Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

• Computing
• Entertainment
• Humanities
• Language
• Mathematics
• Science
• Miscellaneous
• Archives

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

• Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
• Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
• Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
• Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
• Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
• Note:
  • We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
  • We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
  • We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
  • We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

• The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

May 23

Junichi Masuda

e-mail address? --70.129.186.243 (talk) 02:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I doubt the address is publicly available, but he may have an email address for media or for the press etc. but I doubt you would be able to find it - people like that would get so much mail from fans and haters that they usually don't bother announcing any contact information to the public. Chevymontecarlo 05:58, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Junichi Masuda is one of the applicants for this patent and could be contacted via the patent agents in the US shown at [1] the link. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:55, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

What's a "BIAXIALLY ORIENTED WHITE POLYPROPYLENE FILM, REFLECTION PLATE AND RECEIVING SHEET FOR THERMAL TRANSFER RECORDING"? It doesn't sound like it has anything to do with video games. --70.129.186.243 (talk) 00:45, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Maybe it's another Junichi Masuda. Maybe this Junichi Masuda knows the Junichi Masuda that you really want. After all, they have at least one thing in common. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:28, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Ace status

Is it possible to become a flying ace without actually piloting the aircraft? Say for example if a tail gunner on a Flying Fortress shot down five or more enemy fighters, would he be considered an ace? 67.170.215.166 (talk) 03:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The U.S. Air Force says yes. Col. Charles DeBellevue was a non-pilot ace with six victories in the Vietnam War as a weapons systems officer. Not only that, he was the top American ace of the conflict. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:22, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the info. 67.170.215.166 (talk) 03:44, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

My pleasure. Plus I learned something new and interesting. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Who build the McDonald's franchise restaurants?

God, I hate fast food companies... Anyway, who exactly builds all the McDonald's franchises? Here in the UK the ones at junctions and roundabouts look exactly the same - low and rectangular with a roof that is a slight trapezium shape. Is it just the franchisee or multiple companies? Chevymontecarlo 06:03, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

In a delicious bit of irony, I've heard that the French McDonald's stores sell escargot. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:57, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

McDonalds is relevant. From that article, "A McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself." Shadowjams (talk) 06:11, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I think the question is whether they all use the same firm of architects (and I'm sure they do). (No doubt different local builders are employed.) One way you might find out is to look up the planning applications of these buildings at the websites of the relevant local councils. You will find the architect's details among the supporting documents.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 06:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Some years ago MacDonalds had their own team of in-house architects, but I doubt that they do now in the current culture by most large companies of out sourcing EVERYTHING!--Artjo (talk) 10:24, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Around 10 years ago the McDonalds building near me was owned by some private person and they designed the inside entirely themselves. I think the owner was married to someone from Japan so everything had an old style Japanese theme, with special chairs and plants near the windows, and a custom built ceiling decoration. Then at some point it changed and now it's just a generic McDonalds interior. 82.44.55.254 (talk) 13:04, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Hey, thanks for your replies everyone. Chevymontecarlo 13:59, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

If you changed your question to 'built' -- that'd be the late Ray Kroc. However, presently each franchise will be operated by a local franchisee, except in special cases, like the one in the Louvre (I imagine). Vranak (talk) 14:05, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know the answer but they must not check local building ordinances very well. When one went in near where I live, the franchisee was fined some stupid amount of money because they had the standard tall lighted McD's sign. Signs are pretty regulated here in Vermont (we don't have a single billboard in the entire state), so they eventually had to take the sign down and put up a much more sedate version. Dismas|^(talk) 14:33, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The people who actually build the restaurants are likely to be local construction companies, who spend most of their time building a wide range of local, commercial buildings. However, the look of a building is not decided by the construction company, but by the architect. I would imagine that McDonalds and other such franchise companies have commissioned standardized blueprints for their iconic buildings, which they then pull off the shelf and license to their franchisees, the same way they license the recipes, tableware, furniture, decor, etc. (A local architect may also be involved in siting the building and arranging things like the parking and landscaping on the available space.) As far as who funds the construction, it's probably a combination of the central company building some, and then trying to find a franchisee for the site later, and a franchisee obtaining a license, and then funding construction of a building to house their business. -- 174.24.200.38 (talk) 18:09, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you. All of your replies have been great. Chevymontecarlo 19:14, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Uh, OK, were you in fact talking about the buildings themselves, as opposed to the corporation? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:10, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Typically in North America there are usually several architects, distributed regionally, who do most work on chain restaurants (I used to know somebody who did a lot of Burger Kings), conforming to the franchise's design guidelines. There's actually a lot of individual variation, but the franchise must adhere to the overall requirements. I've worked on several automobile dealerships, which have similar requirements, but which are generally designed by local architects and reviewed by somebody in Detroit for compliance. Acroterion _(talk) 20:15, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

There is actually a classic book on the design and architecture of fast food restaurants in the USA: "Orange Roofs, Golden Arches: The Architecture of American Chain Restaurants" by Philip Langdon. It dates from the mid-1980s but is still in print and is written for the general public. It was also exerpted in The Atlantic Monthly around 1986 or so, if you don't want to read the whole book. Worth checking out. --Xuxl (talk) 19:51, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Left Handed Knot Tying

I am researching the above subject matter - not having a left handed person to perform this task I thought there may be help here. The issue is: when a left handed person ties a knot, such as a reef knot; can it be determined that, that knot was tied by a left handed person as opposed to a right handed person? The difference may be very slight, but in a situation of utmost importance can it be done (detected forensically if necessary)? And if so, would there be any references of this having been done (I've tried querying a variety of worded descriptors without success)? Thanks. TouLeGit TouLeGit (talk) 12:15, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm knot sure that it would be possible. I teach knotting to my Cubs and Scouts, and have taught myself to tie the commoner knots both right-handedly (my natural preference) and left-handedly (to help left-handed children). Left-handers may tend to tie a mirror-image of an asymmetric knot, but it's not a hard-and-fast rule, and for a reef knot it just depends if you go left-over-right first or right-over-left - which anyone of either handedness may switch between without thinking about it. DuncanHill (talk) 12:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

My guess would be that many people don't know the difference and would tie a granny knot in a way that correlates strongly with whether they are left or right handed. If they tie a reef knot though my guess is the correlation with the order of the two ways would be slight but I might be wrong there too, perhaps people do the first bit in the more natural way for their handedness. It sounds possible someone has studied this so have you tried Google? Dmcq (talk) 13:07, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

A reef knot is probably one of the least likely knots to display handedness, as both hands work equally when tying it. A sheetbend may display handedness, as one hand does most of the work and the other basically just holds the loop. Sheepshanks wouldn't be handed, a clove hitch or a round-turn and two half-hitches might. A bowline also could. However, many left-handers will have learnt knotting either from diagrams or from right-handed teachers, so may not display any tendency to switch. The reason I have taught myself to tie either way is that I've noticed an increasing number of children with little awareness of left or right, and an inability to recognise the difference between holding something in their left hand or their right hand. I just go with how they pick up a rope and adapt my style accordingly. DuncanHill (talk) 13:37, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

(OR)When I tie shoelaces my left hand holds passively the laces crossed right lace over left lace while my right hand fingers pick up the end of left lace and push it down behind the crossing. It seems less natural to begin with laces crossed left over right because then the right hand fingers have to reach further to catch the end of the right lace and pull it to the gap behind the crossing. Assuming that shoelace tying is a uniform daily routine, my right-handed experience suggests that a left-handed person would begin with their right hand passively holding the laces crossed left over right. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Interesting - I tie my left shoe as the mirror image of the right. This makes the pressure on my feet from the laces symmetrical (I should probably also mention that I can tell which sock has been worn on which foot, and put them on the same foot each time. I suspect I may have slightly odd habits in things like this.) DuncanHill (talk) 16:56, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I confirm that these habits are unusual. I expect you store your CDs alphabetically too (a common and sensible habit). :-) -- SGBailey (talk) 09:49, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes I do. I also can't bear to wear odd socks, and find it painful to see them on others (actual physical discomfort). DuncanHill (talk) 09:58, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I think I'm the only person I know who's ever accidentally/absentmindedly worn mismatched shoes. (Odd socks are too simple for me!) --Psud (talk) 05:36, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

As a left-handed person and an Eagle Scout, the bowline always presented problems for me and it occasionally looks a bit odd when I do tie it. The other scout knots - reef knot, tautline, two half hitches, even the lashing hitches clove hitch and timber hitch - I have never had a problem with these knots due to my left-handedness. The sheetbend...I only know how to tie that with a shortcut starting with the reef knot, so I don't know about that one. Hope I helped, The Reader who Writes (talk) 17:07, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

In my experience, which way you tie your shoes is not really dependant of left or right handedness, but is dependant on how you were taught. If your parents always tied your laces from the front, your method of tying is usually reversed to your parent's (though some children might mentally reverse the procedure). However, some parents reach from behind their child so the child learns the "correct" way to tie the knot. Of course, there is no "correct" way when both ways are equally good at keeping the shoes on. I doubt many people's feet are as sensitive as DuncanHill's are. Astronaut (talk) 13:26, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

When I tie shoelaces for a child, I can only do it from behind. You're probably right about my feet - they are extraordinarily sensitive, and I do wonder at what other people do to theirs. DuncanHill (talk) 13:29, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Cuisinart food processor problem

So we have a two-decade old Cuisinart food processor, I think a DLC-5 DLC-10C. We've had to swap out parts over the years as they crack and etc., but it's generally been pretty rugged. But we've had one big problem the other day that I thought I'd ask about on here.

Basically these things work by rotating a little stick that then can be hooked up to a blade and that mashes up your food, right? So at the base of the rotating stick a bunch of gluey substance has come out the last time we used it. It looks to me like it's some kind of plastic seal that is meant to make sure that any food or liquid substance wouldn't be able to get inside the overall mechaism (which would not necessarily be a terribly common thing—the liquid would have to go in between a number of pieces of plastic to do so).

My question is: 1. how worried should I be that this has come out? Is my guess about its purpose probably correct? 2. does this sound like the sort of thing I could repair on my own? How would someone more used to repairing appliances go about fixing such a thing—is there a standard plastic gluey material that is used for this sort of thing? --Mr.98 (talk) 15:57, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Cuisinartr is a Canadian manufacturer with customer support address, telephone and e-mail here for your question. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:25, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I would think that the gluely stuff is an issue because it could contaminate whatever food you put in there (I apologise if this is massively obvious, I am still in the new/inexpereienced/dumb user help mode!) Sometimes with electricals it's cheaper to buy a completely new product that try and repair it, although that's not very environmentally friendly. As it's a fairly old model I would think the company that sold it would have plenty of spare parts available. Cuddlyable3's link is a good one to follow - the company itself would probably be the best people to contact. Chevymontecarlo 19:12, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Time Zone

Just now, at the bottom of the page was "This page was last modified on May 23, 2010, at 21:21" why does it not say which time zone please?--Artjo (talk) 21:34, 23 May 2010 (UTC —Preceding unsigned comment added by Artjo (talk • contribs)

It's the 0 UTC time zone, the time of the United Kingdom. --TylerDurdenn (talk) 21:40, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Actually, the UK is on UTC+1 at the moment, due to daylight saving time. --Tango (talk) 21:42, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

You are right, it should say the timezone, however the standard timezone on Wikipedia is UTC, so we can safely assume it is UTC. --Tango (talk) 21:42, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

There is an option in your "User preferences" under "Gadgets" that says "Change UTC-based times and dates, such as those used in signatures, to be relative to local time." --ColinFine (talk) 22:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The "last modified" line ought to be changed to include (UTC), to conform to its use elsewhere. Although it's fairly clear that, for talk pages anyway, it's liable to match the most recent entry (this one). ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Yep. "This page was last modified on 23 May 2010 at 22:21". I bet that will change, though. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Bug 19002. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:54, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Great! It's labeled, which is a start. The downside is that they are only just now working on bug number 27. All these hot young amateur programmers keeping turning pro early, and going to work for Microsoft. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:06, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

For the avoidance of doubt, and since we're in the business of providing factual information rather than facetious misinformation, bugs are not tackled in numeric order. See also Wikipedia:Bug reports and feature requests. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:52, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, that question seemed to wake up a few people regardless of the time...thanks.--Artjo (talk) 06:07, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

May 24

Brie

Hey guys. I've bought some brie, ina slice. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure how to cut and serve it. It is quite soft and sticky, so cutting it with a knife is hard and makes a mess. What would someone recommend? Thanks in advance! ```` —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.248.231.100 (talk) 00:49, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Using a cheese cutter (a device which cuts by means of a wire, rather than a blade) instead of a cheese slicer or a cheese knife may be a little easier. If you don't have one, you can improvise with dental floss, preferably waxed, although I would recommend you stay away from the mint/cinnamon flavored flosses. -- 174.24.200.38 (talk) 01:30, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

What kind of knife are you using? A sharp enough knife should be able to cut brie without too much difficulty. --Tango (talk) 01:34, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, you can cut it, and it will deform over the knife, then you spread (as opposed to place) on a cracker or what have you. Being so pliable you can treat it more like a cream cheese than is the norm. Vranak (talk) 03:08, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Not to sound uncultured, but do all brie cheeses have that... poopy smell? 24.189.90.68 (talk) 06:34, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

They don't have a "poopy" smell. As they ripen, they can develop ammonia, which smells a bit like urine. Some people like it, but it is usually considered a flaw and a sign that the cheese has not been stored properly (I forgot what exactly was wrong - I think to cold, or too little air - mine never survives long enough). As an anecdote, it's rumoured that brie that has reached its "best before" date in Germany is then shipped to France, where it is considered "not yet ripe enough for consumption". --Stephan Schulz (talk) 08:25, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Just in case you're not aware of this, the rind is edible and you shouldn't try to remove it. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 08:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Cool the brie before cutting. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:22, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I was going to say, if it's too mushy for your tastes (or cutting), put it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so and it will firm it up. You generally want it to be soft but not too soft. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:38, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, you can remove the rind if you like. I don't think there's a great deal of nutrition in it. Vranak (talk) 12:50, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I work as a cheese specialist in a major UK supermarket. There are several things you could do to improve serving: Firstly, as Cuddlyable3 suggests, first chill the cheese so that it stiffens up and is more amenable to cutting; next rather than use a cheese wire, use a soft cheese knife - a knife whose central portion has been cut away to leave a gap. This cuts down on resistance from the cheese as you cut it. Don't remove the rind as the paste adheres to it in such a way that slicing is made easier. As it comes back to room temperature (which it should be for serving) it will liquify again. The rind is edible and adds to the overall experience in eating, in that there is a difference in texture. Alternatively, you could allow the cheese to come to room temperature, when the paste (the gooey centre of the cheese) will become runny, in which case you could remove it with a spoon and place it onto bread, crackers or whatever and spread with a knife as you would with a soft cheese. As for the unpleasant aroma - brie style cheeses should smell mushroomy when they are fully mature. As they over-ripen the smell of ammonia begins to dominate, which is quite wrong. Never purchase cheese that smells of ammonia. Any reputable cheesemonger will allow you to smell and taste any cheese before you buy. Those that don't for 'hygiene reasons' should be viewed with suspicion. Finally, don't be scared to cut a cold cheese and warm it up under a grill once it has been applied to the serving medium - A warm, sticky brie can be utterly sublime. Should you ever find a brie-style cheese that smells of wet nappies you should reject it immediately. I hope this helps —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.177.175.194 (talk) 23:48, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This advice does not apply to all soft cheeses, for instance Vacherin, whose rind is inedible. Only Brie style cheeses should be treated in this way —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.177.175.194 (talk) 00:13, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what the OP thinks, but I think you deserve some applause for a very thorough answer which will improve my future cheese experiences. 81.131.38.74 (talk) 02:20, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes: that answer is excellent. Bravo. --Mr.98 (talk) 16:04, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Ruined stainless steel pot?

Hello, dear Wikipedians. I am in great need of advice on a matter I do not know much about.

My flatmate just yesterday decided she would boil up some jello in a pot of ours (stainless, cheap IKEA cr*p). Water, powdery essence, etc. Apparently she forgot it on the stove and, while I cringe to think what the turn of events were, our biggest pot now looks absolutely awful. In the bottom, there are dark streaks in spiralling patterns (I wish I could photograph it), and basically the entire flat surface is tainted very dark, darker in some places than others; this is not a layer of something, but seems indistinguishable from the metal. When one attempts to clean this, a distinctly metallic smell rises from the pot. Also worth mentioning is that the bottom has taken on a light orange hue.

I assume that the pot had been left standing to boil until it was basically dry, and so the air humidity in the kitchen would've been considerable. I am looking for answers to two questions here, mainly: 1) From my description, is there any method of cleaning the bottom? 2) Can the pot be used again? I worry about the smell and what it might herald. Thank you in advance! 88.90.16.232 (talk) 13:03, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

If it's available where you live, I would suggest giving Bar Keeper's Friend a try, with plenty of elbow grease. It's performed very well for me in cleaning stainless cookware, although nothing quite as bad as you describe. -- Coneslayer (talk) 13:13, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Try putting in some water and bio washing powder (as used for cleaning clothes) and then heating it up and leaving it for a while. The washing powder often dissolves organic stuff like you have on the bottom of the pan. --Phil Holmes (talk) 13:26, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

The biological washing powder is supposed to work well - but don't use boiling water - use 40C or whatever.87.102.85.123 (talk) 13:42, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Bio washing powder is good, or use a washing machine tab in the pot with hot water. Brillo pads are also worth a try. I'd add that discolouration itself is no real problem, and most pans will discolour in time. Washing soda and hot water is also good, and should remove any odours. DuncanHill (talk) 13:47, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

To quote the leaflet on care of kitchen utensils from my local kitchen supplies shop (which also supplies caterers): "Overheating can also cause blue/bronze tints to appear. These are harmless and can usually be removed by using stainless steel cleaner unless the overheating is severe. In extreme cases of overheating the pan and its conductive base [see Cookware and bakeware#Stainless steel] may separate and will be unrepairable." Stainless steel cleaner has worked well for me in the past (when i shared a kitchen...) But I also found this on eHow, which suggests simmering a vinegar-water mixture. Qwfp (talk) 02:25, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Will the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill heat up the Gulf?

There doesn't seem to be anyone talking about it, at least in my spectrum of searches and articles, so I'm really not sure if it is an issue at all.

Will the oil floating on the surface of the Gulf from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill get heated by the sun? Does the oil absorb sunlight? Will it raise water temperatures?

I read on Wikipedia "Because oil floats on top of water, less sunlight penetrates into the water, limiting the photosynthesis of marine plants and phytoplankton." - [2]

I just can't find out anywhere whether or not the oil absorbs the sunlight and will heat the waters.

Down4digital (talk) 14:29, 24 May 2010 (UTC) I changed your Wikipedia reference to a simple link and hope you don't mind. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:21, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Oil is black - therefore it absorbs visible light - it's not clear what it's like in the ultraviolet and infrared range. But if it absorbs over most of the energetic part of the spectrum, that's definitely going to warm up the oil - and therefore the layer of water immediately beneath it - but it's blocking light from reaching further down into the water column - which will result in less heat reaching there - so a reasonable guess might be that you'd end up with colder than normal water at depth and warmer than normal at the surface. We're also learning that there is a considerable amount of oil in the water column itself - not just floating on the surface - and that complicates matters still further. Overall, it's tough to predict exactly what the detailed effect will be. However, reducing the amount of reflected sunlight certainly means that more energy is entering the system (and less is reflected out into space) - so the overall effect will almost certainly be a net warming. SteveBaker (talk) 15:15, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This was discussed on National Public Radio last week - link. --LarryMac | Talk 15:17, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Another wrinkle is that the oil could limit cooling evaporation. It has been theorized that this could cause hurricanes to lose energy over the slick. --Sean 15:32, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Though a hurricane would disturb the water so much that the thin slick would be broken up and plenty of (oil-heated) water would be exposed to the surface. This is probably a question that we can't answer reliably without a very complex computer model. Marco polo (talk) 15:49, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Leviticus 9

While reading a question on the Science desk I came across the above mentioned section of the (good)book. In this section God is telling the people what they can and cannot eat, he has already told them that they cannot and may not eat Bats he then later goes on to state that they can eat, anything that flies, swarms, and has four feet, what animal could this refer to? I am stumped the only thing I can think of that fits into this catagory, is bats. I would not eat a bat but I can imagine some one somewhere would, so what can it mean? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 14:35, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

There is no text such as you describe in Leviticus chapter 9. But in Leviticus 11:13,19 Moses declares the bat to be "an abomination" you shall not eat. Regarding permitted foods in the KJV Bible, (a book that IMHO is not an entirely good one) the key directions allegedly by God are:

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, shall ye not eat. Gen 9:4,5.

Paul the Apostle writing to christians advises as follows.

If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof...Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God. 1 Cor 27,28,31. Bon apetite. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:15, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

There's something along these lines in Leviticus 11. It appears to refer to the kosher locust. Warofdreams talk 15:20, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Which have apparently grown another pair of legs since the Good Lord last described them. --Sean 15:35, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

The key point in most translations is that they walk upon four legs, while using their other two legs to jump. Warofdreams talk 15:45, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

OP, different computer, this does not answer the quetsion, what animal has four legs, flies, and swarms that one would willingly eat. Think of it as a riddle, clue? its not a bat —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 16:35, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Did you read the Kosher locust article? It seems that it's talking about walking on four legs, not having four legs, which makes the riddle easier. Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:13, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Could it be a cow, they're often surrounded by flies, and gather into large swarms. Though personally, I would not willingly eat beef. 148.197.114.158 (talk) 18:07, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

The reference is indeed to locust, and the mention of four legs is to speak of their hind two legs as "jumping legs" as explained previously. (Lev. 11:20-23) As with the rest of the Five Books of Moses, this verse cannot be properly understood without the assistance of the oral tradition that was given simultaneously. In the Minchat Chinuch (Vol.2), commandment #158 delineates the positive commandment to "evaluate and identify kosher signs of locusts (מצות בדיקת סימני חגבים)", referring to verse Lev. 11:21. The Minchat Chinuch provides the three kosher signs that can be used to identify kosher locust:

1. that they have four wings that span the majority of the length and circumference of their bodies (ארבע כנפים שחופות רוב אורך ורוב היקף גופו)
2. that they have four legs (וארבע רגלים)
3. that they have two knees with which to jump upon the earth (ושתי כרעים לנתר בהן על הארץ)

The manner of writing that splits the four fore legs from the hind two is with the intent of separating the dissimilar legs -- not because locusts grew more legs since then, as that would be at odds with reality. More detailed information is laid out in the 3rd chapter of Chullin. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 20:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

A swarm of cows? Bizarre mental picture, there. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:59, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

body shape

why are people so tall? wouldn't we be more efficient if we were round, so everything was closer together?

148.197.114.158 (talk) 18:06, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

If you go to Google Book search and search for human height "survival value" you get several results: [3]. Height is helpful in getting berries from trees or bushes farther from the ground. Height of the eyes aids in seeing things at a distance in savannas. A taller person can reach a branch and pull himself up into a tree to get bird eggs or escape a nonclimbing predator. Long legs might assist fast running,(up to a point) to catch prey or escape predators. Male height might possibly be a benefit in attracting mates. A tall person has more surface area and can dissipate heat better, but a stocky person fares better in a bitter cold environment[4], [5]. But see also Spherical cow. Edison (talk) 19:18, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

(ec)Like this? (video) Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:21, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

So, there is no advantage then to designing something else, say a city, to be layed out in the same shape as a person? Since they don't have to steal eggs or pick fruit. 148.197.114.158 (talk) 21:57, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

That's right. Cities are not subject to the same environmental pressures that humans have been subject to during the course of human evolution; and in any case cities don't evolve in the way that living organisms do. Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:11, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

However, cities often do develop organically, which shows similar tendencies to evolution. --Tango (talk) 00:50, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I can see over all the short people. That helps. ;0 Shadowjams (talk) 08:42, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Probably because height is a rough measure of viability, and height has implications for fitness, particularly in combat. There have been recent studies that suggest that male-to-male combat is a relevant factor in human mating. Note that these "factors" are talking about hundreds of years, not modern industrialized society. I'll leave it to you to disect how that disconnect affects the world we actually live in. Shadowjams (talk) 08:59, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

The Neanderthal died out in part because of his build, stocky and suited for colder regions. Not able to run very fast, he was forced to hunt in a riskier manner than the Sapiens; when the climate changed in such a way as to remove forests from many areas, the stockier build had fewer advantages. Few lived beyond the age of 45ish. The OP's answer is thus that yes, biologically we would be better off. However, early environmental factors have given us a certain height. Now that these factors are largely unimportant, the human body can evolve in any direction, likely to grow a little taller over time. 88.90.16.232 (talk) 16:31, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

As far as I know, the above statement about the Neanderthals is one theory, not accepted (still less demonstrated) fact. See Neanderthal extinction hypotheses. --ColinFine (talk) 17:15, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Defective product

hi this is tarun verma.i m graguate (mechanical).i m working in aluminium foil rolling mill as a maintenance engg. my question is.....

here we r using oil filter of superstack from achenbach gmbh.in this filter ,we have to create vaccum in filter stack completely.other wise their may be fire ...so my question is is how this vaccum pump create vaccum .and some times it is not working properly...

can u give the idea about pump and problem occouring during working in pump.we just knock it ,it will start it self.this pump working is based on air (low pressure)

thanks rehards tarun verma <e-mail address removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tk.verma (talk • contribs) 20:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I've removed your e-mail address to protect you from spam etc., answers will (hopefully) appear here, so it's unnecessary. Have you tried looking at our article on vacuum pumps. Without knowing how good a vacuum is required it's difficult to be more specific as there are so many different types. Mikenorton (talk) 21:04, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

What did the vendor say when you contacted them about your badly functioning vacuum pump? Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:01, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

BTEE

Hi, to who ever is at the other end. My name is <personal information removed>. I used to study BTEE at 38 convent ave. New York during the years 1983,84, I think, and for reasons that I recently discovered it became clear that I had a problen about VietNam, so I have findly decided to continue my educacion after being lost in limbo for so many years. Please, I am now living in South America and it is my wish to acquire all my recors so that the school board in this country can balidate what ever I have conpleted at CCNY and Finish my degree and be able to say " I DID IT ". I hope you can feel some compasion for this VET. and help with this so needed assistance...Cesar Cardenas-Servat. <e-mail address removed>...Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.240.183.31 (talk) 21:21, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This website is unaffiliated with the college. You need to contact the college directly at registrar@ccny.cuny.edu. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:25, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

sale of people

So, supposeing someone decided to hold a promise auction, where people would offer services, either as part of their job or just to work for someone, for sale to raise money for charity. What I need to know is a range of things someone could then be asked to do by the person paying for them, stuff that might take a few hours, maybe most of the day, and be worth giving money to charity for.

148.197.114.158 (talk) 22:00, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

OR here, but in my experience people who volunteer services at charity auctions like this usually offer services they're expert in, or have some interest in. A webmaster might offer 10 hours of web design work time; a gardener might offer 2 days' gardening work, a baker might offer a month's worth of desserts baked on the weekends, and so on. Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:08, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I dunno: I've offered unskilled manual labor (clean out garage, etc.), and people will buy it. At a charity auction, people are generally willing to pay a premium over what the market rate for the service is. Buddy431 (talk) 22:15, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Lawn care is usually a good item. Mowing, raking, etc. Dismas|^(talk) 00:53, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Either the service someone performs for a living, as Comet suggests, or household chores (cleaning, weeding, ironing, etc.). If you are the one organising it, you shouldn't need to worry too much - the people offering their time will decide what they want to offer to do. You might want to put a few ideas on publicity/application form to let people know the kind of thing you are thinking of, but you don't need much. --Tango (talk) 01:01, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Tango has the best of it there. You can make suggestions. Some people might offer specific service, as above, or general physical labour (unspecified). If you're worried about what people might ask of them, a short disclaimer might be appropriate, ruling out inappropriate demands, like sexual favours, not allowing breaks, humiliation, etc. Although they're often called 'slave auctions' as an amusing title, most people understand that it's for volunteers, etc. In some of them I've seen, it was for an afternoon, or a day's work. Others were more specific. I recall one in which the auction was for a date with the person being auctioned (like in Groundhog Day). The person being auction agrees take the winner out to dinner and give them a fun night out. Steewi (talk) 03:01, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

If all the lots are dates then it is a "Bachelor auction" rather than a promise auction. That's quite different but still a fun way to raise money for charity. --Tango (talk) 03:11, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Flower-arranging and cake baking at some future time are popular offers with people planning weddings, as is a makeup lesson or a hairdo. How about the offer of a knitted garment or baby's layette (bidder supplies the wool), a pair of handmade curtains (bidder supplies the fabric), or a cross-stitch sampler personalised as a gift for an important occasion? A main course cooked and delivered for a special dinner? Pet-feeding, house-sitting or babysitting for a specified time? A lesson in internet use for a first-time surfer, or an hour's coaching from a good ballroom dancer for a wannabe with two left feet? The possibilties are endless. Karenjc 10:31, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

We do have the article Slave auction, though it's quite uninformative. Buddy431 (talk) 14:40, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

In more large scale ones, having dinner or lunch or whatever with a celebrity (used loosely here since can include a sports person, business person, politician, etc). However I don't know if you would call those promise auctions, usually those sort of big auctions include plenty of other stuff which can't be considered 'promises' Nil Einne (talk) 23:13, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

May 25

Counseling

I just found out that counseling is very interesting and I'm beginning to consider taking it for a Master's degree. However, I'm not sure yet since my training is focused on the academe and research. Are there any activities that could simulate activities that I would expect in practicing counseling?--121.54.2.188 (talk) 02:18, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

There are lots of charities that offer counselling services. You could volunteer for one of them. See Samaritans (charity), for example. --Tango (talk) 03:08, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I would think that a decent degree in a subject like counselling would include a practical component. It might include sitting in on sessions with an experienced counsellor (with the agreement of the clients), and/or taking simple cases yourself with a mentor on standby. In terms of simulation, the simplest form is role-playing situations that you might expect with other students. You pick a situation (perhaps at random) and role-play a client in a counselling session. I have heard of this happening with drama students playing the role of clients in mutually beneficial simulation (you get practice with counselling, the drama student can practise difficult roles). If you do not have access to other people, it can be theoretically done by listing different situations that you might come across, and outlining the approach you would take, with reference to appropriate theories and practices from your course. Your undergraduate teachers would probably be able to suggest the situations you should know. Steewi (talk) 03:10, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

If it is possible, you could approach a working counsellor and ask to sit in on some sessions and discuss them afterwards. Steewi (talk) 03:10, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the tips. I'll try the counsellor route since I know some of them. Perhaps I could do sit ins on his sessions as well.--121.54.2.188 (talk) 05:17, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I studied counselling as part of my first degree. However, this did not include practical work, merely theories of counselling and their uses. I had the opportunity to train as a bereavement counsellor shortly afterwards, which I took, but only practised for a short while. I do find, however, that my work as a holistic therapist gives me opportunity to put much of what I learned into practice. Hope this helps. --TammyMoet (talk) 12:23, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Elevation Stats for Bad Schandau Germany...

The elevation stat for Bad Schandau is incorrect. The websote starts 146m however Decin Czech is upstream and is 135m. Dresden Below at 113m. I could not find a portal other than this one to inform you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.103.192.54 (talk) 06:21, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

For your future information - questions like this are usually best raised first at the Discussion page (or "talk page") of the article in question, in that case here. Ghmyrtle (talk) 10:05, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Given that the town covers an area and not a single point, it is likely that the 146m number refers to, perhaps, the highest point or maybe the average elevation for the whole municipality. Its a bit unclear, but it is entirely possible for the river to be at a considerably lower elevation than either the average elevation or the highest elevation for the town. While it is unclear where the number in the article came from, you'd need some sort of reliable source with a different number to change it. --Jayron32 06:27, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

This seems to be the homepage of Bad Schandau and states that the elevation is approximately 120m. Seems likely, as the town / village is a linear settlement along one side of the river Elbe. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 09:24, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

The relevant template is Template:Infobox_settlement. Unfortunately exactly what "elevation" should be referred to is not stated. How would you define "average" elevation anyway?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 10:11, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

In the US, the "elevation" of a town is usually that of the weather station; if the town doesn't have one, it's usually the elevation of the town hall or the post office. I suspect other countries have similar conventions. --Carnildo (talk) 23:14, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Changing perspectives on holiday

Hello

My english teacher has set a speech for me on the topic of Changing Perspectives while Travelling. I've completed it but I mainly talk about how my perspective of London was changed before and after I visited, describing the catalysts and information that made my viewpoint change. Right now I think it's probably a bit shallow and lacking in analysis of the actual topic Changing Perspectives because it feels like a recount to me. What other points can I talk about to make it better, or what details can I add? I've done essays on Change in films/books, but they included techniques, etc.

Thanks in advance, 110.174.151.109 (talk) 07:01, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

What came to my mind, when I read your section heading, were more general changes in one's view of the world, of people, of one's self, experienced while traveling, not just changing perspectives of the place one visited. Culture shock or intercultural competence don't quite fit the topic, but they are related, and the articles and references might give you some more ideas. ---Sluzzelin talk 07:19, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I am English and once lived in London many many years ago, returning only last year to see my daughter graduate from Uni. My perspective from years ago (about 40)was challenged dramatically by how many more ethnic groups there were and how many other languages were in daily use, to the extent that in some areas, English was a minority language. I did some research after my return home to Scotland and was astounded at the fact there are reputedly some 170 languages in daily use in London today. Amazing, and what a shock to my 40 year old perspective of London. 92.30.6.221 (talk) 08:20, 25 May 2010 (UTC).

I once traveled with a group of Swedish teenagers to Poland, where they met Polish peers, attended classes, and visited their homes. For many of them this was the first time they realized how priviliged their situation was compared to many other teens in the world. So the visit changed their perspectives on their own lives.

While traveling, you'll find yourself in new situations, some of them very challenging, and observing your own reactions and behavior in these situations can also change your perspective on yourself. Lova Falk talk 09:16, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

You might take the opportunity for a general discussion of cultural stereotypes, and how they develop and are sustained. Your speech could clarify whether your experience changed, eliminated or even reinforced any stereotypical ideas you personally had about the place you visited. Karenjc 10:11, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

One thing you might consider is the protrayal in popular media versus the experience of actually visiting. For example, news coverage of a foreign city often portrays it in a bad light, emphasising crime, poverty, pollution - things that rarely trouble the holidaymaker. Or how about the American who was surprised to hear that fog was a relatively rare thing in London. They had the impression (presumably from watching old Sherlock Holmes movies) that the London pea-souper was still a reality. It can also work the other way - my impression of Rome from movies and documentaries is tainted by the 6 days of cold and rain I suffered on a week long stay. Astronaut (talk) 11:58, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

The OP's IP locates at Sydney, Australia. If the OP is Australian they may have noticed how Australians are received in London, and they might speculate on what changed impression of Australian turists they left behind. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:53, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Stopoff en route from Austria to Italy

I will be driving from Vienna, Austria to Desenzano del Garda, Italy. It's a distance of 460 miles and I don't fancy doing it all in one day. Can anyone recommend an interesting town or village, roughly halfway along the route, at which to stop for the night? Many thanks. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 11:56, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

It would help to know which roads you plan to take. Along the northern route, perhaps Salzburg or Innsbruck might be interesting. StuRat (talk) 14:54, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm only looking at the route which my mapping website of choice recommends as the fastest. That seems to go along the E66, E55 and E70, which I don't think is the northern route. As I say, I'm looking for a stopover roughly 50% along the way, and not too far off the autoroute. Thanks. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:04, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I highly recommend Villach, beautiful and quiet small town, surrounded by mountains. Try to get a place to sleep near the city centre and maybe you'll have time to take a stroll. It seems to be at roughly half the distance between Vienna and Desenzano (at least according to the map provided by viamichelin). I don't know what the policy on advertisements here specifies, but I know of a cheap and cozy Gasthaus where you can also eat well (unless you wanna get a kebab in the Altstadt), and where you also have a Hofer nearby :P Rimush (talk) 15:20, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

BP oil spill and the law

British Petroleum has stated that they will cover the costs of the oil spill cleanup "even if it exceeds their legal liability limit". My question, what is that limit and what law(s) set the limit ? StuRat (talk) 14:46, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

The word "liability" makes me suspect that they are, in fact, referring to their insurance excess, though I'm in no way sure. ╟─TreasuryTag►cabinet─╢ 14:47, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

CBS say that the limit is $75m, though they don't make clear exactly what the limit is as a concept! ╟─TreasuryTag►UK EYES ONLY─╢ 14:53, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Dallas News says that the "liability cap" exists "under pollution act rules" – ╟─TreasuryTag►ballotbox─╢ 14:55, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Aha, found it: it's the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 [6] – ╟─TreasuryTag►secretariat─╢ 14:58, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, basically oil companies and the federal government made a deal where in the event of a spill, oil companies would be responsible for the costs of the immediate cleanup but had only limited liability ($75 million) when it came to paying for economic disruptions, like fishing, to the area. I believe the deal was made because the unbounded financial risk associated with the potential to disrupt other industries for long periods of times made it difficult for companies to operate or get insured. It appears to be a bit of a moot point now since BP has basically said it's not looking at the $75 million limit at all, suggesting that they will pay far more than this. How it all plays out remains to be seen... TastyCakes (talk) 15:11, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Do huge companies like BP have insurance? I was told by a BP employee many years ago that they didn't bother because they have enough money to cover any liability themselves? Frumpo (talk) 15:39, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

the deal was made because the unbounded financial risk associated with the potential to disrupt other industries for long periods of times made it difficult for companies to operate or get insured - of course, that is a hidden subsidy for fossil fuels. A similar subsidy exists for nuclear power plants, btw. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 15:44, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

And terrorism insurance, which as I understand it was provided by the US government after September 11th, although the article doesn't mention that. I'm sorry, I don't know the ins and outs of the major oil companies' insurance practices. I would assume they have some insurance on some things, but if they had it for this spill I'm sure it would be in the news already. I think it should also be kept in mind that the $75 million limit wasn't just put there for the BPs of the world: there are many much smaller companies operating wells in the Gulf that would have had much less money to throw at such a spill. TastyCakes (talk) 17:06, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Ah, here is an article on this. Swiss Re estimated $1.5 billion to $3.5 billion in claims two weeks ago, and it's only gotten worse since then. That includes claims for the rig itself ($560 million) and all sorts of other things, like hotels or fishing companies along the coast. Oh, and lots and lots of lawsuits. TastyCakes (talk) 17:44, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I heard on NPR the other day that the $75 million liability cap was contestable in cases of some level of negligence, but I'm having trouble finding a reference. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:21, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, the only legal source is the Act I linked to above, which doesn't appear to say anything of the sort... ╟─TreasuryTag►estoppel─╢ 19:24, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Found it — your link led me to trouble to read the full text. Section 2704(a) names the $75 million + cleanup costs limit; but section (c) lists exceptions that make section (a) not apply: If it was caused by the responsible party's (or their agent's or contractor's or employee's) "gross negligence or willful misconduct", or if there was a "violation of an applicable Federal safety, construction, or operating regulation". Also if they don't report the incident, cooperate or reasonably assist, or comply with certain orders. The NPR thing I heard was presumably somebody alleging that BP or its contractor was grossly negligent, meaning no liability limit. To jump to a conclusion, BP's apparent announcement that it would not "hide behind" the liability cap may have been motivated by an internal conclusion that when this were to go to trial, it was likely that any jury would find them grossly negligent, meaning their liability is unlimited anyway and their best option was to look like the good guys by accepting financial responsibility publicly and "voluntarily". Of course, I am not a lawyer, and don't know how difficult it would be for the state's attorneys of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas to prove "gross negligence" to a jury. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:35, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank for all the info. Now, under capitalist theory, isn't it true that if the risks of a venture outweigh the benefits, then that venture should be avoided ? It seems to me that radically reducing the risk exposure to the companies only encourages them to do things which are unwise. Is there some variant on capitalist philosophy which states that protecting companies from the results of poor decisions helps them to make better decisions ? If not, I just don't understand the justification for such a law. StuRat (talk) 02:17, 30 May 2010 (UTC)

cAPS LOCK

hELP i HAVE TURNED CAPS LOCK ON AND i CANNOT TURN IT OFF i HAVE TRIED PRESING THE cAPS lOCK KEY AND NOTHING!! WHAT SHOULD i DO?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by HAPPYMARLIN (talk • contribs) 15:26, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Reboot the computer. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:27, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Or sellotape the 'shift' key down... ╟─TreasuryTag►First Secretary of State─╢ 16:42, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps pry out the caps lock key, and clean off the marmalade or underlying crumbs which are preventing it from functioning. 213.122.2.195 (talk) 17:23, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

On Windows systems there are two Caps lock key configurations. One has caps lock toggling the caps lock state. The other has caps lock setting caps lock and shift clearing it. I think the selection is in the accessibility options somewhere. -- SGBailey (talk) 20:26, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I wouldn't worry about it, because in the four edits that the OP made in the five minutes after this question was posted (see OP's contribs), there seemed to be no problems with the CAPS key at all, and so the problem must be sorted. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:39, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I only count two. Deleted? Nil Einne (talk) 03:16, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

It seems so, and one of the remaining ones is an edit which was subsequently reverted by the page's 'owner'. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 13:18, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Sarah,_Duchess_of_York still being a Duchess

Why is Sarah Ferguson still a Duchess? Shouldn't she have lost the title after her divorce from the Duke of York? Mr.K. (talk) 17:56, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

See Courtesy title#Divorced wives. According to that, it's just convention, although I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Letters patent about it at some point. --Tango (talk) 18:29, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Immediately after her divorce she retained the style Her Royal Highness; however on 21 August 1996 letters patent were issued which removed the style from divorced ex-wives of princes, paving the way for her to retain "Duchess of York”. A week later, on 28 August 1996, Princess Diana suffered the same fate, going from Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales to mere Diana, Princess of Wales. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:33, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

No plagiarising Wikipedia in your ref desk answers! You copied that first sentence word for word from Sarah,_Duchess_of_York#Titles_and_styles! --Tango (talk) 21:39, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

This thread isn't an article, and the rule of not using Wikipedia as a source for answers doesn't apply here. Was I supposed to have acknowledged my source? Or is that article not what you'd consider a reliable source? (Jack=) 202.142.129.66 (talk) 01:24, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Quote marks would have been the best solution. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:03, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Am I missing something here? Where did these "rules" come from, where are they laid down, how long have they been in place, and why wasn't I informed? (Jack=) 202.142.129.66 (talk) 06:26, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

They aren't "rules", just common practice (and not just on the ref desk). If you are quoting somebody else's work, you should say so. It both gives credit where credit is due and allows the reader to see the quote in context if they want to. --Tango (talk) 11:36, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh, come off it, what Jack wrote was 100% clear, 100% correct and 100% fine. Don't fusspot about nothing. ╟─TreasuryTag►prorogation─╢ 11:57, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

I agree quoting or otherwise making it clear the answer was copied is good practice and common courtesy. I don't think Tango intended to make a big fuss about this, it was a fair comment and may have been more of a joke then anything anyway however Jack asked so Tango correctly replied/explained. Then of course you replied so... Nil Einne (talk) 17:30, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Discussion continues here. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:49, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Would she still retain that title if Andrew were to marry again? Everard Proudfoot (talk) 21:14, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, she can. She would be referred to as "Sarah, Duchess of York", but not called "Her/Your Grace", or "Royal Highness". Andrew's new wife would be simply "Duchess of York", or more formally, "Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of York" - or "Her Grace, the Duchess of Place" if not royal (ie. not need personal name to disambiguate). Gwinva (talk) 22:46, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

What if she does something really bad, like kill someone? Can her title be revoked like a KBE? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:02, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

It's a courtesy title, ie. it's allowed through convention. Since she has no legal right to it, there can't be any legal stripping. But in such a scenario, people might choose not to use it, and official references to her might well drop the courtesy; if she continued to use it herself, the Palace could take her aside and gently suggest it was no longer appropriate. Gwinva (talk) 23:15, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Wait, what if he decides to marry someone else named Sarah? (I think he should do it, just for the laughs.) TresÁrboles (talk) 04:50, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

If payday falls on a weekend

I pay my employees on the 15th and 30th by cheque with no holdback. What happens if payday falls on a sat. or sun. when I'm closed. Does the employee get pad early or on the Monday? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.71.236.203 (talk) 21:31, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

That's up to you. Employment contracts are usually written so that it is clear what happens in those situations (eg. they might say pay is received on the first business day on or after the 15th of each month). If you don't have contracts that make it clear, you need to come up with a solution. --Tango (talk) 21:36, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I usually received the check by the official payday. If the 15th was on Sunday or a holiday, I got the check early (on the 13th) rather than on Monday the 16th, or Tuesday the 17th if Monday the 16th was a holiday. Edison (talk) 21:53, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I get paid on the 28th (next Friday, yay!); when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday I get paid the previous Friday, except in December when I get paid a week early so I can actually do something with the money before the country closes down for the Christmas-New Year holiday. When does the OP pay his employees in February when there's no 30th? -- Arwel Parry (talk) 22:59, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

You shouldn't pay them at all -- sort of like having your birthday on Feb 29th and being much younger than all of your peers. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 01:24, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

When you pay your employees is up to you. That said, I haven't encountered, or heard of, a single employer in the US who doesn't pay their employees the Friday before a payday that falls on a weekend or holiday. Dismas|^(talk) 01:34, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, most employers (in the UK also) pay early rather than late, to avoid creating a cash-flow problem for their employees. This can, however, create a similar problem for the employer. Dbfirs 01:42, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

The National Health Service in the UK pays its employees on the Friday if the pay day falls at the weekend. My local trust publishes in April the pay dates for the whole year, so no-one can be in any doubt. 86.4.186.107 (talk) 07:12, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

May 26

Live from the Concertgebouw

The classical music station in my city plays a promotional sound byte for this program with some excerpt from a piece of music. Here is my attempt at a transcription: C F (going up) E C B G (going down) F G A B C# D# F (going up). The notes are: quarter, quarter, eighth, eighth, eighth, eight, eighth, sixteenth, sixteenth, sixteenth, sixteenth, eighth, half, played by brass instruments. Does anyone recognize this, or has anyone heard the clip? What piece is it from? 70.162.12.102 (talk) 03:58, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

I think it must be the opening motif of the last movement of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. (Midi version available here.) AndrewWTaylor (talk) 07:26, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

formal names

What are the formal names for the display and the edit areas for the same text? 71.100.8.229 (talk) 04:00, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

You could be talking about an online rich-text editor, a control which in some cases allows you to edit text in the same area where it will ultimately be displayed (e.g. on your blog). Then again you might be being utterly unclear. The display and edit areas of what text? Perhaps you want the article form (web), specifically textarea forms, which in the case of the display area could be set to read-only. 81.131.25.53 (talk) 04:49, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Panjabi Wikipedia

What is the current state of the Gurmukhi Panjabi Wikipedia? Like are there active editors?, how many articles does it have?, and stats on it.--Profitoftruth85 (talk) 04:29, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

See pa:Special:Statistics. :-) Killiondude (talk) 08:10, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Those statistics use numeral symbols as in Indian numerals#Other modern Indian languages. -- Wavelength (talk) 03:26, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

featured pictures- light fittings/lamps

I want to refer the featured pictures appeared during the first week of this month. There were about 80-90 lamp fittings were shown in that picture. I want to refer it again for further information. how can I access that picture? thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.43.25.100 (talk) 07:19, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

The directory of featured pictures is here. Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:31, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

The one you want is File:Eclairage.jpg. (The handy day-by-day archive of pictures of the day is Wikipedia:Picture of the day/May 2010.) Deor (talk) 10:35, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Star gazing + creation of synthetic life

1. When star gazing, I am able to easily see constelations such as the crab, and the full Orion, not just the belt but the skirt, arms. bow ect. Now obviously the ancient greeks could see this too, and in my opinion it is not difficult, so why is there speculation recently that these are difficult to make out?

2. Do we have an article on the recent synthetic life that was created. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.59.90 (talk) 09:31, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

On your first question, I am not sure there is any such recent speculation - do you have a source for this? On your second question, we have an article on Craig Venter who is the guy responsible for this work and a rather techy article on Mycoplasma laboratorium which I gather is what the recent breakthrough is about. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:40, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

To partially answer your first question, if you live in a city then the city lights will drown out all but the very brightest stars and planets. There has been a fuss made about that, and if you search for "Dark Skies 2010" you will find sites which tell you more. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:06, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

While the main body of Orion (ie, the shoulders, belt and feet) contains 1st and 2nd magnitude stars, the shield or bow of Orion contains a group of stars, all called Pi Orionis, none of which is brighter than magnitude 3.6, and the skirt (Upsilon Orionis, 29 Orionis and 49 Orionis) is no brighter then magnitude 4.5. In Cancer the brightest star is Beta Cancri with a magnitude of 3.5. In my experience, unless you are somewhere very dark, stars below 3rd magnitude are difficult to see with the naked eye. Certainly, where I live very close to London, it is difficult to see any but the brightest stars. If I use binoculars, I can then see too many stars which makes 3rd and 4th magnitude difficult to pick out from the background of fainter stars, particularly if the background is the Milky Way like it is in Orion.

I guess by synthetic life, you mean the bacteria mentioned in this BBC report. Indeed, the Craig Ventner mentioned above, is involved in that project. Astronaut (talk) 11:12, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Concerning Q2, I live just outside London, and when it is not raining, it is easy to see them so why? Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.59.90 (talk) 14:11, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

I presume you mean Q1, and haven't looked at our article on Light pollution. If you go to Light_pollution#Effect_on_astronomy then you will see the effect for yourself. You probably live in an area where the light pollution has little impact on the visibility of the stars you quoted. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:23, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

To the original poster: Are you asking about why people say it is difficult to see stars, or are you asking about the psychological phenomenon of recognizing shapes and patterns when you look up at the stars? (Our Constellation article may be of interest, though it sadly lacks much information on the latter phenomenon.) Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:45, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

"speculation recently that these are difficult to make out" - I'm not sure what you mean by "make out". The others above interpret it to mean "see", in which case their answers are useful. If you mean "perceive", I'll chime in and say that I find the vast majority of constellations next to impossible to perceive, no matter how dark the sky (and bright the stars) as the patterns are so vastly different from the shapes they are fancifully supposed to represent, even if you take into account the motion of stars since ancient times. You need more than merely a good imagination to spot the patterns, you need an outstanding one. --Dweller (talk) 17:32, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

I hadn't thought of the OP's question in terms of being able to imagine the shape described by ancient greeks. I just assumed the OP lived in an area with no light pollution and therefore could easily see the stars despite their relative dimness (umm - is "dimness" a word?). Astronaut (talk) 23:16, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

I live 10km from central London but can only see the very brightest stars at night, I once saw the Milky Way from my back garden, but it was during a power cut. Alansplodge (talk) 09:01, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

That's a sad price to pay for urbanisation, or more to the point, electrification, Alan. I get to see the Milky Way in brilliant definition most every night of the year. But I'm three hours drive from the nearest opera house or symphony hall. Swings and roundabouts. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 11:31, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Gossip mongers

what is it with some people who gossip and create a veri amiable environment to a envious and destructive. what is their motivation in doing this and how does this help them...anyone please —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.95.140.188 (talk) 11:15, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

We have an article on gossip, which suggests that it serves the purpose of creating community while reinforcing social norms. The article suggests that some gossip to become closer to their communities, while others may use gossip to isolate and harm others. I also found an interesting Scientific American article that explores some of the evolutionary psychology behind gossip. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 11:27, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Payday

The above question got me thinking. Why do US employees generally get paid by 'check' evey 2 weeks (presumably they then have to take it to the bank and deposit into their account)? Here in the UK (and I believe in most of the EU), employees usually get paid monthly by a transfer into the employees bank account. Astronaut (talk) 11:29, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Many US employees get the option - we choose whether we'd prefer to have a check, or a transfer. Most of the people where I work choose the transfer. I don't really have any statistics other than my own work experience. We do still tend to refer to our payment as our 'paycheck,' even though there's no physical check to cash, possibly for the same reason that I might still say, "I'm going to the record store to buy an album," even though I'm not sure I even remember how to operate a record player any more. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 11:33, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

In the US you often have the choice of how you are paid (I have almost always been paid by direct deposit, as they call it—it just transfers in). Different jobs have different pay periods; most jobs I've had pay monthly, only a rare few paid every 2 weeks. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:24, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

My experience is just the opposite, with biweekly pay periods being the most common arrangement. Many states have laws regulating pay periods. -- Coneslayer (talk) 14:16, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

What kind of jobs were you each doing? In my experience in the UK, salaried jobs almost invariably pay monthly, while jobs with an hourly rate often pay weekly or fortnightly. --Tango (talk) 14:43, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

FWIW, employers often prefer employees to take the direct deposit option because it reduces the amount of paperwork (I don't understand the details, but am told this is so by people in the department) and also reduces the hassle of having cheques floating around out there un-cashed but still "on the books" as it were since they could be cashed at any time. Matt Deres (talk) 13:25, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

It varies in the US. In different jobs, I have sometimes been paid every two weeks and at other times, twice-monthly. A previous job gave me the choice to have a 'live check' or direct-deposit. My present job will only do direct deposit. That seems to apply even to the most senior employees. I think that at least a part of the difference is that in the US, there are typically very short notice periods for employees being fired or wanting to resign - two weeks either-way is common - so I suspect that there is a tie-in there somehow. In the UK, it's more common for 'salaried' employees to be paid monthly and 'blue collar' people weekly...but notice periods for salaried employees are typically much longer. The last job I had in the UK required TWO MONTHS of notice on either side! Since we're paid in arrears in both countries, the US system is fairer than monthly pay because you don't lose the potential interest you could earn from getting half of your salary paid two weeks earlier than you'd get it in the UK. Weekly paid people in the UK are also better off. What I really hate is that my mortgage payment comes due twice a month and I get paid every two weeks so there is this horrible arrhythmia where the random decisions of various Roman Emperors about the duration of each month does horrible things to my bank balance! SteveBaker (talk) 15:19, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, comparisons based on loss of potential interest work only if you assume you'd be paid the same amount per unit time otherwise. I doubt that's a valid assumption. After all, interest you get is interest your employer doesn't get, or vice versa. So I would expect employers who pay weekly, losing out on that interest, to pay slightly less. Overall it probably evens out, more or less, though certainly it might not even out exactly in a particular case. --Trovatore (talk) 09:32, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Here in Sweden, THREE months of notice is required on either side for most steady jobs, and my employer can't just sack me without a valid reason. Of course, the employer can always claim there is "not enough work" - but that means they cannot hire someone else to do my job instead. Lova Falk talk 16:31, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

On either side? You're saying that you're contractually bound to keep working even if you don't want to? What happens if you don't? Your employer sues you?

The two-weeks thing Steve talks about is also not really familiar to me. More typical in the software industry is that, when you are terminated (probably no matter whether it was your choice or the company's), you are immediately locked out of your computer account, and your keycard stops working. What they may very well do is pay you for two weeks or so, or longer in stable companies, assuming that the company fired you and it was not "for cause". It's called a severance package. Of course you're not likely to get one if you resign. But they're not going to ask you to keep working, or even permit you to, in most cases — there's too much mischief you could pull if you were so inclined. --Trovatore (talk) 02:50, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

If you can't get your employer to agree with letting you go earlier, it's a breach of contract if you don't show up, and yes, you could be sued even though I have never heard that it really happened. Lova Falk talk 07:41, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Wow. I think I like the at will system better, even though it's certainly less secure. --Trovatore (talk) 09:26, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I really like the part that I cannot be sacked just because my employer doesn't like my face anymore. Three month's notice is not a problem in Sweden, because it is the same for most. So when looking for a new job, it is not a huge disadvantage. Lova Falk talk 10:21, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Weekly was the traditional way 'unskilled' work was paid in the UK, but there's been a move towards monthly payment by many employers. And towards direct payment into a bank account. When I was doing various temp jobs a couple of summers ago, this was a real worry for a lot of the permanent staff I met: they were being switched to monthly payment, and had spent decades budgeting with a weekly salary. Quite apart from a month != 4 weeks confusing things, weekly payment was a deeply ingrained thing for them. I offer this as anecdata. 212.183.140.17 (talk) 16:00, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm a salaried professional, and I get paid twice a month. Weekly paychecks were quite common when I was doing blue-collar work.

In 1949 I protested that my then weekly pay was to be paid monthly by cheque, objection over-ruled. All my employers since have paid monthly and a day or so early if pay-day fell on a bank holiday.--Artjo (talk) 16:24, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Just to toss in some anecdotal data from Canada: most of the jobs my wife and I have had over 30+ years either paid every 2 weeks or twice a month. Every 2 weeks is nice because the paychecks are equally spaced (except for holidays), but twice a month is nice because most bills you pay are on monthly cycles. I've had two jobs where I was paid monthly, but they really only count once because the same people were running both companies. I found this unusual and inconvenient. In my experience medium-to-large companies typically pay by direct deposit while small ones pay by check. All of these have been technical/professional jobs. --Anonymous, 20:55 UTC, May 26, 2010.

I'm not sure abotu your assumption. I'm in USA and I get paid twice monthly, not every two weeks. This is an important distinction that seems unimportant. (And I had the option of physical checks or direct deposit.) APL (talk) 22:27, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

• Sorry, what "assumption" are you "not sure about"? --Anon, 15:59 UTC, May 27, 2010.

Oh. Not yours, I was referring to the original question-asker. APL (talk) 22:38, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

As long as we're in anecdote mode, let me add mine -- as an example of how you don't want to be paid. This was a US company that no longer exists, and they paid monthly "on the first working day of the month". What this meant was that if the actual 1st of the month was on a weekend, you got paid after it. That was a serious bitch if you had automatic transfers coming out of your account in the first three days of the month, and worse if January 1st was on a Friday, in which case payday was the 4th!

DaHorsesMouth (talk) 22:48, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Some are given the choice, but unless they don't have a bank account, why would anyone US employee prefer to get an actual 'check'? Direct deposit (I think the same thing is called BACS in the UK) seems like such an obvious thing, but when my former (US based) employer was proposing to move all US employees to twice monthly (or maybe two weekly?) direct deposit, there was quite some opposition from my American colleagues. Astronaut (talk) 23:29, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Please don't put check in scare quotes. As to why someone would want to be paid by a physical check in hand, I can't think of any very good reasons, but you know, some people are traditionalists. Who knows; maybe they get a little dopamine rush from holding the check, and that's part of their reward for doing their job. Whatever floats your boat, as they say. --Trovatore (talk) 23:35, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

People are allowed to spell check with a "q" in it at Referense Desque if it seems more natural. Edison (talk) 02:43, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I would not have objected to him using the cheque spelling. I objected to the scare quotes, which seemed to imply that the US spelling was somehow a mistake. --Trovatore (talk) 02:54, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I normally spell it with a "q", but I deliberately spelled it incorrectly because we are dealing with why things are the way they are in the US. Would using {{Sic}} have been a better way to indicate my own incorrect spelling? Astronaut (talk) 20:58, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

It is not an incorrect spelling. Please don't say or imply that it is. --Trovatore (talk) 22:09, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I think every person is entitled to hold his or her own opinion as to whether a form of spelling is corret or not. Within their community (i.e. their half of the English world) the other spelling would be regarded as incorrect. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 06:41, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

It is not incorrect, period. It is perfectly fine American English. That is not a matter of opinion. Using the scare quotes is plain offensive. --Trovatore (talk) 07:45, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I think the point is the OP wasn't speaking American English Nil Einne (talk) 13:17, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Then, as I say, he might easily just have said cheque, and that would have been fine. To write check but put it in scare quotes, that's offensive. --Trovatore (talk) 16:43, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Another anecdote: I get paid twice a month for my regular salary. For my shift differential and overtime, the check comes every Friday. So, every Friday I get a little money but if a twice monthly check falls on a Friday, I get paid twice in the same day. And yes, it's direct deposit. From the other side of things, if you go into most any small town market or general store in the US on a Friday evening, you'll often see people having their paycheck cashed there. These are generally blue collar workers who live paycheck to paycheck and possibly don't have a bank account. Dismas|^(talk) 03:03, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Extermination

what's a LP and a RTU in extermination —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.99.58.5 (talk) 20:23, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

RTU = Ready to use

LP = Lawn and perimeter (?)

as far as I can see. The context where you found these might clarify matters. --Kateshortforbob _talk 20:48, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

...or Return to Unit in military parlance.--Artjo (talk) 05:43, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

OP should have specified who or what was being exterminated...--PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 06:42, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

May 27

Holy Land information

I have just launched a website on sacred sites in the Holy Land (Israel, Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Egypt). The URL is www.seetheholyland.net. Could this link please be passed on to editors working in this area, in case the content is of use? Thank you. Pat McCarthy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Seetheholyland (talk • contribs) 05:06, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

It is unlikely the site will be useful for Wikipedia's purposes. Per Wikipedia:External links, we generally only use external links to a) official websites of the subject of the article or b) As references to reliable sources which can be used to cite information contained in articles. --Jayron32 05:12, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Make and model of truck

Does anyone know the make and model of this truck? I'm trying to add a description to it. I think it's a Mack 'semi' or whatever Americans call it... Chevymontecarlo 05:25, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, we call them semis and it's not a Mack, it's a Freightliner. Though you probably knew that last bit since it's used in the Freightliner article. Unless you thought "Mack" was a generic trademark, which it isn't. Dismas|^(talk) 05:29, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, the make is Freightliner, but the model is still unknown. Freightliner likely make many different Tractor units and Semi-trailers, and may even offer them in a mix-and-match capacity. The article doesn't contain any information on the specific model of either the tractor or the trailer. --Jayron32 05:51, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know how you're going to tell the make of the trailer unless that red circle in the top corner is a company logo of the maker. It may not be a FL trailer. Dismas|^(talk) 11:55, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

The logo on the trailer could be that of Peterbilt. I know they make the truck parts, but I'm not sure if they make trailers. Anyway, here is a list of trailer manufacturers in the United States. I didn't go through it; maybe you could check them to see if anything is recognizable. — Michael J 13:26, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Excellent. Thanks guys. I'll add the description now. Chevymontecarlo 15:14, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

FYI, some very new OR here. Peterbilt does indeed make trailers. I was stuck behind one today creeping along for nearly 30 km! — Michael J 16:11, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

property

Were do i look for for when persons build on your owned property? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.91.97.131 (talk) 07:10, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Your question is a little unclear. In Florida your local government department that deals with planning and building should be able to help you. Indeed must help you because it is very likely that building on someone else's land is illegal. However Wikipedia rules do not permit us to give you legal advice on this matter. Caesar's Daddy (talk) 07:51, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

In the state of Washington I'd recommend contacting your county's Planning Department. They should be able to point you to various resources at least. Elsewhere in the country and world things may be different. Still, contacting one's local government for advice is probably a reasonable course of action. In Washington it is possible for a property owner to legally claim part of an adjoining property, via Adverse possession, if I have the term right. The process and hoops that must be jumped through are long and difficult though. Anyway, before contacting a lawyer I'd contact the local government--particularly agencies that focus on parcels and boundaries (planning dept, maybe surveying or GIS--the local county's GIS Department, where I worked for a while, was very good about directing public questions on matters like this to the appropriate place). Also, the legal boundaries do not always conform to natural features like fences, hedges, etc. Sometimes these disputes can only be settled by bringing in surveyors, and even that does not always settle the matter. Pfly (talk) 08:56, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

FYI, the IP's address resolves to somewhere in Colorado. Dismas|^(talk) 11:52, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Repatriation rules

Recently, on my holiday I visited two countries. I left my home country and reached country A first by flight and from there by another flight country B. I returned to my home country from B via A. I had multiple entry visa to enter A and B was offering visa on arrival. What if I did not have a multiple entry visa for A. Immigration at my home country would have permitted to leave ( as I had a visa and return ticket and where not seeing my tickets to B). Would the airline deny me boarding pass for my ( B to A) return journey? What would have happened in that case( that is if the airlines leave me at a third country)? If they had not noticed it, would I be permitted to land in A? Would I be detained there? I have seen that, in such situations, they will send the passenger to his/her home country at the cost of the airlines. (does that mean I need not have taken a multiple entry visa and even a return ticket). I am just interested in knowing the relevant legal provisions here. I am interested in the general rules and that’s why I am not naming the countries (If there are no general rules, A= Malaysia, B = Indonesia and I am from 203.200.35.32 (talk) ). I am in particular interested in the legal provisions applicable to the situation when a passenger lands in a foreign country without proper entry permit or is denied entry by the authorities. Whose liability is to take him / her back? What if he/she refuses to pay for the return ticket? What if he/she declares to the pilot that he will not obey his directions if he/she is taken against his/her will?--203.200.35.32 (talk) 08:54, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Arriving in any country without the proper documentation renders the person liable to be regarded and treated as an illegal immigrant - with all the subsequent consequences applicable to the country concerned. And rightly so! 92.30.45.217 (talk) 11:00, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Usually they don't return you to your home country, they return you to the country that you just left. If the airline let you on in B without a visa for A (which they would get in trouble for doing) then the authorities in A would return you to B. More likely, the airline wouldn't let you on in B and you would need to either find an alternative way home, get a visa for A or contact your consulate for assistance (one of the thing consulates do is get people home when they're stranded - they sometimes invoice you once you get home, though). --Tango (talk) 14:53, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Many countries that require visas for visitors to that country do not require visas for people who merely change planes in that country without leaving the airport. According to this document, whose reliability I can't assess, this is the case for Malaysia. So if you landed in, say, Kuala Lumpur on your way home from Indonesia and changed to a different plane for your flight home without leaving the international departure area of the airport, you would not need a visa to enter Malaysia. (If you had a few hours between flights, however, and wanted to leave the airport to look around the city, you would need a visa.) To be certain whether this rule applies in your case, you would need to contact your nearest Malaysia embassy or consulate. Marco polo (talk) 18:56, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I had checked this. It is applicable to "Foreign Nationals on transit without leaving the airport precincts and who continue their journey to the next destination with the same flight does not require a transit visa. " I had contacted the consulate and they clearly stated that they wouldn't even issue a transit visa on arrival. 220.227.207.32 (talk) 03:18, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Tired so didn't read the whole discussion but I would note in many cases you may be preventing from boarding the plane in the first place if you lack a suitable visa. I believe agreements between airlines and governments means they do often check this and in fact I think airlines may sometimes be charged with sending you back if you lack a visa, so they have an incentive to ensure you actually have a suitable visa. Also I think it is unlikely you'd be sent back to a country which won't accept you. I believe one of the requirements for deportations is the receiving country needs to accept the person. However if flights are arranged the country may allow it to be used as a transit point. Nil Einne (talk) 13:15, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

St. Petersburg

I remember seeing a documentary a number of years ago concerning how St. Petersburg was build on swamp land and so was interested to day to read more about this and the processes involved, however the above mentioned article does not mention this at all, can some one please illuminate this for me, is it true, and what were the prosseses involved. Further to this, the article mentions that no bridges were allowed to be build over the river Neva until 1850, but does not mention why, please help with this. Finally, the article also mentions that there was a prohibition on the spacing of buildings, please can this too be expanded upon for me, I have never been to Russia (though I would sorely love to) but it would appear in pictures I have seen that the buildings are generally very well spaced and far from each other, is this the case in reality? What was this prohibition the article mentions, are how was it enforced, what were the regulation and when, why and was it stopped. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 09:11, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

This question is being answered on the Humanities Desk. We ask that you not double-post. Marco polo (talk) 18:42, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Suicide rates at the Foxconn factory

There has been news recently about the fact that at the Foxconn factory in China, lots of people commit suicide. I have a question about this. The article says that so far this year, ten people have killed themselves, in a factory of 450,000. Assuming the rates of suicide doesn't change, that would mean that approximately 20 people will kill themselves this year (a little more, but I'm using round numbers). That works out to a suicide rate of about 4.4 people per 100,000 people per year. Right? But according to the article on suicide rates, in all of China, the suicide rate per 100,000 people per year is 13.9, which is three times higher. Is that right? Am I misusing statistics here? Someone check my math.

I'm absolutely not trying to downplay the horribleness of people killing themselves, it is absolutely tragic that people working in this factory are killing themselves. And I'm not trying to say that it's not a horrible place to work either, I'm sure it's an absolute nightmare. But the numbers seem fishy to me. 83.250.239.198 (talk) 10:00, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

What was pointed out in the news sources I read (Slashdot being one, I believe) was that the figure was for the number of people who have killed themselves while actually in the company's premises, ie. at the factory. It doesn't include employees of the company who have committed suicide at home or in other places, which would increase the suicide rate of company employees. Having said that, none of the sources I came across gave a figure for total suicides by Foxconn employees, so I don't know if it is above or below the national average. --Kateshortforbob _talk 13:08, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

The company-premises Vs. home distinction is blurred for Foxconn employees, as for many employees in China's manufacturing sector, because they live in dormitories owned by the company (ref). So incidents there would count as "company premises". A cynic might suggest that if Foxconn were to sell its dormitories to management company (while keeping the same conditions) then the "company premises" incident rate would go down, whereas the actual wellbeing of employees wasn't improved. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 15:22, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

meaning

what is the meaning of toing in a undergarment advertisement. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rakeshknit (talk • contribs) 10:15, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps cameltoe. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 11:50, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I think it means that the undergarment is supposed to give the wearer a more flattering look by making flabby body parts appear less so. See the article on toning exercises for the meaning of "toning". --98.114.98.195 (talk) 12:06, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

If toning is what was meant in the undergarment ad, you might also look at shapewear, which I see redirects to the article on foundation garments. (As 98.114.98.195 said, the purpose of this clothing is to make you look as though your body is more fit (more toned) than it is. --- OtherDave (talk) 11:55, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Internal UK money transfers.

Hello there,

I need to send money to my landlady - we both live in the UK (in the same house!) but by extreme bad luck, my card got damaged earlier today. She needs this money now, but I have no internet banking facility and it will take weeks for a new card to arrive, and days for things like paypal transfer followed by a withdrawal. Do you have any advice on an alternative means to send her this money? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.36.198.62 (talk) 12:26, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

If you live in the same house, cash would seem to be the best option.--Artjo (talk) 12:53, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Failing that, why not go to the bank and transfer the money into her account? This usually takes three working days. You could just take the money out, though, and bring it to her. Even if your card is damaged and the machine won't take it you can still use it in the bank over the counter. In fact, I've taken money out over the counter even without a card. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 13:00, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Depending on which banks you use and the amount to pay, you could find that transfer is by Faster Payments Service. This is guaranteed to be within two hours (under normal circumstances), and often if virtually instant. I have transferred from Nationwide to Co-op, and checked the online balance 5 minutes later and it was there. Certainly check whether your bank and hers support this before paying a £25 chaps fee for instant transfer! -- Q Chris (talk) 14:54, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Or you can go to you bank and pay for an instant transfer, it will cost more but will be instantly in her acc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 13:10, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Dress shirt tabs

When I buy a new dress shirt they often have these little sewed in pockets on the ends of the collar and inside of them is a plastic tab about an inch long. I know these shirts come with all manner of things to keep the product in place while its displayed (and I'd like to go back in time to the first person who decided every shirt was going to get thirteen pins and slap them) but I was wondering regarding these tabs whether these are supposed to be left in while you wear the shirt to keep the collar stiff or something.--162.84.135.225 (talk) 13:02, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

See Collar stays. Yes, you're supposed to leave them in (although I usually lose mine when I forget to take them out before washing the shirts). Deor (talk) 13:11, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh my god, that was fast. Deor, that was amazing! Thanks.--162.84.135.225 (talk) 13:12, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

You can also buy replacement collar stays if the original, removable ones get damaged or lost. I've seen less expensive shirts with sewn-in stays. That's not always a good idea; if they get bent, you have a permanent kink in the collar. --- OtherDave (talk) 11:57, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Having more than one kink in a collar still sounds okay[7] (video). Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:03, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Constellations

I appologise for wording one of the above questions badly, but I would like to know why it is said that with various conselations, it is hard to perceive the patterns that they are meant to make as I find this very easy. Thank you and sorry. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 13:09, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Simply put, because interpretation is subjective. What some find easy others find hard, and there is very little value in pursuing why that is the case. As for why it is said (is it said?) that it's hard to see constellations -- presumably because whoever made the statement found it to be generally true. Or because they had some hidden agenda. Or because the Illuminati secretly controls all printed word (fnord). Again, when it's this subjective and arbitrary, "why?" has little value. But if you can easily recognize the constellations, and gain value from recognizing and interpreting them, great! I hope you live where it's dark enough to see them regularly. — Lomn 13:37, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

While it's easy to recognise the outline of a man in Orion, who would believe that the asterism we know as the Plough or the Big Dipper is meant to represent the Great Bear (Ursa Major)? Or that a line of faint stars is really a Whale (Cetus)? And who on earth knows what a Centaur is these days (Sagittarius)? Or a sea-goat (Capricornus)? You need both a vivid imagination to see these things, and a knowledge of classical Greek mythology! Various attempts have been made over the centuries to introduce new constellations, with mixed results. I sometimes wonder what constellations would emerge today, were we to create them from fresh? The iPod, perhaps? Mobilis Telephonus? --TammyMoet (talk) 18:16, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

"See, that's the Apple. And that little line of dim stars beside it is Bill Gates, weeping in despair." — Lomn 19:17, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Bill's tears are Micrometeroids. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:48, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

If we started naming constellations today they'd all be trademarked characters, because those are the stories that our modern culture is made of.

Disney and Time Warner would own the sky.APL (talk) 14:35, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Actually, that's not a bad marketing stunt for a big media company; Publish a bunch of star charts with your own new constellations on them. Maybe some of them would stick. APL (talk) 14:37, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I changed the title for clarity. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:50, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Are these private residences?

Are these private residences on this island at the extreme northwestern tip of the United States? http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lake+Cushman,+WA&sll=46.596619,-123.684082&sspn=2.208033,4.235229&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lake+Cushman&ll=48.39132,-124.735803&spn=0.002084,0.004136&t=h&z=18 Switch to satellite view if it's not already on that. And does that island have a name? Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20.137.18.50 (talk) 14:08, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

That's Tatoosh Island and the buildings are probably associated with the lighthouse. Mikenorton (talk) 14:19, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Acme mapper shows a few graves in addition to the lighthouse. I'd guess they are Makah graves. The island is theirs in any case. Pfly (talk) 16:41, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

This is a nice photo of the island - perhaps it helps? SteveBaker (talk) 20:37, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

GOL football

What does GOL stand for in GOL Football ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.2.75.181 (talk) 14:21, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

It could be GOL TV or Gol Gohar F.C. or a welsh football charity [8] - what context? Mikenorton (talk) 14:27, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Or could it be Spanish for goal? (See "gol" in Spanish Wikipedia.) — Michael J 17:57, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Largest University Cafeteria

Who has the largest University Cafeteria in North America? Air Di (talk) 14:46, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, the size of a University's campus may have an effect on it's cafeteria size, so this may be of help. Apart from that I don't think there are any other categories or lists, at least on Wikipedia anyway. Chevymontecarlo 19:02, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Probably not. Larger universities could just have more cafeterias. I attended a medium-sized University in the mid-Atlantic U.S. region (15000 undergrads). We had 4 cafeterias and two food courts, and probably another half-dozen or so smaller food venues (sandwich shops, coffee shops). A larger school could have had 8-10 cafeterias rather than larger ones... --Jayron32 04:47, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I know it's not North America, but for comparison, the UniMensa (central and largest cafeteria) of the University of Cologne, Germany, is a sizeable three-storey building with lots of separate areas for different kinds of food and is probably able to serve upwards of a thousand people at the same time. Can't find a good photograph, though. It's the central building under this link, right between the trees, the sports field, the parking lot and Zuelpicher Strasse. HTH. --Ouro (blah blah) 07:50, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

According to the Wikipedia Cafeteria article, Michigan State University's Brody Complex has the world's largest non-military cafeteria CosmicJake (talk) 17:48, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Driving simulator instead of breathalyzer

(1) Whereas police officers in many jurisdictions use breathalyzers to test drivers for evidence of driving under the influence of alcohol, and (2) whereas individual drivers differ in regard to how their driving is influenced by the consumption of alcohol, and (3) whereas other substances and factors besides alcohol can influence driving ability, and (4) whereas driving simulators can be used to test driving ability directly and in various dimensions (vision, hearing, judgement, and reflexes), is there a motor vehicle equipped with a driving simulator for testing driving ability (either at random moments, or after a specified interval of driving time, or at the discretion of a police officer), and which responds to a failed test by automatically disabling the motor for a specified period of time? -- Wavelength (talk) 17:21, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I doubt it. That kind of test would take quite a while. A breathalyser test can be done in a minute. I don't think anyone would like to replace a one minute test with a 30 minute one. --Tango (talk) 17:34, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

No. If you think there should be one, who would be responsible for the inevitable false positives and false negatives? The legal standard is the driver's alcohol:blood ratio. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:43, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Breathalyzers can give false readings. See Breathalyzer#Common sources of error. -- Wavelength (talk) 18:10, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Incidentally, personal breathalyzers are available from http://www.breath-tester.com/. -- Wavelength (talk) 18:38, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I am continuing to search for an online driving simulator test, but, meanwhile, I found Globe Drive writer fails driving test - The Globe and Mail. -- Wavelength (talk) 19:11, 27 May 2010 (UTC)
The page Virtual Driving Simulator | Online Driving Simulator has a link to Amazon.com: Use of a virtual reality driving simulator as an alcohol abuse prevention approach&#133; ($9.95), indicating that someone else has had similar thoughts. -- Wavelength (talk) 20:02, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Incidentally in many jurisdictions the crime is driving with a particular blood alcohol concentration so the ability to actually drive a car may be of little interest to the policeJabberwalkee (talk) 20:32, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I think the problem here is that as people become mildly intoxicated, their rate of making poor decisions gets only gradually worse. While a totally, crazily drunk individual might show serious impairment within just a few minutes of driving, it might be that a sober person could drive for (let's say) an average of 200,000 miles without causing an accident. But let us suppose that someone who is just over the legal limit might cause an accident (say) every 2,000 miles. That's 100 times more dangerous than a sober person - which would be ample reason for the law to require people not to drive with that amount of alcohol in their systems. However, you might have to sit such a person in a realistic car simulator, keeping them at that level of intoxication for DAYS as you watch them drive for 2,000 miles before they'd make such an error! Even then, one error isn't statistically significant. You'd probably have to have them drive maybe 20,000 miles at that same level of intoxication(!) before you'd have enough statistical evidence to say that they were significantly impaired. You could (and people have) use simulators to experimentally estimate the level of blood-alcohol at which the accident rate becomes unacceptable - but to use it to test every single person who is accused of drunk driving is utterly impossible. I used to know a guy who worked for the University of Minnesota's car simulator group - and I know they did all kinds of testing for those kinds of thing (also cellphone distraction, radio show distraction, talking passenger distraction, etc). A car simulator with enough fidelity to do that is an expensive toy - we're talking millions of dollars. You can't afford to use such machines for routine testing - but only for establishing a statistical basis for cheaper tests such as the breath-analyser and blood analysers. SteveBaker (talk) 20:33, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Would it be too expensive for workers and/or robots at a motor vehicle assembly line to equip each motor vehicle with such a driving simulator? -- Wavelength (talk) 21:53, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Steve just said they would cost millions of dollars each (and he has a lot of experience with such simulators, so I'm inclined to trust his estimate). I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be happy paying millions of dollars for my car just so it can include a impairment test! (Yes, economies of scale would reduce the cost a bit from Steve's estimate, but they would still cost thousands of dollars, I'd guess.) You also haven't addressed the issue of the tests taking far too long. --Tango (talk) 22:48, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I visualize a driver parking the vehicle and then lowering the driving simulator from its place of attachment under the roof above the driver's seat. -- Wavelength (talk) 22:40, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

This would mean that every single new vehicle would not only, as discussed above, cost substantially more by virtue of including this quite elaborate equipment (as well as by virtue of having to amortise the costs of substantially redesigning every model of vehicle currently on the market), but would also consume additional fuel by having to carry its weight: it would probably be next to impossible to retrofit such equipment to existing vehicles. Presumably, too, the simulator would have to be regularly tested at the vehicle owner's expense. Since it would have to interact intimately with the car's real-life controls, who is going to take responsibility when the inevitable sortware glitches cause real-life crashes?

A slightly more realistic scenario would be to have one such simulator at every police station. Though other jurisdictions may differ, in the UK one is not charged on the evidence of a roadside breathaliser test - which is only used as grounds for arrest on suspicion of the offence - but on the evidence of a second test performed post-arrest at a police station, which may involve either giving a blood sample for later analysis, or taking another breath test using a much larger (around 4 cubic meter) and more accurate machine. The simulator could be substituted for these, but suffers from requiring a much more elaborate and time-consuming procedure, and from not giving an obviously clear-cut numerical answer as to whether the suspect has actually broken the law. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 23:32, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I visualize a device resembling a laptop computer with a program, and being no more elaborate, weighty, glitch-prone, or expensive. -- Wavelength (talk) 00:42, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

In drunk driving offences, people are not prosecuted for their inability to drive, but for their blood-alcohol level (or breath alcohol level) breaching a set, legal limit. Thus, a simulator result is irrelevant (especially an imaginary not-yet-invented laptop-sized one). Inaccuracies in breathalysers are recognised, hence the tolerances given in most jurisdictions. In addition, most jurisdictions allow a driver to request a blood test instead (or require one for evidence), which are much more accurate (and more likely to convict you, since the accepted tolerances are lower.) Gwinva (talk) 04:03, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

When I asked, at the beginning of this discussion, whether there was a motor vehicle equipped with such a device, I had in mind that it might be used instead of a breathalyzer, and that, in some jurisdictions, the cumulative result of a driving simulator test instead of the result of a breathalyzer test might be a criterion for deciding the legality or illegality of driving by the driver being tested. -- Wavelength (talk) 05:19, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

That would be a computer game, not a driving simulator. --Tango (talk) 16:39, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

@OP you have not answered my question and continue to visualize a cheap laptop-size mass produced in-car driving simulator that objectively and comprehensively quantifies a wide range of human abilities AND can interfere with a driver's control of their vehicle by disabling it AND somehow interprets and condenses all the data it collects into a single legally mandated number that can substitute for a blood test. I believe you knew that no such device exists before you posted your question. Wikipedia is not for things made up one day. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:43, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Whereas a driving test in real road traffic involves the circumstances available at that particular time, a driving simulator test can be designed with all of the essential challenges (except maybe road rage) condensed into a minimal amount of time, possibly five minutes, which might be equivalent to the time spent for a typical visit to a gasoline station.

Cuddlyable3, you asked "who would be responsible for the inevitable false positives and false negatives?" I do not know who would be responsible for false results, but it might be equivalent to the same people who are responsible for false results from breathalyzers. I do not visualize "a single legally mandated number", unless you consider a positive or negative result as a number, in the way that computers use zeroes and ones. I do not know with certainty that such a device exists or does not exist, and therefore I asked whether it does. I believe that my question qualifies as much as the question posed in the heading of the next section. -- Wavelength (talk) 14:46, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

If you condense it all into five minutes, even someone blind drunk could pass. It isn't hard to notice the hazards when you know they'll be coming up every 10 seconds. --Tango (talk) 16:39, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Yeah - there is a VAST difference between a "driving game" and a "driving simulator" (trust me - I've worked on both!). If you are merely suggesting that there might be some kind of interactive test of how drunk someone is - then it probably shouldn't be anything like a car driving game - it would be more likely to be something much more predicable and evidence-based. Imagine maybe a row of colored lights flashing on and off at random - when exactly three green lights light up (not two, not four, not red, not blue) you have to push a button as quickly as possible - the elapsed time says whether you're allowed to drive or not. That might work as a 'reaction test' - but the problem with drunk drivers isn't just reaction time - it's impaired judgement ("Sure I can make it through this amber light before it turns red!"..."I can't see past that truck but it's going really slowly so I'll overtake it anyway"). You can't test for that in a game because the player doesn't have enough feeling of "being there" to invest the care they need to complete a realistic task. Everyone drives without a care in the world for "dying" when they play computer games.

A car simulator that would be realistic enough to catch problems on a full driving experience would have to have ALL of the controls working, a working radio, rear and door mirrors - a way to see out to the sides - a way for you to feel bumps and g-forces in turns - realistic engine sounds that respond to road conditions, steering with proper force-feedback for "road feel". That means taking a real car, modifying the heck out of it, mounting it on a gigantic hydraulic motion-platform, enclosing it in some kind of a dome and projecting high-resolution graphics with sufficient brightness to be convincing. That, right there, is a ten million dollar machine! Anything less than a full-up realistic simulation is no better guarantee than a row of lights and a button for reaction time testing...and if you're going with that kind of approach then you might as well stick with breath and blood analysis to get a direct blood-alcohol reading.

But even if what you're imagining that a computer game could somehow work - you didn't address the serious concern from my previous post that you might have to have the person being tested drive for hundreds or thousands of simulated miles before they'd make that serious mistake that would label them as unfit to drive. If a typical driver goes for 200,000 miles without causing a serious accident - and a drunk driver is 100 times worse than a sober driver - then unless you're prepared to test them for 2,000 miles of simulated driving - you won't know whether they might make a serious mistake. That, right there, is the last nail in the coffin for this concept. If you're merely hoping to detect whether the person weaves slightly as they drive - or maybe fails a "kid jumps out into the road" emergency stop - then you aren't directly testing all aspects of driving ability and you might as well test blood-alcohol instead...it's every bit as arbitary.

Worse still, you'd have to take this test every single time you sat in the car - even if you are a teetotaler. Having to pass a 10 minute driving test every time I need to drop my kid off to school - AND every time I stop for gas or get out of the car for any other reason - would be an unbelievable pain in the ass!

SteveBaker (talk) 19:45, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

There is actually an even deeper legal problem. You can tell someone that they must not drink more than two units of alcohol before driving. That's a rule that everyone can obey if they choose to do so. People who drink more than that and then drive KNOW that they are breaking the law. With a performance-based test, everyone can kid themselves that they are a good enough driver when slightly tipsy to chance that extra drink...and they might be right...but the trouble is that we know that people who drink and drive don't believe they'll cause an accident - if they did, they wouldn't do it. So you know for 100% certain that all drunk drivers would continue to believe they can drive safely after what they drank...so this test would be ineffective at preventing people from driving drunk. Worse still, it risks having honest, law-abiding citizens who wouldn't consider having that third drink think that they can. Most likely then, this idea would actually INCREASE the amount of drunk driving...not decrease it. SteveBaker (talk) 19:52, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

SteveBaker, I do not have responses ready for all of your points, but I do have a few things to say. The device would not measure drunkenness; it would test driving ability. Also, I did not say that the driver would have to take the test each time he or she sat down into the motor vehicle; I mentioned in my opening post three different ways in which the tests might be "scheduled".

-- Wavelength (talk) 21:08, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Are there autonomous/"self-charging" (small, unmanned) submarines?

I imagine you could anchor to the bottom of a strong stream and get the water power, or maybe something else? --194.197.235.240 (talk) 19:00, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

It's not exactly that - but this autonomous underwater 'glider' can travel 30,000 miles on the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of gasoline! It uses small bouyancy changes to allow it to 'glide' through the water for long distances. If you imagine an airplane gliding down from a great height - then you can imagine a heavier-than-water submarine with "wings" doing the same thing, gliding through water from the surface to some great depth. Conversely, a lighter-than-water sub could "glide upwards" from deep water to the surface. By pumping water into and out of ballast tanks, this little submarine can alternate between being lighter and heavier than water - and thereby glide over immense distances with teeny-tiny amounts of energy. SteveBaker (talk) 20:17, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Could one be made large enough to carry a standard cargo container, do you suppose? Is there any money in shipping things extremely slowly around the world at almost no cost? 213.122.35.20 (talk) 00:40, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

If Popular Science is to be trusted, Work is actually underway[9] to make "self-charging" unmanned submarines for deep ocean dives. They may soon increase the endurance of the kind of bots Steve just linked into a the years without a recharge range.

The theory is to exploit the temperature difference between different layers of the ocean to generate the tiny amount of energy required to blow the ballast tanks. APL (talk) 21:11, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

These low-thrust drones could not maneuver at the bottom of a strong stream. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:04, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

If it does not have to be a sub, why couldn't you just have a robotic sailing vessel, or a solar powered ship? They might not be super fast and there could be some days where they do not move because it is cloudy or there is no wind, but the principal would be similar. Googlemeister (talk) 13:58, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, wind-powered ships are not exactly new! Having one be robotically controlled is also not unreasonable - but the problem for cargo shipment is that time is money and being becalmed for days or weeks is not likely to be acceptable. Also, the capital cost of the ship is not small - and tying up such a valuable resource when it's becalmed or if it has to sail at slow speed - or perhaps sail around storm systems instead of piling right through them is problematic. Also, when you have a ship that's worth tens of millions with cargo worth about the same...the cost of having a handful of humans on board to resolve problems is not such a big deal and having a robotic system pilot the ship has few attractions. The nice thing about being underwater is that there is little or no weather problems down there - so a submarine trip could have a more predictable ride. SteveBaker (talk) 19:17, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. That was all new and interesting to me. --194.197.235.240 (talk) 19:00, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Wave power is also practical - all you need is a suitable weight connected to the piston of a hydraulic or pneumatic pump - and every time the vessel bobs up and down, you get one cycle of the pump and a little more energy for propulsion. If the craft is small and you can be patient, you can have a ship with a virtually limitless range. SteveBaker (talk) 19:20, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Children as sole survivors

Looking at the list of sole survivors of airline incidents, I, along with many others, notice a bias towards children; it is certainly well above what you'd expect. Have there been any theories as to why this is the case? I imagine physical size may play a part, but on the other hand, they'd faint more easily from pain, blood loss and smoke inhalation. - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 21:05, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

I'd want to be sure it was true before trying to explain it - a sole surviving child is likely to get more publicity than a sole surviving adult. If it is true, then I'd guess it is either their smaller size or them being protected by the adults (using their bodies to shield the children, for example). They might be able to survive great injuries too - children have a reputation for healing quickly, but I don't know if that is true or not. --Tango (talk) 21:30, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Where is this list to be seen? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:49, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

List of sole survivors of airline accidents or incidents. As for the question, I would think that parents and/or guardians of the children would do their best to protect the child, putting their kids above themselves. How much and what kind of extra protection would be available, I don't know. The Reader who Writes (talk) 23:11, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

The BBC have also noticed this trend - a moderately interesting article in which they speak to various experts but conclude very little. Warofdreams talk 23:23, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

The List of sole survivors of airline accidents or incidents shows 11 children under age 18 who survived crashes that had 788 fatalities. That's 72 adults killed for every child saved. Bias? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:29, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

It's only 72 adults if all the 788 fatalities were adults, which is unlikely. These numbers could have some meaning if data were easily available stating how many of the dead were children vs. adults. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:15, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

The "trend" and "bias" claims are really weird because the sample size is small — we should be looking at "airline crashes with 2 survivors" and "airline crashes with 3 survivors", etc., if we want to draw any conclusions. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:36, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I'd imagine it's a combination of size and immaturity. First, kids being smaller means that the square-cube law works in their favor: their muscles, bones, and other tissues are stronger in proportion to their mass (and inertia) than for adults, so it takes a more forceful impact to cause damage. Second, since kids are still growing, their skeleton has a higher proportion of cartilege to bone, which tends to bend rather than break. --Carnildo (talk) 00:42, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

The sample isn't large enough to really note trends, and experts all have differing opinions. See this newspaper article on the Libyan crash:

William Voss, president of the Alexandria, Va.-based Flight Safety Foundation said sometimes children survive because of their small size. "As far as children are concerned, the only thing we can reasonably say is that some children survive because of their size, because it's easier for them to be protected during impact," he said. However, John Nance, an aviation safety expert and retired airline pilot, said that because commercial jet crashes are infrequent and each is different, there's not enough evidence to say children have an advantage. Although children weigh less and are more flexible, many infants and children die in crashes because they aren't properly restrained, he said.

Of the nine "sole survivors" listed at the conclusion of the article, 5 are children. Gwinva (talk) 03:51, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I can appreciate the relevant undermining of such an observation (better reporting, etc.) but most sources say, with a small sample size, half were children. That's at least twice what you'd expect. Are there any more definite reults for perhaps all crashes, or all deadly crashes, out there? Indeed, can we find the percentage of people on flights who are children? - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 12:24, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

May 28

Puducherry

Sir, Is Pondicherry (Puducherry) is a Municipal Corporation? How many Municipal Corporations in India? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.177.173.209 (talk) 02:38, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Our article Puducherry (city) notes that it is a municipality ([[Nagar palika). Our municipality article notes that in "in India, a municipality is often referred to as a town. It is neither a village nor a big city.Usually,a municipality would have 20000 or more people, but if it exceeds 500000 it becomes a municipal corporation". See also Municipal_corporation#India and it's (supposedly) main article Nagar nigam. Gwinva (talk) 03:39, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Modified duration

Hi, what is the standard or benchmark modified duration (of an investment portfolio) for a company? Where may I find this stats? Thank you, 131.170.90.4 (talk) 04:16, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

satisfaction??

how do we raise the level of satisfaction from the end users for a customer satisfaction (in a travel process)survey sent.are there any robust procedures in place we can implement after having tried everything to attain to no avail.how do we list the the priorities in 1,2,3 in this endeavour??anyone —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.95.140.188 (talk) 12:48, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Have you actually asked your "end users" (horrible phrase - use "customers" instead!) what would improve their levels of satisfaction? Have you asked them to list their suggestions in order of priority? Finally, have you implemented these changes? --TammyMoet (talk) 15:11, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Traveling abroad - alone

I have a lot of time now and I want to travel out of my country. The cons are: I don't have a lot of money and I am a female and I will be traveling alone. Where do I begin? fyi - there are no travel angencies near where I live. Also, I don't want to necessarily "backpack" it or hitchhike where ever I go. But I can't travel luxuriously. What countries are not so expensive to visit? Where would it be fairly safe enough for a lone female American to travel? Would you suggest that I locate a waitressing position if I happen to like a country and stay a bit longer? Reticuli88 (talk) 15:23, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

It is common, and relatively inexpensive, for people to travel around Europe with an InterRail pass, and to stay in hostels. Frequently one meets like minds in such places, which may make this mode of travel less lonely (for the lone traveller) than more luxurious accommodation. Lonely Planet and Rough Guides cater to this budget-conscious market segment. I can recommend Barcelona (and a specific hostel, if you want). -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 15:35, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Also, a lot of countries will not like you taking a job without the correct permit or visa, so you may not be able to work while abroad. Googlemeister (talk) 15:36, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Places like India and Nepal are cheap, but not the sort of places you want to be a woman travelling alone. Travel itself is expensive, so consider what there is to explore within, say, 1000 miles of home. If you are worried about travelling alone, there are lots of sites like www.TravBuddy.com that can fix you up with someone who wants to do the same as you, and who may have more knowledge and experience.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:54, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Look up the rules for a "working visa" for the countries you want to visit. Most rich countries have a scheme where foreign students/young people can come over and work for a season to pay for travel, as a means of cultural exchange. I know the UK and Australia have lots of exchange students (in both directions), and surely Americans can join in too. Cod Lover Oil (talk) 18:18, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

If you want to get a feeling of foreignness without too much expensive travel, I recommend Montreal. Lots of interesting things to see there, and it's certainly no more dangerous or expensive than a U.S. city. Budget accommodations are available. Deor (talk) 18:27, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Working holiday visa appears to be the article for what Cod Lover Oil is describing. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:27, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

The United States does not participate in the working holiday visa program. Consequently, few if any such programs are open to US citizens because of a lack of reciprocity. That said, you can sometimes land "under the table" work, which is technically illegal, particularly in countries with a large unofficial sector, such as Italy (not that we would ever advise doing anything illegal). Also, the Interrail pass is available only to people who have been legally resident in a participating European country for at least 6 months. Once again, this is not an option for most US citizens. US citizens can buy Eurail passes, but they are not so cheap. If you are a US citizen looking to travel inexpensively, I don't think Europe is the best destination. It is not inexpensive, in general. Eastern Europe, including Russia, may be an exception. As a male, I can't really assess how safe travel would be in those countries for a single woman. What I might recommend instead would be India. India has a wealth of cultural attractions that rivals the entire subcontinent of Europe. English is widely spoken. The flight to and from India is relatively expensive, though only maybe 50% more than a round-trip flight to Europe. Once you get to India, costs are shockingly low. For example, you can have a room with a private bath for around $12 a night in many places. You'd pay twice that for a bunk in a crowded youth-hostel dormitory in Europe. If you are willing to share a bathroom, you can sleep for less than $10. There may be hostels in India that are even cheaper. A nice dinner at a restaurant in India can cost $1. Rail fares for 100-mile intercity journeys cost little more than a subway (metro) ticket in London or Paris. My sense is that India is fairly safe for a woman traveling alone, provided that you dress modestly (loose pants or long dresses, no tight-fitting tops, a head scarf is even better) and travel by daylight. However, I would recommend going to a large bookstore, finding their travel section, and discretely browsing a few travel guides for key information before making a decision. Marco polo (talk) 18:51, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

From the working holiday visa page above, have you looked at a BUNAC internship in the UK? Cod Lover Oil (talk) 19:27, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I know less about Southeast Asia, but I think that there are parts of Southeast Asia that have attractions similar to India. Specifically, I am thinking of Vietnam and Indonesia. Both have a number of interesting attractions, though neither has India's cultural richness. On the other hand, I suspect that you could probably work your way in those countries as an English teacher, whereas I suspect that that would be difficult in India since so many Indians speak English well enough to attract students. Waitressing in these Asian countries might be possible, but your earnings would put you at the level of low-income locals, who tend to live hard lives (think ramshackle housing without running water in a shanty town). Marco polo (talk) 19:04, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

You might also try WikiTravel - it's not a Wikimedia Foundation project - but is run on those lines, so it's pretty good. It has specific itineraries that you can follow (and you can of course chat with people who tried them) - tons of general advice about how to travel cheaply and safely - lots and lots of ideas for places to go that nobody here would have thought of! SteveBaker (talk) 19:08, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Also - this might sound crazy, but it is true - Italy grants citizenship automatically based on that of your ancestors, with no restriction if it's through the male line. Through the female line there is a cutoff point but it might still be possible. If any of your grandfathers, great-grandfathers, etc, were Italian, and you can prove it, you are already an Italian dual citizen. That means you can live and work anywhere in the European Union, with no restrictions. Just call the consulate and book an appointment to have your documents checked. More info here [10] Cod Lover Oil (talk) 20:21, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I'd recommend Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales). You do not have to backpack anymore. Nor is it just for youth only, I've been surprised to see several people who look in their sixties or even seventies. On the other hand, I do not think an American would be able to get a job in the UK or anywhere in the EU, unless you have special skills or are on some youth exchange scheme. You could buy a tourist rail ticket that allows unlimited travel - I think they are cheaper to buy in the US than in the UK. If you just want to stay in London, then all (I think) the publically owned museums and art galleries have free entrance. 92.15.30.36 (talk) 21:04, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Applying to Cambridge University

Cambridge University (UK) asks to see the module marks for every AS level taken. There's been a lot of mixed messages about what module marks the university would like, which has left me rather confused. Is there some mark you have to obtain on every module you sat for at AS? Many people seem to believe that this is 90%. In that case, is it necessary to get more than 90% on every module for EVERY AS level you have taken? Or is it enough to get over 90% ONLY in all the modules of AS subjects RELEVANT to the subject you are applying for? So for example: If you take Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Greek at AS, but would like to apply for Natural Sciences at the University, could you still have a realistic chance of getting into Cambridge, if on Greek you have one module whose mark is below 90% (but is still a high 80% mark so good enough for an A), but for every module in every other exam you have sat, you had over 90%? Would be so grateful if someone could sort out this conundrum for me! Luthinya (talk) 17:51, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

It's definitely worth applying. You may want to get some advice (from your school tutor, maybe) on what college to apply to - they all have different criteria. Some are really keen on excellent exam results (which yours definitely count as, one module being merely very good isn't going to be a problem), some prefer to see lots of good extra curricula activities, some like specialists, others prefer students with broader interests, etc.. --Tango (talk) 18:03, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

It's also worth noting that in many UK universities, it's possible to enroll onto one degree program - and then almost immediately switch to something else after being accepted. Thus, you might try to get into a program based on whichever subjects you have the most confidence that you could pass - with the plan to switch over to something else once you're enrolled. I went to the University of Kent and there, it doesn't matter what degree you enrolled for because during the first year, all science subject students do the exact same courses and at the end of that year, they get to re-select the exact degree program that they actually want to do. That may not be true everywhere - but I bet it's pretty common. It's amazing how many people switch after just a few weeks of discovering what exactly the subject they've chosen is all about! SteveBaker (talk) 19:00, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

That would never work at Oxford or Cambridge. People kill to get in there, they're not going to co-operate with students gaming the system. ╟─TreasuryTag►Counsellor of State─╢ 19:02, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Just to echo Tango, it's well worth applying. Obviously, have a back-up university, but go for it. They say one of the big factors reducing diversity at the big two universities is that students assume they'll never get in and don't apply. 212.183.140.55 (talk) 19:52, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Hitching on a plane

I've found the Airhitch site, that sells cheap standby tickets across the Atlantic for studenty types, but was wondering if it's possible to actually hitchike on a plane as opposed to just being flexible in your bargain hunting. To be precise, I mean turning up to an airport without prebooking anything, and convincing a complete stranger to put you onboard (not necessarily for a huge distance) without them making a profit. You'd have no idea where you would end up, or how long it might take, and at most you would pay gas (kerosene?) money and give some little presents. Can it be done, and how would you do it? Cod Lover Oil (talk) 18:13, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Assuming you're not talking about trying to hitchhike on a commercial airliner, which would never allow this, it could be possible. Many private pilots rent a plane for a few hours with the ostensible reason that they want to buy a "$100 hamburger", meaning they want to fly from Airport 1 to Airport 2, have lunch at Airport 2, and then fly back. Of course, if you convince one of these pilots to bring you along, you aren't going to get very far, and it seems to me that finding a willing pilot would be rare enough that you have to assume you're going to be stranded at Airport 2. I googled airplane hitchhiking and saw some first-person accounts. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:25, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Certainly this will never happen on commercial airlines - the rules imposed upon them are just too strict - and it's hard to imagine the owner of an executive jet just offering you a free ride. So you're down to light aircraft with amateur/enthusiast pilots who just fly for fun. I could certainly imagine finding someone who would take you along for the ride if you paid your share of the costs...but bear in mind, you wouldn't just be paying for a few gallons of avgas. Light aircraft have strict limits on the number of flight hours each component of the plane can fly without mandatory replacement or overhaul - and light aircraft owners and operators track that and treat it as a 'per hour' cost who's value they know rather accurately. Also, unlike a car, the amount of gas the plane uses increases significantly with the amount of weight it's carrying - so it's not a zero-cost thing to pick up a hitchhiker. So most pilots would (I'd imagine) ask for a share of the flight costs...certainly so if they rented a plane (as many do). I think it would also depend a lot on where in the world you were. I could imagine getting a heap/free ride with an Alaskan/Northern-Canadian or Australian bush-pilot - or with the Australian or African flying doctor services where you might be able to earn your ride by helping out with dispensing medicines or hauling Land Rover parts when you get to your destination (I've actually done that with the East Africa flying doctor service in Nairobi when my father piloted for them back in the 1970's). SteveBaker (talk) 18:55, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Someone with a private pilots license isn't allow to take paying passengers, but they usually are allowed to share the costs of a flight with their passengers, so I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few light aircraft pilots would accept such a deal. Whether they would accept it from a random person that turned up at the airport, I'm not so sure. You would be better off trying to find a pilot in advance (there must be web forums for light aircraft pilots, try one of those). --Tango (talk) 19:05, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Also, there would be almost zero point in turning up at an airport - those are places where large passenger aircraft come and go - and the landing fees for small planes pretty much ensures that the only light aircraft there are being flown for some solid business reason and certainly wouldn't pick up a hitchhiker. What you want is a small airfield - which are mostly full of flying schools and amateur pilots. SteveBaker (talk) 19:56, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Not always true, the majority at many small airports is still general aviation if you are in a more rural area. A good example is Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX) Where 65% of the flights are general aviation, and only 16% are commercial. Googlemeister (talk) 20:39, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Fake job references

Ok... stumbled on CareerExcuse.com tonight, and thought it was too good to be true. Is it? Maybe dishonest, but I could really use some help getting a summer job. And is there anything similar in England? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.140.52.182 (talk) 20:43, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, that's quite something. If we grant that it's not a practical joke, gag site, or scam, I would strongly recommend you seek professional legal advice about your own civil or criminal liability before you use such a service to fabricate references and generate fake documentation in order to secure employment under false pretences. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:04, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

standalone dvd player and text subtitlte files

I burn an avi file and srt file together in a folder and try to play it on the DVD player that can play compressed avi files. But the subtitles are not displayed. Incapability of the player or some file naming problem? Can such players have file name length limitation in recognising subtitles?--117.204.81.235 (talk) 20:54, 28 May 2010 (UTC)