :) --Tagishsimon (talk) 20:51, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much! Genius101^Guestbook 20:53, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Lawful reasons for termination of a job in united states of america

I'm not looking for legal advice, I'm just looking for a list that people have for why or why not a person can be fired. Examples are obviously race, religion, etc. Just looking for the legal document that states it or a WP list 66.216.163.92 (talk) 23:54, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Publishing a Book

I have a whole lot of material lying around from various projects, so I was thinking about writing a book. More specifically, I was thinking about writing a small book designed to improve higher order thinking with questions, examples and analysis (sort of like a brain teaser book that also teaches). I know that it's pretty hard finding a publisher and editing and what not, so I want to make sure that there are sufficient rewards for doing so. So what would be a reasonable return on a book of this nature?

Also I've written for and edited other's books many times over, but have never actually published a book of my own. So if anyone has any advice on the problems I may encounter that would be great.

Many thanks. Guycalledryan (talk) 23:58, 2 December 2008 (UTC)