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August 6

Worst flood

The 'In the news' section on the main page of Wikipedia states that 'The worst flooding in Pakistan's history kills over 1,100 people and displaces thousands more.' On the page 'List of deadliest floods', the floods in 1950 and 1993 killed more people in Pakistan than the current one. Does the main page news refer to worst as causing more damage by destroying more structures and displacing more people or is it a mistake? Thanks. --116.71.44.189 (talk) 06:47, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

The 1950 flood was in East Pakistan, according to the History of Pakistan article, so it falls outside the current borders. Rojomoke (talk) 09:46, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

What about the one in 1993?--119.155.135.136 (talk) 12:57, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

We don't know yet just how many people have been killed in the current flood. Dbfirs 09:33, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

The 1993 flood affected not only Pakistan, but India, Nepal and Bangladesh as well and was associated with increased seasonal monsoon rains. The current flooding may reach a death toll of 3,000. ~AH1^(TCU) 16:26, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

According to the BBC [1] the current floods have affected fourteen million people, and four million will need food-aid for the next three months. The full death toll will not be known for some time. How does one measure "worst"? Dbfirs 08:01, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Nuclear Testing

When nuclear Testing was undertaken in Nevada in the 1950/60's were the mushroom clouds viewable from Las Vegas? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.40.192.44 (talk) 13:02, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Yes. Nevada_Test_Site#1951.E2.80.931992; During the 1950s, the mushroom cloud from these tests could be seen for almost 100 mi (160 km) in either direction, including the city of Las Vegas, where the tests became tourist attractions. Americans headed for Las Vegas to witness the distant mushroom clouds that could be seen from the downtown hotels. Vimescarrot (talk) 13:34, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Our article on the Nevada Test Site notes that distant mushroom clouds were visible from Las Vegas (including from the downtown hotels), but I haven't been able to find a source for the statement. This 1955 pamphlet from the Atomic Energy Commission reports that the initial flash of a nuclear detonation could be seen from Las Vegas, even during daylight. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:34, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

You can find some photos on the web that are supposedly of clouds viewed from downtown hotels — [2] [3] — or of the glow visible [4]. For the larger tests it is not inconceivable (most tests at NTS were not exceptionally large, by nuclear standards). It's of note that they generally did not announce exact dates/times of tests ahead of time, so you wouldn't be able to just go and wait for it to happen with much luck. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:55, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

According to Operation Plumbbob, the mushroom cloud from the Hood test in 1957 topped out at 49,000 feet. and that from the Priscilla test was 43,000 feet high. At that height, distance to the horizon is about 250 miles, so it is certainly feasible that these mushroom clouds were visible from Las Vegas, only 65 miles away. Gandalf61 (talk) 14:24, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

In that case, John Wayne probably saw one while making The Conqueror "137 miles downwind". A number of cast members, including Wayne, got cancer later, which many suspect was caused by their exposure to the fallout. Clarityfiend (talk) 21:55, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Johnny Carson

I've been watching reruns of The Tonight Show from the mid 1970s. A few observations. Johnny Carson was a genius. His interviews were great. He is incredibly clever and quick, and the gag bits on the show are genuinely well written and sometimes laugh out loud funny (and also sometimes bizarre in a great Monty Pythonesque way). I have nothing against Leno or Letterman, et al., but they're so far below in writing in interviewing, etc. Their bits are ubiquitously mildly entertaining in a groaning sort of way, never funny like this. I'm also surprised by how much racier the show is--much racier! Sex talk and innuendo and double entendres and the like are casual. How did we become so puritanical? Anyway, I do have a question, though comments are welcomed regarding anything I've said previously. My parents told me years ago (they are not around anymore) of an incident in which someone came on the show and got into a true fight with Johnny Carson (I don't mean physical), and that it was really nasty. I'm pretty sure it was a woman but that's all I remember. They told me who it was, but I can't remember (not really even an inkling other than my impression of gender). Does anyone know possibly to what incident my parents were referring?--141.155.148.156 (talk) 13:09, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

I was born in the mid-seventies, but wanted to comment on your question, "How did we become so puritanical?" Acknowledging that my lifespan isn't as long, and that I've only been able to notice trends in television for, say, thirty years... I would probably say that Television hasn't gotten more puritanical, it's just gotten less subtle. Back then, as you said, there was lots of "sex talk and innuendo and double entendres," but there was (again, from what I remember) significantly less skin and vulgar language. Characters on TV shows now say the word "sex" a lot, where back in the 70s, they used to call it "lovemaking" or "sleeping together" or even "whoopee." (Not that they *only* say "sex" now, and not that they don't say "sleeping together"-- I'm just describing the trend.) I remember watching the miniseries "North and South," and there are a couple of scenes where a bare female back is shown. This was 1985, and that just wasn't seen on prime-time television all that often; where now, it's basically no big deal. Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 14:38, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

The need for subtlety prompted cleverness. TV was under a pretty tight rein in the 50s and 60s, and this started to change in the 70s. All in the Family broached a lot of previously taboo topics, as did, frankly, the uncensored Nixon "Watergate" tapes; and it has slowly progressed (if that's the word) since then. America in general still has a strong puritanical undercurrent, which is why so much of a brouhaha is made about actresses popping out of their tops, the Janet Jackson incident, and such stuff as that. Carson was great at slipping those comments in. Like one time when an actress allowed herself to be put under hypnosis for a few minutes. When she came to, she asked, "Did you do anything while I was asleep?" and Johnny said, "Yes - We'll name it after both of us!" Then there's the Ed Ames tomahawk clip that was thankfully saved from the early years. It evoked a huge reaction, supposedly the longest sustained laugh in the history of the Tonight show. And just as the laughter was dying down, Carson commented, "I didn't even know you were Jewish!" and the audience screamed again. If something like that happened today on Leno or Letterman, it might get a snicker or two. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:43, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

I found this, which sounds, partly, like what you describe. Quote: The next guest was Irish actress Siobhan McKenna who then got into a loud fight with both men, and Johnny Carson almost lost control of his own show.. Source: [5]. 93.95.251.162 (talk) 15:34, 6 August 2010 (UTC) Martin.

Maybe you are referring to Carson's controversy with Joan Rivers, when she accepted a late-night talk show offer from Fox and he took umbrage? See the 1980s-1990s section on her page. Catrionak (talk) 15:39, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

I know this is a reference desk, so if you dislike opinions, don't read this :-).

I almost completely agree with the OP on Carson vs today's late-night hosts, and I have one overarching reason: with Carson, everything was "for the good of the show." I can listen to a Letterman joke, close my eyes, and just imagine Carson telling it -- and it's funnier.

• When Carson told a joke that got a big laugh, his reaction seemed to be, "Yes, that was a funny joke."
• When Letterman tells the same joke, his reaction just exudes, "Yes, I just told a funny joke." It's all about HIM, not the show.

DaHorsesMouth (talk) 22:59, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Oh, please. Any late night TV chat show is always about the host. And that includes daytime radio shock jocks and all the rest of them. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 03:31, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

animals that can't jump

Can rhinos or hippos jump?

Sail Don

<removed email address>--66.245.29.50 (talk) 14:02, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Have you looked at our articles? Hippo/Rhino? We will reply on here, rather than by email. I removed it because many people will be able to see it and you'll probably get spammed. Chevymontecarlo 14:07, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Our articles do not address the question of these animals jumping. --Sean 16:34, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

No.[6] Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:31, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Or, on the same site: Yes. [7]. What say we try and find a more reliable source? --Tango (talk) 17:44, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

A rhinoceros can gallop (you can find pictures on Google Images), so it can certainly jump to some degree. Hippos are more questionable. Looie496 (talk) 18:08, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

"no because the it will break the floor". Hell, if that's good enough for Cuddlyable3, it's good enough for me! --Mr.98 (talk) 23:33, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

If you believe this TV advert elephants can climb trees, so perhaps rhinos and hippos can jump. Astronaut (talk) 11:51, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Apparently, yes. See this for rhino jumping. Astronaut (talk) 11:53, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Hippos don't jump. They charge. ~AH1^(TCU) 15:40, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

The Commander Henry T. Stanley Playground

Henry T. Stanley Jr. was born in Panama, January 16, 1925. He was the son of Capt. Henry T. Stanley Sr. who became Naval Aviator #186 in 1916, flew flying boats against German U-boats in WWI and was a Gray Eagle (awarded to the Naval Aviator on active duty the longest) and once commanded Ream Field Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Henry Stanley Sr. died in 1962 and . Henry T Stanley Jr. earned his Navy wings in 1945. He was painter and photographer, composed piano music.

Written for the Oakland Tribune Editorial Page January 13, 1965 - 'Special Kind of Man "It's a brave and unselfish man who will stay with a faltering airplane to avoid a tragedy on the ground. Cmdr. Herny T. Stanley of the United States Navy was such a man. Rather than abandon his crippled jet and allow it to crash in to a crowed residential area in Fremont, Commander Stanley rode his plane down to the treetops in guiding it into a narrow strip of open field. His thoughtfulness for those below cost him his life, because he was much to low for his parachute to open when he finally ejected. Commander Stanley knowingly sacrificed his life, because he knew when his altitude fell below a certain point that his parachute would be useless. And it should be noted here that rather than further endanger the life of his partner, he ordered him to bail out at a safe altitude after attempts to restart the jet's engine had failed. " Commander Stanley ordered me out at 3,500 feet," his partner said. "He stayed with the plane because he wanted to make sure no one would get hurt." The veteran naval pilot could have ejected himself from the falling jet and trusted to luck that the plane would not kill or injure anyone when it crashed - but he would not make such a decision based only on luck. He had to make sure. His action testifies to the fact that Cmdr. Henry T Stanley was a special kind of man. He leaves his wife and three children. They can be everlastingly proud of him."

He was attached to the U.S.S. Midway, which was home ported in Alameda, at the time of his death. Lt. Cmdr. Harford Fields, Mobile, Ala., parachuted to safety earlier at Stanley's command. The City Counsel of Fremont resolution points out that Commander Stanley "unhesitatingly altered his course toward the foothills and then with no thought for himself stayed with his airplane to guide it, thus preventing the catastrophe of it falling into the homes and schools." Stanley ejected, but his parachute never opened. His body was found three-quarters of mile away from the crash scene still strapped to the ejection seat which should have separated automatically. It is estimated that he ejected at 2,000 feet. The jet's canopy was found on a rooftop half a mile for the crash scene. The plane skimmed over rooftops, and narrowly missed Mission San Jose High School, two blocks from the crash scene.

Cmdr. Stanley did eject from the the T-33 jet trainer at the last moment, but the seat failed to detach automatically from the strapped-in pilot and allow his parachute to open. The Navy board investigating the crash was told the particular type of ejection seat in Stanley's plane was consider outmoded and would have been replaced with newer version that greatly increases the chance of survival if funds had been available. Over a year after Stanley's death the Navy got $1 million in funds to remove and modernize the ejection seats in the 167 T-33s.

"Dedicated September 11, 1965 to the heroism of Commander Henry T. Stanley who, on January 11, 1965 sacrificed his life near this playground so that others might live." This inscription appears on a plaque near Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, CA. During the the playground dedication Vice Admiral Paul D. Stroop presented Mrs. Mary Henry T. Stanley with the Distinguished Flying Cross posthumously awarded to Commander Henry T. Stanley, Jr., United States Navy.

In the 1997 Cmdr. Henry T Stanley Jr.'s second son William J. Stanley, who was ten years old when his father died, visited the playground and found the plaque barely attached to the stone, over grown with weeds and had some vandalism done to it. He contacted the the City of Fremont's Judy Felber, supervising park manager. The unrepairable plaque was re-cast. The plaque was then placed so as you read the plaque you could look across the fields to Mission San Jose High School, and Chadbourne Elementary and Hopkins Junior High to appreciate the innocent lives saved by Stanley giving his life. Stanley eldest son Cmdr. Henry T. Stanley III, (who was also a pilot in the Navy, is now a pilot for American Airlines), and daughter Barbara Stanley took their mother Mary Ann to see her husband's refurbished park and plaque. Mary Ann and Henry Jr. met in the Navy. Mary Ann was a nurse in the Navy. She died in May 2010. She never remarried. Lolagirl1 (talk) 00:03, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Serial dog poopers

This is a three part question. What is the psychology of a serial dog pooper? I'm not sure if this is the correct term, but I'm talking about a person who allows their dog to poop in public, but doesn't clean up after them. Now, for the second part. How does society deal with these people? More to the point, how does an individual communicate effectively with such a person and get them to change their behavior? Lastly, what should a person do when they observe this behavior? Remain silent and ignore it, or say something? Thanks. Viriditas (talk) 23:03, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

If you swat them on the nose with a folded newspaper very soon after the offense, it might alter their behavior. (I refer to the owner, not the dog). (Not offered as legal advice: this might constitute assault and battery). Edison (talk) 02:55, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Even that doesn't work. I'm just curious about the mindset of someone who thinks it's ok for their dog to poop all over the place without having to pick it up. BTW, after I posted this message, at least two pedestrians stepped on the poop and got it stuck in their shoes, in two different locations. Viriditas (talk) 06:06, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Context is key here. Dog poop on a major sidewalk says you don't care what the next person thinks, either because you're so oblivious or because you're just inured to other people's negative reactions. Those people suck. On the other hand, I can imagine a dog on a remote trail literally "in the woods" and having someone complain about it. In that case the complaining people suck. I'll leave it up to you to say what psychological disorder they might display, but as a general rule it's people who fail to consider what others think, and what's reasonable.

By the way, if your culture wants a sign that it's out of real problems, this concern would be a good litmus test. Shadowjams (talk) 08:36, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Not at all. It's a sign of deeper cultural problems; If you don't care about the place where you live or where others live around you, there's a huge problem. Viriditas (talk) 09:50, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Ask the owner politely to pick up the deposit. If they refuse, smile and say "OK, I'll pick it up for you". Then follow them home and deposit the offending material on their doorstep. This shouldn't constitute a crime because you are only returning their own property. Dbfirs 09:31, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Dbfirs! You're too good to be true! From whence do you come? Viriditas (talk) 09:48, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Viriditas: I would try notifying the authorities. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 10:01, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

I'm guessing they could have a tendency for metaphorically defecating on the grounds of society. ~AH1^(TCU) 15:36, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

LOL :)) Or a bit less confrontational - always carry a couple of little plastic bags in your pocket, and when you see a guilty party about to sneak off, say "excuse me, I've got a spare bag if you're out". It gives them a readymade excuse for having tried to leave, so you're less likely to get a torrent of abuse and/or a black eye. 86.140.52.244 (talk) 16:41, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

You know what? That's not such a bad idea. Viriditas (talk) 02:13, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Bear in mind that any response should be inversely proportional to the metrics of the canine involved. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:40, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Dbfirs, that's the first time I've come across the concept that one owns one's own waste products, particularly after they've been excreted from the body. The legal/moral requirement to properly dispose of such matter should not be confused with property rights. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:57, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Surely it must be considered to be some form of littering. That is "the dumping of unwanted materials on the street". So identifying the proper "owners" (ie the litterers), does not seem like such a bad idea. --Saddhiyama (talk) 00:29, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

It's being done. It's called fecal profiling (no joke). Viriditas (talk) 01:55, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

This is why dogs should be banned from cities and towns. Googlemeister (talk) 15:22, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

August 7

with or without competitors?

how different should be the launch of a product and services in a market with existant compitetors compared to launch with none of them or say meagre, how different approaches should be carried out for marketing /sales/bd for these markets? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk) 08:17, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Sounds like a homework question. I'd suggest you check out some economics articles on monopoly, marketing, and competitive advantage. Shadowjams (talk) 08:28, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Where there exist competitors, one needs to differentiate one's own product from them: tell how it is better/cheaper/advantageous to buy. If the product is new with no competition, one needs to tell why anyone should need a product they never thought before of buying. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:52, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

telecom circles?

why do telecom companies dive the country into circles like circle1-2-3 etc, is it done for the ease of functioning from the folloeing perspectives like, tarriff plan/(range nework)topographphical similarities/easy adminstration/etc or do they have some other reasons to do so? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.95.140.188 (talk) 09:25, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

The OP's IP address geolocates to India, so I assume they are asking about Indian telecom companies. The Communications in India article has something about circles. In particular Communications in India#Privatization of telcommunications in India suggests to me that the circles were set up to liberalise the growth of the telecoms industry in India by promoting competition amongst different operators. According to Communications in India#Mobile telephones, the circles are roughly divided along state boundaries. Astronaut (talk) 11:33, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

whois query

Resolved

Who registered arbuthnot-books.com please? Kittybrewster ☎ 14:50, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

You can check yourself on http://www.networksolutions.com/whois. The information is only for individual use, so shouldn't be posted on a public page like this one. 86.140.52.244 (talk) 16:48, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

I had tried that but it does not provide the answer. Kittybrewster ☎ 17:47, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

I tried it myself before I posted that link, and it worked for me. 86.140.52.244 (talk) 22:45, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

After using 86's link (above) you need to load the address "arbuthnot-books.com" into the search box. hydnjo (talk) 01:52, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Pokémon: Best Wishes!/Pokémon Black and White

Why did they make Iris and Aloe (especially the latter) racist stereotypes? --138.110.206.99 (talk) 15:20, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

That may not be the case or the intention with these characters. Chevymontecarlo 19:25, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

But at least Aloe was clearly intended to be a stereotype. --138.110.206.99 (talk) 20:16, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

I suppose, but as to why I'm not sure. Chevymontecarlo 21:58, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Whether these characters are offensive stereotypes or not is debatable, but Japan in general is not known for racial sensitivity. See Racism in Japan. A famously over-the-top racial stereotype from a Japanese video game — not a Nintendo game — is Barret Wallace, from 1997. Comet Tuttle (talk) 02:10, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Consider Jynx. 82.24.248.137 (talk) 13:58, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Stereotypes (not just racial ones) are commonplace in video games, movies, TV shows, etc. Precisely because characters are stereotypical, they avoid the need to spend a lot of time explaining back-story and conveying a ton of information about the nature of the person in the small amount of time available. It may be unfortunate in many respects - but it fulfills a need and is common throughout the world. SteveBaker (talk) 03:04, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

It's also worth keeping in mind — and I don't know whether this comes into play here, but I'm betting it does — that what is a horrible stereotype in one country may not be seen as such in the other. Sensitivities vary by countries. Japan is pretty "Westernized" in many ways but it is not the West; if they do not have relatively large populations of Blacks, they probably are not as careful about their depiction of them, in the same that in the US we are pretty fine with depicting Eskimos in pretty silly ways, which feels like harmless fun to most of us. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:19, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Flickr

Can the images from flickr be simply uploaded to Wiki...oops Wikipedia without all that fuss about this and that rule ? Which sites provide free content ?  Jon Ascton  (talk) 15:35, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

All "that fuss" may seem a bit severe and unneeded, but it's important to remember why it's there: to prevent lawsuits Chaosandwalls (talk) 15:55, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Not really. It's there more to be in the spirit of the encyclopedia and to create a free, reusable resource. Nobody is really afraid of Wikipedia getting hit with a copyright suit; the relevant laws are flexible enough so that there are plenty of ways for copyright holders to have infringing material removed. --Mr.98 (talk) 18:06, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)No, for several reasons:

1. Not all images on Flckr are free. Many are ©All Rights Reserved so cannot be used.
2. Even then, many of the "free" images are not free enough for our purposes, forbidding commercial or derivative use for instance. These too cannot be used.
3. Finally, even when you find an image with a compatible license (CC-BY or CC-BY-SA) you must conform with the terms of the license by attributing the author and in the case of the latter releasing under the same license.

However, for images without such complications you may want to check the list of public domain image resources. Images in the public domain have no copyright restrictions so in theory you can do whatever you like with them without "fuss". In practice you should still identify the source when uploading to Wikipedia (not "Wiki") or Commons so that no-one is likely to question your rights to the image. AJCham 16:08, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Jon, you want the Free Image Search Tool. Give it a try. Viriditas (talk) 01:59, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

There is a dubious process called flickr washing where a non free image is loaded onto flickr with a free licensee and then to Wikipedia. You will have to be careful to check how much you can trust the flickr uploader that it is their own work. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 09:17, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I was planning to say something similar. Note that in addition to this intentional stuff, plenty of people upload images which they don't own the copyright to and may mark them as having free licenses without any real ill intent. Many people don't really understand or care about copyrights. It's generally expected you should use some common sense. If someone has a bunch of images which they likely don't own the copyright to and which are probably not released under a free license, for example images clearly taken by a professional news photographer or images from places or things which it's unlikely many people haves access to, and these images marked as their own or under a free license, then you probably shouldn't upload these to wikipedia or the wikimedia commons, or at least seek comments from those more experience with copyright issues then you first. On the flipside, if it's likely the person does own the copyright but the image isn't available under a suitable license occasionally the person may release it when asked. Nil Einne (talk) 13:22, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

What's the proper name for something like a...

car wash, when it is meant for airplanes or trains, rather than cars? -- 78.43.71.155 (talk) 21:15, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Doing a WP search gives train wash and wash rack. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 21:51, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Car thermometers

Where are car thermometers generally located to get a vaguely accurate reading of the outside air temperature? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.159.181.79 (talk) 22:13, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

It depends on the make. There are often located either in the wing mirror or at the front of the car, near the radiator, according to this thread on a forum. BTW, a quick Google search brings up a lot of good results. Chevymontecarlo 22:27, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

On my MINI, it's down under the front bumper - it's main function is looking for ice on the road, the temperature readout is more or less a bonus. SteveBaker (talk) 02:54, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Mercedes has/had them behind the front license plate. -- 78.43.71.155 (talk) 16:26, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

History of Steak and Mushrooms

A common (in my family, at least) accompaniment for steak is button mushrooms cooked in butter and soy sauce. It was served at the Cask 'n Cleaver restaurants, so I hear. For some reason, though, I feel like this is a common American pairing. If my hunch is true, then i am a bit puzzled as to where the soy sauce in the recipe originated. If the recipe has significant history, I doubt that soy sauce would have been an ingredient, and it must be a facsimile of some other ingredients---I'm thinking some combination of any of the following: vinegar, wine, brown butter, or Worcestershire sauce. Thanks for your input.72.219.136.28 (talk) 22:20, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

My guess, based on what I've read on the subject, is that soy sauce (shoyu) became popular in California sometime in the mid to late 20th century, and replaced whatever they were using before. Because there seems to be a connection with SoCal, you may want to look at the California roll article and compare the dates and locations with Cask 'n Cleaver. Looks like the influence was regional. Viriditas (talk) 02:04, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

"Steak and Mushroom" is invariably followed by the word "Pie" in the UK[8]. Not usually with soy sauce though. Alansplodge (talk) 12:16, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Proper Steak & Mushroom pie needs a robust dark beer to merge with the meat juices and form the gravy. Definitely not Soy Sauce. SteveBaker (talk) 02:52, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Soy Sauce is a common ingredient when one wants to enhance a dish's umami ("meaty") flavor. It may have been originally used as a substitute for beef drippings, or simply to "guild the lily" and add even more umami flavor to the beef and mushrooms. -- 140.142.20.229 (talk) 20:50, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Yeah - but the steak is already giving you more umami than you can shake a stick at. The Soy is mostly just making it salty. SteveBaker (talk) 02:52, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Steve, I see that you are in Austin. Surely they have teriyaki steak in Texas? Viriditas (talk) 11:14, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Sadly, my wife (who is French and therefore "right by definition" when it comes to food) has read this thread and is horrified. She's tracked your IP address down to an ISP in Atlanta - I recommend you start running! SteveBaker (talk) 02:41, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

August 8

Building identification

What is the black building NNE from Madison Square Garden? It's across 33rd St. from the Garden. Also, what is the building next to the Garden to the ESE? In this case, there is no street between them. Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 02:43, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

The first one is One Penn Plaza. Deor (talk) 10:28, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

And the second one, mirabile dictu, is Two Penn Plaza, about which we appear to lack an article. Deor (talk) 10:37, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Dismas|^(talk) 12:24, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Legal Problems With Changing a Last Name as a Man

Are there any unexpected legal and/or social problems with a man changing his last name after marriage in the UK and US? (Changing the last name to something new, not his wife's name) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.220.46.47 (talk) 11:29, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Legal wise in the uk you change your name by Deed pole, this article Deed of change of name will be of interest. This website (http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/family/change_of_name.htm) may be of interest. Socially I can't see there being any nay-sayers provided you've got a (sensible) reason. Obviously your family may be more concerned if they feel it is a snub of the family name but that's very much dependent on your family. Legally speaking in the Uk name changes are fine though there may be some restrictions on offensive names/trying to de-fraud people by your name. ny156uk (talk) 13:50, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Outside of Warsaw it is called deed poll. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:27, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)As an aside, it's deed poll, and they are not needed in Scotland (part of the UK), where all you need to do is write to everyone who would be interested (employer, tax authorities, and your bank, etc.), and tell them your new name. If you want the specifics, but bare in mind our legal disclaimer we need to know what country, and if relevant, what state of the country, you live in. 62.56.60.192 (talk) 16:27, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

You don't technically need a deed poll anywhere in the UK (your legal name is simply whatever name you use for official things, it's entirely up to you), but a lot of banks, etc., will insist on one before using your new name. Changing just your surname when you get married, though, is a little different. Often just the marriage certificate is enough, but I'm not sure of the details. Of course, changing your name with the intention to deceive people (eg. to escape debts) is illegal. --Tango (talk) 16:47, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Since we're correcting spelling errors, it's not "bare in mind", but "bear in mind", 62.56.60.192. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 04:29, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

'bare in mind' made me laugh so hard I almost spilled tea on my keyboard. I'll have to remember that one. --Ouro (blah blah) 13:16, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Freud aside, a bear in mind may wreck havoc with the Salmon of Doubt. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 18:04, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Nice one. But in keeping with the spirit of this thread, that's "wreak havoc". -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:11, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Well, I was actually thinking about wrecking haddock... --Stephan Schulz (talk) 17:20, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

The part of your question where you ask about unexpected social problems is hard for us to answer because, of course, we don't know what "unexpected" means to you. There are over 800,000 Google hits when I google i regretted changing my last name. Almost all of those seem to be articles or blog posts written by women who changed their name upon marriage, based on a skimming of the first couple of pages; and in the US, I think it would be more socially "weird" for a man to change his last name, meaning I would expect more social problems for a man doing so. I don't have any idea how minor or major it would be to you to have co-workers rolling their eyes at you each time you explain the name change. Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:59, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

For what it's worth, in the (international anglophone) Science Fiction community, it's considered unremarkable for a new couple to combine their respective surnames into the same hyphenated or unhyphenated combination, or (less frequently) a single portmanteau surname. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 21:08, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Anecdotally, I knew a couple in the US that both adopted a composite surname (Whited + Sutherland -> Whiteland). Years later I asked the husband about it and he complained that it had been a huge hassle, mainly due to all the paperwork to update all their licenses, bank accounts, and other formal relationships, etc. I don't think he ever saw much of a social problem though, if that is your main concern. Dragons flight (talk) 08:00, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

question about lawnmower engine

My lawnmower engine is acting strange. The first time I start it each day, it will run for about 10 mins. After that, it will die. I can usually restart it, but it will only run 30 sec or so on subsequent starts, and the time seems to decrease with the number of starts. It is a 4 stroke air-cooled Briggs and Stratton pushmower, and I have looked at the air filter and spark plugs without determining a fault. Any ideas why it would do this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.125.143.146 (talk) 19:23, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried adding some dry-gas to the fuel? hydnjo (talk) 19:29, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

What is dry-gas? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.125.143.146 (talk) 19:31, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Dry gas, the easiest thing to try. hydnjo (talk) 20:17, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Hmm - does the engine have an automatic choke? That would explain why it works for the first 10 mins - the automatic choke is working while the engine warms up providing a richer fuel mixture. When the engine is warm and the choke stops, the engine dies - which would indicate some kind of fuel starvation issue. Exxolon (talk) 19:41, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Some mowers have a tiny hole in the gas cap to allow in air so there is not a partial vacuum when gas is used. If that tiny hole is clogged, gasolene flow might be reduced after a few minutes operation. If this is the problem, then when the mower quits, if you remove and replace the cap it would let you do another 10 minute run. The coil might be the problem: sometimes they work when cold but not when hot. Edison (talk) 19:52, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

you should check the fuel lines as well, for pinching, obstructions, leaks... one way of interpreting this behavior is that the carbs (or some other reservoir) are getting a slow drip of fuel so they fill overnight (giving you your ten minutes of run time at startup), but after that there's not enough fuel running through the line to keep the engine running. --Ludwigs2 20:32, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Briggs and Stratton have a FAQ on their engines here [9] and repair/maintenance guides at [10] that seem useful - have you looked at them? Exxolon (talk) 21:34, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Clogged fuel filter. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:16, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried kicking the mower, or hitting it with a wrench? Googlemeister (talk) 20:07, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Injuries

Whats difference between a injury and nagging injuries? Especially, in pro sports. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mybodymyself (talk • contribs) 23:31, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

"Nagging" just means it goes on and on. A nagging injury isn't usually a serious injury, but it's one that causes you problems for a long time. --Tango (talk) 23:35, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

--Jessica A Bruno 01:34, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

August 9

Nathan's in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY

What was the cost of a Nathan's hot dog in 1945 and 1955? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.45.77.147 (talk) 00:37, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

How about 1943? From the New York Times, June 27, 1943:[11]: "The hot dog that this resort has made a national institution is now 7 cents at Nathan's and 15 cents at Feltman's. Frozen custard is a dime. ..." I also found a NY Times article about Nathan's from May 9, 1956 [12], but the snippet available free does not include prices. You can purchase access from the paper at the cite linked, or any large library should have free access or at least microfilm copies, and the story might include the price at the time. Edison (talk) 03:15, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Looking for a website

It's about travelling to less well known places, and it had a black words on a white background. The only place that I remembered it featured was HAARP, and under it's listing for Singapore it only had one place, which was a bar of some sort (In Clarke Quay,probably) . Help? 218.186.8.254 (talk) 07:33, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

HAARP is usually the abbreviation for this (or perhaps this) research project. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:14, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

How would I Go about making my own hyperbaric chamber?

I am Just wondering how would I go about creating my own hyperbaric chamber. Also any relative website / people that have done this - a link to them would be fabulous. On a side note - any potential risks I should know about other then oxygen flammability and over use of high dosage oxygen? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.105.241.244 (talk) 08:52, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Are... you... serious?!?! 24.189.87.160 (talk) 09:09, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

(continued from my talk page) Well, it's just that of all the things I've heard of people wanting to build at home, a hyperbaric chamber is one that I've never heard as a suggestion, even as a joke. Any particular reason why you want to build your own hyperbaric chamber? Are you an aspiring scientist or something? 24.189.87.160 (talk) 09:16, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

See this article about hyperbaric chambers. Just two of the risks are that you kill yourself, the chamber bursts and/or Wikipedia gets blamed for what you did. Uh, that's three risks. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:09, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Amongst the risks are such diverse elements as ... Deor (talk) 14:18, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

It is used by diverse diver's. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:42, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Diverse diver's what? Or (*gasp*) that isn't an aberrant apostrophe there, is it, oh punctuationally hypercorrective one :-) ? 87.81.230.195 (talk) 21:04, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

It's an air bubble rising from the divers. Or a fish. No, it's an air bubble. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 07:35, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Depending on how high you intend to pressurise your chamber, you may want to add uncontrolled decompression to your list of risks. Wikipedia's account of the Byford Dolphin decompression accident could be instructive reading. Gandalf61 (talk) 15:14, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I don't know why you would want to build one yourself, but I will note that mountaineering suppliers sell portable (and I would assume relatively inexpensive) hyperbaric chambers for use in combating/treating altitude sickness. (They're made of impermeable fabric, so aren't usually rated for more than a few atmospheres.) -- 174.24.200.206 (talk) 15:37, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

The first risk might be the trouble you'd have to go through to get a building permit, if building it yourself; or figuring out where to put it, if you buy one. A lot of places don't like people parking boats and RV's on their property, never mind hyperbaric chambers. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:55, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Beware of using 100% oxygen in your hyperbaric chamber when you get it built. Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 15:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

That goes without saying. You should be careful using 100% O2 for anything. Googlemeister (talk) 16:29, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Instead of building your own, you might be able to find one secondhand. Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 15:47, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Inclusive development and Inclusive finance

What is inclusive development ? What are its principles ? How to make development inclusive ? What is Inclusive finance ? What are its Principles ? Scope of inclusive finance ? what are the strategies to make inclusive finance ?Tularam giri (talk) 10:21, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

What is the subject? Corporate finance? Personal finance? Government finance? DOR (HK) (talk) 09:36, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Institution Building

What is institution building ? What are its opportunities and threats ?Note: this topic belong to development administration.I could not find its opportunities and threats in books.Tularam giri (talk) 10:29, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Sounds like a homework question, a weird one at that. An institution building is a building utilised by a public institution (city council, ministry). It's hard to say what kinds of opportunities it has, but the threats are probably obvious: reels of red tape. --Ouro (blah blah) 13:13, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I read the question as asking about the construction of institutions. The UN has an interesting document on it here. Warofdreams talk 15:25, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

London Blank Cards?

Where can I find blank greeting cards with London themes to buy online? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.220.46.47 (talk) 13:14, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

There's some here themed around old London Transport posters. --Viennese Waltz ^talk 13:19, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Try performing a web search for "custom greeting cards" – there are many services (for example, Touchnote or PhotoBox) which will print cards using any photo you want. You'll be able to find a load of free London pictures here and at Commons. AJCham 17:29, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Does Wikipedia know everything, Part I

Hi all! I'm doing a little informal study on whether Wikipedia knows everything, starting with a few random facts I've always been interested in but can't find or track down myself. I'll start with a (hopefully) easy one: What percentage of the American population needs to use corrective lenses, and what percentage actually uses them on a regular basis. Also how does this vary (if any) between males and females and different age groups. Thanks! 14:18, 9 August 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.230.228.193 (talk)

This Ref. Desk is served by volunteers who are more likely to help you if you show what effort you have made in your study. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:38, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Oh this isn't for school or anything if that's what you're thinking (school is out, for a few weeks more anyway :( . This "study" is nothing more than me saying I want to know a bunch of interesting and trivial facts and see if Wiki can provide them. But I've done a few Google searches and looked at the most likely Wikipedia articles (like Eyesight, Eyeglasses, Corrective lenses) and haven't got anything. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.230.228.193 (talk) 15:10, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

You can bring your study to an early conclusion: Wikipedia does not know my height and therefore does not know everything. Sorry. --Sean 16:08, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Sean is 5' 9"  ;-) Ghmyrtle (talk) 16:20, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Sean is 6'2", I have a citation here. 67.136.117.132 (talk) 17:07, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

This is correct (!). --Sean 17:12, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I don't have the exact numbers you want, but Myopia#Epidemiology has some related statistics. You may be able to find similar statistics for other eye conditions and work out an estimate for the overall figures. --Tango (talk) 16:39, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I hereby announce my intention to remove any question whose topic is Does Wikipedia know everything?, if I spot it before anybody has responded. This is not what the Reference Desks are for. Looie496 (talk) 16:52, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia does not know the terminating digit of pi or the proven lack thereof, hence Wikipedia does not know everything. Googlemeister (talk) 14:00, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

How dare you libel Wikipedia in such a manner! ;) Proof that π is irrational. --Tango (talk) 14:06, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

In any case, Wikipedia does not know the value of the (1,432,997,473,881,988,003,147,947,124,099,322,482^7,414,911,300,453)+5th digit of pi (is that number prime?). Googlemeister (talk) 16:23, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

More importantly, Wikipedia does not "know about" the things it doesn't have articles on or the things that have been deleted. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 08:48, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia makes no claim to "know everything" - or to even attempt to do that. For example, we disallow (and actively delete) articles on things that are deemed "not notable". SteveBaker (talk) 11:51, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Indeed some may question the basic premise that wikipedia knows anything considering AFAWK, wikipedia hasn't yet achieve sen

Hmm my message was longer then that when I submitted but seemed to get cut off. I've tried editing and submitting again but ev

Vehicle Statistics Question

In the US, how many people die or are injured in rollover accidents?

What about in a non-SUV rollover?

How many people die or are injured when ejected from a vehicle?

How many people die or are injured in a one-vehicle accident?

I would appreciate an answer to any of these and will be super happy if all are answered.

67.168.170.122 (talk) 21:41, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

You might try http://www.nhtsa.gov/ - they should have this sort of data. Friday (talk) 21:51, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

August 10

Canadian Serviceman in WW1

How can I determine if my Father-in-law, Ernest Leadbeater, served in the Canadian Royal Flying Corps in WW1? John Everingham24.235.239.48 (talk) 02:33, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

My initial suggestion is to contact the Canadian Ministry of Defence, here,[13] and ask your question, perhaps with some evidence of who you are. Looking around the site it seems they supply this sort of info. Richard Avery (talk) 07:08, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Squash

This is a request for generic medical information, not advice. What research has been conducted on the advisability of people older than 40 playing squash? Our article states: "Some studies have implicated squash as a cause of possible fatal cardiac arrhythmia and argued that squash is an inappropriate form of exercise for older men with heart disease", and cites this article as a reference. Fair enough, but the abstract (which is all that is available for free viewing) only talks about "veteran players" and "older men". So firstly, if anyone has access to the full version of that article and can tell me how it defines "veteran" and "older" that would be great (in the meantime I will put in a request for the full article at the resource request page). Secondly, pointers to any other research would also be welcome. Update: someone already provided me with the full text of the article, which studied a group of men aged between 46 and 57. So, nothing there to suggest squash should not be played by those older than 40. --Viennese Waltz ^talk 08:00, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Looking for Kurdish person

I am loking for a kurdish person in Instambul. His name is Bulent,he is 33/35 years old . He was working in hotel konuk in streat lalely Hy was work as a reseptionist but it was in1994/1995 i dont know if it stil exists Because i dont finde the hotel no more. If i find the owner then it wil help because then i can get mutch information because they were verry good friends.

please send a mesage back to this mail: <email removed>—Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.168.119.116 (talk) 10:04, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

(Your question messed up the Squash question above, so I put your question in its own section.) 93.95.251.162 (talk) 11:38, 10 August 2010 (UTC) Martin.

And I've removed the email - we don't reply to emails. If we can answer your question, qw reply here.--Phil Holmes (talk) 11:48, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Glider identification

I know this may be a very challenging task, and quite possibly error prone, but if possible, I would like to identify the manufacturer and model of the glider in the photo accompanying this BBC article [14]. I have reason to believe (independent of the photo) that some possibilities are a Schleicher ASK 13, Grob G-102 Astir, or Discus T19, but it may also be none of these. moink (talk) 11:19, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Not much immediate help but the Air Accident Investigation Unit [15] issue monthly bulletins listing the accidents they have investigated. Each entry contains the make and model of aircraft, time, place etc. So if all else fails it will appear in the August bulletin, probably in the first week of September. Richard Avery (talk) 14:31, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm. Thanks, but I'll likely know through other channels by then. moink (talk) 14:48, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

And your Wiki link is to the Irish authorities. I think you mean the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. moink (talk) 15:30, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Photo ID in the EU/UK?

What forms of photo ID other than a driver's license can someone in the UK get? Are there any EU photo ID schemes? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.220.46.47 (talk) 12:13, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

The two widely accepted ones in the UK (when I was working in such areas) were Driving Licence and Passport. There are a number of other cards, but there is always a chance that they won't be accepted. -- WORMMЯOW  12:15, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

It depends on what you need the photo ID for - for proof of age any card which falls under the PASS scheme should be accepted in most (but not all) places in the UK (the wikipedia page has some examples of cards). The EU appears to have a policy of accepting national ID cards across all member states for travel purposes (See identity document#Europe), but given that the UK no longer has an ID card scheme your only international option is probably a passport. Equisetum (talk | email | contributions) 13:04, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

In theory, any of those cards will be accepted. In practice, many (perhaps even most) places require either a driving license or passport. --Tango (talk) 14:08, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Re: UK ID card scheme - the UK does still have such a scheme, but not for much longer; it will be scrapped as soon as the Identity Documents Bill 2010 received royal assent. I don't believe that it is still possible to obtain an ID card, and it would be pretty pointless, as they will become invalid very soon. Warofdreams talk 14:58, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

You ask what other forms of photo ID. A firearms certificate serves the purpose, but this will probably not be a useful answer because they are considerably more difficult to obtain than a passports and a driver's licences, and are probably not recognised elsewhere in the EU. Dbfirs 05:49, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Many firms have a photo ID card, and some of these act as a pass key for the door or the computer system, or both. --TammyMoet (talk) 14:22, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

So if I don't drive, I'm SOL for getting a photo ID that I can carry in my wallet? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.220.46.47 (talk) 19:43, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

categorization

If I am uploading a jpeg file that contains the bio of a lawyer from Atlanta Georgia is there a certain category that I should use? —Preceding unsigned comment added by MarketSpice (talk • contribs) 12:18, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Where did you get the image? Is it a picture of the lawyer with the bio on it as well? Enter CBW, waits for audience applause, not a sausage. 12:37, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

If it's somebody else's work (perhaps a scan of a document?), we can only take it if it is in the public domain, or otherwise freely licensed - see Wikipedia:Copyrights. If it is your own work, then it's unlikely that a scanned bio would be very useful - if the lawyer is notable and the work is referenced, then you can contribute it as ordinary text. Warofdreams talk 14:54, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

How can I research the asking and answering of questions?

I would like to investigate the asking and answering of questions, especially between parties who do not know each other.

When someone wants to know something, they have many options.

They can: (a) ask someone else who might happen to know, (b) ask a clever or knowledgeable person, (c) ask an expert in the subject, (d) ask a librarian or knowledge expert, (e) consult books or magazines, perhaps in a reference library, (f) search Wikipedia, (g) ask in an online forum, ....

The asker's choice of action would depend upon: (1) the nature of the question, (2) the knowledge and skills of the asker, (3) facilities and time available, (3) urgency and importance of getting an answer, ....

Where another person offers a reply, especially in an online forum, questions arise such as: (i) who bothers to answer and why, (ii) how does the asker decide how much to trust the answerer, (iii) what leads to good answers (e.g. well-framed questions, understanding of centext), ....

I would like to read about how askers and answerers make these choices - their mental processes, motivations, and so on.

Clearly, there is no simple answer. But what sources or areas of study should I be investigating - some part of psychology perhaps, or something called communication theory, or what? All suggestions welcome!

Wignoramus1954 (talk) 12:47, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Wasn't there some academic study that discussed this issue in the context of this reference desk? I seem to remember it coming up here a few months ago. Maybe someone here will recall it. --Viennese Waltz ^talk 12:52, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

There was a study comparing the quality of service provided by this reference desk to that provided by library reference desks. That's the only one I'm aware of and I don't think it is particularly relevant to the OP's question. --Tango (talk) 13:19, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

That's the one and I would have thought it was very much relevant to the question. --Viennese Waltz ^talk 13:26, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

The question is about how people decide to ask/answer questions in certain ways, not about the quality of the answers people get. --Tango (talk) 14:09, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

The question is also about where to ask. The quality of the answers people get is a factor in deciding where to ask. --Viennese Waltz ^talk 14:16, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

You're taking for granted exactly the question the OP is asking about. "Quality of the answers" might have nothing to do with it — it might be a whole host of other factors that are more predominant. --Mr.98 (talk) 22:24, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

I interpreted the question in the spirit in which it was asked. I think a very open-ended question was asked. It was loosely defined. I think it is a question about thinking about a wide variety of problems. I'm somewhat of a fan of Malcolm Gladwell and I think he addresses things related to this. I think he might say in relation to this that you have to get off your butt (my words, not his) and do something — if you hope to tackle the problem. But I should wait for the OP to provide feedback on whether or not I am addressing his/her question. Bus stop (talk) 22:43, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

A related area of study might be the choice of communication medium when a customer wants to contact a business (i.e. do they call into a shop, make a phone call, send an email, use a chatbot, search the website, ...) The preference of the customer and the preference of the business may vary depending on the nature of the enquiry. --Frumpo (talk) 13:10, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

It depends on how motivated one is in wanting to ascertain something. If their thinking is lazy they will probably merely allow the thought to drift across their mind and not act on it very effectively. Researching something depends on motivation. A motivated person leaves no avenues un-investigated. Bus stop (talk) 22:00, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Here are some links.

• http://nora.lis.uiuc.edu/images/iConferences/shachaf-rosenbaum_iconf091.pdf

Online Social Reference: A Research Agenda Through a STIN Framework

• Pnina Shachaf, SLIS IU
• Wikipedia - How to Use Wikipedia
• Wikipedia Dictionary | Answerbag
• Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2010-03-01/Reference desk
• Wikipedia talk:Reference desk/Archive 68#Quality of answers
  • Wikipedia talk:Reference desk/Archive 68#Details

(Post scriptum. To edit this section, I had to click the edit button beside the heading "Squash".)

—Wavelength (talk) 02:08, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Newspaper Article by Ralph Gleason

Hi, I'm doing research for a book and need a copy of, or comment on, a newspaper article written by Ralph Gleason at an opening that took place in 1967 or 1968 in Ghirardelli Square. The band that played for the event was Neighb'rhood Childr'n and it is about them that the article was written. I'd really appreciate your help with this. Thank you, Bobbie Sorich —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.185.13.170 (talk) 16:54, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Apologies if this seems over-obvious, but have you tried searching the websites of (or directly contacting) whatever newspapers or magazines are (and were then) published covering the San Francisco area, in order to search (or have their archivists search) for the relevant article(s)?

(NB: You gave no clue as to what country in the World you were talking about, but Wikipedia has an article on Ghirardelli Square (hitherto unknown to me as I'm on another continent), which I'm guessing is the location in question as it seems an unusual name unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere, in contrast to, say, Victoria Square.) 87.81.230.195 (talk) 09:56, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Deli Select Ham Nutritional Facts

Today for lunch, I ate a ham and cheese sandwich. The ham container was a plastic tupperware-like container that it was bought in. This container had no nutritional facts on it and no indication as to where I might find the nutritional facts. Even actual deli ham that comes in ziploc bags has a nutritional facts sticker on it.

I was wondering how this Hillshire Farms company could simply leave no nutritional information, or even where to get it. My question isn't necessarily what the nutritional facts are or where to find them; I thought it was required by law to leave some kind of trail as to where to find the facts or put them on the food packaging. Thank you, The Reader who Writes (talk) 21:10, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Where did you buy it? Some items that are "not labeled for individual sale" have all the nutritional labeling required by law on the "big pack" that holds all 12 sandwiches, or whatever. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:46, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

If I were to take a wild guess, the simplest explanation is that the container is supposed to have a nutritional info/ingredients label on the bottom of the tub, but that it was lost/detached/never stuck on properly somewhere between the factory and your lunch. The next time you're in the store, check the bottoms of some of the other tubs. Poking around a bit more, I found this picture; was this the style of packaging you encountered? (And if so, has anyone else bought deli meats in these containers?) To be clear -- is this a sandwich that you made for yourself from scratch, using ham from a larger container, or was the ham part of some prepackaged sandwich 'kit'? I'm assuming the former, but in the latter case Tuttle's comment may apply.

For the full gory details on when labels are required in the United States, try the FDA's Food Labeling Gude. There is an exemption for small packages (just an address or phone number is sufficient if the total available label area is less than 12 square inches), but I don't think it would apply here. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:57, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

If I remember correctly, in these types of containers, the Nutrition Facts label is sometimes printed on the inner plastic around the ham. (For example, in the picture linked above, you can see some small print and the net weight printed on the inner plastic. I think the Nutrition Facts may be on it, too.) Perhaps someone else in your household who already opened the container threw the inner plastic away. We'll have to double-check if I remembered correctly the next time we open a container like this. --Bavi H (talk) 23:56, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Yep, I was wondering that from the picture as well -- but it would seem to be a violation of the labelling rules, which require the nutritional information to be visible on the outside of the package before purchase. It could be that this one 'slipped through the cracks', as the outer plasticware container seems to be a promotional 'gift'. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 00:15, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Roth IRA maximum contribution for Married Couple

In your article for Roth IRA, you explain that the maximum contribution for a 50+ age single man who earned $10,000 in 2008 was $5,000. For a man who earned $2,000 the max was $2,000. You also stated that a married couple, the wife could also contribute the same amount. Does that mean that if the wife did not work, the couple could match her husband's contribution, meaning their combined contribution could be $12,000 for the family's total earnings of $12,000. What about the husband who earned $2,000 and the wife who earned zero; can the family contribute $4,000 into 2 Roth IRAs? Jicgee (talk) 22:05, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

If you rely on advice you receive here, you run the risk that we're wrong, and the IRS penalizes you. But, here goes: US tax law discriminates in favor of married couples, so it is most likely that any benefit that is available to a married couple is available regardless of whether both are earning incomes, or only one. The best advice is to consult a tax professional (mine saved me much more than his actual fee!) DOR (HK) (talk) 09:43, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

August 11

"RTC grant"

What would RTC stand for here? The context is financial aid at a university (United States). 70.162.15.58 (talk) 00:53, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

You might try searching "RTC aid [name of state]" or "RTC aid [name of school]." I found Regional Training Center grants at East Carolina University (in North Carolina) but it seems clear there are many different uses for the "RTC" abbreviation. --- OtherDave (talk) 01:26, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Mis-spelled ROTC? Comet Tuttle (talk) 06:23, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

A Google search for "RTC grant" gave Regional Telecommunications Council[16] or Regional Technology Center[17]. If it is neither of them, there are many alternatives[18]. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:17, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Gay Paris

I realise that I have asked this before, and your help was greatly appreciated, but... My band is giving me a hard time, I promised them a gig in Paris, and God knows I have been trying to find one for us, but i dont speak french. Can any one please, pretty please provide me with a list of names of small pub type venues where a small UK unsigned band can play a gig or two in Paris. All I need is the name and I wiill do the rest. I have never been to Paris, and when I try to google this, with various combinations, all I find is resteraunts, and profesional musicians' venues. I need a list of small pubs in Paris that regularly host unsigned bands. If it helps, www.myspace.com/2010exile I do not wish to self promote here but it may help you to help me if you know what we play. thanks wiki. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 01:34, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Did you do the two things I suggested, which were to browse Last FM's list of upcoming gigs in Paris and follow the links from there, and to buy a copy of the Time Out Guide to Paris which has a long list of venues? --Viennese Waltz ^talk 08:02, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

I don't have anything specific to say about Paris but I have experience in music promotion so here are some pointers. I heard your band's sound, that's ok. Your band's name "Exile" is hopelessly unoriginal[19] and used by others, so get a new one. Image means everything and you don't have one. How about focussing on Georgia your lead singer and let the other 4 guys be her faceless session musicians? Parisian venues will be more interested in a new girl singer (with her band) than just "a band" because they have enough French bands. Maybe this is treading on some egos but, as they say, that's rock and roll. Good luck. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:07, 11 August 2010 (UTC) Georgia and the X-isle X-perience ? Nah...

Ah - well, that's something I can definitely help with! If you need a new band name, you might like to try http://www.sjbaker.org/cgi-bin/rock_band.cgi (my handy automatic rock band name generator) - "Walrus from Beyond", "The iron dogs from Heck", "The mystic concrete frizbee of Starship nine"? SteveBaker (talk) 11:44, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Cute applet, although some of the names are a bit longwinded. Are you really going to put The Technicolour war nerds that came from beyond the grave on a marquee?

By the way, just so we're clear, Spock and the Space Hippies is mine. I thought of that name more than twenty years ago. As soon as I find a drummer and learn to play guitar, I'm all set. --Trovatore (talk) 18:31, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

I was always partial to "Delusions of Grandeur" myself. Googlemeister (talk) 13:31, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

If I ever start a band, I'm going to name it "People playing music." -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 18:23, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Your help is greatly apprciated, and I have looked at lastfm listing which was a great help, thanks, But as stated previously, I dont speak french and its hard to tell which ones are concert halls filled by proffesional, if unfamous, musicians. I have sent countless emails but with no response so far, so any further help would be appreciated. As for the name, I dod not choose it, but was not overly disapointed as it can be used thus, tour to france called Exile to Paris or Exile to Berlin etc. but, People Playing Music, is BRILLIANT!!! I will use that with my next band, if you dont copywrite it. Thank people.

Natural disasters

How many natural disasters have there been in the last 10 years? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.184.122.138 (talk) 12:44, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

In practical terms, uncountably many. Take a look at our natural disaster article: there are, among other things, avalanches, earthquakes, lahars, volcanic eruptions, floods, limnic eruptions, tsunamis, blizzards, cyclonic storms, droughts, hailstorms, heat waves, tornadoes, fires, epidemics, famines, and more. Tracking down exact numbers of any one category worldwide is difficult; for many, it's virtually impossible. One must also determine at what level something becomes a "disaster", and whether or not multiple events lump into a single "disaster". — Lomn 13:24, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

(EC) Our answer to that will be of limited use unless we know what constitutes a natural disaster. Is it a natural disaster if a volcano errupts in a remote location, but has minimal human impact? Does a forest fire count if we are not sure if it was caused by lightning or human carelessness? If a dam collapses because of a combination of deferred maintenance and a prodigious amount of rainfall, is it natural? If there is a very nasty thunderstorm that does a few hundred thousand dollars worth of damage, and interrupts power to thousands but no one is injured or killed, is it a disaster? Googlemeister (talk) 13:28, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Flooding, to give one example, may not wholly be a "natural" disaster. Firstly, there is the question of how much climate and weather patterns have been affected by human action. Secondly, contributory factors in the excessive surface run-off which causes flooding include the loss of woodland and other vegetation on hillsides, which would otherwise have helped slow down flows, and the increase in impermeable surfaces such as tarmac and concrete. Ghmyrtle (talk) 14:58, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

How did Steve Jobs get an internship at HP at 12 years old?

Was his family friends with Hewlett? I find it hard to believe a 12-year-old with no special contacts, no matter how smart or good with words, could get access to and consideration from the president of a major corporation. 20.137.18.50 (talk) 13:27, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

This explains. It's pretty hard to believe, but so are a lot of Silicon Valley stories. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 18:16, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Moving from film to digital SLR

Wotcha, I'm thinking about buying a film SLR. One day I would like to be able to afford a decent DSLR - but I want to make sure I don't take myself down a blind alley with regard to lenses. Are all lenses (company by company) interchangable? Will any lens fitting a Canon EOS 1998 something I might buy go straight onto my swish new Canon DSLR 2012? Or will I have to begin again?

Thanks 195.60.13.52 (talk) 15:05, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Not all lenses will be interchangeable -- over time, companies will phase out lens fitting types. However, that's usually a multi-decade period of time. For instance, many of Canon's current DSLRs support the Canon EF-S lens mount, which debuted in 2003 -- no older lenses are EF-S. However, that mount is also back-compatible to the Canon EF lens mount, which debuted in 1987. Those mounts encompass most, if not all, consumer-level Canon lenses you're likely to purchase. I expect similar trends hold other major DSLR manufacturers, and any decent camera shop can verify this. But short answer, EF lenses for a 1990s-era Canon EOS will play just fine with a 2010s-era EOS, digital or not. — Lomn 15:26, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Also note that you can get converters/adapters to make say, a Canon lens, fit a Pentax camera (just do a google shopping search for canon to pentax adapter for example). I've no idea of the impact these have though i'd expect they often mean sacrificing auto-focus. ny156uk (talk) 16:32, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Drinking water quality ?

I had an argument about drinking unboiled tap water with my mom, she explained that she had recently read that our country has best quality of water among (god knows what) countries. I've been trying to find such list on web, but so far no luck, so has anybody heard anything like that and how safe exactly is tap water anyway ? I mean it may be clean at water sanitation plant, but from there it goes through piping which may very well be full of evil bacteria ~~Xil (talk) 18:03, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

You forgot to mention which country you live in. It's hard for us to answer questions about the relative quality of your nation's tap water without that. Even within countries, water quality may vary from region to region. This web site has a variety of information about drinking water, including a pdf chart of access to safe drinking water in various countries, but I'm not sure if that's exactly what you're looking for. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 18:09, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Xil's user page states that he's from redacted. BTW, there are currently 192 member countries of the UN, if that is what you meant by your parenthetical comment. Drinking water quality varies according to the geography of the reservoirs catchment basement; a lot of people find water with excessive chalk or peat water objectionable. The water in the River Ankh at Ankh-Morpork is the purest on the Disc; it has got to be, as its been through so many pairs of kidneys. CS Miller (talk) 18:28, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

I was asking you about comparison of water quality among countries and how bad can water get while traveling through piping, how is my country relevant here ? If you think you must know at least look on my userpage before complaining, but the only diffrence knowing will give you is that you probably can narrow it down to European Union. I found your site before I asked, but I don't see anything saying quality there, am I mising something ? If you don't get the question, here's my line of thought - the local tradition (which I assume is widespread in the rest of the world too) has it that you should boil water before drinking it as it can contain disease agents. However there was an article in a magazine which claims that tap water is so clean that you can drink it unboiled. We could asume that it is true (therefore a list comparing diffrent countries or perhaps cities of the world would be handy) or that it is not true, because the water might have been contaminated on its way to my house. The water supplier routinely tests the water, but I assume water for testing is taken at the purification plant (which BTW is at other side of the city). From there to my home the only place it can get contaminated is in pipes from there to my tap. So, considering all this, is drinking unboiled tap water healthy or not ? ~~Xil (talk) 19:28, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Actually most people drink municipal piped water straight from the taps in New Zealand, particularly in urban areas. Sometimes you may get recommendations when testing finds contaminants e.g. [20] but I don't think they're particularly common even in the wops.

It's fairly common in Malaysia to boil water before drinking but I wasn't aware it was common in any parts of Europe so you learn something new every day. The Singapore tourist guide assured me (in 2001) it was also okay to drink water straight from the taps there, although I don't know how common that is.

I have to say, your question is somewhat confusing to me. First you lament about people wanting to know where you are so they can help answer your question saying that you only want comparisons of water quality between countries and knowledge of how bad the water may get in the pipes. I would agree that we don't really need to know where you live to answer that. But then at the end of it you say "So, considering all this, is drinking unboiled tap water healthy or not" yet as others have pointed out, this will almost definitely depend on where you live so if you want a useful answer, you do need to tell us where you live, or at least not complain when we guess.

BTW, how bad the water can get in the piping will depend on things like the length and quality of the piping, whether it's chlorinated, the temperature of the water in the piping (which will likely depend somewhat on the average temperature in the area), how long the water stays in the pipes etc

Nil Einne (talk) 19:45, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Xil, I see we got of to a bad start. The way you asked your question implied that your mother was wondering why her home city has the best quality water. To answer that question we need to know what city you are talking about. If you were wanting to know, in general, why water tastes different in other areas and how the quality varies in different countries, then those are different questions.

Tap water (at least in most first-world countries) is safe to drink from the tap. Our water purification article describes how 'natural' water is turned into potable (drinkable) water. I can't find an article within Wikipedia that gives a list of what countries tap water is considered healthy enough to drink directly. CS Miller (talk) 19:49, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

In Western Europe people drink unboiled tap water all the time. A quick bit of googling found that the US Embassy in Latvia tells US citizens it is safe to drink the water [21] while the Australian government's advice is to boil all tap water before drinking it [22] (those are the two countries that appears on the first page of results). Given conflicting advice, if I were visiting the country I would avoid drinking the water (without boiling it). --Tango (talk) 19:59, 11 August 2010 (UTC)