Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Reference Desk

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March 27

realationships

can anyone help me i am trying to fing information on what relationships were like in shakespears time so that i can compare it to todays relationships for a school debate.

Start with Romeo and Juliet. Proto||type 14:09, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Oh, come on. Romeo and Juliet is as much about relationships in the Bard's time as Romeo + Juliet is now (or any Harlequin potboiler). --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:21, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Well, I don't know about you, but my relationships are often worryingly similar to those in Romeo + Juliet. Apart from the guns, and the being in America, and the banging of Claire Danes, and the music, and having Brian Dennehy as my dad. And the suicides. Apart from that, there's no difference. Proto||type 11:42, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Think carefully about what you mean by the question. Sexual mores were almost certainly not the same throughout society during Shakepeare's life and through the social strata, any more than the social mores of Salt Lake City and The Castro are the same. Additionally, the fact that the vast majority of the population was illiterate at the time means that we have considerably less insight into their behaviour than we do of the literate elite. You should probably read our article on William Shakespeare himself, as well as the one about his wife Anne Hathaway. --Robert Merkel 23:47, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

At which point I did a double take, until I realised that there were two Anne Hathaways running about the place... :) — QuantumEleven | (talk) 16:20, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

sir isaac newton

Hi, I need to know all about his childhood, schools and adult life but I can not locate it in here can you please point me in the right direction, thanks Dee Dee

Try clicking on Sir Isaac Newton. JackofOz 04:24, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

try "Lucasian Chair of Mathematics Cambridge" newton held it. He also invented Calculus.

You might also try a library for a biography of him, there are many, or check here. AllanHainey 11:49, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Note that there is considerable debate over who actually "invented" Calculus, Leibniz was pretty much doing the same work as Newton, at the same time. However, Newton ran a campaign to get sole credit, and discredit Leibniz as a copycat.

farting

Dear board I love to fart! It feels good and I like to smell my own farts whenever possible. I like it especially when I have an audible and big "airy" fart, silent and wet ones are no good. My question is, how can I make sure I have plenty of gas for my big farts? I would like to fart all day. What can I eat, vitamins I can take?

Thanks, Jared

See Flatulence#Causes. —Keenan Pepper 05:08, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Eat beans

Sometimes if I want to fart, I do some stretching. It gets the gases to move through the bowels. (I think). Touch the toes, twist around, etc. I find this works. If it doesn't come out, don't force it. You'll probably crap yourself. If you have time, do yoga! schyler 23:42, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

help citing refernces

can someone cite all my stuff in the article George Spotton with the one source Conrad, Margaret; Finkel, Alvin (2003). Canada: A National History, Toronto, Canada: Pearson Education Canada, Inc.. , please. I do not know how to.

There are two things to see here :

1) Wikipedia help is of very little and poor help if it can't be found easily and should give plenty of examples ... try here anyway.

2) A reference sometimes just cannot be linked here!

Do not try to enclose it with "["s. Only if - one of the authors - the book - the editor - is in Wikipedia, create a link. If not, try looking for the ISBN code number for the book. I think the best link options are, in that order : The WP book article; the ISBN (which gives access to plenty of booksellers - try it) ; any internet site ; any bookseller site, which is better than nothing at all.

If you need more help, sure someone can do it, but it is better for you to try. --DLL 19:52, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Load/execute a .jsp file in a Adobe Form

How to load/Execute a .js file in a Adobe Form(.pdf/.xdp)? once loaded/executed, the script must start executing and the respective functions called by the objects(for ex. a textbox) in the form have to be executed

Authors questions on reference material in Wiki

I am an author writing a novel, and find reference material in the Wiki not only useful, but informative. my question is may i use information here without violating copyrighted material. I know when there is a reference to a paticular book used as reference by posters i must, but is the Wiki open end public domain? I have reserched "Public Domain" in Wiki, and read that "for all practical purposes the public domain comprises copyright free work"., yet, "there is no such thing as public domain on the internet" Web pages have protection, as do copyrighted materials. non-copyrighted materials and expired copyrights are accessable to me notwithstanding. US Copyright Office and Wiki defines "Uncreative works", as works not of original idea. thus, unprotectable by copyright. and by the Berne Convention, pre 1923 is public domain, so im my case, the bible for one, is usuable fully and with no infrindgment. Still, I would ask that any authors who may be of service, and willing to take the time perchance allow me your knowledge or expeirence. Any help is very much appreciated...

Egas Nus

--Egas nus 05:59, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

As I understand it, most of the text on Wikipedia is not "public domain", but is made available under the GNU Free Documentation License: free for you to use, copy, distribute and even sell, but you are supposed to include the GFDL statement with the used text. However, if you are writing a fiction novel and are just using Wikipedia as a reference there should be no restriction at all and no need to cite your source unless you want to, although thanking Wikipedia in the author's notes would be a nice gesture. --Canley 07:10, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

This is correct -- if you are just using it at a reference, you are not violating any copyrights (ideas are not copyrighted, only individual acts of expression are). If you want to quote things, odds are it will fall under the "fair use" clause of U.S. copyright law. If you want to re-use the content substantially, you are allowed to under the terms of the GFDL, which requires nothing other than you release the derivative work under the GFDL as well, and include a copy of the GFDL with the work. --Fastfission 19:56, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Using reference material does not usually require that it is public domain, or even that a citation is given. If you include a verbatim quote of a copyrighted work, a citation is usually needed. Non-verbatim copying is not copyright protected. (Copyright protects the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves) Unless you are incorporating text copied verbatim in amounts larger than can be considered a quote, then you don't need license to do so. It's called fair use. Of course, if you take a whole copyrighted book and just re-express every sentence, then it's still copyright infringement. A translation also requires permission; a work needs a certain amount of originality apart from not being a verbatim copy. But it does not need much. --BluePlatypus 17:40, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Unless you are reading in ancient Hebrew and Greek, the Bible is not public domain either. Teh various translations are copyrighted by different groups. For example the NIV Bible is copyright of the International Bible Society which allows that "The NIV text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted." Rmhermen 17:49, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

When items fall into the public domain depends what country you are in -- there is no universal copyright law (the closest thing to it are international conventions which set bare minimums of standards, and not all countries are parties in them anyway). In the United States, any edition of the Bible published before 1923 is current in the public domain. --Fastfission 19:56, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Image renaming

I have just uploaded an image, "Logo blue jpg.jpg". It is Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign logo. I wish to rename this. How do I do so? Or should I just speedy delete and upload the same image with the new name? --Blue387 08:32, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

U pload the image with a new name and mark the original image as redundant with the {{Redundant image}} template. Mysid 11:05, 27 March 2006 (UTC) PS. You may ask Wikipedia related questions at the Held desk.

collaboration

Africans were miscontrued as having colloborated with Eurepeans on eve colonisation,is it really correct tosay say so?

Not sure entirely what you mean, especially with "eve colonisation" but logically some Africans must have collaborated with European colonisers otherwise they'd all be dead or still fighting. AllanHainey 11:52, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Often after tribal wars the victors would sell the losers as slaves to the europians, who paid whatever the specific africans were interested in(mostly glamerous things), but at that time there wasnt any nationalism movement or for that matter they didnt care about 'races'. It was also a fairly easy way to get rid of people not fond of you (for the africans). Logically you can also deduct that atleast a minimum of collaboration had to have been done, since at that time europians mostly had coastal colonies, which meant if no one worked with them they would have eventually have to moved inland to find more slaves.- Joneleth

status

Hello My name is Bharti Patel

I have a question for my sister, I hope you can answer it for me. My sister 's name is Sheela, she has a greencard but when her visa call came through her daughter was over 21 so her file cancelled. Her daughter is handicapped and has a mind level of under 10, but is almost 25 years old. She is not able to take care of herself, and Sheela cannot do so while residing in the US. How can she have her daughter come stay in US legally so her mom can take care of her. Please advise me if you can. Thank You Bharti Patel

Generally, you should direct such questions to your local US consulate, which will help you determine what solution is best for your particular case. You should note that your sister's daughter should be eligible for "Family Second Preference (F2)" immigration status, which allows unmarried children over 20 years of age of US permanent residents (green card holders) to immigrate to the US. However, immigration under the category is limited, with 114,200 permits issued annually, where less than 23% of those go to unmarried sons and daughters over 20 (the rest go to spouses and minor children). These limits, often called "caps", are generally filled quite quickly at the start of each year, so an application must be made well in advance. In addition, judging from your name, I assume you're from India, which causes additional difficulties, as it is a country that sends a large amount of immigrants to the US, and no more than 7% of immigration permits are allocated for each country. You should also note that the immigration laws follow fiscal years, not calendar years, where each year starts and ends in October. You should read up the US Bureau of Consular Affairs website, especially this page. --Aramգուտանգ 22:10, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

BombayTV

I briefly considered putting this under Humanities, but it's a tad frivolous. Can anyone learned in Indian TV identify the TV series(s) used in BombayTV? Thanks. Sum0 21:10, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Polite ways to fart and burp

I was wondering what people of high society, aristocracy, royalty and the such would do when in similair formal company when they needed to fart or burb? Do they hold it in? or for a fart do they go to the toilet, in that case if you have flatuence you would have to be going very often and might appear impolite or something. Wierd question I know but who ever thinks about these things? Kingstonjr 21:30, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

• Include yawning in the above question too. Thanks Kingstonjr 21:55, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

This is neat [1]. --Zeizmic 22:45, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

When they're amongst themselves, by all reports they scratch themselves, fart, burp, swear, and generally carry on like, well, regular people. It's just when they're out in public and have to pretend they're somehow superior that the issue arises. --Robert Merkel 23:53, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it's a case of pretending to be superior, Robert. If you had the entire world watching your every movement, I think you'd be a little circumspect too. It's also a question of basic good manners, and behaviour appropriate to the circumstances. Burping, scratching and farting are not normally encountered at any formal gathering of humans in the West. JackofOz 01:18, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

To a certain extent those things aren't carried out when people are watching (or thought to be watching) even if in a less formal setting. You may tend to do some or all when in the privacy of your home or when alone but most people tend to curb them when around others. Oh, and add nose-picking to that list. Try and watch drivers at a red light if they think no one is looking. At least some of them will want to explore the interior of their noses. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:08, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I heard on Family Guy that the people at The New Yorker don't have anuses. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 10:24, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Well, if it was on Family Guy, it must be true! But this is an interesting question. What do you do if you have to fart or burp in public? Optichan 16:09, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

• No one has anwserred my question!!!

Well, you could hold it in.. See the death of Tycho Brahe (although the story in the article is generally regarded as false). Back in the middle ages, farting was socially acceptable. In more recent times, your choice is to either hold it in, or excuse yourself. (Farting at the dinner table in definitely not allowed) If you're not seated, you also have the option of just moving aside for a moment. As for burps, it's fine as long as you put your hand or napkin over your mouth, as with a cough or sneeze. If you've got flatulence going on, then you can simply explain that you've got "stomache problems" or similar. The point of etiquette isn't to pretend you don't have bodily functions, it's just to show consideration for others in the exercise of them. --BluePlatypus 22:46, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

=: The key is not to hold it in, the key is to avoid it in the first place. If you are going to an elegant gathering tomorrow night, avoid substances tonite and tomorrow morning that tend to give you gas. Discipline yourself. Do not pick your nose at a stop light. Only do so when the vehicle is in motion. But only between the speeds of 35-45. Below 35 and other drivers do not have to concentrate as much and will notice you. Above 45 requires two hands on the wheel. Burping? Avoid too much carbonated beverages and overeating. If a burp is inevitable ease it out quietly and carefully into your napkin. If someone is paying so much attention to you that they are taken aback by your mannerless behavior it is they with the problem not you. Just be discreet. Taktiks 11:36, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

One other thing...if I recall correctly, the British royalty may not be photographed, filmed, recorded etc. while eating, speaking privately or in other situations where they could look silly.--24.80.70.174 17:32, 29 March 2006 (UTC) If you are rich or famous enough,no-one is going to critisize you.There are many jokes in England about the Royals and farting etc. so I expect it has happened in reality.If the Queen farted in front of you , are you going to complain to her about it?I think not!.hotclaws**==

I have often heard that it was once considered polite to acknowledge the chef's good work with a large belch at the end of dinner, signifying that the meal was satisfying. I have no reference for this, so it could be true or false. I would imagine that persons in a situation where they do not wish to offend anyone by flatulence would probably just hold it in. This extends far beyond royalty and celebrities - everyone has been in a situation where they feel it would be inappropriate to fart, burp, or yawn. As much as studies want to prove that holding in flatulence can be hurtful, I doubt that it is; at least, no more hurtful than it will be to your image to let it out ;)

USS Repose (AH-16), USS Sanctuary (AH-17)

Both of these hospital ships assisted with casualties during the Vietnam war. How can I obtain a copy of their Ship's Log for March 1968?

Have you tried contacting the US Navy and asking under your countries FOIL? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:37, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Punctuation Project

Hi:

I have volunteered to do a punctuation project. If I see other errors such as spelling, capitalzation, etc., should I correct those? The directions do not exactly state this. I have no qualms about correcting errors.

Regards, LarryBH

Sure, you can edit anything you want without permission. Just make sure you don't change other people's signed comments on talk pages, or their user pages (that's considered bad etiquette), but articles are fair game. —Keenan Pepper 22:05, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply, Larry

One thing to watch for is the use of country specific spelling in US/UK articles. In an article like Bill Gates you would use color but if it was about Tony Blair you would want colour etc. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:35, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

And for articles that aren't particularly US- or UK-centric, don't bother changing it. Just leave it the way it is. —Keenan Pepper 03:46, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

As long as it's internally consistent, that is. (Mixed spelling types within a page is one of my pet peeves.) --Bth 07:13, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Worse than that is the editor who changes the spelling in a UK article to US or in a US article to UK. And at the same time makes other valid edits so you can't just do a simple reversion. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:26, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

By the way, since this is about punctuation, the MoS says that it should be U.S. not US and UK not U.K. Dismas|^(talk) 11:37, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Sunni Shi'a

how did the conflict in iraq start?

Depends on how far back you care to go. For the overall issue, see Historical Shi'a-Sunni relations. In more modern times, the conflict can be attributed to the British-supported Sunni Hashemite rule of Iraq. Saddam's Baathist rule was mostly secular, (his deputy, Tariq Aziz was a Christian), but he favored people from his own clan (the Tikriti), which meant Sunnis. So, between the combination of historical rivalry, a dictatorship where Shiites were underrepresented and their religion suppressed, there hasn't really been much of a question that religious nationalism would pop up once Saddam disappeared. At least not in my opinion. The question is and was: to what extent? It parallels in many ways Yugoslavia, where historically rival groups had similarily been held together by the dictator Josip Broz Tito. Ethnic tensions and nationalism cropped up after his death, eventually leading to a bloody civil war and the dissolution of the country. --BluePlatypus 00:02, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

And the near-certainty that the deposing of the regime would allow these suppressed tensions to spill over into civil war was one of the reasons why George Bush Snr didnt choose to carry on and bring down Saddam Hussein after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. Jameswilson 22:03, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Long-Lasting Relationships

What are the differences between a relationship that lasts a couple years and a relationship that lasts forever? What separates the two?

Time? Seriously, you may want to look up the definitions of infatuation and love, as well as lust. The difference may have something to do with one of those, although with all the relationships in the world and each of them being different, this would probably only be the tip of the iceberg. Dismas|^(talk) 02:22, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I think the primary difference is commitment. If you're committed to being in a relationship that lasts the duration of your life then you do things that reflect that, like asking questions about how to make relationships last, surrounding yourself with people who have working positive relationships, being careful and logical and just in your judgement of your character and that of the person you're interested in to gauge fairely if it will probably work, being coolheaded and trusting the opinions of your family, etc. These types of practices before you're in a relationship will not only help you to be in a good one, but also to have more of a respect for what you have and a commitment to keep it. But that is really the key. People with commitment do whatever it takes. They find patience, they bend themselves and change their habits. There is obviously more to it and there is ultimately no telling how things will work out, but there are definately things you can do to put the odds in your favor, and that's a good start. -LambaJan 15:21, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Jew Joke

I watched an episode of South Park recently and Cartman wanted kyle's "Jew Gold." I thaught it was funny and didn't think it meant anything. I said it at school and a teacher heard me and I got in trouble (note to self: no south park at school). What would this mean and how would it be offensive to a jew? schyler 23:54, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

A prime example of why not to parrot lines you don't understand. Some hold some uses of the word Jew demeaning - see the last sections of Etymology of the word Jew. "Jew gold" probably refers to the anti-semitic theory of Jewish bankers ruling the world. Rmhermen 00:01, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Could also refer to the gold the nazis primarily took from jews in ww2. According to my memory it was called jew gold. That includes everything from household items to teethgold from consentration camps so that might be why your teacher didnt find it funny. - Joneleth

I thought Cartman was referring to the stereotype that Jewish people are good with money. That's why he was so sure Kyle had Jew gold. :) -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 10:23, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Of course the stereotype that Jewish people are good with money and the anti-semitic theory of Jewish bankers ruling the world are not exactly unrelated, so in a way you make the same point as Rmhermen. David Sneek 18:51, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

But whatever the case, I'd definitely avoid quoting things from South Park at school. If you think something doesn't mean something, it probably does and it probably means something offensive. --Optichan 19:53, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Maybe it's the cultural difference, but judging by the above, your teacher seems too strict and overly sensitive. It sounds like he/she just heard the word "Jew" and a had a knee-jerk reaction that you might be anti-Semitist. If this is the case, then this is taking political correctness way too far. If you had said "all Jews are so-and-so" then it would have been a fair case, but merely mentioning the word "Jew" (especially, as I take it, you were only asking what "Jew gold") meant, is completely neutral. But maybe I am not aware of all the issues here, because in Finnish, the word for "Jew" and "Jewish" is one and the same - "juutalainen". There is a derogatory abbreviation of it - "jutku" - similar to your "kike" or "wop", and it is best avoided, especially amongst strangers. JIP | Talk 20:33, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

"Jew" may be neutral (though not as an adjective, I think), "Jew gold" is not. David Sneek 20:45, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

While people in the U.S. can be too sensitive sometimes, "Jew gold" is certainly something you shouldn't say. As you surmised, part of the reason is because of the use of "Jew" as an adjective, which is almost always done to be offensive. But even if he had said "Jewish gold," it still would have been offensive, as it would have refered to the old stereotype of Jews as evil bankers or whatever. What's perhaps somewhat heartening about all of this is that our young correspondent has had so little experience with antisemitism that he was completely unaware of this stereotype. It reminds me of that other South Park episode in which the kids completely miss the point of the "lynching flag" controversy. -- Mwalcoff 23:57, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Cartman as a character is supposed to be somewhat of a bigot. If you repeat his lines in regards to other people's ethnicities, races, religions, sexualities, or nationalities, you are likely to look like a bigot too. Just a hint. --Fastfission 21:15, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Cartmen also dresses up like Hitler and gets the townspeople to chant "Wir müssen die Jüden ausrotten" ("We must exterminate the Jews"). You really shouldn't be surprised that your teacher feels that "I shall not repeat Cartman's words unless I really understand them" is an important lesson for you to learn. - Nunh-huh 01:43, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

March 28

What would be the best camoflauge for laser tag?

I'm going to play laser tag in a couple days, and I'm considering going "all out" in terms of camoflauge and such. The playing environment is indoors, with mostly black walls with small light colored strips of paint in places. What would be the most effective way for me to (without breaking the game rules, like covering targets) camoflauge myself? This is the site for the place I'm going to http://www.planetlazer.net/ Flea110 02:18, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I guess if the walls are mostly black with paint strips, you should wear black, with a few stripes of color. But the flashing lights on the laser tag vest might give your position away :D--inks^T 05:13, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Stand perfectly still.The eyes recognize movement in the dark more quickly than anything else..........hotclaws**=

• A dark grey is actually better than black, especially if you're going to be moving. Don't wear anything shiny. If you can get away with a balaclava, and black gloves, that wouldn't hurt, as your face and hands will be visible. Proto||type 11:36, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
• I've played two games of Laser Tag, both on a company recreation trip, and we have been advised to mostly wear black, and avoid white and other bright colours at all costs. This must have worked because I've mostly beat the crap out of my opponents. (The fact that in one game we were up against schoolchildren may have something to do with it.) JIP | Talk 20:20, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
• Depending on the arena, there might be a blacklight there, so avoid anything that shows up under a blacklight (which, I guess is mostly white stuff that you'd avoid wearing anyway, but you know what I mean). Oskar 21:00, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Lint on black clothing generally shows up really well under a Black light. Just sayin' ... --LarryMac 16:46, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Who is Harold V. Melchert?

Highly quoted individual in anything from Financial Planning presentations to motivational speeches, yet I've been unable to learn who he is/was.

Any help is appreciated.

−−70.49.37.251 03:13, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Wow, that's weird. He's quoted all the time but no body knows who he is. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 10:20, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Positively freaky. It's almost as though he's some sort of trade secret of the inspirational speaking industry: if you want to make something up, attribute it to him. More plausibly, he was a very early exponent of the art of stating the obvious for large amounts of money, but never did anything particularly notable. --Bth 10:26, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

The 2001 edition of "The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations" does not have one quote of his. It may be a made up name and all I see after looking at several different sites is one quote about mountain climbing. Can someone point me out another. Thanks CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:46, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

You have managed to miss the nauseating "When you hire people who are smarter than you are, you prove you are smarter than they are." Until now. Admittedly that and the mountain one are the only two I found. --Bth 11:57, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't think the guy exists. He is supposedly quoted all over the place but appears to have only made a few quotes and does not appear in one of the major books on quotations. Fictional person. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:07, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Checking some online genealogy resources (good ol' Mormons with their project to baptise everyone who ever lived) a "Harold Vir Melchert" died in 1980 in Marion, Oregon. Whether that's the mountain-climbing, infinitely smart Harold V Melchert I have no idea. Adding that information to the Google searches doesn't turn anything up, though. --Bth 07:59, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Cultural intelligence

I have an enquiry on cultural intelligence. What is cultural intelligence?

How different is it from emotional intelligence? How does a lack of cultural intelligence resulted in having embarrassing outcomes in an organization? Thank you

I suggest that you take a look at Intelligence Principle, Race and intelligence (Culture-only or partially-genetic explanation) and Emotional intelligence. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:02, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

And Race and intelligence in general. And god bless the RD, which has suggested a very useful redirect - Cultural intelligence. Proto||type 11:33, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

That looks like a dodgy redirect if ever I saw one. Emotional Intelligence describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups. I suspect that Cultural Intelligence describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the cultural attributes of one's self, of others, and of groups. And that would have next to bugger all to do with Race & Inteligence, which would be the nature nurture stuff. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Good lord it's a ridiculous redirect - "Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is the ability to cope with national, corporate and vocational cultures. CQ is the ability to make sense of unfamiliar contexts and then blend in." It's a management theory, and has nowt to do with race. Try google. I've reverted the redirect. Natgoo 21:07, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Cultural intelligence might be enclosing your three homework questions between an "I have an enquiry ..." and a "thank you". --DLL 20:26, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Pop Culture ?? ---wqiohio3eyh

land rovers 1986 2.50 petrol engine

could you please tell me the performace figuars ei miles to the gallon etc

According to our article on Land Rovers, none had a 2.5L petrol engine as standard. The smallest stock engine was a 3528cc Rover_V8. Apparently though some were made with a 2.5L diesel.--inks^T 22:43, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

That article concerns Range Rovers, which are a type of Land Rover. The article Land Rover (Series/Defender) mentions a 2.5l Defender made from 1985 onwards, but doesn't include any performance stats. Manufacturer's performance stats are generally unreliable anyway, so true figures are rarely seen.
Slumgum | yap | stalk | 22:53, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I can give a general answer, based on extensive experience with Land Rovers of that and earlier eras; it would have been very slow, and it would have been very thirsty, unlike the V8's, which were not that slow but extremely thirsty, and the diesels which were very very slow (except up hills) but relatively fuel-efficient. It's all relative, though, compared to a Chevy Suburban it's probably quite economical. --Robert Merkel 02:40, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Notary Public's signature?

Does a signature have to accompany a Notary Public Seal ie, if the seal is there alone, without a signature, is that sufficient?

That would depend on the jurisdiction. Henry^Flower 20:08, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

(I'm omitting the "how dare you not tell us what country you're in" rhetoric that often accompanies answers here...) Actually, it appears that it may be the opposite. At least in Minnesota, it seems that the signature is critical and the seal is optional. It's all a little hard to decipher, though, and the very concept of a notary public changes from country to country and even state to state. For the US, you may want to contact the National Notary Association. kmccoy (talk) 20:10, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Nationality of a name?

Hi

I have been trying to research the nationality of the last name Yungk, but cannot locate this information anywhere. Can you help? Any information you can provide is appreciated.

Cursory research indicates it is probably Germany (even Switzerland speaks Swiss-German). Superm401 - Talk 20:47, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm quite sure it's German. Another spelling variant is "Jungk". I'm not sure about the meaning, but it's probably relates to either "Jung" (young) or "Junker" (see article). --BluePlatypus 22:14, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

March 29

largest neighborhood

What is the Largest Neighborhood in America? I dont mean City

How exactly are you defining "neighborhood"? That's a rather vague term. Do you mean a suburban subdivision/housing estate, or were you thinking of something else? (I should add that it's hard to precisely pin down where one ends and another begins). Please suitly emphazi. Yeltensic42 don't panic 04:57, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Oh and while I'm asking, by America do you mean North America, South America, the Americas, the United States, or someplace else? Yeltensic42 don't panic 04:59, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

onions and garlic

An onion will not cause your eyes to water if youpick it up in the grocery store. A garlic does not give off a strong odor until you use it. Why?

An onion doesn't sting your eyes until you cut it. For the reason why, see the section "Why do onions make you cry?" in the article Onion. I can't see a similar explanation in the article Garlic, but it seems to me that garlic does not give off an odor as such, but it causes your hands to smell after handling raw garlic, so the explanation is probably some kind of chemical reaction with the oil on your skin. --Canley 02:16, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it has anything to do with the oil on your skin, but it does have to do with damaging the garlic cells. Here's the relevant quote from the Garlic article:

Like other members of the onion family, garlic actually creates the chemicals that give it its sharp flavor when the plant's cells are damaged. When a cell of a garlic clove is broken by chopping, chewing, or crushing, enzymes stored in cell vacuoles trigger the breakdown of several sulfur-containing compounds stored in the cell fluids. The resultant compounds are responsible for the sharp or hot taste and strong smell of garlic. —Keenan Pepper 03:13, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

The pure essential oil of garlic and onion contains sulfur, but no oxygen. When mashed, it forms a very stinky compound (which is supposedly the healthy form). According to this [2] garlic oil rubbed on the feet can be detected almost instantly in the breath. --Zeizmic 03:10, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

ISTR that it is possible to avoid the tears that go with cutting onions if you keep them submerged in a bowl of water while they are being cut. Grutness...wha? 08:09, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Submerging the onions in a bowl of water only ,kinda, dilutes the acid or whatever in the onion... but i've heard that chewing gum while cutting them completely takes care of the tears... I think it works...try it out.... :-D Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 12:46, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

The volume of juice seems to be inversely proportional to the sharpness and thinness of the knife, in my experience. JackofOz 13:18, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Anything that reduces the production or mobility of the gas will reduce the stinging sensation. Slicing an onion in a fume hood would be best, but those aren't common in kitchens. Cutting under running water also works well, as it washes away precursor chemicals. Chilling the onion reduces the rate of reaction, and thus the speed of gas production. --Serie 23:17, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Need a little help

I am not sure if you can help me with this but I feel I should ask before puting anything into my Fictional book that I am working on.

In the book the children of their dead Mother and Father who went to Peru to check out a story they heard about a virus that only Kill certain people and not others. So they went to Peru to fine out what it is. They found it and brough it back to the states. It has now gotten out of hand. Both mother and father are dead so the children have to fine a a way to destroy the virus and must go back to where they frist found it.

Ok, so what I want to know is where would one go in Peru to fine something like this. What would the people be like. and how would they get there.

I do not want to write in my book anything that would sound dumb and say something that isn't so. Even though my book is only fictional I would like some parts of it to be as close as possible to reality as I can without getting to far off.

I hope I made myself clear. And with hopes someone can give me some idea as to what, where and whom I can use in my fictional book I am now working on.

If you can not I understand and will have to try my best to get some info what I can for the book.

I thank you for your time. Katherine M G

I'm guessing a more rugged, less civilized area is what you're after, so your best bet would probably be the part of Peru comprised by the Amazon River Basin, in the East. The largest city in that region is Iquitos, right on the Amazon River. Other than the Amazon, you could also try the mountainous Huánaco Region, in the Peruvian Andes. The people in either region would probably be much like as described on the main Peru page - if you want to get more specific, I suggest checking out a book on Peru from your local library and checking up on those regions - either that or some Peruvian Tourism pages, but those are more interested in hype than truth. I hope this was of some help :) vertigociel 04:13, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

I'd advise you that when in doubt, write what you know. Especially when it comes to people. In the tastes of this reader, a foreigner acting like an American is a lot better than a foreigner acting like a stereotype. Real people don't act like stereotypes, so unstereotypical behaviour only makes characters more believable. Believability is a lot more important than accuracy. --BluePlatypus 06:02, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Have you read The Hot Zone? If you are writing about a virus, some factual background would be helpful I think. Kitum Cave, renamed and transplanted to Peru, could be a useful tidbit. JK

Your best bet is to go to Peru. You can consider this a work expense on your taxes. -LambaJan 15:04, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Punctuation in Lists

Hi:

I am somewhat confused as to the punctuation for lists. I see list with no punctuation, some with periods, some with semi-colons. Myself, I would have used semi-colons or none at all...Periods, if they were sentences.

My example is with the article entitled: "List of educational institutions in Karachi"

Monotechnics, Polytechnics & Technology Institutes / College Affiliated with Sindh Board of Technical Education SBTE for DAE courses:

* Govt. Saifee Eide Zahabi Institute of Technology (GSEZIT), Block-G, North Nazimabad, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

* Govt. College of Technology (GCT), SITE, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

* Govt. Polytechnic Institute for Women Karimabad (GPIWK), Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

* Sindh Board & University of Technical Education, Karachi, Pakistan.

* Aligarh Institute of Technology (AIT), Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

* Govt. Jamia Millia Polytechnic Institute, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

* Pakistan Swedish Institute of Technology, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

Then I see on down further, items with no periods. On another article, I saw semi-colons. Others, I saw punctuation on every other list item.

Question: What is the rule?

Another question: Should I have to remove the period from a list item that is a link, would I not ruin the linking if it is part of the link?

Hope that I did not ask for too much, or this might be a silly question.

Regards, LarryBH

The general rule, from Wikipedia:Lists, is no punctuation (unless the list items are full sentences). The links for the items with periods at List of educational institutions in Karachi are separate from the text that is displayed. The syntax used is [link this is the text that is displayed], i.e. the link appears first, followed by a space, followed by the text that appears. -- Rick Block (talk) 04:53, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Eurozone

How will it effect the future course inflation & interest rates in the eurozone,

1.If the Euro strengthens against the US Dollar? 2.A rise in the yields of bonds denominated in Euros, and a rise in interest rates on market instruments with a maturity of more than six months?

John

You'll want to consult your stockbroker if you are thinking of betting your own money. If you're trying to do your homework the cheap way....... *picks up a large pitchfork*..... — QuantumEleven | (talk) 16:08, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

riddle?

my friend wrote the following words on a paper and asked me to read them, i told him i dont understand what he means to he told me to look it up..... can you tell me what does this mean:

eye ham sofa king hay

it's indicating that you are homosexual. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:00, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Sort of like "see you auntie"; sound it out slowly. --jh51681 08:09, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Eye ham sofaking gay -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 09:11, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

eye Hopi snot Theo nly gay in Devil ij. JackofOz 12:46, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

From The Simpsons I think: "Has anyone seen Mike Hunt tonight?" --hydnjo talk 15:48, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I think that's from Porky's. American broadcasting standards would never let The Simpsons get away with that. User:Zoe|^(talk) 21:10, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Oops, you're right. I was thinking of the time that Bart called Moe's and asked for "Mike Rotch". --hydnjo talk 04:28, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

oceans and waterways

my question-   why are oceans and waterways so important to our lives?

Read Waterway (and its associated articles) and ocean. One thing out of several would be the transportation of goods from one country to another and another is so that teachers will have homework questions to give out. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:10, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Manufacturing in China

I have created a product that I would like to have produced in China. Is the Thomas Register a good place to start to find capable and trustworthy producers? If not, what is?

--Taktiks 11:00, 29 March 2006 (UTC) (Never did this before. What is it?)

(If it is something like " - - ~ ~ ~ ~" : looks like it a trick to show two dashes, your username, the current hour, the date and a reference to time zones.) --DLL 17:17, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Slave Zero

I've been trying to make it work on Windows XP for a while but I can't. Any suggestions?

What is the hardware configuration of your computer? The game might require some hardware accelaration that you might not be having. Check on the box in which you got the game for the system requirements....if your computer does not have the minimum requirements...theres a slim chance that the game might work.. try it on a friends computer with some higher configuration... Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 12:23, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

My Computer can run Elder Scrolls 4:Oblivion. (but it has been upgraded to do so) I get a stupid error message as with all old games I've tried to run - Midtown Madness 2, Kingpin, Black and White, etc. It says something like "game.exe had to be shut down because something 000000000something". How do I make these old games work?!

Try running the old games on Windows 98.... Many of the old games are not compatable with windows Xp... and can you tell me the configuration of your computer? (like the processor speed, RAM, video memory and all the numbers stuff) Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 15:23, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

2.8 Ghz (think its a multiprocessor PC), 512MB DDR RAM, Gainward nVidia 6800 GS (256 MB DDR3 RAM), X-Fi Creative Sound Blaster (or something like that), haven't changed the motherboard (it's an HP), and the PC itself is an HP Pavilion from the 500 series. And where can I get Windows 98 from anyway? I'm also concerned about "collisions between the operating systems if install Windows 98. So, overall, how do I fit two operating systems on one harddrive and switch EASILY between them?

Wow...thats a nice comp you got there... i cant think of any reason Slave zero wont work.... maybe your computers missing something that the game needs..... i 'd suggest you to try it out in someone elses computer and if it still doesn't work, somethings wrong with the cd...or with your cd drive maybe.... and about installing 2 OS's...there shouldn't be any conflict on anything..... when you have 2 Operating systems....it asks you select the operating system you want to work on when you boot the computer up.... and theres no quick way to change between the operating systems...if you want to change you have to just reboot your computer.... i've had both windows XP and linuix on my computer and i didnt notice any conflict... by the way..you should consider registering on wikipedia... :-D ...Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 11:59, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I have - --bogdanoud

ABOUT CELSIUS

Hi,

I would like to know the synonym for celsius, to be precise, i want the answer for the word (celsius, for one), should be a five lettered word. please post your response as soon as possible.

The only thing I can think of is "scale", as in Celsius is an example of a (temperature) scale. This smells like a crossword clue; have you got any of the letters from other words? --Bth 11:53, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

centigrade? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:20, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

That was my first thought, but it fails on the five letter thing. --Bth 12:44, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Just clarifying. Is the clue: Celsius (for one)? JackofOz 12:39, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

The only synonyms I get for Celsius are "C" and "centigrade" or an anagram is "sluices". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:02, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Anders Celsius was a five letter Swede.  ;-) --hydnjo talk 15:41, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

It also was a Swedish defense company, now owned by Saab's defense division. Strange that's not mentioned anywhere. --BluePlatypus 16:29, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Roadtrip and Eurotrip

Is the movie Eurotrip in any way related to the movie Roadtrip? Because the have such similar storylines but they don't seem to have the same production crew.

According to IMDb, the film is a spin off from Road Trip. Sum0 16:15, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

geography

what is the role od el nino and what effect does it have on the ocean? please give reference and explain. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.146.18.46 (talk • contribs)

Research it yourself at ENSO. --Canley 13:26, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

geography

what is the role of climate and what effect does it have on the ocean? explain. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.146.18.46 (talk • contribs)

Research it yourself at Climate. By the way, did you read the point at the top about doing your own homework? --Canley 13:27, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Alain Mimoun/1948 Olympics

A recent BBC programme on the 1948 Olympics had a French athlete who, if I recall correctly, was Alain Mimoun. In the programme he claimed he won an Olympic medal for Poetry. Can someone please confirm or deny this and point me in the direction of other winners in this competition. My understanding was that there was a Literature section so I assume it wasn't solely limited to Poetry. Thanks-David

• You should take a look at Art competitions at the Olympic Games and Olympic medallists in art competitions Eivind^t@c 02:19, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Wow! Who'd have thunk it! I'm very amused that such medals existed (and amused that John Russell Pope took a silver medal in the Olympics for designing Payne-WHitney Gymansium!) - Nunh-huh 01:34, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Rhyme??

My grandfather taught me a rhyme that was taught to him by his grandfather. It is a group of words that I would like to know where it came from and if it means anything. How would I go about researching this?

Thanks, Jackie

Did you forget to tell us the actual rhyme? —Keenan Pepper 15:48, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

To start researching it, Google somthing like the first line in quotation marks, e.g. "Mary had a little lamb". You could also check local libraries for books on rhymes; I suspect such references exist. — Lomn Talk 17:08, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Not every rhyme may be described as a group of words. It must be specifically onomatopeic, nonsensical or rythmical ... Hickory dickory dock, Baah baah black sheep, Honky tonk woman ? More guesses ? --DLL 17:11, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Infobox Info

I was adding the National Park infobox to Pilanesberg National Park and I don't know how to find info on the Longitude and Latitude co-ordinates of the park for the infobox, I also had to make a rough guess on where to put the marker on the map based on knowing it is in the east of North West Province. Can someone help me acquire this information. Philc 0780 17:38, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

And also the exact date of founding, as i cant find anything more specific than the year, and other parks using that infobox have the exact date, and the visitor numbers, as the best i can get is a guestimate of the web. thanks! Philc 0780 17:53, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

According to http://www.maporama.com (an international map service, but with horrible ad popups) the Reserve is at Lat-Long: -25° 14',27° 4', or decimal -25.247, 27.068.This site has some maps that might be useful in placing the marker. KWH 18:55, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

On second thoughts, i put those co-ordinates into google earth, and it came up near but not in the complex, whats the most reputable source for these things Philc 0780 20:05, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Are you certain? I can't do google earth, but maps.google.com indicates that point appears to be the centroid of the extinct caldera that the park is in, and this map seems to indicate that the park is (pretty much) the whole caldera - though "Pilanesberg Centre" is about 2 miles east. Seems like a pretty good coordinate to me. Interesting place too, by the way. KWH 23:12, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Ok, cool, thanks for that. Anyone have any resources on visitor numbers or dates of foundation for parks of this kind? Philc 0780 19:43, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

You may have more luck asking at Wikipedia:WikiProject Protected areas and Wikipedia:WikiProject Geographical coordinates which specialize in these subjects. Rmhermen 04:59, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

ok cheers anyway guys Philc 0780 13:28, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Weather

I forgot what the term was for weather this year. Someone told me about it and I couldn't remember. It means something like this year we are going to have heavy storms and last year we had lite weather. If someone could help me that would be great. Zach 18:03, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Sometimes the weather pattern is characterized by referring to a strong or weak El Niño year. --hydnjo talk 18:19, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Book out of print

I would like to find Andrew Salters' book "Conditioned Reflex Therapy". This book was a MAJOR contributor to my health and well-being today. I read it and did what it said to do when I was 20 yrars old, and my selfesteem improved dramaticly. Life has been good ever sence.

Thank you for your time and effort. Stephen H. Samuels (e-mail removed-Please read instructions at the top of the page..Thank you.)

You might wanna try searching on amazon.com.... Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 19:04, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

• I'd suggest looking it up on ABEBooks, which I'd recommend to find any out-of-print book. It currently lists 59 copies matching that title. --Bob Mellish 19:05, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, there's also plenty on Amazon's Marketplace and "zShops", and ebay too (I'd post links but I can't be bothered to strip the session ID crud out of them to make them universal). If the original questioner is skittish about using such services for some reason, it should be fairly easy to order it from a bricks-and-mortar second hand bookshop (who'd probably buy one of those copies and charge a premium). --Bth not bothering to sign in

Here's the easy way: ISBN 1587410486 --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 19:22, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

watchlist does not always show edits

I note that, in "my watchlist," not every edit to watched pages is listed. Very frequently, a page appears as having been edited and, when I go to the page, I find that the prior edit that occurred did *not* show up on my watchlist. Why is this?

Wikiant 20:01, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

The watchlist shows only the most recent change to each article on your watchlist. If you know for sure you looked at your watchlist after the prior edit and it wasn't shown then, that would be a different issue. -- Rick Block (talk) 20:04, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

One way around that is to put page links in your sandbox and then click on related changes. It will show you the other edits made. To see it in action go to User:CambridgeBayWeather/Sandbox and click on the related changes. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:09, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, I'm not being clear...The issue is that sometimes edits are made to pages on my watchlist and yet the fact that the edit occurred is not flagged on the watchlist. For example, person XYZ edits page X on 1/1/06. No notice of the edit appears on my watchlist. Then, on 1/5/06, person ABC edits page X, and notice of the edit appears on the watchlist. When I go to the page, only then do I note that person XYZ made an edit on 1/1/06. Wikiant 00:47, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

One possibilty is that you are just missing them. This is more likely the larger you watchlist is. I have missed on more than one occasion that my user page was vandalised, yet it must have been listed. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:40, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

I've noticed it too sometimes; one day I discovered there was a long and wild debate going on on the talk page of a page that was on my watchlist, but somehow those edits never appeared there. Maybe you should ask here. David Sneek 08:40, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

No, I'm not missing them. I am watching perhaps a dozen pages. They produce, collectively, from 0 to 6 entries on my watchlist daily. This is a technical botch. Wikiant 21:24, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

While I haven't personally experienced your problem, you may want to post to Bugzilla or Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). Good luck at solving your problem! — QuantumEleven | (talk) 15:06, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I find that generally, when two edits are made withing a reasonable time period, the newer one replaces the older one on my watchlist. Probably just a way to save space. 172.132.228.81 05:50, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

One million people in the world survey

This survey is conducted amongst Wpians. One million people in the world did contribute to one million articles in the English WP. I should like to collect more precise facts about that event that took place around Feb. 2006.

The survey is launched simultaneously in Reference Desk/Misc and Village Pump/Misc.Please only give an answer here ; results, if of any help, can become a [ [Wikipedia:million survey] ] entry.

Reference deskers should only be allowed to guess and Village pumpers should try to give accurate numbers. Then we’ll mix results.

1) How many words did each user write in WP (main) ?

2) How many are left by user after refactoring, &c. ?

3) In which countries are located those users ?

4) What kind of curve depicts the distribution of contributions per user ?

5) How many hits reach the most accessed pages in WP (our statistics are as old as 2004) ?

6) What are the fact numbers and comparisons that could be exploited in paper, broadcast or web media to promote WP (like "The population of Fiji, or Estonia, or one quarter of Toronto ... contributed ..." or "This project compares only to the Pyramids for the number of people involved.")

Thank you for your answers. --DLL 20:16, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

"One million people in the world did contribute to one million articles in the English WP." How do you figure? Some people may have written multiple articles, some people who have WP logins may have written none. --LarryMac 21:01, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Why am I only allowed to guess just because I'm at the Reference Desk? Why do those Village Pumpers get to make accurate estimates? -KWH 22:31, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

One million people is simply not correct. A large number of contributions are done by anonymous users - some of these were unique numbers but many others were IP numbers which have been used by multiple users. A fairly large number of the "one million registered users" have no edits because they were either never used, registered to prevent fradulent use of names similar to established users or known trolls, or only used by vandals whose every edit has been deleted. How would we count users whose every edit was reverted but not deleted? - they haven't actually contributed to the encyclopedia. We really have no way of knowing how many people have edited Wikipedia. Rmhermen 04:55, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

You may want to read Wikipedia:Avoid self-references before deciding to write an article about any results your survey may generate. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 16:04, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

To Quantum - an article which name begins like "Wikipedia: " does not belong to the main namespace. It is for further discussion about promotion based upon remarkable facts.

To Rmhermen & Larry - simplification is not my goal. A panel of article histories may be analysed and help better understanding of the true making of WP.

To Kwh : cry, but try to participate. Thanks to all. --DLL 20:46, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't know what your response means, and I still don't know how you can make the statement "One million people in the world did contribute to one million articles in the English WP." What is the basis for that statement? --LarryMac 21:39, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree. It's flagrantly wrong. Superm401 - Talk 21:54, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

I understand that real users who did make contributions and still contribute do not want to be mixed up with unproductive users or trolleys. It was just a conjunction of numbers that does not mean so much. Forget the million users and begin answering.

I would expect statistics to help giving clear figures : from a panel (e.g. 100 random users contributed to 500, 1,000 or 10,000 articles) you have an extrapolation. --DLL 18:56, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Correa Coto

I am the great grand daughter of Gaspar Acosta from Puerto Rico.

Recently, I was told a story about my great grandfather and his involvement in the capture of a criminal by the name of Correa Coto (I did find some information on the criminal).

The story that I was told was that Coto was very much feared, so much that even police officers would avoid him. However, my great grandfather was the exception and pursued Coto (and I am assuming killed him). I was also told that there may some sort of dedication to my great grandfather for his accomplishment, although I do not know which town in Puerto Rico would have such a dedication. The only information I was able to obtain from my mother (the granddaughter of Gaspar Acosta and the only person in her family to have met the man - she was a child at the time) was that he was from a town called Juana Dias.

My grandfather (Angel Luis Rodriguez), the son of Gaspar Acosta, died in October of 2005. My understanding was that they had been estranged for many years prior to Acosta's death.

My question is: Is this true? Is there anyway to confirm this family "legend"? I would very much like to find out as much as I can about Gaspar Acosta and his role in the capture of Correa Coto. I have just started my search and any help that you may be able to provide would certainly be appreciated. If you have any suggestions as to where I may be able to obtain additional information, that would be great too.

Thank you for your time and attention, Lori Simmons

Newspaper archives are the best bet. It sounds as if it was a big enough story too get wide coverage in Puerto Rico so even if you dont know the city it should be possible. Jameswilson 00:41, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

norton firewall question

I instaled azerus and emule when i tried to run those programs for the first time, the norton firewall asked if want to block those program or not (like the windows xp firewall do), I choosed to not block, but when I am using azerus or emule, the norton still show a popup that ask if i want to block or not the emule or azerus, if I choose to not block another norton popup appear after some seconds. What I do??

There should be something to the effect of "Remember this decision." Superm401 - Talk 01:16, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

What???

Try "ticking" the Always do this option. User:Bogdanoud 10:34, 31 March 2006

but on others programs like bitlord this occur just one time (the first the that i run the program)

occultism

Hello!in the article List of occultists in the section twentieth century i read -The Faceless, Fourth and Final member of Ninja Clan WAKIZASHI- so if anyone knows something about it i would like him or her to reply here.--Captain ginyu 16:14, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

10 days that unexpectedly changed the world

in your opinon could you name 10 days that unexpectdly changed the world.

January 24, October 24, February 20, April 1, October 23, January 1, Tuesday, September 14, March 2 & Tomorrow. I think that your teacher wants you to do your homework and not us. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:42, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

You forgot February 30... and November 11. —WAvegetarian•_{CONTRIBUTIONS}^TALK• ^EMAIL• 20:27, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

January 15, 2001. Independance Day. Sam Korn ^(smoddy) 20:54, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

And March 14, Pi Day. --hydnjo talk 21:27, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Seriously, if this is a homework question the reason you were set it is that your teacher wants to to think about what events made a big difference to the way the world is. Talking about 'days' is so that you don't come up with big, long-term things like World War II. Having said that you might like to consider 1 September 1939 or 28 June 1914. DJ Clayworth 21:39, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Strange that no-one has mentioned 9/11 yet. How about July 14, 1789? Or November 9, 1989? There are dozens of possible days that could fall into this category. Grutness...wha? 00:57, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

If you're really egomaniacal, put down your birthday! ;-) --Uthbrian (talk) 02:55, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

If you subscribe to the view that we all make a difference, at the very least by the mere fact of our existence, then that's not egomaniacal at all. But that's probably not what the question is about. JackofOz 03:06, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I used my birthday, my kids birthdays, my grandsons birthday, the day Bishop Ussher thought the world began, the day the UK and it's North American colonies canged from the Julian to the Gregorian, 2 obvious ones, I like Tuesdays and tomorrow is always the most important day of all. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:17, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

The Actual days are listed on the History channel website.

Mind boggling question...

This question has been an arguement between my friends all year long: is a burrito considered the same thing as a wrap, or are they completely different foods? If someone could help that would be great. Zach 16:45, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Well they are certainly in the same style. I don't know whether wraps have independent origins of burritos (it is possible), but as they are currently sold in the U.S., I would say they are different. Most wraps are not burritos at all -- burritos have a limited number of ingredients (usually rice, beans, meat, salsa, cheese), whereas wraps are usually salad contents and have a huge amount of variety. Sure, they both are in tortillas but that similarities usually end there, evidenced by the fact that you can sometimes get wraps with burrito contents, but they are usually designated as such. You cannot get a burrito with wrap contents. Wraps may have been inspired by burritos, but I don't think they count as burritos in a strict sense; a burrito is defined by more than just having a tortilla around it, whereas a wrap is not. --Fastfission 17:32, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

I would say that a burrito is a type of wrap. --Nelson Ricardo 06:22, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

if you would go into more detail then we could discuss it.

I believe a burrito is wrapped and cooked afterwards, resulting in the tortilla becoming a sealed soft shell. A wrap, however, may not be cooked after wrapping it around the food, and may even be open at one end. StuRat 04:49, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

commercial fishing gear: the term "stotza"

This term was used with other terms such as bridle and towline. I think it has something to do with attachments to a drift net used for sword fishing. What does this term "stotza" mean and how is it used.

I looked through several online fishing glossaries and came up empty. -LambaJan 14:52, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Three legged dog / 3 legged dog / canine amputation / Tripod dog

Hello, I was wondering if perhaps I could ask you to devote one page to 3-legged dogs? May I ask you to add some keyword search words such as the above samples in the Subject/Headline into your search engine, so that anyone who accesses Wikipedia in efforts to learn more about what to expect if their dog requires surgery could be directed toward my (www.cassiesclub.com) website that's been up for the past 10+ years, now? Thanks in advance, I sure would appreciate getting the word out, to help people make the best informed decision as it pertains to the health & happiness of their little buddies. --CassiesClub.com 18:07, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

If you're a founder or member of Cassie's Three-Legged Dog Club you should consider starting an article on the subject. It will be an interesting and welcomed addition to Wikipedia. The next section explains how to get started. hydnjo talk 19:06, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

I do not understand what has just happened? I started an article, saved it, then within a matter of seconds, it was deleted? I wonder why it was deleted, since I thought I already had a "green light" for it to be a welcomed addition to Wikipedia? Thanks in advance; I appreciate any help/advice explaining why this happened, because I have no clue. Here is the message it read on the screen:

User ESkog (talk) deleted this article after you started editing it, with a reason of:

CSD A7 - nn-group, and A8 - copy-paste copyvio Please confirm that you really want to recreate this article. --CassiesClub.com 20:51, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

In other words, you can't just copy text from your site, you need to actually write a new article. StuRat 04:27, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

"I once knew a 3-legged pig so smart and brave that he jumped into a pond to save a drowning boy."

"Wow, that is amazing, but why did he have only three legs ?"

"Well, when you've got a pig as smart and brave as all that, you don't eat him all at once, now do you ?" - Billy Connolly StuRat 04:27, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

How do I add a new subject

How do I add a new subject the Wikipedia?

The page at Help:Starting a new page tells you all you need to know. Natgoo 18:57, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Economics (PEG)

Hey. Do you know a typical good value for PEG ratio? The article on it doesn't say, and it looks like it hasn't been edited by people who would know in a while, so I can't ask on the talk page. 88.144.9.204 19:08, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

It should lie somewhere between 0.13 and 110.50. I could be more precise but hey, it'll cost ya.  :-) --hydnjo talk 19:24, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

History of Oil Prices in Ireland 1996-2005

My son needs this for his school homework. Does anybody know what site we can look up to get this information? We've found plenty of sites giving the US prices but none for Ireland. Thanks. DeeElle--DeeElle 19:53, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Central Statistics Office of Ireland - Click on Database Direct and Prices, there is a consumer price index for fuel. Thuresson 21:37, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Beautifully decorated shell casing

Hello > i have found a beautifully decorated brass shell casing > > The bottom of the shell casing has imprints on it > > 143 st > POLTE > MAGDEBURG > S.P. 252 - OCT 1915 > > It seems that somebody has decorated the shell casing > Any information on this item will be appreciated > > Thanks >(email removed to protect from spammers) > ED

It's a 150mm howitzer shell. See this and look for item 10897. Although I can't see it in our Magdeburg article the 1911 EB does mention that Magdeburg was making munitions. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:42, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if you're after information regarding the site or the imprints. If its the latter, these imprints were added to the casing as identifiers and for quality reasons. This practice is still continued to this day. Pick up any shell and it should tell you where/when/etc it was made. David.

It may have been decorated by a soldier during WW1, when they had to spend many boring hours waiting in a trench for something to happen. StuRat 04:19, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

what was the name of the movie?

An actress was playing a role of a fake dumb but not deaf lawyer in a movie I'd watched 10-15 years ago, and in the court she was communicating with her assistant by gestures, so he was speaking to the judge what she was saying. As I said she was no real dumb, but just pretending to be one. What was the name of the movie or the actress? Thank you..

Sounds like every other Marlee Matlin movie, except for the fake part. She has a filmography at Internet movie database, maybe you'll find it there. Eivind^t@c 07:07, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

It almost sounds like a garbled version of the plot of Suspect (film), starring Cher, but it's not a close enough match for me to suggest that that was it. Grutness...wha? 12:44, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

March 31

Tipton Hotel; Zack and Cody

On the "Suite Life of Zack and Cody", on the Disney channel, they live in a fictional hotel called The Tifton, Is this a real hotel in Boston that they changed the name? "Cheers" was a real bar in Boston with a different name as well. Our family is going to the Boston area for spring break. My nine year old would love to see this hotel if it does exist. Would love some info.

-Ned 12.220.240.196 01:26, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

• Probably not. The article Tipton Hotel says that the scenes of the exterior of the hotel actually depict the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. I can't verify that, however, and a comment at TV.com [3] says that the exterior shot is just a 3-D design, not an actual hotel. --Metropolitan90 05:13, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I watch The Suite Life, and in my humble opinion, I think that the exterior shots are indeed CG. —OneofThem^(talk)_(contribs) 18:32, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

The above response was presumably using "CG" to mean Computer Graphics, not Center of Gravity or any of the other meanings. StuRat 04:02, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Rural vs. Urban In the United Kingdom

Hello. I would like to know if the United Kingdom is mostly rural or urban and a percentage of the rural and urban areas please.

Thank you, --71.225.71.225 01:38, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

See National Statistics' Rural and Urban Definitions Project. --Canley 02:38, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

If you go by area its mostly rural simply because there is a lot more of the country (most of Scotland for one) which is country rather than city. AllanHainey 10:24, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Professional Juries

hey guys, hypothetical question here:

what would be the various pros and cons of professional juries in the US judicial system? as opposed to the random pools drawn of the citizenry, as it is now. thanks. -71.29.23.135 02:29, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

That sounds awfully like a homework question. Read jury for a start, which lists some of the shortcomings of juries. And try some internet searches for "jury system shortcomings" or something similar. That turns up heaps of links which should be a starting-off point for further research. --Robert Merkel 05:53, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I would be very concerned about how they're selected, how much they're paid and which funds pay them, and how long they serve. -LambaJan 14:39, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Ramen Noodles

Hi, I was just curious, but where does all the fat in ramen noodles come from??? Is the fat mostly from the noodles, or mostly from the flavoring? (This is in regard to the American Ramen Noodle packets).

Our article is a bit vage on the subject, you might want to read it yourself at Ramen#Health_concerns. Eivind^t@c 06:50, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

It's seem like the American version is pre-fried in fat, which would explain the high fat content of the noodles. -- Eivind^t@c 06:54, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

It says on my Ramen Noodle packets to reduce sodium, calories, and fat, stir in less flavoring. schyler 03:34, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

I did once find baked ramen noodles, instead of fried. They cost twice as much, but that was still only about a dime each, LOL. I toss out the grease and salt packet and add spaghetti sauce and fresh veggies, instead. StuRat 03:51, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Search

Is there any way to delete recent searches? Thank you.

For Wikipedia specifically or other sites? Try clearing your browser's cache and cookies. If you are using Safari press option and E. Or just put in a bunch of random searches to push the old ones down. -- Mac Davis] ⌇☢ ญƛ. 08:54, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

It would really help if we knew what browser you were using. Firefox has a nice box (prominent when you first go into Tools->Options I think) that may as well be marked "Hide the porn from my family" as it clears all that stuff. In IE to get rid of the silly autocomplete things (is that what you mean?) you need to go to Tools->Internet Options then the Content tab, then click on Autocomplete which will bring up another window in which you can click on the "Clear Forms" button. Because IE is helpful that way. --Bth 10:02, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Or do you mean on sites like Amazon and ebay? Clearing your cookies would probably help but the surefire way would be to always sign in before doing them and sign out when you're finished ... --Bth 12:53, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

In Firefox, press Ctrl+Shift+Del and check all the boxes, that should do the trick. In IE, go to Tools and then Internet Settings, clear history and clear Autocomplete and clear all t3h pr@wn.

Flameviper12 03:06, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Largest Dormitory

Watterson Towers at Illinois State University is listed as the tallest dormitory in the world, but it is not the largest. What is the largest dormitory in the world? Thanks! --Ryan

Bancroft Hall, the only dormitory of the US Naval Academy in Anapolis, is the largest in the US, and several webpages including this one and this one claim also the world. --Bth 12:32, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I'd doubt the claim, though it perhaps depends upon your definition of dormitory; Bancroft Hall would not meet my definition of a dormitory any more than would a large hotel. I suspect you'll find the largest somewhere in China or other far eastern countries where cheap rural labour is imported into factory areas, often living above the shop. Not the sort of arrangement, unlike Bancroft, that would be shouted from the hilltops. Meanwhile, how tall is Watterson Towers? --Tagishsimon (talk)

I think in the context "dormitory" is clearly intended as "building housing students". But I agree that widening the definition would probably topple it (metaphorically). Oh, and Watterson Towers is 91m tall according to a quick scan of Google results. --Bth 15:17, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I wonder how many dormitories are dirty rooms, anagramatically speaking. JackofOz 12:36, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

LOL (or should I answer LAL, anagrammatically speaking ?) StuRat 03:46, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Go to the top of the class, StuRat. I had a good belly laugh when the penny finally dropped.  :--) JackofOz 09:58, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Length of Service in the US Military

What is the length of service before a soldier can obtain an honorable discharge in the (1) Navy, (2) Army, and (3) Air Force? I always thought it was 4 years, but today I noticed that Cesar Chavez had only served 2 years in the United States Navy. So I have become a little discombobulated. Can a veteran or anyone with a military knowledge explain this to me?

Patchouli 15:06, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

There is no set length of service - you enlist for a term and at the end of it, either re-enlit or are honorably discharged. In the American Civil War, some enlistments were for only 90 days. More were "for 2 years or the duration of the war". Currently the army appears to be offering bonuses of up to $150,000 for special forces troops that reenlist for 6 more years. Rmhermen 16:52, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I notice that Chavez enlisted in 1944. WWII ended in 1945 and the massive demobilization began as things got sorted out. And Chavez left in 1946, not at all uncommon. Rmhermen 17:29, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

• What is the shortest length for which it is possible to enlist in the military at the present?Patchouli 14:31, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
  • Looks like 15 months. [4] Rmhermen 17:58, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

• Thank you.Patchouli 19:12, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Radio stations

I am trying to find out how many cities does centain radio stations cover.

What I mean is that, I live in Dade county, Florida, and I begin to loose frequency the closeer I get to another county-Palm beach.

How would I find that type of information for other states.

The FCC has a search-by-geographical-area page for its licenses here which can show you what stations are licensed in a given area. I think the "Radio Service" column in the results roughly corresponds to the range, as it's to do with how much power they're allowed to use (LP=Low Power, CM=Commercial Operator). Hope this is the sort of thing you're looking for. --Bth 16:24, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

How far a signal reaches depends on many factors, such as the signal strength, receiving antenna, topography (mountains tend to block FM signals), frequency (AM bounces off clouds, so goes farther), weather (thunderstorms are a problem), solar flares, interference from other stations, and even the time of day (signals go farther at night). StuRat 03:39, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Consumers Distributing catalogue

I am looking for a Consumers Distributing catalogue showing the toys once sold in them. Specifically a "Baby Hilda" doll. do u know where I could find, obtain a copy of anything of their past catalogues?Thiken 16:10, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

U S Naval Ship Call Signs

I'm trying to locate a list of Navy Ship call signs.

Example:

"The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard use a mixture of tactical call signs and international call signs beginning with the letter N. For example, the carrier USS John F. Kennedy has the call sign NJFK." --DLL 18:29, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Here is the list of lots of 'em. Not just Navy. Not just Coast Guard. Pacific stuff. And here is NOAA with some more signs; could be the N ones here are all you need. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:20, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia namespace articles: how to cite in another wiki

I am setting up the analagous namespace to the Wikipedia: namespace in another wiki DrumCorpsWiki:. I am using articles from Wikipedia's Wikipedia: namespace as a starting point. This means that at least initially the new articles at DrumCorpsWiki will be very similar or identical to that which is on Wikipedia. Is this a) permissible b) polite and c) what is the proper way to cite the source at Wikipedia. I have posted the link to the source article on Wikipedia in the DrumCorpsWiki articles talk page but this doesn't seem sufficient and I can't find anything about this sort of thing on Wikipedia so far.

Thanks for any help.--Ambassadorhorn 18:21, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Copyrights. Basically you should just say "from Wikipedia, used under the terms of the GFDL" somewhere. A lot of mirrors don't even do that: see www.wackipedia.com for an example of what not to do (they put "All Rights Reserved" at the bottom of every page). —Keenan Pepper 18:39, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I was afraid it would be more complicated than that. --Ambassadorhorn 18:46, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

theobromine in decaffeinated tea

Does decaffeinated tea (green or black) still contain theobromine? Is the amount reduced?--207.66.118.60 20:01, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I doubt it still contains a significant amount of theobromine. None of the practical decaffeination methods are very specific, and theobromine is very chemically similar to caffeine. —Keenan Pepper 21:25, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Is it possible to know...

Lets say someone like John Adams (2nd President of the U.S.) had no Children. Is it possible to know how many less people there would be in the U.S.?

No. Superm401 - Talk 21:29, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Presuming that you intend to go back in the past and kill the president : Don't! --DLL 21:32, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I never said anything about killing anyone. —This unsigned comment was added by 68.114.224.62 (talk • contribs) 22:34, March 31, 2006 (UTC).

To elaborate on Superm401's wonderfully concise (and correct!) answer, no, it's almost impossible. You would have to manuall go through his descendants, and count up how many children, grandchildren, great-granchildren and so forth he had. Since most of his descendants are obscure, this kind of information would be nearly impossible to find. Once you start taking indirect effects into account, the answer becomes impossible - for instance, let's assume that one of John Adams' descendants was a soldier in the Civil War who killed a soldier on the other side. If John Adams had not had any children, then his descendent would not have killed this man (since there would not have been any descendent), would this man have survived the war, and perhaps had children? There is no way to tell. — QuantumEleven | (talk) 23:02, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I have two ideas on this:

John Adams children married other people to procreate; if they had not existed, then someone else may have procreated with those people; hard to say who, but in this subjunctive case, we could assume that someone of that generation who normally wouldn't have married and procreated, would have. Barring the effects from non-procreation related activities such as QuantumEleven mentioned, the only rock-solid case you could make for there being less people is if John Adams had a son and daughter who were incestuous and procreated, in which case there is no "surviving (non)spouse" to marry elsewhere.

To be more scientific, If we assume that historical birth rates remain the same in our hypothetical reality, then we can postulate that if one less (or one more) person P existed at any point in time t, then the population at time t' could be significantly smaller or larger. This seems paradoxical to me for complex reasons; one of which is that it seems that a population would tend to expand at a rate determined by available resources, more than the acts of individual breeding pairs. The presence or absence of a new individual would take up or free resources, resulting in the breeding rate changing proportionally. I would imagine that experiments have been done along these lines with fruitflies or some such.

So Superm401 is correct, it is not possible to know. But it may also be reasonable to assume that the difference would be statistically insignificant.KWH 06:31, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Listing on Wikipedia

Hello Wikipedia,

My name is Melanie Beaton and I am the Marketing Assistant for Coteau Books. We are a literary publisher located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. I am very interested in adding all of our titles and our authors to your web site so that people may come to this page for information about their favorite author or title. I am not sure how I would add to your web site so if you could get back to me that would be very helpful.

Thank you so much for your time and I will keep watching for your reply.

Melanie Beaton, Marketing Assistant Coteau Books —This unsigned comment was added by 24.72.25.111 (talk • contribs) .

Welcome to Wikipedia. Please be aware that Wikipedia is not an advertising or marketing site, does not offer "listing" services in the same way as internet directories, and is certainly not indented for commercial use. Content added to the encyclopedia needs to adhere to certainly guidelines, particularly those concerning the issue of notability.

If you believe certain authors or books to be sufficiently notable that they merit their own encyclopediaic articles, then you are welcome to contribute information about them. See our help pages for information on how to do this. If you wish to start new articles, you will need to create a user account first. Please be aware that your contributions are released under the GNU Free Documentation License and that they may be edited (or even removed, given sufficient community consensus).

I note that Coteau Books does not currently have its own article. As a publisher, it is more likely to merit its own article than a single book. If you have created an account, you can start the article simply by clicking the red link above. Such an article could contain an external link to the publisher's website, allowing readers to find suitable information there, but it should also contain other, encyclopediaic content. Remember that articles should not simply read like advertisements, and that Wikipedia is not intended as a marketing tool -- Gurch 21:35, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Also see Wikipedia:Introduction. And for future reference, questions like this should be asked at the help desk rather than the reference desk. —Keenan Pepper 21:38, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia is a free enyclopedia; it covers authors and books, but only if they are notable. We also maintain a neutral point of view policy and avoid self-promotion. It is much better to wait for others to create articles on your authors and books than to do so yourself; this helps ensure they are sufficiently notable. You should also remember that Wikipedia is not a soapbox. Since you are a marketer, you have an understandably strong bias in favor of your employer. Thus, you should suggest changes and additions to these articles on talk pages, rather than make them yourself. Please reply with any comments or questions. Superm401 - Talk 21:40, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I disagree with some of the other posters and think that a person can write an unbiased article on a subject on which they have a strong opinion, it just takes a concerted effort on their part. If you write "a wonderful book about an amazing..." such POV language will be quickly removed anyway, so no real harm is done. StuRat 03:27, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

ok the game of like deciding who to save or not

hello, my uncle james and i were talking of the game i have played like 3 or 4 times in school and he hasn't and what the deal was is you had like a bunch of people a doctor a scientist a pregnant lady a child a mechanic a priest a therapist etc right an the escape pod only holds half of them and you have to decide who stays and who goes do you know where i could find a copy of that type of game to show my uncle james?

the other reason i am fascinated by that game is that i realized, recently after all these years that there is no right answer because of course we would save all of them sean anderson

sounds like a balloon debate. Here's a page with an example

Jameswilson 00:18, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, God can take care of the priest, so he stays behind.  :-) --Nelson Ricardo 01:51, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

April 1

I'm probably going to hell for this, but...

There's this muslim Middle Eastern kid at my school and saying it kindly, he has a strong prescence. Can someone explain the whole aroma thing? I'm sorry if this is offending to anyone, but I'm really serious about this. Pacific Coast Highway • ^blah 01:08, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

• Are you postulating some sort of relationship between religion and aroma? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:11, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

• My mistake, I meant Middle Eastern. Pacific Coast Highway • ^blah 01:21, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

• Possibly something to do with what he eats. Some types of food (most famously garlic) cause changes in the odour of persiration. A lot of food from points east is prepared with large numbers of spices. Grutness...wha? 01:41, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

It's not an unreasonable question. Race (or rather, genetic heritage) is a determinant of Body_odor. People of Korean descent tend to have the least. Search Pubmed for more information.--inks^T 03:06, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

The Japenese often find American and European body oders offensive bacause of the amout of meat and milk they consume.hotclaws**==

I'm willing to bet it's just a coincidence. There was once this white American kid at my school who smelled horrible. That doesn't mean that all white Americans smell horrible, or that there's something about white American-ness that makes you smelly. He might have been the smelliest dude at his Middle Eastern school, too. But there may be a cultural difference about covering any odors. Many cultures don't bother with deodorant, because they don't consider B.O. to be offensive. TheSPY 21:59, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

I was with you up until the last sentence, TheSPY. The reverse side of that claim is there must be cultures that do consider BO to be offensive. Doesn't that mean it's possible for a person to be trained into being offended by a smell that is not naturally offensive to them? I can see how that might work in the reverse direction (eg. doctors and nurses have to learn to disregard the smell of faeces, vomit, etc). But if your brain doesn't register "offence" from the smell alone, what process has to be there to create the offence? And why? No culture could sustain that level of artificiality.

We're talking about BO as if it were a defined thing. There is no one body odour. Each person's odour varies (subtly, or not so subtly) from day to day, depending on various factors. If you're from ethnic group A and you walk into a room full of people from ethnic group B, you would like some individuals' odours and dislike others. But exactly the same thing would happen if the room was full of people from your own group. The numbers might be different, but you still can't generalise from individual cases. So in summary I disagree that acceptance of BO is a culturally determined thing. It's very much an individual thing. JackofOz 22:56, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. One person is hardly a sample on which one can base any conclusions on anything. I have a Russian at work who only showers once a week and does not use deodorant. I find that he smells quite a bit (although others do not - smell sensitivity is highly personal too). However, I know plenty of Russians, and I wouldn't draw the conclusion it's a Russian thing. Someone who only met him might though, prone as people are to ethnic generalizations. Similarily, I know a few Arabs, and haven't ever noticed any of them smelling anything. The only relevant impression I've gotten is that some Syrian youths tend to use more cologne than most. --BluePlatypus 23:18, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Grad school.

On average, how much does it cost to go to graduate school in the United States? Also, how many credits must be taken? Javguerre 01:30, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

The cost will vary widely by both program and school and so will the number of credits - some programs may in fact have no required credits at all. Rmhermen 02:45, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

You generally pay with your life for the rest of your life a lot. -LambaJan 16:28, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

You might want to tell us which degree and which subject you are interested in. --Chl 16:48, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

"The cost" depends on:

• Whether you are studying something in "the humanities" or "the sciences"
• Whether the subject matter will be potentially profitable in the future
• How much money and/or prestige your school has
• Whether you are going for an MA or a PhD

If, for example, you are doing a field in the humanities, for a PhD, which will not be potentially profitable, at a school with money and prestige, you can get the entire thing paid by fellowships (tuition, plus a personal stipend). If you are in a field which can give you some profit in the end they often just make you take out loans (like law school or business school), since you'll be able to pay it back anyway. Schools without money or prestige cannot often do this though. PhD programs are more likely to have money attached to them than MA programs.

As for credits, no answer would be very meaningful since each school does credits differently and each program has different requirements. Most MA programs are 1-2 year programs, most PhD programs are a minimum of 5. Knowing more about what you were thinking about studying would help a lot in answering you, though. --Fastfission 17:16, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

I would have said most PhD are four years, not five. Maybe that's just sciences though. Rmhermen 17:53, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Could be, could be! I know the humanities end of it much better than the sciences. --Fastfission 18:39, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Question regarding the clause grandfathered.

If something is grandfathered in, can that be changed?? Meaning if something was grandfathered in can it be changed a couple of years later? Any information that you can provide on this subject will be greated appreciated. Thank you.

Kathy

"Grandfathered" does not mean "immutable". Grandfathering can be a temporary concession. --Nelson Ricardo 01:48, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

see Grandfather clause. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:20, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

And in some cases, the clause expires as the people do. For example, if new hires get a lower retirement package than the current employees, the better package will cease to exist once the last current employee dies of old age. If the company starts encouraging the older employees to smoke and eat unhealthy foods, you might get a little suspicious, LOL. StuRat 03:13, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Dave olson

Who is He? --{{subst:user|4836.03}} 09:36, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

An actor or one of these. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 09:52, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

anatomically impossible

How do Easter bunnies lay chocoolate eggs?hotclaws**==

the same way that Santa delivers presents to the entire world in one night. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:42, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

And storks deliver babies. -LambaJan 16:29, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

And Willy on Wheels vandalizes thousands of pages at once. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.185.135.237 (talk • contribs) 17:57, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

skews

My roofing builder came around to do annual check, and has said that whilst his men were up there, they noticed the 'cement skews' need addressing. We are in Scotland so it may be localised terminology, but I cannot find an explanation on the net or your good organ.What are 'skews' in this sense on a building?--

I had no idea. But googling for it, it seems "skew" is a Scottish term for a gable coping, that is, the top bit of the gable wall that sticks up to stop water from running down the wall. --BluePlatypus 14:33, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

And, of course, "skew" is a general geometric term for two lines which are neither parallel nor intersecting. In other words, two non-coplanar lines. That might be the root of the Scottish term. StuRat 03:06, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Old Book

I have an old book titled "The Works of William Shakespeare, Complete. Accurately printed from the text of the corrected copy left by the late George Stevens, Esq. With a memoir by Alexnder Chalmers, A.M. Published in New York by Mason, Baker & Pratt in 1873. This book has 4 engravings in it. I have tried searching the internet for information on the book and the engravers, but could not find anything. Do you know where I might be able to find some info on this book? It is not in good shape and I would like to remove and frame the engravings. However, I would not want to do this if the book had some sort of historical significance. Can you help? Thank you. Rhonda Harrington

Well, looking at book auction sites, it appears the same book was printed in 1864, 1854, 1811 and 1805. George Stevens' edition dates all the way back to 1773. There's a 1876 Mason printing on Abebooks for $175 (which is quite expensive). I wouldn't say the book is terribly significant (not being anywhere near a first-edition). An average non-first-edition of an average book from that time, in OK shape would perhaps cost $20-30. But as you see, there's always a good market for Shakespeare. There isn't much about the engravings, true, but it seems likely they were reprinted from an earlier edition. Perhaps if you found one they might be credited there. Or you could try and find which illustrators usually worked for the publishers of the first edition that had them. --BluePlatypus 15:46, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

You'll probably have a very hard time finding the engravers' names if they are not clearly listed, though a close look at the engravings might turn up a signature, which could lead you somewhere. It does not sound like that particular edition of the book is likely worth much by itself, especially because of it being in bad shape, so you probably shouldn't feel too bad about removing the engravings. --Fastfission 18:38, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Yeah. It was probably printed in a fairly large edition. I wouldn't be too sensitive about it, either. If it was something like a Blaeu atlas I'd be upset though. (Unfortunately, the maps from such atlases are often worth more when sold individually.) --BluePlatypus 21:00, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Very true. My family has a prized heirloom, a John Cary world atlas (I should add something to the article on him...) sadly it's in fairly poor condition 9again, something I need to do something about...). It would be worth far more for the individual maps than for the book itself, but it would break my heart to see it split up. Grutness...wha? 02:52, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Have you seen the recent Blaeu reprint someone (Taschen?) did? It's beautiful; we got a copy at work. Not quite the same as the original, but substantially more usable, and not horrendously expensive considering. Shimgray | talk | 14:46, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Jehovah's witness

Hi, recently watching an episode of Law & Order, I came across an episode where a convict was asked to supply a swab of DNA by saliva. He said he was a Jehovah's witness and "Can't do it." The pathologist then said: "He's right. I can't take his DNA." This then made we wonder: Why can't he give his DNA? I, of course, checked our article on Jehovah's witness, but it is way too long, and still didn't find anything. Any ideas? Thanks! Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 21:40, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

• Well, I know that they don't give or store blood (see Jehovah's Witnesses and blood), but saliva? I hadn't heard that before. --Fastfission 21:43, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

April 2

softening a fur pelt

I found a freshly-killed mink on the road several weeks ago. A friend who is a Native American and an experienced hunter helped me skin and process the pelt. It's small but the fur is very thick and beautiful, and I would like to make two cuffs out of it for a pair of handknitted black alpaca wool gloves.

The problem is that I was told to 'fratter' it -- pull it back and forth over an edge to soften the skin -- and I did this for more than two hours. It did get softer, but it still does not have that 'drape' quality that I'm looking for. I have seen, and felt, fur pelts that were completely soft and pliable. As it is it is still very 'crinckly', like thin paper. I am also afraid that if I 'fratter' it any more, that the skin will tear. As one friend suggested, I wrapped the pelt around a bundled up towel, and sewed it in place, then tossed it in the clothes dryer with a couple of tennis shoes. It kept knocking against the door of the dryer and automatically shutting the machine off. Also, we have a very high tech, expensive dryer . . . . I sure don't want to ruin it for the sake of this little project!

I am looking preferably for a home remedy for this -- what can I do to acheive that drape?

If this is not possible, is there somewhere where I could send it to have it commercially processed? It would have to be a company that will do just one small pelt, rather than a whole pile. I imagine it's some sort of chemical process. . . .

Would appreciate any suggestions, links, comments, thanks.

m.i.e. Orcas Island, WA

It sounds like it needs more oil to make it soft and pliable. How about applying lanolin to the skin side ? I would think someone who stuffs animals would be the one to contact for a definitive response. I can't think of the name of that profession, though, but I think it starts with a V ? Maybe I'm thinking of a vivisectionist, but that's not it.StuRat 02:53, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Are you perhaps thinking of a taxidermist? (we don't have an article for stuffing animals?) I obviously can't spell tonight. Dismas|^(talk) 03:36, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Response from m.i.e. - I am not familiar with how to respond, so please bear with me .. .. ..

a) I already used ALOT of lanolin when I frattered the pelt; as I said, it helped but it's still crispy!

b) a taxidermist doesn't make soft pelts, as far as I know. If you ever feel a stuffed animal the skins are usually crinkly like this pelt. I need to know what substance to put on it, or what company or individual to send it to for this process.

64.119.9.67 05:02, 2 April 2006 (UTC) m.i.e.

You need a fleshing tool, Fuller's earth, Sawdust and a drummer. More info here and here. Of course you could go the traditional way and chew the hide. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 14:51, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Dear CBW, thanks. That's the kind of info I was looking for. Yeah, I know, the oldtimers around here always come around to teasing my about why I don't get to work chewing it . . . thanks again; I'll see how it goes.

64.119.9.67 21:57, 2 April 2006 (UTC)m.i.e.

Oliver North

Who was Oliver North's attorney during the Senate Contra hearings in the '70's?

I don't know the answer, but don't you mean the 1980's ? StuRat 02:45, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

• Brendan Sullivan. --BluePlatypus 03:15, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

ARGH! Anyone know ho to get stains out?

Ugh, I got cat crap on my T-Shirt and coat, don't ask me why. Should I just put it in the washing machine, or what? Someone help me here...it smells...no, dead serious. Argh. This is my favorite T-Shirt, I just got it today...crap, if I get a crap stain on the front...urg!

---

Flameviper12 03:00, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

If you have liquid detergent, pour it directly on the stain and wash. Should take it out of most fabrics. And next time you're at a pet supply store, pick up some Nature's Miracle. It comes in a white bottle with red lettering. It'll get the scent and stain out of carpets and clothes. Dismas|^(talk) 03:33, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

to answer your Q? if you do not have a stain treater and scrubber you can use laundry detergent and hands place detergent on the shirt fold in your hands use nuckels to scrub the matereal togather. it will come right out. I prommis

                          savnnah lynn

OK, cool. It's fixed now. Anyway...only thing wrong is that 'new shirt smell' is gone. Hehe. 65.185.135.237 17:37, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

How do i find out who made the article?

How do I find out who made the article? I need to find it for a school report

You can cite the article in many styles by using Special:Cite --Brohan 04:54, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

When viewing an article, click the "history" button at the top of the page to see a list of all the edits. You will probably see hundreds of edits - no one person made the article, but rather, many contributed little bits of it.  -- Run!  13:36, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

iraqi weather

does it get cold in iraq at night or do the temperatures remain hot to warm all summer?

This should make things clearer. --Ouro 06:39, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

failing a lie detecter test

Is it possiable to fail the test when being 100% honest. If so what factors can make it apear as if you are lieing?

               thank you 
             Savannah Lynn

Start off here. Check out the available links, like antipolygraph.org. --Ouro 06:42, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it is possible to fail a polygraph when being perfectly honest. From the article,

The test is passed if the physiological responses during the probable-lie control questions are larger than those during the relevant questions.

It appears that if you simply get progressively more and more nervous you can fail the test. You should probably read the article for more information. You don't happen to go to EMU, do you? I know "Savannah Lynn" is a common name but I have a friend who goes there :) Isopropyl 06:44, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Polygraph tests are notoriously unreliable. Anyone who is at all nervous while being questioned by authority figures (an unsurprisingly large number of people) have heightened responses to all questions, whether truthfully or falsely answered. It is also easy for some people to trick them simply by thinking of unsettling things while answering questions truthfully. Grutness...wha? 08:23, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Can I mail tips to someone working with Wikipedia?

I find it pretty difficult to update information as I'm not at all used to this interface tool to edit new information in an article.

Is it not possible to mail the small additional info I have to someone who is used to work with wikipedia? (so it all becomes nice and correct)

well, you managed to post this -- it's not more difficult to post comments to article talkpages... dab (ᛏ) 11:00, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes, just go to the article's talk page and click the + sign to add a new comment. Chances are someone will notice the new message and reply to it, or add the information to the article. If you want to learn how to contribute yourself, check out Wikipedia:Tutorial. —Keenan Pepper 14:36, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

proxy

can u give me a list of proxies sites that are safe???

Safe for what? —Keenan Pepper 14:12, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

try: http://www.sneak2.com http://www.misterprivacy.com http://www.userbeam.de their the ones i use. --slew

Re-christening a ship

I've been told that it was considered bad luck to change the name of an existing ship. How true is this? I've heard of numerous cases where modern, civilian ships were renamed after they changed hands, and their owners didn't seem particularly concerned. Please clarify, 219.93.29.135 12:43, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

It's really just errant superstition. Traditionally sailors were amongst the most superstitious people in the world, probably because they worked in such a dangerous environment, and they considered almost anything bad luck - including changing the name of a ship. Rest assured that nothing bad will happen if you change the vessel's name. If you're particularly concerned, I've heard there's a way to avoid the bad luck by keeping the original name written down somewhere onboard the ship. Battle Ape 15:07, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

In my understanding, there seemed to be a common acceptance that changing the name when the ship changed hands was sort of permissible, but you'd better avoid it at other times. Shimgray | talk | 17:01, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

If you're curious, this is an interesting read. Isopropyl 17:05, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

It's considered bad luck to break a mirror, walk under a ladder and so on as well. People still do it sometimes, and always have. Why would this superstition be any different? --BluePlatypus 20:13, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

But it's good luck to write "suitly emphazi" on the reference desk. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:19, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

The answer to your question is yes and no, depending if you;'re asking whether it is considered unlucky or is really unlucky. Mariners are traditionally - along with actors - one of the world's most superstitious professions, and there are numerous ship-related supertitions - no women on the deco of a vessel; ship names shouldn't start with a T; ships shouldn't be renamed; etc etc etc. Grutness...wha? 07:05, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Depicting All-rounder

Hi,

In want to visually depict All rounder this is the quality of my crop. It can withstand drought, windy atmosphere, good yield under difficult conditions. I want to show something which is synonyms of All rounder.

Thanks Abhay

Use a picture of Andrew Flintoff :) --Robert Merkel 00:48, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Deserts thrive in those conditions! You can use desert pictures.  :-) -LambaJan 02:53, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Which country receives the most tourists from other countries per year?

The tourism article doesn't seem to say.

• infoplease says France. Then Spain. Then the US. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 15:45, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Silver Coins

IN WHAT YEAR DID THE US MINT STOP USING SILVER IN MANUFACTURING OF COINS (NICKELS, DIMES, & QUARTERS)?

Silver Coins

In what year did the US Mint stop using silver in nickels, dime and quarters?

Thank you.

MLM

Please do not type in all capital letters. From United States dollar,

In 1900, the silver standard was abandoned and the dollar was defined as 23.22 grains of gold. Silver coins continued to be issued for circulation until 1968.

So it looks like 1968. Isopropyl 16:50, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Also, didn't they already use nickel for nickels ? Else they'd been called silvers. --DLL 17:15, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Nickel (U.S. coin)s have been made of nickel since 1866 according to our article - before that when they had silver they were called half-dimes. Rmhermen 18:07, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Ninety percent silver coins for general circulation were last issued by the U.S. mint in 1964. In 1965, dimes and quarters were made of copper and nickel, and half dollars were made of 40% silver and 60% copper. 1970 was the last year the 40% silver half dollars were minted. Brian G. Crawford 23:54, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Station Stats

Does anyone know where to get entry/exit stats (without asking station staff) for non-London but UK train stations, i'm in the process of adding my infobox to some stations, any help would be appreciated. A Weblink would be a good start. Google doesn't seem to help. Thanks for your help!! Djm1279 17:00, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Figures from the Strategic Rail Authority, published march last year and covering 2002-3 are at http://www.sra.gov.uk/pubs2/performance_statistics/stat_usage/stat_usage.exc (Excel spreadsheet.) -- AJR | Talk 00:33, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Editing the Cornell University template box

Hi, folks....What I'd kindly like to do is edit the Cornell University template box, which is coded as two left "{" brackets, the word "cornell" (in all lowercase), followed by two right "}" brackets. (I had to write it this way, you understand, to keep the actual template box from displaying :-) ) Could someone kindly tell me how to get to "editing mode" for that template box so that I can edit it? Thanks!! Catdude 20:06, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

What you should do is go to Template:Cornell and edit that page to produce the desired results in all pages that display that template. And by the way, to prevent the template from displaying, use <nowiki>, like this: <nowiki> {{Template:Cornell}} </nowiki>. Hope this helps! СПУТНИК^{ССС Р} 20:27, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks much, Sputnikcccp; also thanks for letting me know how to suppress the template from displaying :-) —All the best, Catdude 03:48, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

other wikis

How do I find a list of the specific-subject Wikipedias? I've seen several, everything from medieval times to Homestar Runner.

Start looking at list of wikis, it's a pretty big list, though. -Benbread 21:47, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

April 3

This article reads like an advertisement

H2N-Gen is about an unproven device, unavailable for commercial use. To me, it reads like a promotional advertisement. Is there some tag available (to place at the top of the article) asking to have the article verified as an authentic contribution? - mbeychok 02:52, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Try one of the ones at Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:14, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Mystery song

Hey! I heard a song on the radio the other day, and I need some help figuring out what it was called. It was oldies (60's-70's). It started out with an awesome guitar solo and then it sang a lot about "Valerie". Lol, I know that's not a lot to go on, but I would appreciate any input! Thanks in advance! --Dimblethum 03:39, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

http://www.google.ca/search?q=%22valerie%22%20lyrics&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images&sa=N&tab=iw Take a look through those. Flea110 06:49, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Believe it or not, the song being referred to is almost certainly "Valleri" by The Monkees. It does indeed start with a very impressive guitar solo (by far the best part of the song). Written by Boyce and Hart, it was released as a single in December 1967 and the guitar work was by session musicians Louie Shelton and Gerry McGee.Lyrics can be found here. Grutness...wha? 07:08, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

what's wrong with my keyboard?

What's wrong with my computer/keyboard? When I press either the (") (') or (~) key, it doesnt do anything until i press another key. If i press any certain letter, it'll add that diacritical mark to that letter. For example, it I press (~) and then (n) it'll give me (ñ). Or if I press (") and then (e), I get (ë). How do I turn this off? I realize it's not a problem with my keyboard, but that some setting is changed. (I have Windows XP) --anon

Nevermind---I fixt it. "a"e~n. --anon

Had you inadvertently switched on "sticky keys" and got the Ctrl key latched on? --Bth 07:24, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

water surrounded countries

are there countries in Africa which are entirely or fully surrounded by water? Which countries are they?

Madagascar is an island, which makes it totally surrounded by water. I think that that's the only African island, except perhaps Réunion.--Keycard ^(talk) 07:44, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

No continental (i.e., mainland) countries in Africa are, but there are several island nations usually regarded as being in Africa. Madagascar is the biggest and best known, but there's also the Comoro Islands, Cape Verde Islands, and Sao Tome and Principe. Some definitions of Africa also include Mauritius. There are also a handful of overseas territories and semi-autonomous places like Mayotte, Canary islands, Réunion, and the Azores, which are sometimes regarded as being in Africa. Until it became part of Tanzania in the early 1960s, Zanzibar was also an African island nation - and it also now has a certain amount of self-government, though it couldn't really be called a country. Grutness...wha? 07:52, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Free programming languages

I'd be interested in learning a programming language, but it has to be free and easy to learn. Any advice?--82.198.250.67 07:43, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

There are several I can suggest, but it really depends what you want to use it for, and how much previous experience you have with programming. Could you enlighten us on these points? — QuantumEleven | (talk) 08:56, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Quantum is right, but I'm going to plug my favourite ever language at you anyway. Perl is completely free, powerful (particularly for applications like churning over data and files, and server-side web stuff -- if you want to do heavy numerical work you need C or even Fortran, but Fortran-is-evil and increasingly old fashioned) and best of all, incredibly simple to pick up -- a Hello world program is just one line, not a whole bunch of class declarations, and it's (IMO) much more human-readable than some languages. You can do useful things with beginner knowledge and gradually extend your skills as you go along. Schwartz et al's Learning Perl from O'Reilly is the canonical beginner's book (with Programming Perl -- the camel book -- the canonical reference; both are worth investing in if you ask me), but there's a lot of free tutorials available online. --Bth 09:03, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I don't know anything at all about programming.--82.198.250.67 09:59, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Python is free and often described as easy to learn. See Python for Non-Programmers. Fredrik Johansson 10:03, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

(Edit conflict) If you want free and easy to learn, you absolutely cannot go wrong with Python. It's very powerful (I use it quite a bit in the course of my PhD research) and INCREDIBLY easy to learn. I taught myself in an hour using this online tutorial - http://www.byteofpython.info/read/ . (And with respect to Bth, his suggestion that you learn Perl was *really* bad advice. Perl's incomprehensibility is the stuff of legends). Nuts-and-bolts languages like C/C++, Fortran, and Java are good to know, but a fair bit harder to learn. Raul654 10:07, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Just to put the above statement into context -- of all the computer languages I know [C, C++, Perl, Pascal, Ti-Basic, Verilog, VHDL, Scheme, Fortran, Python, Mips assembly, and X10 (an experimental Java-like language not yet released to the public)] I am firm in my belief that Python is the easiest to learn. Raul654 10:14, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

On reflection, I'll second that recommendation as I do keep hearing very good things about Python, though I've not bothered to learn it myself as I've yet to be convinced that there are things I want to do that I could do with it and not Perl (writing which honest-to-goodness doesn't even feel like programming to me, it's so intuitive, but I accept that I may be an outlier). OTOH, I do think Perl's incomprehensibility is sometimes overstated. It's easier to get away with obfuscated/hard-to-maintain/just-plain-bad code in Perl than most other languages because of TMTOWTDI, but it's not compulsory. --Bth 11:14, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Famous or popular street children

Can someone help by informing me, if there are famous or popular individuals in music, film, sport,leadership and so on, who were steet children at their young age.

ISTR several of Brazil's top footballers (soccer) were street children when young. Even the great Pelé was, IIRC! Grutness...wha? 07:55, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I have always thought of Edith Piaf as a street child, but that's probably not literally true. Can't think of any others. Our article does not have a list of famous names, so thanks for the brilliant idea. JackofOz 08:46, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure, but Sophia Loren might be another possibility... Grutness...wha? 09:03, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Music

I was wondering if there was a list of: hits of the 50s, 60s, and 70s in rock and country. I am supposed to play that kind of music for a 50th anniversary. If anyone could help that would be great!! Thanks Zach 10:27, 3 April 2006 (UTC)