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May 15

Trolling

My Little Pony Comics Question Is it true that the IDW My Little Pony Comics are not for kids but for Bronies and are very very dark and mature?184.20.209.241 (talk) 02:50, 15 May 2014 (UTC) On the one hand, according to you, "All of the My Little Pony IDW comic books are not for little girls or children. They are for the bronies and mature reader only."[1] On the other hand, according to you, "I still will not stand for this There is a Guy on TV Tropes that think the My Little Pony Comics are not for kids but for Bronies that mean Teens to adults....The My Little Pony Comics are aimed at children of All Ages just like the show."[2] Your most recent block was 6 months. Need more? - SummerPhD (talk) 03:33, 15 May 2014 (UTC) The My Little Pony Comics I just want to know. Is it true that the IDW MY Little Pony Comics are not for kids and are very very dark and mature.184.20.209.241 (talk) 05:45, 15 May 2014 (UTC) To quote our article on the topic, speaking about Katie Cook who is a writer for the series, "[Cook] further stated that she wanted to write an all-ages book, something that parents can share and read with their children." and "[Cook] noted that the first story include dark and scary elements, but she does not consider them any darker than the show itself.". OrganicsLRO 08:56, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Quantum of Solace

Since Quantum seems to be a villain organization in Quantum of Solace, then why "of solace"? Previously I thought the meaning was "a small part of solace", "a bit of solace", but looks like I was wrong, even though I watched the movie. Maybe it refers to Bond's troubles? Brandmeister^talk

The title is taken (though not the plot) from the Ian Flemming short story "Quantum of Solace". I've not read the original story, perhaps some explanation for the title makes more sense in the content of that story. --Jayron32 18:18, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Beware this "Flemming" person. I fear he is a doubble agent. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:51, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps we should call on Jammes Boond, agent 0077, to check up on him.

Your original thought seems right to me, along with a play on words. Bond gets a bit of solace taking down Quantum. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:50, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Quantum of Solace is one of those, albeit rare, Bond films based on Fleming's books where the plot of the film has pretty much nothing whatsoever to do with the plot of the book. The book consists entirely of Bond attending a dinner party and hearing a story about a marriage between an army officer and an airplane stewardess. In the end of the story, the stewardess left the officer and married someone else, thereby taking even the last quantum of solace away from him. This book is Fleming's only Bond book where Bond himself actually does nothing whatsoever. JIP | Talk 15:44, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Songs mentioning the police

After reading a post from the Finnish police on Facebook, I became interested. What songs are there that mention the police in their refrain? The refrain must explicitly mention the word "police". Mere allusions, or mentions of nicknames such as "cops" won't do. Also, I'm mostly interested in songs that portray the police in good, neutral or humorous light. I'm not interested in songs that claim that all the police are fascist pigs who should be shot, for example. JIP | Talk 18:44, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

It doesn't use the exact word "police", but is "the bold gendarmes" acceptable? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 19:34, 15 May 2014 (UTC) (Oh, and if any Adelaide Crows fans seem to recognise the tune, it is indeed the basis of their team song.)

Thanks JackofOz, I knew the tune but not the origin. Apparently the US Marines see a comic duet about two cowardly policemen as a suitable tune to celebrate their own wonderfulness :) DuncanHill (talk) 01:31, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Smiley Culture's "Police Officer"(s) aren't really shown in that positive a light, but I'd say they're portrayed humorously as humans. ---Sluzzelin talk 19:43, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

"Fuck tha Police" by NWA. --Jayron32 20:02, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

"Police Beat" by SSD. --Jayron32 20:06, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

"Hate the Police" by The Dicks. --Jayron32 20:09, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

There's a redneck sort of humor song singer whose name I can't think of right now. I seem to recall him having one about riding a lawnmower and getting pulled over by the police. Ray something or Roy something...? Dismas|^(talk) 20:12, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Ray Stevens? Roy Clark? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:26, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Ray Stevens! Thanks. I got the song wrong though. "It's Me Again, Margaret" and "You Gotta Have a Hat" both use the word police. Dismas|^(talk) 20:50, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

"Bad Boys (Inner Circle song)" states the word "police" in one of its verses, though not in the "chorus", such as it is. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:35, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

"Dream Police" from Cheap Trick's Dream Police album. —Nelson Ricardo (talk) 23:41, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

• "When the felon's not engaged in his employment" from The Pirates of Penzance is all about humanising the police and their relationship with offenders, and features the word 'policeman' in the refrain. Does that fit the, er, Bill? AlexTiefling (talk) 00:19, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

• Heh heh, good one, Alex! My contribution is "Call the Police" by Thin Lizzy—the chorus is just "Call the police" x 4. --Canley (talk) 00:24, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Alice's Restaurant. HiLo48 (talk) 00:50, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Police and Thieves. D Monack (talk) 00:57, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

(Again, verses rather than chorus) "Ridin' Dirty" by Chamillionaire ("Police see me ride by they can see me gleam"; "Police pull up right behind and it's in his throat"). I'm afraid we aren't doing a good job here of finding positive references, though. Newyorkbrad (talk) 00:58, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

(Verses, not chorus) Suburbia by the Pet Shop Boys has a police car, and a lack of a policeman when you need one. DuncanHill (talk) 01:03, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Waltzing Matilda mentions troopers, which was the common name for police in the song's time and place. HiLo48 (talk) 01:14, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

I've been trying to remember if The Lumberjack Song mentions what the members of the chorus are. HiLo48 (talk) 01:16, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Did the Village People ever sing about their own characters? HiLo48 (talk) 01:47, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Rich As Fuck by Lil Wayne does mention the police (quote - "never speak to the cops, I don't speak pig Latin"). He also had a song called Mrs. Officer, about a relationship with a female officer. And mentions the police a couple times in God Bless Amerika. On a side note, I know too much about Lil Wayne. Calidum ^{Talk To Me} 02:03, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Wasn't That A Party? mentions a "police car":[3]. StuRat (talk) 03:09, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Junior Brown has a fun song, Highway Patrol. Kathy Mattea has a fun song about a 455 Rocket, "the kind the po-lice drive". (My band does both of 'em.) --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 03:31, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

"Highway Patrol" was originally by Red Simpson who featured it on The Man Behind the Badge in 1966, an entire album dedicated to law enforcement. ("City Police", "Sidewalk Patrol", "I'm Turning In My Star", ...). As Bruce Eder writes at AllMusic: "It may seem strange, when at least a small but significant portion of the audience for country music professes to have no use for any law but their own; in 1966, to lots of people under the age of 30, this was a totally alien effort. But country audiences ate it up then, lofting the single "The Highway Patrol" high onto the country & western charts."[4] ---Sluzzelin talk 15:02, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Step On by the Happy Mondays features (I think) Bez saying "Call the cops" several times.--TammyMoet (talk) 08:30, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Police Car by Larry Wallis, Police by Big Heavy Stuff on their "Pops Like Crazy" EP, Pepper The Paper Police Inspector by Pink Lady (it's in Japanese so may not be about the police), Police & Thieves by Culture Club and The Policemans Opera by The Goodies --TrogWoolley (talk) 08:48, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Does The Laughing Policeman count? (Am I the only one who remembers it?)--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:59, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

The Clash: "Police on my back". Having said that, I must keep running, police on my back, and keep hiding, police on my back, because there was a shooting, police on my back... Cambalachero (talk) 12:36, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

From Gilbert & Sullivan's comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, the famous song "When a felon's not engaged in his employment" has the repeated line "A policeman's lot is not a happy one." As policemen feature in the opera, other songs may also include the word. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 212.95.237.92 (talk) 13:00, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

"Call the Police" by Stephanie McDee. --Viennese Waltz 13:57, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

• For reference: you can find many rap/hiphop songs with "police" as a lyric by searching here [5]. More genres are available here [6]. SemanticMantis (talk) 14:36, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Once again, not the refrain but...The Who-Who Are You? "I woke up in a Soho doorway. A policeman knew my name." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Woz62 (talk • contribs) 17:16, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Once again, not the refrain but...Led Zeppelin's Misty Mountain Hop mentions a policeman in a favorable light. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Woz62 (talk • contribs) 17:33, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

And of course, If You want to Know the Time - Ask a Policeman. (starts at 1'30) DuncanHill (talk) 23:31, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Guns Don't Kill People by Goldie Looking Chain has the chorus "call da police " and is humorous too.Hotclaws (talk) 01:05, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The Beatles I am the Walrus and I think She Came In Through the Bathroom Window mentions something about police as well.--William Thweatt ^TalkContribs 04:45, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The Offspring's "LAPD" uses "cops" and "policeman" in verses, but only those particular police in the chorus. InedibleHulk (talk) 06:22, May 19, 2014 (UTC)

Cool for Cats by Squeeze "The Sweeney's doin' ninety 'cos they've got nowhere to go". Britmax (talk) 07:48, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

May 16

Avengers and X-Men films

If I understood things correctly, many years ago Marvel Comics could not make movies and sold the film licences of the X-Men (their most successful comics by then) to Fox. And so, Fox made the X-Men (film series). At some later point Marvel decided to make films themselves, and used the Avengers, the most important characters whose film rights had not been sold. This began the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, despite their shared origin (both of them are adaption of characters from Marvel Comics, who have a shared universe in comics), in films they are two different and independent franchises. They may have continuity inside themselves (Wolverine and Iron Man are the same character in either their solo films or the group films), but can not interact: there won't be a live-action Hulk vs. Wolverine film in the near future, mutants do not exist in the cinematic universe, and SHIELD does not exist in the X-Men films.

Question 1: What would happen with the X-Men films already made by Fox if the rights return to Marvel at some point? Can Marvel take it as if the X-Men film universe was a part of their cinematic universe "all along", and include references and flashbacks to them in their other movies; or would they have to begin their own X-Men film franchise from scratch? Question 2: What if the X-Men series creates some new character that becomes popular within fans? Can Marvel Comics add it to their regular comic books, as it have happened with Agent Coulson? Cambalachero (talk) 01:28, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

As long as they have the legal rights, they can do whatever they think will sell. Heck, since we had Alien Versus Predator, anything is possible. StuRat (talk) 03:14, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

1) will depend on the terms of the agreement (or a future agreement once the rights lapse), though since the x-men timeline would take some considerable tweaking to make it consistent with the Avengers timeline, I'd be surprised if they didn't reboot continuity. There may also be some elements of the X men movie plots which fox generated independently, and the rights for those elements would have to be negotiated too (since they would be held by Fox by default, rather than Marvel).

For 2), if the x-men movie series makes a new character, then that character would (unless there is some other term in the contract) be the property of Fox, since it was their creation, even though it was within the marvel universe. If the x-men comic series creates a new character, I'm not so sure. I know that Marvel are being allowed to use Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch because a) they aren't going to mention that they are mutants, mention Magneto, or mention the X-men, and b) the characters have been associated in roughly equal measure with the Avengers and the X men over their run in the comics. I would presume the same conditions would apply to importing any new X-men comic character into the Marvel cinematic universe. source for some of this. If someone wants to dig deeper, according to the comments of that blog, there is some Fox v Marvel litigation on Westlaw which goes into the contracts. I don't have time for that, since I only have access from work (where I should really be actually working!).MChesterMC (talk) 08:49, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

The answer to both those questions is rather disappointing: we don't know because it depends on the terms of the current deal(s) and/or how much money someone wants to spend to change those deals. Consider this: back in the 70s, the estate of Robert E. Howard licensed the Conan the Barbarian concept to Marvel. Marvel kept the license for several years and it was profitable for both groups. When the deal finally finished, Marvel lost all their rights to pretty much everything Conan related; they can't even reprint the comics they themselves published; the company (Dark Horse Comics) that bought the rights can do so. Even characters that were largely creations of Marvel, such as Red Sonja (created as a minor character by Howard; basically everything about the current character comes from Thomas and Smith) are now being used by Dark Horse. Would it be the same for mutants created by Fox or Spidey elements created by Sony? Obviously it could, but it would all come down to fine print we're not privy to. Matt Deres (talk) 23:50, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Humanity, Fuck Yeah

I came across this ...genre, I suppose, of fiction while brownsing the cesspool of the Internet the other day. As far as I understand it, it basically consists of short personal stories, told by aliens, of their encounters with humans and our bizarre behaviours, rituals, or activities. Usually in the context of the humans being in some way incredibly badass and winning out despite everyone's assumption that we were backwards swamp monkeys.

Are there full works of fiction which have this style? Perhaps not necessarily quite so lurid, and it doesn't need to be quite so "fuck yeah", but the vibe of a fiction told by the aliens who are in some way surprised by human behaviour is highly engaging to me. 31.48.168.137 (talk) 20:32, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

This image is an example. http://puu.sh/8OUud/b957342485.png 31.48.168.137 (talk) 20:37, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Unfortunately, this genre as an organized and self-aware genre is still a fledgling one, with few (if any) professionally published works to my knowledge. Not many long works from the aliens' perspective(s), but the John Carter series is sort of archetypal. The Road Not Taken (short story) is also inspirational for the genre, and came up in the original 4chan discussion where the genre was born, IIRC. The author of that work, Harry Turtledove, also wrote the Worldwar series with a similar theme. The High Crusade fits right in the genre. The original Doom novels also exhibited this in the later two books: humanity is the only species that can truly die, but we're also the (second) fastest evolving, and have this confusing controlled mania called "faith" (whether its in religions, lovers, principles) that makes us absolute hell to deal with. Ian.thomson (talk) 20:49, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

There were several episodes of Star Trek where aliens observed us, and in the end decided humanity was worth saving. One was Arena (Star Trek: The Original Series) episode where Kirk fought the Gorn. Interestingly, this was based on an earlier written story by the same name (Arena (short story)), with a similar evil (but spherical and tentacled) alien. StuRat (talk) 01:34, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

"Humanity, Fuck Yeah" would have the aliens observe us, and either be too scared to try to not save/spare us, or get wiped out by us for daring to think they have a right to an opinion about our existence. Stuff like:

"The earth-mans became apex predators simply by walking! Commander, we must destroy them before they develop more advanced weapons," and then after five thousand years of traveling on a sleeper ship (resulting in a 10000 year round trip), the aliens arrive to find us testing atomic weapons. "Impossible! They weren't even sure if they were going to ignite their atmosphere, and yet they detonated fission bombs on their own planet!" At this point, they either flee, surrender, offer to be "allies," or get wiped out by us for trying to interfere.

(Original example). Ian.thomson (talk) 15:41, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Isn't that pretty much every case of humans encountering hostile aliens in fiction ? The humans always win somehow, although winning due to microbes, as in War of the Worlds, might not count. StuRat (talk) 16:23, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Sort of, only detailed to take deliberate human actions that are either mundane or criticized, and turn them into the scariest thing the aliens have ever seen. War of the Worlds starts to approach it with "they're ridden with biological weapons!" But it's still implied that it's just a natural (and potentially mutual) lack of resistance, rather than humanity being unusually disease ridden. Ian.thomson (talk) 16:33, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

It's not an example of the style, but you might get a little background reading if you check out the final section of Gulliver's Travels, the section of the Houyhnhnms; the depiction of the story's hominids is rather close to the humans in your genre, and reading our article just now, I was surprised because I never before realised that the hominids weren't humans. Nyttend (talk) 02:20, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

If the Yahoos weren't a criticism of human behavior, it'd work. Ian.thomson (talk) 15:41, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

If by "full work" you mean a novel, nothing comes to mind. But there are certainly some short stories where humans are seen from an alien's viewpoint. I can think of two offhand, both involving mechanical life-forms. In "Life on Earth (by a Martian)", a humor piece by Paul A. Weiss (I don't know if that's this guy or someone else of the same name) written sometime before 1973, the aliens decide that the dominant life-form on Earth is the car. And in "They're Made Out of Meat" (1991) by Terry Bisson, aliens are astonished and disgusted that humans aren't mechanical life-forms like them. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 06:37, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Poul Anderson probably wrote more than one novel about aliens' view of humans. Isn't The Man Who Counts, for example, written partly from the winged folk's viewpoint? —Tamfang (talk) 06:45, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Friend reminded me of Gunbuster and Gurren Lagann, two series where the alien invasions are mostly justified pre-emptive self-defense. Though, like other stuff, it isn't necessarily from the aliens' point of view. Ian.thomson (talk) 15:41, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

The general theme of humans having some indefinable quality that enabled them, despite any apparent disadvantages, to defeat aliens was favoured by the influential SF magazine editor John W. Campbell, Jr. Consequently many writers of his period, whether or not they agreed with it but anyway wanting to sell stories to his magazines, would use it. I remember reading that Isaac Asimov deliberately made the universe of most of his novels and stories, including his famous Foundation series, lack aliens because he disagreed with Campbell's bias but didn't want to argue about it. (The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195) 2.218.13.119 (talk) 23:44, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Thank you for all the help, everyone! When i've got some spare time I'll come back to this discussion and probablky buy some things mentioned here. One thing I shall mention - I probably put too much emphasis on the "humans are awesome/crazy" and not enough emphasis on "story written from alien's perspective", but certainly a lot of you figured it out and even those who didn't (as much) will no doubt still provide me with interesting leads.

Thanks again! 31.48.168.137 (talk) 02:59, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

May 17

Passer rating records

Who has posted the highest and lowest career passer ratings under the NCAA and NFL calculations? The List of NCAA football records and the List of National Football League records (individual), along with lots of other websites, have information on established passers: they only give data for quarterbacks who played for a substantial amount of time, in order to avoid statistical anomalies. Very good for when you're trying to establish "best"-ness among quarterbacks, but not particularly helpful when you're going for sports trivia. My "ideal" candidate would be someone who played in just one game and had the most wonderful or most horrendous game that could be imagined: without him playing any other time, that game wouldn't be averaged out by more-normal games. Nyttend (talk) 02:26, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

KaiCarra?

Could you find out more information on KaiCarra? She's a composer, musician, for film but also seems to have been around for a while (worked with Allison Balson, (Little House) and Nicole Eggert (Universe Pageant). I'd like to know more about her personally, like is she married? how did she meet those people, etc? i tried to request the article and read the directions, but couldn't find an actual link to make a request so I'm making it here. The websites I have for her is kaicarra.com and imdb.com (searching her name). Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.147.123.164 (talk) 22:55, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

May 18

Devon Walker New Orleans Saints deal

What kind of "deal" did they really sign quadriplegic Devon Walker to? Are any details like money amount, duration, and what he'd actually do for his job on the team released?75.75.42.89 (talk) 00:21, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Being nice to a guy whose had some bad breaks doesn't seem like it needs deeper analysis. --Jayron32 02:25, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

In fact, the write-ups indicate he's a positive guy who should make everyone on the team feel good. Hard to put a price on that. But am I reading correctly that the Saints now have two different guys named Devon Walker? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:35, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

It appears that they only have the one. Unless the other one also went to Tulane and also plays at safety. Dismas|^(talk) 03:01, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Not to confuse the issue, but there is a DeVon Walker who plays football that ISN'T this guy, but he never played for the saints. But the story is here for anyone who wants to read about it. Also relevant is the story about Eric LeGrand. --Jayron32 03:53, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Uh-oh, it looks like someone added the Saints (2014-) to this one by mistake. I think "Devon Walker" (not DeVon) redirects to DeVon at present. To be untangled sometime soon. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:31, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

I suspect it's just a one-day deal. The most recent example I can think of is the Toronto Blue Jays signing Roy Halladay for 24 hours so he could retire a Jay. Clarityfiend (talk) 10:32, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Indications are that it was in fact a one-day contract. I think his story was covered on ESPN's Outside the Lines or some similar show, sometime last year, as he's been working with the Saints and with Tulane for a while now. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:49, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The Structure of Shakespearean Tragedy

Hi! I'm looking for a good book on the structure of Shakespeare's dramas, the artistry that makes them so compelling and powerful. I've read "Shakespeare After All," but I would like to find some analyses that are more narrowly focused on Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and the rest. Can you recommend any?

Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.81.131.210 (talk) 03:44, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Sorry, can't help. But let me suggest that if you don't get any good answers in a few days, post again at the Humanities desk. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:09, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

In which Movie was this ?

Last night I was reminded of a Movie I recently saw ( something probably made in the past ten or at most twenty years ) in which a perhaps Jewish American is telling someone else a story about how in about 1959 after emigrating to a city in the States, he and his father went to see ' North by Northwest ' at the Pictures, and his father did not speak English well, but liked the look of Eva Marie Saint and turned to his son and said " She's a real Buick ", when the son explains later he meant to say " She's a real beauty ", which she certainly is. Does anyone remember this ?

Also, unrelated, in about the early seventies I watched a movie about a boy who went to see an old man and I think he showed him his microscope, and the old man moved it around as if he thought it was a telescope, as if he got the meanings confused, and in either this same movie, or another around the same time, there was a scene in which a young man got into an argument with someone - I think to do with bird's eggs - and he was running after him but got his foot caught in the train tracks and was run over. Also, was there a movie about British POWs who escaped using a vaulting horse ? A lot to think of, I know, and thanks to anyone who has any ideas. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 06:29, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

A search for the words "She's a real Buick" says that the first movie is Lucky Number Slevin but the plot synopsis on IMDB doesn't sound anything like what you described. And another search for "pow escape vaulting horse" gave me The Wooden Horse. Dismas|^(talk) 06:48, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

No ! That is it ! Yes, thank You - here it is called 'The Wrong Man', with Josh Hartnett, and now I remember, it is Sir Ben Kingsley's Character, whether he is talking to Bruce Willis, Hartnett or Morgan Freeman, I cannot now remember, but it is in this high rise office he never leaves, and he is reminiscing about first coming to America in the fifties, as I suspect his character is non American, but is in fact a Rabbi, and yet is at war with Freeeman's character. You have it ! Thanks ! And as for the Vaulting Horse, that makes sense, as it would already have been at least twenty years old before we saw it in Kaiapoi on our black and white AWA TV we had until 1980, all those years ago. As for the train track one, this is still a mystery. Interesting how one little thing can stick in one's mind like that. Thanks again Indeed. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 08:21, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

I'm confused, Chris. What did you mean by "No ! That is it ! Yes, thank You"? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 19:04, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

I think he's just funning with us. There have been several movies called The Wrong Man, but none of them had any of those people in it, as is easily checked via the IMDB. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 03:04, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Look at the first sentence of Lucky Number Slevin. —Tamfang (talk) 09:44, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Which can also be arrived at via the redirect The Wrong Man (2006 film). -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:16, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Whoops! Because an IMDB title search for "The Wrong Man" produced a lot irrelevant hits on TV episode titles, I did the IMDB search the other way, searching for the actors by name. When you do that, it only shows one title for each movie. If I'd gone far enough down the title-search results, it would've shown Lucky Number Slevin. Apologies. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 07:21, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

I apologise if that sounded contradictory. I meant no to the suggestion that Lucky Number Seven or The Wrong Man was not the movie, since it was. I remember now that is was Ben Kingsley's character who said this, when relating the story to another character in the film, and yes Kingsley's character does say he is a Rabbi, and he is reluctant to answer the phone in a scene as it is ringing during the Sabbath. The way I said it is more like an expression we use in New Zealand for up to the last twenty years and is still current, where we say, " Yeah, no ", where perhaps one is answering two questions at once - yes to one and no to the other - an example is seen in an ad here about two friends who go out on the town and one says this - yes he will have a good time, but no he will not have any more beer - the expression is also featured on our local Programme The Crowd Goes Wild - a nightly sports roundup done in an informative and humourous way, where famous athletes are interviewed, and the shows features clips of those who begin the interview by answering the first question " Yeah, nah ", but I do not know if they do it in any other country. Sorry once more for any confusion, but indeed, No - as if sometimes someone has asked a question and waited for an answer, they then get it, and think about it - no, that is right – and, no, it is not the case that the movie in question was not The Wrong Man, but rather, and in addition, Yes, it was The Wrong Man, and once the title was mentioned, I realized that this was right, based on the way I recall Sir Ben Kingsley’s Character speaking in the film, but cannot recall to whom he was talking when describing the trip to the Pictures with his father to see North By Northwest. I tried to look up quotes in IMDB, but for my computer and its access, I could not find the quote in question. So indeed, the first movie is The Wrong Man ( Lucky Number Slevin ), and the war movie about the vaulting horse sounds right, now all I need is the one about the man run over by the train, because it is an image I have not forgotten all those years since they showed it – obviously well edited. Thanks All. 202.36.179.81 (talk) 03:22, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

I have seen one movie where a young man's foot gets caught in a railway track while he is having an argument, with a train approaching. At the last moment the man he was arguing with saves him, but is hit himself and seriously injured. (At least, I think I have that right.) However, the story has nothing to do with the other things you mentioned; the two men are arging about a woman (played by Jean Arthur) that they are both in love with. This movie is Danger Lights (1930). --50.100.193.30 (talk) 07:21, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Movies like "Dark Seed"

Dear all.

I'm a big fan of the pc game "Dark Seed" (1 and 2). I'm very curious about it, are there movies with a similar plot? I would love to see a movie with a akin storyline.

Thank you very much for your responses.

All the best.--178.195.94.230 (talk) 12:52, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Stage fencers

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

Dear all.

A good friend of mine told me, that a good stage fencer could deafeat a ememy in a actual fight. I have a hard time believing this, given that stage fencings (one example can be found under http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQbu8fyTLQ0) seems to share a rather small resemblance to the original fencing styles (a great representation of original medieval fencing can be found under http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln94E9AGYTc).

My question is, is he correct? Could a stage fencer win in real combat or would his chances be rather small? I am asking because modern stage fencing barely seems to work like the styles that were developed for self defense and warfare.

Thank you very much for your answers. All the very best.--178.195.94.230 (talk) 13:00, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

I don't see how anyone can answer this. It will depend, for a start, on what training the "enemy" has, and what you mean by "good".--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:09, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

FWIW this question has been asked in various forms several times in the past. The IP - if it is a new person - can stroll through the archives and - if it is the same person - is just messing with this ref desk and this can be closed. MarnetteD | Talk 18:18, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

As we learned in Raiders of the Lost Ark, "fencing" is no match for a loaded gun. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:21, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Which is itself a fictional presentation (and apparently done that way because Harrison Ford was unable to fence on the day of, er, shooting) and nothing to do with the OP's question. AlexTiefling (talk) 22:24, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The Swiss-based OP can check the archives for the last time a Swiss-based OP brought the question up (last June or so), as it's likely the answer will be the same. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:44, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Auctions for ITV broadcast licences

Resolved

File:Thames Television logo (1968-1989).jpg

Over the past few decades, the broadcast licenses of the local franchises of the ITV network have periodically been put up for auction-- notably the 1982 auction which ousted Associated Television and the 1992 auction which ousted Thames Television. Two questions: what were the rules for deciding when a new auction was to be held? and has whatever used to cause the auctions ceased now that the majority of the network is in the hands of ITV plc? Marnanel (talk) 13:02, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The current licences run-out on 31 December 2014. Ofcom has agreed to renew the existing licence holders licences for a further 10 years subject to the licence holders paying a "nominal" annual fee of £10,000. These facts - and the reasoning behind them - are in this Ofcom document. I believe the basic issue re: the auctions in the past was that the licences were sold for a fixed period. It appears the government of the day - or perhaps more accurately the quango in charge of oversight of independent broadcasting - determined how long the licences would last. See variously Independent Television Authority, Independent Broadcasting Authority, Independent Television Commission and the previously linked Ofcom article - in that order - for more of the specific history. The general law which currently forms the basis of ITV oversight is the Communications Act 2003 which effectively removed the regulations which had previously prevented one company owning all the regional licences. Valiantis (talk) 00:41, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Thank you! Marnanel (talk) 12:34, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Crazy movie from my childhood

Black and white - US - guys in a lifeboat, maybe escaped cons? - they die one by one to exposure etc, until only 2 are left; one is the handsome lead, the other is JESUS. My friends in highschool didn't believe me - this was a mainstream Hollywood film from the 1950s or before - but I was able to prove it to them at the time - can't remember how...

Can anyone name the movie?

Ta

23:59, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

Hmmm. Films from the time period about lifeboats include Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat and Seven Waves Away starring Tyrone Power. I can't think of one with the plot you remember, however, and I can't find anything on IMDB. --Jayron32 01:54, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

The problem is further complicated by the fact that searching for Jesus and Lifeboat give quite a few results referring to hymns and things of the sort that equate salvation with being in a lifeboat. Is there anything else you can remember about the film that was unique enough to search for? Dismas|^(talk) 02:06, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

I tried searching the IMDB for the keywords "lifeboat" and one of "jesus", "christ", or "jesus-christ". There were 96 hits on the first keyword, which seemed about right, but 0 on the second and only 24 on the third and 34 on the fourth. So I looked at keywords for a couple of movies about Jesus and then tried "reference-to-jesus-christ", which has 1,769 hits. But in all these, the only hit in common with the keyword "lifeboat" was Life of Pi (2012), obviously irrelevant.

Could this possibly have been a TV episode from an anthology series like The Twilight Zone rather than a movie? --50.100.193.30 (talk) 03:22, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

I remember it as a midday movie; Twilight Zone was unknown back in the day in Australia - this was in the mid to late 1970s; but still, I'm often conflating things in my memory, so you might be right, 50.100.193.30. Thanks for your answers, all, but I really can't think of any more identifiers than what I've given you. Adambrowne666 (talk) 05:24, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Strange Cargo (1940 film). A turkey, in my humble opinion. —Tamfang (talk) 09:26, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

Hey, I remember that movie... what I remember is that it was the first thing I taped for time-shifting purposes when I got my first VCR, and then I only watched about 20 minutes of it before giving up. --So the IMDB keywords I needed to check were "boat" and "christ-figure". No wonder my search missed it. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 03:32, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Or you could do what I did: search my blog for jesus. ;) —Tamfang (talk) 04:47, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

May 19

what is this from? (tv show or movie)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa4MdjaCSPA

Hmm, what movie or tv is this from? :o 31.209.150.192 (talk) 22:47, 19 May 2014 (UTC)

According to a note in the youtube comments, Hold Your Breath. --Viennese Waltz 09:41, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

May 20

key

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uu3kCEEc98&feature=kp

Hello, when the men sing this song, they must turn down 4 keys ? 雞雞 (talk) 16:25, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Hello, 雞雞. I'm not quite sure what you are asking, but I think you are asking whether the song has to be transposed down five notes (tones? semitones? notes of the scale?) for a many to sing it. If so, the answer is that people's voices have different ranges, and some could sing it at pitch, while others would need to transpose it by various amounts. If that's not what you mean, please clarify. --ColinFine (talk) 20:29, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

I mean turn down 4 semitones. 雞雞 (talk) 00:27, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Garibaldi touching things

Which Babylon 5 episode was it where Michael Garibaldi, when visiting his ex-girlfriend's and his new husband's home and being told not to touch anything, once left alone, touches things and says "'Don't touch anything.' Touched that. And that. Touch-touch-touch."? JIP | Talk 18:09, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

?? ~Helicopter Llama~ 20:35, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

When did The Avengers (TV series) turn camp ?

I've seen early black and white episodes, without the character Emma Peel, which are entirely serious, and later color episodes, with Emma, which are like an episode of Batman (TV series), with killer clowns and killer robots. So, did this transition happen when they added Emma, or at some other time ? And was it a drastic change or gradual ? Also, I imagine many people hated what happened to the TV show. Was there much of a protest ? (The Avengers (TV series)#Series transformation talks more about changes in dress and characters than in plots.) StuRat (talk) 18:11, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

I'd hardly say it was like Batman! It did to some extent parody American spy-fi, and a well-dressed Englishman accompanied by a certified genius, martial-artist and fashion icon rolled into one does have a certain inherent campness to it. I doubt there was any protest, the Mrs Peel years were in many people's eyes the peak. DuncanHill (talk) 21:01, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Did you see the episode with killer clowns ? That material would be right at home in a Batman episode, with the Joker doing the same bits. StuRat (talk) 21:50, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

But the execution would be totally different - Steed and Peel have style, panache, good humour. Batman was never much more than a buffoon. DuncanHill (talk) 21:58, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

The section in the article on the Emma Peel period gives some more detail: "In contrast to the Gale episodes, there was a lighter, comic touch in Steed and Peel's interactions with each other and their reactions to other characters and situations. Earlier series had a harder tone, with the Gale era including some quite serious espionage dramas. This almost completely disappeared as Steed and Peel visibly enjoyed topping each other's witticisms.... Science fiction fantasy elements (a style later known as Spy-fi) emerged in stories...There was a fetishistic undercurrent in some episodes.... Peel's avant-garde fashions, featuring bold accents and high-contrast geometric patterns, emphasized her youthful, contemporary personality. She represented the modern England of the Sixties..." I agree with DuncanHill - any protests from earlier viewers were outweighed by the delight of those (like the teenage me) enjoying the new style. This was the sixties after all. Ghmyrtle (talk) 21:10, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure I was in love with Emma Peel, and John Steed was a bit of a role model. It was genuine cult viewing among my university colleagues at the time, in far away Melbourne, Australia. HiLo48 (talk) 23:06, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Two points. First, as the article says, The Avengers actually started as a spin-off from a show called Police Surgeon; John Steed was himself originally a sidekick to another male lead. So there's even more to the transition over time than what Stu is asking about. Second, the year that Diana Rigg joined the show is also the year that it began to appear on U.S. television, so they needed to appeal to an American as well as a British audience. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 07:36, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

May 21

Dancing with the stars

My wife watches DWTS, she is a devoted fan and admirer. Yesterday she managed to miss Argentine Tango performed by Meryl Davis and Max Chmerkovskiy because our cat got sick :-) Yes this is true. So, now she (my wife, not our cat:-) begs me to get a DVD with the performance if the producers make them available. I believe it is the 18th season. Are those DVD's made available, if yes then how soon? I checked the Amazon.com and found many confusing DVD titles some clearly related to exercise, etc. Thus, I need help. Thanks --AboutFace 22 (talk) 00:33, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

I don't know about DVD's, but watch this:[7] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:20, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

There are a number of recent episodes on ABC's web site. Sorry to hear about your cat. Dismas|^(talk) 05:46, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Music\; transposing instruments

I have read this article and one section deal with the Mechanism etc of transposing instruments. It indicates that the pitch of many instruments when playing "C" (440 Hz -not stated) is different, e.g. b flat for some clarinet, E flat for others. Under the mechanism section, I would like to know why these instruments are not set to concert pitch C. Surely these days they can be manufactured to be at pitch. Therefore there must be some important underlying explanation, which is what I wish to know.

Denys Wheatley — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.53.232.31 (talk) 06:23, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

In the Wikipedia article titled Transposing instrument there's a section titled "Reasons for transposing" which explains why it is done. --Jayron32 12:14, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Pieces in this video (Jewish music)

Hello, I'd be very grateful if one of you could list the pieces in this video by the Shabbaton Choir (11 minutes). Cheers! --89.243.122.190 (talk) 10:42, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

The first one is "Tzur Mishelo Achalnu" (see Piyyut). The second is "Yigdal" ---Sluzzelin talk 11:04, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

The words (not so much the tune) of the former is one of the traditional Zemirot. The tune being sung for the latter is an arrangement of the melody typically used in Anglo-Jewry on the Yamim Noraim. --Dweller (talk) 14:33, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Teletext and game console

Is it possible for a console game, for example a PS4 game, to contain teletext that one could view on their tv while playing? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.115.46.89 (talk) 10:58, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Sure, it's possible. Teletext is just data transmitted over television airwaves. A game or console could certainly overlay informational text from the game medium or the internet over the display, but wouldn't it be distracting? --Canley (talk) 11:33, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Star Wars VII trailer release date

Based upon the December 2015 release date of the film and their filming schedule, approximately when would the trailer be released? 2.103.14.25 (talk) 14:37, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Any information you're likely to find would be found at http://starwars.com/ the official website for the film franchise. --Jayron32 15:54, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Yeah but I'm wondering what people here think would be the release date, as I don't think studios announce when they're releasing the trailer. Based upon common practise by studios, how long into filming/before the release date is the first trailer released for movies and so what would the trailer date be for Star Wars 7? Thanks, 2.103.14.25 (talk) 17:49, 21 May 2014 (UTC)