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February 9

trains

what website was it to buy train tickets in the UK, I know there is one, but I can't remember what it is called. I thought it was the national rail enquireys site, but apparently that only shows the times and prices. 148.197.81.179 (talk) 01:22, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

[1], for one. There are others. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:24, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Beware these sites, you can sometime get a better deal from the train line direct by telephone. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.211.142.228 (talk) 07:01, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

I presume you mean, telephone the train operating company direct. The Trainline is the site Tagishsimon pointed at, and I can recommend it. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:03, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

I do not recommend it; it adds a booking fee on to all train fares. Any train operating company website will sell you train tickets with no booking fee, and if you look at one of the operators which covers your journey, they may have some special web-only offers. Warofdreams talk 10:58, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

It adds a booking fee of £1 per transaction (you can buy many tickets in one go, and pay only once). Going via specific operators is fine, but it can mean many different transactions for long journeys and/or restrictive tickets. - Jarry1250 ^{[Deliberation needed]} 12:30, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Plus the fact that you'd have to know which train operators did which routes - you'd even have to know who they are, and if you are not in the UK (or unfamiliar with the UK train system in such details), you wouldn't have a clue where to look. --TammyMoet (talk) 12:37, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Oh, National Rail Enquiries will tell you the operator for your chosen services. But I agree it's a hassle, and that's why TheTrainline sells so many tickets every year (many of them to me). - Jarry1250 ^{[Deliberation needed]} 12:42, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Any train operator will sell tickets for any journey. The only reason to find one which covers your journey is to check for any special offers; if that's too much effort, just pick any one (such as East Coast, recommended by someone below). There's no advantage to paying the booking fee and using TheTrainline. It seems to me that they sell so many tickets principally because they advertise heavily, and lots of people don't realise that they can get the same service with no booking fee elsewhere. Warofdreams talk 13:14, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/ don't charge any booking fees and you can book tickets to and from anywhere. Much better than thetrainline.com SmartSE (talk) 12:47, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Do they do integrated tube tickets? (Also, the £1 you gain from no-booking fee gets charged back to you if you choose to have the tickets posted to you rather than printing them yourself.) - Jarry1250 ^{[Deliberation needed]} 13:17, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

According to our thetrainline.com article, "it provides the website services for 14 of the 18 UK train operating companies operating under their own brands". I've certainly heard before that several of the TOCs' websites offer an identical service to thetrainline, without a booking fee. 130.88.73.65 (talk) 13:20, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Yep it does - you can get a tickets to/from any zone 1/2 station for only a tiny bit extra than going to a main terminus. SmartSE (talk) 12:10, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

http://nationalrail.co.uk has a train search engine that will divert you to the appropriate train company when the time comes to buy a ticket (if you have javascript and possibly cookies enabled you will not have to reenter your journey). It does not charge booking fees (unlike thetrainline). IMO the best train times website in the uk is http://traintimes.org.uk/, infinitely less painful to use than the operator sites, the trainline and nationalrail, but you can't buy tickets there. Tinfoilcat (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 17:25, 9 February 2012 (UTC).

Where are payments for blood & plasma donation the highest?

I hope to move from the US soon as it is going to pot, but no matter where I am, I'd still like to donate blood and plasma. Having been in Germany in toddlerhood from 1987-1990, there's no donating until a reliable screening test method for vCJD is developed. However, this restriction is, AFAIK, US-specific.

What nations would not have said restrictions (that still have English as a majority language), and how much would I be paid per donation? --129.130.102.230 (talk) 21:07, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

In the Netherlands you don't get paid at all for donating blood/plasma/platelets. Jarkeld (talk) 21:12, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Nor in UK. Itsmejudith (talk) 21:29, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Nor in Finland. Actually, I find your interest in how much you'll get paid for donating blood as a primary interest in earning money, which can be dangerous both for you and the possible recipients of your donated blood, not to mention unethical. It's called "donating blood" instead of "selling blood" for a reason. JIP | Talk 21:46, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

You get 20 Euros for your "time" spent donating plasma in Austria. I guess you didn't learn any German since you were a toddler when living in Germany, but I don't think the language would be that much of a problem. 109.97.136.39 (talk) 22:13, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Here in the U.S., plasma donors get paid a minimum of $20 for each donation, and up to $60 if they are regular donors. Plasma donors producing Anti-D get paid up to $100 each, but you need to be of a negative blood type for that. Generally, you can only donate twice a week.--WaltCip (talk) 22:24, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

See also Blood donation. If any of this can be sourced, it could be added there. BrainyBabe (talk) 02:34, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Don't come to Australia. You won't get paid, and we don't want any more greedy bastards here anyway. HiLo48 (talk) 06:54, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

more money for different blood types? I'm AB-, can I export my blood to america for a nice profit? 79.66.96.108 (talk) 10:53, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

I would imagine the majority of paid blood donations come from people who are desparate, rather than greedy, HiLo 48. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 10:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

That's at least partly true, and leads to sad stories of "donors" presenting themselves at multiple clinics in order to be paid for their body fluids far more often than is good for their health. I don't like much at all about the idea of being paid what is still strangely called a donation. HiLo48 (talk) 20:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

February 10

More illegal to hack the server of a bank

• Background: When I worked in a bank, and we got laid off, the regional boss warned us against stealing anything on our last day, because he said that stealing from a bank is a federal crime (he said it tongue in cheek, but was somewhat serious as well). Therefore, stealing from a bank, even a call center, was a worse crime than stealing from a normal call center.
• Question: I've noticed Anonymous doing a lot of hacking recently. Strangely absent, however, is them hacking into banks; my time in the call center showed me that banks aren't always as careful as we'd like to think when it comes to data protection. So I wonder: is it ipso facto more of a crime to hack into a bank than it is another institution, even if the the result of either is the same? (e.g., stealing nothing financial, or stealing the same amount of money).

Of course, this is not in any way, shape, or form a request for legal advice. Magog the Ogre (talk) 01:11, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

According to the FBI [2], they have jurisdiction over bank robbery. I don't know if that is just the traditional "put the money in the bag" type crime or if it also extends to other crimes involving banks. RudolfRed (talk) 02:55, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

It applies to most, if not all, bank thefts. It's certainly not limited to Hollywood style robberies. The federal bank robbery statute's somewhere in Title 18... I read it once... I believe there's a dollar limit but it's remarkably small, and you'll also find that there are other factors that could make an otherwise petty crime a federal one. That said, there's nothing "special" about federal versus state crimes. Most prosecutions are for state crimes. However there are some reasons that federal crimes tend to be seen as more severe, not the least of all federal sentencing policy. Shadowjams (talk) 07:51, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Anonymous did do some stuff regarding Bank of America [3] but as explained in this source, it didn't really win a lot of points in the media. Note that a 'true' Anonymous action is political, not just a bank robbery - conversely, the goal of a hacker stealing money should be to collude with the victim to keep the crime out of the press, and indeed unreported, so that the victim doesn't suffer the bad publicity of being hacked into and the hacker isn't at risk of jail. Wnt (talk) 08:33, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Im the states all banks are insured by FDIC, so any theft from a bank is a de facto theft from the federal government, making it a federal crime by default. Beeblebrox (talk) 21:45, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Not all banks are FDIC insured, in theory. Federal banks must be, but some state financial institutions do not require FDIC insurance. In practice I'm not sure I've ever heard of a bank that's not FDIC insured. However the "de facto" logic isn't how criminal statutes are written, and it's irrelevant since there's plenty of other statutes that cover it. Shadowjams (talk) 08:15, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

In mainland China, "theft from financial institution" is a much more serious crime than ordinary theft, purely on the public policy ground of protecting the public's confidence in the financial system. (The larger banks in mainland China are all government owned, and are widely regarded as de facto guaranteed by the government.) "Theft from financial institution" can net you up to life imprisonment, as happened to a man named Xu Ting. In 2008 he took advantage of a faulty ATM to withdraw RMB 170,000, or around US$20,000 based on the conversion rate at the time. Because this exceeded the Supreme Court guideline figure of RMB100,000 (around US$10,000), his charge was upgraded at trial to "Theft from financial institution - extraordinarily large amount", and thus qualified him for a minimum sentence of life, and a maximum sentence of death. (An appeals court later exercised its discretion under the Criminal Code to reduce his sentence to five years and a fine). Here is one article on the case: [4]. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 17:29, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

According to the article of Bank of North Dakota given in Mwalcoff's answer to another question, it isn't FDIC insured although as it's part of the state of North Dakota it's guaranteed by the state's general coffers and the North Dakota taxpayer. Also although original construed as somewhat of a retail bank, it functions more as a central bank. Nil Einne (talk) 23:04, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Most important people

Who were the 10 most important/influential people of all time? --108.227.30.246 (talk) 03:18, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

That's entirely subjective, and so outside the general remit of the Ref Desk. You could always consult a search engine, however. — Lomn 04:00, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Rather than rejecting the quite appropriate question, you might check for poll results as to the "most important" or "most influential" people of all time. Such polls may suffers from "recentism." A listing by Michael Hart put Muhammed at number 1, Newton at 2, Jesus at 3, Buddha at 4, Confucius at 5, St. Paul at 6, Ts'ai Lun (the supposed inventor of paper) at 7, Gutenberg at 8, Columbus at 9, and Einstein at 10. (Thomas Edison only rated number 35.) Edison (talk) 05:30, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Wow, what timing. I've just been saving this newspaper article about the manipulation of polls to share with students at school who are studying such things. The last part of the article is about a Time magazine poll on this very matter, which identified Kemal Ataturk as the most influential person of the 20th century. Kemal who, you ask? Read the article. HiLo48 (talk) 06:51, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Adam and Eve were quite important. If we want to be a bit more scientific, Mitochondrial Eve. (Image if you made a time machine and went back in time to kill her!) Mitch Ames (talk) 12:56, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Then we'd have 7 billion other people here instead of us. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 14:58, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Define "most important". Most popular (the US president is always the most popular person at the time of his inauguration)? People who's contributions resulted in long-term revolutionary changes? And define "influence". Is it a long-term impact or short-term impact? John Locke? He is considered the central figure in modern philosophy. So his impact is long-lasting. Gaddafi? He was all-in-all in a tiny country for a specific period of time, but now nobody wants to know who was Gaddafi. He was influential, but has no long-term influence. As pointed by Edison, most of the lists suffer from recentism. So it is important to a create a list based on the long-term impact of the individuals. Here is what I'll say:

1. Muhammad - well you know his influence

2. Jesus - ditto

3. Galileo - father of modern science

4. Newton - most influential scientist of all time

5. Darwin - it is because of him we (Homo sapiens) know who we are

6. Gutenberg - it is because of him the enlightenment became a reality

7. John Locke - the central figure in modern philosophy, the father of liberalism, the dominant ideology of modern world

8. Adam Smith - father of modern economics

9. Karl Marx - the most influential among political theorists, his ideas divided civilization into two conflicting ideological camps

10. Hitler - responsible for the most destructive war in history, which in turn altered the dynamics of international politics, led to the creation of the UN

But again, it is entirely subjective, no survey in the world can be taken as a final judgement to create a list of "most influential people". --SupernovaExplosion (talk) 13:20, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

And yeah, Mitochondrial Eve, as said by Mitch Ames, was the most important human being to have walked on Earth. --SupernovaExplosion (talk) 13:20, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Indulging this kinda pseudo intellectualism has got to be more impressionistic on a young mind than all the nuanced, realistic, and accurate history that we argue over here all the time... and then why amongst this do I find out that HiLo is a teacher. -_- Shadowjams (talk) 13:38, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

I don't quite see the point of that post. I will emphasise that my point in using the article about the survey was to demonstrate how meaningless such polls are. HiLo48 (talk) 20:49, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, my point wasn't about you, but in agreement with you. But re reading that I see that I didn't say that very well. I meant no offense. Shadowjams (talk) 21:43, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Cool HiLo48 (talk) 21:48, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

That reflects something of a (popular) misunderstanding about the role and significance of most recent common ancestors, including so-called Mitochondrial Eve (mtEve) and Y-chromosomal Adam (yAdam). Our article on mtEve gives a pretty good introduction to some of the more popular misconceptions, so I won't belabor them here. Among other essential points, mtEve was not the only female alive on Earth at her time, not the only female of that era who has living descendents, and not the only source of our genetic material; she is merely the youngest human being from which we are all descended following only matrilineal lines of descent. (yAdam, who probably lived a hundred thousand years after mtEve, is the equivalent for patrilineal descent. Humanity's most recent common ancestor – the last great-great-great-great-grandparent that we all have in common, and from whom we all still carry at least a little DNA, probably lived less than four thousand years ago.) And don't forget that mtEve wasn't the only woman of her era to carry essentially the same mitochondrial DNA; her mother, and her mother's mother, and so on shared it as well. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:06, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

It would be a more fruitful intellectual exercise to try and come up with a useful definition of "important", than to actually try and make up lists. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:09, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

(EC) I can imagine that there have been lots of biologically important individuals, including original sources of diseases (see index case) and mutations. It would be difficult to identify them, though. Actually, that makes me wonder if the identity of Mitochondrial Eve is ever likely to change - maybe somebody alive now will one day be the most recent common ancestor of all humans. 130.88.73.65 (talk) 14:11, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

How about you have your students make a list, and then justify/debate about them. The concept may blow some minds, but justifying positions tends to be the touchstone of honest debate, if you're into that. Shadowjams (talk) 14:38, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

I agree justifying positions does not have any logical value, but if we consider religion to be the most important part of human culture, then Jesus must be the most influential person (Christianity being the largest religion). What I really don't understand is why The 100 places Muhammad and Newton before Jesus. --SupernovaExplosion (talk) 15:08, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

I suspect it's because there is independent biographical evidence of the existence of Mohammad and Isaac Newton. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:57, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

(Does size matter the most?) Jesus is such an interesting example, given that there isn't a whole lot of evidence that he actually existed as one individual human being who did all of the things the Gospels said he did. Not trying to debate that here, but it points to the difficulty of this sort of assessment: if Jesus did not exist, and instead a pastiche of myths, then what does that say about the "importance" of an individual person, if we think Christianity is "important"? What matters more — the actual physical presence of the individual, or what people credit to them afterwards, or do in their name? --Mr.98 (talk) 20:41, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

More than a page of the book is devoted to defending the choice of ranking Muhammad above Jesus, the section starts out thus:

Since there are roughly twice as many Christians as Moslems in the world, it may initially seem strange that Muhammad has been ranked higher than Jesus. First, Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity. Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), it was St. Paul who was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proseolyter, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament.

In the following paragraphs, he argues that Muhammad was responsible for the theology, ethical and moral principles of Islam, proseolyting the new faith, and authoring the Moslem holy scriptures. He finds it probable that the relative importance of Muhammad on Islam has been greater than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. He also emphasises the fact that Muhammad, unlike Jesus, was a secular as well as religious leader, and the driving force behind the Arab conquests. The author states that there is no reason to believe that the Arab conquests would have happened without Muhammad. Jesus is ranked as #3, St. Paul as #6. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 10:09, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Wow, thanks for the clarification. --SupernovaExplosion (talk) 11:34, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Honestly, this question is rather subjective and can be anyone's personal opinion. However, people like Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Hitler, Einstein or Newton will usually be in such lists. Time Magazine's Person of the Year is a good place to find possible candidates, but recentism can affect it. Basically, your mileage may vary when it comes to this, but for me, the most important person is Jesus, followed very closely by Muhammad and Hitler. Or perhaps, the most important person is God? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 10:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

God is a "person"? (I've still really no idea why Einstein is often named on these things. He was a smart guy and relativity is important for understanding physics, but arguably so are a lot of scientific theories that actually affect our lives more meaningfully from day to day. Nobody lists Faraday or Maxwell, for example. And before you say, "but the atomic bomb!," Einstein didn't invent the bomb, he played a very small role in its creation, it certainly would have been invented had he never lived, and you don't even really need any relativity to make sense of how the bomb works.) --Mr.98 (talk) 15:43, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

as mentoned above, St Paul was rather influential. What about George Eastman, though, developed cleap, easy to use electronics, mass advertising and catchy slogans and the idea of creating new improved models every few months, basicly the entire modern consumer industry. 79.66.102.225 (talk) 20:55, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

The person or people who invented The Pill had a huge impact on society. HiLo48 (talk) 21:18, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Perhaps also Tim Berners-Lee, since his invention practically changed the way our world worked and how communications worked. Also, James Watt; thanks to his invention, rapid advancements in technology became possible, even if they later didn;t use his invention: without him, it's likely we would still not have much technology, we wouldn't have Internet, cars, electricity, or this very website! It's too bad no one mentioned Jimbo yet... Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 22:55, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Or Guglielmo Marconi (radio); or John Logie Baird (TV). -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 23:17, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Of course! Without the latter we Australians wouldn't have The Logies. He WAS important. HiLo48 (talk) 23:44, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Just naming names is not super helpful, if one doesn't have any stated criteria for "importance." Many of these inventions (or something similar enough) would have invented by someone else if these specific individuals hadn't come along. Marconi is an excellent example of that; the reason he, and not Tesla, is credited as the "inventor of radio" has more to do with legal disputes than it does actual history. (I'm not saying Tesla is more important. I'm just saying that if either — or both — of those individuals had never been born, there's no reason to think that radio wouldn't have been invented. It was clearly "in the air" at that time if two folks more or less invent it simultaneously.) --Mr.98 (talk) 13:30, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Well, that's just dumb, if you'll pardon my saying so, and all it highlights is how easy it is to be a critic. That downplays the importance, not just of the inventor, but of the invention itself by putting it into the category of "It was obvious, and was just a matter of time". Lots of thing seem obvious in hindsight. What we honour is having the foresight to dream of things nobody else has dreamt of, or very few others have, and then make it happen despite sometimes enormous barriers, including dealing with the fact that most others think you're a lunatic.

As Schopenhauer said: All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident. You've just exemplified that magnificently. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 19:24, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Technological advances are driven by need or want. Many of the great inventions connected with specific individuals are thus because the individual "won the race" that was being conducted by multiple inventors. The telephone is a good example of that phenomenon. Another example of an achievement is Lindbergh's famous solo flight over the Atlantic. What's much less known is that there were at least two more teams working in the New York area on the same project. Lindy was ready to go, and the others weren't. And unlike the French guy who had disappeared over the Atlantic some days or weeks earlier, Lindy made it all the way across the ocean safely. Tesla didn't get the recognition he deserved because of a lack of marketing skills, which Edison and Marconi were much better at. But the discovery and harnessing of electricity made all of those guys' inventions pretty much inevitable, just maybe not at the same exact point in time. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:18, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Roch Voisine

I didn't know where to go to get you some information...but you might want to do some more research about the singer Roch Voisine. I just went to his Wikipedia page and noticed that you mention his wife. What isn't on the page however, is that the name you have is his SECOND wife. His first wife's name is Deanna, and he has a few girls with her. I know this because my mom was a friend of hers for years...and she would call and let us know where Roch was and how the kids were. I know there are alot of people in the world and it is hard to know every aspect. i just thought you might want to update his Wikipedia site on here and have the corrections put in. Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.70.197.47 (talk) 15:51, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Yeah the thing is, there is no "you" who writes Wikipedia, it's a joint effort by thousands of individuals. That can include you, if you want it to. You can edit the page yourself and correct the error if you wish. The problem is though that personal knowledge like yours is not really suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia. In order to say on his page that Deanna was his first wife, there needs to be a reference in a book, magazine, newspaper or professional website saying that. If you can provide such a reference, please do so. --Viennese Waltz 16:34, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

atocha size of largest emerald

: ) 

Could you please tell me what the size of the largest emerald that was recovered from the Atocha shipwreck off the florida keys? mariaelena — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.63.149.40 (talk) 20:44, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

According to this site, "the largest cut emerald from the Atocha", "The Atocha Star weighed 25.87 carats before it was cut." After cutting, it now weighs either 12.73 or 12.72 carats (the site gives both figures). Clarityfiend (talk) 21:06, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Airline ticket abbreviation

What does "St: OK" mean? It's after NVA: date, NVB: date, and BAG: 1PC. My Google foo keeps me pointing to pages where st. is just street... 88.9.108.139 (talk) 22:27, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

"Status OK" I think, meaning that the booking and flight are all in order. --Viennese Waltz 22:28, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Makes sense, thanx. 88.9.108.139 (talk) 00:44, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

February 11

Countries or cultures were notable people who keep their year of birth a secret are common?

This is similar to two identical questions I asked before. I know in Japan, keeping years of birth secret is quite common with celebrities, with examples including Mell and Kaori Utatsuki (but there are many more examples: singers, mangakka, illustrators, seiyuu etc.). My question is not about why they do it (that was already answered before), but in what other countries have a significant number of cases like it. Although on the Japanese Wikipedia only Japanese people who have unknown birth years are listed, on the Italian Wikipedia, people of any nationality seem to be included (although almost only Italian and Japanese people are listed, and in the case of the Italians, most of them don't have articles here on English Wikipedia, and those that do have articles have years of birth listed). This implies that the practice is common in Italy as well, although since most of the people I checked have no article here, it's hard to confirm. I also know a few celebrities in my country who keep their age secret (Allan K is a good example, I think), but the practice is fairly uncommon and almost all mainstream celebrities have known birth years. Which other countries aside from Japan and Italy have a large number of notable people that keep the year of their private? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 09:39, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

It has been common practice in the UK for ladies to keep their ages secret, in fact it may still be considered rude to ask. In this day and age it's harder for us to do this, particularly with birth registers now being online: if you know the name at birth and location of birth you can track the actual birth down if the name is uncommon. For example, a cousin of mine took seven years off her age, and her family registered her death under her adopted age. It wasn't until I started doing the family history that the "mistake" was uncovered. I know this doesn't address the "celebrity" part of your question, but it may shed some light on the practice. --TammyMoet (talk) 13:12, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Not addressing your query re cultures (sorry), but happening to have learned this only today from a book I'm reading, I'll mention that Austrian racing driver Roland Ratzenberger pretended to be 2 years younger than he was for professional reasons. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.247 (talk) 13:56, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Actually, Ratzenberger's (may he rest in peace) year of birth is known. He changed it to be more attractive to racing teams, which may be the same reason why many Japanese celebrities keep their ages private. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 14:34, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

As – re Ratzenburger – is explained in the article I linked (as well as the book in question, Malcolm Folley's Senna versus Prost), which is why I linked it. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.194 (talk) 11:23, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Age requirements in gymnastics says it's not unusual (I know, not the same as common) for elite child gymnasts to age themselves up (or rather their coaches/parents do this) in order to compete before reaching legal age requirements.--184.147.128.151 (talk) 20:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Yes, there was a big controversy in 2008 about some gymnasts from mainland China whose papers were allegedly doctored to make them appear 16 even though they were 13 or 14.--Itinerant1 (talk) 22:29, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

No, this is about keeping ages private, not changing them. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 22:56, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Just for the record, celebrating birthdays was not common in early modern Western culture until about 250-200 years ago. The date may have been known (although often only the date of baptism would have been recorded), but it was not celebrated and many people would not have been able to tell their own exact age. --Saddhiyama (talk) 23:19, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

This is pretty common in US acting circles as well--for instance, an actress sued the Internet Movie Database for listing her age. Here's an article about it. Meelar (talk) 00:44, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

But she appears to not be a well-known actress, and if she had an article here, it would be deleted as non-notable. I don't know any current mainstream actors like Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp whose year of birth is unknown, but I know that the practice was quite common in the early days of Hollywood. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 02:26, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Electronic checks

These days, in the US, when you write a paper check, they can apparently change it to be an immediate electronic check, without the approval or notification of the check-writer. Thus, instead of getting a cancelled check back at the end of the month, you get a cryptic EFT entry, which may not even include the name of the payee, much less any comment on the check explaining what it's for. This also prevents any possibility of stopping the check, and you lose the interest you would have accrued before they cashed it. They've essentially changed a check into a debit card transaction. This is in Michigan. So:

1) Can you request that a bank not do this ?

2) Do policies vary by bank on this ?

StuRat (talk) 19:33, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

This is due to Check21. I don't think you have any voice in the matter, but you could call your bank and ask. RudolfRed (talk) 19:46, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

I think that first, you can get an image of the check in almost every case, and second, the technical name of the type of transfer is an ACH transfer. Banks really prefer the method, although it does eliminate some float from a lot of checks (which is why businesses like it). Shadowjams (talk) 23:19, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Three late 14th century crucifixes in Piran, Kotor and Split, The Adriatic Coast

I have twice visited Piran in Slovenia to see the late 14th century crucifix in the church there. It is said to be one of three, all by an unknown carver; the remaining two being in Split, Croatia and Kotor in Montenegro. The Piran crucifix is the only one I can find on line and from a very brief article, refernce is made to the general whereabouts of the other two, i.e. Split and Kotor, but not in sufficient detail

I've spent ages, years actually, surfing the web for references to the other two and wonder if you can help, please? Very occasionally I get the tantilising word, 'crucifix' in a heading, but no follow-up when I open the article. I simply want to know where I can visit the remaining two crucifixes. Thank you. Brigid M. 87.242.191.235 (talk) 20:56, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Gothic Sculpture in Istria mentions that the Piran crucifix ..."displays a striking similarity to homogeneous Dalmatian examples, especially to the crucifixes in the cathedrals in Split and in Kotor." Knowing that they are in the cities' cathedrals should help locate some more information. Warofdreams talk 00:30, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

The only crucifixes mentioned by the Cathedral of St Domnius (Katedrala Svetog Duje) page are; "Next to the doors of the cathedral, one can see a late-Gothic polychromed crucifix carved by the Split cathedral canon Juraj Petrovic in mid 15th century. In the chorus, there is another big polychromed Crucifixion (on the cross in the form of the letter “Y”)." Alansplodge (talk) 11:22, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

See also Old crucifix in Kotor cathedral.jpg. The Kotor, St Tryphon's Cathedral page says "But most stirring is a large wooden crucifix, its image not quickly forgotten and mystifying in that its provenance is another unknown." The article infers that it is in the reliquary chapel of St Tryphon. Alansplodge (talk) 11:26, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

February 12

Finding an alternative way to contact someone

How would I go about finding other site that this person might be on? --Imaskinaquestion127 (talk) 02:16, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Have you tried searching "Darius Almighty" on Google? You may be able to find good results. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 02:28, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Results of said Google search notwithstanding, you (Imaskin) might struggle if the name is a pseudonym that the person uses only on Fanfiction.net. If this is the case, obviously the best way to get in contact with his real-life persona would be to message him directly on that website.--WaltCip (talk) 03:29, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

It is a little more complicated than that. He hasn't updated his story in a while so I don't think he has logged in for about the same amount of time. His profile that I linked has a link to his DeviantArt account here. --Imaskinaquestion127 (talk) 05:03, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

See if his DeviantArt is active. If not, tough luck. Besides, why do you want to find him anyway? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 05:34, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

His DeviantArt account is no longer active. The point of the question was to figure out a way to assemble all available information into something I can use to contact the person (i.e., another artist site, Facebook, etc.). --Imaskinaquestion127 (talk) 06:33, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

The question now is how can I assemble all available information into something useful? --Imaskinaquestion127 (talk) 15:03, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Does anyone else want to answer? --Imaskinaquestion127 (talk) 20:43, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Unfortunately, with the information given, it doesn't seem to be possible to get anything useful. I did a number of Google searches with various combinations of the information given on the Deviantart profile and came up with nothing, except for a couple of what turned out to be red herrings. Sorry, I don't think we're going to be able to help this time. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 21:02, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Even the birthday doesn't help? --Imaskinaquestion127 (talk) 21:33, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

There was a question asked here not that long ago, Finding a person with a first name, birthday, and [most_recent] city, which is basically the same situation we have here. The answer was quite long and rambling, but the short version is 'not possible'. As I mentioned, I tried everything I could think of, and found someone with the same first name and date of birth, but the photo was of an obviously different person. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 22:13, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Well that's a shame. --Imaskinaquestion127 (talk) 22:17, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

I was the person who asked the question Cucumber Mike referred to. The idea was that a first name, date of birth, and location would narrow down the results, and it should. The problem is that for all the information that getting access to sites that probably have someone matching the profile given is hard. Facebook, the largest social networking site in the world, requires members to opt-in in order to be displayed in web searches, something most people probably don't know about. They do this to maintain a walled garden for which they are the gate keepers. I once read this article about how hard getting CSI-like profiles and searches is due to fragmented databases. --Melab±1 ☎ 23:23, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Harassing emails

Hi

I hope I am at the right place. To ask a simple question is made very complicated by you.

I have someone from IMEI - +27730235682 harassing me with blank emails: All it says is "Keep this message From: IMEI:352146748412546" When you open the message it is blank. This comes through in the middle of the night and anytime during the day. At the moment I am sitting with 139 messages for the past 3 months.

Please advise why I am receiving these emails and also please if you are able DISCONTINUE sending these notifications. It is harassment and I am now forced to report this to the Consumer Council if this harassment does not stop.

I trust you will be of assistance or redirect me to the correct department to assist me with this dilemma.

Regards

Ronelle Van Rooyen — Preceding unsigned comment added by Luluthia (talk • contribs) 07:24, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

1) I added a title to your question.

2) Why do you think emails from "IMEI:352146748412546" are coming from anyone at Wikipedia ?

3) I suggest you block e-mails from that address. If you will tell us which e-mail system you use, we might be able to tell you what steps to take to block it. StuRat (talk) 08:01, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Googling Keep this message From IMEI yields a number of results, so it seems that other people have had the same problem. I can't vouch for any of the answers given on the different forums, though.Sjö (talk) 08:50, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

This is nothing to do with Wikipedia. From a search with Google, it appears that Keep this message From: IMEI is part of a message that some Android phones with anti-theft software send out when a new SIM is inserted. Since +27730235682 appears to be a South African mobile phone number, it might be worthwhile trying to phone them to find out what's going on. -- Arwel Parry (talk) 12:42, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

No you are definitely not at the right place. I assure you we are not making anything more complicated that it needs to be. --Lgriot (talk) 08:39, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Yes this is the right place - Reference Desks answer all sorts of questions that have nothing to do with WP itself. Luluthia never claimed that the messages come from WP at all. Questions about Wikipedia go to the WP:Help Desk. Roger (talk) 09:41, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

The question says ".. Please advise why I am receiving these emails and also please if you are able DISCONTINUE sending these notifications", and "redirect me to the correct department to assist me", both of which seem to imply that she thinks that Wikipedia is sending the emails. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:39, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Facebook

Is there any tool by which I can track the people (other Facebook users) who visit my profile in Facebook? --SupernovaExplosion (talk) 08:15, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

No. As Sophos says, "Remember, functionality does not exist in Facebook to allow you to find out who has viewed your profile. So many people are being tricked into believing that it might be possible, that Facebook has had to include a firm denial in its FAQ." Any post on Facebook which claims to offer this functionality is at best wrong, and at worst malicious. Sophos regularly posts on this subject; like here and here and here. I recommend subscribing to their blog if you or any of your Facebook friends feel tempted to sign up for any of these Facebook 'tools'. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 13:33, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Thanks Mike! I asked the question because some days ago I saw some wall post in a Facebook page claiming such functionality. --SupernovaExplosion (talk) 13:51, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Take care with such claims! They could be a way to trick you to install some malware. 212.170.181.95 (talk) 13:58, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Normally the idea is not to get you to install malware as such, but to entice you to take a survey or sign up for a premium-rate text service. At the same time you often hand over some 'rights' to your Facebook account, allowing the scammers to post things without your permission, and make it look as if you wrote it. Malware is a little different, being software that is installed on your own machine, with or without your knowledge, for the purpose of finding out your password or gain access to your data. What SupernovaExplosion has come across is more like phishing, in that the aim is to get you to willingly hand over sensitive information by making you believe you will get something in return, e.g. 'OMG!!1!!!1 lolz i haz seen hoo luk at my facebook klik here 2 see who lukin at ur profil!!11!!1!!'. Or something... - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:32, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Do you need to have a valid passport to leave a country?

Imagine you lost yours, but are flying back with your ID to your country. Would the authorities normally let you out? 212.170.181.95 (talk) 13:55, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Some countries will, some won't. Those countries that practice exit control (which means they keep tabs on everyone leaving) are much more likely to. Some countries require an exit visa (which is usually attached to a passport); Pakistan, for example, has an Exit Control List which prevents a few of its nationals a few named people from leaving the country. In practice this may be harder, as some countries hold carriers like airlines responsible if they deliver someone to the airport who doesn't have a passport - so airlines will insist on a passport (or an equivalent document, such as a temporary travel document) before they let someone board. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 14:13, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

The airline wants to know that you are admissible at the end point of the journey. If you present documentation that assures them of that, you will be allowed to board. Because they may be required to get you out of the country where you have been refused admission. In addition, if your journey passes through the US, you will need to show admissibility there, as you can't "transit" through the US.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:25, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

If you are an EU National travelling between two countries within the Schengen Area then you can travel with a national ID card, and should not be required to have a passport. NB - Some airlines (e.g. Ryanair) will require a passport anyway. And ALWAYS check with your airline, or your national embassy or consulate if you are unsure - we can't offer legal advice here, and anything we do say may be wrong. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:36, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Not quite right. To travel between any EU countries you only need a national ID card (if your home country happens to issue them), Schengen or not. To travel between two Schengen countries you need no documentation whatsoever. Ryanair is also perfectly happy to let you on board with a national ID card.109.154.208.214 (talk) 22:30, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Expanding on Wehwalt's point, in many jurisdictions airlines are held responsible for checking the identification of their passengers at check-in and boarding, and can be fined quite heavily by the authorities in the destination country for allowing passengers without proper documentation to fly. Just because you're standing there with (say) a California driver's license, the airline can't be sure that you're actually eligible to enter the United States (you could be a foreign national who acquired the license while visiting on a now-expired visa, for example) and they will be reluctant to allow you to check in and board.

Different rules may apply depending on the countries involved. If you do lose your passport while abroad, your best course is almost always going to be to contact your own country's consulate to seek advice and acquire appropriate temporary passports/visas/paperwork. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:01, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

I actually had this happen to me. I'm a US citizen, and a permanent resident of Hong Kong. I lost my passport in the US, but was able to convince the airline to accept me on the strength of my HK ID card (HK permanent residents don’t need a passport to enter / exit Hong Kong). Since the US does not require passports to exit the country, I was able to fly from the US to HK without a passport, enter HK and then apply for a new passport at the US consulate here. DOR (HK) (talk) 08:22, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Urine sample

This is a question about doctors and medicine, but is not asking for medical advice so please don't delete. I went to the doctor a while ago over something, for this question it doesn't matter what. I was asked to provide a urine sample, which I did. The problem I had is now resolved and I never heard anything more from the doctor. But I assume they scanned the urine sample, and my question is; if there was something else wrong with me which showed up in the urine would they contact me over it? Is that standard procedure? 94.223.131.217 (talk) 15:21, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

No one here can answer for your doctor. So call him. I trust my doctor to do that sort of thing (I go to him because he is very conscientious) but I don't know your doctor.--Wehwalt (talk) 15:35, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

I make the same deduction when my GP does not report a result, since I know that if there is anything wrong he will recall me fast. It's in his interest as well as mine.--85.211.170.102 (talk) 18:49, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Yes, they would notify you if any problem was apparent. However, they don't test the urine for every possible condition, as this would be expensive and insurance wouldn't cover it. They only test for conditions you are likely to have. StuRat (talk) 18:52, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

While I agree that they don't test for all conditions every time, usually a urinalysis will test for a number of diseases. This is a standardized set of tests always run the same way, part of it is just dipping a test strip in. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 19:15, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Maybe they tried to contact you through post, but the letter got lost, you know, with all those cuts due to the crisis, nothing works as it should. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.36.33.29 (talk) 19:59, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Maybe it depends where you are, but wherever I've been, I always get a mailing with results of lab work, be it positive or negative. The OP should call and find out what happened to it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:13, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

When I have had tests at the doctor's, I have had to go back to get the results. I like to imagine that if something was seriously wrong, they would call you back, but I wouldn't assume that would actually happen. Astronaut (talk) 12:25, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Random Light Fixture parts -- help?!

I have a set of halogen light fixtures hovering above my kitchen. When I went to change the lightbulb, I realized that two of them were missing a circular glass cover and a retaining ring sample image. Where the heck can someone suggest I find a replacement for these, online or here in Toronto? I don't know the wholesaler, and my landlord is non-contributory.

Thanks!! --Cacofonie (talk) 22:36, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

I have some under cabinet lights that I installed that look similar to that. I don't know what company made them and I can't look as I'm at work now. If I get you the name, you may be able to write the company with a copy of the image and get the parts that you need. The ring is called a snap ring or retaining ring. Or slangily a "Jesus clip" because when you have it under tension while trying to install it and it slips out of your grip, it flies off into a corner of the room and you say "Jesus! Where did it go?". Dismas|^(talk) 00:36, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, much appreciated! The wholesaler wants me to buy a whole new lamp. Blegh. I might hunt down a lighting store and see if I can find something.--Cacofonie (talk) 15:24, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

I suggest you take this opportunity to upgrade to lights which use less electricity and produce less heat, such as CFLs. It should save you money overall, in short order. StuRat (talk) 03:48, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

The landlord may not like the OP making "permanent" changes like that. Dismas|^(talk) 06:05, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

I agree, these are brutal. I *did* buy the fancy, low-energy use bulbs, but I cant replace them because I'm missing the Jesus ring. What can you do? --Cacofonie (talk) 15:24, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

If the ring is only there to retain the clear cover, couldn't you just leave the cover off ? You might want to remove all the covers, so they match. The need for a cover is likely reduced with CFLs. The reason is that the halogen gets so hot that a stray drop of water that splashes up there might make it shatter, but CFLs don't get that hot. StuRat (talk) 22:25, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

February 13

What's THIS thing?

What's THIS thing?

My wife found this down at the bottom of the dishwasher and we don't know where it came from. Nothing is noticeably missing from the diswasher, and it's working fine. Anyone know what it is? Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 00:09, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Could it be the spindle upon which the spinny arm thing rotates (the one with the funnel on top that skooshes water over the lower tier dishes). If so, that arm may now either not spin properly, or may be about to fall off. A Google search for your model of washer may find a repair schematic for this, as this is a common thing to need removed (often to remove accumulated food gunk that has evaded the filter) and/or replaced. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 00:15, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Spinny arm thing? Skooshes? Gunk? Please, please... You've lost me in all the technical talk!  ;) - Dismas|^(talk) 00:30, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Skoosh is a perfectly cromulent word - 'tis a common word 'round our way. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 00:33, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

It's a Whirlpool DU930, and I couldn't find any parts that resemble the one in the photo, so I guess I'll just toss it in the junk drawer for now, and if I end up needing it, I'll know where it is. Ha. If anyone else has any other ideas, please let me know. Thanks! Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 01:18, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

That is to say, I checked my owner's manual and online schematics, but didn't see anything like it. Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 12:38, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Do you have any kids, especially small ones ? They might pick something like that up from outside and chuck it in the dishwasher, if it's dirty. StuRat (talk) 03:43, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

I do have young kids, and one in particular seems to be obsessed with the dishwasher. Ha. The concern then becomes how and where he got this thing. Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 12:38, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Is he old enough to ask ? If so, make sure he knows he's not in trouble, you're just curious. StuRat (talk) 22:21, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

The caption in the photo describes it as "threaded". It is hard to see the threading, but I assume that would be at the slimmed-down end. Does the other end—the end opposite the threaded end—show signs of having been inserted in a drill-bit type of mechanism? Perhaps the threaded end held something which when spun could perform a function. A cutting disc or a grinding disc or a polishing wheel are possibilities. That would not explain how it got in the dishwasher, but it is just a thought. Here is the sort of thing I have in mind. Or something vaguely like this. Bus stop (talk) 05:00, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Right. Good thoughts, and the threading is (in the photo) on the left/upper end. The opposite end shows no sign of being used as a drill bit (contact marks with a chuck, etc.). It's pretty wear-free, except for a few bits of rust. The threaded end really looks like it screws into something, but I have no idea what. Maybe I'll stop by an appliance place on my way home tonight and see if they know. Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 12:46, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

I would check the dishwasher carefully. The mystery object could be a part of a hinge, or a pushrod that controls some function of the dishwasher depending whether the door is shut or some other piece is in place. Astronaut (talk) 12:21, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Absolutely logical assumption-- I just haven't been able to figure out where it would have come from, and the diswasher is working OK. Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 12:46, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Here is a parts diagram for the Whirlpool DU930. Maybe it will help you narrow it down?    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 03:24, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

It's not part of a flute, but it's the same technology used on a flute to hold groups of keys on the axle and allow them to rotate. Is there a slot in the end opposite from the threading, which would fit a very small screwdriver? If so, this is a very long, narrow (and headless) screw, which threads through something hollow -- probably for a similar purpose, to allow something to rotate on a shaft.

--67.6.112.5 (talk) 03:56, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Consider also the things you wash. Anything with a hinge (garlic press, potato ricer), boxes with hinged lids, knives and such that might have a handle attached by a screw, ... Also the kids' toys they may have thought needed washing. Captain Hindsight (talk) 09:12, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Muscles used in Closing of hand vs flexing of hand

Are different muscles used when one closes one hand in a grip vs. when one flexes the entire hand (like in a slapping motion)? Will using a grip strengthener (a device that provides resistance against closing grip) help improve the size of one's forearms? From bodybuilding articles, most of their recommended forearms exercises seems to target the extension/flexion of the hand, rather than the closing and opening of the grip. Acceptable (talk) 01:33, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

• Anatomically speaking flexion = closing the hand, extension = opening the hand, so what you're asking for is what are the muscles used for tensing the hand while keeping it opened? If so then the muscles are the same, just like you can flex your bicep or just tense it up. There are many muscles that will help with this in the hand/wrist/forearm, and improving your grip will work them. I would recommend this site for more info as it is comprehensive and well researched.AerobicFox (talk) 02:21, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

I don't think the muscles are the same. The muscles involved in flexion are on the underside of the forearm, whereas those involved in extension are on the top of the forearm (viewed with hand extended, palm down). Marco polo (talk) 21:37, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Agree with Marco polo. I think the OP's question is about the flexion of the fingers ("grip") as opposed to flexion of the wrist ("slapping motion"). See Forearm which says (if I'm reading it correctly) that finger flexion is done by the Flexor digitorum superficialis muscle and the Flexor digitorum profundus muscle with the Flexor pollicis longus muscle working the thumb. Flexion of the wrist is by the Flexor carpi radialis muscle and the Flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. Perhaps someone who knows more about anatomy can confirm that I've got it right? Alansplodge (talk) 18:35, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Travel to Hungary

I'm going to Hungary in three weeks, and I am wondering about the best way to get to the place I want to go to - Szombathely. It is about 40km from the border with Austria, and I was thinking of flying to Vienna rather than Budapest, which is 500km away (and apparently - according to my contact - the trains are not incredibly reliable). In light of this, I was wondering how I would go about getting a train to Szombathely. Are there any websites which have train timetables and prices? KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 12:58, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

The Hungarian State Railways website MAV.hu (English version) has a timetable and fare search option. If you're going from Vienna, Swiss Federal Railways also has a timetable search. Travelling from Vienna seems to be quicker generally, although there are some InterCity (IC) services from Budapest straight to Szombathely. However, the train from Vienna is complicated by the fact you use both Swiss and Hungarian trains on the way there, and neither website will tell you how much it costs (this is generally a pain when you make any international journey in Europe). Also, it looks like the buying process for Hungarian Railways has to be done in Hungarian... Once you find a journey you like, I'd recommend booking tickets through a travel agent of some sort. In Germany, you'd buy the tickets from a travel centre at any major station - similar arrangements probably exist in Switzerland and Hungary. Not sure how you'd book in advance if you're not in the country, I'm afraid - perhaps you could ring Hungarian Railways, although if you don't know Hungarian there's no guarantee you'll reach an English speaker. Smurrayinchester 13:54, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Actually, come to think it's also worth asking at your local railway station ticket office. A lot of railway companies have reciprocal arrangements with companies around the world. A British ticket office could probably sell you the tickets. Smurrayinchester 14:09, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Ah, thanks for the information. As I don't speak Hungarian - another major issue in travelling from Budapest - this is another reason Austria would be a better bet to travel from. I will ask at my local major station here in the UK and see if they can help. If not, I might have to get one from Vienna when I get there. The only problem with that is, I wouldn't know what time I'd be arriving until I get the ticket on the day. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 14:25, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

As Vienna is in Austria not Switzerland, the website of Austrian Federal Railways at http://www.oebb.at/en/ may be more use! Valiantis (talk) 14:40, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Bloody hell, that was stupid of me. Smurrayinchester 15:00, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

I thought you were telling me the train starts in Switzerland, and then travels through Austria to Hungary. I was a bit bemused as to why I couldn't just get a ticket in Austria, though :) KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:01, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

I think I must have read it as Geneva instead of Vienna. I thought it seemed like a roundabout route to Hungary... Smurrayinchester 16:52, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

The Austrian Railways site will give you timetable info from a straightforward search for the above journey but won't sell you an online ticket, although it does direct you to a phone number or offer the ability to book by email. I haven't done this, so I don't know how easy it is. Journey time appears to be 2 to 3 hours with one or two changes dependent on which exact service you take. Valiantis (talk) 14:47, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

If it is of any help, I read somewhere that more Hungarians speak some German than English. I also find Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) very useful for journey planning all over Europe, though it cannot provide fare information outside Germany. Astronaut (talk) 14:42, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for that. I suppose I don't have to book online. I'm sure the train will have seats available for me when I get there. I'd just be more interested in knowing how much it costs and what the timetables are. Also, 2-3 hours is splendid. And as for German, last time I was in Hungary four months ago, I did actually get by in German, so you are right there. Anyway, thanks for your help. I'll look into that! KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 15:58, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Concur with Astronaut - for historic reasons German is the second language for elder Hungarians (who are very friendly people), while the youth generally speaks some English, some of them quite well in fact. Do not hesitate to ask young people for help on train stations inside Hungary, I did and got just the tickets I needed. And I'm envious, because I like Hungary very much, but then again I'm starting my own holidays in four weeks, so there :) --Ouro (blah blah) 16:26, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

For fares, the Czech Railways' international tariff calculator at www.jizdenka.cz quotes a 2nd class one-way fare from Vienna Westbahnhof to Szombathely, routed via Wiener Neustadt and Sopron, at approximately 28.20 euro (surcharges and suchlike make international fares a bit fiddly, but at least it gives an idea). Similarly, Budapest to Szombathely via Gyor is priced at 26.20 euro. Regarding the advice above to try to buy tickets in the UK, unfortunately since rail privatisation it has become virtually impossible to buy rail tickets in countries beyond the reach of Eurostar from UK stations - you'ld have to try a specialist travel agent, e.g. Festiniog Travel in Blaenau Ffestiniog has a very good reputation for arranging rail tickets. -- Arwel Parry (talk) 18:49, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

As per the Austrian Railway (see link given above) site: There is a direct train at 7 AM / duration 2:00h which leaves from Wien / Meidling, easily accessible by CAT (city airport train) plus subway. All other trains require a change in either Györ or Sopron and take about to 3:00h. Going via Wr. Neustadt takes around 2:30 but you have to switch trains twice. --Incognito.ergo.possum (talk) 12:01, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for that. That could be an option, as I have been toying with the idea of staying a night in Vienna, as I have never been there before. Cheers. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 12:10, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Other fast food restaurants with presence inside Walmarts besides McDonald's and Subway

Are there Walmarts in the world which have inside a Burger King, Wendy's, or anything else as far as fast food establishments are concerned besides McDonald's and Subway? 20.137.18.53 (talk) 15:56, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Seems not old chap. "When opening new stores, Wal-Mart provides McDonald's and Subway with a list of possible locations, but the sites don't overlap and the two brands cannot bid against each other for a specific location." - see [5]. Quintessential British Gentleman (talk) 19:27, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Steady on QBG. Walmart own Asda in the UK; Asda stores often have a cafe run AFAIK by local Asda staff. That would fit the "or anything else" element of the original question. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:41, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Only in some stores. The one in Widnes, Cheshire, has a McDonalds in it, whereas the one in Huyton, Knowsley has the cafe. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 22:07, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

The new Walmart in Tunkhannock PA (USA) has a Subway in it, and it is only a quarter mile from the Subway we already have.    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 02:35, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Perfect spacing...just enough time for me to finish one sub when I get to the next Subway. StuRat (talk) 02:56, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

So if Asda is part of Walmart, so far from the responses given, it appears that the set of fast food restaurants not owned by Walmart that have one of their restaurants in at least one Walmart is {McDonald's, Subway} 20.137.18.53 (talk) 20:19, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Pur Faucet mounted water filter

I have a Pur Faucet mounted filter. I also use a second Brita filter before I drink the water. There is a lot of charcoal in the top reservoir of the Brita each time I use the Pur Filter. I let it run for 30 to 40 seconds prior to filling the Brita and still has a lot of charcoal in it. Is this dangerous to health? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.1.151.100 (talk) 17:35, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Somebody overzealous removed this as if it was a request for a medical diagnosis. Basic food and beverage safety questions are not medical advice, so I've restored it.

No, small bits of charcoal aren't harmful. Charcoal has even been given as an antidote, in some cases. See Charcoal#Purification_and_filtration. StuRat (talk) 22:17, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

The filter element is most likely overdue for replacement if it's disintegrating. Roger (talk) 16:24, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

It's unclear to me if the charcoal is coming from the first filter or the second. If it's coming out of the faucet filter, I agree with Roger above, it probably needs replaced. If it's coming out of the pitcher's filter, I've found that the charcoal can come out of the brita filter even when new. The problem is much reduced if I fill the top portion slowly, with the stream of water directed into a corner, not the filter entrance. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:09, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

This is just the dust, which is why the instruction tell you to discard the first filtration. You can buy over the counter activated charcoal capsules. The Germans love these to study how long it takes food to pass through their gut and even have their toilet pans designed to facilitate the examination of their motions. It has proven to be pretty harmless stuff (the charcoal not their motions).--Aspro (talk) 02:42, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

February 14

Graduates of Australian Naval College?

Is there any public list of people who graduated from the Royal Australian Navy officer school? Thanks!

Who is this person?

http://i.imgur.com/q0jVV.jpg

The person seated, in suit and red tie. F (talk) 11:26, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

And a shot from the back http://i.imgur.com/Hhg33.jpg

He looks like George W. Bush. --Rixxin (talk) 11:49, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

And yet he looks like he's not GWB. I reckon it's a Bush impersonator. The text in the 2nd image suggests that the picture was taken in China or Japan. I found a guy named Brent Mendenhall who has appeared as Dubya in Japanese commercials, so maybe it's him. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:09, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

The two suits are doing a good job at looking like Secret Service, but they don't look nearly as big or as intimidating. And the person pictured looks like he has a longer neck than George W does in most pictures. Encycloshave (talk) 16:10, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Project Management Standards

Investigate and outline the project management standards in south africa.If none exist,consult project management practitioners and consultants in order to develop a suggested standard for south africa. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.185.92.178 (talk) 14:18, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Is that an order? Unfortunately, as it says at the top, we can't answer your homework question for you. My suggestion would be for you to do the first part yourself (a simple Google search should give you a good start), and then come back with some specific questions for the second part (e.g. "What project management standards exist in other countries?" - one answer to which would be PRINCE2.) - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:44, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Reference Desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. Roger (talk) 16:26, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Project_management#International_standards may be of some assistance. --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:37, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

February 15

wild turkeys

How do wild turkeys withstand the weather? do they have the same oil as ducks do to help them withstand the weather ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.197.64.56 (talk) 00:21, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Probably some oil, yes, but not as much, as they don't go swimming like ducks. Their size is also an advantage, with larger birds benefiting both from an increased mass-to-surface-area ratio and thick layers of fat and feathers. Feathers, BTW, are excellent insulators, and the current theory is that dinos first grew feathers for this reason, not to assist in flight. StuRat (talk) 00:37, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Birds in general are pretty well insulated. The reason some bird species fly south doesn't have much directly to do with the cold weather, but rather with the consequent scarcity of food. Birds that can find food will tend to stick around. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:39, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

How to burp on command?

How do people burp on command? And is there a paraphilia for belching? (this is NOT vandalism) 91.219.238.71 (talk) 01:54, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

I'm curious to know, how you think the knowledge of the this technique will enrich your life? Or that of your friends and family -unless of course you want to be remembered for ever, as that: weird kid that kept burping.--Aspro (talk) 02:02, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

That's useful to irritate people in general and impress peers (as a teenager) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.9.105.3 (talk) 02:12, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

The problem is it doesn’t impresses peers, it just stick in their minds that the only thing this gook could do was 'burp' instead of adding anything useful to the conversation. Subliminally, it sends out a message – “you're interests give me indigestion, I can only cope with mono-syllable words about thin chicken soup”.--Aspro (talk) 02:28, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

In response to the above comment about its usefulness... When did this, or any of the ref desks, require some sort of basis for enriching anyone's life? Dismas|^(talk) 03:24, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

You swallow air instead of inhaling it. The air will then want to come back up, all on it's own. StuRat (talk) 03:14, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

And, though no one asked, it is also quite possible to do so from the other end. Click the link, and be amazed. --Jayron32 03:44, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Fart on demand ? No, you must just be pulling my finger. StuRat (talk) 03:49, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Burping on command is not all that difficult. The real challenge is to burp on command with a mouthful of water. That really separates the men from the boys. Bus stop (talk) 03:53, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

At least, it seperated this man from the boys; interestingly this was just promoted to Featured Article status. All gross bodily functions have been used entertainingly for centuries, despite the fact that every 13-year old boy thinks he invented such stuff... --Jayron32 04:23, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

If you'll excuse an unreferenced answer to the original question: in my experience it's quite easy to learn and practice the technique by swallowing air as StuRat has already said. As to why it might be useful, I can think of two reasons off the top of my head.

One (ObPersonal) is that when one's stomach is already distended from ill-advised gas-producing ingestions (as for example when hung over), deliberately burping can make one feel better: I also recall Mark Vonnegut (son of Kurt) mentioning in his autobiography use of this technique as a form of self examination after he had eaten too much ice cream and thereby paralysed his digestion.

Another is that some people who have lost part of their windpipe and/or vocal cords from cancer-removal surgery and can no longer talk conventionally using lung-air, can instead learn to talk by burping air instead. The actor Jack Hawkins was one example.

As to a paraphilia for belching, the human psyche is sufficiently complex and inventive that a paraphilia for anything is likely possible: I don't recall coming across any mention of this one, but paraphiliae are not a particular interest of mine. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.161 (talk) 06:05, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Highest button of a shirt

When you button the highest button of shirt without a tie, you look like a retarded or crazy guy, why? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.9.105.3 (talk) 02:10, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

I blame it on American Gothic --Tagishsimon (talk) 02:15, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Just because it's unfashionable. Try wearing your underpants outside your pants, and everyone will forget about the button incident. :-) StuRat (talk) 03:15, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Lou Diamond Phillips didn't look retarded or crazy when he wore his shirt this way during Stand and Deliver. Dismas|^(talk) 03:28, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

More importantly, wearing a shirt with the top-button fastened is a semi-official uniform of certain latin-american street gangs and telling them they "look retarted" is likely to be bad on your health... --Jayron32 03:41, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Just the way it is, 'yo. SteelStoneberg (talk) 06:06, 15 February 2012 (UTC)