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May 10

Double nationality

If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
I currently have double nationality: British and Dutch. I would like to drop one of them, preferably the country with a gloomier economic future. Between the UK and the Netherlands, which has a better economic outlook 20 years from now in terms of GDP per capita and employment etc.? 84.13.22.227 (talk) 12:25, 10 May 2015 (UTC) As stated at the top of this page, "We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate."--Shantavira|feed me 13:06, 10 May 2015 (UTC) We have an article on future projected GDP (here), but it goes to 2020. I want somethign closer to 2035. 78.144.255.118 (talk) 14:17, 10 May 2015 (UTC) Please see Wikipedia:General_disclaimer. μηδείς (talk) 14:24, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

Animal copulation

Is the act of copulation a learned behaviour in most animals? In mammals, perhaps as an example. I find it beyond remarkable that that most males in nature seem to know where goes what when they are ready to reproduce. I mean, had I been living in a cave all my life how would I know what goes where to ensure my genetic success? I doubt I'd have a clue. Why? Because no one ever told me! Now how an earth to males of other species figure that thing out. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.71.38.160 (talk) 16:26, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

I've just been watching birds building nests after travelling thousands of miles. Instinct is amazing. Dbfirs 16:51, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

After having travelled thousands of miles I'd be too tired to watch birds build nests. :) μηδείς (talk) 20:41, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

Yeah, OK. I also exaggerated. I should've putten "... birds building their nests after they have travelled hundreds of miles".

Neither birds nor words travel well across the Atlantic. Dbfirs 19:11, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Not just instinct, but also by watching other animals do it. They don't exactly do it behind closed doors. OK, this explanation may not be true for animals that spend all of their days in solitary, such as the cicada, which never sees another adult until it has become an adult itself. Pheromones may also play a big part in this. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 17:34, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

If this wisdom were not innate, a species would not proliferate. "Too dumb to fuck" doesn't have a lot of survival potential. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 17:54, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

You wouldn't think so, but Bdelloidea forgot (or changed) how (or why) long before we came around. Granted, eternal life as one of those things seems the sort of deal you'd get from wishing on a monkey's paw, but they get by.

Though yeah, aquatic life is a whole other ball of wax. Even among the breeders, most don't stick anything anywhere. Some also glow. Best to stick to trying to understand mammals (who do it like they do on The Discovery Channel). InedibleHulk (talk) 00:41, May 12, 2015 (UTC)

• Young animals don't always get this right; they do practice. Mounting and being mounted feels good even if you don't quite get it right--i.e., good enough to try again. Otherwise your daffy aunt's shih tzu wouldn't hump your leg. μηδείς (talk) 20:41, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

The males do get a little help from things like the estrous cycle, lordosis behaviour...basically sometimes they have an obvious target. Adam Bishop (talk) 08:43, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

I can't find a reference just now, but back in the 60s there was a well-circulated news story about how they were trying to get this male gorilla in the Seattle zoo to mate with a female they had brought in. He wouldn't budge, and various ideas were proposed. The most practical solution anyone came up with (don't know if it worked) was to show the ape some "gorilla porn films", to put the idea in his head. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:21, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

They still do that with pandas. Of course we should not be surprised that we have a panda pornography article. Adam Bishop (talk) 20:49, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

It's called pandering. μηδείς (talk) 17:54, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Rule 34 strikes again. --Jayron32 18:08, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Do pandas scream WHAAOE! during money shots? InedibleHulk (talk) 18:13, May 12, 2015 (UTC)

Stool properties between species

If two species with a relatively similar digestive system ate exactly the same diets, would they both produce very near or identical stools. I am doing research into anarobic digestion and as part of my review this includes a small feasibility study.

So for example, if both I and a hypothetical pet dog both ate exactly the same meal each day for a week, would we both produce the same stool in terms of smell and consistency. Or, maybe a better example would be with another member of the primate family. Chimpanzee? Same result? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.178.48.148 (talk) 16:40, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

No. Gut bacteria vary considerably, even within one species. Dbfirs 16:49, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

Stool for humans and scat for other animals.
121.211.12.111 (talk) 14:06, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

I don't think I've ever told anyone this before, but I really like your IP address. InedibleHulk (talk) 18:47, May 11, 2015 (UTC)

It's code for RDAs! into biochemical balancing. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 17:41, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Well, I'll be damned. Or a mistaken pluralization of Rafael dos Anjos. He's sort of famous for sitting on stools. Retro-Diels–Alder reactions? Maybe! InedibleHulk (talk) 18:03, May 12, 2015 (UTC)

Cocktails with lime juice

I've just found out that the Finnish juice brand "Juissi" has several flavours of juice containing lime juice. There's lime-lemon, lime-strawberry and lime-kiwi. All contain only fresh fruit juices, water and sugar. No carbon dioxide and no alcohol. Are there any cocktails I could mix with these juices? JIP | Talk 20:02, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

This calls for a variant of the Gimlet as well as a strawberry Daiquiri.62.180.109.12 (talk) 20:19, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

The margarita is also a classic. The kamikaze also. The sidecar traditionally has lemon juice, but that lime-lemon mix may be an interesting variation. A Whiskey sour again has lemon juice, but why not try it. --Jayron32 20:33, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

I'm partial to the Moscow_mule - But I'd instead recommend the "Lazy Pony" variant - bourbon, ginger beer, any sort of lime. Your Juissi brand products sound like great mixers in general. SemanticMantis (talk) 13:40, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Here are some general-purpose cocktail tools that are searchable by ingredient [1] [2]. (obviously our taste here is impeccable, but you may want a more exhaustive source :)SemanticMantis (talk) 13:43, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Don't forget the mojito. Marco polo (talk) 19:21, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Ah, the mojito is one my all-time favourite cocktails. And anyway I prefer cocktails with only one alcoholic ingredient. I think I can find rum fairly easily in Alko, although it's going to be very expensive. I have to try to find fresh mint leaves in food stores. I don't know yet, but I'm fairly sure they're easily available, but might be fairly expensive. I just don't know where to find plain sparkling water. If I had a SodaStream machine, I could make it myself, but I don't. Could I substitute plain water or Schweppes Indian Tonic? And for another thing, these Juissi brand juices are green-coloured. I've been accustomed to mojitos being completely transparent. Will this be any issue? JIP | Talk 21:43, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

It would help if you clarify whether you're making these cocktails for personal consumption, for friends in a private setting, or professionally in a bar or similar.

If you're making them for yourself, you can mix up whatever the heck you like: if you're making them for friends, you can still do so, but should let them know what you're doing so they don't have false expectations – either way, you might come up with something sufficiently different and new that you can give it a new name. (This is a game played at some Science Fiction conventions, where amongst other things the Spock's Coffin was conceived.)

If, however, you're mixing cocktails for paying customers, you should probably stick to standard ingredients, and if you lack some and want to use a substitute, well try it yourself beforehand and determine if it makes a significant difference or not. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 212.95.237.92 (talk) 16:21, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

I'm mixing the cocktails for myself, not for friends or customers. I know that I could mix whatever I want, but I want the results to turn out good and proper, so I can feel like I'm sipping a professionally made cocktail like in a bar, but far cheaper. So I want to follow the original recipes as well as possible, but not necessarily exactly. JIP | Talk 18:02, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

plumbing

Why do plumbing stores not sell "3/4 x 3/4" male couplers? I can find 3/4 x 15mm, 22mm, 38mm etc but none sell "3/4 x 3/4". Before someone says it, 22mm is not the same as 3/4. Thanks for your help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.73.46.246 (talk) 23:08, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

Hm? --Jayron32 00:05, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

My fault, should have been clearer. I meant with both ends male threaded. That one only has one end male threaded and couples to something else entirely. 69.73.46.246 (talk) 00:18, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Order some online. Chain stores may not stock them as policy. “Sorry Sir, we don't do them but you can buy a whole 22mm plumbing system from us”. After all, if you can't get this coupling, what’s your option but to replace the whole system. Can you provide a photo? As is possible to sweat a lead/tin joint -negating the need for a coupling. Copper to copper or lead to copper, inches to inches, inches to millimeters etc., it doesn’t matter. It is a simple sweated joint done with a blow torch. Yet, you should find them online, also saves the gas on driving around to visit local stores. --Aspro (talk) 00:17, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

The problem is I can't find any online either. I've searched and searched and found nothing. For an idea of what I am looking for here is a 15mm x 15mm one. I can find these in 3/4 x 15mm, 3/4 x 22mm, but no 3/4 x 3/4. 69.73.46.246 (talk) 00:19, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

That's why I asked if you could provide a photo. I know, that you know what you mean by a "3/4 x 3/4" male coupler but … does it look like this [3]? 'cause that is a male coupler but maybe not the type your looking for. You image looks like a compression coupling rather than male to male.--Aspro (talk) 00:37, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Sorry that I'm not being clear. I don't know all the technical plumbing terms. Basically, I am looking to connect two washing machine hoses together. Ones like this or this. I gather these are 3/4 female connectors, so a 3/4 x 3/4 male threaded coupler would presumably connect them together? 69.73.46.246 (talk) 00:44, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

This looks exactly like what you are looking for. --Jayron32 00:48, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

And here is another one [4].Does that answer your question. If not, come back – if does, come back anyway so that we can mark it as solved. P.S. These joints work by compressing them with the little plastic things on the end of the pipes when you screw them together, which is why I said it looked like a compression joint. Now you know.--Aspro (talk) 00:52, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Don't reckon: they're called Compression fittings because they compress a ferrule (or olive, in UK English) in normal use.--Phil Holmes (talk) 17:10, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

The seal (in this type of union) is obtained by compression of a nitrile rubber seal. So they are by definition compression joints, because they require compression - just like compression joints that use copper ferrules or olives . So that is why we needed a photo, to seen just which type of compression joint the OP needed. Once we found out it was for washing machines, we then narrowed it down to the application - compression joints for washing machine type pipe-work. Copper ferrule or olive compression joints are usually reserved for permeant plumbing applications. Copper ferrule or olive compression joints don't take kindly to being undone and redone multiply times. Every time I have to reconnect a joint with ferrules, I take much care on reassembling it so that it doesn't leak. Assembling the joint for the first time -no problem-- do it a fews years (even weeks) down the line and it might not seal again- this situation would be impractical on washing machine pipe-work. Hence, different types of compression joints -for different type of applications.--Aspro (talk) 16:06, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

I haven't required one for some time, but as far as I'm concerned they do. But if you're having that much trouble you could buy a 22mm Cu compression fitting and remove the nuts and olives. Don't buy Conex brand however as they don't use a BSP thread! Failing that you could purchase a 3/4" black iron or brass nipple (either a barrel nipple or a running nipple) but in all honesty, I'd just buy extra long washing machine hoses.--Ykraps (talk) 08:51, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Here is a nylon 3/4 x 3/4 connector, if you do not want metal. However this adapter mention adapting a 3/4 inch GHT (Garden Hose Thread) to a 3/4 inch NTP (National Pipe Thread). (Note I linked to the articles.) So I wonder which you have there. Per the articles 3/4 inch GHT has 11.5 TPI (Threads Per Inch) and 3/4 inch NTP has 14 TPI. Also the the article on garden hoses mentions that the female end will have a washer. NTP connector do not need this due to the taper of the threads. By tapered threads is meant the circumference of the threads gets slightly smaller the deeper into the female connector it goes and the male connect tapers (gets smaller) toward the tip. (Remember to to use small font for your phallic jokes.) If you have a GHT female connectors there, the you need to just google "male to male hose connector". (Perhaps small small font.) I found this. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 09:14, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

May 11

Book Creator

Hello,

The book creator function often fails because - Rendering process died with non zero code: 1 - what can I do? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Prsaucer1958 (talk • contribs) 16:34, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

You may get a better answer if you ask at WP:VPT instead. --Jayron32 16:40, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

When you do, it'll help greatly if you provide more details like:

• What browser/s does this occur on?
• What article/s are adding to the book when this occurs occurs?
• Does it always occur with the same articles or do the same articles work sometimes and fail sometimes?
• Is there any other information in the error you haven't included?
• What settings are you using to create the book, e.g. paper size, title, columns.
• Precisely when in the process does the error happen?
• Have you noticed any possible trends about when the error happens?

Nil Einne (talk) 18:29, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

May 12

Sky News Channel: Paul Murray Live

I would like to know what the nightly viewing audience is of Paul Murray Live. 152.91.9.167 (talk) 02:12, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

I don't know about this year, but this Google will show you 2013. About 35-55,000. Probably still about the same, unless more people are watching him online somewhere. InedibleHulk (talk) 18:40, May 13, 2015 (UTC)

Color ID

Pity my colorblindness please: what's the color of the lilac bush at right? Commons:Category:Syringa by color lists seven colors, which apparently are the standard terminology. Nyttend (talk) 02:58, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

The flowers are of the eponymous color lilac itself, intimately associated with the plant, and ultimately deriving through Frech and Persian from the Sanskrit root nil- for a bluish color. μηδείς (talk) 03:20, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

• Mostly paler than the sample at the top of Lilac (color), or those in Commons:Category:Lilac Syringa cultivars. —Tamfang (talk) 04:25, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. I couldn't tell whether it were lilac, bluish, pinkish, or purple, let alone the magenta and violet options. Nyttend (talk) 06:11, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Hey, there's a chance you might be able to distinguish some of these colors in the future! Check it out [5] [6]. Seems to be legit at helping at least some colorblind people see somewhat closer to people with normal color vision. SemanticMantis (talk) 13:21, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

• Agree that Tamfang has accurately described what you see in the article Lilac (color) and the sample cultivars, but the problem is that the color named as lilac at the article for the color matches the color of the unopened buds, which are much purpler (have a stronger red component). The open flowers are clearly a paler, bluer shade. The Cultivars shown are all darker (more richer, or saturated) than the native wild type you see when you google "native wild lilac". Basically the shade is not quite as pale as sky blue and has a notable red component, making it a "purplish" pale blue. I have seen white lilacs, and deep blue and purple lilacs, the last two only in photos. The plant is nativized in New Jersey (I spent this and last weekend pruning them at my parents), and the "lilac"-colored lilacs spread readily by runners and from seed. μηδείς (talk) 00:33, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

I pulled the photo into an image processing program and cropped out several 'typical' clusters of the flowers that are not in shadow (example at right). The color in these crops average out to 75% red, 67% green and 80% blue - which is (191,172,204) on a 0..255 scale. It's dangerous to try to match this against pure color swatches because the picture was taken in natural light - with who-knows-what camera settings - and it's stored in JPEG format, which isn't great for perfect color reproduction. But, our Lilac (color) article says (200,162,200)...which is a reasonably close match.

Notice that I was able to do this comparison numerically - I didn't have to use my eyes to judge anything. That is a useful path for colorblind people to make color comparisons. You can download the GIMP image processing program for free (it runs on Linux, Windows and Mac) and use the 'eye-dropper' tool to click on any point on any image. If you do a shift+click on the image, it'll display the color values in any of a half dozen representations. You can use the resulting three numbers to gain an appreciation of the color values - even though you can't directly perceive them. You can even get fancy and pick areas of the image that interest you and show charts that indicate the range of colors present there...numerically...and it's easy to get the average color over a larger area (which is what I did) by cropping out that area and using the Filter/Blur feature.

Our article List of colors has RGB numbers for a vast array of named colors...and you can do the kinds of comparisons I did from those tables. You do have to be a bit careful though - photographs are generally either brighter or darker than the real color - although the ratio of the Red to Green to Blue will generally be reasonably close.

In this case, lilac (color) suggests that there are roughly equal amounts of red and blue, with somewhat less green - which is what we see in your photograph. If you look at (for example) Lavender (color), you see equal amounts of red and green, with a little more blue - which is clearly a less good match.

Even for people with good color vision, assessing color matches is an extremely imprecise matter - even when seeing the colors 'live'. The distortions caused by photography and digital color representations can mess thing up considerably. If evidence of that is needed - check out The dress (viral phenomenon) - a recent gigantic internet-wide argument about the color of a dress in a photograph.

SteveBaker (talk) 15:18, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

I'll have to disagree to the extent that the image provided in Lilac (color) shows open illuminated blossoms that are much less red in content (anything that's pale in color actually has high RGB numbers in all three hues) than the closed buds, and the color that is named as lilac in that article. I took a snap of this picture and blowing it up I can find pixels anywhere from white to purple to pale red to pale blue. I think the bottom line as far as Nyttend is concerned is that this is the lilac colored variety of lilac, not another named variety. μηδείς (talk) 02:13, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

The color named as "pale lilac" is much close to what's pictured by Nyttend. μηδείς (talk) 05:21, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Where can I buy the japanese series Jikuu_Senshi_Spielban on dvd subtitled

Venustar84 (talk) 04:16, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

According to this archived Usenet posting, a DVD was released in Japan in 2005 or thereabouts (I'm not sure how precise "10 years ago" is). Apart from that, it doesn't appear to be available. Tevildo (talk) 20:35, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

You can still buy those DVDs at amazon.co.jp, which ships internationally. But I don't see any evidence that they have subtitles, even Japanese subtitles. -- BenRG (talk) 09:55, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Who is Indonesian Wikipedia administrator or regulator?

Can I actually know who is the regulator of Indonesian Wikipedia ( id.wikipedia.org )? I tried to contact them but not succeeded. There is a vandalism that caught my eye and I did tried to change it at there, but it seems to be "on review" that no further changes can be made to the page unless approved. Based on editing history, seems like many other users tried to change it in good way too but their edits also seems to be "on review" and the latest "approved review" revision used is dated in 2012. The page is here: id:Anna Iriyama

The "latest approved review" is a trash, they were writing in the Indonesian Wikipedia that Iriyama Anna (English Wiki: Iriyama Anna) stated she had a dream and in her dream, she marry an Indonesian guy, which the guy is a hacker. This is not true, there is not even single evidence that she stated like that, I follows all AKB48's news in Japanese, raw format and I get many sources, none is writing about she had a dream like that, the content of the article is purely fictions, and absolutely not following Wiki regulations!

Thanks in advance. -- やつこ／Muhammad Nur Hidayat／喜达亚 ^{(talk | contribs | email)} 16:27, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

I don't read Indonesian at all, but I believe that this page is the way to contact administrators at id.wikipedia. Please note, there is not one administrator, there are likely hundreds of them. English Wikipedia, for example, has 856 admins. But I am pretty sure the link I included above is the noticeboard where you can contact an administrator at id.wikipedia. --Jayron32 16:54, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

How can I get a passage from the book "International handbook of universities"?

I cheeked in my country and I didn't find even 1 duplicate of this book (from years 2014-2015) in spite of we have the greatest libraries. I just need to see a passage on one university. I'm looking for any service for free or for money, that will enable me to reach this passage. Thanks 149.78.38.232 (talk) 19:26, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Try WP:REX, Wikipedia's "resource exchange", which is designed exactly to meet this kind of request. Good luck! --Jayron32 19:32, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Thank you, I'm going to try it now. 149.78.38.232 (talk) 08:17, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

May 13

Do many people drink alcohol every day?

Hi,

I've lived in several countries and I've also traveled a lot for short periods. This year, I went to the French part of Belgium for more than one month, which is an unusual long period of time. After so long, you get to see people in their day-to-day life. What shocked me the most was to see that almost everybody is drinking alcohol every day. They would have a beer every time a guest is coming home, or just after coming back from work or even in the car driving around (including the driver!) and I heard lots of stories about people having drinks at work with colleagues. I've never seen that anywhere else but maybe people do it as well but are less comfortable showing it. According to your experience, is it usual for people to drink every day for almost every occasion? Is it a big thread to their health? I went also to UK where people get really wasted (not unusual to see people lying on the street around bars on Saturday night) but I have no clue if they drink a lot during the week.

203.111.224.70 (talk) 02:51, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

If you want the stats, here are the stats: [7] That there is the WHO's report for alcohol consumption for just about every country in the world, from Algeria to Zimbabwe and everything in between. I doubt you will find a better reference. Unfortunately, no one at this reference desk should answer your other question "according to your experience...", because this isn't the correct venue for that. But if you want to know the experiences of everybody in the world, on a by-country basis, read that WHO report. --Jayron32 02:58, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Jayron, can you give the page (the pdf has 202 pages) on which they address actual every-day consumption? I googled the question, and the best I could find was "daily consumption" which was actually an average, and had nothing to do with each day independently. μηδείς (talk) 04:51, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Each of the 202 pages has the same statistics, just for a different country. --Jayron32 10:47, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Yes, and Medeis' point is that the report you cite does not help to answer the OP's question, which was about the number of people who drink alcohol every day. Since the report you cite does not answer the question, it would have been preferable not to cite it. --Viennese Waltz 12:07, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

The List of countries by alcohol consumption per capita may help. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 11:07, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Well (and this is all unsourced OR) Belgium is a bit of a unique proposition where alcohol is concerned, as beer is classed as "liquid bread" and as such, you don't need a licence to sell it. Couple that with the French love of wine with meals and yes, Belgians do drink a lot of alcohol every day in general. (One reason why I love that country so much!) --TammyMoet (talk) 13:20, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Here's some data from the CDC, which only covers the USA [8]. They define "heavy drinking" as 15/week for men, 8/wk for women. Yes, it can be distributed unevenly, but there will be many in that group that drink daily. As of 2008, heavy drinking, as defined by the CDC, had an incidence rate of about 4% in the USA. Note that binge drinking (with a definition that can include heavy drinkers, and often does) is much higher, at about 15% SemanticMantis (talk) 14:10, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

The table that Cookatoo linked suggests that adults in Belgium consume a mean of about 12 liters per month of beer and wine, total. That works out to about 3 liters per week, or nearly a pint a day. What the table does not indicate is the standard deviation for that mean. The mean for the United States is about two-thirds of the number for Belgium, but Semantic Mantis's data from the CDC shows that there is a large standard deviation here. That is, lots of people have little to no alcohol in a given week, while a smaller number of people have several drinks each day. We would need more evidence to know whether alcohol consumption is more or less universal among adults in Belgium, at a rate of a drink or two per day, or whether daily consumption varies widely among specific social subgroups, perhaps defined by age, ethnicity, income, education, or whatever. Marco polo (talk) 14:12, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

A 2008 survey found that 22% of Belgians claim to never drink alcohol while 14% claim to drink alcohol daily.[9] But they were not on the extremes of European results for either answer. Rmhermen (talk) 14:15, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, about 7% of their study group and 9% of the drinkers in it drink daily. Or about 675,100 Ontarians. InedibleHulk (talk) 18:55, May 13, 2015 (UTC)

I am late to this discussion, but I think it is important to define what it means to "drink alcohol." From personal experience... When I was in Norway, the people I was with drank beer at each meal. However, they did not consider it "drinking alcohol" because the beer was less than 2% alcohol. They got beer from the local brewery (Makol if I remember correctly) which was 5% alcohol. Drinking that was drinking alcohol. Similarly, when I was in Italy, the people I was with had wine with every dinner, but that was not drinking alcohol. They lived in the Asti region and wine was everywhere, but it has nearly no alcohol in it. The "celebration wine" did have alcohol (between 8 and 10%) and that was considered "drinking alcohol." Again, in Kyoto, the people I was with did a shot of rice wine at the end of dinner each night, but it was highly diluted. It was more just hot water and less alcohol. On Sunday night, they got out the real wine and got drunk. That was drinking alcohol. So, from three completely different environments, I noticed that what people consider to be "drinking alcohol" can be different than "drinking a liquid that contains alcohol." Therefore, self-identification of alcohol consumption can have a lot of bias. 209.149.114.204 (talk) 19:13, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

As for Ontario, drinking beer under 5% is still more something one reads about in the paper than makes a habit of. Safe to assume the study I linked meant at least one (maybe two) daily standard serving. InedibleHulk (talk) 19:43, May 14, 2015 (UTC)

Some points:

1) I believe people who drink regularly develop a tolerance for alcohol, so that an equal amount has less effect on them.

2) Drinking a more-or-less constant amount each day but staying sober is less damaging than binges, where one gets seriously "drunk", perhaps passing out.

3) A low enough level of alcohol consumption actually has some health benefits.

4) The body does possess the ability to process a small amount of (grain) alcohol before it does damage, but how much people can process varies due to genetics, which in turn differs by ethnic group. In other words, some ethnic groups can better handle alcohol than others. The general tendency is that those ethnic groups who have been consuming alcohol for a long time have developed better ways to process it internally. StuRat (talk) 04:16, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Can we name this flag please?

I saw a flag from the bus the other day which I had never seen before and can't recognize at all.Didn't have time to take a pic,but that's [10] a fairly good rendering of it. It's not a local flag or of any group I can think of. Any ideas? Lemon martini (talk) 21:37, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Can we assume from your use of the phrase "bits and bobs" on your userpage that you are located somewhere in the UK? It might help to have an even more precise location such as a city name. Was it part of an advertisement? Dismas|^(talk) 21:47, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Wikimedia Commons' 'flag by colour' tool reveals that it is the flag of the Berber people. AlexTiefling (talk) 22:09, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

[ec] This is the flag of Berberism, a North African nationalist movement. Tevildo (talk) 22:10, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

I'm in Exeter,UK. It was on a flagpole in someone's garden. Thanks for identifying it-it seems a rather unusual one to pop up in a Devon village,but there we are. Incidentally,the link is producing a error message-there's a bad title apparently... Lemon martini (talk) 22:58, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Fixed. AlexTiefling (talk) 07:00, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

May 14

Scared of ET the Extra-Terrestrial

Hi all,

I know some people might think it's funny but as a child, I spent many horrible nights having big dreams about ET. I had to wait to be a teenager to be able to watch the film alone. Thanks to internet, I realized I was not the only one. Actually, many people had the same problem. ET is really creepy with his ugly face, his way of moving and his sounds. Is there any chance you could mention it in this article that the movie was considered very scary for some people? Thanks a lot. 203.111.224.71 (talk) 03:50, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Yes, if there's a notable published source that mentions this. Of course, as kids grow into adults, they replace their fear of ET the Extra-Terrestrial with a fear of EC the Extra Cholesterol. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 05:15, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Or the ECG, the Electro-Encephologram. Films are films, not meant to be a depiction of any kind of reality that we know of. They are merely 'what if....' scenarios. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 05:34, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

ECG = electrocardiogram. Electroencephalogram is EEG. --180.149.192.133 (talk) 05:51, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Sorry, I meant EEG. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 07:18, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Can't say I've heard of or can recall any news stories about kids being frightened by E.T. Of course, the film is fairly intense at times, no matter what the creature looked like. Maybe you were a little too young for it. Kids have different levels of tolerance for intensity. I've read that a number of children were frightened when they went to see Disney's Snow White back in the 1930s, specifically by the witch. The witch in The Wizard of Oz was pretty scary too, and supposedly Maggie Hamilton, a kind-hearted sort in real life, never again played a witch, because she didn't want kids to think the Wicked Witch of the West had come back to life. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:19, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

As a small child, I was scared of those flying monkeys (blimey, I wasn't expecting to find a WP article). Alansplodge (talk) 16:30, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

When you see it in high-def, observing that the distant shots of the monkeys carrying Dorothy away are just puppets, it kind of takes the edge off the anxiety. Not so evident when you're in single-digits watching on a small screen. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:33, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

I saw it on the big screen actually. I think we were more easily taken-in by special effects in those days. Alansplodge (talk) 22:09, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Ah, yes, the flying monkeys. Around age three I hid behind the couch, and peaked around the corner to watch. μηδείς (talk) 17:31, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

See Uncanny valley. "Things" that are sort of but not entirely human can evoke a feeling of "creepiness", horror, or revulsion. This perception varies from person to person. It mostly applies to characters or robots, but some people, e.g., one of my granddaughters, have that feeling with regard to particular hominid reconstructions in museums. (She says that some of them have "weird eyes", and they do, because they are humanoid but not human. ET is less human than most of the humanoids that evoke the uncanny valley, which just illustrates that it varies from person to person. Robert McClenon (talk) 16:39, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

If you had never seen a nonhuman mammal, would a dog's face seem "human" enough to reach your uncanny valley? Pretend I didn't ask for speculation. —Tamfang (talk) 07:45, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

If you can provide reliable sources about some children being fearful of ET, they can go into the article, but discuss on the article talk page first. Robert McClenon (talk) 16:40, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

According to Common Sense Media (something like the Ned Flanders of film review), "Parents need to know that Steven Spielberg's classic has some scenes of mild peril that may be too intense for younger children." Also junk food advertising, slight tipsiness, strong language ("by today's standards") and white people everywhere.

Not exactly nightmarish, but a bit spooky. Doesn't criticize his fugly face or gangly arms, though. InedibleHulk (talk) 18:38, May 14, 2015 (UTC)

Though a user review (much less "reliable"), says: " As a three-year-old, I was summoned by my parents to the living room of our little apartment. They told me to look at the TV. I watched a boy offer Reese's Pieces to a figure shrouded in darkness. When the terrible head and neck were revealed, I was paralyzed in fear. I could not move. I could not speak. I wanted to scream and cry, but I couldn't."

You're not alone, OP. InedibleHulk (talk) 18:44, May 14, 2015 (UTC)

Fear of clowns

My daughter has long been fearful of clowns. She has said that she has learned that she is not alone, that other people also are fearful of clowns. It occurs to me now that, because clowns have "weird faces", they may also be in the uncanny valley for some people, sufficiently not-quite-human-looking as to evoke creepiness. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:00, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia has a moderately decent, but short, article on Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, which has references to further articles outside of Wikipedia that could provide some good basis for your research. Notably, the connection to the uncanny valley concept is noted there as well. --Jayron32 03:15, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

The Monster Clown is definitely common. A little too common, I say. Many just fake it to fit in. Sort of like how it's cool to say bacon is tasty, or whatever the current thing is. But it's not all fake. InedibleHulk (talk) 03:20, May 15, 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia calls the Monster Clown the evil clown. That's a bit rude. InedibleHulk (talk) 03:36, May 15, 2015 (UTC)

John Wayne Gacy would be one. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:45, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

And who can forget the film classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space, such a cinematic masterpiece that a 3D sequel is now in the works. StuRat (talk) 04:03, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

We've had this discussion many times, search the archives. μηδείς (talk) 20:33, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

See? Clowns are done to death. And if they come back as zombie clowns, zombies are more overdone than bacon. Nothing to fear, citizens! Make like Paul Anka, and just don't look. InedibleHulk (talk) 21:50, May 15, 2015 (UTC)

Fear of large birds with fur and teeth

Anybody talking about that? Or even have a name for those things? Google seems to suggest by its silence that we're OK with this, which doesn't seem right. InedibleHulk (talk) 22:13, May 15, 2015 (UTC)

Maybe ornithodontodoraphobia is the proper term. Google did that much for me. But that doesn't explain much, and Googling it doesn't help. InedibleHulk (talk) 22:17, May 15, 2015 (UTC)

It just occured to me, thanks to the main section above, that a large bird with fur and teeth is essentially a flying monkey, so this fear is just a manifestation of that, not truly scary itself. InedibleHulk (talk) 19:07, May 16, 2015 (UTC)

Resolved

What is a combined HDMI/DVI port?

I have a Samsung flatscreen TV that has 4 HDMI ports. Ports #2-4 are all labelled "HDMI," but Port #1 is labelled "HDMI/DVI". A casual visual inspection reveals that all 4 ports look the same. Can anyone tell me what the difference between Port #1 labeled HDMI/DVI is relative to the other 3 "HDMI-only" ports? If I want to plug in a Chromecast or Roku, does it matter which of the 4 ports I use? Acceptable (talk) 16:22, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

See HDMI#Compatibility with DVI. An HDMI/DVI port would still need an adaptor to work with the Digital Visual Interface however, as the two connectors are different. --Jayron32 16:27, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Suppose I don't have any DVI devices and want to use the "HDMI/DVI" port as a normal "HDMI-only" port, could I treat this HDMI/DVI port just like any other normal HDMI port? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 16:42, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Try it. I'm pretty certain it won't explode and send shards of glass into your eyes. --Jayron32 22:41, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

But just in case, wear safety glasses. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:02, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

DVI to HDMI cables are not unusual. If you have a computer with only DVI output, you need to get a DVI to HDMI cable. Then, the connector on the other end needs to have an HDMI/DVI connection. It auto-detects the DVI and just works. If your TV didn't have an HDMI/DVI connection, you'd need a DVI to HDMI converter. Basically, they are simply doing the conversion for you inside the TV. 209.149.114.204 (talk) 19:06, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

This is basically wrong. HDMI to DVI adapters whether in the form of cables or plugs are completely passive. (Well except for some weird adapter for the Radeon 4xxx generation which appears to relate to something weird they chose to do.) They are simple connecting the right pins in HDMI to the right pins in DVI. At a basic level this should work together as stated below. The TV can't be substituting for the adapter if the port is still a HDMI port. Nil Einne (talk) 15:46, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware (and our article doesn't contradict me on this), HDMI and DVI are always compatible (at least for DVI input to HDMI output - you lose audio going from HDMI to DVI). So unless the manufacturer is just trying to fool people who don't know HDMI and DVI are already compatible, I'm not sure what the difference could be. MChesterMC (talk) 08:13, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

You can surely treat the port as a normal HDMI port for most purposes, As to the differences it's hard to say. As was said by MChesterMC, HDMI and DVI are cross compatible due to a few modes required to be supported by both. HDMI depending on versions does have audio, CEC, ethernet and other stuff that standard DVI won't provide and there's no such thing as dual link HDMI and each has their own modes which the other won't support. (Also I believe HDMI has always required HDCP, whereas it was only introduced later to DVI.) None of this is really likely to be the difference. It's possible that the TV will let you reduce processing on the HDMI/DVI port but not the other ports, to reduce latency and avoid the possibility of strange effects with text etc. (However most commonly such ports are labelled gaming ports or whatever, particularly since they will often be used with consoles with native HDMI output.) If your TV has analog or perhaps non HDMI digital audio input, perhaps (or by default) the audio input is assigned to the HDMI/DVI port, or may be it's assigned if there's no audio on the HDMI and not assigned to the other ports (or may be when multiple lack audio on the HDMI input) [11]. Alternatively and probably most likely, there is no difference and they labelled the port to try and tell people it can be used for DVI. Nil Einne (talk) 15:46, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

air pollution in Beijing and Delhi

The WHO says Delhi has the worst air pollution of all monitored cities as measured by level of PM 2.5 particles. Beijing isn't in the top 20. But then why does Beijing have so much more smog--thicker and on more days--than Delhi? If the smog is a different kind of air pollution then why on the smoggiest of days is the PM 2.5 level also the highest?

[12]

Muzzleflash (talk) 20:43, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia has an extensive article on Smog. The simplest answer is that, while particulate matter is an important component of smog, the mechanism by which smog forms is not a simple one-to-one correlation with particulate matter, and because of that you can expect differences between the amount of particulate matter and the amount of smog. --Jayron32 03:13, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

I think your premise is wrong. Delhi actually has more and thicker smog than Beijing (though it is often talked about less). In both cases smog varies both day-to-day and season-to-season, with late fall and winter being worse than other seasons [13]. One can certainly find images of ridiculous pollution from either Delhi or Beijing. Dragons flight (talk) 03:27, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Smog is a combination of smoke and fog (hence the name) - generally, the 'particulates' are smoke-like solids, and fog (water droplets condensing out of the air) wouldn't be factored into the pollution statistics because it's a natural phenomenon. However when there is an incipient fog - the solid particles can act as nucleation sites that help the fog to form. Hence, in naturally humid air, the presence of particulate pollution will dramatically worsen the foggy conditions. So it could easily be that a city with very dry air could have severe particulate pollution without suffering from visibly obvious smog.

Hence, the differences between the smog levels between these cities could easily be related to humidity and relatively unrelated to the exact amounts of particulates. SteveBaker (talk) 14:15, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Door

What is the door mechanism on charity bins called? The one that allows stuff to go in but not to be pulled back out? Here's a picture http://www.wear2bank.co.uk/assets/Main%20images/Bank-donation.jpg — Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.157.198.66 (talk) 23:03, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

What happens when you try to take something out? InedibleHulk (talk) 01:04, May 15, 2015 (UTC)

Attached to the door at ~100degrees is a second plate of metal. You place your deposit between the door and the other plate then when you close the door your deposit slides in, same as a book return or a post box in Canada. 173.32.72.65 (talk) 02:26, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Sounds something like the old US4176610, or "safe deposit apparatus". If not quite that, it may be one of the things in the Citations and Referenced By sections. InedibleHulk (talk) 03:08, May 15, 2015 (UTC)

Sounds like the same kind of trap-door mechanism used in some vending machines. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:23, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

You can probably get the stuff out again by turning the container upside down, but I've never tried this. Dbfirs 13:30, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

It depends on the design- On some of these systems, there is not an "open" position that allows throughput, i.e. a free path from outside to inside when the door is open. In that case, you'd have to hold it upside down, then repeatedly shake it whilst opening and closing the door. Here's an illustration for a design that does have a free path from inside to outside with the door open, but sadly no name for the design/part [14]. This product [15] has an "Anti-theft, gravity action door" - not very satisfying, but I think it would be a serviceable term for most purposes. SemanticMantis (talk) 14:00, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

off topic
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Right. Because you don't want anyone stealing those out of the bins. Dismas|(talk) 10:07, 16 May 2015 (UTC) Plenty of pervy people wouldn't mind a sniff, that's men AND women included. 188.138.247.175 (talk) 12:07, 16 May 2015 (UTC) Is that Original Research? -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 22:09, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

May 15

H.M.S. Osprey

Having spent two summers at the Naval Base as a Sea Cadet doing courses, I note that there is no mention in Wikepedia of the Prisoner of war cells for German fighter pilots that were on the bluff opposite the main gate. There were Nissan huts where we stayed, as well as other naval ratings. I remember going into the cells , which went many stories underground, but the lighting still worked so it was quite easy to see. There was also a large stone tablet at the top of the steps leading to the huts which was carved by the Luftwaffe Pilots who were held there as a mark of appreciation for the way they were treated. I can find no mention of these facilities in any reports of the early post war reports of the Base.

Regards, Bob Malcolm — Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.255.135.242 (talk) 03:54, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

I assume that you are speaking of HMS Osprey, Portland. -- ToE 04:40, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

We can't add any information to an article without a valid reference to back it up. Usually, we can find something online but I have had a quick look at Google and can't see anything of use. I'm also wondering if a network of underground cells is more likely to be an old magazine rather than being purpose built for POWs? It seems to be rather an expensive way to accomodate those usually held in wooden huts. Portland was heavily fortified during the Victorian times - see Palmerston Forts, Portland. Alansplodge (talk) 13:08, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

It may help in searches to remember that the base at Portland was HMS Attack from 1941-46. DuncanHill (talk) 13:46, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

We have an article on the East Weare Battery, which was within the area controlled by the Navy. In our article for the nearby Verne High Angle Battery, there is a photograph of one of the magazine tunnels; the magazines at East Weare would be similar. I can't find anything to suggest that they were used by POWs though. Alansplodge (talk) 19:59, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Supereggs ?

This newspaper flyer ad for Eggland's Best eggs makes some outrageous claims:

"Compared to ordinary eggs, Eggland's Best eggs have 4 times the Vitamin D, more than double the Omega 3, 10 times the Vitamin E, and 25 percent less saturated fat. Plus, EBs are a good source of Vitamin B5 and Riboflavin, contain only 60 calories, and stay fresh longer."

Their website says they do this with "special feed", but I'm skeptical that this alone would make so much difference. So:

1) Is this all true ?

2) If so, how do they do it ? Do they soak the eggs in a vitamin bath ?

3) What makes them stay fresh longer ?

StuRat (talk) 16:12, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

I am not sure of the specific claims, but the chickens are fed a highly supplemented diet. For a crude analogy, if you want your feces to be full of corn kernels there're two ways to go about it, one of which doesn't involve manually adding the kernels to the finished product. μηδείς (talk) 17:19, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

For vitamin D - probably true. This paper [16] demonstrates that feeding chickens diets high in vitamin D will cause the eggs laid by said chicken to have more vitamin D in the yolk. For vitamin E - also totally reasonable - this paper [17] reports finding on supplementing chicken diet with vitamin E and fish oil. It also mentions fatty acids increasing, but I don't really feel like reading the whole article. As for calories, a "regular" 50g egg has ~75 kcal, so they could easily get down to 60 calories by just selling slightly smaller eggs. Basically, "you are what you eat" applies to chickens too - if you pump them full of fatty acids and vitamins, their eggs will, to some extent, in some cases, also carry those substances. Research on chicken egg nutrition as a function of chicken diet is a huge field - plenty more like these refs can be easily found via google scholar. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:25, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Most of the nutrition claims are regulated by the FDA, so they can't just make them up (at least not legally). They don't identify the "ordinary eggs" that they used and they could have shopped around for eggs that would look bad in the comparison. Both eggs in the comparison weigh 50g, but some of the differences, such as lower fat and cholesterol, could be explained by the Eggland's Best eggs having slightly smaller yolks, or thicker/heavier shells since I think the shell is included in the weight. Thicker-shelled eggs also stay fresh longer, according to random Internet people. -- BenRG (talk) 06:50, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

I heard somewhere that in the USA, eggs are frequently washed, to improve their appearance. However, washing also removes a naturally-present protective film from the egg, which reduces the eggs' shelf-life. I don't know how true this is, and if the eggs the OP mentions are unwashed. LongHairedFop (talk) 10:58, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

I think they legally must wash them in the US. StuRat (talk) 13:22, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

My mother buys the brand, simply because they are usually the cheapest--she notices no difference in taste. The eggs are washed and stamped with a logo. μηδείς (talk) 17:27, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Consolidate old user account with current account

How do I go about consolidating two user accounts? I previously edited under User:Jameyson72, contributing mainly on the Oxygen scavenger article. After that account fell into disuse, I forgot the login credentials and when I decided to start editing again, I simply created a new account. Is it possible to consolidate the two accounts? I'd really appreciate any help. Ormr2014 | Talk  21:07, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Nevermind, I just read Deleting and merging accounts and see this isn't possible per Wikipedia policy. Ormr2014 | Talk  21:22, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

See also WP:CHU. You can put {{user previous account}} on your user page to identify the old account. (This sort of question would be better on the Help Desk, incidentally). Tevildo (talk) 21:26, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

What are the best universities ( USA, Canada, Europe, Australia & New Zealand) for a Masters degree in telecommunications engineering?

What are the best universities ( USA, Canada, Europe, Australia & New Zealand) for; (a) A research Masters degree; (b) A theory Masters degree; in telecommunications engineering? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Karlcd (talk • contribs) 13:10, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

In the U.S., the best known school rankings are published by U.S. News and World Report. Telecommunications engineering is a subdiscipline of electrical engineering. Here is their rankings thereof. --Jayron32 20:12, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Maclean's runs the university ranking racket here. They'll give you a taste for free, but for that sort of detail, you'll have to buy the issue. Or subscribe to their website. Or find it "pirated" somewhere next year, after the proper owners have no use for it, and you have a fair use for it. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:46, May 16, 2015 (UTC)

We shouldn't be suggesting our clients become accessories (whether after, during or before the fact) to serious offences. If we can't even give legal advice, we certainly can't aid and abet law breaking. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:07, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Are you suggesting we protect them from crime? Because that costs extra. InedibleHulk (talk) 22:39, May 16, 2015 (UTC)

I'm suggesting we give suggestions that would not involve our clients in piracy, not even passively. If they want to do that, they can think of it themselves and they won't need our help. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:57, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

I thought you were talking about the ranking racket. Amended. InedibleHulk (talk) 23:03, May 16, 2015 (UTC)

Question (How can I join this organization?)

Hi. How can I join this organization? (Sophie Concepcion (talk) 11:38, 16 May 2015 (UTC))

(Moved from Math Desk and title fixed.) StuRat (talk) 13:17, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

You already did, when you registered. But, you made a few mistakes in posting this Q:

1) You put it on the Math Ref Desk. I moved it to Miscellaneous.

2) Your title is meaningless, as every post here is a question. I added to it to make it useful.

3) You posted your Q at the top, in it's own section, when it belongs at the bottom, under that day's date. The "Ready? Ask a new question" button at the top takes care of this part for you.

I will post a link to this new location to your talk page, so you can find it. Oh, and Welcome Aboard ! StuRat (talk) 13:17, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

You may want to join a WikiProject, which helps coordinate the editing of articles in one subject-area. There's a list of them linked from that page, or it's here WikiProject Directory. ---- LongHairedFop (talk) 18:16, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Does a student who graduated from a lower-ranking school in a developing country be admitted to a graduate school in a western country?

Most colleges in developing countries are sub-par by western academic standards. In one developing country, for example, professors are not obliged by law or by their institutions to pursue a doctoral degree. Even worse, this country’s state colleges lack decent science and computer laboratories, affecting in turn the quality of learning experience. No doubt, higher institutions in improvised countries have much to invest in their facilities, research, and faculty.

Having said this, does a student who graduated from a lower-ranking university in a developing country have a chance to be admitted to a graduate school in a western country? Based on your experience, do graduate schools give much weight to the reputation of your undergraduate school? If your school is accredited in your country, will this help?

I've also read this article from New York Times. I wonder if graduate applicants who didn’t obtain a bachelor's degree from U.S. schools have no chance of getting admitted.Rja2015 (talk) 17:22, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Yes, it is possible for someone from an impoverished country to attend a Western graduate school. And yes, the admissions departments do care what school you went to. I went to a top-tier US graduate school in science, and I would guess that about a fourth to a third of the students were foreign, though mostly from developed countries. Most US graduate schools require some form of standardized admissions test such as the Graduate Record Exam, LSAT, MCAT, etc. I've spoken in the past to people on the admissions committee of my school, and they said they give the greatest weight to admission scores, followed by letters of recommendation, and only then transcripts. I suspect that a student from a developing country who could show exceptional test scores and excellent letters of recommendation would not find it that hard to gain entry to a US graduate program. Of course, the difficulty is in obtaining sufficient knowledge and skill to earn exceptional scores despite a background that may lack much of the preparation that students from other countries had access to. There is no easy answer to that. So the short answer is, yes it is possible, but no it's not easy. Dragons flight (talk) 19:07, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Money can "grease the wheels", but the International Monetary Fund warned that may (in general) waste more time than it saves. It obviously isn't a great way to save money, either. Also illegal and unethical. But possible. InedibleHulk (talk) 19:23, May 16, 2015 (UTC)

• Quite a significant number of Pakistani and Bangladeshi taxi-drivers in New York City were Lawyers and Doctors back home. Since I didn't take names, I don't have a source, but I am sure it's available. I know a Cuban who worked as a medical doctor in the US. She did so by getting Spanish citizenship, and having her credits transferred to a Spanish University, then to the US. From what I have seen personally, though, most Cuban licenciaturas (bachelor) degrees would not rank as high an associates degree in a county college in the US.

Generalizing, however, doesn't work. My neighbor's son got his medical degree in St. Lucia very cheep, and as he passed whatever test was necessary he was admitted as an intern in the US, and now lives in a 72' yacht in NYC. This is the sort of thing where the OP, if he cares about his life, should contact a professional counselor, not random people on the internet. μηδείς (talk) 22:23, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Official Goal of Wikipedia?

If I should be asking this somewhere else, please tell me.

Is there a stated official goal (or a mission statement) of Wikipedia?

Jimbo Wales had said in 2004, ″Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.″ and ″Our goal has always been Britannica or better quality.″ But is this official? 76.176.28.235 (talk) 00:19, 17 May 2015 (UTC)