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October 24

Who's responsible for updating GPS data?

About a month ago, a mile long parkway was completed and opened near where I work (I'm in the U.S. BTW, if it makes a difference). This was not a road improvement, but a brand new road where none had existed before. I should say first that, while it was under construction, my GPS didn't recognize it, or the temporary detours caused by the construction. But then all of a sudden, now that its been open for a few weeks, my GPS (and most major mapping software, i.e. Google, Bing, Mapquest) all recognize it. This was a very modest project, maybe a half mile in total. I'm curious how my GPS suddenly recognized it now. Who is responsible for updating new roads? Is it a function of the Dept. of Transportation (State or Feds), or the mapping company (Google, Bing, etc)? Is there a standard procedure in place for updating new roads to GPS databases now as part of the construction? How does this happen? Ditch ∝ 00:23, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Highway databases have nothing directly to do with GPS. All GPS tells you, per se, is where you are (latitude, longitude, elevation) and what time it is. (Oh, and possibly how fast you're going — I think there's a Doppler component to that; it's not just taking the derivative of your position.)

The database belongs to whatever company made your unit. It's impressive that they were able to update your unit remotely — is it connected to the Internet somehow? --Trovatore (talk) 00:26, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Our article on that is Automotive navigation system. Articles on four mapping companies provide some hints: Tele Atlas, Navteq, GeoSmart and Automotive Navigation Data provide some crumbs. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:36, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

See also How Google Builds Its Maps—and What It Means for the Future of Everything ... iirc, they're now quite reliant on user feedback. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:39, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

The article about Google maps is very good. The one big answer that's missing above is The Census's Tiger data. Shadowjams (talk) 01:26, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

My understanding is that several cities (and possibly states) have openly (or at possibly for purchase) available datasets for all roads in the area that are kept up-to-date as projects are completed. I don't think it is comprehensive in the US, but at least there are some areas that make it easy for map providers to keep things updated. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 12:52, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

As linked above, the Tiger data I believe is updated relatively often, and is free (to my understanding). Shadowjams (talk) 03:11, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Fast Food Quality

(1) Attribution of bad business practice is defamation per se. (2) Couching it in terms of "allegedly" or saying someone told me is not a legal defense against defamation. μηδείς (talk) 02:32, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Cowboys in Calgary

The 1993 film Cool Runnings features the main characters heading out for some entertainment while in Calgary and are seen in a cowboy-style bar. I also noticed that there was a guy with a cowboy hat at the Olympic registration area. Is there any special reason why Calgary would feature such a thing? I mean, could you find a cowboy-style bar or tavern or whatever in any big city like Boston or Charlotte or is Calgary noted for being a cowboy place? DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 01:34, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Noted. See Calgary Stampede for example. Cowboy hat in Boston - unlikely. Rmhermen (talk) 02:43, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Yeehaw. One of Calgary's nicknames is "Cowtown". Clarityfiend (talk) 03:15, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Alberta is the Texas of Canada: an oil-rich and cattle-rich province of wide open plains (see Canadian Prairies). Cowboys are as associated with Calgary as they are with Dallas. --Jayron32 04:23, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Hence the defunct WHA team called the Calgary Cowboys. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:01, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

They also had a WHA team that never played, the Calgary Broncos. There is also the arena designed to look like a saddle. Adam Bishop (talk) 10:40, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

That type of dome has one advantage: It will never collapse... because it already is collapsed. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:46, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

We have one of those in Raleigh: Dorton Arena. We call it the "Pringle Arena" for obvious reasons. No cowboys here tho. A few dairy farms... --Jayron32 13:46, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Shortly before my time in the UK, on Commonwealth Day and before that, Empire Day, it was common for primary schools to ask children to attend dressed-up as a citizen of one of the nations of the Commonwealth. For boys, all that was needed was to get their cowboy outfit out of the dressing-up box and be Canadian for the day. An example: Empire Day 1952 or 1953 Vic Thomas is wearing a cowboy outfit. Alansplodge (talk) 12:58, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Why are all the girls in that picture dressed as nurses? Is there a Commonwealth nation famous for its nurses? Regards, Orange Suede Sofa (talk) 19:55, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

I have no idea. Alansplodge (talk) 21:41, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

It's possible the nurses part is unrelated to the national clothes part. The picture claims 1952 or 1953 but it's not hard to imagine it was actually 1954. That being the case, it seems per our article, that on Empire Day 1954 a plaque was unveiled for Florence Nightingale in the Haydarpaşa Cemetery so it may be some deal was made of this even outside Turkey or that region (particularly as to some extent it's more of a Commonwealth thing then a Turkey thing). BTW, I think Empire Day refers to the Commonwealth day, from what I can tell there's no Empire Day in Turkey, it seems unlikely they would have had one in 1954. The source [1] which not clearly specifying doesn't give any reason to think it's another day. Also I think the plaque unveiling on Empire Day was more to do with it being on the Commonwealth war graves, from what I can tell there's no strong association between Empire day and Florence Nightingale (the day most associated with here is her birthday which is generally International Nurses Day). Nil Einne (talk) 00:15, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Empire Day became Commonwealth Day in 1958. 1954 would have been the centenary of Nightingale's arrival at Scutari. As the UK doesn't really have a "national day", Empire day might hhave been the next best thing. It all makes sense - good find! Alansplodge (talk) 08:19, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

UK holiday cottage/villa

I've only ever stayed in large hotels before, so this is a new area for me. I need to find out though, if a small group of people wanted to rent a private cottage, villa or similar home for a few days, where would be the best place to look for available options and roughly how much might it cost?

213.104.247.116 (talk) 20:14, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Google "UK holiday cottage" and you'll get all the offerings you could possibly want. Cost will vary greatly depending on what facilities you need, and which part of the country. Rojomoke (talk) 20:51, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

A site that I have found to be very useful for finding well located cottages is http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk . They aren't the cheapest cottages about but the ones we've stayed in were beautiful. We even stayed in one of the 'wings' of one of their properties, Hanbury Hall (here's the link to the place we stayed - http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk/cottage/south-wing-006003/). Anyhoo good luck, like Rojomoke says a search for Uk holiday cottage will show you a wide variety of sites. ny156uk (talk) 22:32, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

UK here - just confirming that National Trust cottages - while often interesting and in beautiful locations - are indeed often priced at the top end of the range. Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:15, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

If the OP wants to say which area and how many people and what price per week (in total - gas, electricity, water, linen, car parking etc., etc.,) I would be happy to recommend some good ones that my wife and I have discovered on our many cottage holidays over the years. I know there are a load of cottage websites but boy, there are some properties and companies that need to be well-avoided. 80.192.67.152 (talk) 23:32, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

The site http://www.airbnb.com has gained significant popularity in the last few years as a place to exchange private accommodation. You can limit your search results to e.g. entire homes or cottages (as opposed to e.g. just a spare room in an inhabited flat). Currently, approx 1000 hits matching this criteria are available in the UK. DI (talk) 10:29, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

English Country Cottages is an established organisation with a good reputation, and their web site has a useful search tool. For the rest of the UK, there are Welsh, Irish and Scottish sister companies, with links from the ECC home page. As said above, cost will depend enormously on location, type of accommodation and time of year. Gandalf61 (talk) 12:08, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Also at the top end of the price range, but a chance to stay in a unique heritage property, is the Landmark Trust. Alansplodge (talk) 16:21, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

If you want to deal direct with cottage owners then sites like http://www.countrycottagesonline.com and http://www.cottageguide.co.uk/ have been around for a long time and offer a good range. Landmark Trust have to be recommended for unusual unique options. Yvonnara (talk) 18:36 31 October 2012

Difference between buckwheat flour and water chestnut flour?

I India during fast in Hindus people use a type of flour called kuttu ka "aata(Flour)" now some of them say its made from chestnut flour now when i search web the answer i got was showing was buckwheat for kuttu flour now are both of them are same.What is the difference between buckwheat flour and water chestnut flour? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Travis.josh10 (talk • contribs) 21:50, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Water chestnut flour is made from water chestnuts. Buckwheat flour is made from buckwheat. They are totally different. I don't known Hindi, but web sources indicate that kuttu ka atta is buckwheat flour, and water chestnut flour is singhare ka atta. Looie496 (talk) 23:10, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Buckwheat flour is gluten free and comes from a plant and is not related to wheat despite the name. Yvonnara (talk) 18:36 31 October 2012

Legal adults in New York

what laws say when you are considered an adult legaly in newyork state? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.76.2.56 (talk) 22:12, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

As with any state, it would depend on the activity. For example, many states allow smoking at 18 but drinking not until 21. I expect there are articles here on this subject, but my brain is failing as to what such articles might be called. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:42, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

(ec)Age of majority is one such and links to others. Rmhermen (talk) 01:50, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Age of Majority might be what you're looking for. It also has links to articles for drinking age, voting age, age of consent, and others. RudolfRed (talk) 01:49, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Eyes in the Back of head

I heard from a preacher years ago about " What would happen if man eyes was in the back of his head. hee quoted some one but I do not remember who. Thank for your help.24.173.63.243 (talk) 22:55, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

I don't think he was quoting anyone specific. "To have eyes in the back of one's head" is a popular English idiom, meaning that someone is aware of things even when they are not looking. AlexTiefling (talk) 23:02, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Then he'd probably need a haircut. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:19, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Once, such a remark would have got you called a "shavenist pig".  :) -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 03:05, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

A bit like this, I guess? KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 11:53, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

October 25

Travelling in NYC on Thanksgiving

I am heading to NYC 22 Nov to catch Jets/Patriots game that night. I land at LaGuardia around 2pm and my hotel is Lexington and 50th. Not familiar with NYC traffic or congestion at all. My question is to someone who would be. How long will it take to travel to the stadium (by public transit) from that location and are there any special considerations I should take? Thanks131.137.245.206 (talk) 13:46, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

There is some information here. It is a holiday, so I would not expect any particular traffic; by the time you get to Manhattan, the parade will be a memory. I would advise the NJTransit over the PATH, PATH service is likely to be very infrequent after the game. I'd be prompt leaving after the game, I don't know how often the service from Secaucus Junction to NY Penn Station will be at that time of night on Thanksgiving but it's bound to be better than PATH... you might want to take a cab from Penn Station to your hotel afterwards, public transportation will be slower. That same website should have information on how best to get from your hotel to Penn Station. I'm compulsively early, but even so I would leave sometime around 5:30, to allow time to get to Penn Station, get your ticket (machine). Remember, 80,000 people are converging on that stadium, and some will be coming by train.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:06, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

NJTransit used to run a bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to the stadium, but they may have eliminated it due to the train service. That would probably be more convenient for you. The Meadowlands is not that far away from Manhattan, but the public transit there developed rather late.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:08, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

• Train traffic (and road traffic) is extremely heavy on Thanksgiving in NY. I have never taken the train to the Meadowlands, but every other NJ Transit train I have ridden on Thanksgiving has been standing room only, with the aisles so tightly packed that the conductors don't even try to collect tickets. Don't carry anything but a wallet, and don't wear a heavy coat unless the forecast really calls for it. μηδείς (talk) 16:51, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

• Just curious: Would it be easier to take a bus from LaGuardia to Newark Airport and take public transportation from there to the Meadowlands? 69.62.243.48 (talk) 22:33, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

I can't imagine a situation in which you would have to transfer in Newark could possibly be better than a direct trip to the Meadowlands. I would take a taxi from the Hotel to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which should run around $10. In fact, I'd probably take a taxi the whole way--much more comfortable and reliable. Best to call a limo service (black limo which has to be called, not a yellow taxi you can hail on the street) and negotiate a set rate ahead of time (expect about $50/$60 plus $5-$10 tip) and leave at least two hours before game time. μηδείς (talk) 03:50, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Nick Griffin and Nicky Campbell

Griffin recently made some comments about the B&B that turned away a gay couple.

Apparently, during a subsequent interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, Campbell gave Griffin a very hard time on the subject. I'd like to hear the interview. I guess it's available somewhere on BBC iPlayer - can anyone help me find it?

Please, no soapboxing here about Griffin's comments. --Dweller (talk) 15:09, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

There's a clip here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0070htg/clips. Itsmejudith (talk) 15:15, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Perfect. Thank you. --Dweller (talk) 16:47, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Mains Adaptor for Mongolia

What type of mains connection do they have in Mongolia? Is it the same as South Korea? KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:03, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Mains electricity by country says it's either CEE 7/5 (French) (which is also used in S Korea) or CEE 7/16 (Europlug) (which is not used in S Korea). The two should be compatible, and you should be able to use a standard European adaptor. The supply is 220V/50Hz, so you shouldn't need a voltage adaptor for any UK or European equipment. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:21, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

So for my UK-bought PC, I can use a Euro adaptor? And my Hungarian-bought PC will not need an adaptor? KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:28, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Well, that's what the article says. It's unsourced though. But here is a page with nice pictures of what fits and what doesn't. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:46, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

On re-reading that seems to come across a little sarky. Sorry - didn't mean to. Yes to both questions. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:49, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

I didn't take it the least bit sarcastic, mate. You've been a great help. Thanks! KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 06:02, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

For a moment there I was wondering whether power points in Mongolia and Hungary might be similar, then I remembered that it was unlikely, as the Ural–Altaic languages hypothesis is now widely rejected. Shortly afterwards, I realised how very silly I was to even think like that in the first place.--Shirt58 (talk) 02:40, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

Here's one reader who smiled. —Tamfang (talk) 21:34, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

I did, too (though I believe partly in the theory, due to cross-plantation of vocabulary, which is common in languages spoken by people in juxtaposition to each other - the Hungarian people came from Siberia). The similarity in electricity points however, is probably more due to Soviet Russian influence. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 03:25, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Resolved

synthetic egg?

-I want to bake a cake

-One of my friends is allergic to egg

-I want to use some alternative he can eat

-It still needs to make a decent cake and taste right

-Anyone know of anything I could use?

-213.104.247.116 (talk) 18:09, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

You might ask if he is specifically allergic to either egg yolk or white (although more yolk will make it more "rich"). If so, you can use the other. Otherwise, I don't know of a single ingredient you can substitute in for egg, in the same quantities, to make your recipe work. Here are some egg-less cake recipes, though: [2]. StuRat (talk) 18:20, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Note: DO NOT DO THIS if the person has an allergy. There is no way to remove all the white from an egg yolk; egg yolks are coated in egg white even after separation. This is a very good way to make someone extremely sick, perhaps even requiring an ambulance trip to the hospital and expensive drugs. And that's the best case scenario. Bad idea. --NellieBlyMobile (talk) 03:15, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

That rather depends on the degree of the allergy, doesn't it ? If they just get a bit queasy after eating several eggs, then the amount in a cake with separated eggs shouldn't be a problem. If they need a trip to the emergency room whenever they touch any egg, then avoid all egg products (I wouldn't personally make any food for such a person, they should exclusively have "prescription foods and drinks", where all possibility of cross-contamination can be eliminated). StuRat (talk) 23:44, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

Many of the things eggs do in recipes is to act as an emulsifier and binder. You may be able to purchase Soy-based lecithin (the emulsifying agent in eggs) and see if that helps approximate the role of the egg in your cooking. --Jayron32 19:34, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

I have cooked boxed cake and Bisquick recipes which have said you can substitute vegetable oil for the egg. Google searches haven't been very helpful--you might actually want to take some boxes off the shelf at a store and see what they say. A little sour cream might also help. μηδείς (talk) 19:51, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Google not very helpful? if you search for 'recipe for eggless cake' you will get more recipes than you have time to read, most of them do not have tricky ingredients. Good luck. Richard Avery (talk) 07:35, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

No, not at all on the subject I was addressing; substituting oil for the egg. Your links on that would be appreciated. μηδείς (talk) 16:42, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Egg-free cakes are really really easy. Just Google "vegan cake recipes". Or just go straight here.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 20:23, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

There are commercially available egg replacers such as Ener-G, which are close to being as protein-rich as actual egg. Alternatively, try grinding flax seeds. AlexTiefling (talk) 20:59, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

We have an article on egg substitutes, see Egg_substitute#Cooking_substitutes. It mentions a few others, including applesauce. I have also mixed some of these for recipes, such as half vegetable oil and half applesauce. SemanticMantis (talk) 02:45, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

I thought applesauce was a substitute for oil, in that it adds moisture, not emulsification and binding. StuRat (talk) 04:24, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

I've substituted Coke/Pepsi in chocolate boxed cake mix in a pinch. It worked 3 out of 4 times. - Purplewowies (talk) 04:22, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Do not try to modify or substitute eggs in traditional recipes, this usually goes wrong or at least won't taste right. Rather go for an original (usually vegan) egg-free recipe. Post Punk Kitchen has some very nice ones, see [3], e.g. [4] given the season or you can also easily use the cupcake batter and turn it into a cake (just adjust baking time). Even if your friend happens to know whether he's allergic to the yolk or whites, do not try to just use either one, as separating them might lead to either one contaminated with the other (without you noticing) and depending on the severity of your friend's allergy this might be already enough to trigger an allergic reaction. (I also do have a friend who's allergic to eggs, and it's actually not that hard to do egg-free cooking, once you're a bit used to it and know where to look for recipes). 2001:620:400:9:21A:64FF:FE9D:DB60 (talk) 11:49, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

There are products such as 'No-Egg' by Orgran which work great in cakes as an egg replacement - it's very easy to get in the UK. I would recommend it over substituting oil, etc. Other similar products may exist. --Michig (talk) 16:57, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Baking powder and water? I think I remember using that a while back (I have/had an egg allergy as well) – Connormah (talk) 03:26, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Some people hinted at this above, but my impression when I looked in to this once before is it depends a fair amount on what the primary purpose/s of eggs in your recipe is which is why there are quite a few fairly different suggestions. (It also depends on what you have available.) I do agree with our IPv6 anon friend your best bet if you don't have experience cooking withyout eggs is that you'll likely get best results from choosing a recipe which has hopefully been designed by someone with such experience. (N.B. My reply is to the OP not to μηδείς.) Nil Einne (talk) 09:09, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Can an outside-the-park homer ever be an error?

In last night's World Series game between the San Francisco Giants and some other team, Peralta's homer in the ninth inning appeared to be helped out of the park by Angel Pagan's glove. If he had let it go, I expect it would have been a double (or possibly a triple) off the center-field wall.

Anyway, Peralta obviously got credit for the dinger; Pagan didn't do anything wrong. Actually, in the game situation as it was, the homer was probably better for the Giants than a double, because it left the bases empty and the Tigers still five runs behind with two outs to go. But I was wondering — what if a fielder did do something obviously wrong? I'm having trouble picturing exactly how it would go, but let's say the ball could have been caught with ordinary effort, but through some spectacular clumsiness, the fielder instead pushed it out of the park. Clearly the batter and all men on base score, but is it a home run, or an error? --Trovatore (talk) 19:44, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

On May 26, 1993 in a game involving the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians, Jose Canseco clearly aided a ball over the fence that wouldn't have been a home run other-wise. It's a famous play with the ball bouncing off of Canseco's head and going over the fence. You could look up the game stats on Retrosheet to see if Canseco was credited with an error. Retrosheet is sending my Norton Antivirus into apoplexy over a "malicious script", so I'm not loading it and caveat emptor, but generally Retrosheet is considered a great way to get historical info on old baseball games. --Jayron32 19:51, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Found the boxscore at Baseball Reference.com instead. here it is. You can see that Carlos Martinez is credited with the home run, and Canseco didn't get any error, even though it was clearly aided over the fence by Canseco. Had the ball not gone out of the park, that would have been an obvious fielding error: Baseball usually agrees that a fly ball that contacts a player should be caught by that player, else it is an error (this is not true for balls that hit the ground near a player that the player should have caught). Bugs may want to weigh in on an official ruling, but had that not been a homer, that would have been an E-9 clearly. Had the ball his the ground instead of Canseco's head, it would have been a ground-rule double. Here's video of the home run (the date is wrong on the video, that's why it took me some time to find the right game). --Jayron32 19:59, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

MLB rule 6.09h explains it a somewhat convoluted way, as follows: "The batter becomes a runner when... Any fair fly ball is deflected by the fielder into the stands, or over the fence into foul territory, in which case the batter shall be entitled to advance to second base; but if deflected into the stands or over the fence in fair territory, the batter shall be entitled to a home run. However, should such a fair fly be deflected at a point less than 250 feet from home plate, the batter shall be entitled to two bases only."[5] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:28, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Interesting. So I wouldn't have guessed this: Apparently if a ball is headed out in the right field corner, and you can't catch it but you can get up high enough to whack it right of the foul pole, you can change what would have been a homer into a ground-rule double. Not the way I would have written the rule, myself.

But I'm still a little unclear on whether this excludes the possibility of an error on any play in which this happens. That seems counterintuitive. --Trovatore (talk) 22:36, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

If it's a home run, it can't be an error, and vice versa. And once it occurs, it's a dead-ball situation, so no error can be charged. The rules don't always explain themselves, so we're left to guess why it's considered a homer and not a 4-base error. My guess is that they didn't want to get into disputes about whether the potential catch was "ordinary effort" or not, so they made a decision that any such events are home runs. You raise an interesting question about intentionally deflecting it. I'll see if I can find out something about that. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:04, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Agreed, I can't think of any circumstances on which a single pitch can result in both an error and a home run, however that home run occurs, it means that the player is awarded the four bases through his own exertion and therefore anything the fielders did was irrelevant. Agree with Bugs on the reasoning. I don't think a player could or would act in the manner Travatore suggests, basically if they can touch it with the glove, they're going to try to catch it, the zone where they can only deflect it and not catch it is mere inches and they wouldn't plan that way, they'd try for the catch.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:12, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm not seeing anything about it in the rules, other than the prohibition against throwing your glove or cap at the ball. And like you, I wonder why someone would purposely create a double, as if he's in position to control its flight, one would think he would simply catch it. But you never know what strange things might happen on a ball field. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:20, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

I could see it happening accidentally, of course, and that's the point of the rule. The fielder could be poised on the foul line near the fence and jump up and not quite get a grip on it and it goes either fair or foul, and either within the playing field or over the fence. It would be very tough for a fielder to plan that exact scenario and resist his natural instinct to try to catch it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:24, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm thinking scenarios where his glove comes off (accidentally, not throwing at the ball) and so forth. He's still going to try to catch it rather than deflect it. Even barehanded. And any intentional deflection would be into the field of play, to try to get it into the infield and get someone out. No one would recall the rule that quickly.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:31, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Just to put a wrap up on this, remember that anything that happens "accidentally" isn't an error. An error is a mistake. Tripping on the way to stop a grounder heading out of the infield isn't an error. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:17, 29 October 2012 (UTC) (Of course, I may be in error.)

I'm not sure I understand the distinction you're making here between a "mistake" and "something you do accidentally," but in any case it's true that "mental mistakes" are specifically not counted as errors (see Official scorer#Errors). In general though, this is a fairly gray area where the official scorer's personal judgment has a lot of influence. Also, referring back to the original questioner - it is definitely not the case that giving up a home run rather than a double is ever preferable for the fielding team! After all, the most damage a runner can do after hitting a double is to later score...which of course is guaranteed if he hits a home run instead. -Elmer Clark (talk) 17:26, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

MLB scoring rules 10.12[6] starts this way: "An error is a statistic charged against a fielder whose action has assisted the team on offense, as set forth in this Rule 10.12" It then goes into a long list of what constitutes an error and what does not constitute an error. It specifically talks about "mental mistakes or misjudgments", which is what DOR is talking about. I'm not seeing anything specific about the OP's question, but I think the answer is implied: "...whose misplay (fumble, muff or wild throw) prolongs the time at bat of a batter." Apparently the thinking is that a ball bouncing off a fielder's head does not qualify as a "misplay". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:28, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

October 26

HELP

I was disconnected when I sought the following help:

joined #wikipedia-en-help [02:05] <+Helpmebot> Hello kbd, welcome to #wikipedia-en-help! Please type your question about editing Wikipedia below and press Enter. A helper should be with you shortly. If your question is about a particular page please make sure your question includes the URL or name of the page in question. [02:06] My goal is to add the following: The genus fascism includes nazism, the German political ideology during WWII which produced the holocaust. Planet earth has thus come to know fascism as the essence of that ideology: arbitrary elitism. Your suggestions please. [02:09] There are two pages involved, Fascism and Nazism — Precedingunsigned comment added by 208.126.234.167 (talk) 07:27, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

You'd need a reliable source which supported your claim. And I've got to say, our Fascism page, which I keep an eye on, is a constant battleground of people trying to promote different political points of view about the movement. I'm not sure that a short, reductionist statement like yours would last long even with a source. AlexTiefling (talk) 09:18, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

It sounds like you have a mission to preach your ideas to people rather than to summarize what is in WP:reliable sources with due WP:WEIGHT and supplyWP:citations. Please see WP:5P for what Wikipedia editing is about. Dmcq (talk) 09:49, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Authority for genus, in fact for the entire first sentence, is Wikipedia's page on Nazism. Uber alles, master race, and the notion one race has a right to exterminate another race are penultimate elitism. Would you quibble for a moment that the holocaust is the icon for WWII? Do you deny that the current WP fascism page serves more to obfuscate than elucidate? Do you deny that simplicity is the essence of perfection? I respectfully suggest failing, or refusing, as the case may be, to expose fascism for exactly what it is, is a crime against humanity. You will find formal definitions of fascism as "arbitrary elitism" on the PonyTail Institute for Change website (www.pi4c.com)in the Defacto Facism section and the Daily Message for August 2, 1999 and is referred to over and over again throughout the Daily messages. I was shot through the head, at least in part, because of those writings. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.126.234.167 (talk) 17:16, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

What we think has no bearing on the text of Wikipedia articles, so asking us for our feelings or thoughts is irrelevent. What do the preponderance of reliable sources have to say on the subject? --Jayron32 17:32, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia cannot itself be used as a source for material on Wikipedia, for obvious reasons. Those sources that you have linked to on the web do not appear to be reliable. We already have extensive material about the political nature of fascism and nazism, their empowerment of elite groups, and their role in crimes against humanity. What, apart from a platform for your own idiosyncratic interpretation of these points, do you think is lacking?AlexTiefling (talk) 00:16, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

-- "Lacking" begs the point. The definitions as they now stand, for purposes of encyclopedic statements, are totally useless. They obfuscate rather than elucidate. The "unreliable" information "linked to" makes the point that WWII did not put an end to "crimes against humanity fascism", that such elitism has morphed into world fascism. It also makes the point that the tragedy of WWII is that people associate fascism/nazism with a lunatic with a funny mustache. The world must know, and appreciate the dangers of, world fascism. And yes I know, and appreciate, that those two sentences make it clear that WWII was in a significant way a fuss between their fascists and our fascists. It is time to big boys and big girls. The next "fuss" will be nuclear. My vote is to make all the material other than the two sentences footnotes. --

Nazism isn’t fascism; -- species of the genus, my friend, read Wiki's page on Fascism (also note the paragraph above which was added yesterday but somehow or other got lost in the shuffle) -- rather, it is a version, a sub-set or one possible consequence of fascism. There are others, for example Chiang Kai-shek’s pre-1949 Nationalist Party, that did not involve a master race, racial extermination or other characteristics cited above. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:22, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

TOEFT iBT score reporting help

My test is on Sunday 1000 hrs. It is 1720 hrs. on Friday right now at my place. TOEFL guidelines clearly mention that I can add up to four universities for free score reporting no later than 10:00 PM local test center time, the day before my test. However, when I start to add institutions, it starts asking me the fee 18 US dollars per university, for score reporting. Am I doing something wrong here, because right now, it shouldn't be asking me the money for those four universities? Please help me. Thanks - 202.3.77.11 (talk) 11:57, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Ok, got it. I was clicking at the wrong place. This problem can be marked as resolved. - 115.248.114.51 (talk) 12:45, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Resolved

origin of the term "rag a muffin"

How, where did then term originate and what exactly does it mean? — Precedingunsigned comment added by 207.70.5.25 (talk) 15:11, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

See here. --Jayron32 15:21, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Hand Accuracy.

wikipedia cannot offer medical diagnoses or advice. Please seek professional help.
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Hi, I'm a competitive gamer and i experience on rare occasions some days where my mouse/hand accuracy is completly shot, i have to use repeated attempts to click on even the most simple things, its usually gone the next day but has anyone ever heard of this before or what reason for it there can be?Joneleth (talk) 22:07, 26 October 2012 (UTC) Early signs of RSI perhaps? HiLo48 (talk) 22:12, 26 October 2012 (UTC) [Having written that, it made me think. Does it make this a (no doubt unintended) request for medical advice?] HiLo48 (talk) 22:15, 26 October 2012 (UTC) Yes. Even if not asking "How do I fix it?", a question that seeks to identify a condition that would be treated by a relevant health professional is effectively seeking medical advice. It's not bad to ask such a question, but it would be bad for us to diagnose or offer treatment ideas other than "See a doctor". It may well be incipient RSI. Or it may not. Only a doctor would know. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 22:22, 26 October 2012 (UTC) Yep. Joneleth, go see a doctor. (But read the RSI article anyway. Gamers should know that stuff.) HiLo48 (talk) 22:32, 26 October 2012 (UTC) I agree that you should see a doctor to ensure that there's no underlying medical condition. But, once you get the all-clear from him, you might want to look at what you eat and drink. There are things like caffeine and sugar, which can make you "jittery", and thus limit your ability to hold your hand still. I imagine in jobs where avoiding a shaky hand is critical, like a sniper of neurosurgeon, they know more about what foods to avoid for optimal performance. StuRat (talk) 22:33, 26 October 2012 (UTC) Just speaking from personal experience I have used computers that were almost impossible to move the cursor the way I wanted, partly because of mouse problems.Apteva (talk) 22:38, 26 October 2012 (UTC) I have no idea if its a medical condition or just a common occurance for everyone, regardless as a visit to the doctor costs money and it really doesnt affect me that much, I was just curious as to what it might be. Reading about RSI seems like it would be painful, what im experiencing has no pain associated with it what so ever. Joneleth (talk) 22:38, 26 October 2012 (UTC) See Compensatory tracking task. By the way, it has come to my attention that the inventor of the mouse may be a frequent contributor to WP today.Apteva (talk) 22:46, 26 October 2012 (UTC) I wonder what he thinks about the fact that the big current technology event, Windows 8, is moving us away from the mouse? (And where does that take gaming?) HiLo48 (talk) 22:59, 26 October 2012 (UTC) (WP:OR): In a completely non-medical vein: ask yourself "when are my best games/scores/achievements occurring"? For me, in any type of game, I never do my best after days of regular play. Instead, all my high scores come after I've taken a few days off, but before I've spent much time too on it again. Speaking of which, I'm going to go play spelunky :) Also, you might be interested in reading about fatigue. SemanticMantis (talk) 00:27, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

Salmond scottish?

is the surname salmond scottish and if not where does it originate from and if there is no answer to these two questions is it a made up name? — Preceding unsigned comment added by90.202.146.81 (talk) 22:34, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Read this. It is a variation of the Hebrew name "Solomon"; and probably came back to Europe as a result of the Crusades. The specific spelling you give is attested but of unknown origin and has been known in the British Isles, in various spellings, since 1212. This page from the 1881 UK census indicates that the name was much more prominent in Scotland than England: In that census there are only 2 counties among the top ten that are English (London and Yorkshire) and the rest are Scotland. --Jayron32 23:12, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

The First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmondhas the surname Salmond.Yvonnara 18:43, 31 October 2012

October 27

Solar watch

Can someone give me an advice of a good solar watch that sell under 60usd in amazon.com?

Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by Iskander HFC (talk • contribs) 03:29, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

No. I bought a Casio for about $25. But advice on purchases is outside the realm of the encyclopedia. Try Consumer Reports. Apteva (talk) 03:45, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

Or reviews on Amazon. --Mr.98 (talk) 11:41, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

If you want a solar watch for less than $60 (€50) [£40], then you should try to buy a broken one which is of inferior quality, of which there are many examples. 92.0.97.51 (talk) 17:27, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Which is the science and art....

What is the science and art of management of schools and their characteristic way of interaction of students primarily (and faculty) of schools (educational centres) with the built environment? — Preceding unsigned comment added by189.222.145.250 (talk) 10:26, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

There isn't likely one catch-all term for these things. The field of Education (as in, that which is taught and studied in Education School, not just education broadly) more or less try and cover some of these things, but the intersection with the build environment would be a form of Architecture or Environmental Design. If one were, say, trying to study these issues, it would be some intersection between these fields. --Mr.98 (talk) 11:41, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

Hungary Drafting 10,000 Militia

I have heard rumours that Hungary has drafted 10,000 militia, in case of civil unrest or even a possible civil war. I cannot find anything on the internet for this. Can anybody else? KägeTorä - (影虎)(TALK) 19:38, 27 October 2012 (UTC)

Do you really mean drafted, as in conscription, as opposed to having a 10,000 member volunteer force ? StuRat (talk) 02:32, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I believe it's a conscripted force, which are all being trained in Budapest - they are legally required to attend. I am not sure what is going on. I am getting garbled messages from people - none of whom are native English speakers, and some messages from a client (an international media organization who came to interview people about this). There seems to be a media blackout (except foreign media - which know nothing much because of the media blackout). I am just trying to find out what's going on. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 03:14, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

This all looks so implausible. What possible use would 10K untrained raw recruits be in such a situation? And why would they need a media blackout?Clarityfiend (talk) 05:13, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

But if there were a media blackout, and the internet knows nothing about it, how would we here know anything that the rest of world doesn't know? -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 06:08, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I actually don't know what's going on. When one of my colleagues comes back this afternoon, I will ask him where he got this information, and try to find something. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 09:52, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I would note per Military service#Hungary, it doesn't seem clear how this could be done in secret without breaking the law. While conscription is again possible after a recent law change, it seems the National Assembly (Hungary) needs to approve it first. It seems unlikely this would happen in secret and with a complete media blackout. Nil Einne (talk) 10:18, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

That recent law change might be the key to this. I can well imagine someone creating a rumour that takes the raw material of the law change and converts it via the filter of their mind into these concrete plans Kage's heard about it. Until such time as it's confirmed, if it ever is, it has to remain a rumour, and it should be assumed to be baseless. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 19:12, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Living in neighbouring Austria, all I can find are some reports in local media on the demonstrations last Tuesday (commemorating the revolution 1956). These had been organised both by the exparliamentary opposition (Szolidaritas und MILLA) and by the ruling centre-right party ofVictor Orban. There is no mention of any militias being drafted, nor is there any report on civil unrest. It would seem unlikely that the sizable Hungarian community in Vienna (many of them liberal intellectuals) could be oblivious to such a situation. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 12:14, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I don't know anything about this particular situation or non-situation, but I will note that it's a common conspiracy theory "newsflash" to ominously state that troops are massing here or there. A quick Google for "US is massing troops", for example, returns hits for American troops that are massing in Kuwait, at the Iranian border, at the Mexican border, at the Venezuelan border, and at the Syrian border with Iraq, among many others. Matt Deres (talk) 15:40, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

October 28

Judge Judy episode

In which Judge Judy episode did Judge Judy ask someone to spell the word "white" and he spelled it "wight"? Thank you. Futurist110 (talk) 04:14, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

That's pretty obscure. Have you tried Google? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?}carrots→ 12:42, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I've just had a go with Google, and although I can't pin down the exact episode, it appears to have screened in early August 2004, and I've found a forum where the case in question is referred to as the "Nasty Away Message" case. AlexTiefling (talk) 12:53, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

• If she asked him to spell /waɪt/ instead of /hwaɪt/, wight was the correct spelling. Given she's from NY I expect that was the case--she got it wrong, not he. μηδείς (talk) 16:09, 28 October 2012 (UTC)
  • I don't think Judge Judy talks like Elmer Fudd. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?}carrots→ 16:23, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

You haven't understood what is meant by the IPA, Bugs. Look again. It's not the distinction between wight and right, but the distinction betweenwight /waɪt/ and white /hwaɪt/, which are pronounced differently except in certain dialects. Many blacks and Southerners distinguish the two according to the IPA I gave, most white New Yorkers do not. See which-witch merger. μηδείς (talk) 16:42, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Under what conditions would someone in that show bring the actual word "wight" into the discussion? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:54, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

If she up and asked someone who distinguishes /w/ from /hw/ to spell /waɪt/ it would be the only proper answer for him to give. You don't second guess the judge. μηδείς (talk) 17:34, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Given the typical nature of the parties at her courtroom, it seems unlikely. However, the only way to know for sure would be to find a youtube and/or a transcript of the episode, so that the context would be clear. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?}carrots→ 18:52, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Wight and White are homophones in the UK, on the Isle of Wight anyway. Alansplodge (talk) 18:55, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

not in all of the UK, in parts of Scotland they are different. -- Q Chris (talk) 18:58, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I stand corrected. Alansplodge (talk) 13:57, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

[7] -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 22:11, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Thank you very much for all of your help. I think that the woman's name in the trial was Kimberly Kulick or something like that while the man was her enstranged boyfriend. Futurist110 (talk) 18:32, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

Unknown Landscape

I found this picture in a maze of old folders on my old hard drivehttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dE5bqc5jtwI/Tpc1TXHs8_I/AAAAAAAAAKo/-DRS_u9O4mY/s1600/01698_betweenthemountains_1920x1080.jpg. Reverse searching doesn't really give me anything except for a million wallpaper sites. What's the landmark/place that it was originally taken? It's definitely been altered, but still looks quite stunning.

Thanks in advance, 27.32.104.185 (talk) 08:57, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

A bit of googling states that it's a photo by Giovanni Di Gregorio, and calls it "An old abandoned house. Behind it the mountains of Gran Sasso, in Abruzzo." Could be. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:56, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

This looks like it's the original. The caption says it's near "the road that leads from Città Sant'Angelo toElice" - Cucumber Mike (talk) 13:44, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Thank you! The original is better I think :) -27.32.104.185 (talk) 11:29, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Funnily enough, the wallpaper version appears to be in natural colour, and lacks the watermark (without having cropped it out), whereas the watermarked version is almost certainly in false colour. I wonder if both versions derive from an earlier copy? AlexTiefling (talk) 11:36, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

This looks like the original: [8] AlexTiefling (talk) 11:38, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

That includes a link to the artist's page which links to the above 500px site. I'm guessing the artist uploaded them to both sites (they commented in the interfacelift site). It seems clear neither came from the other directly since one lacks the watermark or any sign of it (well I didn't look that closely), and the otheryet it is cropped more (but not enough to cut out the watermark). The original as it were is I presume still in the artists's collection although the original of 27's is likely the interfacelift one. Nil Einne (talk) 16:35, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

BTW, if you look at the author's profile on the 500px site, most of their images have similar colours. They look fairly typical of artistic High dynamic range imaging processing to me (as our article mentions 'HDR is also commonly used to refer to display of images derived from HDR imaging in a way that exaggerates contrast for artistic effect') and in one of them HDR is even mentioned in the comments. So most likely there isn't even really one original image but multiple ones with different bracketings. Although whether the interfacelift image is one of the bracketings or is also a processed HDR of the originals but without the exaggerating effect I can't say although it does seem to have fairy good dynamic range, but given it's still 24 bit I doubt you can be sure.Nil Einne (talk) 16:44, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

New WP developments

Hello,

I'm doing a school presentation, and looking for information on new developments concerning Wikipedia. I seem to recall reading about some collaborative effort with some commercial information resources, but I'm not finding this information anywhere, can you help me?.

Thank you for your time,

AGA — Preceding unsigned comment added by24.161.61.75 (talk) 19:02, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Well recently we have had Wikipedia:Article Feedback_Tool/Version 5 introduced. Wikipedia:United States Education Program has been running for over a year and is now introduced to Canada and Egypt. Some references sites or information sources have made content available to Wikipedia users, eg Wikipedia:HighBeam Wikipedia:Credo accounts Wikipedia:Requests for JSTOR access Wikipedia:Questia. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 10:03, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

What city in the united States has the most centenarians (people over 100)?

What city in the united States has the most centenarians (people over 100)? Neptunekh94 (talk) 19:11, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Unless there's any reason to believe the age distribution is skewed in certain places, the answer would be the city that has the most people (of all ages), which I assume to be New York, depending on your definition of city. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 19:18, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

We do have a List of the verified oldest people, (unfortunately not sortable). List of supercentenarians from the United States may be of help, as it gives the state of residence (but no city). This article on the 1990 census (centenarians) has 10.1% in CAL and 8.4% in NY. Again, there are no figures based on cities of residence.

I can not find a city based listing which would give an answer to your query. Age distribution DOES seem to be skewed, as evidenced by the example of Florida. The last reference by the US Census says that whilst lots of "the younger old" move to FLA, the "older old" seem to return to their state of birth. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:04, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

To get you started, Philadelphia has "more than 400".[9] Clarityfiend (talk) 20:58, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Electronic fund transfer in the 1960s

Dear Sir / Madam, I am researching a book and need to understand how electronic fund transfers were made in the early 1960s. Money is being moved from a US bank account to the UK and the transfer is being made at the UK end. Both accounts belong to the same person. I would appreciate it if you could help me with some of the details i.e. Could this have been achieved with a phone call to the US by the client with the instruction to wire the funds or would it have been arranged with the aid of the receiving bank through a call or telegram? How would ID have been proven at that time? How long would the transfer have taken?86.146.226.146 (talk) 20:02, 28 October 2012 (UTC) I would much appreciate if you could find someone to help me with this as I'm having great difficulty finding out through the web. Kind Regards, Janine

see Telex--Aspro (talk) 22:54, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

You might start with our article on Western Union, mainly because the Telegraphic transfer and Wire transfer articles are pretty poor, even though they are still options today. The basis is that a person identifies himself or herself to an agent or bank in Place A who then accepts the funds. The agent or banker then contacts (by telegraph, telex, cable or telephone) the agent or corresponding bank in Place B (hence, the term "correspondence banking") and on the basis of an established reputation, instructs the agent or bank in Place B to release the funds as per instructions (e.g., deposit in an account, pay to an individual). An exchange rate is agreed, and for larger sums there might have been capital controls paperwork to complete. After many such transactions by thousands of people, the two banks net out the difference between what they have sent and what they have received and at some suitable accounting point, one pays the other the difference. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:35, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Many thanks DOR. I have my scene! Cheers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by86.138.87.251 (talk) 10:00, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

Where did spinich salad with warm or hot bacon dressing originate? — Precedingunsigned comment added by 99.123.44.84 (talk) 23:41, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

From Pennsylvania Dutch (meaning German) cuisine, and ultimately, from Germany. Dominus Vobisdu (talk) 00:05, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Alton Brown explains the history and provenance of the bacon-and-spinach salad in[this episode] of his show Good Eats. --Jayron32 03:20, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

October 29

Mary Rice Hopkins and Puppets With A Heart

Is it possible to bring Mary Rice Hopkins and Puppets With A Heart to your network? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.140.82.162 (talk) 01:16, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Do you mean is it possible to have articles on those subjects? We already have an article on Mary Rice Hopkins. If it can be established that Puppets With a Heart is sufficiently notable in its own right, rather than just being part of Ms Hopkins' activities, then it could also have an article. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 02:50, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Or did you perhaps mean to address your question to a television station? This is the reference desk for Wikipedia, the encyclopaedia that anyone can edit. --ColinFine (talk) 13:04, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

What license this image should be?

[this image] I've put all the necessary information including where I found the image and who is the author?Hope you could help me about this problem, thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by NalizAS91 (talk • contribs) 03:23, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

It should be deleted unless you have the author's permission--unless you have something notable to say about her acute and apparently morbid lordosis. . μηδείς (talk) 07:44, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Travel from India to England in 1888

If someone were travelling by ship from India to England in 1888, how long would they expect the voyage take? If it makes any difference, assume they'd be wealthy enough to travel in reasonable comfort, probably first class. --Dweller (talk) 14:46, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

This site says that the P&O voyage from London to Bombay took 12½ days in the 1890s, if that's close enough. The steamers left London every Saturday for India and fortnightly for Australia and China. Fares were £55 first class to India; £35 - £37 10s for second class. - Karenjc 20:30, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Excellent, thanks. --Dweller (talk) 20:47, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Iceland - the height of the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall

Good afternoon !!!

Just a small question,

Your article on the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldeyjarfoss, mentions a height of 20m, but your River Skjálfandafljót article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skj%C3%A1lfandaflj%C3%B3t, mentions a height of 10m !!

I'm translating a document from French into English and would like to know which height is the correct one please ???

Thanks in advance for any help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.242.237.167 (talk) 16:32, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Well, a website for white-water canoeists called Icelandic River Guides says of Aldeyjarfoss ; "A large rapid is quickly followed by a 15 metre waterfall which is not for canoeing." NB This is the UK use of the word "canoeing" which includes kayaking. Most tourist and photography websites go with 20m, but maybe they got that from Wikipedia. Over at Google Books, we have Fundamentals of Physical Geography by David John Briggs, Peter Smithson, which claims a height of 40m. There is an intriguing "snippet view" of Inner- und Nordost- Island: Erinnerungen aus meiner dritten Islandfahrt (1913) which says; "Der Aldeyjarfoss (325 m ü. M.) hat zwei vertikale Fälle, von 6 resp. 19,5 m Höhe und 58 m Fall...", although a century of erosion may have changed that figure. Alansplodge (talk) 17:14, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Well thanks very much for your help ... now I've REALLY got a choice of heights !!! I think I'll go for the 20m, as you suggested.78.242.237.167 (talk) 08:15, 30 October 2012 (UTC)karangreg

Which hotel is this?

These are pictures of a hotel I visited in Berlin, Germany, three years ago. It's located rather near the exact centre, one or two kilometres away from Berlin Hauptbahnhof at the most, and only a walking distance away from Unter den Linden. It is a rather expensive hotel, with even the cheapest rooms costing over 100 € per night. I think it's part of an international hotel chain. I of course learned the hotel name when I got there, but I have since forgotten it. And I don't have the bill from the hotel any more, since I paid it three years ago. Could anyone help me remember the name and exact location of this hotel? JIP | Talk 19:55, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Not that I could even if you did, but do you have any exterior shots of the hotel? Because these rooms look like generic hotel rooms. It looks unremarkably like half of the hotel rooms I've stayed in in my life. People may be more able to identify the specific hotel with some exterior shots. --Jayron32 20:25, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Even a shot of the city scene looking out the window might help. There's a building visible through the window, but maybe not enough for identification. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:48, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

The quality isn't brilliant but the flyer on the desk looks like it has the logo of Mercure Hotels on it. Does Mercure Berlin Mitte look familiar? - Cucumber Mike (talk) 20:36, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

I think the logo on the door label and the menu on the bedside table looks more like an A with a bar over it. Two Berlin hotels with names beginning with 'A' sprang to mind, but it's clearly not the ultra-swanky Adlon Kempinski. It might be the Aldea Novum (which I've stayed at) - but that wasn't nearly as expensive as you're saying. Do you remember anything about the location? What was the nearest U-Bahn/S-Bahn stop? Was there an elevated rail line in the road outside? Were there any landmark churches nearby, or any waterways? AlexTiefling (talk) 22:06, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

That room is a dead ringer for a room pictured at the site of the Meliã Berlin. Go to http://www.meliaberlin.com/en/hotel-berlin.html and click on "Gallery" under "The Hotel" in the menu at the bottom of the page, then select the first picture. Deor (talk) 02:46, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Not only that, but the à logo on the aforementioned door hanger matches the Melia logo exactly. That's the one. Orange Suede Sofa (talk) 04:10, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Yes, I am now fairly sure this is the Meliã Berlin Hotel. Thanks! JIP | Talk 05:58, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

à confirms my suspicion that à is found in Portuguese and some other languages including Vietnamese, but not in Spanish. The Meliã Hotel seems to have Spanish associations, but not Portuguese ones. Can someone explain this? -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 07:32, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

I was curious about this too. The actual copy of the website names the hotel "Meliá", which is different. Looking at some of the other logos of the hotel chain (particularly "Grand Meliá"), I wonder if the tilde is a product of artistic license and represents an acute accent. Orange Suede Sofa (talk) 07:45, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

I don't think à is ever found at the end of a word in Portuguese, is it? It's always part of a diphthong. Adam Bishop (talk) 10:42, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

This page reports their changing the "Meliá" in their logo to "Meliã", apparently for esthetic (?) reasons. The official name of the company, however, is Meliá Hotels International, so I shouldn't have reproduced the logo's tilde in my remarks above. Deor (talk) 12:22, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Which begs the question - how do we now pronounce it? I have stayed in many Sol Melia (lack of accent deliberate) hotels in the 70s, 80s and early 90s and the staff always pronounced it Sol Melia. With an accent on the final letter it should be rendered Sol Meliá, but how the flying Henry one is supposed to pronounce it with a tilde over the final a. I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time. Richard Avery (talk) 15:56, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

I think it's like the metal umlaut (and the acute accent may be, too), intended not to affect the pronunciation but to impress the viewer with the hotels' coolness. Perhaps it works on someone. I wonder whom. Deor (talk) 16:54, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Pretty sure you mean "raises the question". Begging the question is a logical fallacy. Just taking this opportunity to raise awareness :) SemanticMantis (talk) 18:41, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

More like invites the question. To raise a question is to ask it. —Tamfang (talk) 05:49, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

The article is from June 2011. How does that explain how I found a Meliã (not a Meliá) hotel in Berlin in July 2009, almost two years earlier? JIP | Talk 17:22, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Adam Bishop, you're probably correct about à never being found at the end of a word in Portuguese. But my point is that it's at least a feature of Portuguese orthography, whereas it does not occur in Spanish at all. Or any other major European languages. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 20:20, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Does that make it a metal tilde then? --Jayron32 21:29, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

COOKING

How much is a saltspoonful measurement? It is in a recipe. thank you JRW — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.24.219.86 (talk) 19:53, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

According to this blog (scroll down to the Amston Sterling salt spoon section) it is exactly 1/4 teaspoon. --Saddhiyama (talk) 20:09, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) It is an archaic term for 1/4 of a teaspoon. In metric, then, a teaspoon is very close to 5 ml, so 1/4 of a teaspoon would be about 1.2 ml. See [10] and [11]. --Jayron32 20:11, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

spiritualism vs. evolution

how can i reconcile the differences between spiritualism and evolution? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.140.46.18 (talk) 20:26, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

In so far as spititualism is make-it-up-as-you-go-along bunk, and evolution is not, I'd merely make sure that your version of spiritualism incorporates the known landscape of evolution. You can, for instance, admit to evolution whilst still believing in ghosties and ghoulies, if that floats your boat. Sure, you may have to abrogate logic somewhat, but since you;ve already done that to embrace spiritualism, a further tweak should not be harmful. --Tagishsimon (talk) 20:34, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

There's no conflict between them - in as much as spiritualism doesn't even pretend to explain how human life came to be. This is apples and small furry things from Alpha Centauri. The possible deficiencies of spiritualism as a philosophy are beside the point; evolution is science, and spiritualism really, really isn't. AlexTiefling (talk) 21:10, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

The OP may be interested in reading Rocks of Ages (the book itself, not just the Wikipedia article about it), which presents one perspective on the issue. --Jayron32 21:27, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Sources of entertainment

Why is the vast majority of entertainment made in the US, the UK, or Japan? --128.42.221.117 (talk) 07:04, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

The premise your question is based on is faulty. Every country creates entertainment. What you are observing is that the entertainment of certain countries crosses borders ("cultural exports") more readily than others. A better question would be "Why is (some country's) entertainment popular elsewhere?" The Masked Booby (talk) 07:40, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

International manga sales

Which countries outside Japan have the largest sales of manga? --168.7.232.13 (talk) 07:45, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

WP:WHAAOE. The article suggests the US, Canada, France and Germany are the key export markets for Manga. And the link to 'Manga outside Japan' there has a fairly comprehensive list of everywhere there is a noticeable presence. 86.163.43.112 (talk) 08:18, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

fees & charges for different courses in NUJS, Salt Lake, West Bengal

please provide information regarding the fees & other charges required for different courses in the National University of Juridical Sciences, Salt Lake, West BengalSnigthakur (talk) 08:08, 31 October 2012 (UTC)